As this blog and the conversation that it hopes to foster gets going, we would like to reach out to our readers for suggestions of topics that you would like to see considered. If you have any ideas please tell us your ideas in the comments. Also, help us spread the word about this new project by linking to it on your social media feed.
Philosophy Goes to Church 
Such a cool and much-needed idea! I was wondering about vocations (particularly to priesthood) and how they are handled, for instance, the way Prof H.E. Baber’s desire to become an episcopal priest was not handled well at all. http://prosblogion.ektopos.com/2015/03/11/philosophers-and-their-religious-practices-part-3-the-scp-is-my-church/
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Helen, thanks for this suggestion! I have several friends who are academics and their attempt to become ordained in the church (in various denominations) was made exceptionally difficult due to what they perceived to be their academic expertise being received poorly by the church authorities. Let me work on getting someone to write a post who has experienced this (it may take a little bit of arm twisting, ha!).
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In the spirit of Topics of interest…..what about a series of blog posts on “taking a philosopher to church”. A blog post that unpacks at a high level ( since a full unpacking could easily be a book on how a philosopher can inform-critiqie a Christian faith and “spirituality” in a helpful formative way. example: Taking Derrida to church…..Baidou to church…..Lacan to church ……..etc
Another request is that I am part of a small group made up of Keith Putt (who you know) and Greg Newton a theologian-pastor that are having incredible constructive-creative dialogue in this space. You should persuade them into contributing : )
thx for initiating !
Ken Haynes
haynesk@us.ibm.com
Birmingham, Al
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Hey Ken, great idea. Kind of like extending Jamie Smith’s book that tries to do that with Derrida, Foucault, and Lyotard. I especially think it would be cool to do so with replies from pastors about how the ideas could be incorporated into church practice from their perspective. Perhaps you would be willing to kick off such a series? Email me. I am good friends with Keith and will certainly reach out to him. We sit on the board of the Society of Continental Philosophy and Theology together.
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How about the relationship between the embodied, factical spirituality of Christianity and the theory produced by academic theologians/philosophers of religion. It strikes me as a necessary connection that is not often discussed.
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Jake, agreed! Well worth comsidering here. I would especially like to hear from pastors who have found resources in such academic theories for their own lived contexts. By the way, Helen De Cruz has done an amazing series of interviews with philosophers about thejr own lived religious experiences and traditions, check it out over at prosblogion. Very cool stuff. She is doing one niw with me about my own pentecostal identity.
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I’d love to see a series of posts on ways pastors can address the problems of suffering and divine hiddenness sensitively from the pulpit or in their teaching. I can think of many sermons I have heard that have addressed these problems directly or indirectly that were either pastorally insensitive or theologically careless.
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Aaron, thanks for the suggestion. I also think this would make for a great series. Pehaps we can find ways to get pastors to engage with some of the interesting philosophers who argue that divine hiddenness is actually one of the strongest reasons to affirm atheism. Or, maybe some philosophers could attempt to translate such arguments into what they might see as more palatable versions for use in church settings. Anyway, great idea!
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