DRIVING THEOLOGY

Are you confusing this year's election with being one of the elect? Also, containing an exploration of open theology, using The Lord Of The Rings as an illustration.

In this episode, I struggle to make sense of some of the issues of current US politics in light of the Gospel of Jesus.

The first sixteen minutes I talk a bit about coffee roasting, then transition into a talk about Colossians 1, one of the densest chapters in the New Testament.

We climbed a mountain in order to help my friend, Pat, prepare for a vision quest. The mountain was rough and treacherous, and beautiful at the same time, perhaps what you are looking for in a good vision quest. Our culture seems to have given up on rites of passage as gateways into greater maturity and intentionality, and replaced it with education and certificates. Once upon a time, it was not s...

Unless I had moved away from America, I don't think that I would have noticed how idolatrous America has become. Today, the most prevalent religion in America is Americanism, a bastardization of Christian beliefs and American nationalism. Pride is one thing, I believe, that negates the possibility that Americanism is of God. All of the good we might do is Christ in us. And what does that mean? And...

What has been the lasting effect on America from slavery, racism, and the civil war? Could it be that we have not, as a nation, dealt with it? Are we still suffering from it?

What does it mean to be human? How can pain become a tool to help us uncover our true, best selves?

This is a very informal conversation with my friend and frequent partner, Pat, and Cam, a Driving Theology first timer, on our way to the river for some raft guide training. This recording runs from the last podcast on pain. I started recording mid drive because the conversation was going deep. Unlike my usual style, this begins with the meat and then after around 10 minutes just gets into some ge...

I had some really bad tooth pain (still do somewhat) for a few days. Through this experience, I learned a lesson of what can be a cause for self-centeredness in myself and perhaps others: Pain. How can we use pain to understand others?

How to describe the phenomenon that is the American church? Not sure. But here is my attempt!

A little NBA talk to start this podcast. If you didn't know, I am a near lifelong fan of basketball and the Boston Celtics. FF to around 8min. to skip this part. Other than that, I cover what is going no in our gathering in our home, changed we've made since COVID, etc.

Reading a new book, "Atomic Habits", a self-help book. I haven't read any of the self-help literature in a long time, and in fact, am highly skeptical of nearly all of it. All of it except this book, in fact. This one hit me close to home and just rings true to me. Timing? maybe. Listen and see how I try and connect the concepts in this book to Jesus.

Yes! The title is for shock value! Jesus lived long before Marx, therefore Marx would have to be a Christians! But seriously, what are some of the similarities between Jesus' views on family and Marx's?

BLM is accused of being a Marxist group. Most people don't really know what that means, because they have not read Marx (including me). My attempt to man-splain Marxism, in order for me to understand it better.

As usual, small talk starts this monologue on COVID-19, BLM, racism, politics, etc. How do we know what to trust? Can we trust history as it is presented to us? Is it even possible to know history? Just maybe. The following are my ideas, off the top of my head, as to what might help us to know more accurately what is historical, and what is fake history.

The beginning of this episode are a rehashing of why I do this podcast the way that I do. That is the starting point. Where it goes from there, you'll have to listen to find out!

A redo podcast, done after throwing out a recording the same morning which I deemed to be sub-par (Which for me is pretty low!). I begin this recording rehashing why I chose the format of this podcast. I then progress into my theological progression, my journey away from organized religion.

Ephesians talks about the "mystery of Christ" which Paul was charged with revealing to us... This revelation is of the utmost importance and speaks directly to the heart of God.

Racism in America, "The New Jim Crow", crimes again native Americans, and what we can do about it. We need to make amends, not just change laws. We tried that. Didn't work.

Exploring the origins of racism in America and where it can be found now. My source has been mostly Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow". The question is not "does systemic racism exist?", for me, but what can I do about it now that I believe it exists.

God is at heart an architect as well as a gardner. As gardner, his heart is in the preservation and support of life, the tending and nurturing required for prolonged abundant life.

Beginning with probably more information than you need on coffee, I then segue into racism, and how intentionally being gracious with people who are different than us. The race problem in America is so huge and old that I don't pretend to have any answers to the systemic problem. I do, however, as all of you, have experience in my own context and have a great ability to influence those around me....

Mr. Floyd, by many accounts, was exactly the opposite kind of man which the police claim he was. His death was another case of dying from being black. The fear between races is real, even though the reasons for the fear are not. How can we improve the relationships between different races in the US, and what does George Floyd's death teach us about the current racial climate?

What exactly was Paul and the writer of Hebrews getting at when they referred to Christ with terms such as "all in all", "preeminent", "supreme", "radiance of God's glory","the great high priest". Does this have anything to say at all about the way we could be reading the Bible?

A rare continuation, recorded only 2 hours after the last "Paranoid or Prophetic" podcast posted a few days ago. In this episode, I ramble, as usual, exploring the recent route of Evagelicals through conspiracy theories, to the point where they seem to prefer those in need being kept in need all to make a political point.