Words Do Things

Sørina Higgins
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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. 7 GIỜ TRƯỚC

    "Baguettes and Cheese on a Bicycle" with Taylor Jones

    Dr. Taylor Jones of the popular YouTube channel  ⁨@languagejones⁩  joins Dr. Higgins to nerd out over pronouns, Black American English, the ergative-absolutive case marking, and politeness in Persian. They sing the praises of the scientific method and critical thinking, then lament thought-terminating clichés. They talk about the social stigma attached to some accents, get passionate about immigration, and warn against gossip--yet they can't define what a language is, or a dialect, or even a word--but they do reflect upon Kabbalah, string theory, and whether the universe is fundamentally made up of music, so that's exciting!

    1 giờ 12 phút

  2. 4 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    Guest appearance on Theology in Pieces

    I was honored to be on Theology in Pieces with two of my friends to talk about the Inklings, imagination, magic, and rhetoric. Visit https://www.theologyinpieces.com/2100783/episodes/18708410-72-magic-myths-and-imagination-as-tools-of-resistance-with-dr-sorina-higgins to get this section in context and follow the show!

    1 giờ 15 phút

  3. 8 THG 3

    "A Sermon for the Senses" with Fr. Aaron Warwick

    Today Dr. Higgins enjoys a conversation with her first Orthodox guest, The Very Reverend Father Aaron Warwick. After defining and describing Orthodoxy, they share their love of awe-inspiring, embodied, sensory worship services. They unpack how honoring everyone's freedom of speech leads to greater understanding and why it's important to confront ideas with courage and grace. Fr. Aaron explains how the Bible describes a principled anarchy, but our fallen nature requires government restraints. What happens when we get a king (or any supreme human ruler)? They tax us, take away our children, make them fight our wars.... He recalls times people have been angry about political references in his sermons, but emphasizes that no political party is reliable or Christian. They discuss reading Scripture aloud, the challenges of marriage, and the horrors of the genocide in Gaza.

    51 phút

  4. 1 THG 3

    "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 phút

  5. 22 THG 2

    "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 phút

  6. 15 THG 2

    "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 phút

  7. 8 THG 2

    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 phút

  8. 1 THG 2

    "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 phút
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Giới Thiệu

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?

Thông Tin

  • Nhà sáng tạo
    Sørina Higgins
  • Năm hoạt động
    2025 - 2026
  • Tập
    20
  • Xếp hạng
    Thô tục
  • Bản quyền
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Trang web chương trình
    Words Do Things