What and Where Is Heaven?
Heaven was not found in another place or time, but right in the midst the world she inhabited. The world’s fire was blazing, but in her other dimension of thought, Thecla was holding tight to God.
Finding Depth in Jesus’s Farmer Parables
"There are long traditions in Greek and Roman and Judaean writing, using farming to think about important aspects of life like morality, wisdom, virtue, and education." An Interview with Dr. Ian Brown.
The Clash of Violence and Confidence/Trust/Vulnerability
This second session examines examines the collision of violence by the Roman Empire and confidence/trust/vulnerability of the many Jesus groups of the first two centuries. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)
Finding Joy in the Midst of Suffering
“Joy to the world!” “‘Tis the season to be jolly.” The Christian Advent wreath reminds us that joy welcomes the Messiah. But there’s a tension between uninhibited joy and the knowledge of pain in the world.
More Answers to the Question “Where is God When Things Go Wrong?”
"When you come to the point where you encounter powers that are antithetical to God, then the question of how this could have happened becomes a pressing one." An Interview with Dr. James McGrath.
After Jesus before Christianity
This first of a four-part series about the book, After Jesus Before Christianity, begins with an overview framing six new discoveries of the past ten years concerning the first two centuries after Jesus. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)
What Did Jesus Teach about Healing Violence?
The first time I read the relatively unknown text called the Letter of Peter to Philip from the Nag Hammadi collection, I was stunned with its overall message of guidance in the face of violence.
Marcion Answers “Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?”
When you have a God that is very different, you get very different human possibilities... An Interview with Dr. Stephen A. Cooper
Humor and Joy in Mark, Thomas, Matthew, and Luke
Within the gospels of Mark, Thomas, Matthew, and Luke is a large set of pithy sayings whose primary meanings are humor and joy. It is probable that most of these sayings existed before these gospels were written and were for generations part of oral lore. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)
Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?
Using the myth of the demiurge, the author of the Secret Revelation of John shows why humans feel the kind of pain and sorrow that God never inflicted on them.