The Theology Pugcast

Today the Pugcast welcomes French Reformed theologian Yannick Imbert onto the show! Yannick is the author of a new book on J. R. R. Tolkien, "From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien's Thomist Fantasy". The book is a scholarly treatment of Tolkien's theological outlook and how it shaped Tolkien's understanding of language, myth and imagination. The Pugsters focus in primarily on Tolkien's views on language and how those conflict with contemporary understandings which are largely based on a set of assumptions informed by materialism. Enjoy! Purchase From Imagination to Faerie: Tolkien's Thomist Fantasy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Imagination-Faerie-Tolkiens-Thomist-Fantasy/dp/1666710458 Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast is joined by Ken Myers, the man behind Mars Hill Audio. Mars Hill Audio was founded by Ken in 1993 after working for National Public Radio and serving as editor of Eternity Magazine. Among conservative Christian intellectuals Mars Hill Audio is an important resource for keeping up with the intersection of Christian thought and cultural trends in the western world. Ken is a long time friend of Chris, but all the Pugsters are big supporters of Ken's work. By the time the interview is over you'll probably want to download the Mars Hill Audio app to your phone. Unfortunately there were some technical glitches during the recording of the interview--but we think this is a pretty great episode nonetheless. We hope you enjoy it! Visit https://marshillaudio.org/ to find Ken’s work with Mars Hill Audio. Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

On today’s show Tom unpacks insights from Rhys Laverty's article: A Theory of Everything: Christology as a Hope for Evangelical Metaphysical Revival. The guys delve into fascinating topics of how the early theologians of the Church redefined the philosophical as they put its tools and insights into the service of unpacking the Biblical doctrines of Trinity and Christology. The guys look into the question of how Christology in particular gave a set of categories which can help us today in clarifying the biblical understanding of human nature and ethics by supplying it with resources to spell out these core claims in fuller and richer ways, helping us engage the philosophical and metaphysical claims of today's pagan alternatives with a robust Christian vision of completeness in Christ. Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today’s show returns to the subject of the disenchantment and reenchantment of the world. The Pugsters discuss an article arguing that technology in the form of the bots and algorithms that control so much of online life function today much like the angels and demons of the premodern world, with the tech gurus who are behind it all functioning like priest-kings with data analysts as their prophets. A lively conversation around techno-paganism, techno-gnosticism, and the implications of online life in general follows. Article: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/technology-and-the-return-of-the-old-gods/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

There is something new under the sun—totalitarianism. Often confused with authoritarianism or tyranny, totalitarianism is a modern phenomenon, only possible in modernity. It is also uniquely deadly in its implications. So, what is it about modernity that makes totalitarianism feasible, and what makes it different from earlier forms of political oppression? The pugsters explore the modern character of totalitarianism on today’s Pugcast. Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Today the Pugcast welcomes Dr. David Deavel on to the show to discuss G. K. Chesterton in all of his enormity. Perhaps best known among evangelicals for his book Orthodoxy, Chesterton also wrote detective fiction about a priest named, Father Brown, as well as longer works of fiction such as the remarkable, The Man Who Was Thursday, biographies about Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas. He’s also known for a “Third Way” economic theory known as Distributism. Today’s show ranges over all the large legacy of this larger than life man. Enjoy! Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

On today’s show Tom unpacks Hans Boersma’s short article: Viral Submission: on the Emerging Totalitarianism of the New Biopolitics. The guys define and engage biopolitics and how the recent pandemic exposed how it’s encroachment into the sacred territories of our life, health, work, and community relationships are becoming claimed by governing and global political agendas at fundamental odds with true human flourishing and our higher spiritual ends. Article (Available to Touchstone Subscribers) : https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=35-03-021-v Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Register for the Welcome to Negative World conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/ Our recording platform has been dealing with some bugs lately, so please excuse the bit of glitchiness at points.

Today’s Pugcast walks through a blog post by Jason Ananda Josephson Storm, an important secular philosopher who, among other things, is engaged in a systematic critique of Postmodernism and where things should go from there. This post deals with Zuckerberg’s Metaverse and assesses it from the perspective of 1990s Cyberpunk, where the term originated. Hint: Cyberpunk always presented a dystopian vision of the future; Zuck and others missed the point and have turned it utopian. The Pugsters walk through the blog post and riff on ideas of cultural despair, escapism, consumerism vs. capitalism, and transhumanism, among other things. Article: https://absolute-disruption.com/2021/11/04/hack-the-metaverse/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

In today's show the Pugs discuss a recent article in First Things by Joshua Mitchell, By the Sweat of Our Brow. It's a free ranging, yet profound treatment of the erosion of competence in daily life, among other things. Mitchell makes the argument that citizenship requires "mediating institutions" (families, small businesses, churches, neighborhoods, and the like), because without them people lack the environments in which their actions have any meaningful difference in the world. And it is only when our actions matter that we learn competence. And competence is necessary for citizenship. Article: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/08/by-the-sweat-of-our-brow?fbclid=IwAR3xPk1N9oE9KgRnH3aVgZ4G2Els149nFpJfS9MQ7nGDM-gFmpYyFvMpH8A Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to James Wood about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington! To learn more about the conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/