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381 - James Orr - Christianity Beyond Civilization

I had a wonderful discussion with James Orr. Dr Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He was also one of the panel members for the Daily Wire Plus Exodus and Gospels seminars,...

An episode of the The Symbolic World podcast, hosted by Jonathan Pageau, titled "381 - James Orr - Christianity Beyond Civilization" was published on March 2, 2025 and runs 64 minutes.

March 2, 2025 ·64m · The Symbolic World

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

I had a wonderful discussion with James Orr. Dr Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He was also one of the panel members for the Daily Wire Plus Exodus and Gospels seminars, which we discuss in this video. We also talk about our difference approaches and perspectives on Scripture, the current cultural shift and Christianity becoming more mainstream, the risk of instrumentalizing Christianity, Paul Kingsnorth's talk "Against Christian Civilization", and more. Watch the Gospel Seminar on Daily Wire Plus: https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels My discussion with Paul Kingsnorth, Western Civilization Is Already Dead: https://youtu.be/FrjdaVol2TA?si=D6A3mm3WXj5f2i4WPaul Kingsnorth’s First Things talk: "Against Christian Civilization" | 2024 Erasmus Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/live/Y3hMSZqatHIJames Orr links:- https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-james-orr- https://x.com/jtworr=====================NEW COURSE: The Symbolic World Goes to Middle-EarthJoin us for an in-depth study of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium, where we'll explore his masterful use of medieval literary genres, Christian storytelling traditions, and hidden philology. This course, presented by Richard Rohlin, will guide you through Tolkien's vision for a "Mythology for England," examining his work as a complex tapestry of Universal History. Through this journey, we’ll also examine Tolkien’s use of epic poems, chronicles, and literary devices to craft a truly legendary vision of the past, present, and future. Thereafter, we'll look at how his work has inspired later authors of fantasy, shaped the genre more generally, and continues to aid our recovery of deeper, cosmological storytelling. - Dates: Live classes are on Mondays at 1 PM Central starting March 3, 2025 - Course length: 5 weeks, 10 hours of lectures - Cost: $150 - 10% Discount for all patrons at the Involved tier or higher, apply your discount code at checkout - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings with downloadable audio - You’ll also have the opportunity to apply these ideas to contemporary authors and your own mythopoeic writing! - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member at https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/join-community before making your purchase.Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/tolkien-and-universal-history =====================Timestamps:00:00 - Coming up00:47 - Intro music01:11 - Introduction01:57 - James' reaction to The Gospels seminar05:04 - JBP mediating the panel discussion09:25 - Members of the panel11:55 - Approaching Scripture from different perspectives15:23 - James' scholarly approach vs Jonathan's analogical approach20:37 - A time of flux28:18 - Paul Kingsnorth's First Things address32:44 - Instrumentalizing Christianity38:52 - Self-sacrificial love41:39 - Recognize weaponized compassion43:11 - Fetishizing weakness?48:22 - The end of the story51:34 - Technology54:45 - New people coming to church💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 📱 SOCIAL MEDIA  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageauOur website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Episode Description

I had a wonderful discussion with James Orr. Dr Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He was also one of the panel members for the Daily Wire Plus Exodus and Gospels seminars, which we discuss in this video. We also talk about our difference approaches and perspectives on Scripture, the current cultural shift and Christianity becoming more mainstream, the risk of instrumentalizing Christianity, Paul Kingsnorth's talk "Against Christian Civilization", and more. 

Watch the Gospel Seminar on Daily Wire Plus: https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels 

My discussion with Paul Kingsnorth, Western Civilization Is Already Dead: https://youtu.be/FrjdaVol2TA?si=D6A3mm3WXj5f2i4W

Paul Kingsnorth’s First Things talk: "Against Christian Civilization" | 2024 Erasmus Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/live/Y3hMSZqatHI

James Orr links:
- https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-james-orr
- https://x.com/jtworr

=====================
NEW COURSE: The Symbolic World Goes to Middle-Earth
Join us for an in-depth study of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium, where we'll explore his masterful use of medieval literary genres, Christian storytelling traditions, and hidden philology. This course, presented by Richard Rohlin, will guide you through Tolkien's vision for a "Mythology for England," examining his work as a complex tapestry of Universal History. Through this journey, we’ll also examine Tolkien’s use of epic poems, chronicles, and literary devices to craft a truly legendary vision of the past, present, and future. Thereafter, we'll look at how his work has inspired later authors of fantasy, shaped the genre more generally, and continues to aid our recovery of deeper, cosmological storytelling. - Dates: Live classes are on Mondays at 1 PM Central starting March 3, 2025 - Course length: 5 weeks, 10 hours of lectures - Cost: $150 - 10% Discount for all patrons at the Involved tier or higher, apply your discount code at checkout - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings with downloadable audio - You’ll also have the opportunity to apply these ideas to contemporary authors and your own mythopoeic writing! - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member at https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/join-community before making your purchase.
Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/tolkien-and-universal-history =====================

Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:47 - Intro music
01:11 - Introduction
01:57 - James' reaction to The Gospels seminar
05:04 - JBP mediating the panel discussion
09:25 - Members of the panel
11:55 - Approaching Scripture from different perspectives
15:23 - James' scholarly approach vs Jonathan's analogical approach
20:37 - A time of flux
28:18 - Paul Kingsnorth's First Things address
32:44 - Instrumentalizing Christianity
38:52 - Self-sacrificial love
41:39 - Recognize weaponized compassion
43:11 - Fetishizing weakness?
48:22 - The end of the story
51:34 - Technology
54:45 - New people coming to church

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 

📱 SOCIAL MEDIA  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ 
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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