The Knitting Pilgrim Talks

In episode 123 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Daniel Brereton of St. John's Dixie Anglican Church about the section of the "Stitched Glass" Christian tapestry depicting a female figure reaching up to the figure of Christ, yet being pushed aside. In the background are pink triangles, representing the LGBTQ+ community and their similar experience of being ostracized by the church. Rev. Brereton talks about the link between women's rights, gay rights, and their essential threat to the patriarchy of a capitalist society that would rather focus on the biblically insignificant issue of gender rather than the bible's fundamental message prohibiting idolatry, greed, and the misuse of money.

In episode 122 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Rev. Janet Ryu-Chan of Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church about the section of the Christian Tapestry depicting a female figure reaching up to Christ yet being pushed aside. Rev Ryu-Chan speaks of what it felt like to grow up in a patriarchal denomination of Christianity, her experience as a female member of the clergy, and can’t help but wonder how differently she’d be treated if she were a six-foot tall white man. 

In episode 121 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Daniel Brereton of St. John’s Dixie Anglican Church about the image of the dove at the top of the Stitched Glass Christian tapestry, and how Jesus offered his followers peace… but not the kind of peace they may have wanted. They talk about the importance of remembering both the painful history and the powerful hope of the faith’s great symbols.

In episode 120 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Rabbi David Seed of the Adath Israel Congregation in Toronto about importance of Holidays—or ‘Holy Days’—in Judaism. We discuss a section of the Stitched Glass Judaic tapestry depicting a shofar, a menorah, and a lulav—ritual items central to Jewish holidays, which are days set apart as being separate, unique, and which give us an opportunity to reflect on the gifts we have been given in this life…particularly, the gift of time.

In episode 119 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald, professor of Church and Society at Knox College, University of Toronto, about the section of the Stitched Glass Christian window tapestry depicting a corruption of the burning bush: a figure being burned at the stake. While the church’s response to heretics or non-believers is no longer so drastic, Kirk and Stuart discuss the kind of thinking that can lead to such extreme responses to theological differences.

In Episode 118 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I welcome back accomplished physician, scientist, theologian, and Muslim community leader Dr. David Liepert as we chat about the section of the Islamic tapestry depicting a 6th century statue of Buddha in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan, and how the Taliban twisted the Islamic prohibition on idolatry to justify its destruction.

In episode 117 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Imam Jihad Turk (@jihadturk) of the Bayan Islamic Graduate School (@Bayanchicago) about the holy book of Islam, The Qu’ran. We talk about the history of the Qu’ran, its importance to Islam, and its consistent thematic message to Muslims about how they should live their lives with justice, compassion, mercy, truth, and beauty.

In Episode 116 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with the Rev. Dr. John-Peter Smit about a section of the Christian tapestry depicting the Body of Christ – a euphemism for the Christian Church. We talk about the challenge the church faces to incorporate many disparate views of the faith, and the mystery of the sacrament of communion through which Christians can experience the holy. Rev. Dr. John-Peter is the recently retired Regional Minister for Congregational Health for the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario, and Bermuda.

In Episode 115 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk chats with accomplished physician, scientist, theologian, and Muslim community leader Dr. David Liepert about Islam and science. We use the Islamic tapestry’s image of a winged figure (that of Abbas Ibn Firnas, who experimented with flight in the 9th century CE) as a jumping-off point for a conversation about the incredible contributions and technological breakthroughs made by Muslim mathematicians, engineers, and physicians throughout history.

In Episode 114 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk spends time with Imam Jamal Rahman of the Interfaith Community Sanctuary in Seattle discussing the section of the Islamic tapestry that features a set of scales with the new millennium on one side and the year of the Prophet Muhammad’s death on the other. They talk about Islam’s challenge in balancing the past with the present, and a reminder that the progressive anti-patriarchal ideas of the Prophet are very much in line with the modern world.

"Why is it, in each of the (Abrahamic) traditions, there is so much exclusivity, violence, patriarchy, and homophobia?" - Imam Jamal Rahman