PODCAST · society
On Becoming
by Bruce Ellis Benson
Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson deploys years of training in philosophy and theology, as well as experience teaching in some of the world’s most highly-regarded universities, to answer these questions and many others.
Episodes
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The Long-Term Effects of Trauma
In this episode, we turn to Alice Miller's book The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting. What makes the book so important is that Miller is able to establish a relationship between the traumas we experience in childhood and the illnesses (mental and physical) we get in later...
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Trauma, Violence, and High-Control Religion
This episode marks a new emphasis for On Becoming. While I have referred to trauma before, here it becomes a lens through which we examine high-control religion (like Evangelicalism). I begin by considering the role of cruelty in Christianity, though a recent article by David French. Next, I turn...
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Jesus--Messiah or Mentor?
In this episode, we take a look at various ways of framing Jesus. I grew up thinking that Jesus was supposed to be Lord of my life. But, as time went on, I came to think that this wasn't a very helpful framing. Here we'll consider other ways of framing--Jesus as Cynic philosopher, apocalyptic...
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Deconstructing Jesus
In today’s episode, we’re be looking at Jesus. As with all historical figures, establishing exactly what happened is sometimes very difficult. In this episode, we’ll talk about the gospels and why they are problematic, both because they are propaganda and because they were written so long after...
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Trying to Make Sense of 'God'
Have you ever noticed that the God of the Bible, who is supposed to be the ultimate 'Good', is often petty, mean, and vengeful? In this episode, we'll consider, first, the argument that Feuerbach presents for how the concept of 'God' came into existence. Then we'll consider where the Hebrew…
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Is There a Correlation Between Religion and Happiness?
Does being religious make you any happier? In this episode, we consider whether 'religion' might make for a happier you. The problem, as soon becomes apparent, is that there are many senses and ways of being 'religious', some of which are likely better than others at making us happier.
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What Does It Mean to Be Saved
The idea that Christianity is about salvation seems as fundamental as any idea or concept in Christian theology. In this episode, I first ask the question 'where does this idea come from?' More specifically, how did followers of Jesus come to interpret his death as somehow providing salvation? I...
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The Need for the Ascetic Priest
How have priests or pastors served to make the slave revolt something permanent? It's that they heal the wound and inflict it at the same time. In this episode, we consider how the priest emerges in society to become the figure that channels the ressentiment of the slave and creates a new kind of...
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A Nietzschean Analysis of Trumpianity
Both Christian and secular commentators have remarked on and questioned the close relationship between Trump and Evangelicals. Supposedly, there are such great differences between them that it's hard to see how they connect. But Trump and Evangelicals share a deep sense of ressentiment toward the...
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The Creation of the Concept 'Sinner'
All of our ideas and concepts come from somewhere. So where did the notion of 'sinner' come from? In this episode, we explore the distinction Nietzsche makes between master and slave morality. We'll begin by explicating the idea of master morality and then see how that morality compares to the...
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Is the Christian Concept of Sin a Form of Child Abuse?
This episode is the first in a new series titled 'Deconstructing Christianity', in which we will be examining fundamental Christian doctrines. We begin with the notion of sin, since that basic concept provides much of the scaffolding for Christianity as we know it. After explicating the…
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Rethinking the Ten Commandments
You may have heard that the governor of Louisiana has decreed that the Ten Commandments must be posted in all public classrooms. In this episode, we'll consider what the effect of such a move might be. But we'll also take a look at the actual commandments themselves, which turn out to be somewhat...
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In Praise of Pride
It's Pride Month! We begin the month with a reflection on pride as a vice and a virtue. My own experience of teaching Evangelical students is that they often don't know what to do with compliments since they are trying to avoid being 'prideful'. But there is nothing in the Bible that indicates…
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A Few Things You Might Want to Know about Me
In this episode, I discuss some aspects of my thinking. Although I've never been a rebel, I have always asked questions, including questions that have gotten me into trouble. While I believe that most human knowing isn't certain or indubitable, that doesn't mean that there can be no sense of...
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The Future of Religion (Part One)
We're back, and more critically-minded than ever! After a brief hiatus due to a recent move, Dr. Benson returns to offer thoughts on where religion -- and religions -- may be headed.
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PENSÉE: What Is Woke?
'Wokeness' has become a flashpoint in contemporary culture wars, and a major presence in media coverage of social policy, but do we really know what it means to 'be woke'? In this episode, Dr. Benson breaks down the history, context, and current state of the debates around 'wokeness.'
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PENSÉE: Christian Nationalism in the Press
In this short episode, Dr. Benson discusses Ross Douthat's recent New York Times article "Four Ways of Looking at Christian Nationalism," and gives his own take on the current situation.
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Alabama, Fetal Personhood, and Christian Nationalism
In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses the recent Alabama ruling that mixed theology with the law, disrupted fertility care across the state, declared frozen embryoes children, and brought out an issue that has become increasingly popular with Christian conservatives in the United States: fetal...
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PENSÉE:Bill Ackman, Free Speech, and Alumni Influence
In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses the role that Bill Ackman, a billionaire businessman and activist investor, has played in shaping debates about higher education.
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Academic Bullying
In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses bullying and incivility in the Academic world, and how it harms professors, students, and even administrators. For more of this content, please subscribe to our Patreon (found in our twitter pinned tweet, or at patreon.com/onbecomingpodcast) for special bonus...
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PENSÉE: Academic Burnout
A short reflection on burnout, and the various factors that can cause it in the world of academia.
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Academic Freedom
What is academic freedom? Why does it matter? Recent debates about politics and speech on college campuses have brought this issue into the mainstream. In this episode of On Becoming, Dr. Benson draws on his decades of experience as a professor and researcher to shed new light on the importance…
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Is College Worth It?: The Value of Higher Education (Part Two)
In this episode, Dr. Benson goes into more details about the variety of options provided to students at different types of schools, and how these impact their experiences. Utilizing his years of experience as a professor, Dr. Benson discusses the elements of a college education that are perhaps...
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Is College Worth It?: The Value of Higher Education
Is college worth it? With tuition prices at stratospheric highs, and the burden of student loans constantly in the news, Dr Benson discusses the perceptions of college's value, as well as the financial considerations one must make. This is part one of a two-part series. In the next episode, Dr...
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PENSÉES: What is the Future of Higher Education
This episode is part of a new series from On Becoming. These shorter episodes — which we will call ‘Pensées, after the work of Blaise Pascal — will serve as ‘reflections’ on the general themes that will be addressed at greater length in our standard, full-length episodes each week. In this…
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Religion as a Way of Life (Part 3)
After a brief holiday break we are back with part three of the 'Religion as a Way of Life' series!
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Where Does Religion Come From? (Part Two)
In this episode, Dr. Benson continues his discussion of Ross Douthat's New York Times op-ed 'Where Does Religion Come From?'
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Where Does Religion Come From? (Part One)
In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses Ross Douthat's recent New York Times op-ed 'Where Does Religion Come From?,' offers his take on where Douthat goes wrong, and gives his own take on the question.
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What Is Conversion (Sunday School with Dr.Benson)
This short episode on conversion is an example of the bonus content that is made available to those who support the podcast on Patreon. If you are interested in more, please subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/onbecomingpodcast !
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The Death of God (Part Two)
In this episode, Dr. Benson continues to explore the context and implications of one of the best-known statements in the history of philosophy: "God is dead."
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The Death of God
In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses his experience at last week's conference, Theology Beer Camp, and further examines Nietzsche's critique of Christianity.
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The Prayers and Tears of Friedrich Nietzsche (PartThree)
In the final episode of our Nietzsche series, Dr. Benson discusses his final thoughts on Nietzsche's life and work, and adds a bit of detail about how his own philosophical itinerary brought him to Nietzsche's thought.
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The Prayers and Tears of Friedrich Nietzsche (Part Two)
In this episode, Dr. Benson continues the series on Nietzsche, and goes in-depth on Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."
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The Prayers and Tears of Friedrich Nietzsche (Part One)
In this episode, Dr. Benson begins a discussion of theological elements in Nietzsche's life and work.
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Gadamer Course Preview
If you've already signed up for the Gadamer course, you might be interested in hearing what we'll be discussing. For those of you who have been meaning to sign up (but just haven't gotten around to it yet), you might find it interesting too. If you're interested in signing up, don't forget that…
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Kierkegaard on the Paradox
In this episode, I share a recent presentation on Kierkegaard. I was part of a workshop on contradictions in theology and my assignment was to present on Kierkegaard and the paradox. The context for the workshop was the problem of contradiction in two major doctrines in Christianity: the trinity…
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Is Loneliness A Silent Pandemic?: Part Two
In this episode, Dr. Benson further elaborates on loneliness, and addresses strategies that we can use to regain a sense of community.
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Is Loneliness A Silent Pandemic?: Part One
In this episode, Dr. Benson talks about loneliness. After the Covid-19 pandemic, loneliness is certainly a topic that many feel well-acquainted with, yet putting a finger on exactly how it affects us and how we can deal with it is a challenge.
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Everything You Wanted to Know about Deconstruction (But Were Afraid to Ask) Part Two
In this concluding episode, we consider how Derrida's thought was received. Unfortunately, many people came to think that Derrida was a relativist or skeptic or some other bad thing. Yet Derrida strongly rejected any such reading of his work. And then he went on to say that justice cannot be...
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Everything You Wanted to Know about Deconstruction (But Were Afraid to Ask) Part One
It's not everyday that a technical term used by a philosopher becomes a common word that most everyone knows. But, as is often the case when things get disconnected from their original context, the meaning can change or even become something quite different than the philosopher intended. Such is...
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Is Communication Really Possible? Part Two
In this episode, we conclude our exploration into Husserl’s idea of how communication is possible by considering the distinction between text and context, or meaning and significance. Husserl insists that all meaning is set within a horizon. However, if the text’s or person’s horizon is different...
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Is Communication Really Possible? Part One
In this episode, I consider what makes communication possible by way of turning back to Edmund Husserl, the famed founder of phenomenology. Then we turn to questions posed by Derrida regarding whether Husserl is right about how communication works and the extent to which direct and complete...
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Interview with Liz Edman--Part Two
In this second half of our interview with Liz Edman, we turn explicitly to her book. To get a bit more context for this second half of the interview, you may want to listen to that part first. As you'll hear, Liz speaks very powerfully about what the church can learn from queer people. Liz…
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First Anniversary Episode
It's with great delight that I present our first anniversary episode! We've already had many interesting and, I hope, helpful episodes on big philosophical and theological questions. In this episode, I consider the various themes we've discussed and how they relate to the continuing development…
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Interview with Liz Edman--Part One
This episode begins a two-part series with The Revd Liz Edman, author of Queer Virtue. Liz (she/her) is an Episcopal priest and political strategist who has been igniting people's understanding of Christianity and queer life for more than 25 years. She has served as an inner city hospital…
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The Philosopher Who Changed My Life Forever--Part Two
In this episode, I continue our discussion of the thought of Hans-Georg Gadamer. We explore how coming to think like Gadamer makes one open to new ideas. He speaks of being 'radically undogmatic' and, as I point out in this episode, that was the way he did philosophy. I also talk about how the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson deploys years of training in philosophy and theology, as well as experience teaching in some of the world’s most highly-regarded universities, to answer these questions and many others.
HOSTED BY
Bruce Ellis Benson
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does On Becoming have?
On Becoming currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is On Becoming about?
Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson...
How often does On Becoming release new episodes?
On Becoming has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to On Becoming?
You can listen to On Becoming on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts On Becoming?
On Becoming is created and hosted by Bruce Ellis Benson.
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