Episode 1 - Cosmic Theologian

Valentine Montes and Richard Poethig in the Philippines circa 1958
Valentine Montes and Richard Poethig in the Philippines circa 1958

At the start of Season 2, Margaret asks “why do you talk so much about vocation?”  Richard’s surprising answer spans time and space—from Luther’s understanding of Beruf, which launched the Protestant Reformation, to Richard’s current theological ideas about what holds the universe together.

For Richard, vocation asks, “What you can see that you gave your life to?”  He reflects on his life’s calling to bring justice to working people, in the context of the history of the Presbyterian Church’s Social Gospel movement and his own working class roots. He offers a midrash on the theme of class conflict. And he gives us the wide arc of his theology—from the human spirit to a cosmic Spirit that envelopes us in love.

Photo caption: Valentine Montes and Richard Poethig in the Philippines

Links

Poethig, Richard, “A Word to Guide Life” http://www.onthesidewalksofnewyork.com/blog/a-word-to-guide-life/

“The English Game,” Netflix Series https://www.netflix.com/title/80244928

Dawson, Jane, “A History of Vocation: Tracing a Keyword of Work, Meaning, and Moral Purpose,” Adult Education Quarterly (Volume 55 Issue 3, May 2005).

Music Credit

“Phase 2” by Xylo-Ziko (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Xylo-Ziko/)

 

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