Unreliable Narrators

In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story." How do stories define the way we think? What is the role of representation in popular art and literature? What's the problem with stereotypes? All this and more in this week's episode! New episodes every other Friday. Stay tuned for our next episode when we discuss Othello, on...

The heavens declare the glory of God...and in the Space Trilogy, C.S. Lewis decided to take this piece of scripture literally. In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss Out of the Silent Planet, the first installment of the Space Trilogy. What is the role of language in explaining and understanding the gospel? Is C.S. Lewis developing a cosmic mythology? What is man that You are mindful of him?...

Sophie and Raymond invite Jenny Buccola onto the podcast to talk about nostalgia, the importance of childhood, medieval cathedrals, and Hamlet in relation to the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. Jenny is currently a student at the University of Notre Dame pursuing a masters degree in theological studies. New episodes every other Friday. Stay tuned for our next episode when we discuss C.S. Lewis...

Episode Notes I told you my level of concern, and you walked by like you never heard. In this episode, Raymond and Sophie answer the age-old question: Just how concerned should we be? They also discuss the power of words to reshape the world, analyze the connections between Twenty One Pilots and WandaVision, and somehow end up imagining what it sounded like when Jesus rebuked the winds. New episod...

Two devout and elderly sisters allow their cook, a French refugee, to prepare a feast in honor of their late father's 100th birthday, despite their spiritual concerns over the sensuality and decadence of French cuisine. Sophie and Raymond discuss the tension between Gnosticism and hedonism and the symbolism of God's grace in the eucharist, as it is demonstrated in Karen Blixen's short story. We ap...

Episode Notes Does 2 + 2 really equal 4? Does love really conquer all? Can Sophie really survive for a whole episode with Raymond? In this episode, Sophie and special guest Connor tackle George Orwell's novel 1984. We tackle topics like freedom of thought, the nature of love, and the human spirit. New episodes every other Friday. Stay tuned for our next episode when RAYMOND RETURNS for our long-aw...

Onward to glory we go! In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha, based on the novel Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes_._ Is idealism better than realism? Does Don Quixote live in the "real world"? Are we all living in a prison? Does Christ turn prostitutes into princesses? All this and more in our latest episode. New episodes every other Friday. Sta...

Hey everyone! We're adding a new feature to the podcast. Every week, Sophie and I write a "Monday Post" published on our blog, which you can find here: https://unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com/blog/ For those of you who prefer to listen rather than read, you can listen to us read our posts, published every Monday. We hope that this portion of the podcast will add some supplementa...

We return again to Japan, this time in the 17th century, to follow the tragic tale of Jesuit missionaries who struggle with their faith and eventually apostatize under the pressure of Japanese persecution. Central to our discussion is the "Mars Hill" approach--that is, how are Christians to properly employ pagan culture in a way that leads them to the gospel without either destroying cul...

Episode Notes Raymond says no. Sophie says yes. Email us and let us know who's right. We'll be back in two weeks with regular episodes, discussing Shusaku Endo's Silence! See you then. Thanks to Caleb Klomparens for our theme music, "No New Words" from the album  Krypt.  You can listen to more of his music here:  https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Visit our website at:  https://unreliablen...

Episode Notes What is grief if not love persevering? Raymond gets excited about cinematography. Sophie pulls out her copy of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. We talk about The Truman Show, grief, Gethsemane, and...memes? Plus, we answer a listener question! New episodes every other Friday. Stay tuned for our next episode where we discuss Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel Silence . Questions? Comments? E-m...

Clean your room. Stand up straight with your shoulders back. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. And, most importantly, act as if God exists. Today, Sophie, Trinity, and Raymond discuss the work and thought of clinical psychologist and philosopher Jordan Peterson and his book 12 Rules For Life . In this episode, we'll be addressing these questions and more: Is Jordan Peterson a politic...

One little Soldier Boy left all alone; he went out and hanged himself...and then there were none. In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss one of the most popular murder mysteries of all time: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None . Along the way, we talk about the nature of justice, law as a villain, red herrings, and scapegoats. New episodes every other Friday. Stay tuned for our next ep...

In Tokyo, Japan, high schooler Shoya Ishida seeks to reconcile a broken relationship with his childhood classmate, Shoko Nishimiya, a deaf girl he used to bully. But true redemption isn't so simple. Join Sophie, Raymond, and our guest speaker John-Luke Dokupil as we dive into the 2016 Japanese animated film A Silent Voice (聲の形) based on the manga series by Yoshitoki Oima. In this episode, we'll...

Episode Notes Visit our website at: https://unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com/ . What work would you like to hear discussed next? E-mail us at: unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com. Thanks to Caleb Klomparens for our theme music, "No New Words" from the album Krypt. You can listen to more of his music here: https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse . Access the Stoa Mars Hill list here: https...

Raymond and Sophie are rejoined by special guest Trinity Klomparens to discuss U2's hit song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Does Bono's music represent a return to religion? What role should spiritual longing play in our faith journey? What is the problem with evangelism? And what does U2 have to do with C.S. Lewis? We answer these questions and more! Thanks to Caleb Klomp...

In this episode, Sophie and I discuss the historical and cultural background to the phrase "Mars Hill" in reference to the Apostle Paul's sermon on Mars Hill in the book of Acts. We answer the question of what an unreliable narrator is and why we chose it as the title for our podcast. We also explain the piece featured in our cover art and the meaning behind our theme song. We hope you f...

Episode Notes Raymond, Sophie, and special guest Trinity Klomparens discuss themes of sacrifice, adoption, and baptism in The Rise of Skywalker, Episode IX of the Star Wars saga. Along the way, we run into topics like the balance between the dark side and the light side, good vs. evil, and the Force as a parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy. We hope you enjoy our discussion! Thanks to Caleb Klomparen...

Episode Notes In this episode, we discuss themes of memory, courage, and the imagery of "the abyss" in Pixar's 2003 animated classic Finding Nemo . We also explore Nemo's search for an ideal father figure and Dory's role as the Shakespearean "wise fool." We conclude with discussing the interwoven ideas of luck, grace, providence, miracles, and how they manifest themselves in th...

Episode Notes Raymond and Sophie discuss Hadestown, the hit musical adaptation of an old Greek myth. Topics include Hades' justice, Orpheus as a Christological figure, and the hope of "singing it anyway." Visit our website at:  https://unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com/ What work would you like to hear discussed next? E-mail us at: unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com Access the Stoa...