On Becoming

Written by: Bruce Ellis Benson
  • Summary

  • Every other week, Dr. Bruce Ellis Benson invites you to join him in a conversation on some of the most important questions in the world of contemporary christianity. What does it mean to ‘deconstruct’ your Christianity? What is religion, and what is its future? Who — or what — is God? Dr. Benson deploys years of training in philosophy and theology, as well as experience teaching in some of the world’s most highly-regarded universities, to answer these questions and many others.
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Episodes
  • Jesus--Messiah or Mentor?
    Sep 8 2024

    In this episode, we take a look at various ways of framing Jesus. I grew up thinking that Jesus was supposed to be Lord of my life. But, as time went on, I came to think that this wasn't a very helpful framing. Here we'll consider other ways of framing--Jesus as Cynic philosopher, apocalyptic teacher, charismatic healer, sage, and social prophet. In short, I read Jesus like I read Socrates.

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    31 mins
  • Deconstructing Jesus
    Aug 30 2024

    In today’s episode, we’re be looking at Jesus. As with all historical figures, establishing exactly what happened is sometimes very difficult. In this episode, we’ll talk about the gospels and why they are problematic, both because they are propaganda and because they were written so long after Jesus lived. We’ll also talk about the distinction between what has often been called ‘the historical Jesus’ and ‘the Christ of faith’.

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    32 mins
  • Trying to Make Sense of 'God'
    Aug 23 2024

    Have you ever noticed that the God of the Bible, who is supposed to be the ultimate 'Good', is often petty, mean, and vengeful? In this episode, we'll consider, first, the argument that Feuerbach presents for how the concept of 'God' came into existence. Then we'll consider where the Hebrew concept of 'God' comes from (hint: it's not from God). Finally, we'll turn to some examples of God being jealous, petty, misogynistic, and constantly trying to glorify himself.

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    37 mins

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