Rev. Deborah Duguid-May says farewell to The Priest & The Prof’s audience.
Transcript
DDM: Hello and welcome to The Priest & The Prof. I am your host, the Rev. Deborah Duguid-May.
MET: And I’m Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe.
DDM: This podcast is a product of Trinity Episcopal Church in Greece, New York. I’m an Episcopal priest of 26 years, and Elizabeth has been a rhetoric professor since 2010. And so join us as we explore the intersections of faith, community, politics, philosophy, and action.
DDM: I can’t believe that today is my last recording with “The Priest & The Prof.” Myself and my wife, Melanie, have decided to relocate back to South Africa and are leaving in July of this year. And so I’m sad that this will be my last episode with you all. When I think back to how this was a dream of Carl and Elizabeth and mine about five years ago and where this podcast has come to today, I’m really proud of what we’ve done.
DDM: But I think more than that, for me, this podcast has been about a couple of things. I think firstly modeling what healthy dialogue and conversation can look like. We live in a time in our country where people have become so polarized. We often tend to only want to be friends and speak with those who see things the same way that we do.
DDM: And Elizabeth and I, although similar in so many ways, we also see things very differently on some issues. And so our dream was how to enter into conversation that grew us both while also having the space to disagree. I think we need a lot more models of how to have these conversations and dialogues again that are healthy and respectful, but also with a genuine desire to learn from one another.
DDM: Secondly, I’m acutely aware of how our faith has been used in the past and is currently being used as a tool for oppression to disempower those who are already incredibly vulnerable. Christianity, as it is currently being used, has become literally the opposite of the gospel. And so our faith is used to support the powerful and demonize the poor, to uphold patriarchy and denigrate women, and as a justification for treating the environment and all other species as simply capitalistic commodities.
DDM: And yet the reality is when we read the Gospels, Jesus came for the poor and the vulnerable. Jesus overturned tables in the temple and rebuked the powerful and the leaders. I really believe that Christianity is currently facing a battle for its soul. And so my dream in this podcast was to remind us of what our faith actually teaches and to educate around these issues, because a sermon on a Sunday really does not give one the opportunity to teach deeply on these issues, and people really need education around their faith. I think for me, it has also been a way about helping to articulate a vision of our faith that is life-giving and liberatory for people outside the walls of the church.
DDM: For so many people, they have not had good experiences of Christianity or the church, and so our dream was to enable those outside or on the fringes of the church to have a small experience of faith that is truly life-giving. And lastly, for myself as a parish priest, it’s been wonderful to have the discipline of having to think and write theologically in a way that often once we’re in a parish, we no longer do to the same extent.
DDM: I have thoroughly enjoyed both preparing and producing these episodes with Carl and Elizabeth, who’ve been phenomenal partners in this endeavor. And so I am sad to be leaving, but I also know that Carl and Elizabeth will be bringing in a number of new voices to engage with, that you, as listeners, will have the joy of hearing on many subjects.
DDM: And so I just want to end with saying thank you to all of you who’ve journeyed with me on “The Priest & The Prof,” because without you, this podcast would simply have been a conversation between Elizabeth and myself. But you’ve made space for these conversations to enter your home, your space, your hearts, wherever you are in the world.
DDM: I hope that this podcast will continue to inspire and challenge you as together we all do what we can to build a better world.
MET: Thank you for listening to the Priest and the Prof. Find us at our website, https://priestandprof.org. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at podcast@priestandprof.org. Make sure to subscribe, and if you feel led, please leave a donation at https://priestandprof.org/donate/. That will help cover the costs of this podcast and support the ministries of Trinity Episcopal Church. Thank you, and we hope you have enjoyed our time together today.
DDM: Music by Audionautix.com.
Leave a Reply