Faith Improvised

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.

I recommend J. Russell Hawkins's excellent new book, The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 9.

I offer some reflections on random topics, but especially about the notion of 'kayfabe' as a way of understanding behaviors in the world. I refer to Gregory Thornbury's article "On Metaphor and Kayfabe," which can be found here (https://daviddark.substack.com/p/on-metaphor-and-kayfabe). And I talk about the conclusion to Paul's second major movement in Romans 8.

In this episode I offer some thoughts on whether Romans 7 can help Christians who struggle with addictions, and consider Jesus' abrasive and insulting statement to the Syrian-Phoenician woman in Mark 7.

I recommend Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry's insightful book, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 7.

I recommend Danté Stewart's brilliant memoir, Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle, and I talk about the communal and cosmic shape of Paul's exhortations in Romans 6.

In this episode, I give an update of what I've been up to on my little hiatus, I list a few books I'm currently enjoying, and I begin talking about the second major movement of Paul's argument, which starts in Romans 5:12-21.