What Does the Incarnation Mean? Christmas 2020 (Audio)

12/24/20 • 5 min

This is a reading of my blog post “Christmas 2020: What Does the Incarnation Mean? Three Insights.” Instead of discussing whether the event happened or whether Jesus could really also be God, I ask “If we believe this, how does it change things?” The Incarnation puts us into an uncomfortable place, especially in this year when we can so clearly see how messed up the world has become, largely due to human actions. It puts us in an uncomfortable place because it asks way more of people than they have been willing to do so far.

The blog post: https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/2020/12/24/christmas-2020-what-does-incarnation-mean/

Referenced: Jurgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: https://www.amazon.com/Crucified-God-Jurgen-Moltmann/dp/150640295X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1608825741&sr=1-1

The blog post: https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/2020/12/24/christmas-2020-what-does-incarnation-mean/

Referenced: Jurgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: https://www.amazon.com/Crucified-God-Jurgen-Moltmann/dp/150640295X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1608825741&sr=1-1

Previous Episode

Charles Taylor on Divorce and Breakup: Why Do We Do This? (Malaise 4-Audio)

Using an all-too-familiar modern story of social media seduction, consequent marital breakup, and the futile search for validation in new romantic relationships, I traverse chapters 6 and 7 in Charles Taylor’ Malaise of Modernity. The story is sadly commonplace, which is ironic because breakups are often done in the quest for authenticity. But for that reason, this story is an analog for what generally ails us. I cover some systemic reasons Taylor mentions which help explain why people often make relationship mistakes over and over again in the search for an authentic life, but I offer a critique as well.

Charles Taylor does not adequately deal with the influence of capitalism as the underlying cause of the systemic reasons he does mention, and for the deep-rooted habits of “expressivism” that yield the shallow and trivial authenticity he criticizes. Capitalism feeds off of personal misery and the endless quest for fulfillment and makes it difficult (but not impossible?) to get beyond shallow authenticity.

https://lauriemjohnson.com/

https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/

iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784

Here’s the URL to the Political Philosophy Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/608141959786172/about/

Next Episode

Where did Christians go wrong? A conversation w/ Spencer Hess on The Enchantments of Mammon (1-Audio)

In this first part of our recent conversation, Spencer and I discuss what we took away from Eugene McCarraher’s The Enchantments of Mammon. I did a series on this book not long ago, and I”ll put the playlist in a link below. We discuss the question of where Christianity started going wrong, McCarraher’s adoption of Romanticism, his preference for socialism and socialism’s compatibility with Christianity, and his even greater preference for some sort of Christian anarchism. What is the role of the church in creating community–and why doesn’t the church do it well? And we don’t mean getting together for a book club or coffee klatsch.

Enchantments of Mammon playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLsLkfggTCOx9g6UbY3rSwMKeCwsGtAZtr

https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/

iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784

https://mortc.com

Here’s the URL to the Political Philosophy Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/608141959786172/about/