The Wicked Truth: Third Things First

What can Schrodinger’s cat teach us about conflict, rivalry, and our relationship to God? In this episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross talks with physicist and aerospace engineer Pablo Bandera about his book Reflection in the Waves: The Individual Observer in a Quantum Mechanical World—and how a Girardian approach to quantum physics might open new paths toward peace. Pablo begins by unpacki...

In this follow‑up episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross continues her conversation with psychotherapist and theologian Dr. Gena St. David about the brain’s role in peacebuilding, activism, and everyday conflict. Gena explains why people are rarely in the same “stage” of grief about our political and cultural crises, and why that matters for how we treat each other when minds begin to change....

What happens in our brains when we feel betrayed, and how do we learn to trust again? In this episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross talks with psychotherapist and theologian Dr. Gena St. David about betrayal, threat, and nonviolent action in our current political moment. Building on her work at the intersection of neuroscience, Christian theology and peacebuilding, Gena explains how our nerv...

Do you feel in touch with your deepest goals and desires? Or do your dreams feel more like distractions from the hurt and broken relationships you've been avoiding? In this follow‑up episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross continues the conversation with magician and Rene Girard scholar James Warren and Roman Catholic mystic and Tarot reader Sally Graciela Ramirez about how magic and mysticism...

What if close‑up magic and Tarot readings could help us loosen our certainty, imagine new possibilities, and take small steps toward peace with justice? In this episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross talks with magician and Rene Girard scholar James Warren, and Roman Catholic mystic and Tarot reader Sally Graciela Ramirez about art, mystery, and conflict transformation. James, an MDiv-trained...

In part 2 of their conversation, Suzanne Ross talks with theologian and peacebuilder Dr. Andrew DeCort about moving through shame and rage into what he calls the “purple sphere” of grief—and discovering blessing and joy on the other side. Andrew, author and founder of the Neighbor Love Movement and the Reframe newsletter, shares from his recent arrest with 90+ faith leaders in a nonviolent protest...

Scholar, peacebuilder, and “dissident theologian” Andrew DeCort joins us from his bathtub to discuss his arrest at an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis, and his discovery that anger is “a fire that can make beauty.” In this extraordinary conversation, Andrew and Suzanne explore the emotional landscape of working for justpeace in a world that rewards division. From the shame that tells us we don't be...

What happens when you discover your church sits beside an enslaved burial ground? That the descendants of those enslaved people still live just blocks away? In this episode of Third Things First, Suzanne Ross talks with Rev. Dr. Julia Robinson Moore about her courageous work telling the truth about slavery, lynching, and racial violence, while building a shared future rooted in peace and reconcili...

Suzanne and Dr. Brian Ammons continue explore Wicked through the unique lens of sacred text, unearthing themes of hope, disillusionment, and the power of ancient wisdom. They also emphasize personal resonances with Elphaba's journey and the impact of cultural context on representation. Finally, they discuss the role of art in opening space for tough conversations and for reconnecting with our own...

In this episode of Third Things First, Suzanne and Rev. Dr. Brian Ammons discuss the queer elements of Wicked, how its story pushes back against oppressive systems ... But also, how Elphaba's journey can help us claim the gift of otherness. They delve into "Defying Gravity" as a metaphor for rejecting old narratives and embracing otherness as a source of unique insight and perspective that still n...

Dr. David Anderson Hooker joins Third Things First to explore narrative transformation, conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and racial reconciliation through the lens of stories vs. narratives, victim narratives, and the practice of mediating conflict through a “third thing”. Host Suzanne Ross talks with the peacebuilder, mediator, and theologian about why dialogue across difference is necessa...