There has been a lot of conversation, writing, research, analysis, hand-wringing, and anxiety about church decline in recent decades. There was a heyday of religiosity in America in the middle of the 20th century. We have receded from that high watermark, but it is yet to be determined if that’s a problem or an opportunity.

This week’s episode is the second half of my conversation with Bp. Cole about Thomas Merton, and we get into peering at the current American religious landscape using Merton’s writings and thought as a lens. Admittedly, the Bishop and I are both paid believers, and as such this kinda winds up being a professional church geek conversation. However, I found ut compelling and insightful; so I hope you enjoy it. We end the conversation with the Bishop reading one of Merton’s poems that is both compelling and mystifying at the same time. So, stay with our professional church geek conversation to the end so you can hear that. You don’t want to miss it.

S5E2: The Epistle of James Part 2

Soul Searching: The Church of the Nativity PodcastBy Church of the NativitySep 22, 2021