Thinking Faith With Eric Gurash And Dr. Brett Salkeld

As Mental Health Awareness week begins and in honour of May as Mental Health Month, we continue our examination of the saints and mental health with a look at Sts. Louis Martin and Therese of Lisieux. Show Snippet: "St. Therese understood that her mental health challenges did not define her deepest self. Clinging to her identification as a child of God, created in God’s own divine image, helped to increase her capacity for resiliency, even as she lived with often serious mental health challenges..."  

Returning guest, Brett Fawcett discusses the development of Just War Theory and universal human rights as developed through the middle ages into modernity through the work of Jacques Maritain. "So Maritain, he's writing this during World War Two, he's very influential, and he writes this book on the Rights of Man and natural law and says 'once this war is over we've got to really establish these rights for everyone to know about and his appendix is like a bill of international human rights..."

Returning Guest, Brett Fawcett discusses the development of Just War Theory and universal human rights as developed through the middle ages into modernity through the work of Jacques Maritain. Show Snippet: "Let's start in, say, the middle ages...there's this idea that there's a unity of the human family, we're all descended in some sense from Adam, and we're certainly all created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore we all have dignity..."

As Holy Week begins, we share with you Archbishop Donald Bolen's homily from the Archdiocese of Regina's recent Chrism Mass celebration at Holy Rosary Cathedral. We pray that your Holy Week may be a time of conversion and grace for you and those you love. Show Snippet: "We don't belong on pedestals. We belong in those places of need, in those places where we are servants, humbly asking how we can help. The Church is most alive, most itself, most living in the real world when we don't allow ourselves to be isolated, or protected in places shut off from the wounds and hurts of others, but when we are found in the midst of them."

In this part 2 of 2, guest Brett Fawcett joins the podcast from his balcony in China to discuss the theology of Galileo and the scientific philosophy of his compatriot, St. Robert Bellarmine. Show Snippet: "Galileo makes a really interesting point in his letter where he talks about how, in the Book of Job there's a line that says...'God hangs the Earth on nothing'...and he quotes theologians like Thomas Aquinas who say 'Yeah it's true that the bible in Job says that the earth is hanging on nothing, but that's not literal. The Bible's not trying to teach us about science..."

Guest Brett Fawcett joins the podcast from his balcony in China to discuss the theology of Galileo and the scientific philosophy of his compatriot, St. Robert Bellarmine. Show Snippet: "Galileo is writing in the midst of the response to the reformation. And one of the big debates over the reformation is 'who has the authority to interpret scripture?' And Galileo is deigning to tell a priest 'here's how we should interpret some bible passages...'"

We continue our discussion with Josh Reeves, author of Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church to discuss the phenomena of extreme skepticism, its effects on polarization culturally and in the Church, and imagine healthier ways forward. Show Snippet: "I was talking to someone who was doing a survey (on) whether people were satisfied in their churches, and if someone was on social media they often tended to be dissatisfied because of some national issue, but if someone was not on social media they tended to be very happy with their local church..." Find out more about Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church by Josh Reeves at: https://amzn.to/3tajEhJ

In an atmosphere of hyper-skepticism, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Deacon Eric visit with Josh Reeves, author of Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church to discuss the phenomena of extreme skepticism, its effects on polarization culturally and in the Church, and imagine healthier ways forward. "I understand the impulse in "follow the science" in that you need to take science seriously but also you have to be wary that oftentimes "follow the science" has a lot of values built into it that you can disagree with..." Find out more about Redeeming Expertise: Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church by Josh Reeves at: https://amzn.to/3tajEhJ 

Thinking Faith begins a new faith and mental health series featuring the Saints. Over the next few months, Deacon Eric highlights various saints whose intercessions can be particularly helpful for those struggling with mental health challenges and those who accompany them. Show Snippet: "St. Dymphna’s intercessions can move us to deepen our own compassion, to seek an end to the negative stigmas surrounding mental health struggles, and to the realization that lasting change in our cultural approaches to mental health care requires the support of the whole community." For more information on Faith and Mental Health visit www.emmaussuport.ca 

In this part 2 of 2, Deacon Eric Gurash rejoins the podcast as he and Dr. Brett Salkeld discuss the 2021-2023 Synod on Synodality. Show Snippet: "The potential is there to transform a parish from being concerned about how they're going to pay for the roof...to how do we care for our neighbours that are experiencing hardship of any kind? How do we bring the gospel to people, not just preaching the words of the gospel, but bring the heart of the Gospel into the places in our community that aren't showing up in our church?" Follow the link for more information and Synod resources to use in your parish or group: https://archregina.sk.ca/synod-2021-2023

In this part 1 of 2, Deacon Eric Gurash rejoins the podcast as he and Dr. Brett Salkeld discuss the 2021-2023 Synod on Synodality. Show Snippet: "Actually spending time with people and learning from the experiences of people who are different from you, is actually one of the best antidotes to ideology there is." Follow the link for more information and Synod resources to use in your parish or group: https://archregina.sk.ca/synod-2021-2023

In this crossover episode, Catholic convert, K. Albert Little invites Dr. Brett Salkeld to join his Cordial Catholic podcast to discuss The Eucharist, Real Presence, and Transubstantiation. Show Snippet: "Think of Jesus spitting in the mud and rubbing stuff on people's eyes. That is SO sacramental...that the material order which God created as good and that was ordered to our good, is the place where he approaches us."

We are excited to present a special cross-over episode of Thinking Faith featuring Theological Arsonist host, Jonah Saller discussing Brett's book Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity. Show Snippet: "I can't tell you how long I believed that what was physically changing was the physical elements were becoming the physical body and blood of Christ under this disguise..." Listen to more from the Theological Arsonist at: http://jonahsaller.com/index.php/theological-arsonist-podcast/

Dr. Brett Salkeld and guest John Jalsevac discuss how, though they have different initial instincts with respect to vaccination, reasoned engagement with the sources makes it possible to sift fact from fiction and find common ground. Show Snippet: "If we have these conversations, real conversations based upon an openness to the other you often realize that you have more in common than you realize, you can have a more productive conversation than you realize, and you avoid getting pulled to these extremes that just in many cases aren't true."

Dr. Brett Salkeld and guest John Jalsevac discuss how, though they have different initial instincts with respect to vaccination, reasoned engagement with the sources makes it possible to sift fact from fiction and find common ground. Show Snippet: "I haven't come to some moment of clarity in which the heavens have opened and I realized all the anti-vaxxers or all the pro-vaxxers are right. Where I've come to is a point where I realize that intense, mutually beneficial conversations by people who disagree on matters is desperately needed."

Dr. Brett continues his conversation with local writer and newest contributor to Archregina News, Dan Shervan discussing his unique perspectives on faith, spirituality, and religion as part of his personal journey of faith. Show Snippet: "It reminds me of Nietzsche saying 'God is dead', and people never know the end of that quote where it's like 'and we'll never wash the blood off our hands'. As soon as you eliminate that transcendent value system, then something else has to try to replace it..."

Dr. Brett sits down with local writer and newest contributor to ArchRegina News, Dan Shervan discussing his unique perspectives on faith, spirituality, and religion as part of his personal journey of faith. Show Snippet: "People will often talk about 'Catholic guilt' and how that's so bad, but to me, it's not 'Catholic guilt', humans just have that, and I think it increases as you get older and you start to notice your failings more and more and more..."

Dr. Brett Salkeld and guest, Brendan Steven begin a four-part series of discussions on the idea of a Universal Basic Income. Show Snippet: "As much as I just said you can't have private property without universal destination of goods, and that's true, private property nonetheless is an important principle, and you do have to discern when are we unjustly taking away from the producer of the goods, goods that are rightfully theirs..."

Dr. Brett Salkeld and guest, Brendan Steven begin a four-part series of discussions on the idea of a Universal Basic Income. Show Snippet: "An interesting argument against (UBI)...is that UBI is a bandaid for a broken system. What we actually need is a living wage and workers' rights and these other kinds of things, and UBI might help a lot of the people who don't have those things, but in fact, it's just covering for injustice..."

Dr. Brett Salkeld and guest, Brendan Steven begin a four-part series of discussions on the idea of a Universal Basic Income. Show Snippet: "Because money is not just an amount, but it's how often it's spent and what it's used for, it actually keeps generating value as it cycles...one of the arguments for how UBI pays for itself is rooted in this idea of the 'velocity' of money..."