Ravel

Who belongs at the table that is called Christianity? Stephen feels like the vast majority of Christianity today and through the ages would say he does not any longer. Emily and Josh have different convictions. We wrestle with God and our fellow men today as we enter this dialogue. Mentioned in the episode:  109. Who Is A Christian? Ravel Episode You Have Permission Podcast with Dan Koch 6. The He...

Hard to know where to even start with this one, to be honest. The Trinity is one of the most paradoxical, "accept on faith" concepts in all of Christianity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All-in-All, Three-In-One nature. While being careful not to slip in modalism or tritheism, we attempt to work on this theological idea that has stumped Christians for thousands of years.  Mentioned in the episode:...

We're thinking about the good ol' days of summer camp while Emily is actually at church summer camp this week, so we're throwing it back in the time machine! (We know we said last time was the last time this year, but stuff is going on, ya know?) Have you ever been to Christian conferences like Acquire The Fire or Dare2Share? Or do you often relive the glory days of that summer church camp while y...

Living in the world can be challenging, especially when there are just some things you don't want to talk about with certain people. So we mask, or as today's question submitted puts it, we "code switch" in order to avoid rocking the boat. What does this look like for us? Language modification, conversational abstinence, or some secret third thing? Mentioned in the episode: Why We Sleep by Matthew...

How did we observe our American Independence Day? And why did Emily's church disappoint by not singing patriotic songs in worship that weekend? We interrogate the beliefs and theologies that intertwine Christian faith with superpower's might and wonder what idols are really at those roots. Mentioned in the episode: Straight, White, American Jesus on Moms For "Liberty" 50. God Loves Fog Machines Ra...

Patience is a virtue. At least that's what we're told. But what about it's biblical cousin, long-suffering? What's the difference and how do we cultivate it or discover it within ourselves? These questions are tackled today, plus Stephen offers his best Smeagol impression from The Lord of the Rings. Mentioned in the episode: propheticimaginationstation.com You Are Not Your Beliefs - You Have Permi...

Revival and Renaissance and Resurrection, oh my! Today we follow standard Stephen practice by talking about something long after it's out of the news cycle when Josh brings up the Asbury Revival to discuss whether the concept is viable at all. Is there a problem with an emotionally driven peak experience? What's next for the church if not revival? Mentioned in the episode: 2023 Asbury Revival Wiki...

CW: This episode contains conversation about disordered eating, body shame, and bullying. Please listen with care and be well, friends. Our culture and the church have both contributed to unhealthy, disordered ways of thinking about our bodies and the love we should show them. Some of us grew up thinking we needed to hate our bodies or discipline ourselves to avoid giving into sin. What theologies...

We're back with fresh new stuff and Emily is just bubbling over with joy! We talk about the meaning of joy, the free access to joy, and what we find joy in. Mentioned in the episode: Matthew 5:11-12 - Count It Joy Brethren Nehemiah 8:10 - The Joy of The Lord Is My Strength Matthew 9:16-17 - New Wineskins Dacher Keltner - The Thrilling New Science of Awe On Being Episode Support us: Join our Patreo...

Welcome back, just one more time, to the Time Machine! Stephen's crazy work schedule at his day job is finally over, but between some much needed rest on Stephen's part and the summer already well under way, we needed a bit of a gap in the recording schedule. So we're bringing you an incredibly poignant rebroadcast in light of last week's revelations. Is there anything more meta than a faith podca...

Season 2 of Ravel begins today as one of our hosts realizes that they are no longer Christian. Mentioned in the episode: 23. Dissecting Conferences, Camps, and Mannequins Ravel Episode Atheism For Lent Excerpt from Ludwig Feuerbach's  The Essence of Christianity  entitled, "Religion As Projection" (10 page reading) 52. Shrugging Off Christianity Ravel Episode 137. Experiencing God Ravel Episode Su...

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. What would you call someone who quit church, yet still holds a deep love for Christ? Post-Christian? Foolish and misled? He...

Are you pro-argument or anti-argument? Josh is wondering if using the Horseshoe Theory in psychology is a useful tool for us to consider seemingly oppositional theological views. We grapple with "the binary" rather awkwardly as we wonder why centrism is viewed so negatively and if it's possible to hold a third way open. Mentioned in the episode: That Was 13 Robs Ago Robcast Episode Support us: Joi...

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Sarah!  Change your mind, for the Kingdom of God is here. Like water carving cany...

We play a voicemail from a beloved friend of the pod and past guest, Alex, who asks us the question, "how have you been experiencing God lately, in terms of feeling?" Josh shares about how caring for the sick has been a spiritual experience. Emily shares about her life in church, in her family, and at home. And Stephen is starting to worry that his lack of experiencing God is an indicator that he'...

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Chad Eichorn! It took us almost one hundred episodes to finally tackle the Resurr...

Why is it so easy to cherry-pick the verses we want out of the Bible to support our positions? Is it ignorance, malevolence, or some secret third thing? Josh thinks it may be due to a bias of the written word. Emily tries to explain the Bible like we're 5 years old. And Stephen goes on a rant only to end up saying cherry-picking is okay and in fact he does it all the time. Mentioned in the episode...

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Courtney Clark!  The idea of defending his new home with a gun is weighing on Ste...

What do you picture in your mind when we ask you what the God shaped hole in your heart looks like? Are we dealing with a two-dimensional jigsaw puzzle piece? Or a three-dimensional hole like a punctured ball? Or are we talking about the hole in the top of every glass? (Or the hole in every drinking straw?) We're here to grapple with this concept that is commonly taught in Christianity. Mentioned...

Welcome to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Zach Sharp! (Forgive the "new podcast" sound of the archive tape, please. Thank God St...

Today, we go meta. Again. Josh is curious to know if the burden of proof lies on the disbeliever as much as it does on the believer. In what ways should we prepared to answer the question, "why don't you believe 'xyz' anymore? We also take our first clarifying voicemail today from friend of the show, Nathan! So be sure to not skip over the break! Mentioned in the Episode: 1 Peter 3:15 - Always Pre...

We're answering TWO voicemails today on the topic of boundaries! The first is a question of romantic relationships that are scripted by Christianity. The second is a question of familial and relational boundaries around the holidays! And listen, we know it's March, but Stephen likes to keep a tradition of discussing big topics in their off-season. Support us: Join our Patreon community and buy us...

Emily continues the discussion around pastors and their roles in the church and society. She asks us to contemplate the ideal ingredients that might make up a person qualified to stand out from amongst the "priesthood of all believers" to take on a more dedicated role. So we head to the mall and Build-A-Bear style consider what it could look like! Mentioned in the Episode: 1 Peter 2:4-10 - The Pri...

We met in the Discord to participate in the Ravel Collective meeting, where members of the community share sermons, songs, or works of art and we engage in discussion following. Courtney shares a word about Psalm 91, the presence of pain, loneliness, the parent-figure God, and that one time she poured olive oil on her carpet to ward off the sleep paralysis demons. You can catch the full bonus epis...

Sometimes we just have to revisit the fundamental questions. Today, it's salvation. From what or whom are we saved when Christ dies on the cross and rises again? Are we now saved from God's wrath? Is the final enemy, Death, finally defeated? Or is death really the enemy at all? Mentioned in the Episode: In The Beginning Was The Fall Ravel Episode Scapegoat Theory Wiki Support us: Join our Patreon...