Video: Why Jesus Hides
Video: Why Jesus Hides
A Conversation with The Natural Theologian
Philosopher Joel Carini of The Natural Theologian invited me onto his podcast the other day to discuss apologetics, the connection between holiness and hiddenness, the Episcopal Church(!), the patient kingdom of God, and my recent essay, “The Master Soil-Tiller.” Don’t be misled by the title: We should share the gospel, of course! But we modern evangelists have much to learn from the way that Jesus communicates about himself (and, at times, hides himself).
I don’t do interviews like this very often. Even the technical aspect of it was kind of stressful for a semi-luddite like me, haha. But Joel and his co-host King Laugh were gracious hosts, and we had a fun conversation. It might not have been my best performance, but I felt like I learned a lot in the process. Hope you enjoy. Let me know your thoughts. And give
a follow on Substack. He’s doing some interesting work!
"There's a reason we call it Holy communion, not just good..." 😂 So so so good. Thank you Ross! I am incapable of expressing how grateful I am, truly, and how stoked I am for this Summer.
This was an incredible exchange, and I really loved the chance to listen to Ross. I’m deeply captivated by the notion that Christ is training us to “till soil” more than “plant seeds”—that’s an incredibly helpful framing, and I entirely agree. I think this framing also wisely helps us realize that “sharing the Gospel” can contribute to “hardening soil” if we are not careful, hence why Jesus is always telling us not to share this or that, to be careful, slow, etc. I think this also connects with the excellent McDonald quote (‘Divine revelation is always partial in order to be true’), for it suggests that Jesus is aware that we cannot always tell “the whole truth” all at once or it might not “come across as true” to the receiver. I also agree that a real danger today is “having our hearts hardened” more than say be killed (and I like that take on 666 as a symbol of “man’s work”). The ideas of people needing to “come back when they have a better question” and aren’t looking to “have” an answer, of God as “the Ultimate Elder,” and on life as a movement to a Second Wonder or New Wonder—all fire. Really, really great conversation!