Why Jesus' death wasn't (and was) a sacrifice

05/09/19 • 31 min

Episode 14: Does God require the blood of an innocent man in order to forgive us? But if not, then what does the death of Jesus mean in the Christian tradition? In this episode, we examine the emergence of sacrificial rituals in ancient societies, the connection to violence and scapegoating, and how the death of Jesus can be understood as a rejection of sacrificial systems as the means to peace.

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How did we get here?

Episode 13: One of the questions that has come up in response to the latest series on hell, has been: if Christianity is not about escaping eternity in hell, then why do so many people – Christians or not – understand this to be the central message and purpose of Christianity? How the hell did we get here?

In this episode we explore some of the key historical movements that contribute towards a Christian tradition that so often claims a belief in hell as eternal suffering, and the related lack of openness to different perspectives. From early Christianity to Constantine, Augustine, and Calvin... how did we get here, and what does this mean?

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The death of God

Episode 15: This is the second of 3 episodes exploring the meaning of the death of Jesus. Nietzsche famously said that God is dead and we have killed him. Was he right? Perhaps the answer is yes... and no. In this episode we explore how the cross becomes an icon for the death of God, or at least of many ideas we have of God. And yet it also becomes the location of divine solidarity; the presence of the divine that can be found in absence, in suffering and on the margins.