Driftwood Christianity

By Andrew Smith

The podcast that carves out the faith hiding in the driftwood of life and sends it on to you

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E050 Driftwood

Driftwood ChristianityJun 25, 2023

00:00

11:59

E050 Driftwood

Not all driftwood gets picked up. Some floats by and is never seen by anyone. Some will drift in the water for years. This is the last episode of Driftwood Christianity, the last piece of driftwood that I'll send down this river.

If you found me on social over the year of this project, keep looking there. Perhaps you'll find more driftwood from me.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driftwoodtheology

Andrew on twitter: https://twitter.com/amgsmith

Andrew on mastodon: https://mastodon.au/@andrewsmith

Jun 25, 202311:59

E049 Sermons

Sermons and preachers aren't perfect. It's OK to take them and debate. And in this episode I use guidance from a rabbinic method to show you how you can do that in a way that helps you grow in faith.

LINKS

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg https://danyaruttenberg.net/

Find the show on facebook, or find Andrew on twitter and mastodon.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driftwoodtheology

Andrew on twitter: https://twitter.com/amgsmith

Andrew on mastodon: https://mastodon.au/@andrewsmith

Jun 18, 202307:45

E048 Certainty

The life of faith is sometimes pitched as a binary between certainty and doubt, and some people might be generous enough to make it a spectrum between these extremes. But what if we bring wonder into the life of faith?

REFERENCES

Another take on different kinds of faith is from Brian McLaren. He has a long interview on The Bible For Normal People in which he talks about stages of faith: simple, complex, perplexed, and harmony.

Brian's interview podcast: https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-174-brian-mclaren-the-four-stages-of-faith/

Brian's book: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/faith-after-doubt/

Find the show on facebook, or find Andrew on twitter and mastodon.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driftwoodtheology

Andrew on twitter: https://twitter.com/amgsmith

Andrew on mastodon: https://mastodon.au/@andrewsmith

May 28, 202306:18

E047 Boobs

Is God male or female? Does God have boobs? How you answer these questions will affect the way you see God, the way you encounter God. This is a call for us to be informed by prophetic images of God in the way we talk about who and what God is.

References

Samples are from Michael Franti, Every Single Soul The Conversation, What the early church thought about God’s gender Women's Ordination campaign, Female Images of God in the Bible Latrobe University, Fish that change sex

Socials

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driftwoodtheology
Andrew on twitter: https://twitter.com/amgsmith
Andrew on mastodon: https://mastodon.au/@andrewsmith

May 14, 202312:42

E046 Religious Freedom

This episode is about religious freedom in Australia, and liberal democracies in general. The debate is still going and there's much we can learn from Christian history, theology, and critical thinking that can see us through.

REFERENCES

ALRC anti-discrimination laws proposals.

The ALRC publication (look for the PDF linked from this page).

An article about the Munster Rebellion. There are plenty more out there.

David McRaney's book, How Minds Change Find the show on facebook, or find Andrew on twitter and mastodon.

May 07, 202313:37

E045 Birds

Let's ask the birds! The driftwood of this episode is birds. We learn a bit more about them and how they experience the world. And from there, we de-centre our own experiences of reality. If you've never considered the God-bird relationship, this is the episode for you.

Links & References

Australian Museum, "The first birds"

Chooks, "What can your chickens see?"

Australian Geographic, "The mystery behind a scoprion's glow"

The Conversation, "When did we become fully human?"

Bush Heritage Australia, Firebirds

Biblical passages quoted today: Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 50:11, Job 12:7-9

Find the show on facebook.

Follow Andrew on twitter and mastodon.

Apr 30, 202310:24

E044 Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a war memorial day in Australia, but it doesn't have to be the last word. Listen to this exploration of what a Christian response to the day could be. The episode covers a little history of the day, some critique and analysis of it, but finishes with an exploration of what it means to be Christians in a community of love and peace, over against a day of war and sorrow.

Links

Driftwood Christianity on facebook
Andrew Smith, your podcast host, on twitter and mastodon.
Australian War Memorial Anzac Day Traditions
Australian War Memorial Anzac Day overview
Laurence Binyon's poem, For the Fallen
Two Up
The Ethics Centre talks about just war
Australian War Memorial article about Simpson and his donkey
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Krill preaching about soldiers who become sacrifices
Vladimir Putin quotes Jesus with John 15:13 to justify invading Ukraine
Overview of writings in the early churches about Christians in military service
Rejection of military service by early Christians (some access may be required for this)

Apr 23, 202313:42

E043 Cosplay

Who likes cosplay? So many people. Is it just a bit of fun, or is there something more to it. In this episode I look at cosplay, myth, and religion; and ask where the boundaries are between them.

Links

Driftwood Christianity on facebook.

Andrew on twitter and mastodon.

Gold Coast Supanova

Oscar Wilde's poem, The Sphinx

A summary of Berger's Sacred Canopy.

The Keeping It 101 podcast.

Layout of St Paul's cathedral in London.

PreachersNSneakers on instagram.

Badiou's Ethics.

Apr 16, 202314:19

E042 Andrew

Today I pick up the story of Andrew the Apostle and take a look and then turn to look at another of Jesus' disciples: Joanna. She's got quite the story and it's worth your time to know more about her and to hear some of her story.

Links about Andrew

The Acts of Andrew: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/actsandrew.html

An article about Andrew: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=109

Two articles about Joanna

https://womeninthebible.net/women-bible-old-new-testaments/joanna/

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2018/06/27/101827-saint-joanna-the-myrrhbearer

The reference for the statistic that almost 90% of men and women have a bias against women.

Thanks to you for listening. If you'd like to support the show you can rate and review it in your podcast app. You can like and share the episode, the posts, the page.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/driftwoodtheology

Find me on twitter: https://twitter.com/amgsmith

Find me mastodon: https://mastodon.au/@andrewsmith Best of all, you can comment! This episode is now driftwood for you. What will you carve out of it?

Apr 09, 202310:38

E041 Agreeing

"But even on this point, their testimony didn't agree." This episode digs a little into the contradictions of scripture, the disagreements in testimony between the gospels, and between Christians. And it ends up in radical ecumenism.

Follow the show on facebook, or find me on twitter and mastodon.

If you'd like to support this show:

Rate and review on your podcast app.
Like and share the posts.
Leave a comment! What will you carve out of it?

Apr 02, 202310:12

E040 Erin Mawhinney

Today was an episode with a zero so I interviewed local pastor Erin Mawhinney. She leads the congregation at West End Uniting in Brisbane. We talk about her calling to ministry, her congregation and their ministry in their local community, before we move through a few thoughts from biblical texts and how they interact with her ministry.

Many thanks to Erin for her time. You can find West End Uniting on facebook, and if you're looking for an affirming progressive church in the centre of Brisbane, this might be the community for you.

Thanks to you for listening. If you'd like to support the show you can rate and review it in your padcast app. You can like and share the episode, the posts, the page. Find me on facebook, twitter, and mastodon.

And best of all, you can comment! This episode is now driftwood for you. What will you carve out of it?

Mar 25, 202324:54

E039 Miracle Wonder

The last of the three part series on miracles. This one is about wonder: wonder as awe, omens, and monsters. In just ten minutes, I'll carve a little faith out of these ideas and pass them on to you.

Remember to check out that meme-worthy modern wonder: Double Rainbow. What does this mean?

You can support the show in four ways:

1. Follow on socials at facebook, twitter, and mastodon.

2. Rate and review the show on your podcast plaftorm of choice.

3. Like and share. Pass the driftwood on to someone else.

4. Leave a comment! This is now driftwood for you. What will you carve out of it?

Mar 19, 202310:24

E038 Miracle Signs

This is part two of three shows about miracles, focusing this time on signs. Think about all the times the gospels say that Jesus performed a sign. It's so easy to call that a miracle today, but does "miracle" have the same depth as "sign"?

I referred to the sign of the head wobble, as well as the painting of The Treachery of Images. Also, you might like to find a copy of Semiotics, A Graphic Guide (by Paul Cobley and Litza Jansz).

Follow the show on facebook, or find me on twitter and mastodon.

This show is now driftwood for you. What will you carve out of it?

Mar 12, 202309:23

E037 Miracle Power

This is the first in a three part series on miracles. Part 1 covers power; the Greek word that's often translated as miracles. I talk about a couple of different kinds of power, and how love is power for that you can use today to subvert the norms around you.

For a very technical article about miracles, here's a lengthy discussion at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Follow on facebook, twitter, or mastodon.

Remember to rate and review the show, and leave a comment. This is now driftwood for you. What will you carve out of it?

Mar 05, 202308:57

E036 Ancestry

No recommendations for anything I referred to in this episode.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, or Spotify.

Just the usual ask to rate, review, and share the show. Follow on facebook, twitter, and mastodon.

What will you carve out of this?

Feb 26, 202309:16

E035 Dice

They're great in board games but what else can we learn from dice?

Remember to rate and review the show in your podcast app. Subscribe using this link: https://anchor.fm/s/9c7576b8/podcast/rss

Find the show on facebook, or follow me over at twitter and mastodon.

Feb 19, 202310:37

E034 Bad Guys

The bad guys are always someone else in the story. Right?

Follow the show on facebook, or follow me over at twitter or mastodon.

Remember to rate and review and like, or best of all leave a comment. What will you carve out of this driftwood?

Feb 12, 202309:40

E033 My God

I hope you make time to read How Do I Understand 1 Timothy 2 by Professor Beth Allison Barr.

I also quoted from Womanist Midrash by Rev Dr Wil Gafney.

Follow their work however you can.

Find this podcast on facebook and follow me on twitter or mastodon.

Like, share, rate, and review this podcast on your app of choice. Leave a comment so I can hear what you carved out of this.

Feb 05, 202312:08

E032 Resolutions

Did you set a new years resolution? How's it going?

I mentioned a couple of interviews with the CEO of Fender; a short one and a longer one.

Remember to follow the show on facebook, or me on twitter, or me on mastodon.

Share, like, rate, and review. But best of all, tell me what you carved out of this episode. It's now driftwood for you.

Jan 29, 202311:07

E031 Potential

Have you reached your full potential? Maybe you haven't bought the right apartment yet.

As promised, here's a link to Luke 14 in case you don't have other access to it.

And the socials! The facebook page, my twitter, and my mastodon.

Remember to share, rate, and reivew so people can see what you carve out of this.

Jan 21, 202309:57

E030 Self-reflection

The episode ends in a zero so it's not the usual material.

Follow me on socials so you can share the show. That's the best way to support the work. facebook, twitter, mastodon

Jan 15, 202304:26

E029 Christmas

This is the last episode of 2022! The show will be back with new episodes in January next year. Thank you for all the minutes you listened. If you'd like to give me a Christmas present this year, then here's a free idea: share the episode. All I want for Christmas, is shares.

No episode is complete without some links, and here they are.

An article about the deadweight loss of Christmas, as written by the economist Tim Harford.

Another article, this one from the Biblical Archaeology Society about the earliest dates of Christian Christmas.

Find the show on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Dec 18, 202214:19

E028 Me

Keep Jesus strange.

Also, some links for Ben Harper's song PIcture of Jesus; including lyrics, the studio recording with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and a live performance with the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Drop a comment on facebook or on twitter. That really helps show your support for the podcast.

Dec 11, 202205:31

E027 Heart valve

You should definitely be following Wil Gafney's work. She's such a blessing to the church and to the world.

Like, comment, and share this episode on socials: facebook and twitter.

Dec 04, 202207:54

E026 Family

Here are the trailers I talk about in the show. One for Shazam: Fury of the Gods and one for Avatar: The Way of Water.

Carve your own theology and tell me about it on facebook or twitter.

Nov 27, 202209:24

E025 Posts

Starting with a post, a literal signpost, I meander through providence, luck, and distribution. If you're looking for the goddesses I mentioned, they're Fortuna and Tyche and Nemesis.

Find the show on facebook and find me on twitter. Like, share, and comment. That's the best support you can give right now.

Nov 20, 202209:45

E024 Crescendolls

Starting with the Daft Punk track, Crescendolls, I carve my way through to hope.

Check out Crescendolls on youtube as well as an Interstella 5555 playlist there.

And remember to find the show on facebook or me on twitter.

Nov 13, 202207:13

E023 Tools

Let's talk about tools and what to use them for.

Just one link in this episode, the Kierkegaard entry at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Look for section 4.

Find me on facebook or on twitter. Tell me what you carved out of this episode.

Nov 06, 202206:59

E022 Halloween

What does Halloween have to do with Oscar Romero and Nicholas of Myra? You're about to find out, but it almost certainly has something to do with Allhallowtide.

Check out the Romero Trust website and specifically this homily from the Archbishop.

Then dig a little further into the world of Nicholas of Myra. There are so many stories about him and his protests against Rome.

All images used in this episode's cover art are from the public domain, but let me note that the painting of Nicholas is by Jaroslav Čermák.

Remember to find the podcast on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Oct 30, 202209:19

E021 Bro

Bro! Bro! That's so bro, bro.
But for background reading (maybe further reading?) you can check out Ethics, by Alain Badiou.
And like, share, or comment (or all three!) over at facebook and twitter.

Oct 23, 202206:49

E020 Guest - Ben Eames

This episode ends in a zero! I have a guest to celebrate as we revisit topics from episodes 11 to 19.

Check out more about Ben's projects deconstructingben, deconstructingdave, and Two Roads.

And of course, you can follow this podast on facebook and follow me on twitter (along with all the bots!).

Oct 16, 202221:49

E019 Passion

Find the show on facebook or follow me on twitter (hello all you twitter bots and also real humans who follow me there). Click the like button on the post to send me warm fuzzy feelings on the inside.

Oct 09, 202205:30