5:2 Meaning Making (along with Lauren Kilber)

Episode 2 is all about meaning making. In most of Americanized Christianity, it’s too often just assumed that once you pray the prayer (e.g., get God inside of you, get saved, do the thing, drink the juice, or whatever) that meaning will just naturally show up. Turns out, meaning making is much more difficult. And I personally don’t think God is just going to fix it for you. Because God is a relational God, which among other things, means S(H)e’s not going force anything upon you. God is love. And love doesn’t control. Don’t forget to join me with my licensed counselor friend, Lauren Kilber over at www.Patreon.com/jonathan_foster. If you don’t find what she says helpful, email me, so I can reply with a shocked face emoji. Resources and some sites that I mention on this episode… -PEW Research on Meaning: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2018/11/20/where-americans-find-meaning-in-life/ -Christopher Nolan’s film, The Prestige. As I mention, if you’re looking for a director that brings mimetic thinking into his shows? Yeah, Nolan is your man. -For more on the Girardian neologism, “individuality” see, The Genesis of Desire by Jean-Michel Oughourlian -This week’s open and relational/process book I want to highlight is Process-Relational Philosophy An Introduction to Alfred North Whitehead by Robert Mesle. -Some philosophical/psychoanalytic people I try to listen to/read include my friend Tim Suttle. Check his stuff out at timsuttle.com. I also read Peter Rollins, and yeah, I think I’ll just include Peter as a friend. I mean, he was on my podcast once. Why not? Also, I try and learn as much as I can from The Why Theory Podcast with Todd McGowen and Ryan Engley. Neither Ryan nor Todd is my friend. Sad. -And my new book is coming out in October of ’22 with SacraSage Press called A Theology of Consent: Mimetic Theory in an Open and Relational Universe. Thanks everyone! Feel free to leave a review, share it with a friend, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter at jonathanfosteronline.com. The main music for this season’s show is from Velveteen / “Losing It” / by way of epidemicsound.com A bunch of the samples and other music comes from landr.com or me.