Amateurs in Divinity

For this episode, Ekman and Hank are joined by their friend Renne! We talk about what it's like to be non-religious in religious spaces and also about how retreats are occasionally emotionally manipulative.

Ekman and Renne also talk about which of Hanks friends they've had crushes on. All the names have been censored, so as to avoid boosting too many egos.

Special Guest: Renne Richards.

Ekman and Hank are indebted to this article, shared by Dr. Kevin Brown while recording the previous episode, for their righteous anger regarding the redemption of Darth Vader.

Better Hermeneutics through Star Wars:

Buzzfeed Lightsaber Quiz:

Ekman and Hank will reveal their color later this week.

Dr. Brown's Twitter Reccomendations:

@gregorykhillis

and a note from Dr. Brown: “I also recommend following my spouse Megan McCabe [@megankmccabe]—a great theology twitter follow—whom I should have mentioned in the podcast with the other theologians to follow, and not just because she’s my spouse”

Special Guest: B. Kevin Brown.

Ekman and Hank chat about things.

In this episode, Hank and Ekman interview data journalist and current Columbia graduate student, Alyssa Lukpat. Alyssa shares her background in the field, the significance of data journalism, and the portrayal of religion in the context of reporting.

Special Guest: Alyssa Lukpat.

In this episode, Hank and Elizabeth interview confident and recent Gonzaga alum, Zoe Jaspers. Zoe discusses their senior thesis on queer theology, highlighting how this particular theology is essential for human flourishing. Hank, Elizabeth, and Zoe discuss the historical roots of queer theology, the application of its values, and the need for this framework in our current religious context.

Special Guest: Zoe Jaspers.

In this episode, Hank shares his insights on Catholic social activist, Dorothy Day, and the Catholic Worker Movement. Ekman asks questions in regards to the impact of the movement. Hank and Ekman also discuss representations of sainthood, which prompts further dialogue on how Day's work provides a modern day example of lay leadership.

Additional Links:

The Catholic Worker Movement

Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century

The Long Loneliness

Pope Francis' 2015 Speech to Congress (Episode Cold Open)

For her undergraduate thesis, Ekman wrote about the cultural phenomenon of Hallmark movies, how they've developed a cult following, and whether or not that cult following is like a religion. In this episode, we talk about some of her central ideas (with scant reference to the actual paper) and Hank asks some questions. Hank has also never seen a Hallmark movie and will likely never do so on purpose, but nevertheless finds Ekman's paper very interesting.

Welcome to Amateurs in Divinity! This is our first ever episode, in which Ekman and Hank introduce themselves and explain what our hopes are in producing a conversational theology podcast. Hopefully you enjoy the episode and stick around for more!