Words Do Things

Sørina Higgins

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words... can really hurt you. Join Dr. Sørina Higgins and guests to think about the powers and limits of language. Are words magical? Can they actually effect change? Why do people weaponize them? Can we shift our use of public rhetoric? What have great authors believed about the relationship between writing and the divine? How can you become a more powerful and effective writer?

  1. 6D AGO

    "No Totalitarianism is a Good Totalitarianism" by Sørina Higgins

    This one's a bit fiery! In this solo episode, Dr. Higgins get a bit riled up as she reflects on the podcast as process, sharing emotional and conceptual difficulties with this series on Bad Words. She laments the decline in healthy pluralism, warns against "both sides" rhetoric, and goes on a rant against American pastors who are contributing to "us vs. them" attack language. She urges pastors to seek to fill their churches with whomever they think is the problem, then closes with some thoughts on why courteous discourse is effective and what we can do to fight against things we deplore.

    33 min

  2. FEB 22

    "The Eucharist is a Political Act" with Jim Beitler

    Dr. Higgins interviews Dr. Jim Beitler, Director of the Marion E Wade Center at Wheaton college, about the nature of rhetoric. Jim shares his expertise in transitional justice in South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process. They reflect on the role of storytelling in reconciliation and the power of confession, realizing that dehumanization does damage to the speaker, not only the recipient. They lament times when theological discourse gets co-opted by political discourse and talk about cultivating virtue (especially humility) while Writing. They share their experiences with Rogerian Discourse and try to separate wicked words from prophetic words.

    39 min

  3. FEB 15

    "America has made itself the center of the universe" says Aaron Williams

    Sørina Higgins talks with Rev. Aaron Williams about his work as a Black Baptist preacher in a white Presbyterian church and the challenge of addressing political topics from the pulpit. Aaron gives a history of evangelicalism getting mixed up with politics and talks about justice as the public work of love. They lament the human tendency to reduce others by putting them into categories and agree we need to be good stewards of the words we speak because they carry power. Rev. Williams urges people to be a voice for those who were being mistreated, protest, and get into good trouble.

    49 min

  4. FEB 8

    Rerun: Aaron Williams on Reconciliation

    In this rerun from an episode of the 1619 & 1776 podcast that originally aired on October 17th, 2022, Dr. Sørina Higgins interviews Rev. Aaron Williams about gospel fluency, messy unity, and reconciliation across differences.

    40 min

  5. FEB 1

    "No Inherently Bad Words" with Jeremy Larson

    Sørina Higgins and former Baylor colleague Jeremy Larson, both English PhDs, get their nerd on in this episode. They talk about definitions of rhetoric and the art of learning to read, write, and speak well. They talk about the natural neutrality of words that can be used for good or ill. Some chat about magic and miracle comes up, as do some surprising topics such as the Deplorable Word in Narnia, the Black Speech in Middle-earth, and the varying origins of orcs. While sometimes getting theological, they riff on Milton, Disney, Lewis, Tolkien, theatre, music, grammar, and more. Enjoy this pretty much politics-free episode!

    48 min

  6. JAN 25

    "'The Bible is Political" with Brooks Cato & Steve White

    Dr. Higgins talks with two Episcopal priests about how politics always intrude upon church and how the Bible itself is political, since politics refers to how we live together in communities. They discuss how people's objections to political statements from the pulpit are often reactions to the words of Jesus Himself, Who is the Word of God to create reality. Topics such as disability, animal communication, queerness, pronoun usage, and the role of social media.

    49 min

  7. JAN 18

    "Bad Words Are Ouchies" with Eve Droma

    Sørina and her sister Eve (a sociolinguist) talk about situations in which words can cause psychological or emotional harm, marginalize people with intellectual differences, or even contribute to attempted genocide. Drawing on her field work in Russia, Romania, and the Middle East, Prof. Droma provides an overview of linguistic work and encourages listeners to use the terms that people want them to use and that are currently operating as tools of communication. She speaks of the importance of forgiveness and acceptance as ways to ameliorate combative and hurtful rhetoric.

    40 min

  8. JAN 11

    "A Reasonable Communist": Michael Hitchcock

    Sørina's friend Michael Hitchcock, co-director of a radical nonprofit, shares his hatred of euphemistic language and explains how enforcing civil discourse can be unfair and oppressive. The two of them talk about propaganda and narrative-shaping in the hands of the powerful, and he defines important terms such as "intersectionality" and "genocide."

    53 min
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About

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words... can really hurt you. Join Dr. Sørina Higgins and guests to think about the powers and limits of language. Are words magical? Can they actually effect change? Why do people weaponize them? Can we shift our use of public rhetoric? What have great authors believed about the relationship between writing and the divine? How can you become a more powerful and effective writer?

Information

  • Creator
    Sørina Higgins
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Words Do Things