Ep. 47: Saving Jesus From Evangelicals w/ Dr. Robin Meyers

Show Notes

Episode Summary

It's really hard to call yourself a Christian these days. But when you are a minister in conservative Oklahoma and call yourself a kind of “atheist,” well that’s a whole other issue! Reverend Dr. Robin Meyers is one of many progressive voices that laid the groundwork for the deconstruction movement. And for him, it all started by asking one question: “The question isn’t what is a Christian, but rather how is one Christian?” Unfortunately, the answer to that question has changed dramatically over the years, especially in the West.

Modern Christianity looks almost nothing like the original version of faith professed by the Early Church. Once the church was a clear threat to the status quo, now the church is largely a defender of the status quo, blessing both a warrior worshiping militarism and a death-dealing and predatory capitalism. For the Early Church, Christianity had almost nothing to do with believing the 'right' things; it had everything to do with living the right way. Which begs the real question: what is faith anyway?

In this episode, Reverend Dr. Robin Meyers (The God Seminar) shares his story of doubt, deconstruction, and reconstruction as a liberal minister in Trump country. For him, Christianity isn't an orthodox set of beliefs but rather a very unorthodox way of being in the world. Dr. Meyers reintroduces us to not only the radical nature of the Gospels, but to the Jesus we've never known. As he says, "Jesus is the most misunderstood figure in human history." 

If you are done with the Church but can't quite quit Jesus, this is the episode for you! Not only that, we talk The Gospel of Thomas, how the red letters in John’s Gospel are all made up, and the most important topic of all, March Madness!

Bio

In addition to being Distinguished Professor of Social Justice, Rev. Dr. Meyers has served as senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC Church of Oklahoma City since 1985. He is the author of seven books, and lectures extensively on the merits of Progressive Christianity. His books call the church to be a beloved community of resistance to injustice in our time. Dr. Meyers earned a PhD from the Communication Department at the University of Oklahoma for his work in the area of
persuasion and preaching. Dr. Meyers has published six additional books in his 25-year tenure including The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus (Jossey Bass, 2012); and Spiritual Defiance: Building a Beloved Community of Resistance (Yale University Press, 2015). His most recent book, Saving God From Religion is out now.

Dr. Meyers is a frequent speaker at church workshops, academic conferences, and political events around the country. He is an award-winning commentator for NPR and a columnist for The Oklahoma Gazette. He has appeared on Dateline NBC, The McNeil-Lehrer Hour, and ABC World News Tonight, among others. His lecture at Yale University, Faith as Resistance to Empire, continues to be one of the most transformative talks for any Jesus follower who longs to push back against the brutal realities of American common life.

Quotables

• “What happened to the church that used to give the empire fits, but now fits so easily in the empire?”

• “What is this strange thing we call Christianity?”

• “Jesus is the most misunderstood figure in human history.”

• “The Church is going away. It’s dying in its old form…Some people find that disturbing but I find it very exciting.”

• “I very seldom call myself a Christian anymore.”

• “Orthodoxy may be the greatest heresy of all.”

• “Jesus came against Rome. So if we are going to be Jesus-people, then we need to continue that by resisting the empire in which we live, America. The Pax Americana.”

• “You can’t recognize a Christian from being different from anyone else besides that they are meaner, and more judgmental.”

• “82% of Christians voted for a man who, probably, is the answer to the question: “What would Jesus NOT do?”

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Credits

This episode was produced by The Sophia Society. Music is by Faith in Foxholes.