Ravel

STARTER PACK: The Apologists Can't Hurt You Here Location. Location. Location. Where our theologies come from matters. Whether we are anchoring traditional Reformational theology to a Swiss-French context in the 16th century, Methodism to an English-American context in the 18th century, or #WeirdChristian Twitter in the 21st century, it's important to do the work to know our source. Mentioned in t...

Perhaps you're here as a product of complex forces of the universe directing you toward this moment of listening to Ravel and reading our show notes. Or maybe you had some agency over that choice to join us. It's possible God always knew that you'd be here today, but maybe God's in process with an open future alongside us? We ask many questions about per-determinism, irresistible grace, free will,...

STARTER PACK: We Clearly Disagree Have you ever wondered if life is somewhere out there among the stars? Maybe even looking back at us? How would your theology change? Emily brings us many questions about alien life and the impacts to our structures of belief. Mentioned in the episode:  Josh's TikTok YHP to Consider Quakerism and Panentheism (God = Universe + Something) #12 Space Trilogy by C.S. L...

With defining cults and NRMs out of the way, Josh wants to dig into the theology of some groups and how they splinter from Christianity. What starts as a conversation around our preconceptions of cults as charismatic or fantastical turns into how cults (and churches) define and broadcast their beliefs for marketing purposes. Is it helpful to be ultra defined in every belief up front or leave thing...

STARTER PACK: Classic Theology Gone Wild We conclude an informal miniseries with a direct conversation about Atonement. After sin and forgiveness, it felt natural to Stephen to discuss the several atonement theories throughout the ages. He's wondering what was accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus. At which point, Josh throws a curveball when he introduces Spongebob and the prob...

STARTER PACK: I Need Something Life-Giving After our discussion of sin last week, Emily is curious to dig into forgiveness. Is forgiveness a one time moment or a way of life? Why can it be easier to forgive others and reserve bitterness for ourselves? Is it appropriate to "forgive and forget"? Mentioned in the episode:  Atomic Habits by James Clear The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Luke 12:10 -...

Welcome to the IN2 Podcast, where we seek to incite insight, pursuing truth for the sake of wonder. Join us to have an honest and encouraging conversation about whatever it is that we're - in to . We spark laughter and strive to deepen our understanding of the world and the things we share it with. So pull up a seat, and let's get IN2 it. Learn more and subscribe by visiting us at highline.network...

STARTER PACK: Classic Theology Gone Wild An age old question for the Christian faith: What is sin? Josh is curious about several aspects of sin. Is it mere disobedience against God? Is it "missing the mark" as the Orthodox say? We dig into sins against God and against people as social harms, denying dignity, and the heart issue of idolatry. Plus, did Jesus really never sin? Mentioned in the episod...

STARTER PACK: Meet Me At The Hot Topic The idea of defending his new home with a gun is weighing on Stephen pretty heavily this week. We talk about Christian pacifism, the ethics of lethal home defense, deontological batman, designs to kill, hunting, and more.  Mentioned in the episode:  Fight by Preston Sprinkle Matthew 26:50-56 - Disarming Peter and the Church Crucifixion of the Warrior God by G...

Pssst. Hi, it's Me, God. Can you hear Me? Emily kicks us off with a question about hearing God's voice. We discuss the possibility of the phenomenon and wonder how we can test the claims of individuals or groups that say they hear from God.  Mentioned in the episode:  Exodus 3 - Moses and the Burning Bush Theophany Wiki The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr Another Name for Every Thing Podcast The Univ...

STARTER PACK: We Clearly Disagree Sorry to disappoint when we don't talk AT ALL about how to get there. But it turns out Josh and Emily both believe in something close to total annihilation of everything at death. And that spins Stephen into so many questions about the meaning of Jesus Christ's resurrection, the communion of saints, and of course, we talk about sex in heaven! Mentioned in the epis...

We talk ourselves in circles in this conversation about heresy. Stephen obviously has some issues with authority getting to define it and struggles with pride and humility when it comes to making theological truth claims.  Mentioned in the episode:  Turtles all the way down Arianism (Christology) Love Wins by Rob Bell Follow the hosts on Twitter:  Josh: @joshlieuallen Emily: @RevRettinghouse Steph...

...break glass! That's definitely how a faith crisis or transition can feel! Based on the roll of a d4, we're all about deconstruction this week. We talk through its origins from Jacques Derrida and even the misappropriations of the term when applied to religious faith crisis. The matter of identity sticks with us and gets us thinking about our Western tendency to identify our beliefs as us , when...

So we've talked about camps and conferences, so now it's time for the mission trip! What experience do you have with missions trips growing up, internationally or locally? Stephen names all the places he hasn't been, while Josh and Emily try to get to the root of his skepticism. What's the role of evangelism within a service oriented mission trip and could it actually be doing more harm than good?...

STARTER PACK: Classic Theology Gone Wild Turn in your bibles to the end of days; we're talking about Judgment Day. (Seriously, we reference so much bible). Is the Day of Reckoning an actual future event for which we will have conscious experience? Even if it is, do we live like it? Judgment read in a certain way can sound like punishment, correction, retribution, restoration, equalization, or Merc...

Have you ever wondered if God feels emotions? If we are are created in the Image of God, do we feel emotions because God does? Or are we risking anthropomorphizing God in our image if we assume God feels the same emotions we do? We grapple with the theology of impassibility, discuss the idea of God "hating", and find comfort in God empathizing and experiencing our emotions with us.  Mentioned in t...

STARTER PACK: Meet Me At The Hot Topic It's time we talk about it. Let's dig into women as pastors, leading our congregations, and teaching men as equals. We talk about the common textual arguments for the complementarian view, the definition of pastorship, societal misogyny, questioning the call, and the textual examples for the egalitarian view. Mentioned in the episode:  1 Timothy 2:8-15 1 Cori...

How do we approach the Divine in prayer? Should it be as simple as saying our A.C.T.S.? What does prayer accomplish and who is it for, God or us? We grapple with the complexities of making requests of God, testing God, and sitting contemplatively with God. This episode of Ravel is dedicated to Bonnie May Henning and Jonah Shai Henning.   Mentioned in the episode:  Matthew 6:5-15 - Pray in secret a...

Are we allowed to read ancient texts with our modern categories of genre? And what informs our education on biblical genres? We wonder out loud at if  we might read the Bible through a satirical lens and even suggest some possible edits of books or stories we wish were never part of the Bible to begin with. Follow along in your study bibles and be sure to ruthlessly prooftext us wherever we get it...

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 you were growing up? We're turning the nostalgia factor up to 11 and sharing stories of the good, bad, and the bizarre from our experiences of Christian conference culture.  Mentioned in the episode:  Venti Jesus Please by Greg Stier Judges 19 A Le...

How do Christians grapple with their political life? Do the teachings and calls of Jesus have daily implications to the way we behave and participate as citizens? What does it mean that America is today's iteration of Egypt, Babylon, or Rome? More questions than answers in this twisting episode. Stephen is feeling destabilized following the events of January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol. Buckle up, t...

Defining a cult isn't always as easy as it seems. Whether we're talking about Waco, In-n-Out Burger, or your local dentist, there are questions that we can ask to get us closer to identifying a New Religious Movement. Josh leads us through a discussion of common misconceptions, the difference between a "cult of personality" and a true NRM, and some critical thinking exercises to help us assess gro...

Stephen's been digging into Catholic theology lately and it got Emily thinking about sacraments. We talk about the 7 sacraments recognized by the Catholic church and how that compares with Protestant traditions that typically pair down to Baptism and Eucharist. Are the sacraments reserved for Christians only, or can we share an Open Table? What even is a sacrament anyway? And is calling everything...

***This is Part 2 of a conversation we began last week. Please go back and catch up if you haven't.*** In what ended up being an almost 3 hour conversation, we pick up with Josh's thoughts about modern monetary theory and how the church may be operating on outdated conceptions of money. Stephen then guides us through some thoughts about how giving be uncomfortable by definition and if the "firstfr...

In what ended up being an almost 3 hour conversation, Stephen kicks us off with questions about the biblical origin of the tithe. In what ways are the Jewish people instructed to handle their money by the Hebrew Bible and how are these concepts adapted or reclaimed in the New Covenant through Jesus? So many thoughts on tithing as Christian duty, transactional philanthropy, churches' financial tran...