The Heavenly Banquet

In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss the relationship between Christian identity and national identity. Are these even compatible allegiances? What is American civic religion? How do we recognize it, and why is it so insidious? In what ways does it compete or conflict with the gospel? You've seen those t-shirts that mix the symbols of our faith with the symbols of our nation. Let...

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Luke 14:1, 7-14. "When something needs to be said, there’s no time like the present. There’s no time like now in the kingdom of God. If you take nothing else with you today, see if you can’t pick up a little bit of the audacity of Jesus. Speak and witness to the kingdom of God, use your prophetic voice, when the moment presents itself. Don’t wait for some more...

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Luke 13:10-17. You might hear this as just another story about Jesus finding controversy by healing on the Sabbath, but that issue was never really up for debate and seems like a distraction. The far more interesting, and unfortunately common, event here is that a religious leader witnessed an actual miracle and objected: "I have seen God working. I have seen...

In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss a recent post Chad wrote for our Round Table Substack entitled, " What Is the Bible? " You'd think it would be easy to tell the difference between scripture and Jesus, and yet some folks seem to offer the Bible the reverence and to give it the authority in their lives that should only be reserved for God. What's at risk with this sort of bibli...

In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss the resurrection of the body. What could it be like? Is it really physical or purely spiritual? What does it mean to have a perfected body? Will we still look like us? Will we recognize others? Listen as your hosts first look at some relevant Old Testament texts, then examine what the biblical witness tells us about Jesus' resurrected body, an...

In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia chat about heaven. What does scripture actually say, and what does the tradition invent? Are paradise, the eternal city, and the throne of God distinct heavenly states or are these various images all seeking to describe the same perfection? What will we do in heaven? And what could the experience of the beatific vision possibly be? Whatever heaven is,...

On this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia tackle hell. It's bad, y'all, but maybe not as bad as you think. Join us as we look at the following questions: What does scripture say about hell? Who is in charge of hell? Who goes to hell and what happens there? Also, is hell forever or is redemption still possible after this life? Could hell itself be in some way redemptive?

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss what we do and don't know about what happens when we die. Do we face judgement in that instant or do we sleep for a while? Would we even notice a difference? Are there some folks like the martyrs and saints who are immediately taken into heaven? Are we somehow "in Christ" until the Second Coming and final judgement? What could that mean? Listen as your hosts...

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Mark 7:1-8. "Too often American Evangelicals have pointed to verses like this in support of their'“culture wars,' to denounce any acceptance of marginalized peoples as 'novel,' 'new,' an addition to the gospel. They teach that 'the commandment of God' is that set of Pharisaical restrictions that Jesus directly challenges, and they oppose any social or politica...

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Luke 10. "We are called to love, and we are called to love in specific ways, through very specific tasks. There isn’t a compromise here. We can’t allow the words of Jesus to be watered down into meaningless platitudes meant to satisfy the tastes of those opposed to the gospel of love. We teach the Gospel. We preach the Gospel. We don’t compromise the Gospel. W...

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Genesis 3. "We talk often about being on the 'right side of history,' but we Christians should probably talk more about whether we’re on the right side of the curse, whether we might be advocating for the curse and propping up Satan’s code rather than Jesus’. That’s no good place to be. The patriarchy, gender norms, including transphobia and homophobia- anguis...

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia recommend a few selections to add to your summer reading list or your bedside table. Charlotte's Picks: Athanasius's Life of Anthony St. Basil the Great On Social Justice James Baldwin's Letter from a Region in My Mind Chad's Picks: Augustine's Confessions The Cloud of Unknowing Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss the relationship between faith and doubt. Are they truly opposites or can they complement each other? Is it even fair to disparage Thomas as "Doubting?" What should we do when we experience doubt? How should we react to others facing uncertainty? Are faith and belief the same thing? And perhaps most importantly, do you think Jesus sang jazz?

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on Acts 2:1-21 for Pentecost. "And so we need each other. We need each other, we need that diversity of voices, that diversity of perspectives and experiences to keep us from the fruitless pursuits of building towers to heaven instead of the kingdom of God. But it’s more than that. The commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves doesn’t spring from God’s desire...

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss what scripture does and doesn't say about God's relationship with animals and ours by extension. Do all dogs go to heaven? What about mosquitos? What can we learn about God and the world from animals? Does God talk to the animals? Do the animals know God? Will they be saved? What can we say?

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on John 17:20-26. "Our dignity comes from the fact that we are created in the image of the Trinity, participate in God’s beauty, are redeemed by Jesus Christ, and are destined for an eternal life of communion with God. God has declared us worthy, has deemed us lovable, has called us heirs of salvation. God says that we are worth saving even if we seem hellbent on...

A reflection on Mark 10:46-52 from Charlotte Elia. "What do you want me to do for you?" This simple question, this simple tool of Jesus, honors the person you want to serve by centering them and their experience and by respecting their autonomy, their humanity. People who are suffering poverty, hunger, homelessness are seldom asked what they actually want, what they actually need because they are...

In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss the concept of the imago dei, the image of God in which humanity is created. Listen as your hosts discuss various ideas about how humankind bears God's image and then break down what's useful and what's problematic with each. What do you think? Is it our rational minds, our relational capacity, our natural dominance, our creative agency, our l...

There are too many people in this country promoting violence against women, trans kids, black and brown folks, and so many others under the guise of our faith. They have the audacity to call themselves Christians when all that they do is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. People are suffering and dying, and more people will suffer and die unless we stand up for Christ, stand up for the Gospel...

On this episode Chad and Charlotte discuss some of the stock phrases that loving, caring people say to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. You know, things like, "He's in a better place," or "God needed another angel." People mean well; they mean to comfort the sorrowful, but these phrases often fall short theologically and pastorally. Your hosts chat about what is problematic with the...

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss different views on the inspiration of scripture. Was the Bible directly dictated by God? Or did God inspire particular authors who then tried to communicate that experience in human speech? Or is the Bible something more like a collection of writings from people of faith exploring their relationship with God? And does it even matter?

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection on John 20:19-31. The tradition mocks him as Doubting Thomas, but when this disciple asked to see Jesus, asked for proof of the resurrection, he asked for something all of the others had already seen. What about those of us who haven't seen, who don't have the privilege of that proof? How can we believe?

Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss a variety of historical approaches and tools for interpreting scripture.

Charlotte Elia offers a reflection for Easter on Mark 16:1-8. This world is full of competing narratives, but there is only one real story, our Gospel story- a story where fear, confusion, and death never have the last world, but where love, life and joy always triumph.

Charlotte Elia offers two suggestions for simple ways you can mark this holy evening at home, either alone or with loved ones. Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” You can read John 13 here .