How do Christians grapple with their political life? Do the teachings and calls of Jesus have daily implications to the way we behave and participate as citizens? What does it mean that America is today's iteration of Egypt, Babylon, or Rome? More questions than answers in this twisting episode. Stephen is feeling destabilized following the events of January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol. Buckle up, this one might give you whiplash.

Mentioned in the episode: 

• The Family on Netflix
• Race in America Holy Post video
• Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne
• D.L. Mayfield on Twitter
• Post Reports: Four Hours of Insurrection on Radiolab
• 1 Timothy 2:1-2
• Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
• Political Compass Test
• Spiral Dynamics on The Liturgists
• Me, We, Everybody on The Robcast
• Depolarize! Podcast by Dan Koch

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

Defining a cult isn't always as easy as it seems. Whether we're talking about Waco, In-n-Out Burger, or your local dentist, there are questions that we can ask to get us closer to identifying a New Religious Movement. Josh leads us through a discussion of common misconceptions, the difference between a "cult of personality" and a true NRM, and some critical thinking exercises to help us assess groups from the inside and out.

Mentioned in the episode: 

• Max Weber on Churches and Sects in North America
• Wild Wild Country on Netflix
• The BITE Model
• Waco on Netflix
• The Rise of Network Christianity by Brad Christerson and Richard Flory
• Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

Stephen's been digging into Catholic theology lately and it got Emily thinking about sacraments. We talk about the 7 sacraments recognized by the Catholic church and how that compares with Protestant traditions that typically pair down to Baptism and Eucharist. Are the sacraments reserved for Christians only, or can we share an Open Table? What even is a sacrament anyway? And is calling everything sacred even helpful?

Mentioned in the episode: 

• 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - Paul's Warning for the Lord's Supper
• Signs of Life by Scott Hahn
• The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn
• Consuming the Word by Scott Hahn
• The Elementary Forms of Religious Life by Emile Durkheim
• stephenghenning.blog/eucharist
• Emily's liturgy

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

***This is Part 2 of a conversation we began last week. Please go back and catch up if you haven't.***

In what ended up being an almost 3 hour conversation, we pick up with Josh's thoughts about modern monetary theory and how the church may be operating on outdated conceptions of money. Stephen then guides us through some thoughts about how giving be uncomfortable by definition and if the "firstfruits" concept is valid teaching to follow. Emily rounds out the conversation with real world implications about getting paid as a pastor and receiving money from our new Patreon campaign!

Mentioned in the episode: 

• Modern Monetary Theory
• Radiolab Podcast: More Money Less Problems
• Tithing in Mormonism
• Mark 12:41-44 - The Widows Two Mites
• Matthew 6:1-4 - Giving in Secret
• Genesis 4:1-7 - Abel's first-fruit offerings

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

In what ended up being an almost 3 hour conversation, Stephen kicks us off with questions about the biblical origin of the tithe. In what ways are the Jewish people instructed to handle their money by the Hebrew Bible and how are these concepts adapted or reclaimed in the New Covenant through Jesus? So many thoughts on tithing as Christian duty, transactional philanthropy, churches' financial transparency, big name pastors making money off book sales, and MORE! (And this is only Part One!)

Mentioned in the episode: 

• Genesis 14 - Abram and Melchizedek
• Malachi 3:8-10 - Will a Man Rob God?
• 1 Timothy 6:10 - The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil
• 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 - God Loves a Cheerful Giver
• cor.org - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

Welcome to 2021, the sequel to 2020! After speaking with a street preacher (from across the street with his own megaphone), Josh has questions about apophatic and cataphatic theology. How do we come to our knowledge of God and his attributes?
AUDIO NOTE: We had a mic issue on Josh's end of our recording call and had to use a backup in a couple spots.

Mentioned in the episode: 

• Nomad Podcast
• The Cloud of Unknowing by An Anonymous Christian Mystic
• El Shaddai Hymn

Follow the hosts on Twitter: 

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/ravelpod for $3/mo to join the private Discord community! You can also connect with Ravel on Twitter and Instagram at @ravelpod, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Find his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

The birth narrative of Jesus we've grown up with is a creative combination of two different accounts in the Gospels. In this episode, we discuss the implications of the story and aspects that may be more allegorical than historical. For instance, why we find the holiday in December, how the manger scene changes with an understanding of ancient architecture, the Magi being guided by the "star", the virginity of Mary, and the character of Joseph. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy New Years to all! We'll be back in 2021 on January 6th!

Mentioned in the episode:

• Matthew 1-2 
• Luke 1:1-2:21
• Picture of the cave star (Emily)
• NRSV: Life with God Bible
• NRSV: Oxford Annotated Bible
• New English Translation Bible on the Bible App

Join the Ravel conversation on:

• Twitter: @ravelpod
• Instagram: @ravelpod
• Facebook: @theravelpod
• Email: [email protected]

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Follow his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

STARTER PACK: Classic Theology Gone Wild

Experience. Tradition. Scripture. Reason. These are the ingredients to what became known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral or the Methodist Quadrilateral. We discuss the "quad" (because stumbling through the word quadrilateral makes for bad podcasting) and how it impacts our lives through the lenses it gives us to see the world and how it keeps in a centered expression of our faith.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Wesleyan Quadrilateral Wiki
•  Public/Private and Mercy/Piety Quad
• The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
• Josh's Undergrad Thesis: How It Works

Join the Ravel conversation on:

• Twitter: @ravelpod
• Instagram: @ravelpod
• Facebook: @theravelpod
• Email: [email protected]

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Follow his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

Emily brings the guys questions and lessons from the liturgical calendar. We discuss the pros and cons of using this tool to establish a rhythm to the year and wonder out loud about ways we could reform it. What if Christmas and Easter were only celebrated every 3 years? Or even... every 33 years? How would this change our attitudes toward holidays that have become more commercial than commemorative?

Mentioned in the episode:

• Atheism for Lent
• Methodist Revised Common Lectionary 2020 PDF
• Upper Room Prayer Organization
• The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Join the Ravel conversation on:

• Twitter: @ravelpod
• Instagram: @ravelpod
• Facebook: @theravelpod
• Email: [email protected]

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Follow his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!

STARTER PACK: The Apologists Can't Hurt You Here

When it comes to the Bible and Christian tradition, Josh wonders if interpreting them through a lens of Originalism is best? Are we hindered by thinking we need to somehow get back there? Where should we place the standard by which we interpret modern life? Could it be that the trajectory from Eden garden paradise to new heavenly city whose gates are never shut provides us a path to follow?

Mentioned in the episode:

• Author's Intent Podcast with Dixie Lee Henning
• the good news in a tattoo by Bruxy Cavey
• [OT tattoo verse] Leviticus 19:28
• ["In the world, not of the world" verse] John 15:19

Join the Ravel conversation on:

• Twitter: @ravelpod
• Instagram: @ravelpod
• Facebook: @theravelpod
• Email: [email protected]

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

• Josh: @joshlieuallen
• Emily: @RevRettinghouse
• Stephen: @stephenghenning

Thank you to Louie Zong for use of his song In Full Color, off his album, Here. Follow his work on Spotify and Bandcamp!