The Howard Thurman Podcast

Howard Thurman (Uploaded by Duncan Hamra)
  • 5.0 (10)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • SERIES

In 2010, the family of Howard Thurman (1899-1981) donated a large collection of audio and video materials. 1,400 individual recordings, totaling over 41,000 minutes of audio and video. Most of the recordings are of Thurman himself, being interviewed, delivering lectures, or offering sermons. It is my goal to support the The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, at Pitts Theology at Emory University, with their goals of 1) preserving for future generations 2) making the audio accessible to scholars and the general public and 3) making the content discoverable. I've set a personal goal of listening to all 290+ recordings in one year, and having these recordings available as a podcast will help tremendously. I am so grateful to have them. And I am hopeful that others will discover Dr. Thurman through this podcast. A full list of the audio recordings held in Pitts Theology Library is provided in their archival finding aid. If you would like researcher access to the unprocessed audio recordings, please contact them directly. I'll do my best to keep this podcast up to date with website as new recordings are released. Disclaimer: The audio recordings featured in this podcast are part of the Howard Thurman Digital Archive, housed at Pitts Theology Library, Emory University. All rights to these recordings are owned by the family of Howard Thurman and Pitts Theology Library. I do not own the rights to any of the recordings.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Parables of Jesus, Part 6: Commitment, 1951 October 21

    In Part 6 of the Parables of Jesus sermon series, Thurman explores the topic of commitment through the Parables of the Tower Builder and the Warring King. For Thurman, to be a disciple is to be committed to the religious experience that "dominated, electrified, and sustained the life of Jesus." This sort of commitment is not just commitment of the mind, but rather it must be done with the totality of one's being, or else the commitment will not last. To commit in such a way is to experience wholeness, to be redeemed, and to set order to our lives. Part of the Collection, The Parables of Jesus (1951, Fellowship Church, San Francisco, CA) Tags: Description by Rodell Jefferson III. Recorded in Fellowship Church, San Francisco, California Citation: Thurman, Howard, “Parables of Jesus, Part 6: Commitment, 1951 October 21,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/915.

    30 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Men Who've Walked With God: St. Francis of Assisi, 1953 June 14

    In this eighth lecture on "The Men Who've Walked with God," Thurman illustrates the mystical life of St. Francis of Assisi. Thurman describes St. Francis as an "uncomplicated mystic," not so much interested in metaphysics and theological problems. Rather, all that St. Francis knows is that there is a song in his heart which is an expression of the love of God. With the love of God, St. Francis is able to live from a place of harmony and satisfaction in God. Ultimately, we must be careful to not let our possessions and our social labels obstruct the music of God in the hearts of others and ourselves. Part of the Collection, Men Who've Walked with God (1953) Tags: Description by Rodell Jefferson III. Recorded in Fellowship Church, San Francisco, California Citation: Thurman, Howard, “Men Who've Walked With God: St. Francis of Assisi, 1953 June 14,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/601.

    38 min

  3. 07/10/2024

    The Search for Meaning (I), 1975 November 2

    In this first installment of The Search for Meaning, Howard Thurman uses the temptation of Jesus in the synoptic gospels as a framework for a conversation about those things we choose to devote our lives and energy to. Like Christ, we are no exceptions to the rule of God’s order and God’s will because of who or what we are or decide to be. Spiritual duality and internal conflict as it relates to the demands of state and country are also discussed. Collection: The Search for Meaning (1975, Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN) Tags: duality, meaning, synoptic gospels Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Location: Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana Citation: Thurman, Howard, “The Search for Meaning (I), 1975 November 2,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/229.

    38 min

  4. 07/10/2024

    The Search for Meaning in the Experience of the Self (II), 1975 November 3

    In this second installment of The Search for Meaning, Howard Thurman uses the demon-possessed man from the synoptic gospels as the framework for this lecture on defining the experience of self. The awareness of self is essential to determining who we are at our core. This includes our personal, spiritual, and ethical awareness. Understanding who we are, what we want, and how we propose to get is critical to outlining and protecting our inner network of values the govern our lives and our decisions. Collection: The Search for Meaning (1975, Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN) Tags: awareness, meaning, synoptic gospels, values Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Location: Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana Citation: Thurman, Howard, “The Search for Meaning in the Experience of the Self (II), 1975 November 3,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/230.

    33 min

  5. 07/10/2024

    The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Freedom (III), 1975 November 4

    In this third lecture in the Search for Meaning, Howard Thurman discusses freedom as it relates to personal accountability. Thurman defines freedom as the ability to stand in the present that ultimately determines the future. Freedom is also defined as having a sense of option and alternative. It is the freedom of choice that keeps our soul alive. Additionally, it is our desire and ability to take responsibility for our deeds despite extenuating circumstances that give us true liberation. Collection: The Search for Meaning (1975, Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN) Tags: choice, freedom, liberty, meaning, option Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Location: Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana Citation: Thurman, Howard, “The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Freedom (III), 1975 November 4,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/231.

    41 min

  6. 07/10/2024

    The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Love (IV), 1975 November 5

    This fourth lecture in The Search for Meaning series is the first part of Howard Thurman’s talk on the experience of love. Here Thurman defines love as the ability to deal with another person at a point in that person that is beyond all of his faults and all of his virtues. To be loved is to have a sense of being totally dealt with, totally held, so that you can dare to be free enough in your spirit just to run the risk of being you. Howard Thurman also uses several anecdotes to demonstrate love as a function of personal worth and forgiveness in this lecture. Part of the Collection, The Search for Meaning (1975, Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN) Tags: experience, forgiveness, love, worth Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Recorded in Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana Citation: Thurman, Howard, “The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Love (IV), 1975 November 5,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/232.

    45 min

  7. 07/10/2024

    The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Love (IV) (continued), 1975 November 5

    In this second part of Howard Thurman’s lecture on the Experience of Love, Thurman continues his discussion on the acceptance of others in their totality. John 8:1-11 is used to highlight the importance of meeting others where they are while treating them as though they are where they should be. We do not find Refuge in material possessions; we find refuge in the heart of those who love us. Part of the Collection, The Search for Meaning (1975, Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN) Tags: experience, love, refuge Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Recorded in Second Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana Citation: Thurman, Howard, “The Search for Meaning in the Experience of Love (IV) (continued), 1975 November 5,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/233.

    11 min

  8. 07/10/2024

    Jesus and the Disinherited, Part 1, January 11, 1959

    Part 1 of Jesus and the Disinherited. Begins by referring to Jesus' "working paper." Thurman's book was written about ten years prior, and he wants to take another look at these issues with consideration of all that has happened. He tells the story of his father's death and funeral when he was seven. As he grew he found he had a very intimate relationship with Jesus, even verbally discussing things with Jesus at night in the sand dunes. Jesus was a real personality to Thurman. However, he couldn't square this intimate, real "personality" Thurman had come to know with the things people said about Jesus. Later, when he traveled to India and asked why he was a Christian, when Christians had harmed the black people so terribly, even considering people like Thurman a traitor to his people by professing Christianity. That encounter led Thurman to go back and study the actual life of Jesus. He realized that Jesus was a Jew. Thurman began wondering how the Jewish people could have possibly endured all the suffering they had endured since AD 70 to the present, and in fact Jesus came out of that milieu of suffering community. He quotes Albert Schweitzer, and points out that people shall know Jesus by experience, even mystery, through the trials, sufferings and joys of life. Part of the Collection, Jesus and the Disinherited (1959, Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, MA) Tags: Albert Schweitzer, black history, defense of Christianity, experience, father's death, India, Jesus, Jewish history, Jews, mystic, Saul Solomon Thurman, slave history, slave ship Jesus, traitor, working paper Description by Ken Owens Recorded in Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, Massachussetts Citation: Thurman, Howard, “Jesus and the Disinherited, Part 1, January 11, 1959,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/1017.

    41 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

In 2010, the family of Howard Thurman (1899-1981) donated a large collection of audio and video materials. 1,400 individual recordings, totaling over 41,000 minutes of audio and video. Most of the recordings are of Thurman himself, being interviewed, delivering lectures, or offering sermons. It is my goal to support the The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, at Pitts Theology at Emory University, with their goals of 1) preserving for future generations 2) making the audio accessible to scholars and the general public and 3) making the content discoverable. I've set a personal goal of listening to all 290+ recordings in one year, and having these recordings available as a podcast will help tremendously. I am so grateful to have them. And I am hopeful that others will discover Dr. Thurman through this podcast. A full list of the audio recordings held in Pitts Theology Library is provided in their archival finding aid. If you would like researcher access to the unprocessed audio recordings, please contact them directly. I'll do my best to keep this podcast up to date with website as new recordings are released. Disclaimer: The audio recordings featured in this podcast are part of the Howard Thurman Digital Archive, housed at Pitts Theology Library, Emory University. All rights to these recordings are owned by the family of Howard Thurman and Pitts Theology Library. I do not own the rights to any of the recordings.

Information

  • Creator
    Howard Thurman (Uploaded by Duncan Hamra)
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    289
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights to these recordings are owned by the family of Howard Thurman and Pitts Theology Library
  • Show Website
    The Howard Thurman Podcast