Episode 8: Who is Allowed to be Orthodox?

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In this episode, taking their lead from the themes of the previous episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on how different people and ideas are included in and excluded from the Orthodox community.

Topics discussed include:

• The nature of community
• Experiences of inclusion and exclusion
• What criteria are (or are not) used as the basis for including or excluding someone from the church community

Episode 7: Authority in the Church

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In this episode, taking their lead from the themes of the previous episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on the nature and exercise of authority in the Orthodox Church.

Topics discussed include:

• The nature of priestly and episcopal authority
• The ways that authority is embodied and enacted by the clergy and the laity
• The history of church hierarchy and structure
• Roles of the ordained and the non-ordained
• Ways that ministry can be extended beyond the purview of one person, the parish priest

Passing On

The following books, blogs, podcasts, and articles were used in preparing this episode. Please check them out for more information and discussion on the subjects we dove into today!

• “Reflections on the Wise Words of Cartman,” by Dr. David Dunn
• “Grace and the Inverted Pyramid,” by Fr. Stephen Freeman
• “The Inverted Pyramid,” by Abbot Tryphon
• “Power and Pity,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham
• “Causing Our Savior to Marvel,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham
• “Shared Ministry and Divine Grace: Restoring the Diaconate in Orthodoxy,” by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Denysenko
• “Women Deacons in Africa; not in America,” by Carrie Frederick Frost
• Thinking Through Faith: New Perspectives from Orthodox Christian Scholars, ed. Aristotle Papanikolaou and Elizabeth Prodromou
• Religious Knowledge, Authority, and Charisma: Islamic and Jewish Perspectives, ed. Ephrat and Hatina
• The Bible Made Impossible, by Christian Smith
• Fraudulent Authority, by Wade Burleson

Tune in next time to hear Lydia and Kevin discuss the book and recent film of The Shack!

Episode 6: Small Gods

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In this episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on the novel Small Gods, by the late Sir Terry Pratchett.

Topics discussed include:

• Religious certainty and delusion
• The ways belief works (or doesn’t work)
• How can we know anything about God?

Passing On

The following books and articles were used in preparing this episode. Please check them out for more information and discussion on the subjects we dove into today!

• The novel itself, Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
• The Folklore of Discworld: Legends, Myths, and Customs from the Discworld with Helpful Hints from Planet Earth, by Terry Pratchett and Jaqueline Simpson
• The Terry Pratchett website
• “Alzheimer’s leads atheist Terry Pratchett to appreciate God,” by Robert Watts
• “Imaginary Worlds, Real Stories,” by Terry Pratchett, in Folklore 111:2

Tune in next time to hear Lydia and Kevin discuss the nature of authority!

Episode 5: Interview With Dr. Jorgensen, Companion Episode

Wherein we respond to the interview in the previous episode.

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In this episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect, react, and respond to our interview in the last episode with Dr. Jeana Jorgensen, Ph.D., and the topics we discussed with her.

Dr. Jorgensen’s work can be found online in the following places:

• The Foxy Folklorist at Patheos
• Her personal webpage
• Her sex education webpage
• and on MySexProfessor.com

Topics discussed include:

• Good versus bad Platonism
• Monasticism and its influence on Orthodox theology
• The context of patristic literature
• The significance of symbols and images

Passing On

The following books and articles were used in preparing this episode. Please check them out for more information and discussion on the subjects we dove into today!

• Theological Disambiguations: An Unconventional Handbook of Orthodox Theology, by Fr. Vladan Perišić
• “Pushing Back: ‘Greek Thinking’ vs. ‘Jewish Thinking’ is a Dualistic Error,” by Brad Jersak
• “Gender as Icon and Vocation,” Orthodox Institute 2012
• The Burden of the Flesh: Fasting and Sexuality in Early Christianity, by Teresa M. Shaw
• “The Monk and the Married Christian: Some Comparisons in early Monastic Sources,” by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, Eastern Churches Review, 6:1 (1974), 72-83

Tune in next time to hear Lydia and Kevin review the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel Small Gods.

Episode 4: Interview with Dr. Jeana Jorgensen

An Interview with Dr. Jeana Jorgensen

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[Note: about 54 minutes in there is some major distortion in the audio recording that we didn’t notice during the recording process. Since Dr. Jorgensen’s comments are still discernible, and very important, we decided to keep this in, but be aware of this, and feel free to skip ahead 6 or 7 minutes if it’s beyond your ability to endure :-) ]

In this episode, Lydia and Kevin interview Dr. Jeana Jorgensen, Ph.D., folklorist, sex educator, and belly dancer extraordinaire!

Dr. Jorgensen’s work can be found online in the following places:

• The Foxy Folklorist at Patheos
• Her personal webpage
• Her sex education webpage
• and on MySexProfessor.com

Topics discussed include:

• Feminism
• The difference between sex and gender
• What Orthodox Christians and other religious groups and leaders can do to promote healthy sexuality

Passing On

As suggested reading on the subjects we discussed today, here are two books you may find helpful

• Gender Trouble, by Judith Butler
• Gender and Sexuality for Beginners, by Jaimee Garbacik and Jeffrey Lewis

Tune in next time to hear our companion episode, where Lydia and Kevin react and respond to the interview you heard today, and for further resources.

Episode 3: Hellbound? by Kevin Miller

Hellbound? by Kevin Miller

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In this episode, Lydia and Kevin examine Hellbound?, a 2013 documentary film on different Christian visions of hell by Kevin Miller.

Topics discussed include:

• Subjectivity and objectivity in interpretation
• The nature of salvation and damnation
• Emotional motivations for visions of the afterlife
• The art of documentary filmmaking
• Good preaching and bad preaching

Passing On

To purchase a DVD or a download of the film, as well as additional materials, such as the discussion guide, check out the Hellbound website.

Also, you might be interested in the following books, articles, podcasts, and videos on the subjects of Salvation, the Gospel, Good and Evil, and Hell:

• “The Mirror of Hell,” a roundtable discussion on Hellbound? between Abp. Lazar Puhalo, Brad Jersak, Ron Dart, and Kevin Miller.
• “The Death of Death,” a sermon by Brad Jersak
• “Apocatastasis: The Heresy That Never Was,” by Fr. Aidan Kimel
• “‘The Satan’ with Brad Jersak and Michael Hardin,” an episode of the Beyond the Box podcast
• Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion, by Alan Segal
• The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics, by Elaine Pagels

Tune in next time to hear our interview of Dr. Jeana Jorgensen, Ph.D., folklorist, sex educator, and belly dancer extraordinaire!

Hellbound? preview

In our next episode, we will be reviewing and interacting with the film Hellbound?, a documentary made in 2012 by filmmaker Kevin Miller.

As a preview of what we’ll be talking about, here is the trailers for the film.