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Episode 55 | VFL Reads: Social Media, Identity, And The Church

Season 1, Episode 55

September 22, 2021 • Autumn Gardner, Hunter Beaumont, Michael Goldstein

Autumn, Hunter and Michael discuss a book review of Breaking the Social Media Prism by Chris Bail.

In his review, Timothy Keller observes that social media is driving polarized thinking and polarized relationships - but not for the reasons we're commonly told. Rather than being driven by algorithms, social media is driven by our own, modern need to construct and express an identity. "Social media is more about identity than ideas," says Keller summarizing Bail. But if we can resist using it to express identity, we can still use it constructively.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
"Social Media, Identity, and the Church" by Tim Keller (https://quarterly.gospelinlife.com/social-media-identity-and-the-church/)
"Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing" by Chris Bail (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691203423/)

Episode 167 | Politics, Part 3: Trends In American Politics

April 17, 2024 • Autumn Gardner, Hunter Beaumont

Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.amazon.com/this-america-nation-jill-lepore/dp/1631496417 by Jill Lepore https://www.amazon.com/church-matters-authoritarianism-nationalism-protestantism/dp/1960877046/ref=sr_1_1?crid=t7e7mpi5q2t7&dib=eyj2ijoimsj9.eftspouewaieowl5iwkgvkk8ysjgq4gzfvvfc-fu6m66c4jh41sloiajrkfpau7pbj23qdlvylbmdvkaxbaviv0frwybdbu_dmh4licm5lhl33pnkgmx7amhes34zllyirus_uwvzejdgc1w4l8fwbt6wfsgpyvpqfcrlox2r9p8xv8fdwfx2ql1uofbl2ewsu2snmu8infn3jdnsnyuw6sjdwygd65rzmjeurqw6km.memql_o7vb33xhosjl6c691fa6tlbwvclxzbtwflbmy&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+new+christian+authoritarianism&qid=1712252587&s=books&sprefix=a+new+christian+authoritarianism%2cstripbooks%2c117&sr=1-1 by Jonathan Leeman https://www.amazon.com/city-penguin-classics-augustine-hippo/dp/0140448942/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1sbwxqnqj4siw&dib=eyj2ijoimsj9.k0gq3b18clmagree0scqvaoffftm8gseucbll2wuny6lgylihmt09f87aztrmm5wiidrhcymzuxzyoyofuf8t02lejgjgidd720gagbu7lrt-oflmadeeoyfdatw97xot_1cufj9js3ofgmcfe9d2sdcwwzd9aq6iihvzqqq4kgsmo5l8ap-v83etxub05rsikso3nzg9xdlfsnhfndu2y2iokect4olvvitjo5e9js.pykl5g-s93n7deoxr8pkhomskzakcfq7dfgctkc2t8e&dib_tag=se&keywords=city+of+god&qid=1712252607&s=books&sprefix=city+of+god%2cstripbooks%2c120&sr=1-3 by St. Augustine

Episode 166 | Politics, Part 2: The Purpose Of Government

April 10, 2024 • Autumn Gardner, Hunter Beaumont

Resources mentioned in this episode: 1. VFL Politics class audio (https://subsplash.com/fellowshipdenver/lb/mi/+9pdsb7f, https://subsplash.com/fellowshipdenver/lb/mi/+nvkknc2, https://subsplash.com/fellowshipdenver/lb/mi/+bb293ty, https://subsplash.com/fellowshipdenver/lb/mi/+hpxt6t5) 2. https://www.amazon.com/how-nations-rage-rethinking-politics/dp/1400218446/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1yavx9hh4sr7l&dib=eyj2ijoimsj9.il2ip5ud7drhrrlxzhhntinzy7rfd4kiybaru15np4i.mkeiganbk_0pe6m2wsoveccwyzimydgvg6yjowklk_a&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+the+nations+rage+by+jonathan+leeman&qid=1710438340&sprefix=how+the+nations+rage%2caps%2c115&sr=8-1 by Jonathan Leeman 3. https://youtu.be/ejln9jdqfsc by Johnny Cash

Episode 165 | Politics, Part 1: The Purpose Of Politics

April 3, 2024 • Autumn Gardner, Hunter Beaumont

When we talk about “politics,” we usually mean elections and debates about public issues involving our government and “politicians.” But we can’t think well about governmental politics unless we understand “politics” in a bigger way, as an aspect of our inter-relational existence created by God. Hunter and Autumn discuss two paradigms to get at this bigger meaning of politics. The first paradigm utilizes the biblical movements of creation, fall, and redemption to elucidate the intention, complication, and redeemed modality of politics. The second paradigm relies on the biblical terms shalom, justice, and righteousness to inquire how a redeemed body politick, the Church, can pursue wholeness as the purpose of “politics.”