Vincent J. Miller: The Grind of Hope In a Crisis

Episode 68 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of the Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA, talks with Vincent J. Miller, the Gudorf Chair of Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton. Vincent shares how his studies awoke him to the harm technology and consumption can lead to; the impetus that, in order to explore deeper questions, changed his course from engineering to theology. Regarding consumer culture, Vincent says that although every material good has an origin story, “the world we live in makes us see certain things and hides other things from us.” Sister Julia and Vincent also explore how, even though awareness can be painful, global and relational consciousness is part of what it means to be Christian. They delve into the sorrow and horror of war, climate crises and environmental destruction, and how the spiritual response is to be centered in relationality, to respond to calls to love and hope. “We’re called to be part of the community of creation, and we’re called to realize the pain we’re putting onto creation,” Vincent says, adding that because of the brokenness of our planet, people and systems, we are meant to “embrace the blemished world and learn to love there." ABOUT THE GUEST Vincent Miller is the Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton in Ohio. He is the author of Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture and editor of The Theological and Ecological Vision of Laudato Si’: Everything is Connected. He lives with his family in Dayton and is a regular contributor to America Magazine and Commonweal Magazine. Vincent has been featured in many publications as well as television and radio programs that include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Guardian, Il Foglio, CNN, NPR, BBC, the O’Reilly Factor and Mongabay.Vincent Miller’s article on the Oregon fires in Commonweal: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/tears-ashes MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.  Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at [email protected] BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz