For the Life of the World / Yale Center for Faith & Culture

Is what you want really worth wanting? We often settle for procedural and productivity thinking—life hacks, listicles, and tips and tricks that offer the life of your dreams. We max out our search in the shallow water of seeking answers to the questions “what do I want and how can I get it?” But Matt Croasmun (Director of the Life Worth Living Program at Yale College) suggests that if we—a society in crisis—want to live lives worthy of our humanity, we need to ask the deepest question possible and let it inform our thinking: What is truly worth wanting?Show NotesHow can I live the life that I want?Matt’s former dream of being a musician “I was more interested in being famous than in being good”Self-formation versus self-obsession“Giving up my dream to be a composer is either the most courageous or the most cowardly thing I’ve ever done”“The fundamental question is, do I have the right dreams?”The worthiness of our dreamsWhat path is worthy of my humanity? My life’s devotion?"We live answers to the deeper questions, even if we couldn't give you those answers if we were asked point blank.”Autopilot versus intuition“Whenever we aren't all that reflective about our actions, this is the infamous unexamined life”Feeling stuck Reflection can actually streamline our daily routinesIs effectiveness what we’re after? “If your ends are bad, then more effective means are hardly the solution”“The great lie of 21st century is that the effectiveness question is the most profound question we can ask. The truth is: It’s merely the most profound question we’re able to answer."“Some of those means landed men on the moon. I mean, we’re pretty good at it”We crave knowledge of the good lifeDo we want a life of ecstatic joy or peaceful serenity?Independence or interdependence? “Self awareness is a lonely place”“The answer sadly is not within; navel gazing is insufficient”Accountability to something outside ourselves Moana, Disney, and community versus individuality “This can be deeply relieving when we've been on this sort of self-help merry-go-round”The great wisdom traditions as as sources of knowledge and relevance “Act courageously in the world, take risks with our actions, with our lives ““It's easy to have so-called courage without any humility”What we've learned with our minds needs to be inscribed in our bodiesPerhaps our practices are actually smarter than some of our best ideasOrienting our everyday desires around what we know to be true“There are many processes along the way of reforming the heart, reforming our strategies, reforming our habits”Watch the video: 

In this episode, Miroslav Volf and Drew Collins discuss home as a source of joy and humanity; the way we organize and order our homes for hospitality; and the homelessness of God and what that means for humanity.For many, the first thought of home is the threat of its negation: homelessness. Still others think of the stress and anxiety—sometimes even at life-threatening levels—of being at home. For some home is grounding, a place of safety and growth, it is embrace. For others, home is hostile, unsafe and risky, it is exclusionary. This episode features discussions of:The theological and moral significance of homeThe meaning of Jesus's homelessnessMarie Kondo's philosophy of joy and home organizationDorothy Day's voluntary poverty and "personal maximalism"Home as a place for embrace, joy, and care

Matt Croasmun interviews the U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains: Major General Thomas Solhjem about whatever transferable wisdom we might apply from armed conflict to our war with Covid-19. They discuss how to cultivate courage, human fragility and loss of control, stories of bravery and love when life is on the line, and how to support the spiritual lives of the men and women of the armed forces.Chaplain (Major General) Thomas L. Solhjem is the Army’s 25th Chief of Chaplains. He leads the Chaplain Corps in providing religious support to the Army’s Soldiers, their Families, and Civilians.The views that Major General Thomas Solhjem discusses in this interview are his own and do not represent the United States Department of Defense or the United States Army, which have permitted his appearance on this podcast episode.

Jazz pianist Julian Reid on music, theology, and improvisation. The keys element of The JuJu Exchange uses the history of blues, gospel, and jazz to discuss how we communicate emotionally and spiritually through music, teaching an important lesson in how to live and long for home while we remain exiles. Features score from The JuJu Exchange's latest release, The Eternal Boombox. Interview by Ryan McAnnally-Linz and Evan Rosa.Julian Reid is a Chicago-based jazz pianist and producer, writer, and performer (not to mention B.A. Yale University, and M.Div. Emory University). The JuJu Exchange is a musical partnership also featuring Nico Segal (trumpet, Chance the Rapper; The Social Experiment) and Everett Reid—exploring creativity, justice, and the human experience through their hip-hop infused jazz. Their new 5-song project is called The Eternal Boombox.More from The JuJu Exchange: Listen to The Eternal Boombox EP: https://ditto.fm/theeternalboomboxIf you like what you hear and want to further the exchange, join us over at Patreon. This subscription service helps The JuJu Exchange stay independent: patreon.com/thejujuexchangeLearn more about The JuJu Exchange on their website: https://www.thejuju.life/ From the episode:Cornel West, from Race Matters: “To be a jazz freedom fighter is to attempt to galvanize and energize world-weary people into forms of organization with accountable leadership that promote critical exchange and broad reflection. The interplay of individuality and unity is not one of uniformity and unanimity imposed from above but rather of conflict among diverse groupings that reach a dynamic consensus subject to questioning and criticism. As with a soloist in a jazz quartet, quintet or band, individuality is promoted in order to sustain and increase the creative tension with the group--a tension that yields higher levels of performance to achieve the aim of the collective project. This kind of critical and democratic sensibility flies in the face of any policing of borders and boundaries of 'blackness', 'maleness', 'femaleness', or 'whiteness'.”

Miroslav Volf and David French discuss economy, morality, and human flourishing—looking in particular at the questions of whether capitalism and conservative moral values can coexist, and how the demands of Jesus’s ethics implicate free market economy.David French is a conservative political commentator for The Dispatch, known for his opposition to Donald Trump, his commitment to religious liberty, his advocacy for civility in public discourse, and his willingness to take a clear stand on political and cultural issues informed by his Christian faith commitments. The nature of the tug-o-war about reopening the American economy in the wake of COVID-19’s onset, and of course now in the wake of its second surge, was primarily a debate about the incommensurable values of economic wealth and personal health—or maybe better, economy and person. But more than that, it pit the concept of what it means for human beings to flourish against the political and economic aspirations of both political parties.It sure is easy to lose sight of the human in all of this. But Christian values and commitments require that our economic theorizing and policy making mean that the economy serves the person, honoring the dignity of human life, creating opportunity for justice and health, peace and flourishing, for the good of God’s kingdom.  To set up the conversation, we asked David about a 2019 back and forth he had with Sohrab Amari on the future of conservative thought, asking specifically about the way conservative moral values (things like family, integrity, honesty, generosity, forgiveness, purity) have been fused with free market capitalism. As he says, "in the absence of cultural virtue … a virtue in citizenry, a dog-eat-dog capitalism can be a miserable place.”"There are no effective replacements for capitalism. The question is, what is the Christian responsibility for the proper functioning of it, and to what extent can we steer the whole of capitalist production to serve genuinely human ends as they are articulated by the Christian faith?" (Miroslav Volf, from the episode)"In the absence of cultural virtue … a virtue in citizenry, a dog-eat-dog capitalism can be a miserable place.” (David French, from the episode)

Theologian Natalia Marandiuc explores the meaning of home and the authenticity of self in a world of both beautiful and toxic difference. She is Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology, and author of The Goodness of Home: Human and Divine Love and the Making of the Self.Show NotesNatalia Marandiuc, The Goodness of Home: Human and Divine Love and the Making of the Self.The globalized world suffers from an impoverishment of heart.Home is a fraught place.Homes give human relationships sturdiness that Earth alone does not provide.Home as a noun and a verb.Using the neuropsychology of attachmentHome as a dynamic that “allows for continuities and discontinuities.”Growing into freedom and agency.“Godself inhabits human relations of love, human attachment, therefore there is a dual creative act”Creative agency of home can be uses for good and bad.Retrieving the goodness of difference from origin stories.Healing by reweaving human relations.“A love-rich theological anthropology.”“The reformation of our imagination at one level and a reformation of our ability to act in the world.”Home, self and love each as triads that cannot be divorced.

The current presidential administration has linked federal violence against largely peaceful protests in the name of law, order, and defending God. E.g., deploying tear gas for a Bible-holding photo opp. Does the melding of Christianity with the Nation produce violence and war? What's the relation between Christian Nationalism and fascism? Miroslav Volf asks sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry.Click here to listen to the full episode on Christian Nationalism in the United States.Books mentioned in this interview:Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United StatesDavid Martin, Does Christianity Cause War?Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and ThemShow NotesUS polarization in the face of racial justice protests“If we need law and order, we need a law of love and an order of peace.”David Martin’s idea that religion becomes violent under certain circumstances.Christian nationalism has an exclusivist political vision.Christ is the lion in the sphere of politics.Fascist political fears of losing dominant culture to minorities“Fascism takes this distinction between the rural real countrymen and the urban parasites.”Christian nationalism appears associated with fascist fears.Christian nationalism’s concern with power assumes others are concerned with power.Countering bad violence with righteous violence.Christian history of just deployments of violence.Peaceful protest in Lafayette Square dispersed with tear gas.The use of violence only benefits those already in power.

Elizabeth Bruenig (New York Times) joins the podcast to discuss the ethical and theological commitments that underlie her political and cultural commentary; work, labor, and employment; and how to be opinionated and very online at a time when most Americans are afraid of what other people think of their beliefs.Show Notes“If you’re someone who sits between two well-defined ideological modes, it's going to be hard to find your place in the order of things”“What lets me sleep at night; what do I really believe is good and true?”What is a Catholic socialist?What does a Catholic socialist think about work? How we can be suspicious about the importance of work?Speaking ones mind comes with fear in today’s world The difference between a ‘take’ and reporting"I'm a chronicler of the human condition. This is also my explanation for why I retweet really bizarre stuff that I find”How understanding the character of God relates to an understanding of justice“Why be out there online? Does your faith have anything to say about being in that space?” Bringing your following to your publication“A friend of mine once said that there are two types of stupid in the world, there's happy stupid, and angry stupid. And I'm totally fine with happy stupid. It's the angry stupid stuff that's frustrating”Cancel culture“They shouldn't lose a job or whatever or be unable to find new work because of the wrong politics they have. That's a core tenant of liberalism”“I don't fight with people on Twitter... I don't swing at every pitch” How we equate work and employment “Are there ways you're re-evaluating work from a theological perspective in this moment?" John Hughes, The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism “The types of work we do in modernity, especially, are alienating. And this is about 20,000 times as true for working class people”The childcare problem “People have felt like I'm either a poor Catholic or a poor socialist, and I'm absolutely certain both of those things are true, but I’m doing my best”What got her here?A study of Christian theology centered on Saint Augustine, and a study of the Christian approach to private property“I put two and two together”Eugene McCarraher, The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity “I'm not terribly thrilled about the prospects for the American Left at the moment”Joe Biden and candidacy for the Left How are you trying to live faithfully in this moment?“What I've been trying to do is find a little bit more courage, be a little bit more sympathetic, be a little bit more compassionate”“Living faithfully is morally performing the task in front of you every day at this point”Giving others the leeway you would wantDorothy Day and finding the devotional life right where you are: "the devotional life has to be here"“I have an embarrassment of riches in terms of my husband, my kids, the opportunities I have with my job. These are all beautiful things that God has given me, and I didn't earn them. I don't deserve them, but I'm grateful for them”The idea that people who aren't working don't deserve money or security: “Everybody deserves the capacity to live a dignified life”“When it comes to the necessary things for living a dignified life, I don't think 'deserve' has anything to do with it"

In this conversation, Miroslav Volf and David French discuss the politically and culturally polarized America; the resurgence of cultural struggle, if not outright culture war; seeing fundamentalist political religion on both the right and the left; forgiveness versus cancellation and how our view of human persons affects that public conversation; personal morality and social justice; and finally how political theology can make a difference now, the rest of this year (and it’s been a year), and the future of American life.Show NotesDavid French, Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our NationPublic faith in America’s current moment“The exhausted majority”Faith provides hope and painInstrumentalisation of faithAmericans are beginning to live “separate” livesEmbracing pluralismWarning signs of culture warFundamentalism tied to the culture struggleA gap in Christian instruction in how to interact with politicsInternal virtues have significant political implicationsChristian faith and nationalism depend on each otherPost-religious activismConfession of error as a sign of person growthThe fear and anger cycle which alienates the churchWhat kind of life does God have in minds for us?When allegiance is first to Jesus, our care for justice, mercy, and humility fall into alignment.

Miroslav Volf interviews N.T. Wright about his latest book, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath. They discuss: Jesus, the God who weeps; the problem with focusing on rational responses to the problem of evil rather than empathic presence and action; the proper translation of Romans 8:28 (hint, it’s not “All things work together for good to those who love God"); waiting for God through the crises of human life; the patience of unknowing; lament as a way of hoping in the dark; Friedrich Nietzsche on our tendency to misinterpret the pain and secret sorrows of others; and finally, the resurrection of Jesus as the center for conquering suffering even in the midst of suffering. This episode also includes a brief remembrance of Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020).N.T. Wright, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its AftermathJohn Lewis speaking at the March on Washington, D.C. (1965): VideoYale Center for Faith & Culture: faith.yale.eduMiroslav Volf TwitterShow NotesHow do we flourish when we are in the dark wood, no clearing in sight?John Lewis’s legacyN.T. Wright, Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, God in the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its AftermathIs God also in a lockdown?Elie Wiesel’s NightJohn 11, Jesus weeps at Lazarus’s tomb.Jesus’s weeping is a sign that he is indeed God with us, Emmanuel.A world with an explicable place for evil is a world with a dark corner, which is not what was created in Genesis 1.TheodicyThe innocent sufferersynergei, God working with us.The church’s attempt to gain more power then needing to give it away.Facing the waitGod’s patience is woven into the life and prayer and sacraments of the church.The sorrow of God in the Old Testament.Making room for the garden of GethsemaneThe resurrection of Jesus is the launching of new creation.T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets