Brief: Secular Person of Faith: pt 1 (w/Brad Onishi)
Dec 30, 2023
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Brad Onishi, host of Straight White American Jesus podcast, joins Matthew for a New Year's discussion on post-religious spirituality. They talk about the false choice between science and churches, explore the concept of 'secular person of faith,' and delve into the idea of 'Christian atheism.' They also discuss progressive evangelicals, clash of modern and pre-modern selves, and the need for a radical reimagining of Christianity.
Being a secular person of faith means embracing the unknown and finding meaning and purpose through resilience, persistence, and building community.
Disenchantment with the modern scientific worldview opens up the possibility of finding wonder and enchantment in the everyday and embracing the imminence of the divine.
Deep dives
GiveWell: Directing Funding to High Impact Opportunities
GiveWell, a nonprofit organization, helps donors make informed decisions about charitable giving by researching evidence-based organizations in global health and poverty alleviation. Over 100,000 donors have used GiveWell to donate more than 1 billion dollars, saving over 150,000 lives and improving the lives of millions more.
The Concept of a Secular Person of Faith
Bradley Onishi, a religious studies professor, explores the concept of being a secular person of faith. He describes it as a recognition of the uncertainty and mystery that is inherent in the human condition. Being a secular person of faith means embracing the unknown and finding meaning and purpose through resilience, persistence, and building community.
Disenchantment with Disenchantment
Disenchantment with the modern scientific worldview and the rationalization of society is a common theme discussed by both theologians and sociologists of religion. It is the recognition that the demystification of the world does not eliminate mystery or uncertainty. Instead, it opens up the possibility of finding wonder and enchantment in the everyday and embracing the imminence of the divine.
Reimagining Christianity in the Face of Disenchantment
The death of Christ in Christianity can be seen as the death of theism and a sign that the divine presence can be found in the faces of everyone. This challenges traditional notions of God and invites theologians to absorb disenchantment into their understanding of spirituality. It encourages a shift towards recognizing the divine in the ordinary and embracing the immanent nature of the divine presence.
Friend of the pod and Straight White American Jesus host Brad Onishi joins Matthew for a New Year’s discussion of post-religious spirituality. Onishi fills out the details on a nascent identity that many of you might resonate with: the “secular person of faith.” They talk about the false choice of Max Weber’s fork in the road: that either we commit to the sciences or languish in the churches. They discuss Jeffery Kosky’s idea of “disenchantment with disenchantment.” And they try to figure out what Thomas Altizer was going on about when he proposed a “Christian Atheism.”
This is Part One of two-part conversation. Part Two drops Monday, New Year’s Day, on Patreon.