God for Grownups

When I first heard about the "Big Bang Singularity," probably while watching the movie Interstellar, back in 2014, my immediate thought was God. Think about it: classical theology teaches that God resides, likewise, beyond space and time. Space and time, in other words, lose meaning when applied to God. How is this any different from the Singularity posited by science? Maybe, I wonder, the Singularity is sacred.

Pastor Dan Peterson and Dr. Beatrice Lawrence discuss and compare Christian and Jewish perspectives on violence, in light of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

How do we explain such rash behavior on the part of the earliest disciples? Pastor Dan Peterson shares what he believes to be the best answer to the question of why the disciples immediately left everything to follow Jesus. The answer sheds light, as well, on what it might mean for us to follow Jesus today. This episode of God for Grownups is Pastor Dan's sermon from Queen Anne Lutheran's weekly audio podcast service. Subscribe to the Queen Anne Lutheran podcast for the full service and more messages from Pastor Dan. 

This past week we learned, thanks to an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, that Dr. Jill Biden, soon to be our nation’s First Lady, is not a doctor, at least according to Joseph Epstein. Today, when men like Epstein deny the dignity and freedom of women by telling them to “know their place,” let us remember the example of Mary, whose choice and dignity were respected by no less than God.

Pastor Dan Peterson of Queen Anne Lutheran Church and guest Dr. Beatrice Lawrence of Seattle University, an expert in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Hermeneutics, discuss Christian and Jewish perspectives on the immortality of the soul, what happens when we die, and how the answers can inform the way we live.

1 Timothy 2:12 -- "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent" -- makes the biblical view of women clear.  Or does it?  Join Dan and Bea as they explore the topic of women in the Bible, comparing this verse with others and finding some highly surprising alternatives along the way.

How can religious traditions continue when the communities that define and inspire them are kept from coming together? Dan and Bea discuss the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Jewish and Christian communities, the struggle to bridge the gap with technology, and the long-term impact on our understanding and practice of faith. 

Dan and Bea discuss some important and surprising facts to know about Hebrew Bible, and the Old and New Testaments, and larger differences between the Jewish and Christian traditions, providing some important background in the God for Grownups podcast series.

Bea and Dan discuss the historical roots and modern implications of Anti-Semitism from a Biblical perspective, tracing this insidious form of bias and discrimination from the "great divide" of the Jewish and Christian faiths to present-day politics.