JUST FYI POD: Conversations about Culture, Ideas, and Life

During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I have been counting down our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, and after months of deliberation, we turn to the #1 book on our respective lists! In a moment of chutzpah, Clark begins with none other than The Bible itself. Meanwhile, I explore Søren Kierkegaard’s 1849 psycho-spiritual masterpiece THE SICKNESS UNTO DEATH (SYGDOMMEN TIL DØDEN). Additional content and links, not to mention my updated Spotify “Theological Playlist,” can be found at cbarnett.substack.com. As always, we encourage you to support our podcast in any number of ways—liking, reviewing, commenting, sharing, etc. 🙏

Over the last six weeks, there has been a wave of protests on university campuses throughout the country, occasioned by the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. In this “emergency” episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I talk about these protests and their significance for higher education. Our goal here is not to delve into the war as such—an analysis better left to political scientists—but to ask why universities (especially elite universities) have become cultural flashpoints and what this phenomenon means for the future of the humanities. This is something of an impromptu conversation—and yet one worth having all the same. As always, see cbarnett.substack.com for more details and content!

During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will countdown our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, we turn to the #2 book on our respective lists. I will kick things off with a discussion of St. Thomas Aquinas’s magnum opus the SUMMA THEOLOGIAE (1265-74), while Clark will follow with a deep-dive into J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythopoeia THE SILMARILLION (1977). Additional content and links, not to mention my updated Spotify “Theological Playlist,” can be found at cbarnett.substack.com. As always, please consider liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing our work!

On our previous episode (April 17, 2024), my cohost Amy Welborn and I wrapped up our countdown of the “20 Most Spiritually Significant Films of All Time.” One might expect that we’d now take a long break, but, on the contrary, we’re just getting started! On today’s episode, we assess the upcoming Flannery O’Connor ‘biopic’ WILDCAT (dir. Ethan Hawke), which is set to be released on May 3, 2024. Amy and I were fortunate enough to be granted access to the film in advance, and, as will be discussed, we both found it well worth our time. In addition to our analysis of WILDCAT, we offer a fairly brief (but hopefully useful) rundown of a few films that didn’t make our top-20 list. Consider this our ‘Honorable Mention’ segment! As ever, there is much, much more on cbarnett.substack.com. Check it out and subscribe for free today.

During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will countdown our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, we turn to the #3 book on our respective lists. Clark will discuss Simone Weil’s WAITING FOR GOD (ATTENTE DE DIEU, 1950), while I take a look at Joseph Ratzinger’s INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY (EINFÜHRUNG IN DAS CHRISTENTUM, 1968). These are very different works, written in very different ways, though their authors share certain theological sensibilities. Indeed, as our conversation will make clear, both Weil and Ratzinger attempt to trace the ongoing presence of God in a rapidly secularizing world. Additional content and links, not to mention my updated Spotify “Theological Playlist,” can be found at cbarnett.substack.com. As always, please consider liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing our work!

We did it! The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE’s first season is to explore the “20 Most Spiritually Significant Films of All Time.” On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I continue our countdown—this time focusing, yes, on the #1 film on our respective lists. I begin with Terrence Malick’s 1998 war drama THE THIN RED LINE, while Amy turns to Xavier Beauvois’ 2010 drama OF GODS AND MEN (DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX). These two films are set in different eras, with wildly different casts and modi operandi. But both confront a world broken by political ideology, and both suggest that, amid such corruption, only the search for God is capable of providing “calm,” peace. “Je reste.”

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE’s first season is to explore the “20 Most Spiritually Significant Films of All Time.” On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I continue our countdown—this time focusing on the #2 film on our respective lists. Amy begins with Robert Duvall’s 1997 drama THE APOSTLE, while I turn to the Coen Brothers’ 2009 dark comedy/existential drama A SERIOUS MAN. In both films, some of the hardest questions facing human beings are taken up—the problem of evil, the desire for redemption, and the purpose of suffering. And yet, the two movies differ in style and in tone, making this an intriguing “double feature.” As ever, further details are available at cbarnett.substack.com, including artwork, film clips, and more. Likes, ratings, reviews, and shares are greatly appreciated!

During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will countdown our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, we turn to the #4 book on our respective lists. I will discuss the short, patristic-era treatise THE MYSTICAL THEOLOGY (Περὶ μυστικῆς θεολογίας), written by an unknown author who, for centuries, was identified with an early Christian convert known as Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17:34). Meanwhile, Clark will examine Stanley Hauerwas’ 1983 text THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM: A PRIMER IN CHRISTIAN ETHICS. One book, then, is a classic of Christian spirituality; the other is a much newer, yet still highly regarded, book on the Christian moral life. For further details, links, essays, and more, please visit cbarnett.substack.com. And, as ever, please consider liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing our work. Enjoy…

During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will countdown our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, I will discuss Henri de Lubac’s 1944 book THE DRAMA OF ATHEIST HUMANISM (LE DRAME DE L’HUMANISME ATHÉE), while Clark examines Rowan Williams’ 2003 text SILENCE AND HONEYCAKES. For further details, links, essays, and more, please visit cbarnett.substack.com. And, as ever, please consider liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing our work. Enjoy…

The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE’S first season is to explore the “20 Most Spiritually Significant Films of All Time.” On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I continue our countdown—this time focusing on the #3 film on our respective lists. Amy begins with Elia Kazan’s 1954 crime drama ON THE WATERFRONT, while I explore Terrence Malick’s 2011 epic drama THE TREE OF LIFE. Subscribe (for free!) to cbarnett.substack.com for more details, including relevant links, film clips, essays, etc. As ever, likes, ratings, reviews, and shares are greatly appreciated!