Context Matters

This week we talk about how theology, philosophy, and ecology can be amazing conversation partners. When our food is packaged and purchased at a store, we think of the products of the earth as a commodity first and foremost. We are disconnected from the reality about food and the connections we have with nature and with creatures, so how does that change how we interact with the biblical text?

Learn more about Dr. Norman Wirzba

Link to his book Food and Faith and read a FREE article titled "Can we live in a world without a Sabbath?" 

Find out more about Wendell Berry  

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Learn more about me and sign up for Food and Wine Tours of Israel/Palestine.

For 40% off the pre-order of my new book Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels. (sale through November 30, 2020) The book is also available on Amazon and will be available as an audio book in January 2021.

What happens when work is combined with the experience of receiving the Eucharist? And can Dr. Kreglinger's experience on a vineyard help us know more about God's character?

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Learn more about Gisela Kreglinger and to contact her about her availability to guide you an a group of friends on a Spirituality of Wine event: https://www.giselakreglinger.com

Buy The Spirituality of Wine and The Soul of Wine

Learn more about me and sign up for Food and Wine Tours of Israel/Palestine.

What can the church learn from embracing wine and engaging the vocation of being a vintner? After all, God is often called a vintner throughout the Old and New Testaments. Dr. Gisela Kreglinger-Smith encourages us to attend to the agrarian view of scripture.  Pour yourself a drink and join us as we discuss the beauty of wine.

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Learn more about Gisela Kreglinger: https://www.giselakreglinger.com

Buy The Spirituality of Wine and The Soul of Wine

Connect with Dr. Kreglinger on Facebook or Instagram

You can even grab a group of friends and then ask Dr. Kreglinger to lead your group in a virtual Spirituality of Wine event. 

Learn more about me and sign up for Food and Wine Tours of Israel/Palestine.

What makes people gravitate towards diverse places or towards white places? Is the church being mindful of the narratives they choose to tell? Dr. Leong brings in the ideas of Bob Ekblad who talks of the church being the bridge between the margins and the mainstream. We also touch on the signifiant writings of Stanley Haurwas that emphasize how the church gathers to rehearse and retell the transformative story of the gospel. Are we even paying attention the diverse ways the gospel is playing out in social structures that are not our own?

Buy Dr. Leong's book Race and Place

Read Stanley Haurwas's book Resident Aliens

Frank Spina's book The Faith of the Outsider

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From the studies of urban environments to the church's responsibility to engage in reconciliation, Dr. Leong's book Race and Place is a must read. This week we discuss Dr. Leong's history and how it led him to write this book. Along with Race and Place, we discuss how important it is to create a sense of belonging if reconciliation is to happen.  

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Buy the book here: Race and Place

Learn more about Dr. David Leong

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How well do we know our history? The stories we tell influence who we perceive to be the primary contributors to the Christian faith. Dr. Vince Bantu does an excellent job convincing us we should be paying attention to more voices than we normally listen to. 

This week we dive into more of the specifics of the untold stories of early church history that originated in Africa and Syrai. Hold on, you are going for a ride into some stories you’ve never heard of before.

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Read more about Dr. Bantu: https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/vince-bantu/

Read his book!!!  A Multitude of All Peoples 

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Dr. Bantu grew up in a racially segregated St. Louis. His neighborhood was "the hood" (as he says), but he went to school in an affluent area. The church they went to was nearby, but it was over the line separating the white and black neighborhoods. This week we talk about the subtleties of cultural clues that get mixed into the expression of religions, and how detangling culture and religion pushed Dr. Bantu into his PhD studies. 

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Read more about Dr. Bantu: https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/vince-bantu/

Read his book!!!  A Multitude of All Peoples 

Send me comments and questions on Facebook or Instagram or through my website at:   www.narrativeofplace.com 

This week we start by addressing a question a listener sent in to Dr. Kalantzis about the Eucharist and Ecclesiology. Then we get into who the early church mothers are and what we lose by not preserving and passing along their stories.

Find out more about me: www.narrativeofplace.com 

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More about Dr. Kalantzis: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/george-kalantzis/ 

Suggested book for learning more about early church theologians: The Spirit of Early Christian Thought

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The early church theologians were pastors who wrote to address the context of their local congregations. Some of their writings were lost and have been recently rediscovered. What can we know about these early thinkers and how do they impact what we believe now?

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More about Dr. Kalantzis: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/george-kalantzis/

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Father Andrew's website with connections to all his books and podcasts is found at: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/asd/

Book on Mt. Athos: https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Athos-Paradise-Graham-Speake/dp/0300093535

David Dry's photography and writings are at: https://www.daviddry.com

Connect with me on Twitter @CyndiParkerPhD   or at www.narrativeofplace.com