Faith And Reason 360

Dr. Joerg Rieger joins Debo, Ann, and David to discuss Jesus’s claim “the way, the truth, and the life” and how to understand that statement alongside alternate perspectives of truth. Different people can encounter truth in different ways, and that doesn’t mean everything goes; instead, Rieger says that as we negotiate truth, we must figure out where to broaden the picture and where to draw the lines. The quest for religious truth has been both death dealing and live giving. It has been death dealing because blaming others has often led to real killing, as well as the exploitation and manipulation of other religious traditions in order to make one’s religion the truth. As far as life giving, this quest for religious truth has also led to all religions making an effort to change oppressive situations and figure out how one can use their religion to make a difference. This then creates an interreligious dialogue. Ann brings up the question: what if people didn’t view religion as a sport, where they’re on a team

Dr. Joerg Rieger joins Debo and David to discuss how the cross and the resurrection of Jesus illustrate resistance, and why women were the only followers of Jesus who showed up when Jesus was crucified. They also talk about how malignant religion can support an economic system that will result in exploitation and suffering. What are some of the mechanisms that keep the “American Dream” in place? Rieger also goes into detail about the lack of separation between church and economy, and explains why money determines what happens in the church. If the church comes together, change can be made to the power differential. How do you empower church leaders to speak with true resistance when it puts the financial interests of their church at risk? Faith And Reason is a production of the D.L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation. Learn more at www.faithandreason.org.

Dr. Joerg Rieger sits with Debo, David and Ann to delve into the differences between "malignant religion" and "life-giving religion." Religion that is malignant does not care about others, justifies oppression, and creates negative outcomes for people. Religion that is life-giving brings real good news to the poor, embraces everyone, and creates real love for our neighbor. Debo brings up the rapture in relation to malignant and life-giving religions, and Reiger makes the point that the rapture is often used as a diversion tactic and is used without much substance. What difference is rapture theology making, and who is it serving? In a broader sense, how is your spirituality functioning, and how can we speak back to the malignant religion that is encroaching in our own lives?

Dr. Joerg Rieger joins Debo, David, and Ann unpack the distinction between religion and politics. When Jesus says “Give to God what is God’s, and give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” what is he really saying? Rieger brings up a startling parallel between our current situation and that of ancient Rome: in Rome, the assumption was that if Caesar was in control, peace for everyone would be maintained. In today’s economic system, the assumption is that if the top 1% remains in control, they’re the job creators and everyone will benefit. How is God manifesting when communities start reclaiming grassroots power for themselves?

Dr. Joerg Rieger joins Debo, David, and Ann to explore the tension between the Christian perceptions of God: the kingly, dominant God of Caesar vs. the humble, human God of Jesus. When we talk about God, he says, which God are we talking about? If this God is one with Jesus, a working person and refugee who served the marginalized, what does it look like for us to be followers of Jesus today?

In this special episode, hear the Intro of "The Last Week," a new audio series from Faith And Reason. This series features new dialogue with John Dominic Crossan based on material from his book with Marcus Borg, "The Last Week." Part meditation, part historical exploration, and part theology — our new audio series with Dr. Crossan, David Dykes, and Ann Phelps is perfect for individual study, especially during the Lenten season. "The Last Week" is available now at faithandreason.org!

As we enter stage 7 of our spiritual development, we learn that there is a true self that, no matter what we do, is loved by God. Not only do I receive that love, but everyone else does, too. We can shed fear, superiority, and competition - and experience the death of our false self. In stage 8, we return to “luminous darkness” — we don’t have the answers, but instead of being confused, we are at peace. Those with a tendency towards certainty can have a difficult time in this stage. Stage 8 can be described as a sensation of gentle, compassionate discernment. We experience ourselves in the unity of God. In stage 9, we discover that it’s enough to be human: badges and costumes aren’t necessary. Accessing this stage is rare and potentially only achievable for fleeting moments, but is a beautiful destination to seek out. For more on the transition from the false self into the true self, check out Rohr’s book “The Immortal Diamond.” Hear more from Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister by purchasing “The Human Spi

In Fr. Rohr’s fourth stage of spiritual development, he describes the Christian model of incarnation: that Jesus lived on earth in a human body. Ann and Debo help us understand this phase, describing how liberating it can be to fully experience ourselves in our own bodies. As we turn inwards into ourselves, we grow beyond just the doctrine of the church and begin having a real-life inner experience of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, during this exploration we find limits within ourselves, and we meet our internal shadow self. In the fifth stage of spiritual development, we confront our weaknesses, limitations, and brokenness. As you become comfortable with stage 5, you free yourself from having to pretend. Fr. Rohr calls the next stage, 6, “God’s waiting room.” After confronting our flaws, we come to grips with our own self’s limitation in our ability to achieve perfect spiritual love. Hear more from Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister by purchasing “The Human Spirit and The Times We Live In”, a Faith And Reaso

Part 4 of our series featuring audio from Father Richard Rohr’s lecture “The Human Spirit.” Moving from stage 3 to 4 is likened to a ritual wounding - we are forced to leave our proverbial tribe and enter inner awareness of ourselves. We discover that our identities live within our bodies. Stage 4 offers a wonderful experience of self-discovery. We get to immerse ourselves in religions and practices that open up personal realizations. The limitation of this stage, though, is that we live in a world consisting of other people. Our personal enlightenment is only as useful as it moves us to action to work for justice in our world. Ann and Debo discuss the implications of that movement for institutional religion as a whole. Hear more from Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister by purchasing “The Human Spirit and The Times We Live In”, a Faith And Reason seminar series resource. The FaithAndReason 360 podcast is free to all listeners. Interested in supporting? Donate at FaithAndReason.org.

In Part 3 of our series featuring audio from Father Richard Rohr’s lecture “The Human Spirit,” Ann and Debo discuss Rohr’s next stage of human development: the realization that my thoughts and feelings are who I am.” This can cause us to become too locked in and certain in our beliefs, but there is freedom in remaining teachable. Spiritual maturity happens when we are open to challenging our convictions. Rohr says that “growth only happens on the threshold.” When we come to the edge of our comfort zone, don’t retreat - push on. Hear more from Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister by purchasing “The Human Spirit and The Times We Live In”, a Faith And Reason seminar series resource. The FaithAndReason 360 podcast is free to all listeners. Interested in supporting? Donate at FaithAndReason.org.

In the development of our existence, we search to transcend basic levels of consciousness. We can experience a reality beyond our own body and self image. Fear about how we are perceived can cause us to hide parts of ourselves, and to project them onto those who belong to other groups. In Part 2 of our series featuring audio from Father Richard Rohr’s lecture “The Human Spirit,” Ann and Debo discuss moving beyond fear, projection versus authenticity, and self-examination as the work of responsible humans. Hear more from Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister by purchasing “The Human Spirit and The Times We Live In”, a Faith And Reason seminar series resource. The FaithAndReason 360 podcast is free to all listeners. Interested in supporting? Donate at FaithAndReason.org.

“What characterizes a spiritually mature person?” Part one of our four-part series features audio from Father Richard Rohr in his lecture “The Human Spirit,” available from Faith And Reason as a two-disc set also featuring Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB. Ann and Debo discuss insights from Father Richard Rohr’s lecture on faith and self-awareness, aptly titled “The Human Spirit.” Join Ann and Debo for commentary on clips form Rohr on rejecting dualism, the narcissism of certainty, and faith as an act of making peace with life’s mysteries. The FaithAndReason 360 podcast is free to all listeners. Interested in supporting? Donate at FaithAndReason.org. Grab “The Human Spirit and The Times We Live In”, a Faith And Reason seminar series resource featuring contemplatives Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and Father Richard Rohr.

In this episode of Faith And Reason 360 we are honored to welcome author, scholar, and scribe of the popular monthly newsletter “Connections” Barbara Wendland. Join us as Barbara discusses the need for a radical update of creed, attitude, and structure in the Christian church, whose practices, Wendland says, are outdated—and this behind-the-times attitude, though revered as traditional by many, comes at the expense of Church success. The world has changed dramatically since the 3rd century; is the Church ready to catch up?

“...America has traditionally been understood as a Christian nation. The question is: understood by whom?” An enormously influential Old Testament scholar, Dr. Walter Brueggeman’s question echoed at Faith And Reason’s The Prospect of a World Community of Religions seminar. Challenging the commonly-held assumption that the Founding Fathers intended for the United States to be a Christian nation, instead, he argues, it is intended to be a secular democracy. The churches of a secular democracy, Brueggemann argues, should exist to “bring vision, and passion, and energy, and courage” to society—not division, strife, and oppression. No small critic of imperialism and nationalism, Brueggemann heavily influences this podcast episode. Join Ann and Debo as they use Brueggemann’s scholarship to reflect on the First Amendment, the exclusion of minority voices in the national political and religious conversation, and how Christians can co-exist in the secular democracy—not co-opt it.

On this episode, we’re joined by Noorain Khan, program officer at the Ford Foundation. Though Khan’s achievements as a decorated academic landed her a position at a prestigious corporate law firm in New York City, the self-described “Girl Scouts evangelist” knew that her professional goals lay in the world of social justice. So Khan, honored by Law and Policy’s “30 Under 30” List, gave up the ultra-competitive world of corporate law to her true calling of giving back to the global community. Tune in as Khan discusses her experiences as a Muslim-American woman navigating a roiling political and social landscape, the importance of intersectional representation in all fields, and how altruism is a catalyst not only for social change but also for deep personal fulfillment.

Debo Dykes and Ann Phelps host a roundtable discussion with guests Rev. Dr. Jason Coker, field coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi and David Dykes, Executive Director of Faith And Reason, about the beginnings of our faith formed by family and the image and language of God created for and by white men. We discuss the patriarchal language of God, ownership of God’s image, and the ways in which those perceptions, often fiercely and systemically protected, color our moral and political views. Critical work comes in remembering that Christians’ commitment to progress should prioritize justice for anyone on the margins of society. Read more from Rev. Dr. Jason Coker on the CBF website: http://www.cbfms.org/drjasonblog/ David Dykes is wrapping up production on The Challenge of Paul, available at https://www.faithandreason.org. Featured Product Sr. Joan Chittister in God, The World, & The Gap Between, an audio recording available as either a CD ($15) or USB flash drive ($20).

As fires rage in California and hurricanes menace the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean, hosts Ann Phelps and Debo Dykes talk with guest Frederica Helmiere about the environment and what lessons Christians can learn from their interaction with the natural world. Helmiere challenges Christians to examine their ideas about consumption, and the direct and indirect impact of that consumption on the global environment. She discusses the way race, class, gender and capitalism intersect with faith and the conservation of the environment. Helmiere pushes us to reflect always on the way that intersectionality is critical to understanding the management of the environment while taking into consideration justice for marginalized people. Frederica Helmiere has spent the last fifteen years working at the intersection of religion, social justice and ecology in the United States and abroad. She is currently a multiregion coordinator at the United Religions Initiative, and has taught related undergraduate and graduate courses at

Debo and Ann talk to the Rev. Dr. Jason Coker, field coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi (CBF MS) in light of recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jason, who is white, grew up poor in a predominantly black public school in the Mississippi Delta, and talks about how his early life formed his views on race and justice. Jason went on to study at Yale Divinity and Drew which included work in ancient biblical languages and modern postcolonial theory. These experiences shaped Jason's outlook and informs his current work with CBF MS to tackle rural poverty. In keeping with the ethics of the historical Jesus, Jason's work is geared towards the liberation of the oppressed. Read more from Rev. Dr. Jason Coker on the CBF website: http://www.cbfms.org/drjasonblog/

Ann Phelps and Debo Dykes revisit an archived Marcus Borg lecture to dissect Borg's ideas on how one can practice Christianity but reject literalism and beliefs that don't fit a modern understanding of justice. Can some parts of the Bible be "flat-out wrong?" Does this create anxiety or relief when you hear it? For Marcus Borg, letting go of literalism opens a larger world of metaphor that ultimately leads to a more fulfilling personal faith. This episode of the podcast reacquaints listeners with Marcus Borg, who passed away in 2015. Borg left a legacy of historical Jesus scholarship and a lasting call to experience Christianity as a call to create justice in today's world. Related Resources Faith And Reason Seminar Series Does Christianity Have a Future? (DVD)

Rob Hill's journey has taken him from the pulpit as a United Methodist Church pastor to a position as director of the Human Rights Campaign Mississippi. Through the organization's One America project, Rob and his team lead the effort to bring equality to LGBTQ people throughout Mississippi. Using the resources of HRC and collaborating with local organizations, he works each day to help change hearts and minds, advance enduring legal protections and build more inclusive institutions in the Magnolia State. For those who are not LGBTQ but want to put compassion into action, Rob suggests speaking out when you hear unacceptable language, and showing up to rallies and policy discussions. Learn more: HRC "Love Your Neighbor" video campaign: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLstyCKmnMAyYHdPYAeMYVPl7DH2T_JetR HRC "Religion & Faith" topic http://www.hrc.org/explore/topic/religion-faith