Questions From The Pew - WOS

In this episode, we continue our conversation on reading Jonah better and ask: How do our questions affect our reading of Jonah? Do our questions clarify what’s going on in the narrative or only muddy our understanding? How can we read Jonah in a way that moves beyond Sunday morning or Sunday school? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

The biblical book of Jonah is one of the most well known in the Bible. It’s found in nearly every children’s Bible. Even those who do not read the Bible or hold to the Christian or Jewish faiths are acquainted with this narrative. With a man being swallowed by a fish only to be spat out again, it’s little wonder why. But that’s probably where the knowledge of the story ends for most people, especially for those who do not read the Bible or identify as adherents of the faiths that hold it as Scripture.If asked about the point of the story, there would probably only be few who could give an answer. And that’s not surprising. After all, it’s an ancient story and we are modern readers. The questions we ask about the text often don’t allow the text to speak for itself. Where modern readers are concerned with how Jonah might have survived in the bellow of a fish, ancient readers likely would have asked why Jonah is portrayed the way he is. Perhaps we need to ask better questions.In this episode, we ask: How do our questions affect our reading of Jonah? Do our questions clarify what’s going on in the narrative or only muddy our understanding? How can we read Jonah in a way that moves beyond Sunday morning or Sunday school? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this episode, we continue our conversation about medical technologies. Are advancements in medical technologies always a good thing? What complications go along with advancements in medical technologies? What new ethical questions are raised as a result of the advancement of medical technology? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

Modern life has countless luxuries. Mundane things like written communication have drastically changed in the past hundred years. No longer do we have to wait weeks for letters to arrive. Email and text messaging have made the task nearly instantaneous. Our modes of transportation have moved from a reliance on horses, to steam, coal, and gas, and now electricity. All of these technologies affect the human experience in one way or another.One area of development that has had perhaps the most direct impact on humanity is that of medical technology. Technologies like vaccines, X-ray, mRNA technology, just to name a few, have forever changed the way humans live in the modern age. Not only do we better understand ourselves as humans, but we are also able to push the boundaries of what human existence means. But all this talk of advancement comes with a host of questions.In this episode, we ask: Are advancements in medical technologies always a good thing? What complications go along with advancements in medical technologies? What new ethical questions are raised as a result of the advancement of medical technology? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this episode, we continue our conversation and ask: What if we aren’t alone and unique in the universe? Have these kinds of questions become less outlandish given what we know about the universe? How does this affect our reading of Scripture and our theology? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

Extra-terrestrial life forms have fascinated generations of people. From cinema to literature, we have been fascinated with the question of whether or not human beings are alone and unique in the universe. As our understanding of the universe expands, so do our questions. And while these questions, and those who ask them, have lived on the periphery of “normal” society, the recent congressional hearings on government transparency related to UAPs (commonly referred to as UFOs) have moved those questions to the foreground.All of this has ramifications for how we understand the Bible and our theology. It forces us to consider whether we are not just the observers of the universe, but also the subjects of observation. As we continue to learn more about the universe and our place in it, reassessments will likely need to be made again and again. In those reassessments the ancient and modern inevitably intersect.In this episode, we ask: What if we aren’t alone and unique in the universe? Have these kinds of questions become less outlandish given what we know about the universe? How does this affect our reading of Scripture and our theology? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this episode, we continue our conversation about artificial intelligence. Should AI be celebrated or feared? Or should we be indifferent to it? What ethical implications come with technological advances? What will the future look like in light of the rate at which technology is advancing? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

It is commonly said that technology grows at an exponential rate. Technology that would have been considered science fiction by one generation is an everyday reality a mere two generations later. The cell phone is a prime example of this. In a generation or two, it went from being a luxury owned by the affluent to an everyday item carried by most of the population, regardless of economic status. They went from bulky and cumbersome to sleek and compact. Nowadays, making phone calls is often the last feature people think of when buying a new cell phone. Cell phones can do nearly everything a computer can do, but from the palm of your hand. All of that in a matter of a few generations.Today’s headlines are dominated by artificial intelligence like ChatGPT and deep fakes. In only a year or two, we’ve seen these technologies become more and more “advanced.” AI is able to do immensely more now than at their inception. Deep fakes continue to produce more and more realistic images of people. All of this has understandably begun to cause concern and alarm. If it’s true that technology grows at an exponential rate, are we keeping up? And if so, how long will we be able to keep up?In this episode, we ask: Should artificial intelligence be celebrated or feared? Or should we be indifferent to it? What ethical implications come with technological advances? What will the future look like in light of the rate at which technology is advancing? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this episode we continue our conversation with Dr. Michael O. Emerson about what he sees as one way to understand how the American church has gotten to the place it is in today. He presents a diagnosis for understanding the current state of the American church’s relationship with race and provides hopeful possibilities for the future. All that and more on this edition of the podcast. Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this series we’ve been using the metaphor of an illness and its diagnosis to talk about the relationship between the church and the racial issues present in America. As the country has changed, so has the illness, growing worse at some points and getting better at others. Good observation can lead to a helpful diagnosis of a problem, whether in part or in its entirety.In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Michael O. Emerson and talk about the diagnosis that he proposes based on his current research. He talks about his current research and how it helps us understand how the American church has gotten to the place it is in today. He presents a diagnosis for understanding the current state of the American church’s relationship with race and provides hopeful possibilities for the future. All that and more on this edition of the podcast. Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

On this episode, we continue our conversation with by Dr. Malcolm Foley, whose doctoral research focused on the various ways African Americans in the 19th to 20th century were forced to respond to the multiple forms racism took in American society.In our conversation, we ask: How can the response of African American Protestants in the past help us understand the American Church today? Can there be a balance between the harsh realities of the past and the idealization of history? How can we avoid despair in our pursuit of justice? How can today’s church leaders carry on the work that started before them? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In the face of injustice, neutrality can sometimes seem like a sensible response. Capitulation makes one morally culpable while resistance can bring about consequences for those who challenge the status quo. And so, neutrality, however long it remains a seemingly viable option, is chosen as a means of avoiding the stain of immorality while avoiding the risk of endangering oneself. Those who are the recipients of injustice do not have the luxury of such a choice. For them, the only choices are to capitulate or to resist.In our discussion of the American Church and its response to racism, we cannot forget those who were directly affected by racism. Those who were the targets. African Americans in the 19th to 20th century were forced to respond in various ways to the multiple forms racism took in American society, and the ways in which they responded can help us understand how the American Church has gotten to the place it is in today. On this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Malcolm Foley, whose doctoral research focused specifically on this topic. His expertise not only as a scholar, but also as a pastor, tackles this heavy topic from both an academic and practical standpoint.In our conversation, we ask: How can the response of African American Protestants in the past help us understand the American Church today? Can there be a balance between the harsh realities of the past and the idealization of history? How can we avoid despair in our pursuit of justice? How can today’s church leaders carry on the work that started before them? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In the initial visit with a new doctor, a question that is frequently asked is about the patient’s family history. The doctor asks, “Do you have any family history of X, Y, or Z?” Even if the patient can’t remember every detail of the family’s medical history, the doctor records them in the patient’s file anyway. All of this is to help the doctor better understand the patient and his or her medical condition. The current treatment begins with a look back. This is a helpful metaphor to use for diagnosing the state of American Christianity.The American Church has had a long and often dark history when it comes to its involvement with issues of race. From slave owners' use of the Bible to keep human beings in subjugation to the more modern denominational divisions along racial lines, American Christianity would not look like what it does today without its past, both good and bad. And as much as the American church has improved in many ways on the darkness of its past, there is still work to be done to better understand today’s American Church and consider ways forward. Part of that work is taking an honest look at the past. In this series, we try to do that.In this episode, we ask: How did the American church interact with racial issues throughout its history? How has that shaped the way the American Church looks today? We’ll be exploring these questions in various ways throughout this series, starting with this episode. All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

We’ve have decided to change things up slightly and end the season here, just a little bit earlier than we originally planned. That’s because the conversations that we were planning for the last series of season five ended up being much longer and more involved than we thought they would be. So instead of having to shorten the series or the important conversations in it, we’ve decided to save it all for the next season. We hope the roughly weekly format we tried this season was helpful to keep the conversation going. We’re looking forward to picking up again soon for the next one. Until then, take care and keep asking questions!Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In the initial visit with a new doctor, a question that is frequently asked is about the patient’s family history. The doctor asks, “Do you have any family history of X, Y, or Z?” Even if the patient can’t remember every detail of the family’s medical history, the doctor records them in the patient’s file anyway. All of this is to help the doctor better understand the patient and his or her medical condition. The current treatment begins with a look back. This is a helpful metaphor to use for diagnosing the state of American Christianity.The American Church has had a long and often dark history when it comes to its involvement with issues of race. From slave owners' use of the Bible to keep human beings in subjugation to the more modern denominational divisions along racial lines, American Christianity would not look like what it does today without its past, both good and bad. And as much as the American church has improved in many ways on the darkness of its past, there is still work to be done to better understand today’s American Church and consider ways forward. Part of that work is taking an honest look at the past. In this series, we try to do that.In this episode, we ask: How did the American church interact with racial issues throughout its history? How has that shaped the way the American Church looks today? We’ll be exploring these questions in various ways throughout this series, starting with this episode. All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

In this episode, we’re finish the conversation we began with Ruth Nathaniel last week and we ask: Are there blind spots when we engage in a deep relationship with someone from another cultural or ethnic background? What are the beauties of being in intercultural or interethnic relationships? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

We’ve said it before on the podcast: America grows more and more diverse every year. And there’s U.S. Census Bureau data to support that. The Diversity Index measures the probability that two randomly chosen people come from different racial or ethnic groups. Between 2010 and 2020, the United States as a whole went from a 54.9% chance to 61.1%. Particularly in major urban areas, the likelihood of your coming into contact with someone from another cultural or ethnic background is higher today than it was even ten years ago. But the growth in diversity isn’t always accompanied by a corresponding growth in how to engage in intercultural or interethnic relationships well. Even if people are from the U.S. as opposed to having migrated from another country, the gaps between cultures and ethnicities can be wide. Family cohesion is more engrained in some cultures than others that value independence. Honesty – even brutal honesty – is expected in some cultures while politeness – sometimes to a fault – is assumed in others. All of these are gaps. And often, these gaps are unseen or unacknowledged, causing difficulties in these kinds of relationships and those connected to them.In this two episode conversation, we’re joined by Ruth Nathaniel and we ask: Are there blind spots when we engage in a deep relationship with someone from another cultural or ethnic background? What are the beauties of being in intercultural or interethnic relationships? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

It is often understood that as times change, so does technology. And so we find new ways of doing old things. For example, communication is not new, but with today’s technology we have countless ways of doing it. Few letters are being mailed today, but hundreds of emails are sent in a single day. Shopping has shifted from a physical experience of entering a storefront to scrolling on a webpage and clicking items into a virtual cart. And even then, some online stores pride themselves on a personal experience, trying to get back to the human interaction that was so characteristic of the shopping experience in the past.But what about ancient institutions like the church? Many churches were already live streaming their services online even before the pandemic. But when lockdowns happened, all of that went into overdrive. Churches that already had an online option were prepared, and other smaller churches had to think creatively about how to minister to their congregations online. But all of this did not come without its growing pains. Questions, doubts, and concerns about the viability of online church were brought to the forefront of ecclesial conversations.In this episode, we ask: What do we do about “virtual church”? Where does the church go from here? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

The pandemic changed everything. That should go without saying. The whole nation shifted. But moving beyond the macro-changes, there were also changes in smaller pockets of American society. We’ve already talked a bit about how businesses and schools had to transition overnight to remote work and remote learning. Other organizations had to change and continue to change. The political sphere was as volatile as ever, perhaps even more volatile, with political leaders and influencers from both sides throwing accusations at the other. And those who associate with a particular side were very much taking part of it all.But what about pockets of American society that are thought to be a beacon of hope and guidance in times of upheaval? Religious institutions seem to occupy that space in some shape or another even in our modern age. And for a country that has had such a far-reaching connection to Christianity, the question of how the American church carried itself during the pandemic is an important one.In this episode, we ask: How did the American church respond? How did the American church’s cultural influence change?Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew

The pandemic changed a lot about the way we think about human existence, whether it further entrenched people in their previously held beliefs or opened them up to new ways of thinking about how humans exist and flourish in the world. We had to ask ourselves what aspects of human life are absolutely essential for our own wellbeing, and what could we acceptably relinquish for the short-term.The idea of community is one of those things that was re-examined in light of the pandemic. Everyone seemed to pivot as best as they could to some sort of remote interaction, some with more success than others. In some cases, people welcomed it. Employees enjoyed the ability to stay and work from home instead of commuting to the office. But as things began opening up and people made their way back into the office, there often seemed to be less cohesion in the workplace. Schools went to remote instruction, but quickly saw that the learning experience was not the same without the face to face interaction between teachers and students. And those are just two examples. As we head out of the pandemic season and reshape society and culture, community is an element of human existence that cannot be overlooked.In this episode, we ask: Has our understanding of community shifted? What does it look like to have a healthy and vibrant community post-pandemic? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/questionsfromthepew