Multifaith Matters

Mark Townsend and the Journey of a ”Heretic” Priest

In this episode we have a conversation with the Reverend Mark Townsend to learn about his spiritual journey, and our differing understandings and approaches to understanding the meaning of Jesus, the Cosmic Christ, and multifaith engagement. A former clergyman in the Church of England, Mark now leads his own inclusive and ecumenical ministry that nourishes a strong appreciation for the diversity of faith beyond Christianity, ,and which strives to honor the divine in all peoples, regardless of their faith, culture, sexuality or background. He is a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants, in addition to being a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Mark has been featured on the BBC and several other news programs throughout Britain. He is the author of several books, including The Gospel of Falling Down, Diary of a Heretic, The Path of the Blue Raven, and Jesus Through Pagan Eyes.

In this podcast we also discuss my edited book Beyond the Burning Times: A Christian and Pagan in Dialogue.

Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org. 

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The Significance of Liminality, with Phil Wyman

The book Crossing Thresholds explores liminality, the crossing of thresholds, and says that "liminal reality can offer people of faith and especially those in leadership positions a hermeneutical key and a pastoral method." But what is this liminal reality, how can it be both dangerous and a place for positive transformation, how does it relate  to the bounded set of church structures, and how can liminality transform the American church? Phil Wyman helps us explore these questions. Phil is former pastor of The Gathering in Salem, and he has years of experience in liminality with Witches, Pagans, festival-goers and others.

Read more about Phil here.

Support his Wales adventure through Patreon, and sign up for email updates at pkwyman@gmail.com.

Take a look at Crossing Thresholds: A Practical Theology of Liminality by Timothy Carson, Rosy Fairhurst, Nigel Rooms, and Lisa R. Withrow.

Randal Rauser on Jesus Loves Canaanites

Christians have been quick to raise concerns about violence in the Qur'an in the Muslim context, but often ignore or gloss over violence in the biblical text. One of the greatest examples of violence in the Bible is the divine command for the wholesale destruction of the Canaanites. In this episode of the podcast our guest is Randal Rauser, who discusses his book Jesus Loves Canaanites: Biblical Genocide in the Light of Moral Intuition. Rauser is Professor of Historical Theology at Taylor Seminary in Edmonton Alberta.

Also mentioned in this podcast and related to the subject matter:
"The Zeal of Phinehas: The Bible and the Legitimation of Violence" by John J. Collins, Journal of Biblical Literature 122/1 (2003): 3-21.

Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org. 

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Andrew Perriman and Michael Cooper Conversation on Narrative-History and Missiology

How should the church engage the challenges of our present moment in the West? What is the place of narrative, history, and missiology? This episode explores these question as Andrew Perriman and Michael Cooper discuss the frameworks of narrative-historical and missiological perspectives. 

Dr. Andrew Perriman presents his work at the P.OST website. He has lived in various parts of the world over the last 30 years: the Far East, Africa, the Middle East, the Netherlands, and now London. He has combined theological studies and writing with pastoral and missional work in a wide range of contexts. He has a degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford and an MPhil and PhD from the London School of Theology, of which I am an Associate Research Fellow. His overriding theological interest at the moment is in how we retell the biblical story as we negotiate the difficult transition from the center to the margins of our culture following the collapse of Western Christendom.

In addition to some articles in academic journals, he has written Speaking of Women: Interpreting Paul (IVP, 1998); Faith, Health and Prosperity: A Report on “Word of Faith” and “Positive Confession” Theologies (Paternoster, 2003); The Coming of the Son of Man: New Testament Eschatology for an Emerging Church (Paternoster, 2005; reprinted by Wipf & Stock); Re: Mission: A Vision of Hope for a Post-Eschatological Church (Paternoster, 2008); The Future of the People of God: Reading Romans Before and After Western Christendom (Wipf & Stock, 2010); and End of Story: Same-Sex Relationships and the Narratives of Evangelical Mission (Wipf & Stock, 2019). He also published a collection of blog posts on hell and heaven called Hell and Heaven in Narrative Perspective (2012).

Dr. Michael Cooper works with Ephesiology, a missions agency, training national leaders in evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and church planting. He is the former president and CEO of an international NGO. In 2010, he founded a Business as Mission initiative that focused on helping alleviate spiritual and economic poverty in the developing world. For a decade he equipped undergraduate and graduate students at Trinity International University with skills to engage culture. He has thirty years of ministry and missions experience, ten years as a pioneer church planter in Romania after the fall of communism. He holds a MA in Missions from Columbia International University and a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Throughout his career, Michael has focused on creative ways to engage difficult-to-reach people with the gospel.

Michael has contributed numerous academic articles in Nova Religio, Pomegranate, Journal of Nature, Religion and Culture, Sacred Tribes Journal, Common Ground Journal, Missiology, Evangelical Missions Quarterly and he has presented academic papers at the University of Utah, London School of Economics, University of Bordeaux, University of Craiova and others. Michael is the author of Ephesiology: The Study of the Ephesian Movement (William Carey Publishers, 2020), Unwrapping the First Christmas (Ephesiology Press, 2019), Contemporary Druidry: A Historical and Ethnographic Study (Sacred Tribes Press, 2010) and co-editor of Social Injustice (The Timothy Center Press, 2011) and The Peaceable Christian (The Timothy Center Press, 2011) and Perspectives on Post-Christendom Spiritualities (Morling Press, 2010). 

P.OST: https://www.postost.net/ 
Ephesiology: https://ephesiology.com/

Re: Mission: Biblical Mission for a Post-Biblical Church (Faith in an Emerging Culture) by Andrew Perriman
https://www.amazon.com/Re-Mission-Biblical-Post-Biblical-Emerging/dp/1842275453/

Ephesiology: A Study of the Christian Movement by Michael T. Cooper
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0857GN1L3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

You can listen to Multifaith Matters on your favorite podcast platform, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio.

Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org. 

Support this work:
One-time donation: https://multifaithmatters.org/donate 
Become my patron: https://patron.podbean.com/johnwmorehead

#MichaelTCooper #AndrewPerriman #missiology #theology #narrative-historical

Joshua Packard and the Spirituality of Generation Z

Dr. Joshua Packard, Executive Director of Springtide Research Institute, is our guest. We begin with a little discussion of The Dones, those done with church but not their faith. Then we turn our attention to discussion of Generation Z and their spiritual quest. How is it different from previous generations? What cultural and social forces are at work? What is the "unbundled spirituality" they pursue? How can youth ministers, pastors, and churches be better prepared to understand and relate to Generation Z?

Springtide Research: @WeAreSpringtide

The State of Religion and Young People 2021: Navigating Uncertainty

Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their faith

You can listen to Multifaith Matters on your favorite podcast platform, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio.

Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org. 

Support this work:
One-time donation: https://multifaithmatters.org/donate 
Become my patron: https://patron.podbean.com/johnwmorehead

#JoshuaPackard #GenerationZ #TheDones #unbundledspirituality

David Livingstone Smith on Monster Making and Dehumanization

David Livingstone Smith returns for a further conversation on dehumanization in light of his new book Making Monsters: The Uncanny Power of Dehumanization. How do some people come to believe that their enemies are monsters, and therefore easy to kill? In this podcast David defines dehumanization, shares historical examples, how theology and ideology can literally demonize "the other," and we discuss the importance of monster theory in understanding dehumanization as a process that leads to genocide, lynchings, and other violence. David is professor of philosophy at the University of New England.

A Conversation with a Pagan and Satanist on Christian Responses to Halloween

We can count on it every October. Not only will trick or treaters be at our door, many Christians will share their concerns about the alleged evils of Halloween, and with it, sometimes literally demonize Pagans and Satanists. David Dashifen Kees, a Pagan, and Stephen Bradford Long, a Satanist, share their thoughts on Christian responses to Halloween. Along the way we reflect on things associated with the holiday, and spirituality, including the importance of liminality, boundary maintenance, and living in the shadow of death.

For those who want to explore this topic in more depth from an alternative perspective see these resources.

The Reformation of Halloween: Rethinking Christianity's Response to Halloween by Phil Wyman

Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life by Jack Santino

"Samhain Past: History, Myth, and Mystery" from the Patheos Pagan channel

Suhag Shukla on Hindutva and Hinduphobia

A recent academic conference sparked controversy as it seemingly presented Hinduphobia rather than addressing Hindutva as its stated aim. In this episode Suhag Shukla helps us sort this out. Shukla is Executive Director and co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation. She holds a BA in Religion and JD from the University of Florida. Ms. Shukla has helped steer the Foundation to being recognized as a leading role for civil rights, human rights, and religious freedom. In the podcast we reference this essay by Shukla for  more on the topic. You can also follow some of her work here and Twitter @SuhagAShukla.

Lilith Starr on her book ”Compassionate Satanism”

In this episode we speak with award-winning author Lilith Starr about modern nontheistic Satanism and personal Satanic practice. Her first book, The Happy Satanist: Finding Self-Empowerment, is part of The Satanic Temple's Recommended Reading list and has been featured by Satanic book clubs around the globe. Her second book, and the focus of this conversation, is Compassionate Satanism: An Introduction to Modern Satanic Practice, the first comprehensive guide to modern Satanism by a Satanic insider. In 2020, she was awarded The Satanic Temple's first Anatole France Literary Excellence Award. Starr holds a B.A. with honors in English from Harvard University and an M.A. in Journalism and Communications from Stanford University. 

Tom Pyszczynski and the Psychology of 9/11

This month is the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The nation continues to wrestle with the traumatic effects these many years later. In this podcast we unpack the psychology with Tom Pyszczynski, co-author with Sheldon Solomon and Jeff Greenberg of In the Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror. In this book the authors analyze reactions to the attacks through the lens of terror management theory, an existential psychological model that explains why humans react the way they do to the threat of death and how this reaction influences their post-threat cognition and emotion. This is also manifest in evangelicals in the shift in their post-9/11 perspectives on Muslims, as well as in their reactions to those perceived as promoting syncretism, such as Rev. David Benke, and Larycia Hawkins.