Faith, Pride & Gulliver's Travels | Karen Swallow Prior

Faith, Pride & Gulliver's Travels | Karen Swallow Prior

What if a 300-year-old satire about tiny people and giants is actually one of the most relevant books you can read right now? In this episode, host Travis Jamieson sits down with author, professor, and Substack writer Karen Swallow Prior to unpack Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels — not the children's story you remember, but the fierce, theologically rich satire beneath it. From the dawn of the Enlightenment to the age of AI, Swift's insights about human pride, perspective, and the limits of reason feel more urgent than ever. In this conversation: * Why Gulliver's Travels is satire, not a novel — and why that matters * How Swift's Christian faith shapes every voyage * What Gulliver reveals about human perspective * The scatological humor that is actually a profound theological argument * Why the fourth voyage — the land of the Houyhnhnms — is a warning, not a utopia * How Swift's critique of frictionless rationality connects to AI, disability, and the Incarnation Karen Swallow Prior has written a free 16-part analysis of Gulliver's Travels on Substack — links below. Karen's Substack [https://substack.com/@karenswallowprior] Tags: Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift, Christian literature, Karen Swallow Prior, classical books, satire, Enlightenment, theology, Christian podcast, great books, faith and culture, human nature, AI

The Man Who Invented the Modern World | Graham Tomlin

Blaise Pascal — mathematician, physicist, inventor, and theologian — helped shape the modern world while offering one of its most penetrating critiques of it. In this episode, Travis Jamieson sits down with Graham Tomlin (Bishop of Kensington, author of Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World) to explore why a 17th-century genius feels urgently relevant today. From the wristwatch to the computer to public transportation, Pascal's fingerprints are everywhere in modern life. But his deeper legacy may be his unflinching diagnosis of the human heart — our restlessness, our addiction to distraction, and our longing for something no screen or success can fill. In this episode: * Why Pascal is called "the first modern Christian" * Pascal's Night of Fire — the hidden document sewn into his coat * Faith vs. reason: what Pascal really believed * Why Descartes' God was "uncertain and useless" to Pascal * The hidden God of Jesus Christ vs. the God of the philosophers * Pascal's diagnosis of distraction — and why it hits harder in 2025 * The infinite abyss and what can actually fill it Keywords: Blaise Pascal, Christian apologetics, faith and reason, Pascal's Wager, Pascal's Night of Fire, Pensées, Graham Tomlin, Christian philosophy, theology podcast, distraction and the soul, hiddenness of God, Jansenism, modern Christianity, apologetics podcast, Christian faith podcast 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and ideas. 📖 Get Graham's book: Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World [https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Pascal-Made-Modern-World/dp/1399807641]🌐 Explore Graham's work: seeeandunseen.com [https://www.seenandunseen.com/]

John Calvin, Refugee Theologian — with Dr. Kenneth Woo

What did it mean for John Calvin to be a refugee — and how did that shape everything he believed? In this episode of the Faith Informing Podcast, host Travis Jamieson sits down with Dr. Kenneth Woo, Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of "John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile." Dr. Woo unpacks how Calvin's experience as a political exile from France shaped his theology, his preaching, his pastoral care, and his reading of scripture. 🔑 TOPICS COVERED: • Why Calvin is best understood as a refugee theologian • The millions displaced during the Reformation era — and before it • How Calvin built a mixed church in Geneva among refugees and native citizens • Calvin's deeply personal identification with David as an exilic figure • How predestination functioned as a doctrine of comfort for displaced people • What Calvin's theology of spiritual exile says to Christians feeling politically homeless today • Reimagining Reformed theology as a theology from the margins 📖 BOOK MENTIONED: "John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/john-calvin-refugee-theologian-introducing-a-reformer-in-exile-kenneth-j-woo/979b795b96371bbf] by Dr. Kenneth Woo 👤 GUEST: Dr. Kenneth Woo — P.C. Ross Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary 🎙️ HOST: Travis Jamieson [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mystery-of-faith-why-the-gospel-is-still-good-news-travis-jamieson/0061f06cbab684a1?ean=9798385233113&next=t]— Faith (In)forming Podcast --- #JohnCalvin #ReformedTheology #ChurchHistory #Reformation #Refugees #Theology #CalvinismExplained #FaithInformingPodcast #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalExile

Icons, Imagination & Spiritual Formation | Dr. Lanta Davis

What if the key to spiritual growth isn't more information — but a transformed imagination? In this episode, Travis sits down with Dr. Lanta Davis, professor at the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University and author of Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation, to explore a neglected dimension of Christian discipleship. They discuss how our imaginations are constantly being shaped — by advertising, social media, entertainment, and culture — and what the church has historically done to intentionally form believers through images, stories, and sacred spaces. They also do a deep dive into Christian iconography, unpacking two iconic works: the ancient Christ Pantocrator icon from St. Catherine's Monastery and Rublev's Trinity icon — and what they reveal about the Incarnation, the dual nature of Christ, and our invitation into the life of God. Topics covered: * What is the sacramental imagination and why does it matter? * How consumerism, Christian nationalism, and entertainment culture malform our faith * What ancient Christians knew about training the soul through images * A close look at the Christ Pantocrator — the eye of mercy vs. the eye of judgment * The Trinity icon and the open seat at the table 🎙️ Guest: Dr. Lanta Davis | Author of Becoming by Beholding 📚 Learn more: [link to book] [https://bookshop.org/p/books/becoming-by-beholding-the-power-of-the-imagination-in-spiritual-formation-lanta-davis/955960a26f2d6f90?ean=9781540966186&next=t&next=t] 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on faith, theology, and discipleship #SpiritualFormation #ChristianPodcast #Theology #Discipleship #SacramentalImagination #ChristianIcons #FaithPodcast #ChurchHistory

What Christians Get Wrong About the Devil | Philip Ziegler

What do Christians today misunderstand about the devil—and why does it matter for how we understand the gospel? In this episode of The Faith (In)Forming Podcast, I sit down with theologian Philip Ziegler to explore a topic many churches avoid: the doctrine of the devil. Drawing from his book God’s Adversary and Ours, Ziegler offers a deeply biblical and theological framework for understanding Satan—not through speculation, but through the life and work of Jesus Christ. Together, we discuss: * Why modern Christians often ignore or misuse the idea of the devil * How the Bible actually portrays Satan (hint: it’s about what he does, not what he is) * Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and what it reveals about evil * The meaning of exorcisms in the Gospels * Why the cross can be understood as Christ’s ultimate victory over the powers of evil * How ordinary Christian practices (prayer, worship, Scripture) are forms of spiritual resistance This conversation will expand your understanding of the gospel—not just as personal salvation, but as a cosmic story of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil. If you’ve ever wondered: * Is the devil real? * What does the Bible actually teach about Satan? * How should Christians think about spiritual warfare today? This episode is for you. ---------------------------------------- 📚 RELATED RESOURCE If this conversation resonates, you may also enjoy my book, The Mystery of Faith, where I explore how the gospel is far bigger, deeper, and more transformative than we often imagine. ---------------------------------------- 🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE CONVERSATIONS The Faith (In)Forming Podcast is a space for deep, thoughtful conversations on theology, culture, and the Christian life. 👉 Subscribe for more interviews with leading thinkers, pastors, and authors. ---------------------------------------- ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Introduction: Why Talk About the Devil? 01:00 – What Led Philip Ziegler to Study This Topic 06:45 – Why the Church Stopped Talking About the Devil 14:50 – Avoidance vs. Weaponization 16:50 – Understanding the Devil Through Jesus 24:30 – The Temptation of Christ Explained 28:30 – Exorcism and the Meaning of “Life” 33:30 – Shalom, Chaos, and the Story of Scripture 35:20 – The Cross as the Ultimate Exorcism 40:00 – Expanding Our Vision of the Gospel 41:10 – What This Means for the Christian Life Today 49:00 – Ordinary Faith as Spiritual Resistance ---------------------------------------- 🔍 KEYWORDS (FOR SEARCH VISIBILITY) theology of the devil, is the devil real, satan in the bible, spiritual warfare explained, christian theology podcast, philip ziegler, doctrine of satan, jesus temptation in the wilderness, exorcism in the bible, meaning of the cross, gospel explained, reformed theology, christian podcast 2026