The Christian Humanist Podcast

David Grubbs and special guest host Luke Chandler moderate a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour on the topic of archaeology, especially as it concerns the excavation of Biblical sites and the effects that archaeology has had on the ways that Christians read the Bible and think about the lives of our forebears. Among the texts, ideas, and artifacts that we discuss are the Khirbet Qeiyafa site, the practice and disciplines of archaeology, David and Goliath, the Enuma Elish, the Chronicles of Narnia, Augustine, and modern theology.

Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour have some great news. It won't take long--have a listen!

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about Christian Humanist University, a Platonic ideal of a college, and what such an ideal might do for the way that we imagine and evaluate real colleges. Among the texts, ideas, and other realities we discuss are core curriculum, the purpose of a university, college athletics, specialization, relationships between college and society, and college architecture.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the seventeenth-century English poet George Herbert. In addition to readings from three of his poems, the discussion ranges from the nature of devotional poetry to the current MFA culture of active poets. Among the texts and artists we discuss are George Herbert, "The Pulley," "The Collar," "Holy Scriptures I," The Country Parson, and The Temple.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the concept of canon and the ways that it affects the ways that we receive the Bible, teach literature, and otherwise engage important texts. We propose ways to think about the "great books" in our specialty areas and discuss expansions and contractions of the canon. Among the texts, ideas, and writers we engage are the Bible, Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Women's Studies, and Derrida.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about travel, the relationships between home and the road, adn some historical changes in conceptions of travel. Our musings revolve around the imagination of travel, from wilderness wandering to pilgrimage to colonization to vacation. Among the texts, ideas, and historical figures we engage are Deuteronomy, the Vikings, Spring Break, cosmopolitanism on the cheap, truckers, pilgrimage, and Milton.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a LONG discussion of cybernetics, those relationships between humanity and technology that define everyday existence. Our conversation ranges from ancient philosophies of technology to movie and comic book bad guys to modern philosophical engagements with the character of technology. Among the artifacts and writers we touch on are Plato, Paul, Edgar Allen Poe, Darth Vader, Captain Hook, Kobo Abe, Neil Postman, Martin Heidegger, and Genesis.

David Grubbs moderates a conversation with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about Richard Weaver's essay "Language Is Sermonic." Exploring the particular topoi of rhetorical construction and the philosophy that would elevate rhetoric to a place of prominence among the liberal arts, the Humanists wax analogical and say nice things about teaching composition. Among the texts and other subjects of discussion are "Language Is Sermonic," Richard Weaver, Plato, Thomas Aquinas, and rhetoric.

Michial Farmer moderates a conversation with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about Richard Weaver's essay "Ultimate Terms in Contemporary Rhetoric." The central idea, which the Humanists explore in some detail, is that modern discourse has some peculiarities in terms of our "god terms" and "devil terms" that make dialectic a more important helper to rhetoric than ever. Along the way we discuss Richard Weaver, so-called GI Rhetoric, evangelical devil-terms, and political rhetoric.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a conversation with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about Richard Weaver's essay "The Phaedrus and the Nature of Rhetoric." Exploring Weaver's provocative connections between public speech, good and evil, and education, the discussion takes turns into philosophy, education, and all sorts of interesting places. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Richard Weaver, Plato, the Phaedrus, and Derrida.

David Grubbs moderates a conversation about various forms of Biblical and Christian asceticism, including but not limited to monasticism and mendicant orders. As the topics move from historical era to historical era, our focus returns to the possibility of genuine difference from the world that serves the world in its difference. Among the historical figures and texts discussed are Genesis, Leviticus, Saint Anthony, Saint Francis, Chaucer, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Saint Jerome, and Freud.

Nathan Gilmour apologizes for another missed episode and encourages listeners to spread the word about the episodes they have enjoyed.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with Nathan Gilmour and David Grubbs about the long legacy of Carpe Diem. We get into the history, ideology, and human condition that makes sense of it, and we offer criticisms along the way. Among the texts, authors, and other artifacts discussed are Horace, Epicurus, Ecclesiastes, Thoreau, Herrick, Marvell, Carmina Burana, Bede, Dead Poets' Society, and Glee! (Yes, Gilmour watches Glee.)

Michial Farmer offers an apology for a podcast that never happens. Really the only relevant topic is the widespread Internet outages at UGA last week.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a conversation with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the King James Bible, which has its 400th anniversary this year. From its literary influence to its translation philosophy, our discussion pays homage to one of the true literary monuments of the English language. Among the texts, authors, and topics discussed are the King James Bible (of course), Lord Byron, The Book of Mormon, Walt Whitman, dynamic equivalence, formal equivalence, metaphors in poetry, and 19th-century American religions.

David Grubbs moderates a conversation with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the ways that people in different places and moments have distinguished between rural and urban life. The strange relationship between city and countryside has always involved both idealization and demonization, and those dynamics make for some fascinating developments as imperial cities give way to the City of God and eventually become suburbs. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Gilgamesh, Genesis, the Gospels, City of God, the Canterbury Tales, Paradise Lost, Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, The Return of the King, and Rabbit, Run.

Michial Farmer moderates a lively discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about the history of national identity, beginning with the Greeks and Romans and finishing up with a discussion of post-9/11 American nationalism. Along the way we talk about the Old Testament's and the New Testament's treatments of nation, some legends and propaganda techniques that grow up around the middle ages and Renaissance, and even a bit about Egypt. Among the authors, texts, and historical moments we discuss are William T. Cavanaugh, C.S. Lewis, Philippians, Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Persian Empire, the Tea Party, and the U.S. Constitution (the document, not the sailing vessel).

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the Italian Renaissance and the broad spectrum of intellectual and artistic activity that emerges from that period. On the way we focus on the strong continuities between the concrete continuities between this fascinating time and what people in that moment called "the Dark Ages," and that discussion takes us into the realms of sculpture and politics and philosophy as well as poetry. Among the authors, artists, and others discussed are Dante, Petrarch, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Castiglione, Pico de Mirandola, and the Medicis.

Michial Farmer discusses the best music releases of 2010 in a solo podcast.

David Grubbs moderates a conversation with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the doctrine of the incarnation and its relationship with Christmas. Although we just scratch the surface of this complex doctrine, it's a surface well worth scratching. Among the artifacts and artificers we discuss are Arius, St. Nicholas, Isaiah, Zeus myths, the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Christmas carols, John Milton, and Stevie Wonder.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about the history, character, and aims of Christian rock and its later Contemporary Christian Music counterparts. Along the way we talk about the history of musical production, and David sees his normal continuity and Nathan insists on historical difference. Among the musicians, historical phenomena, and texts we discuss are Larry Norman, the Jesus Movement, Second Chapter of Acts, Steve Taylor, Audio Adrenaline, Mercy Me, and niche marketing.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs, Nathan Gilmour, and special guest host Carla Ewert about Our discussion tackles the nature of allegory, relationships between literary theory and this particular text, and Carla's recent work on Book 3 for her Master's thesis. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Edmund Spenser, the Faerie Queene, John Milbank, [French theorist], C.S. Lewis, and John Bunyan.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the divisions, history, and purposes of what folks call Classical Music. On the way the discussion digs into questions of how symphonic or operatic music stands sacred and why all three Humanists hold up classical music as worthy of a place within a Christian liberal arts education. Among the composers and artifacts we discuss are J.S. Bach, St. Hatthew's Passion, Beethoven's 9th, The Magic Flute, Plato, and Frederic Chopin.

David Grubbs and Michial Farmer continue last week's discussion about emotion and church music. Among the songs and texts discussed are St. Augustine, Karl Barth, that Manwich commercial with "Ode to Joy" in it, Friedrich Schleiermacher, C.S. Lewis, and "In the Secret."

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the music that Christians sing together. At the heart of the discussion is the purpose of congregational singing and historical shifts in what people expect from music. Among the texts, authors, and musical happenings discussed are Caedmon, the Psalms, Ephesians, Martin Luther, Fanny Crosby, the Jesus Movement, and Charles Wesley.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about the history, role, use, and abuse of doctrine and dogma. We examine modern and postmodern objections to them and attempt a case for openly partiucular Christian doctrines. Among the texts and authors we discuss are the Nicene Creed, the New Testament, Pope Benedict XVI, George Lindbeck, and a certain unnamed preacher who seems to appear on jumbotron screens.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and David Grubbs about revenge, the uneasy relationship that Christians have had with revenge, and the literary and pop-culture manifestations of revenge that interest us most. We disagree about whether abstract revenge or complex, literary-realist revenge is more dangerous, but we have fun getting there. Among the texts, authors, and other artifacts we discuss are the Iliad, Genesis 4, Romans, Matthew, Beowulf (with fanfare), The Scarlet Letter, Roger's Version, Ninja Gaiden, Tenchu: Stealth Assassin, the Princess Bride, and Unforgiven.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the origins of the mentor-protege relationship, why mentee is not a word, and some of the influences that led the three Christian Humanists to the places we are today. Along the way we suggest concrete measures whereby colleges can facilitate mentoring and discuss why mandatory mentorship is probably a bad idea. Among the texts and authors and mentors we discuss are Athena, Mentor, Paul, Timothy, the Odyssey, C.S. Lewis, Walker Percy, and Walter Brueggemann.

Michial Farmer discusses with Nathan Gilmour the work and influence of German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Central to the discussion is the nature, potential goods, and potential dangers inherent in Christians' engagements with thinkers with wildly different politics and beliefs. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Martin Heidegger (of course), Being and Time, Gilgamesh, the Gospel of Luke, and Being and Nothingness.

Nathan Gilmour talks to the faithful listeners of CHP for a minute or two about ways to support our ongoing endeavors.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and David Grubbs about kings, kingship, and resistance to monarchy in selected spots in history. We range from King David to Richard Petty, and we manage to get Jesus in there along the way as well. Among the texts, authors, and kings discussed are 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, the Iliad, the gospel according to St. Matthew, Beowulf, Charlemagne, and Elvis Presley.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the superhero, its literary antecedents, and some of its postmodern outgrowths. We go all the way from demigods and cowboys to Watchmen and Incredibles. Among the authors, texts, and heroes discussed are Homer, Gilgamesh, James Fennimore Cooper, John Wayne, Superman, Batman, the X-Men, the Incredibles, Kurt Vonnegut, and Alan Moore.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about the practice of friendship, its development from Biblical and Homeric times to modern Facebook "friends," and detours along the way. In addition the discussion ranges from modern short-sightedness regarding friendship and an attempt at a Christian theology of friendship. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Homer, 1 Samuel, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Cicero, the Inklings, The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes and James Watson, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Martin Buber, and all sorts of others. We covered a bunch of text this episode.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the Athenian philosopher Plato, the content of his philosophy, and his continuing influence for good and for ill in the Christian era. Along the way we dig into questions of the goodness of creation, the relationships between critical and laudatory versions of great individuals' stories, and how to live with teh ancients. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Plato's Republic, Euthyphro, Apology, Timaeus, and the Laws; C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia; E. Abbot's Flatland, and Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour about the history of the podcast, our reasons for continuing the podcast, and what's in store for this year. Among the authors, podcasts, and texts we discuss are the Scriptorium Daily, CWC the Radio Show, John Calvin, and our own podcast.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs, Nathan Gilmour, and special guest host Victoria Farmer on what it means to be a fan, distinctions between partisan fandom and expert fandom, fan fiction, and other fantastic things. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Hanson, Tolkien, King's X, Foucault, Hegel, and Shakespeare.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and special guest host Dan Dawson on science and faith, faith and science, history and all of the above, and what exactly tornadoes are. Discussions range from the historical illiteracy of the new atheists to the fear and ignorance that humanities types sometimes exhibit towards the laboratory. Among the texts and authors discussed are Carl Sagan, C.P. Snow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Averroes, Aristotle, and Sir Isaac Newton.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer, David Grubbs, and special guest host Ryan Gilmour on stage comedy and its televised descendants. We talk about medieval roots, Renaissance developments, American Vaudeville influences, and a whole mess about Saturday Night Live. We get to the improv, the standup, the sitcom, and all sorts of groovy things. Among the texts and comedy acts discussed are Beowulf, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Saturday Night Live, and Second City.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion of literary criticism's roots, its character as distinctive from Literary Theory, and the place of criticism in teaching and in the creation of artistic works. Along the way the discussion deals with the material conditions that lead to contemporary literary criticism, the movements against which it has tended to react, and its promise for better reading. Among the authors and texts discussed are J.R.R. Tolkien, Cleanth Brooks, John Updike, Sir Philip Sidney, John Milton, and William Wordsworth.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion about Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, and his literary life and afterlife. Along the way the Humanists discuss controversial questions such as the nature of the gospels, the relationship between history and literature, and things that make a crucifixion scene worthy of meditation or of scorn. Among the texts, authors, and movies discussed this week are Genesis, Matthew, John, the York Mystery Plays, Dante, The Last Temptation of Christ, the Passion of the Christ, Countee Cullen, and Frederick Buechener.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion with Nathan Gilmour and Michial Farmer about detective fiction, its roots in Romanticism and Victorian literature, and the changes it undergoes as the television age progresses. Along the way we talk about the sidekick figure, the development of the wounded-warrior stereotype in the genre, and why those toys on NCIS don't really exist. Among the authors, texts, and television shows discussed are Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G.K. Chesterton, Bones, House, The Wire, and the Talmud.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour on sports, their ethical weight, their psychological functions, their place in the history of civilization and of literary enterprise, and why nobody likes the Yankees. Among the contested ideas are the relative merits of civic sporting patriotism, the goods inherent in playing and in watching sports, and the art of televised football. Among the texts and authors discussed are Homer, John Updike, and A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and David Grubbs about the shape of literary education and especially the fight between Critical Theory and Great Books curricula. Beginning with the Renaissance and moving forward into the age of research universities, they examine and critique various visions of general education. Among the texts and authors discussed are C.S. Lewis, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Henry Newman, George Campbell, Adam Smith, and Thomas Malory.

David Grubbs and Michial Farmer hold forth on scary things, tracing their ancient roots and modern-era American and British flowering and exploring the sorts of things that movies do to scare audiences. Among the movies, texts, and authors discussed are Gilgamesh, Edgar Allen Poe, Horace Walpole, The Shining, H.P. Lovecraft, Jaws, Dracula, and Frankenstein.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs, Nathan Gilmour, and special guest co-host Chris Gehrz about the purpose and the future of Christian colleges, our experiences with them, and various theories of education--ranging from Reformed to Pietist--which inform life in the Christian college. Among the authors and texts discussed in this week's show are Arthur Holmes, Chris Gehrz, Will Willimon, and James K.A. Smith.

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion of youth ministry, its roots in twentieth-century American youth culture, some departures from older ways of thinking about childhood, the different ways that youth ministers have tried to adapt to the cult of the young, and some interesting developments and alternatives. Among the texts, authors, and movements discussed in this episode are J.D. Salinger, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jack Kerouac, homeschooling, Johnson City style youth ministry, and chubby bunnies. (This might be the last time chubby bunnies ever makes the show notes for this podcast.)

David Grubbs moderates a discussion of literary origin stories, starting in the Babylonian and other Levantine predecessors of Genesis, spending a fair bit of time on Genesis, and launching forth (after a detour through the Greeks and Romans, of course) into the Christian era's accounts of creation. Among the authors and texts discussed are Enuma Elish, Genesis, Rig Veda, the Gospel of John, Ovid, Caedmon, Paradise Lost, and the Chronicles of Narnia.

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion of Sam Tanenhaus's recent book The Death of Conservatism, its relative truth and worth, and how the Christian Humanists relate to various iterations of conservatism. Among the authors and texts with which we engage are Sam Tanenhaus, Edmund Burke, Neil Postman, Stanley Hauerwas, Augustine, and Plato.

David Grubbs moderates a discussion about the varieties of epic, the nationalist ideologies that motivate some of the theories of epic, the relationships between novels and epics, and how all of these discussions inform the Christian Humanists' common sense that most movies claiming to be epic movies are nearly unwatchable. Among the authors, texts, and movies discussed are Homer, Virgil, Beowulf, Hudibras, Troy, King Arthur, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, Garden State, and 300.

Michial Farmer and David Grubbs hold forth on the character of literary comedy, its place in Christian traditions, and why life is in fact one long Monty Python movie. Among the texts, authors, and movies discussed are Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Monty Python, Weird Al, G.K. Chesterton, Aristotle, and... no, at this point not even we believe this list.