The Sacred Life: Recent Episodes
John and David Bahler
Brothers John and David Bahler go on a walk in the woods and discuss Christian symbolism, Christianity's relationship to other religions and to secular philosophy, the role of the individual and the community, the responsibility of the individual, and more. In an age that is consumed by rational thought, we seek to understand the meaning and the value of symbolism and mysticism. In doing so, we seek to shine a light on problems in the church and in society, and in each one of us. Our approach, which draws on art, dreams, visions, Biblical interpretation, church and world history, comparative religion, literature, philosophy, psychology, religious experience, politics, and popular culture, hopes to bring unity to people and synthesis to philosophies that are divided from one another, and is influenced by the work of Jordan Peterson, but is even more deeply informed by the Christian faith, especially the elements of medieval folk Christianity that have survived in Swiss Mennonite belief and practice. John is a former professional musician (forced by the pandemic to switch careers and teach literature), and David works in what is, among Mennonites, an honored and mystical vocation: construction.
Is Sola Scriptura a viable means of structuring Christian doctrine? Are there pitfalls and dangers to this approach? John is as we explore the nature of truth and doctrine in the Church, the Christian's relationship to doctrine, and even where doctrine and Truth ultimately comes from. Do we really truly on the Scriptures alone for faith and doctrine, and how has this approach actually worked out for us?
Join us in this latest episode as we discuss the position of the Anabaptist tradition. Are we Protestants? If not, what are we exactly? What do we do with who we are, and where do we go from here? Even though we can't answer all these questions in this video, hopefully we can at least keep the conversation going.
In this episode, we explore a remarkable story from early Anabaptist history involving a connection between the Anabaptists and Greek Orthodox. This is a story that has inspired our own journey, and perhaps shows some hope for what could have happened, as well as presenting possibilities for the future.
Today we explore why we, three Mennonite men, visited services at an Orthodox Church. Join us as we continue this discussion.
We often hear that the message of the Gospel and the reason that Christ dies on the Cross is the forgiveness of our sins. But is this really true? Or is there something more to Christianity, and to our lives as Christians, than just forgiveness? Could it be that Forgiveness is really the door to something greater, to healing and reconciliation with God?
Join us again as we, three simple Mennonites, continue our discussion on our interactions with the Orthodox Church. In this episode we go into more detail on the service of Forgiveness Vespers, how we were personally impacted by the service, and what we, as non Orthodox people, can take away and use to enrich our own lives and communities.
In this episode, we talk about our recent visit to the Forgiveness Vespers service in an Eastern Orthodox Church. We discuss our reasons for going, what we gained from the experience, and what lessons there may be in this for those outside of the Orthodox Church, and especially for us as Mennonites.
David Bahler continues a discussion on his own spiritual journey, looking at personal aspects of his faith and how experience has led him to where she who he is today, and what it means to have your Identity in Jesus Christ.
Sacred Life contributor David Bahler shares his own personal journey in the faith, what has led him to where he is today, what is vision and goal is, as well as what he along with the rest of the sacred life team are hoping to accomplish.
Is the pride flag an insult to God? Is it a mockery of a biblical symbol? Have people really taken something of God's and used it against His meaning? Or is there ore going on? Is there something we can learn about the world by observing the way this symbol is revealing the true nature of things?
What is hatred? Is hatred the opposite of love? Is hatred the absence of love? Or is it something else, maybe a twisting of love into something other than what it ought to be?
The world we live in is one inhabited by angels and demons, spiritual beings that affect our lives in profound ways. We need to recapture the knowledge of these spiritual realities, and reimagine the world around us. In this video, we begin a shift in the focus of the Sacred Life, diving into the spiritual realities of the world around us, how to engage with these spiritual forces, and why it is so important that we understand our lives and the world around us through this lens.
In a pluralistic society, where ideas are given an equal chance, Christianity, and Christ's Church, will always win. Even when it looks like the Church is on the decline, we have every reason to be confident that the genuine and authentic Christian Faith will prevail.
Continuing to read through the Theologia Germanica, a late medieval devotional work, we have a look at our desires, what we do with them, and how we should treat them.
In modern western culture, we hold the idea of freedom of religion and separation of Church and State in a very high place. But what does this mean for our world, and for the Christian? What are the consequences of having a nation and a people without a unifying religious force? And how has our modern concept of religion forced us into the place we find ourselves today? Join us as we explore these ideas, and consider its meaning for us today.
Does it really work to not have a singular, unified identity? How does religion shape that identity and hold a culture together? Is our modern idea of tolerance and pluralism actually working?
Since I am sick and feverish, David and I talk about fever dreams, which are like prophetic or religious experiences in that we did see and feel them, but they cannot be expressed using words. We may try, but what we say is not really what we dreamed. We riff on dreams for a while in an effort to mine the topic for what else it may have to teach us about religious experience and Biblical interpretation.
After addressing a critique of logic that we mentioned in the previous episode, we move on to the question of how good people fit in bad systems. The nature of systems and institutions is always partly bad, so many righteous people avoid being involved in the government, in educational institutions, in major corporations, etc. The result of this is that these institutions are worse than they could have been if there were more good people involved. We see a Biblical pattern that suggests that it is the wicked who judge the institutions, and the righteous are a part of those institutions in a way that does not bring about their own condemnation. We try to explore what it looks like for a righteous person to be part of a flawed institution.
Our interpretations of the mark of the Beast typically involve some sort of totalizing system, classification, or regime that some or all people willingly subject themselves to. We discuss the nature of totalizing systems and explore the ways in which every person (good or evil) subordinates himself-- and indeed he must subordinate himself-- to systems that have spiritual consequences. We attempt to identify the pattern that the mark of the Beast reveals-- in modern society as well as in other passage of scripture-- and we discuss what it means to live in a society, in a world where we must subject ourselves to controlling systems, laws, and institutions.
This episode explores some challenges to the theory of Verbal Plenary Inspiration of scripture, which argues that God gave the words of the Bible directly to the people who wrote it.
This episode applies the notion of the sins of the right hand (excessive order, rationality, rigidity, control) to the way that we interpret the Bible. It is part 1 of 3 of a long conversation chiefly on Scripture.
In this episode of The Sacred Life, John and David Bahler explore the nature of worship, highlighting some of the problems with worship that focuses on the emotional experience of the worshipper. True worship that stands in awe of God may be the best solution to the whatever problems face the contemporary church.
We start off this talk by tracing some different ways that people talk about the ordered center and the chaotic margins. We eventually stumble onto the idea that the margins bring about healing and growth: as an individual you grow by facing your own demons, and on a larger scale we constantly see marginal figures that work profound and positive influence on mainstream society, and who in fact become central figures in society. If we want to be centered-- as people or as a society-- then we need to go to the edges.
Today we take on the conception of salvation as a one-and-done decision. Thinking about it in such a way drives us toward evangelism, but we are lost when it comes to discipleship, and spiritual maturity. We discuss the importance of that salvation moment, but there is a danger in making Christianity all about that pivotal moment in the past; we want to emphasize instead the journey in that new trajectory, and that quest to become like Christ.
Today we discuss religious belief, and we make the claim: “You Don’t Believe What You Think You Believe.” Understanding of your own beliefs comes through questioning and challenging the ideas you hold. Intolerance and suppression come from false beliefs, from shallow and fragile ideologies, and not from genuine belief. Challenging your own beliefs is a form of death to self and resurrection into the spirit of truth.
Baptism is a symbol of death and resurrection in Christ. Participating in this symbol transforms us and connects more deeply with the Holy Spirit. The many meanings of baptism come together when we see it as a symbol that has the power to transform. Baptism is for the individual, but also for the community and the nation. We have seen baptism of nations in the past, and we now live in a culture in need of baptism. Share this content.