When the Rainn Comes...
A link to more of the conversation
Verveine (Septidi), 27 Prairial, CCXXXIV
Yesterday—in fact, a mere twelve hours ago—I provided a link here to the conversation I sat with Rainn Wilson, for his Soul Boom podcast, website, YouTube channel, and Substack newsletter. Below is a further link to more of that conversation, which has now been posted on YouTube. The topics may seem diffuse—the historical future of Christianity and Christendom, Christology, the Daodejing, the Transfiguration, Victor Mature, Richard Burton, Dwight Shrute, Lewis Carroll, Orson Welles, David Bentley Shrute, and so forth—but there is a mysterious unity to them (but I’m not telling what it is).
Dear David, this was a very entertaining interview. And the presence of only a single comment other than mine as I type this raises my hope that you might read this. Having grown up in an irreligious household, moving into a fairly strident atheism for much of my young adult life, I've moved toward a more tragic agnosticism: but if there was ever a vision of ultimate reality that would move me toward theism, or Christianity specifically, it would that which you have articulated in your many books, essays and interviews over the years: the strength of your moral protest is inspiring. At present, Nagarjuna continues to chip away at my confidence in many aspects of theism (and everything else!) but you remain very much in the conversation. Thank you again.
As ever, a delight.
You mentioned symbol (23:22) "I prefer symbol to metaphor ... The symbol unites the substance with the thing signified."
As a matter of interest, have you written on the nature of symbol as such? And have you ever read the French theologian Jean Borella, who has written on that topic?
And apologies for not 'liking' your posts as much as I should. Mea culpa.