What Matters Most

John W. Martens
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Biweekly

What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended for all interested parties, Catholic or not. In the What Matters Most podcast, we talk to people, some well-known, some not so well-known, some Catholic, some Christian, some not affiliated with any religion, some affiliated with other faiths (Muslims, Sikhs) to find out what matters to them. It is a podcast focused on spirituality and faith, but truly focused on listening to others, to learning from those connected to the Church and to those who are not. It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to get to know our guests.

  1. 6d ago

    How to Build a Civilization of Love: A Conversation on Magnifica Humanitas with Dr. Fiona Li, Rev. Dr. Nick Meisl, and Dr. Nick Olkovich

    Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 3 of our fifth season. This is also the third episode on What Matters Most to discuss the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and every conversation reveals nuances to the document and aspects of it we have not discussed previously. I surveyed the encyclical on my own a few months ago, but next I brought in a couple of experts in moral theology and Christian ethics, Drs. Tisha Rajendra and Ruben Rosario Rodreiguez to discuss the encyclical on AI, migration, war, and whatever else came up for them in their readings. This third episode dedicated to Magnifica Humanitas features St. Mark's theology faculty and our conversation focused a lot on the anthropology of the document, the role of education, about AI and with AI, the problem of deep fakes and how that impacts especially women and children, and how one builds a civilization of love, grounded in truth and humanity, in contrast to the forces that desire power, the technocratic paradigm, and increasing calls for warfare.  The guests on this episode were Dr. Fiona Li is an assistant professor and inaugural holder of the Archbishop J. Michael Miller Chair in Catholic Studies at Corpus Christi-St Mark's College. She is originally from Toronto and received her PhD in Theological Studies from Regis College and U of T. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of feminist theology, Chinese Canadian Catholic women's experiences, and Mariology.  Rev. Dr. Nick Meislis a priest of the archdiocese of Vancouver, whose parish is St. Peter's in New Westminster, a professor of scripture at St. Mark's College, and at Christ the King Seminary, and he recently earned his doctorate in Scripture, writing a dissertation on 1 Corinthians 7, supervised by John Barclay, at University of Durham and Harry Maier at VST. His dissertation will be published soon. Dr. Nick Olkovich is an associate Professor and Marie Anne Blondin Chair in Catholic Theology at St. Mark's College. He holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto. His ongoing research focuses primarily on the relationship between ethics, politics and religion in democratic contexts and on a variety of issues in theological anthropology, ecclesiology, and foundational theology. A few notes about documents and popular culture that were mentioned in this episode. There have been two previous Church documents on AI: January 14, 2023, Dicastery for The Doctrine of the Faith; Dicastery for Culture and Education: Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence March 4, 2026, the International Theological Commission released a 50-page reflection titled "Quo vadis, humanitas? Thinking Christian anthropology in the face of some scenarios concerning the future of the human." Also, The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI:  How to Think About Artificial Intelligence—Before It's Too Late by Cory Doctorow was mentioned as was The Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's Open AI by Karen Hao. And Fiona mentioned Pixel Perfect, which turns out to be a Disney Channel movie from 2004.   A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce or our Facebook page and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  2. Sep 16

    Childhood, Education, and Family Relations in Early Christian Communities": A SSHRC Insight Grant Podcast, Episode 1. Featuring Drs. Cornelia Horn, Margaret MacDonald, and Teresa Morgan.

    Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 2 of our fifth season and episode one of the "Childhood, Education, and Family Relations in Early Christian Communities" SSHRC Insight Grant Podcasts. This episode is the first in a series of episodes that are funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant.  SSHRC is the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Margaret MacDonald and I are co-principal investigators on this five-year grant titled "Childhood, Education, and Family Relations in Early Christian Communities." Cornelia Horn and Teresa Morgan are collaborators on this research grant. We are thankful for SSHRC's support of our research through this Insight Grant. Here is a part of our proposal submitted to SSHRC: "The main aim is to explore the relationship between childhood, education, and family relations in early Christian communities and their relevant contexts from Jewish beginnings to the Late Antique period (approx. 100 BCE-500 CE). The research reflects the trans-disciplinary interest in the experiences of children which have often been neglected. Employing an emerging theoretical approach, "childist" interpretation, investigators will move children from the margins to the center of investigation. They will highlight potential advances in our understanding resulting from a deliberate effort to listen to and learn from children through analysis of ancient textual and material evidence. Researchers will highlight findings which suggest that children and youth were important agents, instrumental to growth, the passing on of traditions, and transition into new generations. They will draw upon the category of "intersectionality" (exploring identity with reference to overlapping factors linked to status), especially the intersection between the lives of slaves and children (free and slave) in educational experiences. Rather than focus exclusively on the use of teaching language and authority figures (usually male), the aim is to probe the parameters of educational spaces, paying attention also to the presence of women, slaves, and children." In this first SSHRC funded episode I speak with the team about the parameters of the grant.  What do we mean by education? Formal and informal education? Literate education? Scribal education? What methodologies are we using? How do you study ancient children? Were there differences among the educational experiences of Greek, Roman, and Jewish children? How did these differences influence the emerging Christian movement? Who were the teachers of children, and adults for that matter, as perhaps the lives of children were more integrated into the adult world in antiquity than the lives of children today. We had a lively discussion and even though our team comprises experts on all of these topics, it is clear that in these beginning stages of our research, we have much to sort out and define.  I find this exciting, as I know Cornelia, Margaret, and Teresa do also, and I want to invite you along on our research journey, which begins its public dissemination with this first episode. I also want to introduce the team a bit more, which for this episode will include me, and focus on some of their research relevant for this grant. I cannot cover all of the teams research in this episode but I will highlight some key contributions: Dr. Cornelia Horn is Full Professor & Chair, Depart. of Oriental Christian and Byzantine Studies, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.  She is the author, with me, of Let the Little Children Come to Me": Childhood and Children in Early Christianity. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009. She was also, with Reidar Aasgaard, a principal investigator on the major research study, "Childhood in Early Europe," through the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Some of her articles are as follows: "Raising Martyrs and Ascetics: A Diachronic Comparison of Educational Role-Models for Early Christian Children." In Children in Late Antique Christianity. Edited by Cornelia B. Horn and Robert R. Pheonix. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009, 293-316.  "Parent-Child Relationships and Children's Health in the Roman East and the Persian Empire: Perspectives from Theodoret of Cyrrhus's Religious History and the Acts of Mār Mārī." In Children and Family in Late Antiquity: Life, Death, and Interaction. Edited by Christian Laes, Katarina Mustakillio, and Ville Vuolonto, Leuven and Walpole: Peeters, 2015, 257-287. Dr. Margaret MacDonald - Professor of Religious Studies at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.  The Power of Children: The Construction of Christian Families in the GrecoRoman World. Waco Texas: Baylor University Press, 2014.  "Like Father Like Son: Reassessing Constructions of Fatherhood in Ephesians in Light of Cultural Interests in Family Continuity." In Bodies, Borders, Believers: Ancient Texts and Present Conversations: Essays in Honor of Turid Karlsen Seim on her 70th birthday. Edited by Anne Hegge Grung, Marianne Bjelland Kartzow and Anna Rebecca Soleväg. Eugene, Or:Wipf and Stock, Pickwick Publications 2015, 125-143.  "Paul and Family Life." In Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook,Second Edition, 2 vols. Edited by J. Paul Sampley. London: Bloomsbury, T&T Clark, 2016, 25481.  "Education and the Household in the Pastoral Epistles," Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 75 (2021): 283-93.  Dr. John Martens – Professor of Theology at St. Mark's College, Vancouver "Adoption." In Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online. Edited by David G. Hunter, Paul van Geest and L. J. Lietaert Peerbolte. Leiden: Brill, 2018. "Methodology: Who is a Child and Where do we Find Children in the Greco-Roman World?" In the T&T Handbook of Children in the Bible and the Biblical World. Edited by Sharon Betsworth and Julie Faith Parker. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2019, 223-243.  "Are Enslaved Children Called to Come to Jesus? Freeborn and Enslaved Children in John Chrysostom's On Vainglory." Biblical interpretation 28.5 (2020): 584–607. "Book I: A Typical Child of the Fifties." In Augustine's Confessions and Contemporary Concerns. Edited by David Vincent Meconi, SJ. St. Paul, MN: St. Paul Seminary Press, 2022, 11-31. Dr. Teresa Morgan - McDonald Agape Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Yale University. Literate Education in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.  "Ethos: The Socialization of Children in Education and Beyond." In A Companion to Families in the Greek and Roman Worlds. Edited by Beryl Rawson. Oxford: Blackwell, 2011, 504-520.  Roman Faith and Christian Faith. Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.  A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce or our Facebook page and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  3. Sep 2

    The Joys and Limits of Humanity: A Conversation with Drs. Tisha Rajendra and Ruben Rosario Rodriguez on Magnifica Humanitas

    Welcome to Season 5, Episode 1 of What Matters Most!  In this episode I welcomed Dr. Tisha Rajendra and Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez to discuss Pope Leo's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.  I delved into the encyclical on my own a couple of months ago, but I wanted to bring in experts in Christian ethics to discuss the encyclical on AI, migration, war, and whatever else came up for them in their readings.  Dr. Tisha Rajendra  is an associate professor at  Loyola University Chicago. Tisha M. Rajendra is the author of Migrants and Citizens: Justice as Responsibility in the Ethics of Immigration (Eerdmans, 2017) and has published academic articles in the Journal for the Society of Christian Ethics, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice and Political Theology. Her writing for general audiences has been published in Sojourners and the Los Angeles Times. She also has a new book coming out soon: Immigration: An Ethics of Resistance. It covers recent immigration enforcement, the history of Christian complicity with evil (German church, third Reich), a biblical theology of resistance, and virtues of resistance: solidarity, humility, magnanimity, prudence, hope and resistance. Dr. Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, Ph.D. is a Professor of Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics at Saint Louis University, where he previously held the Clarence Louis and Helen Steber Chair in Theological Studies and is currently the Coordinator of Graduate Programs in the Department of Theological Studies. He recently published his fourth and fifth monographs, Theological Fragments: Confessing What We Know and Cannot Know about an Infinite God (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023), and Calvin for the World: The Enduring Relevance of His Political, Social, and Economic Theology (Baker Academic, 2024). This fall he is a fellow in residence at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey, while he completes work on his next book titled, Between Despair and Complacency: Reclaiming the Theology of Hope (under review at Cambridge University Press). I appreciated the passion and thoughtfulness they brought to the entire discussion of MH, including towards the end when they questioned why the image of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was the biblical counterpoint to the Tower of Babel, the confusion of languages, instead of the account of Pentecost, as Ruben proposed, when the Holy Spirit came and everyone could understand each other. I do suspect that it has to do with the image of hands on, human building, but Tisha raised an important point about the fact that Nehemiah 13 (and Ezra 9–10) address intermarriage by urging the community to cast out their foreign wives to maintain their religious identity. While it does not appear in these early chapters, it casts a pall on this image as one of humanity working together, especially in a document where a positive assessment of migration plays such a central role. The encyclical, for any of its weaknesses, remains a powerful and essential document. Ruben noted that "it has been incredibly popular on social media and in particular with the younger generations. And first things interviewed a young person, Gen Z, and the response was people have really been looking for a response to AI. This was the first, at least in my sphere of the world, the first time a world leader made an announcement of this magnitude. And so, people are wanting more guidance, more of a response, a balanced response to AI. So kudos to the Pope for taking the lead on that." I agree. I also resonated with Tisha's comment, reflecting on Augustine, as probably the only Catholic feminist who loves Augustine, that "the earthly city is where we live right now. human finitude, fallibility, vulnerability, embodiment are where grace is.  And I think it's true to say that some of the turn to AI is this temptation to escape finitude and to escape vulnerability. And the Pope is saying, well, embrace it. sure, one day we will shuffle off this mortal coil and we will be with God and we will be basking in the beatific vision, right? But none of us knows what that will be like. And right now we encounter grace through our.... in the midst of and with our mortality and vulnerability and finitude. And that's the one thing that AI will never cherish and it will never help us do that." I thought this was powerfully said. Finally, the need for education is greater than ever. Tisha noted that "Leo says in 140:  education is a long journey requiring patience. It needs time for development and engagement with reality beyond appearances." We need to offer our students time, we need to offer ourselves time to learn, to reflect, to think. Do not miss the joy, do not let AI steal the joy of learning and truly knowing something deeply. One last thing: When Tisha mentioned racist immigration policies in Canada, especially regarding South Asian immigrants, I noted an early 20th century incident in Vancouver. That was the The Komagata Maru Incident of 1914. I was not certain I remembered the name correctly, so I hesitated to mention it. Briefly, this is what the Canada Parks website says about this incident: "In May 1914, the Komagata Maru reached Vancouver via Hong Kong and Japan carrying 376 prospective Punjabi immigrants in contravention of racially restrictive Canadian immigration law that included the "continuous journey regulation." Its arrival provoked a strong anti-Asian backlash. The travellers were forced to remain on board for what would become two months. The local South Asian community united to fight their deportation, but eventually lost the legal battle, and the ship and most of its passengers were sent back to India. This incident continues to resonate in our history and is a symbol of the early struggle of South Asian Canadians for justice and equality." This, of course, is just one racist incident, of which there are many, in Canada's immigration past. But MH presses us to do better, to accept the limitations of our humanity, but also to accept the goodness inherent not in machines but in every human being created in the image and likeness of God. MH  83 says that "development is truly human when it places people at the center instead of the accumulation of wealth, and when it concerns peoples as well as individuals. Justice demands the recognition of the rights of society and the rights of peoples and includes a responsibility toward future generations." A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  4. Aug 19

    Apocalypse and Liturgy in Orthodox Christianity: A Conversation with Fr. Matthew Francis

    Welcome to Season 4, Episode 29 of What Matters Most!  In this episode I speak with Fr. Matthew Francis about Orthodox Liturgy and about the connections between Orthodox Liturgy and the book of Revelation. Fr. Matthew is currently completing his book Apocalypse and Liturgy and we delve into some of that fascinating world.    Fr. Matthew Francis serves as the Parish Priest of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in Chilliwack, BC, and since 2019 has also served as the Regional Director of the Canadian Bible Society, for BC and the Yukon.  There were so many questions I wanted to ask Fr. Matthew so we will have to have him on another time to discuss questions about Orthodox Christianity in Canada and North America, especially as to what connections there are to Orthodox churches in North America and those abroad like the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches,  about some differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and about the state of the Orthodox church in North America today. But that was a nice intro I think to the beauty of Orthodox liturgy and its deep connections to the Apocalypse of John or Revelation. Orthodox liturgy has this mystical sense that does seem to be paralleled by the mystery of Revelation. And the deep ties between Christian worship and Revelation are sometimes overlooked or people are unaware of them. I look forward to Fr Matthew's book and, in the meantime, I refer you to two books that he mentioned that offer some of the historical background to understanding Revelation: Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John: Reading Revelation in the Ruins by Stephen Friesen and Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor by S.R. F. Price. The article I was thinking of was indeed by David E. Aune, "The Influence of Roman Imperial Cult Ceremonial on the Apocalypse of John." A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  5. Aug 5

    The Dying Child and the Personhood of Children in Ancient Judah: A Conversation with Dr. Kristine Garroway

    Welcome to Season 4, Episode 28 of What Matters Most! T In this episode I welcome my friend and colleague Kristine Henriksen Garroway to discuss her recent book The Dying Child: The Death and Personhood of Children in Ancient Israel (Oxford UP, 2025). Kristine is a prolific scholar and a ground-breaking archaeologist who works to bring to life ancient children, so often forgotten in archaeological and textual research.  Kristine Garroway is Professor of Bible at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion's Skirball Campus in Los Angeles where she joined the faculty in 2011. She received her doctorate in Hebrew Bible and Cognate Studies at the Hebrew Union College/Cincinnati in 2009. She has spent time studying and researching in Israel and has participated in excavations at Ashkelon, Tel Dor, and Tel Dan. Garroway's scholarship focuses on children using archaeology and texts of ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. She has published in various scholarly journals and is a regular contributor to thetorah.com. Garroway's books include: Children in the Ancient Near Eastern Household (Eisenbrauns 2014) and Growing Up in Ancient Israel: Children in Material Culture and Biblical Texts (Society of Biblical Literature 2018). She is the recipient of the Biblical Archaeological Society's 2019 Publication Award for Best Book Relating to Hebrew Bible. The loss of children was something the ancients had to consider more often than we do, thankfully, but death is something none of us will escape and we probably do not think about it or consider it enough today. What does it mean to us? What does it mean that we will all die? This is something the ancients faced head on and I think we should consider in the same way. As Kristine writes, "The archaeological remains in the Judahite bench tombs show care for all members deposited there, stressing the importance of the continuity of the Judahite family unit and personhoods, including infants and children, in life as well as in death." Thanks to Kristine Garroway for bringing these questions and the ancient children to us. Persons every last one of them. A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  6. Jul 22

    Securitizing Religion Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War: Nationalism, Identity, and Religious Freedom: A Lecture by Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk

    Welcome to Season 4, Episode 27 of What Matters Most! This episode focuses on a lecture given by Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk, "Securitizing Religion Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War: Nationalism, Identity, and Religious Freedom," given for the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College on March 17, 2026. This lecture is a part of our examination of Christian nationalism, a project we are now calling Cross Purposes: Christianity and Nationalism.  At the Centre for Christian Engagement, we are exploring a wide variety of ways in which Christianity and nationalism interact with one another, and in this lecture Dr. Smytsnyuk examined questions of nationalism, identity, and religious freedom. The language of Christian nationalism is complex and means different things in different contexts. Russia's war on Ukraine, supported openly by the Russian Orthodox Church, has created many complexities for the varieties of Christianity in Russia and Ukraine. Pavlo Smytsnyuk was born in Ukraine and studied philosophy and theology in Rome, Athens, and St. Petersburg, and holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford. He specializes in political theology, the study of religious nationalism, and Eastern Christianity.He is currently a visiting scholar at New York University's Jordan Center. Before moving to New York, he held research and teaching positions at George Washington University in D.C., Princeton University, and Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. Smytsnyuk is co-editor of Marian Reflections on War and Peace: Trauma, Mourning, and Justice in Ukraine and Beyond (Routledge, 2025). A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  7. Jul 8

    A Catholic Boy in Montreal: A Conversation with Dr. Gerry Turcotte

    Welcome to Season 4, Episode 26 of What Matters Most! This episode focuses on a Gerry Turcotte's new novel The Space Between  (EnRoute Books and Media, 2026). This novel is a coming-of-age story of a catholic boy in Quebec, caught between the French and English worlds, or perhaps a part of each of those worlds, striving to make sense of his place within the world at home, at school, and in love. I hope you enjoy our discussion of this winsome and winning novel. I compared it to the movie A Christmas Story, not because there is a Christmas scene in The Space Between, a manger scene to be precise, but because it has the same sense of wonder at growing up and it has a cinematic quality with all of the vignettes that speak to the confusion and complexity of growing up.  For Canadians it also has that French-English dynamic that is part of our national story, no matter where you grew up in Canada, but certainly most profoundly in Quebec. But the novel also moves us to awakenings of maturity, not simply in terms of falling in love and navigating middle and high school, but in the harsh realities of life: sexual abuse, mental health struggles, the imperfections of those who serve the Church, and even Auschwitz. But it's also the story of loving parents, a priest who is definitely trying, and a nun, Sister Anne, who is a guiding light. And a boy trying to navigate it all. Like we all try to do, and all ultimately do for better or worse.  Gerry Turcotte became President of Corpus Christi College and Principal of St. Mark's College in 2022. Before this he was President and Vice-Chancellor of St. Mary's University, Calgary, for 11 years. He is a graduate of McGill University (BA), the University of Ottawa (MA), and the University of Sydney, in Australia (PhD). In 2022 he was granted his Blackfoot name — "Mountain Thunder" — by Blackfoot Elder Casey Eagle Speaker, in recognition of his work supporting Reconciliation.  A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  If you would like to support the work of the CCE, become a new member of CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too! Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

  8. Jun 25

    Magnifica Humanitas: An Encyclical Against Dehumanization in the Age of AI

    Welcome to Season 4, Episode 25 of What Matters Most! It's just me today, Dr. John Martens, the host of What Matters Most and Director for the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College at UBC. This episode focuses on a short introduction to Magnifica Humanitas, the new Pope Leo encyclical promulgated in May 2026.  There will be longer episodes forthcoming, with the St. Mark's crew, the two Nicks (Rev. Dr. Nick Meisl; Dr. Nick Olkovich) and Dr. Fiona Li, and with Dr. Ruben Rosario and Dr. Tisha Rajendra, but I wanted to offer a few comments before we tackle the more in depth episodes.    I also wanted to do this short episode because I wanted to offer a short introduction to our new CCE Patreon, First Engagers, supporting the podcast and the Centre for only $5.00 CAD a month. For that 5 dollars, you will get a live monthly podcast discussion via Zoom, free exclusive member merchandise, be able to suggest guests and topics for What Matters Most. And the first ten Patrons, apart from the other merch they will receive, such as water bottles, tote bags, etc., will get awesome, I mean it, awesome, CCE hoodies. Orange hoodies with the CCE logo in green, orange and blue. Do it, become first engagers! If you are simply interested in donating to the CCE, please check out the CCE website where you can find the donate button on the top right corner. We are a non-profit organization, and all donations over $20.00 are tax deductible. But think about the Patreon too!  A few thanks are in order. First of all, I am grateful to Martin Strong, who guides me in the podcasting world and joins me for the Pop Culture Matters regularly. Second, the episodes are edited, engineered, and produced by Kevin Eng who is the first listener to all the episodes and my consultant for each episode, especially with the snippets that begin each episode. Thank you, Kevin, for all of your expertise and support and especially for saving this episode when I could not convert it to a listenable or viewable file. Finally, to the Fang Fang Chandra, the CCE assistant, who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.  I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.  Since St. Mark's Centre for Christian Engagement seeks to enable the creation of a culture of encounter and dialogue, let me invite you into that discussion. Follow us at our Instagram page, @stmarkscce and drop us a line as to what you want to see or hear. We'll post there with a question as to what you are most interested in. Or email us with your suggestions to jmartens@stmarkscollege.ca or cceconferences@stmarkscollege.ca. John W. Martens

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About

What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended for all interested parties, Catholic or not. In the What Matters Most podcast, we talk to people, some well-known, some not so well-known, some Catholic, some Christian, some not affiliated with any religion, some affiliated with other faiths (Muslims, Sikhs) to find out what matters to them. It is a podcast focused on spirituality and faith, but truly focused on listening to others, to learning from those connected to the Church and to those who are not. It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to get to know our guests.

Information

  • Creator
    John W. Martens
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    105
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    What Matters Most