The Great Controversy: Biblical Basis

Aaand we're back.  Thanks for sticking around as we're transitioning.  Dale's moved away, so we're figuring out the logistics and technical details of recording in two places at once.  In the meantime, I will be trying to write more here.  But this week, enjoy a new podcast.

After our last podcast I was talking with a friend and listener about the value of the Great Controversy as a narrative framework for understanding God, the Bible and life.  She asked about the Biblical basis for the narrative--a good question.  Admittedly, for Dale and I, this story is so much a part of our thought and life (and has been for so long) that it's difficult to try to go back to the beginning, to figure out how one might put this all together from just the Bible.  So, this isn't a comprehensive Bible study, but more a general discussion of some key points and ideas and relevant Bible passages and ideas.  We'd love to hear if you have any insights to add to the discussion.

Enjoy.

The Great Controversy: Biblical Basis

Hopefully we'll be back with another podcast next week.

The Great Controversy: The Narrative - Part 2

This week we finish telling how we understand the Great Controversy.  What has happened in the past matters, but so does the ending.  Thus we continue on, talking about the various parties involved and tracing how the story has developed since Christ.  How does a story end when the point isn't power and control?  When domination can't be the means of resolution?

This podcast is a little shorter than usual, but some of you will appreciate that.

The Great Controversy Narrative 2

The Great Controversy: The Narrative - Part 1

This week, we're continuing our series on the Great Controversy.  We figured that before we dove into the implications of this narrative way of understanding the Bible, we should outline the basics of the narrative itself.  After that, we'll see what happens.  This podcast turned out a little bit long, so it's split into two parts.  Next week will be part two.

If you've ever wondered why the Biblical stories of God are so difficult to understand, hopefully this will help.  It has helped us make sense of a great many things related to the Bible, God, life, the universe, and everything.  Actually, it ran about 42 minutes... but anywayz.  Enjoy.

The Great Controversy Narrative 1

Daily Transformation Roundtable Discussion

This week we continue from last weeks discussion, exploring some of the practices and stories we use to negotiate life--to live by wayfaring, to keep growing and moving forward.  Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a holistic (brain) health conference  in Vancouver which was quite interesting.  There were various speakers on addiction, brain health, yoga, breathing, etc.  One of the main presenters spent much time talking about how interconnected our bodies and minds are--if your brain is injured, it can have a profound influence on behaviour.  Conversely, healing your body can also heal your mind.  In our discussion, we range across the spectrum, from more physical practices to attitudes and perspectives that help us embrace change. 

Thanks again to our campmeeting guests.  This is the last of the campmeeting podcasts, so we won't have any more up until after the AF conference in the beginning of September.  We should be picking up our regular Monday release schedule by mid to late September.

Enjoy!

Daily Transformation Roundtable

Reading The Bible as (Non)fiction: Why Interpretation Matters

Well, for those who said they don't always have time to listen, we're late this week.  It's been a busy and crazy couple of days, so I apologize for the late post.

This week is the first of a set of podcasts exploring the Bible as nonfiction.  This particular podcast grew out of discussions I have had on Reddit about reading the Bible.  When I was writing my thesis, I had to wrestle with the concept of nonfiction and the common idea that "nonfiction" can be opposed to "fiction" in the way that "true" is opposed to "false" or to "lie".  Some thinkers go so far as to argue that nonfiction is always fiction to begin with.  The point is not that there isn't a difference, but that nonfiction, like fiction, is a creative expression, rather than an actual reproduction of events.  For my thesis, I was interested in nonfiction as a story which demands recognition for the particular way it orients itself to a shared reality.  In other words, there is something different between merely telling a story and saying this story happened to me (or someone I know).  The latter demands a different kind of response.

So, this week, we take up questions some of our awesome listeners have asked about objective truth and the use we make of the Bible.  I realize this may be a little difficult for some of you to grapple with, but I hope you will bear with us at least through this week and the next as we explore what this means in terms of Bible study and interpretation.  How we understand the Bible makes all the difference and is shaped by our own experiences.  Imagining things to be otherwise denies our experience and stories (our testimony), leaving us in a frighteningly lifeless place.

Enjoy:

Reading the Bible as (Non)fiction: Why Interpretation Matters

Next week, we will look at some practical ways of applying this orientation to the Bible and life.