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Bruce Ellis Benson
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On Becoming

Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson deploys years of training in philosophy and theology, as well as experience teaching in some of the world’s most highly-regarded universities, to answer these questions and many others.

  1. 8 SEPT

    Jesus--Messiah or Mentor?

    In this episode, we take a look at various ways of framing Jesus. I grew up thinking that Jesus was supposed to be Lord of my life. But, as time went on, I came to think that this wasn't a very helpful framing. Here we'll consider other ways of framing--Jesus as Cynic philosopher, apocalyptic teacher, charismatic healer, sage, and social prophet. In short, I read Jesus like I read Socrates.

    31 min

  2. 30 AUG

    Deconstructing Jesus

    In today’s episode, we’re be looking at Jesus. As with all historical figures, establishing exactly what happened is sometimes very difficult. In this episode, we’ll talk about the gospels and why they are problematic, both because they are propaganda and because they were written so long after Jesus lived. We’ll also talk about the distinction between what has often been called ‘the historical Jesus’ and ‘the Christ of faith’.

    32 min

  3. 23 AUG

    Trying to Make Sense of 'God'

    Have you ever noticed that the God of the Bible, who is supposed to be the ultimate 'Good', is often petty, mean, and vengeful? In this episode, we'll consider, first, the argument that Feuerbach presents for how the concept of 'God' came into existence. Then we'll consider where the Hebrew concept of 'God' comes from (hint: it's not from God). Finally, we'll turn to some examples of God being jealous, petty, misogynistic, and constantly trying to glorify himself.

    37 min

  4. 11 AUG

    Is There a Correlation Between Religion and Happiness?

    Does being religious make you any happier? In this episode, we consider whether 'religion' might make for a happier you. The problem, as soon becomes apparent, is that there are many senses and ways of being 'religious', some of which are likely better than others at making us happier.

    32 min

  5. 2 AUG

    What Does It Mean to Be Saved

    The idea that Christianity is about salvation seems as fundamental as any idea or concept in Christian theology. In this episode, I first ask the question 'where does this idea come from?' More specifically, how did followers of Jesus come to interpret his death as somehow providing salvation? I don't think there's a clear answer to this question, though Nietzsche provides an interesting analysis of Paul. In the remaining portion of the episode, we consider the main theories that have been advanced to explain how Jesus' death brings about salvation.

    35 min

  6. 28 JUL

    The Need for the Ascetic Priest

    How have priests or pastors served to make the slave revolt something permanent? It's that they heal the wound and inflict it at the same time. In this episode, we consider how the priest emerges in society to become the figure that channels the ressentiment of the slave and creates a new kind of being.

    31 min

  7. 20 JUL

    A Nietzschean Analysis of Trumpianity

    Both Christian and secular commentators have remarked on and questioned the close relationship between Trump and Evangelicals. Supposedly, there are such great differences between them that it's hard to see how they connect. But Trump and Evangelicals share a deep sense of ressentiment toward the world around them. In this episode, I argue that faith in Trump has replaced faith in Jesus. I use the term 'Trumpianity' to indicate something like a new religion (rather than simply a different version of Christianity). My reading of Trumpianity is primarily shaped by Nietzsche's account of the development of slave morality. But I believe that Trump has provided a way for Evangelicals to leave Jesus behind in favour of a new version of master morality in which Evangelicals are the masters. Whereas Jesus teaches love, Trump teaches his followers to hate.

    34 min

  8. 16 JUL

    The Creation of the Concept 'Sinner'

    All of our ideas and concepts come from somewhere. So where did the notion of 'sinner' come from? In this episode, we explore the distinction Nietzsche makes between master and slave morality. We'll begin by explicating the idea of master morality and then see how that morality compares to the morality of the slave or those on the bottom of the hierarchy. Nietzsche credits the slaves with a revolt that turns the values of the masters on their heads and replaces them with a very different conception of morality. It's that revolt that constitutes a change in values that begins in Judaism and continues into what we now call 'Christianity'.

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson deploys years of training in philosophy and theology, as well as experience teaching in some of the world’s most highly-regarded universities, to answer these questions and many others.

Information

  • Creator
    Bruce Ellis Benson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    On Becoming

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