At Sea with Justin McRoberts

Justin McRoberts

A weekly interview show with culture makers and shakers. In each installment, host Justin McRoberts talks with artists, creatives, policymakers, and theologians that are striving and pushing for humanity to reach new heights.

  1. Sep 29

    Greta Gerwig's Narnia, Art, Religion, Control and Curiosity

    Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia adaptation has generated plenty of conversation, particularly around the reported casting of Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan. Rather than deciding whether that interpretation is right or wrong, Justin uses the controversy to ask a larger question: What happens to art once the artist releases it into the world? Justin shares the story of artist Laura Van Daren’s “Truth Scope” and her realization that an audience’s experience of her work becomes part of the work itself. He also remembers meeting someone whose deeply personal interpretation of one of Justin’s songs bore little resemblance to what Justin originally intended. From there, he looks at Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of it, and Johnny Cash’s transformation of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” The conversation eventually returns to Narnia and the particular intensity surrounding interpretations of religiously significant art. Justin considers why Christians can become protective of Narnia, the difference between Aslan and the Jesus to whom Aslan points, and even the multiple ways Christians already engage sacred scripture, from historical and exegetical study to practices like Lectio Divina. The question underneath it all is about posture. Can we become more curious about what an artist is exploring before deciding what their work means? Can we leave room for another person’s spiritual and creative journey? And can we trust that a new interpretation won’t destroy what we already love? Links For Justin:Read Justin's Substack Order In The Low - NEW Book with Scott Erickson Coaching with Justin Order In Rest - New Book of Poems Order Sacred Strides JustinMcRoberts.com Support this podcast NEW Single - Let Go NEW Music - Sliver of Hope NEW Music - The Dood and The Bird The Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

    Greta Gerwig's Narnia, Art, Religion, Control and Curiosity
  2. Sep 24

    The Calling of the Artist with W. David O. Taylor

    Justin welcomes back W. David O. Taylor, theologian, author, and professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, for a conversation about art, faith, and the vocation of the artist. They begin with David’s own creative process and his somewhat unexpected path toward becoming a writer. David talks about learning to write in public, studying writers whose craft he admired, and discovering that while he loves writing, the classroom remains one of the places where he feels most alive. From there, the conversation widens into the theological questions at the heart of David’s work: Why does art matter? What role does an artist play in the life of the church and the world? And why have Christian communities so often struggled to understand creative work that doesn’t fit neatly into categories like worship, ministry, or evangelism? Justin and David explore the ways art can invite rather than dictate, how beauty can reach beyond preference, and why the familiar distinction between “sacred” and “secular” may be far less useful than we think. David ultimately offers artists a larger vision of calling: creative work can participate in God’s love for the world without needing to become explicitly religious or justify itself through measurable outcomes. As David puts it near the end of the conversation: artists can get on with the thing they’ve been called to do, doing it well, humbly, and joyfully, trusting that over a lifetime, goodness will come from it. Links For Justin:Read Justin's Substack Order In The Low - NEW Book with Scott Erickson Coaching with Justin Order In Rest - New Book of Poems Order Sacred Strides JustinMcRoberts.com Support this podcast NEW Single - Let Go NEW Music - Sliver of Hope NEW Music - The Dood and The Bird The Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

    The Calling of the Artist with W. David O. Taylor
4.9
out of 5
62 Ratings

About

A weekly interview show with culture makers and shakers. In each installment, host Justin McRoberts talks with artists, creatives, policymakers, and theologians that are striving and pushing for humanity to reach new heights.

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