A quick announcement for the loyal listeners of the show: I’m changing the name of the podcast. Sometime next week, Re-visioning Religion will become In the Belly of The Whale — or maybe it already has, if this announcement reaches you later. So why the change? When I started the show, I expected it to be mostly academic conversations about the place of religion in society and the many misunderstandings surrounding that topic. I had in mind to present historical and sociological analyses at the intersection of religion, spirituality, and politics, drawing on current research from religious studies and theology. In a sense, I pictured the podcast as a companion to my book Religion: Reality Behind the Myths. But as it turned out, my dialogues ended up focusing much more on metaphysics and philosophy. That certainly wasn’t by design — it just happened, as my own interests shifted and I found myself preoccupied with different questions. So, I think it’s time to acknowledge where the podcast has naturally been heading, and I’ll do so by changing its name. Honestly, not much else is changing. I’ll still be putting out conversations about religion, mysticism, and politics Metaphysical questions will still be tied to contemporary social and ethical issues. The only difference is that now I’m doing it In the Belly of the Whale. That is to say: it’s no longer intended as a podcast about religion, but rather as a podcast that theologically, philosophically and spiritually reflects on the world we’re living in. Hence the title. In this fast-paced world, we all need some time in the belly of the whale. As Mahatma Gandhi put it: “It doesn’t matter how fast we’re going if we’re going in the wrong direction.” So, there’s a dire need to return to the essentials. The whole of society should take a step back and make space for some thorough contemplation about the manner in which we can properly connect the ontological with the practical and the metaphysical with the ethical. Or – to put it in more religious terms – the heavenly with the earthly. Now, if you’ve been with me for a while, you know I don’t put out episodes very often. That’s probably not changing anytime soon — between my job, my personal contemplative life, and other projects (including podcasts and vlogs in Dutch), there just isn’t a lot of extra room. Still, I hope to see you from time to time in the belly of the whale. In fact, I’ve got a new episode coming up soon, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to mark the occasion than the great theologian and author David Bentley Hart. We first discussed his philosophy of mind, life, and language, and then explored how his insights might help us deconstruct the hype around generative AI and the problematic views of consciousness that are spreading as a result. So stay tuned, and subscribed on whatever podcast app you use — or on YouTube. My dialogue with David will be worth your time, if I do say so myself.
