Protect Your Noggin

Ancient Chinese philosophers in the Taoist tradition envisioned a beautiful world that is a template for just the sort of spiritual anarchism we find attractive. We discuss the importance of libertarian thought within the Tao Te Ching and begin to explore whether it is viable for our context today. Later episodes will examine Jesus anarchy and more recent atheistic forms of this perspective on politics. It is all part of our season's them of full spectrum emancipation, which focusses on the ways in which we need to seek freedom in various aspects of our lives if we want to be free in any particular piece of our lives. 

After sharing some great musical experiences we had in Portland, we discuss the ways in which cultural and political values affect our relationships with food. We raise some issues about body image & food from our childhoods, but we do so with the desire to understand ourselves and our cultural conditioning. We send our sincere love to family and friends involved in these stories. The weird opening music we recorded standing on the sidewalk on Mississippi St, Portland, in front of the great South x Northwest vegan comfort food place.

Content Warning: Eating Disorders & Body Image

Where you live affects your perspective on the worlds that are possible. Our new season's theme is full spectrum emancipation and the interrelation between financial, spiritual, and emotional freedom. We start with the question of how where we live affects our happiness and freedom. We discuss where and why people are moving to new states in the US, the concept of cultural hegemony, the problems of our economic system, and the theft of our truck camper St. George. 

In the aftermath of our son Auggie’s death, we took a few months off from the pod. We are back with a season finale to share with you where we’ve been and how we’ve been doing. We are joined by Auggie’s fiancé Sydnie who is living with us now. We share news about big life changes and how we’ve been working toward spiritual, emotional and financial emancipation. This is a show in which we process our grief along with you. Part way through we sing a song (The Czars “Paint the Moon”) that we sang when we had a private viewing of Auggie’s body.

This show is a collection of recordings with Jeff and Stacie's son Auggie, who died recently. It includes free form speculation about spirituality, the mythologies behind popular culture artifacts, and what Auggie thought the point of life was. As you'll see, there's a consistency from start to finish. At the end, you can hear a song written by Jeff and Auggie, and performed by the whole family many years ago. It too captures our family's general perspective on life.

A lecture Jeff recently gave on the history & significance of end times thinking in the context of the Jesus freaks, the Calvary Chapel movement & church history in general. There’s also a personal application to facing doom and personal death in the second half of the talk. If it didn’t come across perfectly: Jeff’s ultimate point was to confront the reality of societal and ecological dangers, but also to suggest that the true way of Jesus is to help bring healing and repair to the world through love.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the sicknesses that infect the world and its structures, Lao Tzu urges us to start with ourselves and our immediate communities, and allow this to spread throughout the world naturally. 

In recent years, there’s been an increase in hysteria about Critical Race Theory in the schools. We discuss the nature of this theory, the ways we ought to engage the subject in our current context, and the ways in which the theology of the “Orders of Creation” in Nazi-enabling Lutheran theologians like Paul Althaus shed light on the issue of CRT in schools. We conclude with a discussion of the orders of creation teaching (Schöpfungsordnungslehre) as it relates to asking for a woman's hand in marriage.

Stacie and Jeff reflect casually on their experiences within the revival of reformed theology in Southern California during the 1990s, then chat with Luca Azuma, alumnus from Concordia University’s history program, who has written on the history of the young, restless and Reformed response to non-denominational evangelicalism, and what this means about authoritarianism, masculinity, and dogmatism.

We realize we paint with a broad brush at times. We recognize there are sophisticated forms of Reformed thought that don’t resemble what some prominent “Reformed” folk espouse, but we are now talking about popular forms of Calvinism, especially in independent churches. 

53.

Even with only half my wits about me,
I would travel the way of the Tao,
the only thing to fear
is getting off course.
For it is a safe, wide open highway.
Oh, but men love to get sidetracked.

Politicians’ vanity projects get funded
while infrastructures crumble,
and natural resources get depleted.
They wear expensive suits,
own trendy status symbols,
drink the best whiskey,
dine at exclusive restaurants,
and have more toys than
they have time to play with.
This is white-collar piracy.
It is most definitely not
what it means
to surf the Tao.