47. Desire, Imitation, and Scapegoating: A Tribute to R. Girard

René Girard—a French-American literary critic, philosopher, and anthropologist—has profoundly shaped Oliver's and Ante's thinking. In this episode, they explore key Girardian themes: desire, imitation, envy, resentment, violence, the origins of religion, and scapegoating. They argue that Girard offers a lens that, if taken seriously, radically reconfigures how we understand both reality and Scripture.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In this episode of IMR Bites, Ante turns to the theme of wisdom, central to Scripture, moral philosophy, and the moral life. Drawing on biblical texts, especially the wisdom literature and Paul’s letters, as well as insights from psychology, he explores how wisdom involves discernment, moral perception, and the ability to navigate complexity. In a time flooded with information but lacking clarity, the episode asks what it means to live wisely—and how wisdom is both something we cultivate and something we receiveSend us your comments. We appreciate those!

In this episode, Olive and Ante tackle the fraught topic of sexuality and gender.  What they are primarily interested in is how these issues are framed in contemporary culture and how certain types of discourse on these matters have become normalized over time. In so doing, they are coming to terms with the basic truism of life: all beliefs and convictions have a history behind them.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In this first episode of In Medias Res Bites, Ante introduces a new short-form format within the IMR podcast. These occasional reflections, offered by either Oliver or Ante, and possibly guest contributors in the future, complement the longer dialogues with focused meditations on themes central to the art of living.Edited episode transcriptIn this opening reflection, Ante explores the idea of archetypes—not as abstract roles or fixed types, but as existential ideals that help shape who we are becoming. Drawing on figures like Jung, Plato, the Stoics, and Scripture, he considers how certain archetypes—such as the hero, the sage, or the pilgrim—awaken in us a longing for the good and invite us to align with our deepest aspirations. He shares five archetypes that have come to orient his own journey and reflects on how such patterns of being can offer clarity, coherence, and moral direction amid the complexities of life. This episode sets the stage for a series of future reflections, each delving into one of these archetypes in greater depth.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

In this episode, Oliver is joined by Torben, a psychiatrist from Norway, and Julia, a high school teacher, mother, and CBT counselor from Austria. Together, we explore how narratives shape personal and communal identity, drawing on insights from psychology, neuroscience, and theology. The conversation delves into the formative power of memory, its connection to trauma and healing, and how we can become intentional agents in reshaping the stories we live by—for the sake of personal growth, relational depth, and spiritual orientation.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

For this episode, Oliver and Ante are delighted to connect with their good friends, Oleg Kostyuk, Assistant to the President for Mission at AdventHealth University, and Torben Bergland, a psychiatrist from Norway. Building on their previous discussion of fear, they use this conversation to deepen their understanding of fear, particularly as it relates to the dynamics of memory, trauma, and authoritarian structures.* * * * * NEW TO THE PODCAST?In this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations about life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. As the show’s title suggests, we approach these topics “in the middle of things”—grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. As for who we are: we are friends, verbal sparring partners, and colleagues at Andrews University. - Oliver Glanz and Ante Jerončič Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Fear is an incredibly complex emotion, differing in expressions as it does in its causes. Ante and Oliver try to tackle it from different angles, including its neurobiology, connection with human identity, personal and social manifestations, negative effects, strategies for addressing them, and place in the life of Christians.* * * * * 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 Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Doubt shows up in many different guises. What accounts for the variety of such human experiences? What is its relation to faith? What are the different causes and expressions of doubt? What is it about our cultural moment that makes doubt such a widespread phenomenon? Can doubt sometimes be an expression of laziness? To what extent is doubt central to intellectual and spiritual growth?... These are some of the questions that Ante and Oliver tackle in discussing this important topic.* * * * * 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 Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

This time, the starting point for the conversation is Oliver's upcoming article, "A Critical Look at Modern Graduate Education Through the Lens of Ancient Texts." They explore some strengths and weaknesses of contemporary education, how some of those weaknesses are engendered and reinforced through the use of modern textbooks, the kind of cognitive (fore)closure these texts encourage, what the relationship between knowledge and understanding might be, how ancient texts encourage understanding through personal struggle and intellectual openness, what role "texts" of life should have education, etc.CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * 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 Send us your comments. We appreciate those!

Back in November 2024, Ante presented a paper at the Society of Adventist Philosophers titled The Anthropotechnics of Freedom: Training in Objectivity and the Ethics of Epistemic Authenticity. In this episode, Oliver and Ante take up that topic to explore the meaning and possibility of objectivity—so often a term of derision. They ask: Why does truth matter? Can we ever attain objective knowledge? What is the "view from nowhere"? What does it mean to see objectivity as a moral imperative? And how does this ethical reframing of an epistemological category shape human intersubjectivity? Ultimately, they consider a deeper question: What does it mean to die to oneself in the pursuit of truth?  CONNECT WITH USEmail* * * * * 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 Send us your comments. We appreciate those!