The Living Church Podcast

Follow Philip Yancey's blog.Read Philip's new book, Undone.No man is an island,Entire of itself.Each is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea,Europe is the less.As well as if a promontory were.As well as if a manor of thine ownOr of thine friend's were.Each man's death diminishes me,For I am involved in mankind.Therefore, send not to knowFor whom the bell tolls,It tolls for thee.Welcome back podcast listeners. Quite a Lenten poem, eh? For Western listeners, we are in the last week of Lent before Holy Week, first week for our Eastern brethren.Meeting here in Lententide, we thought it would be a good time for a conversation about someone who has reflected deeply on sin, suffering, pain, and the faithful presence of God. Well, two people actually. The 17th-century priest and poet, John Donne, whose famous poem we opened with, and author Philip Yancey.The poem above is actually an excerpt from a longer work called Devotions that Donne wrote from his sickbed, in a time of plague, disorientation, and deep discouragement. Where and how did he find God with him? TLC had the joy of talking with Philip Yancey about his new book, a modern paraphrase of Devotions called Undone, and about Phillip's own story, particularly as it relates to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.Philip Yancey has explored questions and mysteries of the Christian faith for decades in best-selling works such as Disappointment with God, Where is God When it Hurts?, and What’s So Amazing About Grace? Philip has written more than 25 books, and his latest release is Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne's Devotions. Philip and his wife live in the foothills of Colorado.

Check out John Behr's new translation of Gregory of Nyssa's On the Human Image of God.What does it mean to be human? We pay attention to our broken humanity more during Lent. And there's that phrase, when we make a mistake, "I'm only human!" True. But what about the glory and promise of being human? What kind of humanity we see in the pattern of Christ? How do we live now, if our destiny is to be, as the saints tell us, "raised with Christ" who is "seated at the right hand of God"?Today we'll talk with theologian John Behr about St. Gregory of Nyssa's work, On the Human Image of God, and John's new translation of it. We'll listen in as Gregory, like the theological rock star he is, takes a melody from Plato and riffs hard, but with a Christian anthropology, and creates nothing less than an anthem to God's saving work in Jesus.What is a human? How do humans have a special relationship with death? And how does the gospel, and especially John's gospel, peel back the curtain on what Jesus' humanity is doing for all creatures?The Rev. Dr. John Behr is Regius Professor of Humanity at the University of Aberdeen. He previously taught at St. Vladmir's Seminary, where he served as dean from 2007-17. John is also the Metropolitan Kallistos Chair of Orthodox Theology at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Center for Orthodox Theology. (Finally a quick shout-out: if you're interested in this question, What does it mean to be human?, then save the date, friends! The Living Church is hosting a conference this September 26-28 in Oklahoma City entitled The Human Pilgrimage: A Conference on How to Live. We've got a beautiful slate of speakers, including Katherine Sonderegger, Amy Peeler, Victor Austin, and Graham Tomlin. Watch any Living Church space for registration coming soon.)Now brush up on your Greek, because there will be a test on the Timaeus at the end of this. (Just kidding.) We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Get in touch with Fr. Nate for further conversation. Check out Fr. Nate's book, Festive School.Read Fr. Nate's article on neurodivergence in the classical classroom. Learn more about Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI).When trying to consider budget as well as mission and ministry, churches of many sizes offer educational service, from a small daycare to a prestigious Episcopal prep school. And these are often built on a classical school models.Classical education refers specifically to a model of education centered on the Western classical trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. If you can do a classical school well, you can provide a great education and do very well for your budget. But does it produce snobby kids? Put another way, does it shelter privileged kids even further, and prevent kids with disadvantages from experiencing a remarkable community of learning?One way to negotiate this is through scholarships, or through careful intentionality in enrollment or curriculum development. But our guest today has also explored ways to make sure that kids with disabilities -- including neurodivergence -- are welcomed and integrated into a classical community. What they've discovering is an unusual model for classical education, and an unexpected ministry of healing.My guest today is the Rev. Nathan Carr. Nate is a bi-vocational priest serving as vicar of St. John’s Oklahoma City and headmaster of The Academy of Classical Christian Studies, a multi-campus school serving 1,000 PreK-12 students across the Oklahoma City metro. He's the author of Festive School (Classical Academic Press), on the importance of festivity in Christian education. He and his wife Sarah have six children who bless their home, including kiddos with neurodivergence.He's also written a related article on the Living Church's award-winning blog, Covenant. Now sharpen your pencils and warm up your singing voice. We're headed to school. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Buy the Roads of Hurt and Hope Holy Land Lenten study. (All proceeds go to the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem.)All eyes are on the Holy Land right now, as the conflict between Hamas and Israel continues, over a hundred kidnapped Israelis still missing, over a thousand Israeli civilians dead, and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in the crossfire.As many of you will know, the Living Church postponed a pilgrimage to the Holy Land until further notice. The name of this pilgrimage is In the Footsteps of Jesus. Today we'll be talking with someone who has walked in the footsteps of Jesus many times, as a pilgrimage leader, as well as a resident of Jerusalem. And not only in the footsteps of Jesus, but in the footsteps of Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, David, the apostles, the woman at the well, and many more ancestors in the faith, as well as citizens of the land today.What is it about this place that people have fallen in love with for thousands of years? Why has God met so many people on its roads? What do these roads teach us, not only in human footsteps, but in the rocks and water, plants and animals along the way, about God’s presence and faithfulness? And what can we see there now, especially in time for Lent?We enjoyed speaking about all this with the Rev. Canon Dr. Andrew D. Mayes. Andrew has served as spirituality adviser to the Diocese of Chichester and to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He has lived several years in Jerusalem, as a theological researcher and later as director of courses of St. George’s College, of which he is an associate professor. He is the author of 16 spirituality books including the award-winning Learning the Language of the Soul, Beyond the Edge, and, most recently, Roads of Hurt and Hope: Transformative Journeys in the Holy Land. (This last book is a Lent study, and all the proceeds will go to the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the Anglican hospital in Gaza.) Tighten your hiking shoes and pack a lunch, and don’t forget, if you get a moment, to buy a souvenir. We’re going on a journey today, across time and an ancient, beloved landscape. Sometimes strenuous, sometimes quiet. Often surprising. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Check out some of our favorite episodes of the podcast.

Learn more about the Living Church and check out some of our favorite podcast episodes.Happy Epiphany!I love seasons, the changes of seasons. The distinct character of each one.Different seasons and times bring out different flavors, different inner lives of the land and landscapes. I think humans are similar. Even whole cultures. Different eras show up or play down certain shapes that human life can take, certain imaginative landscapes and possibilities.But across space and seasons we do have one Lord. That's the crazy revelation of Epiphany. But how does this same Lord show up differently in different times and places? Today we'll be talking with Dr. Grace Hamman, author of the new book, Jesus Through Medieval Eyes. Grace is a writer and independent scholar of Middle English contemplative writing and poetry and hosts the literature podcast, Old Books with Grace. Jesus through Medieval Eyes is a remarkably enjoyable book. Jesus jousting. Jesus giving birth. Jesus as judge, lover, mother, or knight were common images for Christ in the middle ages. How might they help us in our time, heal our contemporary views of justice and judgment, love and lovers, gender and sex?Now brush up on your middle English. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Read Jesus Through Medieval Eyes.Learn more about the Living Church and check out some of our favorite podcast episodes.

Learn more about the Living Church and check out some of our favorite podcast episodes.Welcome back, podcast listeners. A happy Epiphany to you. Let's start off the year with a bang. This episode is from a conversation between Dr. Stanley Hauerwas and the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner at the Radical Vocation (RADVO) conference at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, in September 2023.Amber asked Stanley and Ephraim to share their responses to the conference, and it all went wonderfully off-book, deep into the territory of attention and martyrdom.The conversation will reference other keynotes and conversations, including the Rev. Dr. Christopher Beeley on Christology, Dr. Jeremy Begbie on the Holy Spirit, Dr. John Behr on the Church, the Rev. Tish Harrison Warren on Christianity and Politics, and other panels on church unity and evangelism. Stanley Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke Divinity School and was named "America’s Best Theologian" by Time magazine in 2001. His book, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic, was selected as one of the 100 most important books on religion of the 20th century.Ephraim Radner is Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto, and has ministered in various places, including Burundi, Haiti, inner-city Cleveland, Connecticut, and Colorado. His many books include Hope among the Fragments: The Broken Church and its Engagement of Scripture (2004) andA Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life (2016).Learn more about the Living Church and check out some of our favorite podcast episodes.

Give to The Living ChurchGift the Magazine for $9.95Welcome podcast listeners. Today we've got an episode that will lightly leap from Advent to Christmastide. We'll revisit four conversations we've had over the years: James K. A. Smith on time and ImmanuelNovelist H.C. Cross on boarding schools and world-buildingLauren Winner on books and readingAmy Peeler and Wes Hill on Mother MaryDr. James K.A. Smith is a public philosopher and editor in chief of IMAGE journal, and author of many well-known books including You Are What You Love and How to Inhabit Time.Heather Cross is the author of two novels, Wilberforce and Grievous.The Rev. Dr. Lauren Winner is associate professor of Christian spirituality at Duke Divinity School and the author of many books, including Girl Meets God, A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith, andCharacteristic Damage.The Rev. Dr. Wesley Hill and Dr. Amy Peeler are both associate professors of New Testament, Amy at Wheaton College and Wes at Western Theological Seminary.In two weeks, we're taking a break from the podcast (Merry Christmas). In 2024 we're rolling out conversations with Stanley Hauerwas and Ephraim Radner, a book chat with John Behr, an exploration of Jesus Through Medieval Eyes, a look at neurodivergence in the classical classroom, and much more. Give to The Living ChurchGift the Magazine for $9.95

Make an Advent donation to the Living Church.Get 84% off a gift subscription to The Living ChurchIn the beginning, creation. Millennia pass. Creatures alternately live peacefully then get it horribly wrong. Long genealogies. The rise of evil kings, good kings, battles and prophecies. A savior riding in on a white horse. And in between the exciting parts, lots and lots of waiting.Is this the Bible? The spiritual life? Or The Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth legendarium? Yes. And it's chock-full of good stuff for Advent.So is JRR Tolkien's own life. Today we'll talk with one of Tolkien's biographers, Dr. Holly Ordway. Holly is the Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, visiting professor of apologetics at Houston Christian University, and a subject editor for the Journal of Inklings Studies. She has two books you should know about: the award-winning Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages (Word on Fire Academic, 2021) and her newest book, Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography (Word on Fire Academic, 2023).  Advent is a thick time. Within that tapestry we find suffering and grief, waiting and faithfulness, the mysterious timing of providence -- and much to learn from Middle Earth.But we also get glimpses of what it means to live good life. Good food, a sense of humor, and divine grace are hidden inside Advent, too, if we have humble enough eyes to find them.Whether Advent is for you like a cozy Hobbit hole full of goodies, or Denethor's grim tower looking out on an uncertain future, or some trippy place in between that I cannot imagine, we hope you enjoy the conversation.Make an Advent donation to the Living Church.Get 84% off a gift subscription to The Living Church

Give to support the Living Church Podcast studio!Check out No Small Endeavor, hosted by Lee C. Camp.Who knew that a Southern mother would help today's guest hone the gift of gab for the sake of others?Today you'll hear my conversation with Dr. Lee C. Camp, about the art of conversation. I'm excited to share this, especially with those who talk, listen, teach, preach, or give counsel for a living. How do we connect more meaningfully in our conversations, both on and off the clock?Lee Camp is the host of the podcast No Small Endeavor, exploring what it means to live a good life, which features best-selling authors, philosophers, scientists, artists, psychologists, theologians and politicians. I highly recommend you check out his podcast. Lee is also an award-winning teacher and professor of theology and ethics at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He and I dig into:What we can learn from late night talk show hosts. How being funny can both help and hinder deeper connection. Why practicing prudent vulnerability is a way to help everyone, including yourself, open up to the possibilities of hearing an unexpected truth.Thanksgiving is coming up. Family gatherings can be a difficult place to keep conversation fresh and listening lively. Hopefully this will help you discover some new possibilities there as well. Finally, consider bringing a bottle of wine to the Living Church Podcast Thanksgiving table: give today to support a studio space for us. $10 a month, or any amount you choose, even a one-time gift. We are surely grateful.You can also leave a review for us on Spotify or Apple podcasts.Now, whether you like to gab or stay quiet, whether you tend toward control freak or deer in the headlights, we're all invited to learn the art of conversation, and to join every conversation the Lord brings our way. We hope you enjoy this one.Give to support the Living Church Podcast studio!Check out No Small Endeavor, hosted by Lee C. Camp.

Give to support the Living Church Podcast studio!Last chance to join us in NYC for Preaching in a Post-Christian Age.The visions of Julian of Norwich came to her 650 years ago this May. Claire Gilbert's new novel, I, Julian, is a fictional autobiography about the life and visions of Julian. We'll be discussing the book today with its author and discovering why and how she would write such a boldly imaginative book from the perspective of one of Anglicanism's most beloved figures.We'll learn a bit about the actual woman we know as Julian, and talk about what life might have looked like in her time, in an age of tight-knit community, mystery plays, and mystical texts, as well as church division, plague, and tectonic societal shifts. We'll also hear about what it's like to inhabit such a powerful voice for so many years of research and writing, and what changed in Claire's life as she wrote the book.Before I tell you a little more about Claire, I want to thank those of you who have jumped in to support a podcast studio so we can keep bringing you conversations like this at a high quality with fantastic guests. I want to personally thank three new supporters: Sharon, Roger, and John. Join the ranks of these good folks by clicking the link in the show notes and help us bring onto the podcast people like Dr. Claire Gilbert, our guest today.Claire is founding director of the Westminster Abbey Institute for ethics and public life. She has worked for the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England as policy advisor in medical ethics and environmental issues and is a lay Canon at St Paul's Cathedral. She co-founded the St Paul's Institute in 2003. She has authored many books. Her latest, the novel I, Julian (Hodder & Stoughton), is available now.If you'd like to win a free copy of the book, you can enter our TLC Book Club contest. Just go to livingchurch.org and click the popup to download a free study guide and be entered to win a free copy of I, Julian.Now hold on to your wimple. We're headed out on a beautiful and sometimes intense literary journey -- which is also a journey of the heart. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Give to support the Living Church Podcast studio!Last chance to join us in NYC for Preaching in a Post-Christian Age.