Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue

Hey, I love West Michigan, really. We have to admit, however, that it's not a hotbed of progressive thought. It may take a while to catch up with other areas. This has surely been the case with with gender based issues. It is almost embarrassing to know that the subject of our discussion in these 2021 episodes made news around the country. It reflected poorly on us. Thankfully, so much has changed over the last couple of decades.The travesty that happened then would not be repeated today in a local public school. With that, listen & learn. Theme music "Nigal."

Not long ago I was speaking to a friend about how Jews interpret the Bible. He couldn't see how the writings of the prophets such as Isaiah or Ezekiel could be talking about anything other than predicting the coming of Jesus as Messiah. This is remarkably provincial thinking--especially coming from a graduate of Yale who majored in philosophy! But he was never exposed to any other theological option.

Yes, Virginia, there are other ways to understand that the Hebrew Bible can stand on its own as scripture. This is not to diminish the fact that over a billion people do see it as a collection of accounts that do indeed foretell the advent of Jesus.

That is why I so enjoyed the book we are discussing in these 2021 episodes with Amy-Jill Levine. I've respected her work for long time. I've seen her speak & heard multiple recorded lectures by her. She is a Jew who is quite capable of understanding the wisdom of both traditions.

Amy-Jill Levine is Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Theme music "Nigal."

While I enjoy discussing the Big Questions of theology, eschatology, etc., there is also the appeal of just how religion shapes societies & individuals. That would be sociology. I came across our guest for these 2021 episodes in a manner similar to other bookings--by accident. I was surfing the web for something else and landed on the site for the Society of the Scientific Study of Religion.

OK, I'll speak out of school a bit here. Laura was not my 1st choice for whom to interview from that org. Before connecting with her I tried in vain to wrangle one of her colleagues to do this. The reason being is that aside from his role in SSSR he taught at a local college. It's always great to have people join us in-studio. But he didn't think our audience would really appreciate hearing about their work, as it is "scientific" not "spiritual."

I say we prove him wrong. Enjoy. Theme music "Nigal."

You probably notice that we don't cover much fiction here on Common Threads. But every once in a while a book comes my way that knocks my socks off. This is one.

The story has a foundational truth. Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, did have a wife. We just don't know what happened to her after he left her. This story postulates that she followed him as a disciple.

Really, really enjoy. Theme music "Nigal."

If we look back to about 120-130 years ago we can certainly find similarities between yesterday & today. We share the concerns of an unbridled form of capitalism, misguided religious fervor, corrupt elected officials and work force that is under the yoke of all the above. They were dark days. According to our guest Shalyn Romney Garrett and her co-author there can be light at the end of the tunnel. Some have criticized her book as being a bit naive. We'll leave that for you to decide. Regardless, hope always has a home. These episodes were recorded in 2021. Theme music "Nigal."

If you've listened to a good chunk of our collection here of episodes that date back a couple of decades you may have come across a few that I've recorded with my cousin. Fr. Tom Stella was ordained at Notre Dame in the early 70s. He currently is a chaplain at a healthcare organization that is co-operated by both the Catholic Church and the 7th Day Adventists in Colorado.

We aired this episode in early 2021 about his 5th book. What I really enjoy about this work is that he goes into lengths to expose his shadow side. His commitment to honesty is quite impressive.

Hey, 2 Stellas for the price of one? Enjoy. Theme music "Nigal."

These episodes aired shortly after the insurrection at the Capitol (or as some Republicans called it, "Just a regular bunch of patriotic tourists visiting'). Remember the QAnon Shaman? Many thought he might be a part of a white supremacy movement that refers to itself as Heathenism. Actually, he has no part in that, but to the uninitiated he seemed to look the part. Join us for Jennifer Snook's take on this movement here in the US. Theme music "Nigal."

A question that is often asked as a thought experiment concerns the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Is there one? Well, if you are looking to either the Bible or our Founders I'm not sure you'd walk away with an easy answer. So in these 2 episodes from early 2021 we discuss with Sam Boyd his article that explores this issue.

Samuel L. Boyd is an Assistant Professor in Religious Studies and the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on the origins of biblical texts in their historical context, as well as how people have interpreted the Bible over the millennia. He combines history, archaeology, linguistics, and multiple other theoretical lenses to explore why the Bible was written and why people have cared about it so much. Theme music "Nigal."

It seems like I must be a mutant American, as I have such little interest in the British monarchy. I always seemed to know just as much as a tabloid cover in a check-out stand would tell me. So I came to The Crown with a bit of an attitude. But my wife knows good TV, and she did persuade me. And yes, I got hooked. Love it. Cant' wait for the next season.

I did notice how religion has a rather significant role to play in the show. As you might know, the reining monarch is the titular head of the Anglican Church. Well, Fr. Christian Brocato is a local friend here in Grand Rapids who pastors an Episcopal (a denomination within the Anglican Communion) church. When I found out he was a fan as well I thought he'd be a great fit for a couple of episodes to discuss this. From 2020. Theme music "Nigal."

Alok is a pretty impressive guy. A previous book with a similar theme came out a few years ago. The title was close as well. The publisher told him to replace the word "Hindu" with "Indian." Alok said no, & then self published. He is quite firm in his belief that it was just Indian culture that encouraged significant discoveries, but the religion of that culture. Curious? Listen. Theme music "Nigal."