Progressive Spirit

It is assumed in the popular imagination that early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs.   Thousands of stories of saints who were persecuted because of their religious convictions flood Christian literature.  But were Christians persecuted historically or was this mythology created by Christians?   My guest, Dr. Candida Moss of the University of Notre Dame, speaks about this myth-making in her book:  The Myth of Persecution:  How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom.

This is the second interview with Marcus Borg. In the first conversation, we discussed his latest book, Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written.    In this discussion he tackles the big issues, God, Jesus, and the Bible from a 21st century perspective.  He is the author of over twenty books including Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power--and How They Can Be Restored.

Religion scholars, Linda Schearing (Gonzaga) and Valarie Ziegler (DePauw) take us back to the garden to show how American culture is obsessed with Eden. In their popular and enticing book, Enticed By Eden: How Western Culture Uses, Confuses, (and Sometimes Abuses) Adam and Eve, they introduce us to the world of evangelical manhood and womanhood, the sex toy industry, Christian wife spanking, on-line Christian dating, and more.   Join us for a fascinating (and a little scary) conversation about gender, power, and Adam and Eve.

Robert Cornwall is a Disciples of Christ minister and church historian.  He is the pastor of the Central Woodward Christian Church in Troy, Michigan and he blogs at Ponderings on a Faith Journey.   He is the author of Ultimate Allegiance:  The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer and Faith in the Public Square:  Living Faithfully in 21st Century America. Dr. Cornwall's Faith in the Public Square is a collection of newspaper columns addressing issues of faith and politics.   Join us for this insightful conversation about faith and public life.

Ted Olson is a Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University.  He has published a collection of poems called Revelations.  This is a magnificent collection of poetry that touches on spirituality, nature, family, and music.  Maurice Manning writes that Revelations "...sweeps broadly, gathering family history, displaced people, the natural world, religion, small towns, solitude, and love into a single tide washing into shore."   Dr. Olson brought his banjo and his poetry.  Join us!

Ted Olson teaches Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University.   He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards.  Two nominations in 2012 for The Bristol Sessions 1927-1928 - The Big Bang of Country Music and another nomination in 2013 for Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music: 34 Historic Songs, Ballads and Instrumentals Recorded in the Great Smoky Mountains by 'Song Catcher' Joseph S. Hall.   He just produced The Johnson City Sessions, rare recordings made in Johnson City in 1928.    Dr. Olson talks to me about these recordings and he brought his banjo to share some of this great Appalachian music!

The Christian religion is changing. Everything is on the table including the Bible. My guest, Dr. Hal Taussig, professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and pastor at Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church in Philadelphia is the editor of A New New Testament:  A Bible for the 21st Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts. This document includes as sacred scripture ten texts from antiquity that some early Christians used but never made it into the canon.  These include The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Truth, The Acts of Paul and Thecla and seven others. I speak with Dr. Taussig about the process of selecting these texts, their significance, and what they mean for spiritual seekers in the 21st century.

One of the great teachers in my life has been Marcus Borg. His book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time introduced me to a way of understanding the Christian faith that not only made sense but was worth living. He introduced me to a Christianity for both mind and heart. So I was honored to speak with Marcus Borg about two books, The Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written and Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power--and How They Can Be Restored. This first conversation is about The Evolution of the Word. An upcoming interview will be about Speaking Christian.  In The Evolution of the Word, Marcus Borg puts the books of the New Testament in chronological order and offers an extended introduction to each book describing its content and historical setting.  In so doing he shows how views of Jesus evolved within the New Testament itself.

This week I speak with Russill Paul, the author of Jesus in the Lotus and The Yoga of Sound.  Russill will be in Johnson City, TN, April 26-28 for a weekend of lectures and workshops.  He speaks with me about the intersection of Hinduism and Christianity and the blending of ancient and contemporary spiritual practices.

This week I speak with "pyro-theologian" Peter Rollins.   This interview, perfect for Holy Week and Easter, is about "divine doubt" and letting go of the need for God to solve our problems.  His latest book is called The Idolatry of God:  Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction."He explores how the Good News actually involves embracing the idea that we can’t be whole, that life is difficult, and that we are in the dark. Arguing that God has traditionally been approached as a product that will render us complete, remove our suffering and reveal the answers, he introduces an incendiary approach to faith that invites us to embrace our brokenness, face our unknowing and accept the difficulties of existence. Only then, he argues, can we truly rob death of its sting and enter into the fullness of life."

Author Barbara Kingsolver lives in southwest Virginia.  She is the author of 14 books including the The  Poisonwood Bible, The Lacuna, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  She visited with me at the WEHC studio at Emory and Henry College to discuss her latest novel, Flight Behavior, a novel set in Southern Appalachia.   In part it is about denial and the beliefs that get assigned to us.   It is on the long list for the Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize for Fiction).

Harvey Cox is the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard, where he began teaching in 1965, both at HDS and in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.   He is the author of The Secular City, When Jesus Came to Harvard, and The Future of Faith.   The "Future of Faith" is the title of my series of programs and I am honored to have as my guest the man who wrote the book on it!

Robin Meyers has written books with provocative titles such as Why the Christian Right Is Wrong and Saving Jesus from the Church. His latest is the The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus.  He is the senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC Church in Oklahoma City.   He talks to me about empire, faith, and following a subversive Jesus in a red state.

Catherine Bush, playwright in residence at Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia is my guest this week. We talk about her pretty cool gig of being a playwright in residence as well as her play "Walking Across Egypt" and the intersection of faith and theater.  Join us for a fun and lively conversation with Catherine Bush, part of my interesting people series!

My "Future of Faith" series continues with a conversation with Daniel Dennett. He is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University. He along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens are seen as prominent voices for The New Atheism. He is the author Breaking the Spell: Religion As A Natural Phenomenon. Dennett and colleague, Linda LaScola, published an article that has received a great deal of attention, Preachers Who Are Not Believers. He was awarded the 2012 Erasmus Prize for his work in communicating science to the public and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including TED (Responding to Rick Warren, Dangerous Memes, The Illusion of Consciousness, and Cute, Sexy, Sweet, Funny). He joined me on Religion For Life to discuss possible futures for religion. This is part two of a two-part conversation.

My "Future of Faith" series continues with a conversation with Daniel Dennett.  He is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University.   He along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens are seen as prominent voices for The New Atheism.   He is the author Breaking the Spell:  Religion As A Natural Phenomenon.  Dennett and colleague, Linda LaScola, published an article that has received a great deal of attention, Preachers Who Are Not Believers.    He was awarded the 2012 Erasmus Prize for his work in communicating science to the public and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including TED (Responding to Rick Warren, Dangerous Memes, The Illusion of Consciousness, and Cute, Sexy, Sweet, Funny).   He joined me on Religion For Life to discuss possible futures for religion.   This is part one of a two-part conversation.

Do you know what your minister believes?  You might not.  Jerry DeWitt is the author of the upcoming, Hope After Faith: An Ex-Pastor's Journey from Belief to Atheism. He is the executive director of Recovering From Religion, and "the first graduate" of The Clergy Project.   His story has been written up in the New York Times and he speaks about his journey at a number of conferences such as Reason in the Rock 2012.    I caught up with Jerry on Religion For Life to discuss what it means to graduate from faith.   We are pulling back the curtain.  Join me for this candid conversation.  It is part of my future of faith series.

Michael J. Perry is Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory University. He is the author of 60 articles and 11 books including Love and Power: The Role of Religion and Morality in American Politics, The Political Morality of Liberal Democracy, and the upcoming Human Rights in the Constitutional Law in the United States. He spoke at King College on February 4th, 2013 as part of the Buechner Lectures on the relationship between moral law, the constitution, and same-gender marriage. He joins me on Religion For Life to help us explore how an understanding human rights and moral freedom can help guide us through this legal and political issue.

Kathleen Norris is an award-winning poet and author.   Her works include Dakota:  A Spiritual Geography, Amazing Grace:  A Vocabulary of Faith, and Acedia and Me:  A Marriage, Monks, and A Writer's Life.    I caught up with her on Religion For Life to talk about community, faith, life, meaning and star gazing in South Dakota.

Alex McNeill is on at least two journeys. One is a journey to ordination into the ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  Another journey is a personal journey from female to male.  He speaks candidly about both journeys on Religion For Life.  He is the host of Presbyqueerian and will be featured in the upcoming film, Out of Order.