Rob Sorensen on Martin Luther’s Life

tonygill — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 08:00:21 +0000

As this year marks the quincentennial of the Protestant Reformation, we take a closer look at the life of Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk who got the ball rolling. Rob Sorensen, a high school instructor at The Bear Creek School and PhD candidate at Faulkner University, joins us to talk about Luther, the man, based off his own book Martin Luther and the German Reformation, a superb summary of the “accidental reformer’s” life from Anthem Press. Our conversation begins, as usual, with a little background of the guest himself discovering how he became interested in Martin Luther and ended up writing a book on this historical figure. We then plunge into Luther’s life going back to his parents’ background. While Luther himself claimed he grew up within a peasant family, his father was a manager of mines and his mother came from a family that had a number of professionals within it, making Martin more middle class (for the time) than the typical image of a feudal agrarian serf. We chat about why Luther wanted to emphasize this point in his background, and Rob notes that this most likely due to Martin’s desire to show that he was not granted anything by birth, but earned his place. The discussion turns to Luther’s strict father and educational upbringing, and how he was put on a professional track to become a lawyer but was diverted to the life of a religious monk in his early 20s. Rob tells the story of how Martin promised God that he would go into a religious profession if He saved him from a lightning storm, the event that turn him to the Augustinians. We examine Luther’s intellectual and spiritual life, covering his training in nominalism as well as his obsession with trying to prove himself worthy within God’s eyes. Again, Rob regales us with a vivid story of a Luther who would be consistently confessing his sins, no matter how minor, to the point where one of his mentors — Johan von Staupitz — finally told him to go out and commit a real sin before taking confession again. We follow Martin’s intellectual journey through the Augustinians, to Wittenberg University, his “table talk” with students, and then into the throes of the indulgence controversy which he provokes. Rob explains the nature of the controversy and why the Castle Church of Wittenberg was chosen as compared to the local parish church. We briefly chat about Luther’s last two decades including a rather interesting story of how he came to be married, a story that reveals Luther was a rescuer of reluctant nuns and a matchmaker. The interview finishes with Rob’s thoughts on what he learned through the process of studying Luther and foreshadows what is to come with his dissertation on Christopher Dawson’s reflections on the Protestant Reformation. Recorded: June 30, 2017.

Michael Foley on Religion and Booze

tonygill — Sun, 03 May 2015 08:00:35 +0000

How do you take your religion — straight up or on the rocks? Either way, it is time to get your drink on with this out-of-the-ordinary podcast. We talk with Prof. Michael P. Foley of Baylor University’s Great Texts Program about his new book Drinking with the Saints: A Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour. We cover a wide range of topics from the history of alcohol in the Bible to some brand new cocktail recipes. This interview is filled with fun facts, spiritual insights, and a wide variety of other surprises, a perfect pairing with whatever you might be drinking at the moment! (Visit our Facebook page for a few of Prof. Foley’s original recipes.)

We begin by asking Prof. Foley how he came to write such a book and he shares how alcohol when consumed in moderation can be a very pleasing experience and is often associated with great fellowship. Michael cautions us that this is not a book on debauchery, but rather is a way to savor the fine things in life and learn about the connection between alcohol and religion. He jumps into a number of “fun facts” about this relationship, noting how alcohol was rather important in bygone eras because it was an important alternative to drinking water that often contained many pathogens. He then reviews some of the places where alcohol can be found in The Bible, starting in the Old Testament with Noah. Fan of bar trivia will be thrilled with a number of other interesting references he makes between religion and booze throughout the ages, including the role of Trapist monks in brewing beer, Irish missionaries and their introduction of whiskey to Scotland, a magical liqueur, and the story of how one member of the clergy announced his invention of champagne. Tony becomes dismayed by the lack of rum in religious history, but his faith is rekindled by a mention of a “Mexican eggnog” (rompope).

A quote from G.K. Chesterton helps to transition us to a brief discussion on Prohibition, and Prof. Foley discusses why this movement may have become to be associated with evangelical religion, and possibly a few anti-Catholic sentiments. From that point, we move to the alcohols of the liturgical calendar. Starting with Advent, working through Christmas and then through Easter, we cover some of the favorite adult beverages associated with these celebrations. Along the way, we learn a bit about Fat Tuesday and Lent, and how abstaining from alcohol was not necessarily the historical thing to give up during the latter religious season. Indeed, Michael tells the story of how beer — particularly a dopplebock — became connected to Lent given its “nutritional” qualities. We learn about a more contemporary experiment in getting through Lent on beer, and beer alone. Easter and the Pentecost, we discover, are not particularly associated with any specific drink.

Next, we take a look at how some saints have been affiliated with certain drinks and, with a tip of the hat to RoR regular guest Brian O’Neel, we review some of the Catholic saints of May. It is at this point where Michael begins to reveal some of his own personal recipes that can be found in his book, several of which are named after saints. He explains how he came about choosing the ingredients of these drinks based upon the lives of these religious personalities. Moreover, Tony learns the difference between a mixed drink and a cocktail, and the rules that differentiate them. Michael also shares his fondness for shaking cocktails, as opposed to stirring, and why chards of chipped ice add to the pleasure of various beverages. Listen to his secret recipes or visit us at Facebook for the ingredient list, perhaps taking a sip or two while listening to this podcast!

Our interview finishes off with some final reflections about what Michael has learned from his process of researching and writing this book. Recorded: April 20, 2015.

Research On Religion » beer

Rob Sorensen on Martin Luther’s Life

Michael Foley on Religion and Booze