Context Matters

Can stages, rock bands, and moving lights usher us into the sacred? Many of you on social media said no, although you recognized your upbringing in such places. Do we value the theological teachings on Sunday over what the place of Sunday worship communicates? And is it possible that the place can be objectively "sacred" even when a person does not intellectually or emotionally feel it as sacred? These are all the issues we cover this week.

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Watch a short video on Our Lady of Guadalupe HERE

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Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her book

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Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her book

Read the Protoevangelion of James HERE

This week I am joined by Mom and Dad Parker, Kendra, Shanna, and Brian as we all look back at the first season of Context Matters. What stories drew us in and which lessons keep us coming back for more?

And I am getting ready to move and reorganize my pandemic-shaped life, so Context Matters is taking a break until mid August. Make sure to subscribe now so you do not miss Episode 1 of Season 2 when it is released! Until then, enjoy this trip down memory lane and get caught up on any of the episodes you may have missed...they are just so good!

Join part 2 in the conversation with Dr. Riedel through the complex history of the early church councils that were responsible for establishing the basic tenets of the Christian faith. The first seven ecumenical councils had to be attended by bishops of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. If we look at the geographical, historical, and linguistic context of those 5 cities we might start to guess about some potential hot spots that could drive a wedge between them. In fact, problems started to surface in the early days. Dr. Reidel explains the heresy of the Filioque and how it led to the split between the Eastern and Western Churches.

Click HERE to watch a short video on St. Mark’s cathedral.

What happened to push Christianity from persecution to endorsement by the Roman Empire? This week Dr. Meredith Riedel explains the events that led up to the necessity of convening a church council made up of bishops from Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The first councils hammered out the basic tenants of the Christian faith: How can God be human? Was Jesus divine? If he was, what do we call Mary? Who is the Holy Spirit? These are foundational matters for the global church, but do we actually know the debates surrounding these ideas?

Click HERE for a list of publications by Dr. Riedel.

Look HERE for a quick reference on the years, meeting places, and urgent topics discussed at the first ecumenical councils.

Listen here to Frederica Mathewes-Green discuss how Mary the mother of Jesus can be a stumbling block for Protestants who are exploring Orthodoxy. Her insights to the Theotokos are wonderful.

How did we end up with the Bible that we read? Dr. Derek Cooper introduces us to the complexity of this sacred text. We think of the Bible as one singular book that was given to the church, but we forget that  people chose the scrolls and the letters that would belong to the biblical canon, and then they organized them to tell a complete narrative. We are not always aware of these issues, which attributes to some of our assumptions about the text.

Learn more about Dr. Cooper’s work with the Thomas Institute HERE

We start our conversation discussing how Paul introduced his gentile and God-fearing audience to Jewish scriptures, and how he dealt with the clash between power, status, and identity that was present among the diverse Christian communities. I cannot help but think how we still have much to learn from Paul’s instructions within our present context of communities crying out to be seen, heard, and valued. Dr. Gupta sheds light on the clues we see in Paul’s writings that display his respect for the female leaders in the church, and he concludes with insights for how we can effectively read Paul’s writings in our modern day.

Follow Dr. Gupta’s blog HERE

And his newest book is coming out! Click to get a glimpse into the Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies

His lecture on the Household Codes and the House Church can be watched HERE