[leighton]
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Podcast Summary, Episode #8: Emergent Christianity
Emergent Christianity
- A discussion concerning the newer type of Christianity known as “Emergent Christianity”.
Prologue
- Peter Walker and Adele Sakler join us to discuss their similar yet sometimes varied views on Christianity and misunderstandings as a whole.
- Charley continues to blame his lack of personality on Leighton.
- Leighton withstands Charley’s attempts with patience equivalent to Jesus.
Main Story
- Adele Sakler lives in Richmond with her wife, grew up Presbyterian, attended Catholic school, in long term treatment for Lyme disease, blogs on Existential Punk, and started a new blog Queermergent.
- Peter Walker was raised in a conservative Pentecostal Assemblies of God, during his college days his views began to crumble, through watching friends and loved ones questions arose, and realized his Christianity needed to “evolve”.
- Emergent Christianity is a way of looking at Christianity in a post-modern context and is discussed in depth.
- Anti-homosexual scriptures discussed against the issues of today. Lesbians have possibly found a loophole in the Bible. Proposition 8 is brought up and berated for its lack of forward thinking/civil rights.
- The question of whether or not Emergent Christians have conflicting views concerning science versus religion is brought up.
- Would it harm/destroy the faith of an Emergent Christian to discover that Jesus didn’t exist or was a mythical figure?
- The “problem of evil” is brought up wherein Peter mentions his belief in God not being overly controlling, that he started the universe and evolution but doesn’t control all aspects of it (i.e. God doesn’t have the power to stop natural evil.).
- Are the stories in the bible something that should be taken as little more than tribal/historical context? Is the humanity taken out of the bible by modern Christians?
- What is the point of God’s truth? Is it something we are forced to contemplate thereby growing through our own musings or are they to be taken for nothing more than truth?
- What would Christianity be like without Paul’s influence? Would it be the harsh, narrow-minded view some take in this day and age?
- How do Charley and I view Christians/the religious in general? Are we prejudiced towards Christians?
- Was Christianity more understanding of divisive beliefs in the past versus the Christianity we are faced with in this day and age?
Epilogue
- Next week we will have Matt Wakefield a fellow atheist wherein we discuss his deconversion process.
14 Responses to “Podcast Episode 8 Summary”
Patience equivalent to Jesus? He got exasperated pretty quickly, or don’t you remember the money-changers incident?
Good thing I have the patience of Job.
Don’t you make fun of our “almighty” lord. You will be smitten.
I’ve been listening to you two for the last couple weeks and you are such a sham. You try to pretend that you’re out there interested in the truth by ranting about your ‘truths’ and then interviewing christians, but then you put out those horrible videos.
It’s easy to see you aren’t interested in anything other than tearing people’s beliefs down and you should be ashamed of yourselves. What’s worse is you’re proud of yourselves. I’m not interested in being on your fan mail page for your information. I just wanted you to know that you two are the biggest scums on the earth and we would all be better off without you here.
I have two possible responses and can’t pick just one:
(a)
All right, who put Jennifer up to it? Genius marketing guys – stir a little controversy in! Jennifer, you almost had me going with that “scums of the earth” comment!
-or-
(b)
Jennifer, this was a test: if you responded graciously to Chuck and Leighton’s happy-go-lucky, friendly-atheism, you WIN!
Unfortunately, you didn’t win.
So the 50-bucks and box of free smokes will have to go to the next caller.
All I’ve got to say is Charley called me last night to find out if I had done it. Kinda cracked me up. Don’t know if you’ve checked it out yet, Peter, but Charley and i were called to repentance because of one of our videos. Of course he was just reiterating what Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort said so I think he was only half serious about calling us to repentance. How can we possibly take those two seriously?
We post up there that if you’re easily offended you shouldn’t watch them. These beliefs that you all are carrying aren’t ours and if we see something that makes us cock our heads to the side we’re going to make fun of it. If you don’t like that concept, please don’t watch them because we find them to be quite comical and have no intention of putting a stop to them. After all, I didn’t become an animation instructor for nothing.
Isn’t it a sin unto the almighty God if I don’t use my talents? Isn’t there some parable about burying your talents in the ground until the master comes. Obviously Jen, I think you may be oppressing my talents and God isn’t going to look down on that very happily.
Peter how can I respond graciously? Have you seen those videos? The first one has Jesus dancing in a diaper, the next two make fun of good men and make light of sexual relations and the last one has a u.s. senator dancing around like he’s a homosexual. The last one is not only offensive to our government but those of us christians who support this god given land. I don’t know how you as a christian can defend that kind of behavior. They think they’re free to mock all of us who are religious because they put up a disclaimer and even try to twist the bible to defend themselves. This type of behavior is not to be tolerated and if we as god’s people do tolerate it their sin is on our heads to.
So if I’m understanding this correctly Charley’s and my sin is like an STD? You come into contact with us and it is magically transported to you. Seems I’ve got an awkward phone call to make to Adele, Peter, and Becky. You think science has developed an antibiotic or vaccine for this yet?
May not be my place to be jumping in since she was addressing you directly, Peter, but I take a bit of offense to the fact that someone chooses to call out someone I like. If you’ve got something to say about our behavior then you say it to Charley or I. Our guests have no bearing or even a say in our going ons. They are simply our guests for some intelligent conversation. That said, why don’t we put you under the microscope and dissect your actions?
From the manner of your first post it would seem you were intent on merely stating your offense and then catching the next wagon out of town. Makes me wonder why someone so offended by what they see and hear on a site would return to see if their berating text would be responded to. You a bit hungry for attention there, Jen?
My next question is if you found the first video you watched offensive then why did you watch the others? Seems to me only a masochist would go through and cause themselves more discomfort rather than turning aside and finding something more aligned with their personalities. I must admit though, you’re absolutely right in stating that Senator Buttars is offensive to our government and good Christians everywhere. Lastly, we live in America where we are free to mock whatever we feel like and you are free to determine for yourself whether or not paying attention to our mocking ways is worth your time.
In closing, you leave our friends alone and I’ll see to not giving you my spiritual STD’s.
I’m sorry, but I don’t see what the fuss is about.
1) gay humor is funny. Even homosexuals think so.
2) why in the world would a Christian care any more about making fun of politicians than a non-Christian? Because Christians have sold themselves to the Empire – governments, military, and money. That’s not a good thing. So I can laugh.
3) I find Kirk Cameron offensive. He’s turned Jesus’ love into the REAL distasteful joke: mocking those who reject his hyper-fundamentalist, eschatologically-obsessed brand of faith – as “anti-intellectual,” and taking God’s beautiful (read: OBSERVABLE) creation and simplifying it into a caricature of the majesty and wonder that is present-day science.
4) Chuck and Leighton are like a couple of giggling frat boys making fart jokes. And I mean that in no disrespect, gentlemen. I love South Park and Family Guy and Happy Tree Friends.
Jennifer, I’m sure I’ve proven to you that my salvation is a sham, but the truth is, I’m absolutely in love with Jesus Christ (and not in a gay way). But American Christians have been playing the “righteous indignation” card for a few hundred years now, and it’s frankly getting old, boring, and entirely counterproductive. God doesn’t NEED me or you to defend God. God is quite capable of taking care of Godself. And Jesus didn’t die for all the folks who loved him and believed in him and sent him fanmail. Jesus died WILLINGLY out of unconditional love for his own enemies.
Something in my gut tells me you and I should be willing to take a few jabs at silly subcultural treacle if the Prince of Peace went through all that.
Maybe I’m a heretic. Maybe Jesus has blessed me with thick skin…
P.S. Leighton, I’ve started developing a… shall we say “awkwardly-positioned” rash ever since our phone interview. I’m hoping you have some quick-acting ointment.
i don’t want to attack you jennifer but i was raised strict catholic. i do not agree with everything they say but they can have their opinion.
Jennifer certainly has a right to her opinion, but she may benefit from a thicker skin and the ability to capitalize something she holds sacred.
That’s not really an insult to us, Peter, but I think you may have riled up the frat boy community by comparing them to a couple of atheists.
P.S. Charley’s a doctor and he says the itching and burning sensation you get while you’re peeing is normal. After you save Charley and I from burning in the fiery pits your symptoms should return to normal, but it’s not recommended you come into contact with other atheists due to spiritual STDs having more severe symptoms each time you contract them.
Then you will know that I the LORD have heard all the contemptible
things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, they have
been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.
You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I
heard it.
Jennifer, please take your medications.