The 'right' way to read the Bible

An Invitation to "Parables and Pints"

You're invited to "Parables and Pints" A Live Podcast event Friday, May 29 7 p.m. 16 Ardmore Ave., Ardmore, PA 19006 You've asked for it, and now you've got it! Join Cross Connections podcast hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill at Tired Hands event space in Ardmore for a LIVE recording session. Let's learn more together about parables and Jesus the storyteller. Our discussion will be heavily influenced by Irish theologian, Peter Rollins. Get a chance to meet the team, see how the podcast works, and get your questions answered! Tickets required; only $10 each! The event space has a maximum capacity limit. ⁠Get your tickets here now.⁠ [https://onrealm.org/StDavidsRadnor/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZmFkZjIzOTQtYmNhNi00NDM0LWFkNTEtYjQ0ODAwZWMyYmUx] Please note that there will not be food available at the space and plan to eat ahead accordingly.

The 'right' way to read the Bible

Is there a right way to read the Bible? Those who have studied in seminaries like Princeton Theological Seminary [https://ptsem.edu/] (such as our own Elliot VanHoy and the Rev. Tanya Regli) may have been taught that exegesis is the only right way. But what if we’ve been thinking about it all wrong? Our hosts, the Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy, along with guest, the Rev. Tanya Regli, explain and reflect on a lecture given at PTS earlier in April by Professor and Bible scholar, Matthew Novenson, PhD.  If you want to watch the lecture yourself, the video recording is available from PTS on their YouTube channel here [https://www.youtube.com/live/0FTCdhBsyiE?si=HpO3DJGLei2GWWg9]. (Note: Episode art is a photo of our podcast team in the library at Princeton Theological Seminary) We mention parables a few times in this episode - if you're interested in hearing more about them, please join us for Parables and Pints: A Live Cross Connections recording event! Parables and Pints Friday, May 29 | 7 p.m. | Tired Hands Brewing event space Join Cross Connections podcast hosts the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill at Tired Hands event space, 16 Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, for a live recording session. We’ll discuss and take your questions about Jesus the storyteller and his iconic parables. Tickets required; only $10 each! The event space has a maximum capacity limit. Get your tickets here now. [https://onrealm.org/StDavidsRadnor/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZmFkZjIzOTQtYmNhNi00NDM0LWFkNTEtYjQ0ODAwZWMyYmUx] Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https:/stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections]/ We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 or also email questions to ⁠crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org⁠ [%20crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org]. If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at ⁠https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ [https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving]⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill. Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at ⁠https://stdavidschurch.org⁠ [https://stdavidschurch.org].

“Mere Christianity," Part 4: Beyond Personality

C.S. Lewis saves what might be his most ambitious section for last. Book IV, Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity, tackles the Trinity, the nature of time, and what it means to become a Christian — not just a nicer person, but a fundamentally new kind of human being. What's in Book IV Lewis opens by distinguishing between making and begetting — a move that sets Jesus apart from the rest of humanity. From there, he uses dimensions for understanding the Trinity, then pivots to one of the book's most striking ideas: God exists entirely outside our linear experience of time. Every moment — past, future, and present — is simultaneously visible to God. This is far more interesting than predetermination. In the second half, Lewis argues that Christianity spreads like an infection — a good one — and that pretending to be good is actually how you start becoming good. He closes with a vision of humanity not just improved, but entirely remade: a new evolution, but one you have to choose. What we loved The chapter on time hit hard. The standard answer to "what happens after death?" is an extended version of the life we already have — but Lewis shifts that thinking entirely. The Kingdom of God isn't a longer line, it's the whole page. This reframe has implications for how God could know our choices without determining them, and we realize that C.S. Lewis comes up with this from a long line of similar thought – this same understanding can be found in the Holy Eucharist and in the architecture of cathedrals. The "Nice People" chapter also generated a lot of discussion. It's essential reading for anyone who's been burned by the institutional church or walked away because of the hypocrites in the pews. Lewis's point: Christianity was never about producing nice people. It's about a new creation. And ironically, those who consider themselves "already good" may have the hardest road ahead. The opening defense of theology as a discipline landed for us too. Personal experience matters — but theology is the accumulated map of everyone's experiences before yours. Dismissing it means navigating without the map. What gave us pause Lewis's treatment of the Lord's Prayer feels forced, shoehorning his "pretending" concept in a way that doesn't quite hold up. His misogyny is also real — even accounting for his era, you have to actively read aroundn it. His claim that you alone can stop God's work in your life runs against Paul's argument in Romans 8. If Christ is truly Lord of all, the human will seems like a pretty small obstacle. (Interestingly, Lewis handles this better in his fiction than in his theology.) Our rating: 3 out of 5 — Brilliant in places, dated in others, and probably due for a modern rewrite. If you want to keep reading: * Being Christian — N.T. Wright * Help My Unbelief — Fleming Rutledge (sermons; very much in the spirit of this book) * The Reason for God — Tim Keller (recommended with some reservation) Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections [⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections]/ We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 or also email questions to crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org [ crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org]. If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving [https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving]⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill. Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org [https://stdavidschurch.org].

Mere Christianity: Part 3 “Christian Behavior”

What does it mean to live well and what gets in the way? In this third part of our four-part series on C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity” our hosts discuss “Christian Behavior.” Rick, Natalee, and Elliot start off with a review of these twelve chapters, including: * Lewis discusses how Christians should live, but it never makes any references to Scripture. * What is morality? * What are the cardinal virtues and how do we follow them? * What does social morality look like and how does it impact politics * Why psychoanalysis (which was a popular topic at the time) isn’t in conflict with Christianity. * What C.S. Lewis doesn’t like about Freud. * Sexual morality and Christian marriage (as told by an unmarried man) * The difficulty of true forgiveness * “The Greatest Sin” (spoiler – it’s pride. Find out why.) * “Theological Virtues” of charity, hope, and faith – and what was so unique about faith that needed two chapters. Our hosts then turn to what the lessons were in this section and what some of the problem areas are when reading it in a modern context. The conversation covered: * More about “The Greatest Sin” – Pride. * How vices and virtues are at the heart of Lewis’s understanding of morality. * Lewis’ unorthodox but compelling views of heaven and hell, including how individual actions compound upon eternity. * The problems reading Lewis in a modern world including his limited understanding of love and marriage, his homophobia, and his misogyny. Despite any issues, the hosts end with one lesson each that they think readers could take away from this section of the book. * Rick: “Part of the human condition is our brokenness, but there was one person who wasn’t broken and is our model for life: Jesus Christ.” * Natalee: “Being a Christian takes work and constant reconnection with call and community.” * Elliot: “Virtues are not cages; they’re pathways to true freedom.” Two books recommended this week were: N.T. Wright’s “Jesus and the Victory of God [https://bookshop.org/p/books/jesus-and-the-victory-of-god-christian-origins-and-the-question-of-god-volume-2-n-t-wright/c0a760557523f1ee?ean=9780800626822&next=t]” and “Surprised by Hope. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/surprised-by-hope-bible-study-participant-s-guide-rethinking-heaven-the-resurrection-and-the-mission-of-the-church-fellow-and-chaplain-n-t-wright/3955818401776acf?ean=9780310324706&next=t]” If you order through these links from St. David’s Bookshop site, each order supports St. David’s International Outreach ministries. Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/ [⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/] We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org [ crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org]. If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ [https://https://stdavidschurch.org/giving] and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill. Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org [https://stdavidschurch.org].

Mere Christianity, Part 2: What Christians Believe

On today's episode... C.S. Lewis wrote a series of radio programs in the late 1930s as England was mired in World War II. In response to the everyday person's struggle with the concerns of the time, and of all time, Lewis proposes Christianity as the sensible response. Listen in as we discuss what C.S. Lewis proposes and talk about the ways it does or does not still relate to us today. This is part two of our four-part series. Today, we dive into the section that Lewis has titled, “What Christians Believe.” This section starts by discussing other religions and what they believe about God. It then moves into Lewis’s description of how Christianity is different from any of these. The show graphic for this episode is Elliot’s whiteboard drawing of these various concepts, and you can see the full image if you’re on our email list. Lewis has a particular opinion on how he believes Christians see the world as one “invaded” by an evil force. We talk about this and how the imagery does and doesn’t land so well today. Lewis also talks about the centrality of Christ’s death and resurrection and how they “work.” Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/ [https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/] We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org [crossconnections@stdavidschurch.org]. If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ [https://stdavidschurch.org/giving/] and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support. Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill. Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode/ Pond5. You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org [https://stdavidschurch.org].