Conscience, War, and the Courage to Prepare for Peace

Everywhere and Always

What does it really mean to worship God — and can it happen anywhere besides a Sunday morning church service? In this third installment of their 12-part journey through Let Our Joys Be Known: A Brethren Heritage Curriculum, Pastor Harry Jarrett and producer Grayson Preece dig into one of the most fundamental questions of the Christian life: Why do we worship, and what is worship, anyway? Grayson opens by reflecting on worship as a deeply personal commitment — a simple, meaningful hour that anchors his week and connects him to community. Harry pushes that definition outward, drawing on his background as a missionary and pastor to reframe worship not as a one-hour weekly event, but as the ongoing practice of assigning worth — recognizing the sacred presence of God woven through all of creation, all of our relationships, and every ordinary moment of the day. The conversation wanders beautifully from a highway drive through the Virginia countryside to the starry sky on a late-night walk, from a formative season at Camp Bethel to a surprising dinner conversation with a man in Italy who was convinced he’d mastered the Ten Commandments by avoiding relationships entirely. Along the way, Harry and Grayson explore the Pietist and Anabaptist roots of the Church of the Brethren, the Christian mystical tradition’s understanding of God’s ever-present nearness, and why the experience of feeling absent from God is itself a form of awareness that God exists. The episode builds to a passionate argument Harry makes for something most of the Christian church has quietly let slip away: foot washing. It is, Harry contends, the one practice Jesus most explicitly commanded — and the one that is hardest to do precisely because it demands genuine vulnerability, humility, and trust. He believes it could radically reshape how Christians relate to one another and to God. Wherever you are in your own faith journey — whether you show up every Sunday or haven’t set foot in a church in years — this conversation will invite you to ask: When did I last notice God? And what was it that helped me see? RUN OF SHOW 00:00 — Welcome & Series Introduction Producer Grayson Preece introduces the episode and places it as Part 3 of the 12-part Let Our Joys Be Known series. 00:45 — Why Do You Come to Worship? Grayson shares his personal reason for showing up every Sunday — the power of a simple, repeated commitment to a community and a time. 03:40 — The Hour on Sunday Harry references Nancy Beach’s book and reflects on how, for most people, Sunday morning is the only intentional hour spent thinking about God, faith, or theology all week. 05:50 — Worship Beyond the Sanctuary Harry expands the definition of worship: its root meaning is “assigning worth,” and his pastoral vocation has pushed him to help people see God not just on Sundays but in the entire arc of life. 07:00 — Acts 17 and “In God We Live and Move” Harry discusses the Apostle Paul’s speech to the Athenians as a foundation for understanding God as permeating all of creation — a thread running through the Pietist and Anabaptist traditions that shaped the Church of the Brethren. 08:00 — Seeing God on the Interstate Grayson shares a personal moment of divine awareness during a highway drive — turning off the music and suddenly noticing beauty, presence, and the sacred all around him. 09:15 — Being in the Same Room Is a Miracle A reflection on the wonder of human presence and how those moments when the “veil” parts reveal something of the divine. 10:00 — Does God Need Our Worship? Harry asks a provocative question: does God actually need us to worship? He reframes worship as building our own awareness and deepening our relationship with the divine, not informing God of God’s own greatness. 12:00 — Worship as Preparation and as Remembrance Grayson and Harry discuss how the Sunday hour might function as both a launching pad for the week ahead and a space to recognize God in what has already happened — “That was God on Thursday.” 13:50 — Camp Bethel and Worship in Creation A warm detour into the transformative experience of working at Church of the Brethren summer camps — and how an entire week immersed in relationship, community, and creation functions as extended, full-body worship. 14:30 — The Three Relationships at the Heart of Faith Grayson names what he sees as a “holy trinity” for the camp experience: relationships with God, with creation, and with each other — and how none of the three can thrive in isolation. 16:00 — Books Harry Is Reading Harry shares three books shaping his current theological reconstruction: Tony Jones’ The God of the Wild Places, and Richard Rohr’s Everything Belongs and The Universal Christ — all pointing toward a God who was already present, everywhere, before we arrived. 17:30 — Noticing God as an Act of Worship The simple act of naming “I see God here” — in a person, a place, a moment — is itself worship. 18:00 — The Absence of God and the Christian Mystics Harry draws on the Christian mystical tradition to suggest that even the feeling of God’s absence is a spiritual signal — you can’t miss what was never there. God is never absent; we are simply not always aware. 19:20 — Personal vs. Communal Faith Grayson notices the language of “I” in worship discussions. Harry reflects on the tension between personal and communal faith, the risk of becoming a spiritual hermit, and the story of the man in Italy who followed all Ten Commandments — because he had no relationships to challenge him. 22:40 — Foot Washing: The Ordinance We’re Missing Harry makes his most passionate case of the episode: that foot washing — the one practice Jesus most directly commanded — has been all but abandoned by the wider church, while the passive act of taking communion has become central. Why? Because foot washing requires you to do something. It demands vulnerability on both sides. 25:00 — Grayson’s Camp Bethel Foot Washing Memory Grayson recalls the foot washing ritual at summer staff closing — who he would and wouldn’t ask, how intimate and unsettling it felt, and what that discomfort reveals about us. 26:50 — What Foot Washing Could Do for the Church Harry’s bold claim: a regular, literal practice of washing one another’s feet could radically change the paradigm of the North American Christian church — binding people together in ways nothing else can. 27:07 — Closing & Listener Invitation The hosts wrap up and invite listeners to order Let Our Joys Be Known through Brethren Press and to continue the conversation with a friend, with or without the book. RESOURCE GUIDE 📖 The Series Text Let Our Joys Be Known: A Brethren Heritage Curriculum for Adults by Richard B. Gardner and Kenneth M. Shaffer Jr. — Brethren Press The 12-session adult curriculum Harry and Grayson are working through together. Designed for Sunday school settings, it explores the heritage, theology, and practices of the Church of the Brethren. 🔗 Order from Brethren Press: www.brethrenpress.com [https://www.brethrenpress.com] 📚 Books Referenced in This Episode An Hour on Sunday: Creating Moments of Transformation and Wonder by Nancy Beach A book exploring the deep, shaping forces that can make the Sunday worship hour a time of transformation and wonder — for both believers and seekers alike. Beach served as Programming Director at Willow Creek Community Church and later as a leadership coach. She is also the author of Gifted to Lead: The Art of Leading as a Woman in the Church. 🔗 Find on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4ft3pok] | Author’s website [http://www.nancylbeach.com] The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors by Tony Jones (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024) The story of a pastor’s journey out of the church and into the woods, in pursuit of the God he’d lost — paddling a canoe, hunting with his dog, butchering deer. Jones is also the author of Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, and he hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast. He teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary. 🔗 Find on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3PaUvBr] | Author’s website [https://www.reverendhunter.com/tgowp] Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr One of Richard Rohr’s most popular books, offering the conviction that we have no real access to who we really are except in God — and that only when we rest in God can we find the safety and freedom to be fully ourselves. A defense of contemplative prayer in which God is presented as a lover who receives and forgives everything, and in which the central insight is: “We cannot attain the presence of God. We’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.” 🔗 Find on Amazon [https://amzn.to/42DiNHg] | CAC Bookstore [https://store.cac.org/products/everything-belongs-the-gift-of-contemplative-prayer] The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe by Richard Rohr (Convergent Books, 2019) — New York Times Bestseller Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world — arguing that faith becomes less about proving Jesus was God, and more about learning to recognize the Creator’s presence all around us, and in everyone we meet. 🔗 Find on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4uQgsEL] | Penguin Random House [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558310/the-universal-christ-by-richard-rohr/] 🏕️ Camps & Places Mentioned Camp Bethel — Fincastle, Virginia A Christian summer camp and year-round event center on 470 sacred acres of forests, fields, ponds, streams, and hills in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, operated by the Virlina District Church of the Brethren since 1927. Their mission: TOGETHER — with God, with each other, and with creation. 🔗 campbethelvirginia.org [https://www.campbethelvirginia.org] Brethren Woods Camp and Retreat Center — Keezletown, Virginia A year-round camp and retreat center owned and operated by the Shenandoah District of the Church of the Brethren, located in the Shenandoah Valley just 12 miles northeast of Harrisonburg, seeking “to provide Christian educational opportunities, facilities, and programs for all ages in an inviting woodland setting.” They always need summer counselors! 🔗 brethrenwoods.org [https://brethrenwoods.org] 📖 Scripture References * Acts 17:28 — “In him we live and move and have our being” (Paul speaking to the Athenians in Athens) * John 13:14-15 — Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and commanding them to do the same * Revelation 4:11 — “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things” Faith in Process is hosted by Pastor Harry Jarrett, live from Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers Cave, Virginia. New episodes air weekly. Subscribe on Substack, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. 🔗 pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/s/faith-in-process [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/s/faith-in-process] Get full access to Harry Jarrett at pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Sunday’s Cool: Why Faith in Process Became a Live Podcast

In this bonus episode of Faith in Process, Pastor Harry Jarrett and producer Grayson Preece take the podcast on the road to a retired ministers and spouses lunch at Bridgewater Retirement Community. With an introduction from Christy Doughty, Harry and Grayson tell the story of how Faith in Process began, why it is recorded as a live Sunday school class, and how a podcast can become a new kind of “cassette tape ministry” for the digital age. Harry reflects on returning to pastoral ministry after 13 years away, needing fresh theological fuel, and wanting a space where honest questions could be asked out loud. Grayson shares what happens behind the scenes as editor and producer, from cleaning up audio to shaping each episode into a more cohesive listening experience. Together they explain how Faith in Process tries to serve both the people in the room and those listening later, creating a local conversation that can travel far beyond Weyers Cave. The episode also includes a thoughtful question and answer time about podcasts, Substack, digital access, community, Sunday school, and how churches can use new media without giving up the importance of face-to-face conversation. Faith in Process is hosted on Substack and is also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Run of Show 00:00:08 | Welcome from Grayson Preece 00:00:43 | Christy Doughty introduces Harry and Grayson 00:03:47 | Harry welcomes the live audience at Bridgewater Retirement Community 00:05:45 | Grayson introduces himself as editor and producer 00:06:33 | How Faith in Process began 00:07:20 | Harry’s return to ministry after burnout 00:08:18 | What is a podcast? 00:09:02 | Podcasting as a new cassette tape ministry 00:11:29 | Why create a Sunday school class as a live podcast? 00:13:34 | Recording, editing, and publishing through Substack 00:14:17 | How Grayson became the podcast producer 00:16:48 | What podcast editing actually involves 00:20:01 | Intros, outros, music, and distribution 00:22:31 | Why the podcast focuses on published authors and accountable words 00:24:29 | Asking the questions pastors are often afraid to ask 00:27:42 | Reaching out to authors, professors, and Brethren voices 00:29:11 | Faith at Work and Faith in Process as weekly rhythms 00:30:10 | Grayson on why hard questions matter 00:31:48 | Religious trauma series with Lonnie Yoder 00:32:14 | The original 18 to 35 audience and the actual audience showing up 00:33:00 | Audience questions begin 00:34:11 | How remote guests join by Zoom 00:35:03 | Why the podcast is audio-only 00:35:53 | What does “pod” mean in podcast? 00:36:44 | How does podcasting build in-person community? 00:41:17 | How to subscribe or follow on Substack 00:44:42 | How to find Faith in Process on Apple, Spotify, and other apps 00:46:11 | Do listeners need Substack? 00:47:27 | How to find other podcasts 00:50:14 | Podcast recommendations from the audience 00:50:51 | Closing thanks from Harry 00:51:49 | Grayson’s outro and invitation to keep processing Pull Quotes from the Transcript “Faith in Process, the podcast where we talk with real people about how they process their faith in their writing, in their work, and in their everyday lives.” “A podcast is just a new-fangled cassette ministry that costs a lot less to produce.” “What if we created a Sunday school class for this sector of the congregation, but we did it as a live podcast?” “There were questions that I was either not allowed to ask or I was afraid to ask.” “We are doing things that do build community, do build engagement, do build face-to-face conversation, but it is augmented.” Resource Guide Faith in ProcessThe main podcast home for Harry Jarrett’s weekly conversations about faith as something alive, changing, and still unfolding. Available on Substack, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Faith at WorkHarry’s sermon podcast and writing home on Substack. The Substack page describes Harry as producing both Faith at Work and Faith in Process. Pleasant Valley Church of the BrethrenThe home congregation for Faith in Process: Sunday’s Cool. Pleasant Valley lists its location as 91 Valley Church Road in Weyers Cave, Virginia, with Sunday School at 9:30 AM during September through May. Bridgewater Retirement CommunityThe setting for this bonus recording. Bridgewater Retirement Community describes itself as a retirement community in Bridgewater, Virginia. On Being with Krista TippettMentioned during the audience recommendation portion of the episode. On Being is associated with Krista Tippett’s long-running conversations about meaning, spirituality, ethics, and human life. Letters from an American by Heather Cox RichardsonMentioned as another podcast recommendation. Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack describes Letters from an American as a newsletter about the history behind today’s politics, and the Apple Podcasts listing describes it as her narrated newsletter. The Cottage by Diana Butler BassMentioned as a podcast and conversation space. Diana Butler Bass describes The Cottage as a newsletter on Substack, and its podcast listing frames it as “part retreat, part think tank” about culture, faith, and spirit. Faith in Process: Sunday’s Cool [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/s/faith-in-process] Recorded live on Sunday mornings at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers Cave, Virginia. Hosted by Pastor Harry Jarrett. Join us in person or listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-in-process/id1825409404], Spotify, YouTube, or Substack.Learn more about our congregation at pleasantvalleyalive.org [https://pleasantvalleyalive.org/] Get full access to Harry Jarrett at pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Power With: Faith, Responsibility, and the Way of Jesus

In this episode of Faith in Process, Pastor Harry Jarrett sits down with Millard Driver for a freeform conversation about power, responsibility, and the image of God. The conversation begins with the story behind the podcast itself: a friendship formed through lunch conversations, honest questions, and what Millard calls the gift of having a “soul friend.” From there, Harry and Millard explore what power is, whether it is neutral, and how every person carries some measure of power, whether they recognize it or not. Together with the Sunday school class at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren, they wrestle with the difference between power over and power with. Is power over always harmful, or can it serve the common good? How do we know when power becomes coercive, self serving, or abusive? What does it mean to use power in ways that are persuasive, loving, creative, and faithful to the way of Jesus? The conversation moves through examples from government, parenting, teaching, addiction recovery, incarceration, abuse, forgiveness, and even Spider Man and Cocaine Bear. Along the way, the episode keeps returning to a deeply Christian question: if we are created in the image of God, how are we called to use the power we have? Run of Show 00:00:08 Welcome to Faith in Process 00:00:35 How the podcast began through conversations with Millard 00:03:21 Introducing the topic: power 00:03:45 Soul friends, Celtic Christianity, and the gift of honest conversation 00:05:09 Lonnie Yoder’s earlier comments on power 00:06:19 Defining power as capacity, ability, authority, influence, and control 00:08:15 Government, democracy, and power for the common good 00:09:32 Power over, power with, and who gets the final word 00:12:23 Millard connects the topic of power to his image of God 00:13:26 Created in the image of God and created with intrinsic power 00:15:03 Old Testament images of God, Jesus, and the God revealed in persuasive love 00:17:44 Class discussion begins 00:18:00 Parenting as an example of power used for good or harm 00:18:38 Asking whether power serves the good of the other 00:20:49 Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, contemplation, and the true self 00:23:03 Lonnie Yoder’s classroom example: the professor as the most powerful person in the room 00:24:21 Spider Man and “with great power comes great responsibility” 00:24:29 Everyone has power, whether they realize it or not 00:25:01 Richard Rohr, prison, freedom, and agency 00:26:39 Corrie ten Boom, Desmond Tutu, Jesus, and forgiveness as a form of power 00:27:27 Alcoholics Anonymous and the power of example 00:28:33 Why recognizing our power creates responsibility 00:29:01 Cocaine Bear as an image of unrecognized, destructive power 00:31:10 Abuse of power in academic settings 00:32:45 Helping people recognize they are not powerless 00:34:54 Safe community, shame, fear, and the courage to bring harm to light 00:35:31 Closing the conversation 00:36:10 Outro: continuing the conversation about power dynamics Resource Guide Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative PrayerHarry mentions listening to Richard Rohr’s Everything Belongs while reflecting on contemplation, the true self, and our tendency to manipulate other people or the world around us. The Center for Action and Contemplation describes the book as one of Rohr’s best known works on contemplative prayer and seeing through God. Anam Cara and the Celtic idea of the “soul friend”Millard refers to a Celtic Christian idea that everyone should have at least one “soul friend.” The Irish phrase often associated with this idea is anam cara, meaning soul friend. This as a kind of spiritual friendship where honest conversation, disagreement, prayer, and companionship can deepen faith. Spider Man and “with great power comes great responsibility”The class jokes that all good theology comes from Marvel comics after someone quotes the famous Spider Man line. The phrase is closely associated with Uncle Ben and has even been cited by Justice Elena Kagan in a 2015 Supreme Court opinion involving Marvel. Corrie ten Boom and forgivenessA class participant names Corrie ten Boom as an example of forgiveness in the face of great harm. Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who helped Jews escape the Nazis and later survived Ravensbrück concentration camp, became widely known for her witness to forgiveness and reconciliation. Desmond Tutu and restorative justiceDesmond Tutu is mentioned as another example of forgiveness and power. Tutu chaired South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a process that sought to confront apartheid’s harms through truth telling, accountability, and the possibility of reconciliation. Clean Air Act and Clean Water ActMillard uses environmental law as an example of public power used for the common good. The EPA notes that the basic structure of the Clean Air Act was established in 1970, with major revisions in 1977 and 1990, while the Clean Water Act took shape through major 1972 amendments to earlier federal water pollution law. Cocaine BearHarry uses Cocaine Bear as a humorous image of unrecognized and destructive power. The real story involved a black bear that died in Georgia in 1985 after ingesting cocaine connected to drug smuggling. The later movie takes significant creative liberties with that event. Get full access to Harry Jarrett at pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Conscience, War, and the Courage to Prepare for Peace

In this episode of Faith in Process, producer Grayson Preece steps into the host chair while Pastor Harry is away and talks with Ewan Benjamin, a graduate student in conflict transformation at Eastern Mennonite University and Conscientious Objection Fellow with On Earth Peace. Together, they explore what it means to be a conscientious objector, why the Church of the Brethren has historically taught that “war is sin,” and how young people, families, and congregations can begin preparing now. Ewan explains why conscientious objection is not just a private belief, but a practice shaped by community, documentation, spiritual formation, and courage. The conversation moves from personal conviction to Selective Service, from Brethren history to Civilian Public Service, from the Sermon on the Mount to present-day organizing, and from fear about the military system to hope rooted in conflict transformation. This episode is especially helpful for youth, parents, grandparents, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and anyone who wants to understand the Brethren peace witness in a changing world. Based on the uploaded episode transcript. Run of show 00:00Welcome and introduction 00:35Grayson hosts while Harry is away and introduces Ewan Benjamin 01:20What conscientious objection means 02:40Selective Service registration and the missing “CO checkbox” 04:12How to document a conscientious objection claim 07:25Why family, friends, and church community matter 09:24Objecting to one war versus objecting to all war 12:00A brief history of Brethren conscientious objection 14:43World War II, alternative service, and Brethren Volunteer Service 15:49Automatic draft registration and current concerns 17:25Audience question: non-registration, risks, and consequences 21:00How churches can support youth and teach peace 23:53Biblical foundations for the Brethren peace witness 27:42Just war tradition and early Christian nonviolence 30:13God’s creativity beyond violence 30:57On Earth Peace resources and closing invitation 32:24Closing thanks and “Happy processing” Resource guide with links Church of the Brethren Conscientious Objection pageA denominational starting place for understanding conscientious objection, the Brethren peace witness, and available resources for youth and congregations.https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/ [https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/] Call of Conscience curriculumA Church of the Brethren curriculum designed to help youth explore peace, conscience, allegiance, and the practical steps of preparing a conscientious objector claim.https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/introduction/ [https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/introduction/] Church of the Brethren Conscientious Objector ToolkitA practical guide for creating a CO file, writing a statement of belief, documenting convictions, and preparing before a draft crisis.https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/toolkit/ [https://www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/toolkit/] Center on Conscience & WarA national organization offering counseling, legal support, Selective Service information, and resources for conscientious objectors.https://centeronconscience.org/ [https://centeronconscience.org/] Center on Conscience & War: Selective Service informationA helpful resource for understanding registration, non-registration, state consequences, and conscientious objection.https://centeronconscience.org/selective-service-info/ [https://centeronconscience.org/selective-service-info/] Selective Service System: Who Needs to RegisterThe official government page explaining who is required to register for Selective Service.https://www.sss.gov/register/who-needs-to-register/ [https://www.sss.gov/register/who-needs-to-register/] Selective Service System: Conscientious ObjectorsOfficial Selective Service guidance on how conscientious objector claims are handled if a draft is authorized.https://www.sss.gov/conscientious-objectors/ [https://www.sss.gov/conscientious-objectors/] Selective Service System: Automatic RegistrationOfficial Selective Service information about automatic registration connected to the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.https://www.sss.gov/about/ [https://www.sss.gov/about/] On Earth PeaceThe organization where Ewan Benjamin serves as Conscientious Objection Fellow. https://www.onearthpeace.org/ [https://www.onearthpeace.org/] On Earth Peace Team pageEwan Benjamin is listed as the Robert C. and Ruthann K. Johansen Fellow in Nonviolence, Justice, and Peace.https://www.onearthpeace.org/team [https://www.onearthpeace.org/team] On Earth Peace: “I Object! Now What?”A May 17, 2026 online Sunday school session for youth, parents, grandparents, and church leaders exploring conscientious objection, Selective Service, and preparation.https://www.onearthpeace.org/2026_05_17_co_sunday_school [https://www.onearthpeace.org/2026_05_17_co_sunday_school] Civilian Public Service and alternative service in World War IIA National WWII Museum overview of Civilian Public Service, the alternative service program shaped by the Historic Peace Churches.https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/conscientious-objectors-civilian-public-service [https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/conscientious-objectors-civilian-public-service] Shoes of Peace: Letters to Youth From PeacemakersA Brethren Press collection of letters from peacemakers written for younger readers.https://www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/9780871780454.htm [https://www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/9780871780454.htm] Brethren Volunteer Service historyA Church of the Brethren overview of Brethren Volunteer Service and its history.https://www.brethren.org/bvs/history/ [https://www.brethren.org/bvs/history/] Seagoing Cowboys and Heifer ProjectA resource from Swarthmore’s Peace Collection on seagoing cowboys, Civilian Public Service, Brethren Service Committee, and the Heifer Project.https://www1.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/conscientiousobjection/CPSResources/SeagoingCowboys.html [https://www1.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/conscientiousobjection/CPSResources/SeagoingCowboys.html] The Church of the Brethren and War by Rufus D. BowmanA bibliographic listing for the historical work referenced by Ewan in the conversation.https://www.journal33.org/salvjudg/html/chrwar.html [https://www.journal33.org/salvjudg/html/chrwar.html] Get full access to Harry Jarrett at pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Rubem Alves, Liberation Theology, and the Life Drive

In this episode of Faith in Process, Pastor Harry Jarrett welcomes Scott Holland, Professor Emeritus at Bethany Theological Seminary, for a rich conversation about Rubem Alves and the roots of liberation theology. Together, they explore why Alves matters, especially for listeners who may never have encountered his work before. Scott introduces Alves as an early and often overlooked voice in liberation theology, then follows the arc of his thought from justice for the poor and marginalized toward a wider vision of life, beauty, embodiment, imagination, and what Alves called an “erotic exuberance for life.” This episode moves beyond abstract theology into questions that feel urgent today. What drives us to seek justice in the first place? Why does beauty matter in Christian faith? What happens when churches care more about souls than bodies? And how might younger adults, artists, pastors, and seekers hear Alves as an invitation to recover a more integrated life? The conversation also touches on theopoetics, psychoanalysis, war and nonviolence, the inner life, and the tension between the life drive and the death drive in both culture and church. Along the way, Scott offers accessible entry points for anyone who wants to begin reading Alves for themselves. If you have ever felt that faith has become too dry, too rigid, or too disconnected from beauty, art, desire, and human flourishing, this conversation opens another way. Run of Show 00:00 Opening and producer intro. Grayson explains that this episode begins before the usual formal introduction. 00:00 to 09:16 Pre-conversation. Harry and Scott talk about church planting, ministry in Italy, Brazil, Bethany students, and Scott’s early connection to teaching Rubem Alves. 09:16 to 11:34 Harry’s formal welcome and setup for the episode on Rubem Alves. 11:34 to 13:28 Who Rubem Alves was, why he matters, and his place in liberation theology. 13:28 to 17:59 “Erotic exuberance for life,” Eros and Thanatos, and why ethics alone is not enough. 18:00 to 19:10 “Outside of beauty, there is no salvation” and Alves’s challenge to narrow church thinking. 19:10 to 23:27 Connections to Bart Ehrman, Thomas Jay Oord, the inner life, psychoanalysis, and theopoetics. 23:27 to 28:25 Beauty, ugliness, Easter, embodiment, and “I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body.” 28:25 to 32:45 Gnosticism, crusading theology, the body, Jesus and Socrates, and why resurrection matters. 32:45 to 38:27 Grayson’s questions on younger adults, art, joy, integration, and listening to the inner life. 38:27 to 41:12 Where to start reading Rubem Alves and how Bethany’s theopoetics program connects. 41:12 to end Closing reflections, church banter, and final signoff. Resource Guide Rubem AlvesA Brazilian theologian, educator, writer, and psychoanalyst, Alves is widely recognized as one of the early Protestant voices in Latin American liberation theology. His legacy has also grown through interest in theopoetics and theological imagination. The Instituto Rubem Alves serves as an official home for his legacy and writings. The Poet, the Warrior, the ProphetThis is probably the best starting place for listeners who want to enter Alves’s thought. Scott specifically recommends it in the episode, and it remains one of the key English language introductions to his theological and poetic voice. Transparencies of EternityA short contemplative work by Alves that includes the chapter Scott references, “Outside of Beauty, There is No Salvation.” This is a strong follow up for listeners drawn to the beauty, contemplation, and spiritual imagination themes in the episode. Tender ReturnsScott recommends this as a gentle, contemplative collection for devotional style reading. The volume was assembled after Alves’s death by his daughter Raquel Alves and gathers short translated writings. I Believe in the Resurrection of the BodyThis book becomes especially important in the episode because Scott reads from it to explore embodiment, nonviolence, and resistance to forms of theology that diminish the body. It is a central text for the Easter and embodied faith themes in the conversation. Bethany Theological Seminary, Theopoetics and WritingScott points listeners toward Bethany’s theopoetics work as a place where Alves’s legacy continues to be taught and explored. Bethany currently offers both a Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing and a certificate option. Bart Ehrman, Love Thy StrangerHarry mentions Bart Ehrman’s recent work on altruism and Jesus’ expansion of neighbor love. This could be a useful side path for listeners interested in ethics, neighbor love, and how Jesus reshaped moral imagination. Thomas Jay Oord, A Systematic Theology of LoveHarry also mentions Thomas Jay Oord’s recent work as another conversation partner for themes of relationality, love, and theology beyond rigid systems. That makes it a good companion resource for process minded listeners. Oscar Cullmann, Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?Scott references Cullmann’s classic contrast between Socrates and Jesus to underscore why Christian faith should not dismiss the body. This is a helpful background text for the embodiment section of the episode. On Earth Peace and Matt GuynnScott briefly mentions former Bethany student Matt Guynn and his connection to peacebuilding work shaped by theopoetic imagination. Listeners interested in practical peace work may want to explore On Earth Peace. Faith in Process: Sunday’s Cool Recorded live on Sunday mornings at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers Cave, Virginia. Hosted by Pastor Harry Jarrett. Join us in person or listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or Substack.Learn more about our congregation at pleasantvalleyalive.org [https://pleasantvalleyalive.org/] Get full access to Harry Jarrett at pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe [https://pastorharryjarrett.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]