THOUGHTS: Theological Considerations during COVID

This episode begins with some of the questions I had from our previous conversation. I guess I wasn’t getting this “alternative” way that Jesus was offering. I wanted to know more clearly what Jesus’ response actually entailed. The answer may not seem straightforward at first, but I realized, as I was listening, that Gregg was answering the question behind my question. Why is Jesus’ way of doing things not as accessible as we think it should be? That was my complaint. You’ll notice that Gregg brings me through two reasons for this, the historical context and its importance to understanding what Jesus said, and the revelatory nature of Jesus’ communication. I think if you follow closely and follow along with these points, you’ll be better equipped to key into the rest of the podcast where we begin to explore Jesus’ mission and way of answering the issues that all of humanity faces. 

By Benjamin Reese

By Benjamin Reese

In this episode, you will hear a weariness in both mine and Gregg’s voice. This podcast was recorded several weeks ago, just days after the news of Geroge Floyd’s murder and the protests, and these event still weighed heavily on us. To make sense of it, to find perhaps some solace or direction, we turn to Jesus and his words. I had asked Gregg about Luke 13. I guess I had found Jesus’s response frustratingly curt and his talk about sin and repentance out of place. To get me to see what Jesus had really been up to in this communication, Gregg dug into the cultural and historical context of Jesus’ day. The somewhat academic discussion concerning Galilee and the political power of Rome helped me to begin to see the relevance of Jesus’s communication, as I continued to try to make sense of what was happening in our country.

This is your host, Benjamin Reese.

This talk came on the other side of the national news of the killing of George Floyd who suffocated under the knee of a Minnesota police officer. Prior to recording the episode, Gregg mentioned Luke 13 as a text to explore a biblical response to the subsequent tensions of the event but noted the need to set it up and give it context. It’s a passage that we explore in several episodes that follow.

In this episode, we talk about the way that movements and communities are formed through shared experiences of suffering. And I was interested to find that Gregg put Israel in that category. I think it will be important to keep in mind that when Gregg discusses the many lessons we can derive from Israel’s history during the Exodus, these lessons -- both the positive and negative lessons -- can be fruitfully applied to movements today that seek Justice. My own knowledge of Israel's history in Egypt and the subsequent Exodus and wilderness-wanderings was helpful in drawing these parallels, and listeners might want to consult Exodus 1-34 if they want to become familiar with the Biblical narratives Gregg will draw upon.

Again, this podcast was recorded over zoom, and you will hear the artifacts,  throughout the recording.

With all this talk about aloneness, I wanted to ask Gregg more about how to approach silence, prayer, and meditation. I wanted to know how these practices could be a countermeasure to the increased mental strain that COVID had put people under.

In responding to my question, Gregg relied on, among many others passages, Philippians 4:6-7

6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I think it would serve the listener well to pay attention to how Gregg explains the meaning of “guard your heart and mind.” I know I hadn’t given that phrase much thought beyond acknowledging that it’s a nice sentiment. In our discussion, I discovered it was much more than that. 

- Benjamin Reese

THOUGHTS: Theological Considerations during COVID, featuring Gregg D. Garner (theologian, entrepreneur, and artist) and hosted by Benjamin Reese (theologian, writer, and poet) is a kind of out-loud processing of current events between two friends, hoping to be helpful to others who are also trying to understand their world and their faith.

The discussion hits on themes of mental health, loneliness, hope, imagination, and stories of how Jesus himself responded to the challenging historical circumstances of his time.

Join us in this theological conversation.