The Flâneur and the Philosopher

A podcast by The Natural Theologian
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The Flâneur and the Philosopher

A lover of wisdom and an ambulatory social critic seek the good through friendship and conversation. joelcarini.substack.com

  1. قبل ٣ أيام

    Is the Evangelical Church Guilty of Marriage Idolatry?

    In the context of secular, individualist culture, the American evangelical church has put a premium on marriage. Yet critics from within and without evangelicalism have accused Christians of treating marriage and the nuclear family in idolatrous ways. Our guests this week, David Frank and TJ Espinoza, argue that the church has neglected forms of kinship beyond marriage and the nuclear family - which is particularly damaging to same-sex attracted Christians, like themselves. David and TJ are the co-hosts of the podcast “New Kinship” where they discuss life as celibate, gay Christians and the possibilities of kinship, community, and belonging that remain for them. King Laugh and I are straight Christians, both married with children. However, we have witnessed kinds of marriage and family idolatry that affect us as well. Nuclear families are often separated from their extended families. Marriage and family are often taken to be a fix-all, rather than one of several crosses to bear. The marriage relationship is often assumed to bear too much weight, one’s spouse one’s only friend. Together, we discuss ways that the church could support married and unmarried people alike by expanding its vision of community beyond marriage and nuclear families. Enjoy! Listen to the podcast The Flâneur and the Philosopher on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Aaron M. Renn wrote in a 2018 newsletter, “Marriage is normative for Christians and the vast majority of Christians are not called or suited for a celibate life.” Aaron has mounted a cogent critique of talk of marriage and family idolatry. Churches can often call things “idolatry” that are just natural human desires, and significant ones. See his article on “Christian buddhism.” Aaron’s critique was in the back of my head as we had this conversation. I’ve come to think that there is truth on both of these sides, and truths that are needed in particular contexts. In the urban church, a reminder to prioritize marriage rather than individualism and career is quite important. Yet in our prioritization of marriage, we must not give in to the modern “romantic” view of marriage that ignores the possibility of intimate friendship, the need of extended family, and the possibilities of kinship outside of family. We must not whitewash the experience of bearing and raising kids; both celibacy and marriage are callings and crosses. Links New Kinship: Substack | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify David and TJ Interview Me! “Weigh and Consider the World: Joel Carini on Nature, Truth, and Side B” The Four Sides, A, B, Y, X: Four Christian Views of Sexuality Before You Go: My Music: My Online Course: My YouTube Channel (Click on image for link) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  2. ٩ جمادى الأولى

    When I was a child, I spoke like a child

    “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” - 1 Corinthians 13:11 Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and thought, “This is a conversation I used to have. It’s even one I used to put a lot of stock in. But I no longer think it’s where the action is really at”? There are some ways of dealing with ideas, of speaking, and of thinking that we have to learn from and then move beyond, argues this week’s podcast guest, Matthew Stanley. Stanley calls these “transitional discourses.” Psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott had argued that children utilize transitional objects, like their thumb, blankie, or stuffed animal to replicate the security of the mother as they transition to independence. What if some forms of intellectual practice are like that as well? Thus, the goal of the transitional object is to fall away. Eventually, the blankie is forgotten, folded up, and tucked away in a closet somewhere. The transitional object has served its role faithfully when it can be left behind, signaling that the child has internalized those functions which the transitional object had to supply externally. The question becomes though, what happens when our transitional object stick around to long? And could certain discourses and regimes of practice in a religious community serve the role of something like a transitional object in people's lives in the broader process of their becoming more human? -Matthew Stanley, “Transitional discourses and getting (un)stuck” Listen to the podcast The Flâneur and the Philosopher on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Matthew Stanley is a writer at Samsara Diagnostics and Samsara Media whose work sits at the intersection of psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and Christian theology. A graduate of Wheaton College, he is the author of Ideology and Christian Freedom: A theo-political reading of Shusaku Endo's Silence (yes, like the Martin Scorsese film) and a book of poetry, Every Sunset is a Moonrise: Faith, Poetry, Finitude. Our discussion is based on his article, “Transitional discourses and getting (un-)stuck,” which was also a video presentation at Philosophy Portal. My New Song Check out my new song, “Nothing Matters.” It’s a pop-punk track about what I call Christian nihilism. My first pop-punk release was “Common Ground,” about the reasons we dehumanize those with whom we disagree. Theological Epistemology Course We’re seven lectures into my first online course here at The Natural Theologian. “Theological Epistemology” is a course about revelation and reason, faith and science, biblical and natural theology. Previous Lectures * What Is Theological Epistemology? An Introduction * Bertrand Russell Refutes Cornelius Van Til * The Epistemology of Arguments for God, Ancient and Medieval * The Epistemology of Arguments for God, Modern and Contemporary * The Order of Being and the Order of Knowing * The Context of Contemporary Epistemology: Foundationalism, Coherentism, and Empiricism * The Theological Case for Fideism The Natural Theologian is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  3. ٩ ربيع الأول

    Can We Make Sense of Nature and Politics without God?

    Dr. James Orr, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge, joins the flâneur and the philosopher for a wide-ranging discussion of the philosophy of nature and Christian involvement in politics. We first discuss Dr. Orr’s interesting path from the practice of law to a professorship in the philosophy of religion. Following an introduction to Dr. Orr’s career, the conversation divides into two parts: A discussion of the philosophy of nature, the object of much of Dr. Orr’s academic work, and a discussion of his Christian involvement in political discourse. Through both parts of the conversation, the question of whether the natural realm can be understood, at a first pass, without God remains central. Concerning the philosophy of nature, Dr. Orr has argued for a Neo-Aristotelian account of nature, on which the various substances that make up the natural realm possess natures and causal powers. This is contrast to the popular secular Neo-Humean view, which says that what appear to be natural laws are merely coincidental regularities. But it also contrasts with a popular Christian occasionalist view, on which created things have no causal power but are mere puppets, whose strings God pulls. However, in the political sphere, Dr. Orr argues that the philosophy of liberalism, in both its modern and classical varieties, has run out. The project of a neutral state governing the common life of communities with competing metaphysics, religions, and conceptions of the good, has failed. The divides between worldviews and communities are too deep to be bridged by purportedly neutral and fair procedures, apart from any cultural or metaphysical backing. Accordingly, Christian involvement in politics must be forthrightly Christian, even while allowing for and requiring charity toward those with whom we disagree. Enjoy this interesting conversation with a leading Christian philosopher. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Dr. James Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge. He is also a chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, which heads up the National Conservatism conference, on the board of directors of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation (Scruton is my favorite philosopher), and a fellow of the Trinity Forum Europe, an Christian ministry to graduate students and university faculty. He argued for conservatism against (classical) liberalism in written and filmed debates on Triggernometry. I recommend his “What Is Conservatism?” Theological Epistemology Course If you are interested in the questions we discussed in this podcast, especially the discussion of how nature points to God, you will have an interest in my new online course “Theological Epistemology,” offered through a paid subscription to this Substack. Links to the first three lectures are available below, as well as the course syllabus. In addition, you may access one lecture as a freebie, since Substack allows free access to one paywalled post. 1. What Is Theological Epistemology? An Introduction 2. Bertrand Russell Refutes Cornelius Van Til 3. The Epistemology of Arguments for God, Ancient and Medieval And coming soon… Lecture 4, The Epistemology of Arguments for God, Modern and Contemporary The Natural Theologian is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts, consider becoming a free subscriber. To access course lectures and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  4. ٢٥ محرم

    Pulpit Supply-Chain Issues

    The flâneur and the philosopher are joined this week by Jack Wilkie, author of the Church Reset Substack, and of a book by the same name, Church Reset: God’s Design for So Much More. Jack was previously a pastor in the Churches of Christ but has since focused on his writing ministry and his podcast, Think Deeper. Jack recently wrote a post titled, “Why I Won’t Be Encouraging My Sons Toward Ministry.” We discuss with him why this is, and why he left pastoral ministry himself. We discuss the nature of the pastoral role as well as the current pulpit supply-chain, taking uprooted young men and placing them around the country in a Christian brain-drain. We consider the sacred-secular divide this creates and offer some alternative models of church and discipleship. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Takeaways * The current system of filling pulpits in churches is flawed and disconnected from the rest of the church community. * There is a need for a more organic, homegrown approach to leadership development in churches. * Small churches should focus on training and equipping their own leaders instead of relying on hiring pastors from outside the congregation. * The emphasis should be on the quality of leadership and the growth and maturity of the church, rather than the size of the building or the number of attendees. * Finding the right church involves considering factors such as the spiritual health of the congregation, the influence on family and children, and the opportunity for active participation. * Disciple-making is the responsibility of every member of the church, and it involves training and guiding others in their walk with God. * Churches need to move away from a consumeristic mindset and prioritize hospitality, community, and a focus on Christ-likeness in everyday life. * The church should provide guidance and wisdom on practical matters of life, such as parenting and finances, in addition to theological teaching. * Unity in the church requires a balance between specific requirements, expectations, and encouragement, while respecting individual differences and preferences. * Churches should prioritize roots and generational connections, encouraging families to stay close and passing on wisdom and values to future generations. Read King Laugh’s Latest Check out the latest from King Laugh’s publication, Laughing with God. My Song and My Book Meet with Me Talk with me for thirty minutes about anything theological, philosophical, or personal related to my writing and podcasting at The Natural Theologian. I also offer consulting on getting into Ph.D.’s and related academic or intellectual career advice. The Natural Theologian is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  5. ٤ محرم

    God Is in the World, Not Just the Bible

    It was my and King Laugh’s privilege to speak with Dr. Nigel Biggar about doing theology from experience. In his recent book Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning and in previous books like In Defence of War, Dr. Biggar’s biblical and theological erudition has been matched by his philosophical rigor - and especially by his knowledge of history. Doing work that not even historians dare to do, Dr. Biggar has brought moral wisdom, especially from the Christian tradition, to bear on contemporary debates. At the same time, his engagement with history and empirical observation of the human condition has brought experience to bear on Christian theology. We discuss the consequences of Bible-only theology and the need to advert to empirical sources. The legacy of colonialism is considered, and the need to avoid ideological thinking both of the secular progressive type and the insular Christian kind. Dr. Biggar is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford. He is the author of many books, including In Defence of War, Behaving in Public: How to Do Christian Ethics, and What’s Wrong with Rights? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Read King Laugh’s Letters to the Seven Churches of Pine County Like a latter day apostle John, King Laugh has been composing seven letters to the churches of Pine county. Therein, you will find love for the church and biting critique, not unlike the letters of Revelation, or the prose of the wittiest satirists. Read carefully! My Song and My Book Meet with Me Talk with me for thirty minutes about anything theological, philosophical, or personal related to my writing and podcasting at The Natural Theologian. I also offer consulting on getting into Ph.D.’s and related academic or intellectual career advice. The Natural Theologian is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  6. ٧ ذو الحجة

    The Exvangelicals Are Right About Something

    Dr. Miles Smith IV, Associate professor of history at Hillsdale College, joined the King and I for a conversation about what we can learn from Ex-vangelical narratives. “Ex-vangelicals” have been deconstructing for several years, whether to leave the faith altogether or to become a different kind of Christian. In all cases, the object of critique is the particular subculture of 80s and 90s evangelical Christianity. With historical perspective and Protestant conviction, Dr. Miles Smith IV agrees with much of the ex-vangelical critique, but with a different conclusion: Historic Protestantism was never well-represented by 80s and 90s evangelicalism. That movement was much more shaped by history, politics, and sociology than the faithful would like to admit. As always, our conversation came back to the church, pastors, and laypeople, but with new insights about the 20th century rise of American Protestant clericalism. Enjoy this enlightening discussion with Miles Smith. He followed up by publishing an essay, “Reading the Exvangelicals,” yesterday at Mere Orthodoxy. By the way, Miles has just released a book addressing questions of Christianity and the pre-Civil War era of America: Religion and Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War. Check out Miles’ X account as well: https://x.com/IVMiles. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Books mentioned: Jon Ward’s Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation Mike Cosper’s Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found Andrew L. Whitehead’s American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church Sarah McCammon’s The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church Sound Bites * “What was weird about 80s and 90s American evangelicalism that's not representative of say historic Protestantism?” * "If you're my age and guess what, you don't have anything to go back to, your kind of choices are, okay, maybe the world was right and evangelicalism lied to me about the world or..." * "Evangelicals talk all the time. It's actually their sacrament, right? Like the, because of course the, the, the primacy of the preached word is so important." * "Just live the faith. They're not really checking in on what you're doing." * "Where did the professionalization of the ministry come from?" * “There’s no universal competency that comes with a collar.” * “The ‘professional Christian’ idea is a 20th century phenomenon.” * “What is the good life? Well, the good life is to love your neighbor as yourself.” * “The church is the building.” * "The church, the gospels don't have a lot to say about politics." Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Book Discussion 02:17 The Rise of Ex-Evangelical Memoirs 11:53 The Conflation of Leadership and Authority in Evangelicalism 23:16 The Role of Gurus and Celebrity Figures in Evangelicalism 27:28 The Importance of Prudence in Christian Decision-Making 30:47 The Pitfalls of Professionalizing the Ministry 32:24 The General Nature of Admonitions in the Church 33:30 The Professionalization of the Ministry in the Early 20th Century 36:14 The Influence of Scientism and the Darwinian Framework 38:10 Socioeconomics and Church Growth 52:59 Redefining the Concept of a 'Dying Church' 59:36 Exploring Christian Nationalism 01:00:07 Integrating Different Disciplines into Theological Discourse 01:01:34 The Misconception of Theology as Sociology or Politics 01:02:32 The Church's Role in Saving Souls 01:03:56 The Church's Stance on Politics 01:10:07 Evangelicalism: Politics vs. Theology 01:15:21Fostering Love and Community in the Church This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  7. ٢٨ ذو القعدة

    The Christian Life: A Walk in the Park? A Conversation with a Gay Christian

    Colton Beach joins us to speak about his experience as a gay Christian, committed to the traditional Christian sexual ethic, in the church. For Colton’s personal backstory, check out his interview with Preston Sprinkle. I learned about Colton when we both attended our first Revoice conference in June 2023, which I wrote about here. We talk with Colton about the analogy between accepting chronic illness and admitting one is gay. We ask why Reformed, gospel-centered churches revert to a prosperity gospel when faced with same-sex attraction. We ask questions about the goods of celibacy and marriage in the Christian life. Central to our conversation is the theology of sanctification or Christian spiritual growth: Does growing mean being tempted less, or obeying more even if temptation continues? Was Jesus Christ an asexual, or a man subject to the desires and infirmities of our human nature? The implications are many and deep. Read Colton’s Writings. Check out Revoice, where Colton volunteers. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Check Out King Laugh’s Latest: Read My Book: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joelcarini.substack.com/subscribe

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  8. ١٩ ذو القعدة

    The Marks of Authoritarian Ecclesiology

    Dr. Joseph Minich, residential teaching fellow at The Davenant Institute, joins King Laugh - before you go further, subscribe to his Substack, Laughing with God - and Joel Carini this week on The Flâneur and the Philosopher. Our topic is the ideology of Mark Dever’s Nine Marks ministry. While on the face of it, designed to limit the pastor’s authority to the word of God, we detect in Nine Marks’ teaching an unjust accruing of authority to the sole preaching pastor. Dr. Minich tells us about his review of Jonathan Leeman’s Political Church, an account of church authority arising from Nine Marks’ ministry. Leeman, in that book, attempts to argue that pastors have a spiritual authority, less than that of God, but greater than that of any congregant with a Bible. But is that the nature of church office and church authority? Or is there no spiritual distinction between clergy and laity? King Laugh and I also present our critique of the ideology of expository preaching and the church-focused Christian life. It is laudable to aspire only to preach what is consistent with biblical teaching. And yet, in so restraining the pastor, we deny the capacity and duty of exercising human reason and judgment, which are the only way to apply Scripture to the messy complexities of concrete life. Given that the pastor is not the expert on life in all its complexity, this also opens up a parity among wise, mature Christian individuals: the priesthood of all believers. This summer, Dr. Minich will be offering a course at Davenant House, “Reading the Bible and the World: Protestant Wisdom Foundations I.” Learn more and sign up here. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube. Sound Bites * "They have tried to make it possible to do so with imbeciles by making the process of arriving at that so simple that you could train a 20 something to do it effectively." * "There is a conflation of what really ought to be authority, where you need wisdom, you need to be able to judge, to govern, you need to exemplify the things that you're talking about versus leading, which is usually a matter of gifting." * "They speak with an absolute authority because the minister, if they deviate from this, is perceived as a rogue." * "You're outsourcing your own judgment, whether your moral conscience or your intellectual firing, rather than them turning around and saying, hey, you should read books and also it's really hard to know things and it could take a while to really know something and do that, grow." * "There's a lot there, and the pastor who says on bioethics, I am a little bit beyond my wheelhouse - Mr. Christian with an MD, you have some insights here, but you also need some philosophy because being a doctor alone doesn't help you just realizing like the complexity of all the different types of knowledge." * "The appropriate way to approach it is that the pastor is really just the end stage of any godly man in the congregation who meets the qualifications." * "Don't come ask me everything. Actually, you grow wise." * "The church and its leadership can become like the kind of boyfriend or husband who makes you need them so badly. It's almost abusive." * "If the way that you are engaging with the people you love and serve is that they can't do anything without you, that's the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing." Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:05 Personal Background and Involvement with Davenant 06:22 Critique of Jonathan Lehman's 'Political Church' 13:17 The Dangers of Clerical Caste and Man of God Syndrome 23:24 Equipping the Saints and Cultivating Independent Thinking 28:08 The Parent-Child Dynamic in Pastoral Relationships 36:18 The Dangers of Dependency on Pastors 37:55 The Limitations of Pastors' Expertise 39:20 Cultivating Wisdom and Knowledge Among the Congregation 41:30 The Role of Pastors as Informational Vending Machines 45:42 The Importance of Raising Up New Pastors Within the Church 49:53 Focusing

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A lover of wisdom and an ambulatory social critic seek the good through friendship and conversation. joelcarini.substack.com

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    A podcast by The Natural Theologian
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    © Joel Carini
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    The Flâneur and the Philosopher

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