Can a believer and a non-believer find enough common ground to have a truly meaty conversation? I’ve always wondered about this. But my podcast guest Dr Paul Tyson, a philosopher, theologian, sociologist and fellow Substacker, reckons these days he finds it easier to talk meaningfully with atheists and feminists than with Christians, many of whom are as woke as the next person. While Tyson is un-woke, he is economically left and contributes to a “post-capitalist” think-tank alongside former Greece finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis.
Tyson is interested in knowledge and the role that science plays in our approach to truth (and its opposite) in the contemporary world. He has written books on theology and climate change, on Christian sociology, and on the “magic” of meaning. Recently he’s been doing a lot of writing on gender identity ideology — work he struggles to get published, even with Christian publishers.
So we discuss (OK, we criticise) the judgment in Tickle and Giggle. We also discuss: why contemporary Christians are squeamish about standing up for Christians and Christianity; October 7 and its fallout; anti-Semitism, the church and Islam, and current trends in philosophy. We talk about the pain and joy (but mostly the pain) of this writing life. Oh, and we talk about “queer theology”. It’s a thing, apparently.
Incidentally, you’ll hear Tyson refer to himself as a theologically “conservative” Christian. After our discussion he sent me a detailed explanation of what “conservative” means in theological terms. If you’re curious, here’s what he said:
“When it comes to what makes one a theologically conservative Christian, it is basically the preparedness to affirm two rationally impossible doctrines: the trinity and the incarnation (both are affirmed in the Nicaean Creed). Which is to say that the basic benchmark of orthodox Christian theology is its firm commitment to paradox (traditionally, Christian heresy has a long track record of resolving these paradoxes with clear thinking, but no faith).”
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Original music and additional production and editing by Husky Gawenda and Gideon Preiss.
Listen here or, as they say, wherever you get your podcasts.
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