Faith Improvised

After a longer layoff than I had anticipated, I begin this fourth season by talking about what I've been up to over the last 3 1/2 months, note some of the books I've been reading, and give an overview of what I intend to explore in the upcoming season.

In this episode, I wrap up season 3 and the exploration of Paul's Letter to the Romans.

A brief update on two books I'm reading--The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, by David Graeber and David Wengrow, and The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community, by Stephanie Spellers. I also talk about the closing section of Paul's letter to the Roman Christians.

In this episode, I recommend J. Richard Middleton's wonderful and compelling new book, Abraham’s Silence: The Binding of Isaac, The Suffering of Job, and How to Talk Back to God (Baker Academic, 2021), and I talk about Romans 14:1-15:13, which is the climax of Paul's argument in the letter. Middleton's book is available with free shipping from Baker Book House (https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/260831). Support independent bookstores!

In this episode, I recommend Daniel Silliman's wonderful new book, Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith (Eerdmans), and I talk about Paul's exhortations in Romans 13. I also mention Stephen Colbert's thoughts about the relationship of his Christian faith to his comedy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUaWDqDOWPk), and the brilliant fake conspiracy theory 'Birds Aren't Real' (https://birdsarentreal.com/).

I share a few reflections about exploring how to be Christian, I recommend the PBS documentary on Billy Graham, and I talk about Paul's exhortations to the Roman Christians in Romans 12. You can find the documentary here: https://www.pbs.org/video/billy-graham-tp3vqn/.

In this episode, I share a few more reflections about conspiracy theories, I recommend Kiese Laymon's book, Heavy: An American Memoir (Scribner), and I talk about what it means to be Christian and how to remain Christian when relating to people who identify as LGBTQ+ inside and outside the church.

In this episode I recommend Randall Balmer's new book, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right (Eerdmans), and I talk about the conclusion to Paul's argument regarding Israel in Romans 11.

In this shorter-than-normal episode, I share a few reflections and recommend Bridget Eileen Rivera’s book, Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church (Brazos Press).

I share some updates on what I've been doing over the break, I recommend Gregory Alan Thornbury's really interesting book, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock (Convergent), and I talk about Paul’s argument regarding Israel in Romans 10. I also mentioned this article: "'An American Tradition': Lessons from a year covering conspiracy theories," Jose A. Del Real, The Washington Post, Dec. 29, 2021.