Barefoot to Emmaus: Recent Episodes
Barefoot To Emmaus
Not your grandpappy's theology podcast. Two barefoot seminarians. One vision for a new kind of theology. What could go wrong?
Picking up where we left off last episode, Char and Byron explore the events of Holy Week beginning with Jesus's clandestine trial before the Sanhedrin and ending with the mysterious empty tomb and whispers of resurrection.
This is the summary of Episode 87 covering insights about Holy week from Palm Sunday to the arrest of Jesus on the night of Maundy Thursday
Byron and Char dive into going over or thoughts, insights, and fun facts around the first half of Holy week from the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the cleansing of the temple on Holy Monday, the offering of the widow's mite on Holy Tuesday, the complexity behind Judas' betrayal on Holy Wednesday, and finally the upper room communion and foot washing of Maundy Thursday culminating in the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
The paradox of the Trinity is as complicated as it is beautiful and important to Christian theology. In this episode, Byron and Char explore the theology of the Trinity, including heresies, the reflections of wise patristics, and Byron and Char's own reflections on this mystery. Definitely a deep and compelling episode worthy engaging.
In the midst of the current escalation of the conflict in the Israel/Palestine area, Byron and Char attempt to humbly offer some reflections on the long and complex history of the region as well as some theological comments at this sensitive moment.
In this more personal, therapeutic conversation, Char processes what they call "the paradox of self-awareness" - the investment in self-understanding leads to a perceived inability to be seen by others (or even yourself). We hope this conversation offers you something to mull on in your own journey of self-knowledge and vulnerability.
Char and Byron's Halloween episode for this year. Ghost sharks, magic, and all sorts of other spooky questions about the diverse and mysterious spiritual realities around us.
Byron and Char reflect on the last three years of seminary as things draw to a close or at least a transition. Favorite classes, things we've seen each other grow in and more. (Don't worry we will have more episodes, this is not the end.)
The mind and heart are often conflated with the spirit in practice, when it comes to theology and the role of a minister regarding spiritual care. Join Byron and Char as they discuss the distinction of mental health from the spiritual and the importance of a psychotherapeutic lens for holistic wellbeing.
This is our summary episodelet about Feminist Christology asking questions about Jesus' mediation of gender. For more, check out the full episode.
Byron and Char respond to a listener question about Jesus' gender. Could Jesus have come as a women, Could Jesus' masculinity have meant he was culpable of the social sins of patriarchy from a liberationist lens? Might Jesus actually have been a woman and it was covered up? All this an more in this intriguing episode.
Asceticism is a strongly misunderstood practice within many modern Christian circles. Join Byron and Char as they dive into the rich history and unpack the theological significance of practices like fasting and even martyrdom.
CW: This episode touches on themes of extreme violence and sexual assault. The first portion (before the midway theme music) is without such content if you want to listen but avoid potential triggers.
For some the best show on earth, Avatar contains rich themes related to colonialism, violence, identity... and of course spirituality. Join Byron and Char as they explore this show for the brilliant gift that it is to us all.
This was a challenging one, folks. Byron and Char wrestle through the nature of our self-conception and God-thoughts within the framework of duality: does the self exist in distinction from the other or is this a delusion? Is God truly Other, or do these boundaries limit our ability to understand how we relate to (or within) the Divine? This conversation is a bit more esoteric than usual, but it's a great discussion that will surely leave you thinking.
How unique is the christian God? Functionally do we think of God as a deity, a being, a really powerful alien, a force, something ontologically distinct? Dive in with Byron and Char to some OLD stories from early Pre-Jewish beliefs and see how some of what the Bible might point to has some interesting similarities with early myths from other religions and cultures. Explore the Chaos-Kampf, the mythological struggle between the divine sky-father storm god and the chaotic sea serpent.
Hallmarking the end of three years at Princeton Theological Seminary, Byron and Char interview classmate and soul friend Wesley Rowell on the topic of embodiment. They discuss reconnecting with our childhood selves, full integration of all our parts without shame, and share the joy of their friendship.
Guest interview with Princeton MDiv/MSW 3rd year Eli Henry, where they describe the beautiful web of their blended family and the significance of this context on their personal and theological development. We discuss adoption and adoptionism, as well as the significance of family to identity.
Char and Byron take some time to dig into the theology of the Christian Sacraments, specifically the Eucharist, Communion. What is the history and theology behind it? What are the necessary features? Who can take it?
Byron and Char in the middle of lent take a step back to Ash Wednesday and the disciplines of fasting and devotion. Join us as we explore our experiences and theologies of the quiet time before Easter.
In a never-before-occurrence, Byron and Char post a recorded conversation they were having on a Tuesday night like any other. It dives DEEP into the questions of gender - what it is, how it can be simultaneously identifying and unifying, and so much more. Join us for this tantalizing follow-up to "Gender 1"!
Char and Byron dive into a DEEP topic this week, exploring the implications of gender as a social construct, hegemonic masculinity, gender essentialism, and so much more. This is an excellent place to take a plunge into some very existential questions!
This is our summary episodelet as we talk with guest McKenzie Costello, a fellow PTS student with some great thoughts on Kink and BDSM Theology. Yes it get's weird, but we cover a lot of good ground on things like pleasure, consent, incarnation, community, and more. Is Jesus the ultimate power bottom? Join this week's Barefoot to Emmaus Podcast to fuck around and find out.
Join Byron and Char as we talk with guest McKenzie Costello, a fellow PTS student with some great thoughts on Kink and BDSM Theology. Yes it get's weird, but we cover a lot of good ground on things like pleasure, consent, incarnation, community, and more. Is Jesus the ultimate power bottom? Join this week's Barefoot to Emmaus Podcast to find out.
This year, we're starting something new - a brief 5-10 synopsis of each episode, if you have interest but don't have the time for a full hour. This is on our episode interviewing Roman Montero on his book, "All Things in Common: The Economic Practices of the Early Christians."
Intentional community and radical economics are central to Char's passion and theological imagination. Today, Char and Byron interviewed author Roman Montero regarding his groundbreaking book, "All Things in Common: The Economic Practices of the Early Christians." You won't want to miss this riveting discussion! Make sure to also check out Montero's work at https://romanamontero.wordpress.com/
Karl Barth is a major figure in Reformed Theology. People talk about him a lot and Byron took a class on him recently. Take a listen to hear some basics of what he was all about.
Can anger be a good thing? Are we required to forgive? Char and Byron explore the nature of anger and forgiveness, and their theological bases in this episode.
Byron and Char dive deep into a topic that has been at the fore of our consideration for some time - how do we understand the hegemonic imagination that shapes our very subconscious? More so, how do we challenge and subvert its influence? Join us as we wrestle with questions like these in this week's discussion.
Byron and Char have both been very involved in youth ministry for a while. Listen today as we discuss some of our own background and thoughts on what makes youth ministry great, and some things that don't work well. Special shoutout to Scott Gronholz from https://tinyurl.com/nosmallthing
If you've been a long-time follower of B2E, you know that the image of God is frequently an important reference point for our theology. Here, we break down the question specifically: what does it mean to be made in the image of God? Join us for this deeply important pondering.
Who and what IS Satan? How does what we believe about Satan or the devil affect what we think about God? What actually is Satanism? Join us as we delve into some of these important and fascinating questions and more!
It may seem an odd thing to wonder - why does it matter what our bodies are like after we die? But these questions have tremendous implications for the nature of God and the nature of God's creation, what is considered "whole" or "good." If those questions tickle your fancy, join us for an hour of deep talks!
Byron explains what he did all summer working with incarcerated teenagers for a chaplaincy internship. Some interesting lessons and interactions in the face of pretty tough circumstances.
In a world wrought with systemic and structural injustice, are we in need of revolution? Is it the call of the Church to be involved in the revolution? Join Byron and Char as they wrestle with these questions.
Char and Byron touch on the idea of Age, youth, and maturity. Join us as we ask some questions: What is Wisdom, does it invariably come with age, what does Jesus mean when He says to be like a child, how might Jesus have related to the idea of coming to an end, and is it the fact that we have an end at all that gives this all meaning?
In an earlier season, we recorded an episode on the spiritual significance of shame. In this episode, Byron and Char explore the unique nature of sexual shame and its impact on our freedom.
Byron and Char try to wrap up a semester of thoughts from Byron's Philosophy of Education course. What IS a philosophy of education? Why do we need them? Why can't we avoid them? We look at some benefits and limitations of Existentialism, the theology of Martin Buber, and more.
All theology is contextual. Our contexts lend us unique richness to experiencing the Divine. Join us as Char shares how their theology has been shaped by their identity as an identical twin - the first published geminist theology.
Char and Byron delve into the theological implications and meanings behind nakedness, King David, shame, Adam and Eve, the Naked Church, we cover (or uncover) a lot!
Join us in this week’s exciting episode where we talk about atonement - various theories, important cultural imagery, and the question of what actually happened, spiritually speaking. Stay tuned in for the exciting epiphany towards the end! (An edit - Char gets entropy backwards; high entropy is great disorder, not order.)
This is a little bit of a longer episode. Char and Byron go into the difference between Pacifism, Nonviolent Resistance, and Antiviolence. As well as some other fun questions like: would you slap a Nazi?
Love is a quintessential pillar of Christian faith and living. But what does that love look like practically? What is Christian community, and what does it require of us? Join us as we explore these vital questions.
Join Char and Byron and they tall about the Christian abolition of prison. And check out Henea De Savy's thesis on the development in the prison system in the antebellum North: https://tinyurl.com/3hu4bs55
In this exciting episode, Byron and Char explore a Rohrian notion of the Trinity (who was in turn inspired by Augustine) -- God as formlessness, form, and the relationship between -- with special emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the most under-explored member of the Trinity.
Wrapping up the 2021 fall season, Char unpacks their radical Christian economics with the thesis that it is antithetical to the Christian call and teachings of Jesus to be rich. Interested? Upset? Tune in to hear more and please share your thoughts!
Second take on Astro theology and the possible moral and spiritual implications brought up by our understanding of and possible expansion into space. This week Char and Byron explore questions about aliens, the soul, and what an infinite universe might say about Jesus.
Do the planets have supernatural power? Is quantum physics the materialistic source of moral free will? Is it possible that humanity can transcend time and space and become a self-caused cause? All these and more in this week's episode. Astro-theology is one of Byron's happy places and Char brings all the good questions.
What is prayer? What is its purpose? Is there a right way to pray? In this week's episode, Byron and Char scratch the surface on what is a central practice not only of Christianity but most if not all religions and spiritualities.
What can the early evangelical church teach us about religious splits? What does it mean for a church to split? Does unity as a community have to look like unification? Hear all these and more in this weeks of Char and Byron's random musings!
Y'all ready for this one? We've defined sin before, but here we both take another stab at it to get to the conundrum of if it is possible for us to be without sin in this life. Did Jesus sin when He walked the earth? Was it possible for Him not to? Join us this week as we explore such juicy questions!
What is the apocalypse? The end of the world? A message from God? A Genre of Biblical literature? Maybe all of the above? Let's find out in this weeks episode with Char and Byron.
We're back! Finally on Princeton campus, Byron and Char hit off the season with a deep dive on whiteness: whether the identity of whiteness is redeemable or not, how it relates to queerness, and how this construct fits into God's redemptive work.
Emily Huff is a true gem, and in this episode of Barefoot to Emmaus she shares with us some of her wisdom on the holy gift of parenting. Tune in to bask in her presence and her profound reflections.
In a very special interview episode, Barefoot to Emmaus interviews the hosts of No Small Thing, our phenomenal older sister podcast on exploring all things with curiosity. We go deep fast on the topic of curiosity, looking at the privilege of curiosity, consent (and self-consent), containers, and the spiritual side of Mace and Scott's journey with curiosity. Don't miss this legendary conversation!
This week IS your Grandpappy's podcast. Char and Byron Interview Byron's Grandfather, Dave. This episode can maybe best be called an interfaith dialogue more than anything. Join as we discuss and try to find some things we can agree on between an older conservative evangelical missionary and two young progressive queer/affirming universalists. In the end we certainly DO NOT agree on everything, but at least we try as we look for common ground in our holding space about lots of subjects from the role of the scriptures, to the person of Christ, to the passion of salvation.
In this week's summer episode, Connie Bernard opens up about her struggle to leave Christianity despite her disillusionment from the religion. This powerful interview calls into question what real faith is, and what spiritual integrity demands of us. Don't miss it!
Join us as we interview Matt, an aficionado of heavy metal, and formless music and sound. We touch on the depths and heights of the spirituality of such music and how it might work as a catharsis for our own senses of anger and passion. CW for some talk about self harm and violent ideologies such as the alt. right.
In this summer interview episode, Byron and Char hear from Ash Robin on how her experience with chronic illness has shaped her understanding of community and boundaries, the struggle of invisible disability, and her theology. Check it out!
Listen in as Char and Byron interview Byron's Orthodox Priest Father Micah. Eastern Orthodoxy offers so much wisdom and insight new and old to some of the core questions of the faith, what is our relationship to God, goodness, and each other?
What do the depths of grief have to teach us? How does grieving change us? Join us as we engage in this raw and important topic with Tian Qing (TQ) Yen - a brilliant scholar, adventurer, and philosopher of life.
Byron and Char interview Byron's Mum, a midwife with a background in anthropology and mission work. It's a wild ride through some social implications and Biblical takes on birth. Please excuse the outdoor sounds and lower sound quality.
Our great friend Daniel joins us for an animated dialogue spanning the breadth of his many passions. In this episode, they unpack the real meaning of the Enneagram, an influential Greek philosophical reflection on God/Truth as monos ("the only"), and much more.
Byron and Char interview Byron's sister Hilary. Hilary has some cognitive disabilities and her best friend is Jesus. So we dive into a little bit of what Christianity means for her. Check out what a simple Theology looks like.
In this first episode of our summer season, Black Biracial activist and filmmaker Taylor Emmaus articulates a powerful Christological construct on the Biracial Jesus. How much of the Divine and human Jesus is missed without this framework? Tune in to this exciting episode to find out more.
Char and Byron Interview missionary coordinator, mentor, and friend Kathy Giske. Listen in for the intergenerational life story and testimony of Kathy's many years of international and mission experience, especially with the Muslim World.
After finishing finals, Byron and Char take another look at sovereignty through the lens of submission. With a major detour on Christology, the nature of Jesus’s body as eternal and how that relates to our relationship to God, this episode is rambling but full of great content.
Byron and Char just finished up year one of seminary, join them as they discuss some historical and theological takeaways from their course on the Anabaptist movement of the Radical Reformation.
What are the essentials of God? What "must" we know, and how much? And is there a difference between knowledge of God and wisdom? Join Byron and Char as we dive deep into these quandaries.
Spiritual wisdom can be found in the most inconspicuous places... Including bonsai! Byron shares about his passion for cultivating trees, and your barefoot duo break down some of the profound spiritual nuggets this craft has to offer us.
Can violence ever be righteous or holy? Is there ever a time for "drawing the sword," can an end goal of peace and justice ever justify violent means? Join us in this week's spicy episode where we dive into these challenging questions and more.
Byron and Char have gone barefoot for quite a while, each for their own reasons. Listen in to find out a bit more about their values and experiences as discalced people.
In this week's episode, Byron and Char get vulnerable with their own relationships to the lovestruck heart's pitter patter - infatuation! Check it out if you're interested in hearing what infatuation might mean theologically, even Jesus had crushes, even some kink!
Byron and Char share some experiences and perspectives about the occult, witchcraft, and exorcisms. Hang on for a spooky ride. Also happy Halfloween!
"Jesus is Lord" can be assuring and even liberating, but it has also undergirded Christian imperialism. Can this theological notion be salvaged? Join Byron and Char as we wrestle with this concept (with many Avatar references!).
Byron and Char dig a little deeper into their own histories and experiences with missions, mission trips and some of the pitfalls and good directions of missiology.
Can there be enough in this world? What would it look like to have enough? This exciting episode tears into the fabric of what we consider enough, and what abundance and scarcity mean theologically.
Is this universe all there is? Could there be more - and what would that mean about us, or God? Char and Byron dive in deep to some creative interpretations of the concept of infinity and eternity in regards to creation.
Starting off their second season, Byron and Char unpack shame as its relates to relationships, internal identity, and spiritual disconnection from God and humanity.
Char and Byron discuss the meaning behind their new benediction: May you find wonder in the mundane, hope amidst the chaos, and comfort in the love that makes you you. Go in Peace.
Have you ever wondered why we exist? Why did God even make us, or anything for that matter? Byron and Char muse on these "casual" questions in this week's episode of Barefoot to Emmaus.
Byron and Char talk queer theology; one of Byron's most passionate subjects! Get ready for some wild and important ideas.
Christmastime is here! But what does that mean, specifically the liturgical season of advent? Join Byron and Char as they dive into the reason for the season in this episode.
Our first guest on the podcast! Welcome Henea De Savy as we explore universalism and free will.
Who is Christ? What are the works of Christ? In this episode, Char and Byron unpack their views of the works of Christ.
Theology is inherently political and vice versa. The week after the election Byron has some big thoughts. Some of this is really just psalm style ranting and venting so be warned.
In a world afflicted with so much injustice, it is important to consider the role of prophets. In this episode, we discuss who the prophets of old were and who the prophets of today may be.
Apokatastasis is an ancient Greek word that means "Universal Restoration". Explore with Char and Byron a little bit about what lies behind this Hopeful, Ultimate, Universal theory of Reconciliation. Maybe we're heretics, but at least we have hope.
What could Heaven be like? Why does it matter to us today? In this episode, Char unpacks his view of Heaven affectionately known as Jesus globby-body.
Language is deeply connected to human spirituality. From the tower of Babel to speaking in tongues, what are the implications of language for our beliefs around our faith and our connection to each other and beyond?
In a challenging conversation, Byron and Char confront their own struggle to find joy in the context of joy as a spiritual discipline.
What's in a name? Byron and Char explore the significance of names, looking at their own names, the names of God, and how God values names.
In this pilot episode, Byron and Char dive into their stories as the framework for their theological perspectives.