This week we speak with Thomas Jay Oord:
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is the author or editor of a dozen books and professor at Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, relational theology, science and religion, Wesleyan/Holiness/Church of the Nazarene thought, Evangelical theology, and postmodernism. [From the Bio Page on his site]
Thanks to Megan Glenn for the suggestion on getting Thomas for the podcast, its a great interview. Hope you enjoyed the sound byte in the intro, it was a fun Christmas Dinner.
Here is the YouTube clip I was mentioning
Tags: bible, essential kenosis theology, love, oord, religion, theology, thomas oord
This is the bad ass Youtube guy.
I skimmed through the podcast; it was enjoyable. It was refreshing to hear a Christian renounce ancient Israeli genocide in Palestine.
I found it interesting when the man in the clip you played said “skepticism is not the way to the truth, fidelity is.” Of course a skeptic’s truth is not absolute. The point I think is to learn to live with a certain degree of uncertainty, but to seek truth within certain frameworks (e.g. logic, empiricism, etiquette). Fidelity (or faith?), which I assume is supposed to be given to whatever metaphysical ‘truths’ one is first introduced to (i.e. arbitrarily), gives one access to an internal or spiritual truth–one that transforms, but has no reality beyond the individual who has realized it.
To me, religion has no function other than to improve this world. It should be understood strictly as symbolic in order for it to be used directly this way. That was the point of the death of God I mentioned in my video: there is no transcendental truth to justify the evils of this world. It’s up to us to make it just.
Anyhow, I appreciate the plug, and what a coincidence that we’re all Atlantans! Can I ask, was it my lack of sophistication or my lack of faith that reminded you of your 15 year old selves? Maybe both. When you said that I felt like a bit of a child playing cowboys and indians being patronized by The Duke! “Yr in for a shock, kid.”
Regards,
Jay
Hey man, great to hear from you. And always glad to see a fellow Atlantan. Keep on listening to the podcast and you will hear plenty of renouncing.
The comment I made about you reminding us of our 15 year old selves is mostly because you look younger. Possibly because you suffer from something that my wife and I suffer from. A condition where we look ten years younger then we actually are. But there was something about your monologue that reminded me of the way I use to talk about religion. I can’t explain that, but no that was not a comment about a lack of faith (you probably have more faith than me) and not a comment about a lack of sophistication.
NNU is a Nazarene college, but the entire Nazarene church has kind of fallen away from being Bible-Believing. The theology department at NNU reflects that falling away more than any other department. It is still a nice, conservative college with good education, but they aren’t committed to God or His Word anymore. Thomas Oord has something to do with this. Be warned!