Episode 448: Beth Moore's Exit & the Problem of "Impoverished Imaginations" with Karen Swallow Prior
- Phil Vischer
- Mar 17, 2021
- 1 min read
Recently author/professor Karen Swallow Prior was asked what she considered the biggest problem facing the church today, and answered, "an impoverished imagination." So Phil sat down with Karen to talk through what she means by that, and her belief that a lack of imagination-forming reading results in, among other things, our propensity to believe conspiracy theories and our extreme discomfort with uncertainty.
Karen also convinces Phil he really, really needs to read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. PLUS, Kaitlyn Schiess joins Skye and Phil to talk through Beth Moore's departure from the SBC, and whether the death of evangelist Luis Palau represents the end of the era of large-scale evangelism. Oh... and if you're using the story of Jesus flipping tables to justify bad behavior on social media, you're probably misusing that story. This week on the podcast!
I listened to this episode when it came out, but just recently watched Justin Peters interview with Susan Heck; they discussed Beth Moore’s ministry rather negatively. What are your thoughts on this?
I would also be very curious to know each of your personal convictions, Phil, Skye, Kristian, and Kaitlyn, about feminism and how it does or does not fit into the church.
I follow Karen on Facebook, and have always wondered what she sounds like. Not disappointed. Sure wish she’d been my lit teacher in school, but she was probably in pre-school at the time. Or not born yet.
I have a hard time re-reading for pleasure the books I was forced to dissect in class before I was even a Jesus follower and couldn’t possibly have gotten the point. But you convinced me, and I’ll start with Frankenstein. Or Jane Eyre. Or Frankenstein. Call me on it later.
Hey Phil, you asked about Christian authors during your interview with Dr. Prior and I wanted to point you to a great group named Realmmakers (cue Taco, the bell). It is a group of Christian authors, focusing mostly on fantasy and sci-fi genres. We seek to raise this issue of “impoverished imaginations” in modern Christendom and provide some imagination enrichment with our Christ-given gifts.
Thanks for sharing and for the great perspective. As I listen to your podcasts, I keep hearing echoes of the work of James K. A. Smith. Curious if you have thought of inviting him to an interview.
Great show as always. I have to take issue with one thing. Phil, when you talk about the history of Christian music, and you mention Larry Norman and the rest, you forgot Barry McGuire, who was one of the first secular rock stars to switch over to Christian music after his conversion. Its the second time you've made that mistake