Dr. Thomas Whitley and The Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss toxic masculinity and compare Trump with Jesus, Apple's woes, and voice assistants.
Category: Status
Episode 137: The Fertile Croissant
Dr. Thomas J. Whitley and The Rev. Samuel B. Harrelson play HQ Trivia and go to The Good Place to discuss Squab Goals.
“My name is Kierkegaard and my writing is impeccable. Check out my teleological suspension of the ethical.”
Links:
- Megan Amram on Twitter: “here’s an abridged version of the full list of food puns i turned in with my first draft of tonight’s #TheGoodPlace episode… https://t.co/7WVFZDd8Fs”
- HQ – Live Trivia Game Show on the App Store
- Crane Game Toreba on the App Store
- Lost | Lostpedia | FANDOM powered by Wikia
- The Good Place – NBC.com
Episode 136: A Million Little Candidates
Dr. Thomas Whitley and the Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss quantum hacks, the evolution of reality TV and its impact on our Gen X lives, and why 2020 will be a different political landscape than 2016.
Links:
Episode 135: A Republic, If You Can Keep It
Dr. Thomas Whitley and the Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss the Bomb Cyclone, The Myth of Progress, The Apotheosis of Captain Cook, Lectionaries and conflating Gospels, and the need for a new political dialogue in our country.
Links:
- How “Natives” Think: About Captain Cook, For Example, Sahlins
- The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific: Gananath Obeyesekere: 9780691057521: Amazon.com: Books
- Common Prayer Pocket Edition: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals: Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: 9780310335061: Amazon.com: Books
- Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture – InterVarsity Press
- Perspectives on the Constitution: A Republic, If You Can Keep It – National Constitution Center
- Church Over Coffee: Episode 9: Bryson Smith
Bringing It All Back Home 2018 Edition
Robert Rauschenberg, Mother of God, ca. 1950
I’ve made a series of “Bringing It All Back Home” posts here over the last decade charting my attempts to reign in some of the content I so freely pour out all over the social web. Some of those attempts have been successful and some less so (looking at you, Twitter). However, I enter 2018 with a renewed sense of purpose and direction for how I see this space and site changing with me as I continue to evolve.
Similarly, the web continues to evolve. There is now less of a need for flashy graphics or fonts or layouts and more of a need for real and authentic dialogue and expression. I recognize my place of privilege saying that, but I do think the sooner we unmoor ourselves from our socially constructed social media profiles and find spaces of genuine room for translation and interpolation, the better we’ll be.
Plus, I have years of Analytics data to show that no one is looking at my “Services” page and I get much more interaction, engagement, and yes… clients from my actual posts here than some elaborately designed page touting my consultation pedigree and skills. Those are here if you seek them out, but I doubt you will.
Having a web space in 2018 means much more about discovery and freedom of expression outside the walled gardens of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Those places still serve their purpose, but the type of expression and sharing and learning I’m looking to do more of in 2018 both personally and professionally will be the theme of this space as we move forward. The marketing and consulting clients will come if I do a good job of that exploration and communication of what I find out about the world, tech, religion, strategic planning, and …well… myself.
For the first time in three years, I’ve fired up a brand new dedicated server and put this site there (previously it was on WordPress.com as I worked up the courage to make this leap). Everything from email to my calendar to to-do apps and items etc will be located on the server as I want to be more intentional about the services I use and recommend but also find more of that self-reliance and independence I’ve always aspired towards (both personally and with my clients). I’ve even been able to bring in my old Tumblr posts from 2007-2009 as a part of scooping up all of my old posts going back to 2006. In the hours I’ve spent setting up the server as well as this site and learning to love PHP and curl commands again, I already feel that the attempt has paid dividends. I can’t wait to see what else I learn (or re-learn) as I move along.
So forgive me if I do a lot more sharing here than before… some of it will make it over to Twitter and perhaps Facebook. However, I’ll try to keep the stream manageable as more of my content originates here as the hub and flows out to those spaces. Those spaces are great for sharing and hearing echoes of your own views and feelings and expectations. A space like this in 2018 holds a promise of the type of exploration that encourages me to learn more and therefore be a more creative and talented person as well as a better consultant for my clients.
Here’s to 2018.
Practice resurrection.
Episode 134: Advent in the Minor Key
Dr. Thomas Whitley and the Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss nativity scenes, bad Christmas songs, Epiphany, the War on Christmas, and bad Apple (batteries).
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Links:
It’s a 3 Screen Kind of Monday
Working from home with our son this week. He likes to contribute to my setup with various design inspirations.
Left to Right: Google Pixelbook, iPad Pro, Samsung Chromebook Pro
Why two Chromebooks? I’m using Chrome Remote Desktop on the Pixelbook to run Adobe Illustrator via the Windows desktop in my office and keeping notes on the Samsung. The iPad is there for renderings in Pixelmator and for Trello.
I’ve got the Pixelbook Pen and Apple Pencil for the iPad but still really only use those when I’m in tablet mode and taking notes on a meeting or call in Evernote.
Episode 133: Our Holiday Extravaganza
Dr. Thomas Whitley and The Rev. Sam Harrelson are joined by The Rev. Lauren E. Larkin, Prof. W. Travis McMaken ("McBacon"), and The Rev. Merianna Neely Harrelson in an extravaganza of epic proportions. They discuss Clash of the Titans, why you should write a book, gendered religious language, Ancient Aliens, Alex Jones, flogging, and hate watching the world burn.
Special Guests: Lauren R.E. Larkin, Merianna Neely Harrelson, and W. Travis McMaken.
Links:
Episode 132: Is It Worth Selling Your Soul?
Dr. Thomas Whitley and The Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss the #metoo Revolution, amplifying voices, and whether anything is worth trading your integrity.
Links:
Episode 131: Pushing Against the Public Transcript
Dr. Thomas Whitley and the Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss Black Friday, gaming, moral questions, Evangelical strawmen, and complicity.
Links:
- Why It’s Justified To Vote For A Morally Questionable Politician
- Southern Baptists have lost a million members in 10 years – Baptist News Global
- The End of the Social Era Can’t Come Soon Enough | Vanity Fair
- MCALLISTER: A Response To Ben Shapiro: Christians Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Voting For Roy Moore | Daily Wire
All my big mistakes…
Episode 130: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Dr. Thomas Whitley and the Rev. Sam Harrelson are joined by Prof. Chris Frilingos to discuss his book "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph: Family Trouble in the Infancy Gospels" and why the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and Proto-Gospel of James are so important for contemporary audiences.
Special Guest: Christopher A. Frilingos.
Links:
- Jesus, Mary, and Joseph | Christopher A. Frilingos
- Amazon: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph: Family Trouble in the Infancy Gospels — When Jesus was five he killed a boy, or so reports the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. A little boy had run into Jesus by accident, bumping him on the shoulder, and Jesus took offense: “Jesus was angry and said to him, ‘You shall go no further on your way,’ and instantly the boy fell down and died.” A second story recounts how Jesus transformed mud into living birds, while yet another has Joseph telling Mary to keep Jesus in the house so that no one else gets hurt. What was life really like in the household of Joseph, Mary, and little Jesus? The canon of the New Testament provides few details, but ancient Christians, wanting to know more, would turn to the texts we know as the “Infancy Gospels.”
- Infancy Gospel of James, or Protevangelium (M.R. James translation)
- The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
- Did early Christians believe that Mary was a teenager? It’s complicated
- Amazon.com: Jesus, Sin, and Perfection in Early Christianity (9781107105416): Jeffrey S. Siker: Books
- Amazon.com: Saving Sex: Sexuality and Salvation in American Evangelicalism (9780199942251): Amy DeRogatis: Books
Episode 129: Writing Their Last Chapters
Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson watch election returns together and discuss the impact of our choices and the role of our national patience.
Is the iPhone X as a UX disaster?
You’re looking at a UX disaster, the result of eliminating what is probably the simplest, most intuitive form of navigation ever implemented in consumer electronics: the iPhone’s home button. The iPhone X replaces it with the mess above. This is bad news, because this interaction is a fundamental part of the user experience.
Episode 128: “I have no idea what you believe.”
Sam is joined by The Rev. Merianna Neely Harrelson to discuss beards, doubt, faith, securing your spot in The Good Place or The Bad Place, ethics and eschatology, rededicating your life, and salvation bracelets.
Special Guest: Merianna Neely Harrelson.
Links:
Episode 127: Under the Screen
Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss the iPhone X, Airpods and Mods, prepping for the coming apocalypses, Heaven's Gate, and the theologies of nativism.
Links:
Episode 126: The Problems with The Dark Age
Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss anniversaries and birthdays in the Facebook age, whether the Vikings referenced Allah in their gear, and why "The Dark Ages" is such a troublesome concept (and why we're currently in the midst of The Digital Dark Age).
Links:
- Sam Harrelson on Instagram: “It’s here (no, I’m not going to do a dorky unboxing video…maybe)!” • Instagram
- Debunking Viral Story, Art Historian Says ‘Allah’ Does Not Appear on Ancient Viking Garment | artnet News
- Dark Ages (historiography) – Wikipedia
- 6 Reasons the Dark Ages Weren’t So Dark – History Lists
Episode 125: Conceptions of Hell
Love of books, Kindle vs hardbacks, home ownership, hell, sex, generational divides, and epistemology
Links:
Episode 124: Mark is the Best Book in the Bible
Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson talk about phone problems and promises, growing up, and the finale of the First Thinking Religion Bible Bracket Challenge Extravaganza.
Podium Winners:
Gold: Mark
Silver: Matthew
Bronze: 1 Samuel
Sponsored By:
- Sam Harrelson Consulting: Get a free estimate for your church or nonprofit’s website redesign or social media campaign from the experts at Sam Harrelson Consulting this summer. Promo Code: Hermeneutics
Links:
- Thinking Religion Bible Bracket Challenge – Challonge
- Google is tryharding at phones right now, and I love it – The Verge
- How to Get Into and Out of iPhone Recovery Mode
- The Talk Show ✪: Ep. 201, With Special Guest Matthew Panzarino
- Apple’s iPhone X notch is an odd design choice – The Verge
- Donald Trump–Russia dossier – Wikipedia
- Gospel of Mark
Episode 123: Testing the Limits
Dr. Thomas Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson are joined again by David Ray Allen Jr. to cover the Final Four of the Bible Bracket Challenge. It gets bloody this week.
Special Guest: David Ray Allen Jr..
Sponsored By:
- Sam Harrelson Consulting: Get a free estimate for your church or nonprofit’s website redesign or social media campaign from the experts at Sam Harrelson Consulting this summer. Promo Code: Hermeneutics
Links:
- Thinking Religion Bible Bracket Challenge – Challonge
- Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive in major milestone for country
- Twitter on Twitter: “Can’t fit your Tweet into 140 characters? 🤔 We’re trying something new with a small group, and increasing the character limit to 280! Excit… https://t.co/y1rJlHsVB5”
- MRBlog | The Price of Patriotism – The Marginalia Review of Books
- The Brick Testament
- Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels, New Revised Standard Version: Jr. Burton H. Throckmorton: 9780840774842: Amazon.com: Books
- ANTICHRIST NUMEROLOGY IN GANGNAM STYLE – YouTube