Critical Faith

What does forgiveness make possible? This week, ICS alum and University of Toronto PhD candidate Andrew Tebbutt joins us to explain a bit about his PhD research on the idea of forgiveness in Hegel's philosophy of religion. In particular, he explores how forgiveness calls us to take account of each other's finite character, and opens us up to other possible ways of discernment. Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

Can fashion make a difference to the world? This week, ICS PhD student and resident avid knitter Julia de Boer shares some of her personal experiences and reflections on the importance of slow fashion as a mode of resistance. In this episode, she describes some of the far-reaching ecological and political effects of our fashion choices and considers how slow fashion offers a tangible way to live justly and act aesthetically in the world. Julia also shares with us some resources on slow and sustainable fashion, including Whitney Bauck (@unwrinkling), whose articles on fashion and theology can be found here: https://fashionista.com/author/whitney-bauck. Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

How do you reconcile irreconcilable differences? Last week, ICS Academic Dean Gideon Strauss joined us to share a bit about his own experiences in both apartheid and post-apartheid South African politics. This week, we're sharing with you the second half of this interview, in which Gideon reflects on the time he spent with South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

What do you do when the authority or government under which you live is evil? This week, our new Critical Faith co-host Theoren Tolsma helped us welcome returning guest and ICS Academic Dean Gideon Strauss back to the podcasting studio. Gideon makes regular pilgrimages back to his home country of South Africa every summer, and is greatly invested in the ongoing politics in the region. So we asked him to share a bit about his own experiences in both apartheid and post-apartheid South African politics. This week, we're sharing with you the first part of this two-part interview, in which Gideon reflects on how he first came to terms with a theology and politics of armed resistance.  Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

Why talk about evil, resistance, and judgment? This week, we welcome ICS President and resident Hannah Arendt expert Ronald A. Kuipers back to the podcast. He shares with us some background on the inspiration for the themes of our podcast this semester, and discusses the insights and the hope Arendt has offered his own scholarship and might continue to offer public discourse today. Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

We're excited for the start of a new school year and the renewed energy that new Junior Members bring. To welcome these JMs to their ICS home, we asked some of them to share a bit about themselves, their academic backgrounds, what brought them to ICS, and the burning questions they bring with them. So we were joined in the podcast studio by Theoren Tolsma, Abbi Hofstede, and June Moon, and we're pleased to have the chance to introduce them to you now! Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico  

Critical Faith is back for Season 3! In the spirit of Hannah Arendt, our episodes this semester will be centered on the themes of evil, resistance, and judgment. To warm ourselves back up to the podcasting rhythm, Mark, Danielle, Hector, and Grace got together to have an impromptu conversation about these themes as a kind of pre-introduction introduction to some questions that the themes raise for us in the context of our own work: How do we address paralysis in the face of evil? From where do the resources for resistance arise? Are passing judgments on evil and enacting reconciliation both equally possible? These themes will occupy us and our guests for the rest of the semester, so we hope this episode will whet your appetites for the conversations to come!  Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu.  

We're gettin' sentimental on this episode of Critical Faith--our last for the 2018-2019 school year. ...In which Gideon joins us back in the studio to look back fondly over the past year's episodes and add his own contributions to our series on worldview questions. ...In which Mark considers the ongoing influence of generations at ICS and expresses his appreciation of interdisciplinarity. ...And in which Danielle, reliable as ever, punctuates the discussion with maniacal laughter. We want to thank you all for joining us over the last year and we hope you'll join us again after the summer to hear all the ideas we have brewing for our ongoing adventures in podcasting!   Be sure to note this week's Don't Miss This! items as we head into summer holidays: 1. ICS's Convocation and the exaugural address of our former president Dr. Doug Blomberg is happening starting at 7pm on May 17. We hope you'll join us in prayer and celebration! If you're able to do so in person, please find details and RSVP here:  http:/

How do we strike a balance between suspending judgments and making them? This week, we're joined by Rebekah Smick, ICS Senior Member in Philosophy of Arts and Culture. In this episode, Rebekah gives us a brief look at some of the many research, writing, and teaching projects she is currently pursuing that all raise questions about the various roles of images in our thought and spiritual lives. She also reflects on how ICS first helped her find her way into a fulfilling academic life. Check out this week's Don't Miss This! items: May 25: The Junia's Daughters conference for and about women in ministry at Wycliffe College in Toronto. Discounted tickets are available until April 15! Get yours and find more info on the conference here: http://www.juniasdaughters.ca/ July 8: A.A. Bondy concert at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. You can find tickets and a brief write-up on the artist here.  Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christia

Are we certain things can be certain? This week, we're joined by Ted Avram, ICS MA student and newly conferred Reverend Minor in the Jesuit Order. In this episode, Ted takes us along on his far-ranging journey across religious traditions, academic disciplines, and international borders that led him to ICS today. Intent on keeping "a foot in both worlds" in his research, he also considers the stakes of certainty in both Reformational and Thomist philosophy. Check out this week's Don't Miss This! items: April 28-30: Our Whole Society 2019 conference in Toronto, with which ICS's Ron, Hector, and Danielle are all involved in various capacities. Get more details and your tickets here! https://www.interfaithconversation.ca/2019 April 5: A concert with Elevator, Ellis, and Basement Revolver at the Great Hall in Toronto. Get your tickets here for a taste of Hamilton in Toronto! https://www.thegreathall.ca/event/elevator/ If you're curious, you can also see a short photo story of Ted receiving his minor or

Where do Christian faith and politics meet? And how is the church called to address inequality? Once every term, ICS hosts a Scripture, Faith, and Scholarship Seminar where we bring in a scholar, public intellectual, or social activist to talk to the ICS community about the work an/or research that they do and about the way it intersects with their faith lives.   Back in January, we were joined by Dr. Heath W. Carter, associate professor of history at Valparaiso University in Chicago, who had just been awarded the 2018 Emerging Public Intellectual Award. Dr. Carter talked to us about legacies of social Christianity in the U.S. and the "New Gilded Age" of current American politics, as well as raised questions of how Christians today might work to address the realities of social and political inequality. Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. -Acts 2:44-45 This week, we're joined by Samir Gassanov, ICS PhD student and former Bay Street property lawyer. In this episode, Sam sheds some light on his unfolding research into a Christian understanding of property, asking what it might mean to have a more deeply human view of ownership, and takes us on his winding journey into, out of, and back to academics. Check out this week's Don't Miss This! items: March 15 - This is the submission deadline for this year's Undergraduate Workshop: God & Politics: Religion and Public Life in the 21st Century! March 25, 5:15-7:15pm - Beautiful God: The Incarnation & the Arts lecture by Christina Labriola at Regis College - food provided! Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For

How do you discern a calling to graduate studies? This week, ICS President and Senior Member in Philosophy of Religion Dr. Ronald A. Kuipers rejoins the podcast to continue the narration of his academic journey. Last time, he reflected on his undergraduate years. This time, he shares with us factors and mentors that shaped his decision to pursue an MA and PhD. Check out this week's Don't Miss This! items: New poetry book Mumbles in Hollywood, California by Ben Robinson A Lenten reading list from Peter Rollins: Atheism for Lent Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

What has technology to do with Christianity? This week, we're joined by Dean Dettloff, ICS PhD candidate and podcasting master. Dean is a founding father of Critical Faith, and we were very excited to have him join us once again to share the latest on his journey to ICS, his current dissertation research on technology and Christianity, and his teaching and social activism. After this introduction to what Dean's doing, you can hear more from him (and his co-host Matt Bernico) on their own podcast on Christianity and the Left: The Magnificast. Check out this week's Don't Miss This! items: The 2019 TrueCity Conference in Hamilton, ON: March 1-2 Art Gallery Ontario's new exhibit: Impressionism in the Age of Industry: Monet, Pissarro & More Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

Voila! We're back to our regularly scheduled programming! This week, we're joined by Jim Olthuis, ICS Emeritus professor of philosophical theology and practicing psychotherapist. Jim has been at ICS from the beginning and has spent his life thinking about and living out love. Join us as he leads us through the wild spaces and reflects on his academic journey. Check out this week's Don't Miss This items: ICS's Undergraduate Workshop - God & Politics: Religion and Public Life in the 21st Century The Sad Boys Literary Society's poetry reading on March 6 Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

What is worldview and why does it matter? This is the final episode in our short series on thinking through some of life's big questions. So far, ICS Junior Member Grace Carhart has interviewed Senior Members Nik Ansell, Ronald A. Kuipers, Rebekah Smick, and Bob Sweetman on the themes of wonder, heartbreak, and hope from within their respective disciplines. This week, Grace and our SMs wrap things up by reflecting on how all these big questions might pertain to our everyday lives and vice versa. We want Critical Faith to give you a glimpse into the everyday life of ICS. So we're talking with Senior Members, Junior Members, and friends of the Institute to hear about what got them here, what they're working on, and why it matters for them. Music by Matt Bernico.

Is hope dangerous? This is the third in a short series of Critical Faith episodes based on thinking through some of life's big questions. ICS Junior Member Grace Carhart has conducted a series of interviews with ICS Senior Members Nik Ansell, Ronald A. Kuipers, Rebekah Smick, and Bob Sweetman; asking them to reflect on the themes of wonder, heartbreak, hope, and worldview from within their respective disciplines. This week, Grace and our SMs consider the dangers and possibilities of hope. We want Critical Faith to give you a glimpse into the everyday life of ICS. So we're talking with Senior Members, Junior Members, and friends of the Institute to hear about what got them here, what they're working on, and why it matters for them. Music by Matt Bernico.

How do we live with heartbreak--and live well? This is the second in a short series of Critical Faith episodes based on guiding worldview questions. ICS Junior Member Grace Carhart has conducted a series of interviews with ICS Senior Members Nik Ansell, Ronald A. Kuipers, Rebekah Smick, and Bob Sweetman; asking them to reflect on the themes of wonder, heartbreak, hope, and worldview from within their respective disciplines. This week, Grace asks our SMs to share their insights on the heartbreak.  We want Critical Faith to give you a glimpse into the everyday life of ICS. So we're talking with Senior Members, Junior Members, and friends of the Institute to hear about what got them here, what they're working on, and why it matters for them. Music by Matt Bernico.

Do you ever wonder?  This is the first in a short series of Critical Faith episodes based on guiding worldview questions. ICS Junior Member Grace Carhart has conducted a series of interviews of ICS Senior Members, asking them to reflect on the themes of wonder, heartbreak, hope, and worldview from within their respective disciplines. This week, Grace guides us through a deep and deepening discussion of wonder. We want Critical Faith to give you a glimpse into the everyday life of ICS. So we're talking with Senior Members, Junior Members, and friends of the Institute to hear about what got them here, what they're working on, and why it matters for them. Music by Matt Bernico.

To jump into the new year, this week's episode is a change of pace and a chance to highlight some voices of the broader ICS community. For the first portion of this episode, we're taking a moment to express our thanks to those who came to our Open House in December by featuring some vignettes of their hopes for the future of ICS. And in the second portion, we're joined by Senior Member in theology Nik Ansell and friend of ICS and yoga instructor-in-training Emily Briggson for a conversation about the connections and differences between their studies and practices.  Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.