The Uncensored Unprofessor
“Shaped by a flood of popular culture and social media too many Christians simply do not have the mind of Christ. In order to be His disciples we need to mount a sustained counter-assault. This podcast is given-over to that missional end.” EJR
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443 Living a Missional Life, Convo w/Miles Galla-Rini
11/19/2025
443 Living a Missional Life, Convo w/Miles Galla-Rini
For the last 40 years or so Miles Galla-Rini has been a believer. But he wasn't always committed to a walk in Christ. In this one-on-one conversation he recounts his various struggles with drugs and despair and purposelessness, and then how Jesus Christ turned his life around. But it wasn't a one-time deliverance, a once-and-done crisis event. Following Jesus, for Miles, was and is a daily commitment. Today he runs his roofing company in So Cal and uses it as an avenue for missional engagement. Oh, and we also talk about spiritual gifts and their operations. Come and think with us about a personal pursuit of Jesus.
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442 Is Pride always Bad?, Convos w/Mark
11/12/2025
442 Is Pride always Bad?, Convos w/Mark
Augustine wisely argued that pride is the root of all sin. That's a solid interpretation of biblical teaching but is that all there is to be said on the matter? Obviously not. It is not wrong to exercise one's gifts—or agency or abilities—to the good of one's family, neighbors, or society. So we need to be theologically aware about pride but recognize that a lack of ambition is detrimental for who and what a person is. Here's another angle: why is government so consistently inefficient? Because there is a lack of personal ownership in what gets done; if no one is finally responsible it sows indifference through the system. What the system could use is a dose of personal pride, pride in one's efforts. Still more, when Jesus said, "take up your cross and follow me" did he mean we should kill the self? Is that the Christian goal, dead selves? Again, let's be more accurate, careful, and flexible. Mark recounts pride of homeownership. Ed recounts having spoken about self-esteem at a college women's dorm floor meeting. Come, think and laugh with us about pride and the Christian worldview.
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441 What about the Good?, Convos w/Mark
11/05/2025
441 What about the Good?, Convos w/Mark
Can Christians be good? Can non-believers be good? Mark and I work through questions like these inside a biblical and Christian worldview. There is an established and severe piety that says human beings are only evil, and there is a kind of popular piety that say I can never be good enough. How should we think through these issues? What kinds of patterns in life can we recognize that go toward the good? And then, just what is the Christian mission? Evangelism alone? Or is doing good, even beautiful, things also part of what the Lord has for us? In that work do we have to be perfect for the action to be blessed of God? How perfect? Why? Come laugh and think with us as we work through this oft-misunderstood topic, goodness.
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Christianity E & W, but mostly East!
10/29/2025
Christianity E & W, but mostly East!
What is Eastern Orthodoxy? How does it compare to Western Christianity? Do the Orthodox follow the Pope? In this requested episode (thank you, Hannah!) I describe distinctives of the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity. When did the West and East split? Why did they split? Can Orthodox priests marry? Are Orthodox patriarchs and bishops allowed to marry? How do the Orthodox want a congregant to feel during a Liturgy (service)? What is the purpose and effect of icons? What do the Orthodox teach about the process of becoming like Christ? As we ask and answer these questions I am also asking listeners to wonder, what is the baseline of being a Christian? Is it social service and/or social justice? Is that baseline doctrine and having a uniform and tidy theological system? Is that baseline that one fervently studies the Bible? Come think with me about being a Christian, in general, and what Eastern Orthodoxy is, in specific.
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439 God, the Devil, and the Flesh (Conversations w/Mark)
10/22/2025
439 God, the Devil, and the Flesh (Conversations w/Mark)
Across a Christian's daily life different agents—God, the devil, and human flesh—play a role in what we do, or don't do; and those three definitely play a significant role in how we process our own misery. Mark and I discuss how daily, even little and constant, decisions shape our souls and define our character. In that process of becoming it is easy to blame the devil for misery or chaos, but as often as not we have made a whole trail of decisions that move us into situations that are uncomfortable. As examples Mark and I discuss: eating donuts, the nothingness of the Minneapolis Catholic-school murderer, and the recent "give me that baseball!" Karen-acting-out public embarrassment. What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Is the presence of God our reward for holy living or the source of our holy living? We explore all kinds of daily examples of pursuing Christ. Oh, and. . . the Bible is far more sophisticated than other world religions when it comes to understanding the causes of misery and suffering. How is that so? Come think and laugh with us!
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438 Dark Clouds Forming? Charlie Kirk Aftermath
10/15/2025
438 Dark Clouds Forming? Charlie Kirk Aftermath
The effects of Charlie Kirk's public murder continue to emerge. What are the patterns we—my friend Mark and I—are recognizing that follow in the wake of Kirk's assassination? Was the murderous shooter just a lone nut? Is society's Overton Window closing? Why is the Left inciting such violence? And then here's one for you: when should you move to another town or state? Is it a lack of trust in God to pick up and move? (Why did Ed's ancestors move out of Eastern Europe?) How does false piety get in the way of wisdom about staying or leaving a given place? At bare minimum we are seeing a public hatred of authority and an intentional Balkanization of America (and the church) taking place. Will Charlie Kirk's murder cause the frog to leap out of the boiling kettle? Come think and laugh with me and Mark!
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437 Daily Life—Fighting Spirit vs Resting Spirit
10/08/2025
437 Daily Life—Fighting Spirit vs Resting Spirit
The Scriptures are full of admonitions both to fight for the Lord and his ways and to rest in the Lord. But what does that look like in everyday life? When to fight? When to rest? And even worse for everyday-Sunday believers, what to do when a syrypy-goo is poured thick over all that?! We talk through everyday realities between the poles of fighting and resting, then we also ask what it means to fight (or whether to fight) for the health of culture and sign. On the one hand we're called to be gracious (which gets corrupted to mean "we must be nice!"). On the other hand we're called to be faithful. What did seizing the problem mean for Mark as a mailman? What did seizing the problem mean for Ed as a professor? What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer have to say about what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a fracasso? Come think and laugh with us!
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436 Charlie Kirk; History is Pivoting
10/01/2025
436 Charlie Kirk; History is Pivoting
I was only 7 years old when both MLKJr and RFK were assassinated in 1968. (I've been to the MLKJr Memorial and Museum in Memphis.) But I do still recall the swirl, energy, anger, the horror people felt from their assassinations. Those two mens' respective murders propelled the Civil Rights movement into dominance. No less is happening today with the assassination of Charlie Kirk three weeks ago. And this season of national grief is impelling a revival in the Church. But it won't be a revival like we've seen in the past. No, this revival both stems from and will passionately move toward a cultural and political effect. There's no more "me and my boyfriend, Jesus" kind of private Christianity that will seize our nation's attention. To that end, or flowing from that energy, I reference the method of leadership suggested by Karl Barth. He was a German theologian who criticized the Nazis, and I believe his suggested m.o. is brilliant grist for today's small "o" orthodox, confessing, Christ-glorifying Church. We are in a season of epic historical transformation. Will the Church tap into that, or will the American Church continue to duck and hide? Come think and laugh with me.
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435 Charlie Kirk Aftermath—Moral Equivocation
09/24/2025
435 Charlie Kirk Aftermath—Moral Equivocation
Like me, you have seen and heard the folks who are either celebrating or giving a pass to Charlie Kirk's assassination. That celebration's been pretty obvious. More subtle are the attempts to cause moral confusion. And that confusion comes specifically through both moral equivocation and the drawing of false moral equivalencies. What do those two means look like? I give examples. How do some pastors and churches fall in with equivocation and false equivalences? Why do they do that? I also mention how one Southern California university has been dealing with the Charlie Kirk murder and what it says about their values. We are now in a season of profound separation and crystallization. Is that good or bad? What do I do with the calls for unity that are now beginning to sound? Come and think with me in this formative and historic season.
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434 Charlie Kirk Assassination
09/18/2025
434 Charlie Kirk Assassination
On Wednesday, September 10, a prophet was assassinated in Utah. That public horror was an archetype of desecration for us all. Truth is, Charlie Kirk was a prophet. What do I mean by that? What does the Bible show us about prophets? What do I think Charlie's public murder represents about where we are in Church history? What do I, building out of Charlie's vision, believe is the way forward for Church mission? Charlie's vision was filled with Christ, an eternal perspective, love, and family; his was a celebration of what it meant to be male and female and children and families. How can we build on that? Particularly, after spilling my emotional guts out, I explain what I believe this all means for Church mission vis-å-vis Progressivism. War has been declared on the Church, the Gospel, Christ, and God by Progressivism. How should the Church respond? How should you respond?
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433 Will the Earth Last Forever?
09/10/2025
433 Will the Earth Last Forever?
Will the Earth last forever? It's an interesting question that goes into several areas: worldview (bible and theology vs. science), what it means to be human, what the Eschaton (resurrection life) will be like, biblical prophecies, the nature of Jesus' own resurrection, the doctrine of creation, God's nature, and the power of God. With my friend, Mark, I discuss pertinent biblical passages, formative biblical teachings, the reality of continuity and discontinuity in Jesus' resurrection. Mark has a minor degree in horticulture, so I ask him what would planet Earth be like if all the plants were finally burned up? So many Christians today look at the earth and think, "oh well, it's all going to burn anyway!" But really, is it? Is that the biblical portrayal? Let's build our hope together as we think about the future of our planet.
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432 Does God Change? Immutability and Dynamism
09/03/2025
432 Does God Change? Immutability and Dynamism
Does God change? If we answer yes how can we know whether our salvation is certain? And here, 2000 years into the fray, the question is more pertinent than ever. We have, what, half?!, the Church that thinks God has changed his mind about several critical matters: the mode of salvation, morality, truth, and even whether male and female are essential human qualities. But then if we answer no, God cannot change does that mean God is frozen inside his own self? Is he unmoved by what happens in time, on the earth? With my friend Mark I explore these questions with regard to pertinent Bible passages, theological formulation, philosophical infiltration, and the issue of Christian mission. Just how do we partner with God? With which God are we partnering? Is following Christ a matter of divine fatalism? Is God really causing every single thing that happens in life? Come think and laugh with us! We mean to help you hone your faith.
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431 Truth Telling vs Lying; Conversing w/Mark
08/27/2025
431 Truth Telling vs Lying; Conversing w/Mark
Why should Christians tell the truth? Is doing so narrowly a matter of being like Christ? If not, what other considerations and dynamics come into play? Should Christians ever tell a lie? Or, could Christians tell a lie if it was for the sake of love? What Scripture verses come into play on the matter of truth telling and lying? What kind of ethical schools of thought come into play as we work through speaking the truth? Why were so many Christians deceived by the media and politicians over the last 5 years? Come join me and my long-time friend, Mark, as we think aloud together about the importance of truth telling.
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430 God's Love for the World vs Worldly Love
08/20/2025
430 God's Love for the World vs Worldly Love
Christians are called to love the world as God did. But believers are also called to forsake worldliness. So, what 's the difference between love for the world and forsaking the love of worldliness? In this, third, conversational episode with my friend Mark we discuss that tension and go on to variously discuss: the definition of love, pertinent Bible verses about love, the arc of one's life, and life's true North star for Christians. Just what does it mean to go against the tide? How did Mark go against the tide at his job? How has Ed resisted worldliness across 8 years of producing his show? How does the world "turn on the spigot" for us so that we conceded much of what it means to follow Christ? After all, there are openly wicked temptations but then there are ways of just going along with the tide; both sides can be equally destructive. Come laugh and think with the two of us!
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429 Murder vs Killing; Conversing w/Mark
08/13/2025
429 Murder vs Killing; Conversing w/Mark
What should be a Christian's position on murder and its punishment? In this second episode where I converse with my old friend Mark, we work through the biblical framing on killing vs murder. Is the New Testament full of mercy whereas the Old Testament was full of vengeance? Were there two different Gods, and Jesus brought with him news of a loving God? Do most people live according to love or fear? Why? Why is an appropriate level of fear not only helpful but necessary for society to flourish? Or, here's a hard question: is the anti-capital-punishment church of today more wise and/or virtuous than the church of seventeen hundred years? More locally, how did the recent plea bargain deal offered to the Moscow murderer play here in Idaho? How'd that plea bargain play with some of the family members of the murdered? Let's think through this difficult topic from a biblical angle. Come laugh and think with myself and Mark.
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428 Blessable vs. Earning God's Favor (Conversations w/Mark)
08/06/2025
428 Blessable vs. Earning God's Favor (Conversations w/Mark)
First episode in a new series! Conversations with my friend Mark, "Blessable vs. Earning God's Favor." Psalms 1:1 reads, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers." This verse echoes the whole Bible which teaches that God wants to bless, but that He especially wants to bless a certain kind of person. In this rolling mutual talk Mark and I work through the (apparent) tension of being a person God wants to bless versus thinking one has earned God's blessing by being virtuous (or any other number of means). Is it wrong, selfish even, to want to be blessed? Should we entirely eliminate personal desires when it comes to seeking God's blessings? Come and think with the two of us!
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427 Historic Scandal; Christian Positions on Politics
07/30/2025
427 Historic Scandal; Christian Positions on Politics
On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Director of Nat'l Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard gave a Whitehouse Press Briefing. She explained her office now has documents that prove the highest level scandal in American history. This is no longer a conspiracy. Who was involved? For how long? What did they do to promote their narrative? I explain why this scandal is a nuclear water cannon compared to the squirt gun pee that was Watergate back in 1972. Unlike Watergate this more-recent scandal cost people friendships, wrecked extended families, divided churches, cost people jobs and potential jobs, and even infected how people view international relations. How can the country recover? How will trust ever be rebuilt? In the show's second half I work through various traditional positions of Christian on political engagement. What are the dominant "no" and "yes" models? In the show's opening I talk about why Boiseland has such a tiny homeless problem. Come and turn on your beautiful God-given brains with me.
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426 American Christian WorldviewState by State
07/23/2025
426 American Christian WorldviewState by State
From 2020 to 2025 the Barna Polling Agency conducted 15 minute polls on nearly 18,000 Americans and their worldview. Recently Barna published the results of that poll and displayed the percentages of population that embraces a Christian worldview. The results are both shocking and fascinating. I work through all 50 states and humorously muse aloud on the results. Which region is the most Christian? Least? What are some of the surprises? In the show's cultural-assessment opening I discuss the election campaign of Zohran Mamdani, a young Muslim running for mayor in NYC. As it turns out, Mamdani's strategy has been both employed and successful in Europe. It also reveals what the Progressive movement will be attempting for many years to come here in America. Come think and laugh with me!
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425 The Lord's Prayer—My Spiritual Scaffold
07/16/2025
425 The Lord's Prayer—My Spiritual Scaffold
Many Christians feel lost when it comes to prayer. How should one go about praying? Other believers feel aimless, "how can I come up with a novel & unique prayer every single day?!" In this episode I explain how the Lord's Prayer (Our Father, Pater Noster) serves as a scaffold for my own praying. Or, perhaps better, how the Lord's Prayer serves as a targeting system for my praying. Jesus' prayer is a prayer for soldiers. We were born into a war when we exited our mother's placenta and we were born into a war when we confessed Christ and became new creations. So I name each phrase of the established prayer and then theologically unpack what it means, peel back some layers, and even clarify how I pray with regard to that phrase. In the show's cultural-examination opening I variously discuss: the attacks on ICE agents, the rioting in Portland and Dallas and California, the ongoing opaque nature of the Epstein files, and what I want to happen with regard to what went on at Epstein's sex island. Come laugh and think with me!
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424 Quick Hitter—Caitlyn Clark
07/09/2025
424 Quick Hitter—Caitlyn Clark
In this quick hitter (21:10 mins) I variously discuss: why I prefer Christ to Messiah; the Crusades e-booklet I will give to $10+ Patreon pledges; the two sermons I recently preached; the value of asking questions in a Post-Christian culture; our recent trip to the Oregon coast (all the animals I saw, all the brokenness I witnessed); my son's experience of coaching tee-ball here in Spudlandia; our culture of non-participation with continued expectation; and the WNBA phenom, Caitlyn Clark. There is a new biography out about Caitlyn as a person. She keeps it classy when questioned about how the majority of the WNBA players resent her, take cheap shots at her. What do I admire about Caitlyn? How much is she helping the WNBA tv ratings increase? Come laugh and think with me!
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423 Crusades (15) Siege of Vienna; My Challenges for Islam Christianity
07/02/2025
423 Crusades (15) Siege of Vienna; My Challenges for Islam Christianity
The siege of Vienna (1683) was an epic history-making event. Sultan Mohammed II and his Grand Vizier, Kara Mustafa, eyed the "Golden Apple" of Vienna with great hunger. If Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire fell, the spoils of Poland, Germany, France, and Italy lay ripe for the picking! At first two hundred thousand Muslim soldiers fought against twelve thousand Austrians at the Vienna city walls. Weeks later sixty-five thousand Poles and Germans arrived and fought the Muslims out on the battle field. In this last episode in my Crusades series I narrate the heart-stopping battle. What finally woke Western Europe from its long-standing languor, its sleep? What kind of ostentatious things did Kara Mustafa keep at his war camp? In the show's opening I raise two challenges each for Christianity and Muslim. No, my questions are not theological. They are more simple: what will each religion do in order to safeguard the future of humanity's existence? Come and think deeply with me about our lives in Christ.
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422 Crusades (14) Dhimmitude: Life Under Muslim Rule; 1453 Fall of Constantinople
06/25/2025
422 Crusades (14) Dhimmitude: Life Under Muslim Rule; 1453 Fall of Constantinople
What was it like, if you were not a Muslim, to live under Muslim rule? Even though the Koran calls for religious freedom why did that not, in fact, ever serve as the way of life? How would the Muslims carry out forced religious conversions? What kind of daily realities did the Dhimmi (subjugated, humiliated) live with? How were Jews treated? Then, in the show's second half, I describe the siege, battle, and 1453 fall of Constantinople. Byzantium, later Constantinople, successfully withstood 2110 years of siege attempts. So, how did Sultan Mohammed II finally enter and capture the city, "the giant thorn" in the side of Islam? Why did the Muslims practice pederasty? Who, when a city was siezed, would be ganged raped? (Warning: graphic execution practices are described in detail.)
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421 Crusades (13) 7th Crusade (Israel bombs Iran; The Bible on Nat'l Boundaries)
06/18/2025
421 Crusades (13) 7th Crusade (Israel bombs Iran; The Bible on Nat'l Boundaries)
France's King Louis IX led the 7th Crusade. But he broke with established crusader order by starting first in Tunis instead of Cyprus. Why? And what happened in Tunis? I peel back the layers of the seventh Crusade. We explore the great battle between the Mongols and the Muslims, show why Sultan Baybars earned the nickname "the merciless," and talk about the profound political spin that contemporary authors have put upon the Crusades. In the show's opening reflection I recount some of the details of Israel's bombing (and assassinations) of Iran. Why I reject the dominant interpretive Neo-Marxist frame for understanding the Middle East. Then I work through questions like: How do the people of Iran feel about the bombings? Whom did Israel specifically target? We also examine the recent peaceful riots occurring in America's major cities. Is Thailand racist to require immigration visas? Why don't they allow Cambodians and Malaysians to wander across the Thai border? To set up the immigration question I note a FB post I read from one of my former students. And then, to establish a biblical perspective, I note what the Bible has to say about national boundaries and borders. Come think and laugh with me!
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420 Crusades (12) 6th Crusade (Teachers are Quitting?)
06/11/2025
420 Crusades (12) 6th Crusade (Teachers are Quitting?)
The sixth Crusade is famous for the involvement of France's King Louis IX. What was he like? Why was he so beloved? What decision did he make that led to the disastrous end of the sixth Crusade? I also clarify what I admire about Medieval Crusaders. They had something that I see nowhere in the contemporary American Church. In the show's news-review I variously comment on: the Deconversion trend at work; the number of NFL teams no longer celebrating Pride month; the unprecedented number of universal injunctions being used against Donald Trump and what it says about the Democrat party; young Americans are having more strokes than at any time in history, what's going on?; an extended reflection about a video on X.com where a 26 year old brand-new teacher explained why she's quitting; a narration of the pizza-pie-chart I made 8 years ago when I myself quit teaching college. Come laugh and think with me!
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419 Crusades (11) Fifth Crusade (What about Harvard?)
06/04/2025
419 Crusades (11) Fifth Crusade (What about Harvard?)
A short 9 years after the fourth Crusade ended the Pope called for a fifth. And the aim still was? Taking back Jerusalem. But the Crusaders—again!—made bad strategic decisions. And then, of all weird things, in the middle of the Crusade the Sultan was visited by Francis of Assisi. I recount the exchange between those two men and reflect on the spirit of Crusading. When King Frederick of Germany, and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, eventually arrived he finally regained Jerusalem. All that, and Frederick wasn’t even a Christian. In the show’s opening cultural reflection I work through the recent conflagration concerning Harvard and higher education. What is going on there that provoked Trump’s ire? Why am I a bit conflicted? Why am I enjoying no small amount of Schadenfreude? I also tell homefront tales about catching a big black spider and a conversation with a single-dad Robin I had last week. Come laugh and think with me!
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418 Crusades (10) 4th Crusade (What about Christian De-Converters?)
05/28/2025
418 Crusades (10) 4th Crusade (What about Christian De-Converters?)
The Fourth Crusade was arguably the most disastrous of them all. In the year 1204 Catholics betrayed Catholics, Catholics and Byzantines betrayed one another, and Byzantine royal family members betrayed and murdered one another. What could go wrong?! I narrate the role and place of Venice in the fourth Crusade. Across the episode I also ruminate about all the Christian De-Converters we are reading about today (how to assess what they are doing), what is the difference between Islam and Christianity on the topics of being inside and outside the religious community?, and describe a recent extraordinarly beautiful trip to Northern Idaho. Come think carefully and laugh with me!
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417 Crusades (9) 3rd Crusade (My Framework Re. Bible & Violence)
05/21/2025
417 Crusades (9) 3rd Crusade (My Framework Re. Bible & Violence)
The Crusaders held Jerusalem and the Holy Land for a short 88 years (1099-1187). But when Caliph Saladin (a Sunni Kurd) recaptured both the relic of the "True Cross" and Jerusalem itself a third Crusade was called for by Pope Urban III. Among those who answered that call was Richard the Lionheart, the King of England who carried King Arthur's famed sword "Excalibur." In this episode I recount what preceded Saladin's re-conquest of Jerusalem, the challenges of staying hydrated for the Crusaders, the ongoing suspicions and betrayals between Byzantine and Holy Roman Empire Christians, everyday life on the Crusader march, and how Richard and Saladin finally ended their warring. In the show's opening I reflect on American students' deliquencies on their school loans. I also explain still more about the Bible and violence, delineating how I frame the question of violence and/or pacifism from Old Testament to New Testament. Come and enjoy some intellectually fresh Wagyu beef with me!
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416 Why Christian Colleges Always Veer Left; American Pope!
05/14/2025
416 Why Christian Colleges Always Veer Left; American Pope!
I'm interrupting my series on the Medieval Crusades to think with you about the question, why do Christian Colleges always slide to the Theological (and with that, Cultural) Left? I listened to a recent Theology Pugcasters podcast episode and they really got me to thinking. I add my own reflections and experiences to their insightful analysis. Then, because the Roman Catholic Church has elected a new Pope I reflect on the prospects of a Pope Leo XIV papacy. Who is he? He's from America but how American is he really? Why did the Cardinals vote him in after only 3 votes? Why do I—yes and amen—want him to be an advocate for the planet's disenfranchised populations?! Along the way I also reflect on a recent vivid X.com picture I saw and tie that into a reflection about Elon Musk now having sired 12 children. What is unique about that? What does it say about where society is headed? Come think and laugh with me.
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415 Crusades (8) Second Crusade (Turn the Other Cheek)
05/07/2025
415 Crusades (8) Second Crusade (Turn the Other Cheek)
What happened in the Mid-East that motivated the second Catholic Crusade? Why did a monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, preach the Crusade? What happened to the armies of King Conrad and King Louis VII along the way over and down to Constantinople and Cappadocia? How did the centuries-old suspicion between Orthodox and Catholic Christians play out during the second Crusade? I examine and answer all those questions in this episode. I also offer an extended reflection on Jesus' famous words, "turn the other cheek." What did he really mean in his first-century context? I also offer an extended thought-piece on why I do not believe either the Bible or Jesus himself were against the godly use of violence and/or war. Oh, and I wonder, what is the etymology of whore? Is it possible that the Arabic word houris—sexified concubines waiting in the afterlife—played into the history of the word whore? Come laugh and think with me about our faith in Christ.
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414 Crusades (7) Jerusalem Kingdom (Pacifism & Capitalism)
04/30/2025
414 Crusades (7) Jerusalem Kingdom (Pacifism & Capitalism)
Truth is? I hadn't planned on producing this episode. But way back when I was working on my PhD I learned that one has to go where the historical record takes one. So in this episode I narrate details about the Jerusalem Kingdom (the 600 square mile empire) that arose after the First Crusade. Led by different orders of Knights, the Jerusalem Kingdom became the locale for the fantastic accumulation and management of wealth all over Europe. How did that happen? What was so amazing about the Knights Hospitaller? Why did the Knights Templar explode in growth and influence? I also address an important question, why didn't the Medieval Christians practice corporate pacifism? Concerning that very question what specific factors and decisions were thrust upon them all? In the show's cultural reflection I talk about the legacy of Pope Francis and explain why I believe another Pope like Francis will follow in his wake. Come laugh and think with me.
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