16. Culture, Reality, and Belief

In recent weeks, all across the country, students have received countless awards, recognitions, and trophies. That state of affairs prompted Ante and Oliver to examine the participation trophy phenomenon to probe the underlying forces that fuel it. For instance, what does it say about how we view parenting, psychological development, personal well-being, growth and resiliency, self-esteem, and motivation? To what extent is all that connected to shame and anxiety? What sociological and economic forces lurk in the background here? While, as usual, by their recognition, they bite more on what they can chew, they manage to crystallize some critical areas of concern beyond parenting and educational issues.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

Continuing in the spirit of Kant's 300th anniversary, Oliver and Ante are taking another crack at this monumental thinker. This time, they focus more specifically on his moral thought, running with the contention, partially tongue in cheek, that a consistent application of his principles of morality might lead to a revival in Christian communities. Among others, they discuss Derek Parfit's reformulation of  Kant's formula: "It is wrong to treat anyone in any way to which this person could not rationally consent." Whether that is indeed the supreme principle of morality is debatable. Still, one can imagine all kinds of life circumstances where following such a thought experiment would lead one to act in drastically different ways. They also tackle Kant's universalism, Omri Boehm's acclaimed book Radikaler Univesalismus, Kant's stress on individuality, his decontextualizing of Christian morality, and other topics.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

In light of the 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant's birth, Ante and Oliver discuss his status as one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era. It is hard to fully capture all the ways in which he has influenced our culture. In a way, we are all Kantians to some degree, whether we know it or not. To that end, they explore his background, the context in which he worked, some troublesome aspects of his legacy, his groundbreaking essay "What is Enlightenment?", his stress on freedom and the importance of thinking for oneself, his take on religion, all peppered with some autobiographical asides.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

In this fascinating episode, Oliver and Ante discuss the importance of Eugen Drewermann, a leading  20th-century theologian, particularly his integration of exegesis and depth psychology. Using his ideas as a springboard, they explore insights that a psycho-existential reading of Exodus might bring to understanding various life experiences and key turning points.  CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

As mentioned in their previous episode, Oliver and Ante continue discussing the topic of trauma rooted in personal experience. They examine the rise of trauma literature, how it has impacted biblical studies and theology, and the new insights it has brought to the table. While such reflections are not new--people have forever struggled with suffering, loss, grief, tragedy, and meaning--trauma discourse, with its strong connection to embodied experience, undoubtedly offers an enriched perspective on these aspects of human existence.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

In another guest episode, Oliver and Ante connect with Steve Yeagley, the Assistant Vice President for Campus & Student Life at Andrews University, to discuss various aspects of trauma. After some introductory remarks, they discuss the definition of trauma, the state of current trauma literature, the meaning of inter-generational trauma, the problem of moral injury and its relationship to trauma, the origins and ill effects of cultural war rhetoric, and the need for healing spaces in worship.EPISODE MATERIALRambo, Resurrecting Wounds: Living in the Afterlife of Trauma Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of TraumaCONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

The main theme of this episode concerns the ubiquity of interpretation or hermeneutics. As Oliver and Ante stress in the beginning, there is no dimension of being in the world that does not have an interpretive dimension to it, ranging from ordinary acts of orientation and judgments on a daily basis to broader considerations about the meaning of texts, societal events, and life in general. In developing this topic, they consider some important thinkers that have shaped our understanding of these issues, including the towering figure of Hans Georg Gadamer. In the process of doing so, they consider the following questions: What is the relationship between philosophical and biblical hermeneutics? What factors orient us to perceive the world in a certain way? How do we navigate between theological interpretations that aim at closure and biblical texts that seem to have a surplus of meaning? Are there moral imperatives to consider the finality of texts in some circumstances?...CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič 

This time around, Oliver and Ante take a slightly different track by tackling the theme of health and fitness, sharing some of the lessons learned concerning fasting, the psychology of fitness, exercise protocols, diet, and wholeness in general. While their sharing should not be taken as medical advice, they hope to share some insights and encouragement to people finding themselves on different stations in their health journey. RESOURCES MENTIONEDPeter Attia, Outlive: The Science and Art of LongevityRatey and Hagerman, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the BrainCONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič

This guest episode features the psychiatrist Dr. Torben Bergland on the topic of fanaticism. What is fanaticism? How prevalent is it? What are the best angles to explore it? Is it a matter of cognitive closure or a type of psychopathology? If neither, then what is it? Could the concept be wielded as powerplay where others, simply by virtue of being different than us, get labeled so? How is it related to the post-truth phenomenon? Are there positive aspects of fanaticism? If by definition one is not aware of one's own fanatical tendencies, how can individuals ever become aware of those?... These are but some of the issues that Ante and Oliver probe with their guest.CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič

The story of Cain and Able has been explored through many angles, each adding to a rich history of interpretation of the narrative. In this episode, Oliver and Ante take a fresh look at it, trying to attend to the multiple meanings the text affords and how that, in turn, might offer some important life and spiritual lessons.Episode theme: 06:20CONNECT WITH USEmailWebsite* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show title points out, we approach these things "in the middle of things" by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič