Crackers and Grape Juice

Our guest is Jim Belcher, author of the new book Cold Civil War: Overcoming Polarization, Discovering Unity, and Healing the Nation. America's political landscape is experiencing dangerous polarization and fragmentation, with the extremes pulling the country apart.Political philosopher Jim Belcher shows that this is not merely a binary opposition between conservativism on the right and liberalism on the left, but also between conflicting visions of order and freedom on both sides. Through his unique quadrant framework, Belcher traces the people and movements in each position, examines their underlying narratives, and articulates their respective contributions and dangers. This quadrant framework not only reveals how polarization divides us but also shows us how to move beyond the right-left stalemate.At the core of the competing visions are the seeds of a new vital center, a robust and surprising model that has the ability to transcend political tribalism and bring America back together again before it is too late.

Back on the podcast, Dr. Fred Schmidt is here to talk about doubt, proclamation, and the calling of pastors. Fred is a professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is the vice-rector at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Nashville, Virginia. Here’s the bit he wrote that we discuss:There you go. A perfect distillation of Boomer-esque spirituality. And a perfect summary of what is wrong with far too much of the modern American church.“I don’t want answers. All that matters are the questions.” (Thank you, C. S. Lewis and the The Great Divorce) A faith with no discovery to share. A spiritual director with no direction. A church without a creed. A proclamation with no reliable hope to offer. Clergy every bit as lost as anyone else.Do people need clergy who are willing to stand with them in the middle of the struggle and confusion? Yes.Do people need spiritual directors who are prepared to ask questions that prompt people to listen, even as they struggle to understand why they have made the choices that they make? Yes.Do people need spiritual directors who can with them without playing spiritual wack-a-mole, when they struggle, stumble, and fall? Yes.Do people need pastors and priests who are willing to limp alongside them, lifted up by the One who emptied himself and became one of us? Yes.But do people need clergy who are just as lost as they are? Only if all that clergy have to offer is their own certainties or pride in their own uncertainties. But that is not the calling of pastors, priests, and ministers. Like the Samaritan woman, we declare, “He told me everything I have done.” Like Peter, we confess, ““Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”We don't offer them our doubts. We don't offer them our certainties. We offer them Jesus.

For Good Friday, we have for you Jason Micheli’s homilies on the Seven Last Words of Jesus. In them, Jason interprets each of the last words of Christ in light of a key character in the Book of Genesis.

Our mentor and muse, Will Willimon, is back on the podcast. His new book is Listeners Dare. Discipleship and witness are not self-sustainable. Preaching equips God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11).The gospel is news that passes from the lips of one who has heard to the ears of one who has not yet heard, then (God willing) it burrows in the soul, energizing the hands in daring response to a word received. Preaching is instigated by an astounding claim: Good news; God has spoken to us. The Christian life is what you get when ordinary folk respond: I have heard.The book (a companion to Preachers Dare) is for anyone who listens to sermons―which includes preachers, since there’s no way to preach without gaining skills as a listener. Listening is a human skill, but as God’s word is proclaimed, the hearer experiences a vocal mix of preacher, listener, and God.

Episode 350 : Kevin Adams - Living Under Water

Aaron Simmons holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University and is currently a Professor of philosophy at Furman University in Greenville, SC (USA). He is the President of the Søren Kierkegaard Society (USA) and has published widely in philosophy of religion, phenomenology, and existentialism. Among his authored and edited books are God and the Other: Ethics and Politics After the Theological Turn; The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction; Kierkegaard’s God and the Good Life; and Kierkegaard and Levinas: Ethics, Politics, and Religion. He and his wife, Vanessa, have been married 20 years and have an 11 year old son, Atticus. Although Aaron loves doing philosophy, he would almost always rather be fishing. Check out Aaron’s youtube channel: “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves,” and his TedX talk (also on youtube): “The Failure of Success.”

Back on the podcast for #348 with Jason and Johanna is Fritz Bauerschmidt to talk about preaching, beauty, and making the word visible in the world. His new book is How Beautiful the World Could Be. Frederick (Fritz) Bauerschmidt is professor of theology at Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. His new book is How Beautiful the World Could Be. His other books include The Love That Is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith..

Episode 347 : The [De] Constructed Jesus with Diana Butler Bass & Tripp Fuller

Our guest today is Dr. David F. Ford to talk about his wonderful new book, John: A Theological Commentary. David is an Anglican public theologian. He was the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, beginning in 1991. He is now an Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity. His research interests include political theology, ecumenical theology, Christian theologians and theologies, theology and poetry, the shaping of universities and of the field of theology and religious studies within universities, hermeneutics, and interfaith theology and relations. He is the founding director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme and a co-founder of the Society for Scriptural Reasoning.

Our guest today is Amy Julia Becker, author of the new book, To Be Made Well. From hurting bodies and souls to hurting relationships and communities, it’s clear that things are not as they should be. The gospels brim with stories of Jesus healing people, but what does that mean for us today? In To Be Made Well, author Amy Julia Becker weaves together her own story with reflections on biblical accounts of Jesus’ healing work, providing fresh insight into both the nature of healing and the pathway to healing, then and now. This book is a powerful invitation to personal, spiritual, and social healing as we reconnect to our bodies and souls, to God, and to our communities.For anyone struggling with pain or loss, for anyone concerned about the things that divide us, this book goes beyond wellness and beyond miraculous physical transformations to explore how we can—personally and collectively—be made well.

Corey Nathan was raised in an observant Jewish household attending an Orthodox synagogue. His family is mostly from Brooklyn, NY; but Corey grew up on the Jersey side - Bruce Springsteen country! In his late 20s, much to the family's chagrin, Corey became a Born-again Christian. Not long after this epiphany, the new believer began to find many of the default social and political positions of contemporary American Evangelicalism to be at odds with the very Scriptures that are supposed to be Christians’ authority for how to engage in the world.Vocationally, Corey started out as a stockbroker (Series 7, Series 63) during the day while he was studying at a theatre conservatory at night. Since then, he’s been an entrepreneur with one foot in business and one foot in creative pursuits having built and managed such endeavors as:● a specialty headhunting firm● a theatre and film ministry● a residential and commercial service company● a 501c3 to help folks during the pandemic● and most recently a new media/content company.Avocationally, Corey continues to be a student of theology, politics and culture and enjoys sharing invigorating conversations with world-renowned experts of these subjects on the podcast he produces and hosts, Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other. He can also be caught having these same kinds of discussions with friends and family over a good whiskey or glass of wine with the music of Monk, Coltrane or Louis Armstrong setting the mood.Corey has been married to Lisa for 24 years and has 3 kids, Savannah (20), Jackie-boy (18) and Emerson (16) along with the family pooches, Bailey and Charles Mingus the 3rd. As for rumors of his exploits in the world of Texas Holdem Poker, we can neither confirm nor deny those reports.Here are links to TP&R:Main site - politicsandreligion.usOn Apple Podcast - bit.ly/TPandRPodAnd on the socials, we're at TP&R - @TPandRPodPersonal - @coreysnathan

A book that marries the theologian of THE 20th century (Karl Barth) with THE philosopher at the turn into the 21st, Charles Taylor, and all for the practical application of pastors and congregations? What’s not to love? On the podcast once again is friend and fellow Princeton alum, Andy Root, of Luther Seminary in the Twin Cities. About his latest:Congregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life--and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence.This new book, related to Root's critically acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age project, addresses the practical form the church must take in a secular age. Root uses two stories to frame the book: one about a church whose building becomes a pub and the other about Karl Barth. Root argues that Barth should be understood as a pastor with a deep practical theology that can help church leaders today.This book pushes the church to be a waiting community that recognizes that the only way for it to find life is to stop seeing the church as the star of its own story. Instead of resisting decline, congregations must remain open to divine action. Root offers a rich vision for the church's future that moves away from an obsession with relevance and resources and toward the living God.

“Barth’s attacks on the liberal theologians and what he regarded as their high humanism has led many to label him as anti-humanistic. Barth, however, never abandoned his presumption that to be a Christian is to be a creature on the way to being a human being. To be sure that way is one determined by Christ. “God is God and we are not” remains central to Barth but for Barth the God that is the other is the One that makes us capable of being human.”Our friend, mentor, and muse, Stanley Hauerwas, returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, Fully Alive, which is a collection of essays on the apocalyptic humanism of Karl Barth. Along the way, we talk about English mysteries, nihilism, and parting forever with friends like John Howard Yoder and Jean Vanier whose work had been so central to his own.

Our guest for #341 is our friend Christy Thomas. Christy is a retired UMC Elder and journalist from Texas. She writes at the website The Thoughtful Pastor on Patheos. You may remember Christy from our coverage of the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in 2019. The pandemic has interrupted the UMC’s divorce proceedings, but that does not mean the schism has been event-less. Christy joined us to talk about her recent piece: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtfulpastor/2022/01/09/the-umc-must-die-to-have-hope-of-life/

On the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Teer, David, and Jason reflect on the ignominious event from the perspective of the Feast of the Epiphany.Before you listen, do us a solid and help out the podcast.Head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.com.Click on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three-majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttp://www.twitter.com/crackersnjuice