Episode Overview

Welcome back to another episode of "Professors, in Rooms, Getting Coffee"! In this episode Stephen and Justin talk about how Stephen sought to challenge established answers within political science by approaching questions about culture from a different angle while maintaining the rigors of academic methodology. The episode explores cultural differences in the perception and interaction with time and the influence of these differences on various aspects of life. They also touch on the interpretation of sacred texts and the significance of methodology in research.

In their introductory reflections, Justin and Stephen explore the nuances of understanding spiritual attributes and whether they emerge naturally or require conscious effort. They also delve into the power of habits and routines in shaping our behavior, and the importance of prayer and scripture in encountering God. They also discuss the joy of creative expression and the beauty of creating for the sake of creation itself. 

Get ready for an intellectually stimulating conversation on these intriguing topics and more. So grab your favorite drink, settle into your favorite chair, and join Elise, Stephen, and Justin for another enlightening episode of "Professors, in Rooms, Getting Coffee"!

Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss a word of wisdom. Join us at our new home and continue supporting our mission at the intersection of art, faith, and culture. https://patreon.com/envisionberlin  

Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts.

Key Points

1. The Importance of Habits and Affective Experiences in Shaping Behavior

• Discussing a book that emphasizes the spiritual power of habit.
• Challenging the hesitation in Protestant circles to talk about routines or habits.
• Highlighting the benefits of developing positive habits and the transformative impact they can have.
• Examining the practice of morning and evening prayer as a way to break down resistance and create a space to encounter God together.

2. Morning and evening prayer as a way to encounter God together

• Breaking down resistance and creating space for encountering God
• Making prayer and scripture important through the habit of morning and evening prayer
• Struggles in communicating the importance of these practices without generating guilt
• Benefits of regular prayer, especially during times of stress 

3. Understanding the concept of abiding in the spirit and letting spiritual attributes emerge naturally

• The importance of comprehending "abiding in the spirit" and the emergence of spiritual attributes.
• Using examples like the fruit of the spirit from Galatians 5 as guidelines for personal improvement.
• Questioning whether these attributes should be consciously willed into existence or naturally emerge from the work of the Spirit.
• The disconnect between studying and being aware of these attributes versus actually embodying them. 

4. The joy of creating for the sake of the creative process itself

• Exploring digital music and synthesizers as a creative outlet.
• Focusing on the creative process for its own sake, rather than for commodification.
• Belief in creating as a response to God's creation, beauty, and even pain.
• Finding richness and a sense of worship in the act of creating, regardless of the quality of the output.

5. Dissatisfaction with the portrayal of Christianity as a quick fix for all problems

• Critique of the notion that encountering Jesus magically fixes issues overnight
• Belief that bad habits do not necessarily imply distance from Jesus
• Dissatisfaction with this perspective and desire for a deeper understanding

6. Challenging established answers within their field

• Approaching questions in a different way while meeting method requirements
• A desire to challenge established answers within the Stephen’s field of study.
• Approaching questions in a different way while still meeting the method requirements of the field.
• The acknowledgment that this methodology may face critique.
• Engaging with relevant methods but arriving at different conclusions than what is commonly accepted.

7. Pursuit of reality and engagement with creativity and knowledge

• Belief that reality is worth pursuing
• Using creativity and knowledge to ask the right questions and imagine answers
• Contrasting critical realism, positivism, and phenomenology

8. Understanding cultural differences in relation to time

• Significance of variations in perception and interaction with time
• Different orientations to time: past, future, and present
• Monochronic and polychronic cultures' perspectives on time
• Challenges in defining cultural approaches due to multiple interpretations

9. Different interpretations and versions of the Bible

• Interest in how cultural perspective influences Bible interpretation
• Exploring differing perceptions of the intended effect of the text

10. Importance of transparency and methodology in research

• Need for transparency in approach and methods in a dissertation
• Recognition that formulaic approaches are not sufficient
• Self-reflection on methods and acknowledging limitations. 
  
  

Timestamped Overview

[00:05:00] Attended international theological symposium hosted in France.

[00:06:12] Interacting with global leaders in theological education.

[00:12:46] Creating music as a response to life.

[00:18:24] "Morning and evening prayer to encounter God."

[00:22:09] challenging norms, tragedy in life, attending church to become more compassionate, blog for people to spill guts.

[00:28:19] Academic calendar offers flexibility and opportunity.

[00:32:17] Be transparent about methodology and limitations.

[00:40:15] Questioning field, engaging with different methods, new conclusion.

[00:47:20] Time perception varies among cultures. Complex and diverse definitions of cultural time.

[00:48:51] Cultural perspectives on time vary and matter.

[00:53:49] Timing and perspective shape cultural outlooks.

[00:58:22] Differences matter in international relations, misperceptions too.

[01:04:39] Interpreting Bible text through cultural perspectives.

[01:13:50] Cultural differences and US foreign policy.

[01:14:54] Research can feel like building a house of cards.

Links

https://soundcloud.com/bereitz

https://patreon.com/envisionberlin 

Keywords

abiding in the spirit, improving oneself, embodiment, creating, established answers, different approach, methodology, critique, habits, spiritual power of habit, prayer, scripture, cultural norms, knowledge, phenomenology, researcher as an instrument, statistical data, performance, time, polychronic culture, Bible interpretation, linguistic work, dissertation methodology, limitations.