The Magnificast

Folks, we’re back at it. Last week, we refreshed our memories about the Pope’s climate encyclical Laudato Si and how it connected with things like degrowth and dependency theory. But this week, we’re back with some breaking news. The Vatican has released Francis’ most recent apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, and we will talk through it.Last time, we pulled out some of Francis’ thoughts around dependency and the economy, and in this Laudate Deum, he’s back with a lot of similar themes, but this time, he’s way more cranky about it all––which makes sense given that Laudato Si came out eight years ago and things have only gotten worse.So, in this episode, we will talk through Laudate Deum and see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same in those eight years.

Folk's we're on high alert here at the magnificast, because we are just DAYS away from Pope Francis dropping his follow up to Laudato Si, Laudate Deum. To get ourselves in the right headspace for this big moment, we're revisiting some of the big themes in Laudato Si. Everyone talks about the environmental themes, but we're really interested in the Pope's use of dependency theory. Put on your studying hat and let's get down to business preparing for the hottest Papal document of 2023! 

In China Mieville’s book A Spectre Haunting, he notes that the communist manifesto has an almost religious function. Mieville says it’s a type of catechesis and confession that the world does not have to be as it is. The Manifesto calls people to a type of “committed fidelity” to a world where a small group of people do not disadvantage the many for the sake of profits.In that spirit of committed fidelity not only to the Christian faith but also a communist faith, we thought we’d make some space to chat about one of the classics, the communist manifesto. We’ve done explainer episodes on the manifesto before, but we’re not doing a 101 today; we’re going to think through the question that Mieville asks: what does it mean to be a person in 2023 and be committed to the vision of the world, for better and worse, presented in the manifesto?

This week on the show, we're joined by William Gibson, from SCM Britain, who recently attended a protest against the DSEI arms fair in London. Throughout the episode, we talk about the DSEI protest, theology, labor, and solidarity. You can follow William Here (https://twitter.com/willgibsongla) and find all of William's other projects here: https://www.liinks.co/william.gibsonAlso, find out more about the Kirkridge Retreat Center here: kirkridge.org

Folks, we're back with more Planetary Theology. In this episode, we're going to tackle what Tissa Balasuriya thinks about ecumenicism and pluralistic worship and then we'll talk about his spirituality of justice. It's cool! Check out Planetary Theology by Tissa Balasuriya here https://archive.org/details/planetarytheolog0000bala/page/224/mode/2up?view=theaterIntro Music by Amaryah ArmstrongOutro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch*  https://www.redbubble.com/themagnificast

On this podcast, we’ve talked about radical theologians from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, The US, and China, but this week we’re bringing in the voice of Tissa Balasuriya, a Catholic theologian from Sri Lanka. This week, we’re talking about some pieces of his Book Planetary Theology, Published in English in 1984 by Orbis Press. There’s a lot going on in Balasuriya’s work, but it’s a really interesting example of a theologian creating the groundwork for a contextual liberation theology that runs counter to the capitalist world system. Balasuriya sees that the Christianity of the west leaves out a lot of voices and experiences, especially those in Asian contexts.Check out Planetary Theology by Tissa Balasuriya here https://archive.org/details/planetarytheolog0000bala/page/224/mode/2up?view=theaterIntro Music by Amaryah ArmstrongOutro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch*  https://www.redbubble.com/themagnificast

Nonviolent direct action has been a part of faithful expressions of the Christian left for a long time, and this week, we're talking about it! Here are the articles we talked about https://sojo.net/articles/dutch-military-arrest-25-nonviolent-anti-nuke-protestershttps://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/eucharist-at-gunpointhttp://supportjessicareznicek.com/aboutIntro Music by Amaryah ArmstrongOutro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch*  https://www.redbubble.com/themagnificast

Liberation theology is cool! But, what about theology done from inside revolutionary contexts like Cuba? This week we're discussing Cuban theologian Sergio Arce Martinez and his book The Church and Socialism. You can check out his book here on archive.org. What's interesting about Arce's work is that rather than theology as a critique of capitalism, you get theology as a constructive project of what Christians should do in a socialist society. Intro Music by Amaryah ArmstrongOutro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch*  https://www.redbubble.com/themagnificast

Hey Folks, Dean is away on holiday, so we're giving you an episode from the archives this week. This episode about Jessica Reznicek is once again timely as the two year anniversary of Jessica's incarceration has just past. Listen in and sign her petition if you haven't! http://supportjessicareznicek.com/Jessica Reznicek is a Catholic Worker and water defender who sabotaged the Dakota Access Pipeline and was sentenced to prison time for in 2019. Jessica's story is really fascinating, and her sentencing is strikingly unjust! Listen in as Alex from the Support Jessica Reznicek campaign tells us Jessica's story and explains its significance! Find out more here: http://supportjessicareznicek.com/Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoonhttps://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Folks, we're not done with Franz Hinkelammert. This week we're back with an essay from Hink called Liberation Theology in the Economic and Social Context of Latin America. Broadly, this essay is about liberation theology and its discontents. But, there's a really interesting piece about the IMF's anti-liberation theology that you're not going to want to miss. Also, this is our first transatlantic episode of the pod! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch*  https://www.redbubble.com/themagnificast