The Theology Pugcast

Latest Episodes:

Technology and the Return of the Old Gods Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Today’s show returns to the subject of the disenchantment and reenchantment of the world. The Pugsters discuss an article arguing that technology in the form of the bots and algorithms that control so much of online life function today much like the angels and demons of the premodern world, with the tech gurus who are behind it all functioning like priest-kings with data analysts as their prophets. A lively conversation around techno-paganism, techno-gnosticism, and the implications of online life in general follows.

Article: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/technology-and-the-return-of-the-old-gods/

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Where Totalitarians Come From Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

There is something new under the sun—totalitarianism. Often confused with authoritarianism or tyranny, totalitarianism is a modern phenomenon, only possible in modernity. It is also uniquely deadly in its implications. So, what is it about modernity that makes totalitarianism feasible, and what makes it different from earlier forms of political oppression? The pugsters explore the modern character of totalitarianism on today’s Pugcast.

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All Things G. K. Chesterton—Especially Distributism Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Today the Pugcast welcomes Dr. David Deavel on to the show to discuss G. K. Chesterton in all of his enormity. Perhaps best known among evangelicals for his book Orthodoxy, Chesterton also wrote detective fiction about a priest named, Father Brown, as well as longer works of fiction such as the remarkable, The Man Who Was Thursday, biographies about Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas. He’s also known for a “Third Way” economic theory known as Distributism. Today’s show ranges over all the large legacy of this larger than life man. Enjoy!

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After the Virus: Tyranny Rising Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

On today’s show Tom unpacks Hans Boersma’s short article: Viral Submission: on the Emerging Totalitarianism of the New Biopolitics. The guys define and engage biopolitics and how the recent pandemic exposed how it’s encroachment into the sacred territories of our life, health, work, and community relationships are becoming claimed by governing and global political agendas at fundamental odds with true human flourishing and our higher spiritual ends.

Article (Available to Touchstone Subscribers) : https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=35-03-021-v

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Our recording platform has been dealing with some bugs lately, so please excuse the bit of glitchiness at points.

Cyberpunk and the Metaverse Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

Today’s Pugcast walks through a blog post by Jason Ananda Josephson Storm, an important secular philosopher who, among other things, is engaged in a systematic critique of Postmodernism and where things should go from there. This post deals with Zuckerberg’s Metaverse and assesses it from the perspective of 1990s Cyberpunk, where the term originated. Hint: Cyberpunk always presented a dystopian vision of the future; Zuck and others missed the point and have turned it utopian. The Pugsters walk through the blog post and riff on ideas of cultural despair, escapism, consumerism vs. capitalism, and transhumanism, among other things.

Article: https://absolute-disruption.com/2021/11/04/hack-the-metaverse/

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Is Sweat Really Necessary? Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

In today's show the Pugs discuss a recent article in First Things by Joshua Mitchell, By the Sweat of Our Brow. It's a free ranging, yet profound treatment of the erosion of competence in daily life, among other things. Mitchell makes the argument that citizenship requires "mediating institutions" (families, small businesses, churches, neighborhoods, and the like), because without them people lack the environments in which their actions have any meaningful difference in the world. And it is only when our actions matter that we learn competence. And competence is necessary for citizenship.

Article: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/08/by-the-sweat-of-our-brow?fbclid=IwAR3xPk1N9oE9KgRnH3aVgZ4G2Els149nFpJfS9MQ7nGDM-gFmpYyFvMpH8A

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James Wood and Welcome to Negative World! Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to James Wood about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington!

To learn more about the conference: https://www.negworldconference.com/

Apocalyptic AI: Cyber Theosis? Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

On today’s show Tom brings into discussion themes from Robert Geraci’s book: Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality. The conversation focuses on ways in which the Western Christian Apocalyptic emphasis gets changed and rethought by several key figures in the Robotics and AI research fields and promoted as a new form of salvation and immortality. Glenn and Chris add a wellspring of insight and drive the topic into fascinating places.

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Why Everyone Should Believe in Fairies Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

That’s the provocative title of a series of articles that the guys discuss today. Belief in nature spirits was universal around the world, including among the church fathers and Christian theologians, until the 17th century, when Enlightenment rationalism consigned them to the realm of superstition. Even today, though, there are people who talk about encountering them. So what are we to make of this? Is it possible that God created intelligent beings invisible to us in most circumstances but part of the natural world? The Pugsters discuss the possibilities suggested in the articles.

Articles Referenced:

https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies/

https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-two/

https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-three/

https://classicalu.com/why-everyone-should-believe-in-fairies-part-four/

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Joe Rigney and Welcome to Negative World! Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

Join us for a mini-episode of the Pugcast in which Chris talks to Joe Rigney about the talks he will be delivering in September at the Welcome to Negative World Conference, September 9-10 in Battle Ground, Washington!

To learn more about the conference: www.negworldconference.com

To learn more about Bethlehem College and Seminary: https://bcsmn.edu/