381 - James Orr - Christianity Beyond Civilization

I had a wonderful discussion with James Orr. Dr Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He was also one of the panel members for the Daily Wire Plus Exodus and Gospels seminars, which we discuss in this video. We also talk about our difference approaches and perspectives on Scripture, the current cultural shift and Christianity becoming more mainstream, the risk of instrumentalizing Christianity, Paul Kingsnorth's talk "Against Christian Civilization", and more. <br /><br />Watch the Gospel Seminar on Daily Wire Plus: https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels <br /><br />My discussion with Paul Kingsnorth, Western Civilization Is Already Dead: https://youtu.be/FrjdaVol2TA?si=D6A3mm3WXj5f2i4W<br /><br />Paul Kingsnorth’s First Things talk: "Against Christian Civilization" | 2024 Erasmus Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/live/Y3hMSZqatHI<br /><br />James Orr links:<br />- https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-james-orr<br />- https://x.com/jtworr<br /><br />=====================<br />NEW COURSE: The Symbolic World Goes to Middle-Earth<br />Join us for an in-depth study of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium, where we'll explore his masterful use of medieval literary genres, Christian storytelling traditions, and hidden philology. This course, presented by Richard Rohlin, will guide you through Tolkien's vision for a "Mythology for England," examining his work as a complex tapestry of Universal History. Through this journey, we’ll also examine Tolkien’s use of epic poems, chronicles, and literary devices to craft a truly legendary vision of the past, present, and future. Thereafter, we'll look at how his work has inspired later authors of fantasy, shaped the genre more generally, and continues to aid our recovery of deeper, cosmological storytelling. - Dates: Live classes are on Mondays at 1 PM Central starting March 3, 2025 - Course length: 5 weeks, 10 hours of lectures - Cost: $150 - 10% Discount for all patrons at the Involved tier or higher, apply your discount code at checkout - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings with downloadable audio - You’ll also have the opportunity to apply these ideas to contemporary authors and your own mythopoeic writing! - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member at https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/join-community before making your purchase.<br />Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/tolkien-and-universal-history =====================<br /><br />Timestamps:<br />00:00 - Coming up<br />00:47 - Intro music<br />01:11 - Introduction<br />01:57 - James' reaction to The Gospels seminar<br />05:04 - JBP mediating the panel discussion<br />09:25 - Members of the panel<br />11:55 - Approaching Scripture from different perspectives<br />15:23 - James' scholarly approach vs Jonathan's analogical approach<br />20:37 - A time of flux<br />28:18 - Paul Kingsnorth's First Things address<br />32:44 - Instrumentalizing Christianity<br />38:52 - Self-sacrificial love<br />41:39 - Recognize weaponized compassion<br />43:11 - Fetishizing weakness?<br />48:22 - The end of the story<br />51:34 - Technology<br />54:45 - New people coming to church<br /><br />💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com<br />🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau <br />🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe <br />🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe <br /><br />📱 SOCIAL MEDIA  <br />Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld <br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan <br />Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageau<br />Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ <br />My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/<br />