On Becoming

In Praise of Pride

It's Pride Month!  We begin the month with a reflection on pride as a vice and a virtue. My own experience of teaching Evangelical students is that they often don't know what to do with compliments since they are trying to avoid being 'prideful'. But there is nothing in the Bible that indicates that having a healthy self-respect is bad. Indeed, things that both Paul and Jesus say suggest the opposite. In this episode, we consider what something like 'proper pride' might be. I also spend some time considering the recent speech given by Harrison Butler, since he specifically mentions the kind of pride associated with Pride Month only to say that it's 'the deadly sin sort of pride'.

A Few Things You Might Want to Know about Me

In this episode, I discuss some aspects of my thinking. Although I've never been a rebel, I have always asked questions, including questions that have gotten me into trouble. While I believe that most human knowing isn't certain or indubitable, that doesn't mean that there can be no sense of 'knowledge'. Finally, I discuss how improvisation is the key to my thinking.

The Future of Religion (Part Two)

The Future of Religion (Part One)

We're back, and more critically-minded than ever! After a brief hiatus due to a recent move, Dr. Benson returns to offer thoughts on where religion -- and religions -- may be headed.

PENSÉE: What Is Woke?

'Wokeness' has become a flashpoint in contemporary culture wars, and a major presence in media coverage of social policy, but do we really know what it means to 'be woke'? In this episode, Dr. Benson breaks down the history, context, and current state of the debates around 'wokeness.'

PENSÉE: Christian Nationalism in the Press

In this short episode, Dr. Benson discusses Ross Douthat's recent New York Times article "Four Ways of Looking at Christian Nationalism," and gives his own take on the current situation. 

Alabama, Fetal Personhood, and Christian Nationalism

In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses the recent Alabama ruling that mixed theology with the law, disrupted fertility care across the state, declared frozen embryoes children, and brought out an issue that has become increasingly popular with Christian conservatives in the United States: fetal personhood. Can frozen embryoes really be considered children? How does theology play into this question? What are the possible political, cultural, and philosophical issues of this ruling? Tune in to find out! 

PENSÉE:Bill Ackman, Free Speech, and Alumni Influence

In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses the role that Bill Ackman, a billionaire businessman and activist investor, has played in shaping debates about higher education.

Academic Bullying

In this episode, Dr. Benson discusses bullying and incivility in the Academic world, and how it harms professors, students, and even administrators. For more of this content, please subscribe to our Patreon (found in our twitter pinned tweet, or at patreon.com/onbecomingpodcast) for special bonus segments that will be posted after each episode, as well as a number of other benefits. 

PENSÉE: Academic Burnout

A short reflection on burnout, and the various factors that can cause it in the world of academia.