344 episodes
Mere Fidelity Mere Fidelity
-
- Religion & Spirituality
-
-
4.5 • 21 Ratings
-
From the Mere Orthodoxy Podcast Network: thoughtful weekly conversations about theology, the culture, and the church, hosted by Matthew Lee Anderson, Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and Andrew Wilson.
-
Summer Reading
What makes good summer reading? If anyone would know, it’s the Mere Fi bookworms. This isn’t a book recommendation episode. Matt, Andrew, and Alastair ask the questions to figure out what actually drives each of them to read the books they do, and why they are so different.
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
The Glue Guy [0:00]
A Lack of Resonance [1:41]
Finding Resonance [7:28]
Malaise & Wonder [10:54]
Read Your Greens [16:35]
To Each His Own [18:34]
The Questions that Animate You [23:06]
Sexy Thinker Books [27:25]
First-Order Encounters with the Text [32:55]
Be Selective [37:10]
Think Lewisly [42:34] -
How Should We Then Die? with Ewan Goligher
Ewan Goligher has written a book making a clear and strong argument against euthanasia and for the intrinsic value of human life. He joins Matt and Alastair to discuss many fine points of this complex and knotty issue, including the history of the legality of euthanasia in Canada, the ethical implications of suicide, the good of death, and the intrinsic value of a human’s existence.
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
Keep Us Going [0:00]
A Sudden Change in Canada [1:48]
A Reaction from the Church [6:48]
Autonomy of Physicians [9:56]
Whose Prima Facie? [14:34]
Intrinsic Value [18:42]
Suicide qua Suicide [21:06]
Existence [27:47]
Death as a Witness [32:28]
Death as a Mercy [35:44]
Creatures in Time [44:51] -
Christian Politics with Oliver O’Donovan
Professor Oliver O’Donovan joins Matt and Derek once more. This time they discuss the relationship of Christian belief and practice to the contemporary political realities of our world. Do we need a new constitution? What’s to be done about the current wars? How can we properly utilize passion and reason in elections?
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
The O’Donovan Inception [0:00]
The Role of Scripture in Political Judgment [2:46]
How do we read Genesis? [7:31]
Carl Schmitt: Friend-Enemy Polarity [10:26]
Augustine: Objects of Common Love [16:24]
Rene Girard: Rivalry [21:42]
Pro- and Post-Liberalism [24:45]
New Beginnings [31:18]
The Role of Reason in Politics [36:22]
Remember the Rest of the World [40:31] -
Christian Ethics with Oliver O’Donovan
The renowned Professor Oliver O’Donovan joins Matt and Alastair to discuss the relationship between the practice of the Christian faith and the philosophical field of ethics.
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
A Warm Welcome [0:00]
How can ethics be Christian? [1:44]
Creation vs. Nature [5:27]
Family Duty [11:28]
Jewish Tradition [19:10]
Novelty [23:19]
Variety [27:52]
The Closure of the Canon [34:37]
Moral Formation [38:55] -
Casuistry
Casuistry is a technical term for a way of reasoning about ethical principles in specific situations. It fell into disuse historically in favor of a more narrative-based view of the world. But some of the Mere Fidelity cast are sensing that there is a felt lack of organized principle application to pastoral situations in the church. Do you agree that casuistry needs to make a comeback?
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
The Kazooists North American Tour 2024 [0:00]
What is casuistry? [2:53]
History, Both Catholic and Protestant [5:30]
Conflicting Principles [7:46]
Proper Context, Lacking Confession [13:58]
Practical Application of Practical Application [20:40]
Narrative & Principle United [22:08]
Moral Reasoning in Paul’s Epistles [28:44]
Legalism [30:38]
First Steps for Pastors [37:05] -
The Deception of Isaac
Taking up a difficult passage of Scripture, Alastair, Andrew, and Matt consider the incident in which Jacob deceives Isaac into giving him the blessing. Multiple respected theologians bring solid principles to bear on the interpretation of this reading, and come to very different conclusions. What is to be done? Is lying always and everywhere wrong? Was Jacob justified in his ruse? And in the process Alastair reveals some striking parallels between this story and that of King David.
Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com.
Timestamps:
Tempus Fugit [0:00]
Misreading the Preposition [2:12]
The Setup [3:34]
The Dispute [7:16]
The Anderson School [14:43]
Davidic Parallels [23:38]
Urgency in Lying [30:09]
“I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” [36:19]
Rogues Gallery or Rogues Mirror? [38:35]
Customer Reviews
One of the best
Consistently one of my favourite podcasts. Always thoughtful, with great dynamics between the hosts.
Solid interviews and orthodox perspectives
Like a good sitcom, this podcast has a good sense of characters. You have Alastair, the Biblical Theologian & sage. Derek, the youthful campus minister who is completing his Ph.D. Matt, the frenetic host who always finds a way to direct the conversation toward ethics (his specialty). And Andrew, the faithful UK pastor who is just trying to be faithful in his callings (and thus misses many episode recordings). But it’s not just the characters. It’s the wide range of topics, the clarity and precision, and the acceptance of difference on secondary matters. It’s awesome!
Thoughtful Theological Conversation
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the Mere Fidelity podcast. While I listen to many Christian podcasts, MF approaches their topics from a more academic perspective. I have especially enjoyed their recent episodes on Augustine’s Confessions. If you’re looking for intellectually stimulating theological discussion, I highly recommend Mere Fidelity.