Speakeasy Theology

Andrew and I talk about his early work on the Christian mystical tradition, as well as basic problems with much historical theology. We also discuss the relation of the divine and human in Cyril, Gregory Nazianzen, Dionysius, Maximus, and Rowan Williams’ Christ, the Heart of Creation. I recorded this last summer, but unfortunately we had a number of technical issues. Only recently, David+ Harvey was able to make a listenable version. The audio is still hard to follow at times, but what Andrew says is too good not to share. The recording of the first part of the interview didn’t work at all, so this picks up mid-conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I talk with Mark about imagination and incarnation in Owen Barfield and William Blake. We also rove through a whole wide range of themes, including patron saints, the difference between good and bad interiority, and what it means to put ourselves in “the zone of divine outpouring.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Jane and I discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of belonging to the church of the saints and the apostles, and wonder how to teach the faith without making God seem small or the gospel boring. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Rupert and I discuss his Lenten practices, his time with Fr Bede Griffiths in India, the power of dialog, the theological and liturgical significance of morphic resonance, the need for habit and creativity, and the possibility of sanctifying digital spaces. Be sure to sign up for his Substack. Read everything you can by him, but start with these two books: Science and Spiritual Practices and Ways to Go Beyond. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re interested, this is the conversation I heard that led me to the lecture, which you can read here. More to come… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I talk with Myles about Stringfellow’s uncategorizable approach to theology, why he has been neglected, and what his understanding of death and the demonic teaches us about telling the truth, resisting evil, and discerning the will of God. If you don’t already follow Myles, you can connect with his work here. Or read the excellent series he wrote on Psalm 23 and the moral life that I hosted here a few years ago. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I do a close reading of William Stringfellow’s understanding of the political significance of the spiritual gifts and the charismatic life. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I do the third of a series of close readings of Karl Rahner’s sermons and prayers in preparation for the upcoming St Anthony Institute class. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I do the second of a series of close readings of Karl Rahner’s sermons and prayers in preparation for an upcoming St Anthony Institute class. This conversation focuses on one of his Good Friday sermons.You can sign up here for the SAI course:https://www.stanthonyinstitute.com/courses/theo-hopeAs always, paid subscribers receive a 50% discount (100% for founding subscribers). Videos of the conversations will also be made available to those who sign up. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I do the first of a series of close readings of Rahner’s sermons and prayers in preparation for an upcoming St Anthony Institute class. This conversation focuses on one of his Good Friday sermons. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I discuss reviews of and responses to The Fire and the Cloud (you can see a couple of them here and here). We also branch out to a broader discussion about interpreting difficult texts, especially texts that seem to speak blasphemously or nonsensically of God, and consider what theodicy has to do with sanctification. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Jeremy and I discuss his last book on spiritual direction, his new (as-yet unpublished) book on spiritual granularity, and the power of finding words for the fine lines of God’s work in the heart. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Christopher+ and I discuss a talk by Rowan Williams on what it means to be a minister and how that relates to the call to become Christ. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Cherith, David, Christopher, and I discuss the readings for today’s Feast, asking why it is so hard for us to make good sense of the Ascension. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I discuss Pope Leo XIV’s remarkable homily given at his inaugural Mass. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Cherith+ and I talk with Preston+ about the ministry of preaching and the wisdom of the lectionary. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

As a footnote to our ongoing conversation about Bonhoeffer’s theology of pastoral ministry, David+ and I discuss a sermon by Joseph Ratzinger and what it teaches us about the vision of the good shepherd in the Gospel of John. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Christopher+ and Bill+ and I discuss how our views of God interfere with beholding and how the way Jesus met his death tells us the truth we most need to know. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Hart and I discuss the relationship between poetry and theology, and how good work becomes prayer, a form of stretching into the kingdom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Paul repeatedly exhorts his churches to sing—but why? David+, Cherith+, and I discuss music, worship, and the Spirit’s work in song, considering how singing in Paul’s letters is not a form of expression but a means of participation in the Gospel itself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Mark and I discuss his research on the prophetic in the broader Pentecostal tradition, especially Latter Rain movement, the intimate relationship between consciousness and the conscience, and the devastating effects of power struggles on prophetic integrity and prophetic legitimacy.You can find Mark’s book here. You can also catch a recent interview I did with him for his channel here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I continue our reading of Bonhoeffer, exploring the grace of ordination, the need for rules and holding all good things in tension, and the dangers of false comfort. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Jordan and I discuss his forthcoming translation of Maximus’ Christological letters and a chapter he recently finished on trauma and theology. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I discuss Bonhoeffer’s 1940 sermon on the Holy Innocents, weighing what he says about the use/abuse of power and considering how his work, thanks to his careful restraint, helps to free us both from the abstractions and hasty generalizations that distort what we think of God and the sentimentality that warps what we say about evil and suffering and how we say it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I discuss Bonhoeffer’s 1940 Epiphany meditation, considering what he says about the birth and baptism of the Lord and his understanding of Christ’s solidarity with sinners. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin Hart (Jo Rae Wright University Distinguished Professor, Duke Divinity School) and I discuss his recently-published memoir, Dark-Land, the theological merits of autobiography, and the graces of contemplative prayer. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I talk with Marty about his decades-long love affair with Luke-Acts, the benefits of studying with believers formed in other traditions, and marvel together at Luke’s originality, the intricate complexity of his work, and the sheer expansiveness of his vision. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I discuss Bonhoeffer’s 1935 Finkenwalde lecture on “contemporizing” the New Testament, weighing what it has to teach us now about preaching and handling the Scriptures in good faith. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Holly Taylor Coolman, professor of theology at Providence College, talks with me about Aquinas’ view of the Law, New and Old, his reading of Romans 9-11, and her own perspective on what it means to argue with the great teachers of the church. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Geordie and I talk about TF Torrance and the work of teaching theology, exploring ways TFT helps us live with and speak of the triune God. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Dr Davis and I discuss her career as a theologian and Old Testament scholar, what she has learned in inter-religious dialog about how to receive the wisdom of Israel’s Scriptures, and the need for the practice of slow, humble reading of these texts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Fr David and I talk with Richard about the brokenness of the church, anxiety and the fear of death, the psychology of Jesus, the gift of tears, and how we come clean with God. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Williams and I talk about loving theology and loving God, learning to pray, and how to serve the church without losing your soul. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David and I discuss the legend and rare-bird genius of Ivan Illich as well as his trials and tears, weighing out a few of Illich’s key notions, including anti-Christ and the corruption of Christianity, counter-productivity, the ethics of the gaze, and the prayerful awareness that arises from and makes room for celebration. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Bill, David, and I talk about the wisdom of the liturgy, our experiences as Pentecostals who come every week to the Lord’s Table, and the difference between revival and revivalism. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

“I have to be here as my full self, or I really can’t be here at all.”—Amy Peeler—Dr Peeler and I talk about her ministry as a scholar and a priest, the challenge of interpreting Scripture, what it means to honor Mary, and how to speak of gender in relation to God. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Brad East (Assistant Professor of Theology at Abilene Christian University) and I discuss Israel, church, and world; restorationism and the sacraments; the origins of evil and sin; Scripture and the formation of a political imagination; as well of course as Robert Jenson and his influence on us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Hauerwas and I talk about the influence of Robert Jenson, the craft of writing theology, the problem with tent revivals, and how he has—and has not—changed his mind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

“I do theology because I think God is real and God is beautiful…”—Kirsten SandersDr Sanders and I talk together over a wide range of subjects, including Pent/Char spirituality, the particularities of gender, Mary’s obedience, supersessionism, LOTR, the joys of good disagreements, and the need for and dangers of doing theology. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Fr David and I talk with Melissa Archer about the household codes in Ephesians 5-6 and Colossians 3, and the history of their interpretation. We also discuss how these instructions fit within the framework of Paul’s apocalyptic vision and consider what it means to sit together in the dust, lamenting the damage done in the long history of misuses and abuses of these texts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

The conversation with David Goa continues, turning to questions of sacramental theology and the matter of so-called closed Communion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Bradley and I talk with David Goa about the priesthood of all believers, the history of mission movements, confusions about hierarchy, the need for the strictures of liturgy and ordained ministry, Ivan Illich, and the crucial difference between communion and communication. Here’s David’s reflections on the royal priesthood, which we reference at the top: And here is his account of the day he spent with Ivan Illich, every bit as wild as he suggested. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Julie and I are joined by her daughters, Madeleine and Amie Kate, and their friends, Francesca and Katie, to begin a discussion on teaching our children the faith by learning it with them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Martin and I discuss the outrageous Jesus of the Gospels, the sanctifying plainness of Scripture, the difference between stone-stories and bread-stories, preaching and speechifying, the shift form lyric to epic Christianity, bone memory and our need for oak. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David and I talk with Bradley about Weil and what she says in her last notebooks about suffering, conscience, personhood, human rights/obligations, mystery, and—especially—the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

David+ and I talk with +Ed about his book, Spirit and Method, the pneumatological imagination, the limits of our understanding, and the need for playfulness in our relation to the truth. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Christopher+, Bill+, and I discuss the texts for Sunday, delving into the ways that the Spirit leads us out where our trust is without borders. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

A link to the Nick Cave interview Christopher+ and I discuss: https://onbeing.org/programs/nick-cave-loss-yearning-transcendence/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

Christopher and I talk with Frank about his new systematics, the possibilities and promise of theology, and the heart of Pentecostal spirituality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe

After a Lenten break, I’m back to talk with Marc about his story, his artistic process, and his view of the graces and glories of music. More about Hammock here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cewgreen.substack.com/subscribe