Interview: Caffeinated Faith

Written on August 3, 2010 in thought

I love being interviewed. It’s an enjoyable process for me. It helps me not only articulate what I’m going through, but it even helps me to understand what I’m going through a little more clearly. Each interview is interesting in its own way. Just last Sunday night I was interviewed by Caffeinated Faith. Check it out. I was surprised what they dragged out of me about my departure from my role as pastor of my congregation.

I listened in on their conversation after they interviewed me. You can too at the end of the podcast. One guy said that when he heard they were interviewing nakedpastor, he expected me to totally trash the church. But I didn’t. But they believe I said a lot by what I didn’t say. Take a listen here.

I am amazed by how different things come out in an interview. These guys were very interested in how I left the church. During our discussion, I discovered that these guys also have interesting relationships with the church.

The longer I’m out, the more people I meet that have left the institutional church. For various reasons. You can name them all. Abuse. Fed up with the silliness. Intellectual dissonance. Tired of the politics. Victims of fallout. On and on. A person struggles within the church for so many reasons. Then another person finds herself outside the church and struggles to define her faith without the institutional structure to dictate it. Another person experiences intellectual conflict with traditional faith and dogmatic theology, and to keep his own integrity and not offend his conscience, he has to choose to leave the church and as a result the faith. I’ve always been interested in this person.

I strongly believe we need to interrogate, investigate, and fabricate new ways of understanding truth, articulating theology and defining faith in a way that doesn’t offend our conscience or our intellects or damage our selves. This, I believe, will bring true wellness to our spirit.

This interview convinced me of this even more.

fishon

I strongly believe we need to interrogate, investigate, and fabricate new ways of understanding truth, articulating theology and defining faith in a way that doesn’t offend our conscience or our intellects or damage our selves. This, I believe, will bring true wellness to our spirit.
——-I suppose if after all this time your spirit needs wellness you need to have a go at defining your faith. Of course, there are millions whose spirit is well.

It is good to know though that you do believe a person can have “true wellness to our spirit.”
http://biscotti_brain.blogspot.com Erin Wilson

Listening to the last half of the interview at the moment, and I am entirely fascinated by the fact that you have been ‘pastoring’ your interviewers. You asked about their lives and care about them. I this speaks powerfully to your heart.
http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

Thanks Erin. I’m just interested in people’s spiritual journeys.
http://thepreacherlady.wordpress.com preacherlady

I don’t think David said his spirit was unwell. To be in a dogmatically solid position doesn’t necessarily denote spiritual wellness. It does indicate an ability to stand by one’s convictions…unfortunately it can be to our detriment. To redefine our faith, from several different angles does many things. It expands our understanding, it prepares us to talk with people who don’t think conventionally or define their beliefs through conventional means. It keeps us in spiritual health to define ourselves as seen from different viewpoints.
http://www.crucialencounter.com Andy

We had a great time. So interested in your ability to speak of the church without bashing. Sometimes it’s easy to bash, and hard to love.

You speak volumes to what people should do in a world like today’s.
http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

andy: let’s do it again soon and continue the conversation.
dissidens

Much was said during the interview about “questions”. Questions people couldn’t ask in the church, questions which the church wouldn’t entertain, questions for which they had only dogmatic answers.

What are some of those questions?

And what makes a person “authentic”?
fishon

Andy
August 4, 2010 | 6:31 am

We had a great time. So interested in your ability to speak of the church without bashing. Sometimes it’s easy to bash, and hard to love.
——-now that must be a joke.
Jon

I was initially excited about the intriguing name of “caffeinated faith,” but I admit that I had some trouble getting past what sounded like a “fag” comment at the beginning of the podcast. I’ll go back later and try to skip ahead to the part where they actually call you so I can hear your interview. Definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the institutional church!