theology — The Puddcast hosted by Jonathan Puddle — Jonathan Puddle

Provocative, non-religious conversations about life, love and God.
Hosted by Jonathan Puddle and Tryphena Perumalla-Gagnon.

Text transcriptions are available for most episodes.
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Posts tagged theology

#122: The embodied faith of our grandmothers (with Kat Armas)

#122: The embodied faith of our grandmothers (with Kat Armas)

Kat Armas comes to the show this week to discuss embodiment, the sacredness of survival, and the faith of our grandmothers. Kat argues that our grandmothers, especially abuelitas in Latine cultures, function as live-in ministers particularly because the privilege to receive formal religious instruction is often unavailable. We all miss out on the unique, embodied, ways of knowing truth and practicing wisdom when we don’t turn our gaze to these figures who have been in our lives since before we were born. Kat’s book is called, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach us About Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength, and it’s excellent.

Jonathan PuddleNovember 11, 2021theology, family, embodiment, grandmothers, womenComment

#121: What Christians should know about the Bible (with Michael F. Bird)

#121: What Christians should know about the Bible (with Michael F. Bird)

Michael F. Bird, editor of The New Testament in its World with N.T. Wright returns this week to discuss things that he wishes Christians knew about the Bible. Mike is a scholar and theologian and his new book, 7 Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible, provides lots of fodder for thought and discussion. He lays out how the Bible came to be, how to respond to literalist claims about Scripture, examining why people should read the Apocrypha, and then we talk about critical race theory and why it’s important to read outside your own tradition, listening to the stories of folks who don’t look like you.

Jonathan PuddleNovember 4, 2021postmodernism, theology, critical race theory, bible, mikebirdComment

#112: A Theology of the Ordinary (with Julie Canlis)

#112: A Theology of the Ordinary (with Julie Canlis)

This week, theologian, lecturer and mother Julie Canlis comes to The Puddcast, to talk about ordinary, embodied holiness. Julie is the author of A Theology of the Ordinary, and we discussed how the Holy Spirit connects us to our bodies in normal, everyday ways and how the full life of Jesus transforms all of the mundane moments of our lives into sacred pathways of holiness. We even discussed John Calvin, as Julie’s framework for understanding Calvin’s beliefs goes contrary to much of what I thought I knew about Calvinism. I highly recommend this conversation to you, it is full of earthy hope and simple love for creation and life.

Jonathan PuddleMay 7, 2021embodiment, discipleship, theology, life, eugene peterson, calvin, bible, jesus, holy spirit, kids churchComment

#107: The Life of Eugene Peterson (with Winn Collier)

#107: The Life of Eugene Peterson (with Winn Collier)

This week I have the great delight of discussing the life and faith of Eugene Peterson, with Winn Collier, who wrote his authorized biography. Winn has pastored for 25 years and was deeply impacted by Eugene’s work, both in The Message and in his many pastoral books. Winn now directs the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. We discussed the holy ordinary, a major theme of Eugene’s life, and we reflected on a life lived in pursuit of divine love. Expect warmth and encouragement and hope.

Jonathan PuddleMarch 25, 2021eugene peterson, story, pastoring, bible, life, theology, churchComment

#96: Your God, your body and your temple

#96: Your God, your body and your temple

This week on The Puddcast I’m giving you 3 readings from the audiobook of You Are Enough: Learning to Love Yourself the Way God Loves You. I’ve included the first 3 days: Your God, Your Body and Your Temple. If you enjoy it, you can buy a copy of the full audiobook directly from my website, at jonathanpuddle.com/store. It will also be available on Audible, Apple Music, etc. in the coming weeks.

Jonathan PuddleNovember 26, 2020god's love, embodiment, theology, god, contemplativeComment

#79: Charismatics in a time of COVID-19 (with Lucy Peppiatt)

#79: Charismatics in a time of COVID-19 (with Lucy Peppiatt)

My guest on the show this week is Lucy Peppiatt, Principal of Westminster Theological Centre in the UK. Lucy is a Charismatic Anglican and is a theologian, an educator, pastor and author. We discussed the gifts that Charismatic Christians offer the world in a time of crisis, as well as the areas that Charismatics need to be particularly careful about. We covered the power of prayer, using prophecy responsibly, anchoring what we say about God in the real world, as well as the importance of co-suffering & lament with our brothers and sisters around the world.

Jonathan PuddleMay 21, 2020theology, covid-19, holy spirit, church, pastoring Comment

#66: The New Testament in its World (with Michael F. Bird)

#66: The New Testament in its World (with Michael F. Bird)

This week I chatted with theologian and New Testament scholar, Michael Bird, who was responsible for editing the landmark work,The New Testament in it’s World, with NT Wright. Mike and I talked about how to read the New Testament, what it tells us about power, empire, community, culture, history and more.

Jonathan PuddleJanuary 30, 2020bible, theology, history, paul, mikebirdComment

#61: Participating in the life of God (with Father Kenneth Tanner)

#61: Participating in the life of God (with Father Kenneth Tanner)

My guest this week is Episcopal priest and poster of popular liturgical reflections, Father Kenneth Tanner. We discussed the character of God and what it means to participate in the life of God, who has already done all things and redeemed all of creation for our benefit. It might leave you speechless at the goodness of God.

Jonathan PuddleDecember 12, 2019love, redemption, theology, god, god's goodness, justice (theological)Comment

#39: A More Christlike God (with Brad Jersak)

#39: A More Christlike God (with Brad Jersak)

Brad Jersak is an author and teacher who was raised Evangelical before joining an Eastern Orthodox monastic community. Brad shared his thoughts about the God we see in Jesus, what The Cross was all about and how to deal with Old Testament violence. In Brad's words, “The law says there must be a payment. But Christ comes and freely forgives. The ledger is not paid off, it is wiped off. God effectively says, ‘If you don’t repent… I will!’”

Jonathan PuddleApril 25, 2019theology, orthodox, atonement, redemption, violence, holy spirit, brad jersakComment

#35: Love, justice and universalism (with Wm. Paul Young)

#35: Love, justice and universalism (with Wm. Paul Young)

So I’m talking to William Paul Young, and I’m thinking, “Man, I’ve got the author of The Shack and Lies We Believe About God right here. Do I ask him about universalism? Does he believe God is a woman? What does he believe about hell? Can I ask to see his heretic card? Where do I even begin?!” We ended up having a beautiful, dynamic conversation centred on the intersection of love and justice in the context of Christ’s finished work on the cross. Beware… this might change your life.

Jonathan PuddleMarch 21, 2019love, atonement, redemption, shame, hell, universalism, theology, justice (theological)Comment

#33: ReGrace - When Christians Disagree (with Frank Viola)

#33: ReGrace - When Christians Disagree (with Frank Viola)

Frank Viola’s latest book, ReGrace, looks at the shocking beliefs of many great Christians in order to help us extend grace to one another when we disagree. He reminded me that Jonathan Edwards wrote “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which I think drastically distorts the character of God while also writing a brilliant apologetic for manifestations of the Holy Spirit, which I wholeheartedly believe in. If the great Jonathan Edwards had blind spots, so do we all.

Jonathan PuddleMarch 8, 2019grace, frank viola, theologyComment

#27: The Church in American Exile (with Brian Zahnd)

#27: The Church in American Exile (with Brian Zahnd)

Brian Zahnd joined me to discuss his new book Postcards from Babylon, as well as the multi-faceted nature of the church, the richness of spiritual diversity, and how to be faithful witnesses to Christ while living inside a dominant empire. What empire claims for itself (to have the divine right to rule others and the manifest destiny to shape history), is the very thing God has promised us through his son.

Jonathan PuddleJanuary 11, 2019kingdom, jesus, patriotism, theology, brian zahnd, churchComment

#16: The focal point of Scripture (with Alan Smith)

#16: The focal point of Scripture (with Alan Smith)

Alan Smith is a pastor and writer from Dallas, Texas. Drawing from a range of Christian traditions, we discussed faith, certainty, doubt and Scripture as an unfolding narrative with Jesus Christ as the lens of interpretation.

Jonathan PuddleSeptember 13, 2018bible, god's love, theology, churchComment

#15: Scripture is a telescope aimed at God's heart (with Brian Simmons)

#15: Scripture is a telescope aimed at God's heart (with Brian Simmons)

Brian Simmons is the translator of The Passion Translation, a new Bible translation that focuses on the life and passion inside of scripture. We discussed the beauty of an evolving understanding of the Bible, the science of linguistics, and how new translations lead us deeper into the heart of God.

Jonathan PuddleSeptember 6, 2018bible, translation, passion translation, god's love, theology Comments