The Christian Humanist Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 81: Realism Sep 18, 2012

Show notes

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour about realism, a term so nebulous that even literary reference books don't like it. In the course of things we talk about medieval and modern connotations of the word as well as how modern realism spans architecture, painting, sculpture, music, fiction, and all sorts of interesting media. Among the texts, artists, and other realities we discuss are Stephen Crane, Manet, Debussy, Ranke, Henry James, and Dreiser.

Episode 80: Pirates Sep 11, 2012

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with Michial Farmer and David Grubbs about pirates, those maurauding sea-robbers who have been with the human race ever since we figured out to move valuable things across the water. At the core of our discussion is the tension between the free-spirited folk hero most recently celebrated in Jerry Bruckheimer movies and the actual, brutal criminals that history give us. Among the pirates, artifacts, and other matters discussed are Treasure Island, Pirates of the Caribbean, Blackbeard, privateering, Tortuga, and Han Solo.

Episode 79: The Doctor Is In! Sep 04, 2012

Show notes

David Grubbs moderates a discussion of Dr. Nathan Gilmour's dissertation Ethical Succession, an exploration of theology and literature. We take on the question of literature as theology, ponder whether Nathan was entirely unfair to Luther and Calvin, and talk about the process of writing and defending a doctoral dissertation. Among the writers, texts, and concepts discussed are Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, The Rape of Lucrece, David Bentley Hart, Plato, Luther, Calvin, and Erasmus.

Episode 78.01: July Apology Jul 31, 2012

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour hems and haws for eleven minutes, responds to some listener feedback, and otherwise makes a fool of himself. Apologies for the bad sound quality--this didn't go through Michial Farmer.

Episode 78: From Grad Student to Faculty Jun 26, 2012

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the transition from being a graduate student to being a faculty member. Drawing on the previous academic year, in which David and Michial joined the ranks of small Christian colleges, the discussion ranges from escaping the departmental "silo" to establishing a persona not as someone who's going to be a professor some day but who is one now. Among the realities discussed are dissertation writing, committee work, teaching loads, becoming a guiding force for an intellectual community, and why David Grubbs has such a cool office.

Episode 77: Great Book, Rotten Movie May 08, 2012

Show notes

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with Nathan Gilmour and David Grubbs about some really terrible movies that claim to be based on some really good books. After trash-talking some real duds, the trio discusses what it means to appropriate a book for the screen and even some of the films and TV series that do so especially well. Among the films discussed are Beowulf, Branaugh's Hamlet, Troy, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Contact, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Demi Moore's The Scarlet Letter.

Episode 76.3: Red States and Blue States May 01, 2012

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour and Michial Farmer chat about David Brooks's 2001 essay "One Nation, Slightly Divisible" and the political metaphors of "red" and "blue" America that arose in its wake. At stake in our discussion is the extent to which regional-level sociological analysis emerges from observation and the extent to which it frames observation. Among the texts and other interesting entities discussed are "One Nation, Slightly Divisible," college towns, Mitt Romney, John Kerry, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Al Gore. (Wow. We really did get political this time!)

Episode 76.2: The Brothers Karamazov Apr 24, 2012

Show notes

Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour hold forth abut Fyodor Dostoevsky's grand novel The Brothers Karamazov. We dig into the main characters (and every character is a main character in Dostoevsky), the big questions of atheism and miracles, and the consequences of atheism. Among the scenes, characters, and other artifacts discussed are The Grand Inquisitor, Ivan as Christian Atheist, Alyosha the compelling Christian character, and the devil.

Episode 76.1: The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship Apr 17, 2012

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour and Michial Farmer hold forth abut George Marsden's 1997 book The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship. The main points of discussion are the extent to which the academy that Marsden saw in 1997 has persisted in the fifteen years since and what has changed; the difficulties of prognosticating change in college; and ways and extents to which Christian scholars are making their mark now. Among the writers and artifacts discussed are George Marsden, James Berlin, digital journals, and the Golden Rule.

Episode 76: Autobiography Apr 10, 2012

Show notes

Michial Farmer moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Nathan Gilmour (until Gilmour has to leave for a meeting) about the genre autobiography, its roots, and what separates the good ones from the mediocre ones. At stake in our discussion are the problems of presenting one's own self and the narration of interiority, and along the way we also dig into questions of the ways in which memoirs should be true. Among the writers and artifacts discussed are Augustine's Confessions, The Autobiography of Ben Franklin, Jean Jacques Rousseau, A Million Little Pieces, and the difference between autobiography and memoir.