Last night my partner, Bruce, and I had dinner with friends. Great food and great conversation, around – of all topics – the theme of redemption. I was motivated to come home and dust off an old paper I wrote in university about the Jewish understanding of redemption. I thought it would be great to let you in on the continued conversation we had today. Bruce is an accomplished theologian and writer on these subjects and we recorded our conversation for you below. We had a wide ranging conversation in our living room around the theme of birth and redemption.
Does redemption have any relevance outside of religious institutions in contemporary society? What is it actually referring to in our everyday experience, both on a personal and collective level? If we’re not involved in a spiritual discipline by which we can participate in the work of redemption, what do we lose? What on earth might have all this to do with birth?