Happy New Year!

What a way to kick off 2023 -- We are joined by the Katie's Dad Darrell Ranum! After a career in Medical Malpractice Insurance for 30+ years, he has a unique perspective into some of the main pieces of what shapes modern life together - working for fairness under the Law, managing people, and managing risk. 

And he shares timely encouragement that no matter how crooked your life-trajectory seems there is a place where your unique experience can be used to bless people and build your life!  We had a blast creating this episode for you and know it will encourage our fellow wanders and listeners! 

This week during our discussion of repairing the world, we talk with Dr. Evan Johnson, who studies the 30 Years War in Germany, to remember the continuity of human resilience in extended conflict zones. 

We discuss the importance of history, memory, and mourning; as well as, considering how we can be part of repairing the world by the way we think about, study, and teach about conflicts that destroyed so many lives. 

Book Recommendations:

Coping with Life during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) Sigrun Haude

https://www.amazon.com/1618-1648-Studies-Central-European-Histories/dp/9004466479/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1671420038&refinements=p_27%3ASigrun+Haude&s=books&sr=1-1

Do you ever read about something that makes you so mad because you weren't taught it in school? 

Or maybe you were, but it was taught in this "well, that happened on this date" with no discussion or further inquiry?

Well, your hosts At the Rectory had some questions about history, and thankfully we have our neighborhood Historian Katie at the ready!

We believe that asking questions and being curious play a huge part of healing and changing the world. 

Stay tuned at the end when our sound-engineer, David Lai, hops on and gives us his perspective! 

Ever just avoid that weird book at the end of the Bible? 

Or have you ever listened to someone preach about how all the signs and symbols point to current events and map out how the End Times will Come?

Ever watch Left Behind?

Even if the answer to all of the above is, Nope! - you should stick around for this chat with the lovely celebrated author Dean Flemming! His new book "Foretaste of the Future: Reimagining Revelation" is all about changing how Evangelicals have often read and interpreted Revelation. 

Dean has worked globally and just retired from teaching at MidAmerica Nazarene University - and you can tell he has a heart for people and students in particular. You are not going to want to miss this amazing conversation at the Rectory this week!

Check out some of Dean's Publications:

Foretaste of the Future: Reimagining Revelation

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foretaste-of-the-future-dean-flemming/1140933438

Christianity Today:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/september/dean-flemming-revelation-prediction-missional-lens.html

In a time when relationships are breaking because of political differences, our guest this week calls us to practice compassion and patience with people who we just cannot agree with! 

We are joined by Jennifer Clark who has spent the last 20 years working in politics. And boy, O boy do we dig into how controversial and almost 'dirty' politics feels these days. Katie asks "what could be polarizing about dogs??" and Jennifer happily takes us on a stroll through the complexities of her work, and balancing emotion, evidence, and compassion every day!

And stay till the end for the literal sweetest sign off! We are so happy to have you At the Rectory!

Shall we say that Pastor Meg is our unofficial pastor of At the Rectory? 

We know you love her and so she is back to chat with us about what it even looks like to Pastor in these 'anxious times'  -- Welcome Megan Trischler! 

The last time we had Megan on, she wasn't quite sure what her next adventure would be. She felt called to ministry after her design job came to an end, but the question was WHO and WHERE would she minister? Within months of our last conversation Megan was officially invited on staff at University Christian Church, located near the University of Cincinnati! 

So we catch up with what her life looks like now, and reflect on how important it is to just be present with each other and with God. 

As any good pastor, Meg turns the tables on us and asks Katie and Anne some questions, too! Stick around towards to end to hear more about the "Theology of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!"

We are joined by our friends bringing their friends to the podcast today! Kyle Sondereker connected us with the fabulous Isaiah Hunt and we got to chat about why we love stories, Afrofuturism, and challenging a Eurocentric story structure! 

As fiction continues to become reality (with all our technological advancements), more than ever the world we create in sci-fi fantasy could become our future. And we believe that it is that imagination and ingenuity that can help solve some of the major issues our cultures face today. 

And in the middle of geeking out over DnD and our favorite Anime, we have a great discussion about the history of colonialism and the ways that 'myth-making' can be damaging - like Manifest Destiny and White Supremacy.

So, join us for this wild ride, on this week's episode of At the Rectory!

Check out more about Isaiah Hunt here: https://neomfa.org/isaiah-hunt-2022-graduate

And Isaiah's Short Fiction Piece "Wishful Thinking" here: https://issuu.com/lunanegramag/docs/lunanegraspring2021_issuu/s/12112350

Book Recommendations:

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Sower_(novel)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Wind

The New Age of Empire by Kehinde Andrews: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Age_of_Empire

Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Andrews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205810-victories-greater-than-death

Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor: https://nnedi.com

Anime Recommendations:

Arakawa Under the Bridge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arakawa_Under_the_Bridge

Naruto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto

TV Recommendations:

Avatar the Last Air-Bender: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender

More About Afrofuturism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=154XnA1xcis

Marty takes us to SCHOOL in this episode and shares his journey has a Jewish follower of Jesus and Campus Minister. 

And boy, do we throw everything we have at him -- 'Why God?' 'What about bad religion and theology?' 'What can a Jewish/Eastern Perspective offer American Christianity?' and Marty answers with pictures and stories, and an infectious love for the things of God and humanity. 

There are so many good stories in here, so many moments that made us cry, so many powerful reminders of the call to bring heaven and earth together and the radical idea that we are partnering with God to bring that about. 

You don't want to miss it! 

Check out Marty's Podcast "BEMA Podcast" wherever you listen to podcasts and check out their website here: https://www.bemadiscipleship.com

Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100040870793535

and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attherectorypodcast/

Meet Dr. Emily Hill, anti-capitalist, chicken-coop Co-op member, and Theologian extraordinaire. 

After a long career in the corporate world she chanced upon a brochure for a degree in Social Justice and Theology and knew that this was the next step God had for her. After not only completing her Masters, but a Ph.d in Theology, she shares what her research has been about lately -- namely, how capitalism has infiltrated church practices. 

Emily gets us all fired up this episode about the intersections of race, gender, and economics, but she also leaves us with hopeful encouragement about the small ways we can resist the system that threatens to turn us into cogs in a machine, or grind us down to nothing.