Crazy Wisdom
Episode #462: The Apostolic Internet: Lines of Authority in a Fractured Age
- Renaissance
- printing press
- oral society
- communal authority
- separatist technologies
- Protestant Reformation
- Scripture interpretation
- church history
About this episode
Timestamps
- 00:43I kick things off by asking Leon about the Renaissance, Martin Luther, and the profound impact of the printing press on religion.
- 01:02Leon Coe illuminates Marshall McLuhan's insights on how technologies, like print, shape our consciousness and societal structures.
- 03:25Leon takes us back to early Church history, discussing the Church's life and sacraments, including the Didache, well before the Bible's formal canonization.
- 06:00Leon explains the scriptural basis for Peter as the "rock" of the Church, the foundation for the office of the papacy.
- 07:06We delve into the concept of apostolic succession, where Leon describes the unbroken line of ordination from the apostles.
- 11:57Leon clarifies Jesus's relationship to the Law, referencing Matthew 5:17 where Jesus states he came to fulfill, not abolish, the Law.
- 12:20I reflect on the intricate dance of religion, culture, and technology, and the sometimes bewildering, "cosmic joke" nature of our current reality.
- 16:46I share my thoughts on secularism potentially acting as a new, unacknowledged religion, and how it often leaves a void in our search for purpose.
- 19:28Leon introduces what he calls the "most terrifying verse in the Bible," Matthew 7:21, emphasizing the importance of doing the Father's will.
- 24:21Leon discusses the Eucharist as the new Passover, drawing connections to Jewish tradition and Jesus's institution of this central sacrament.
Key Insights
- Technology's Shaping Power: McLuhan's Enduring Relevance. Leon highlighted how Marshall McLuhan's theories are crucial for understanding history. The shift from an oral, communal society to an individualistic one via the printing press, for instance, directly fueled the Protestant Reformation by enabling personal interpretation of scripture, moving away from a unified Church authority.
- The Early Church's Foundation: Life Before the Canon. Leon emphasized that for roughly 300 years before the Bible was officially canonized, the Church was actively functioning. It had established practices, sacraments (like baptism and the Eucharist), and teachings, as evidenced by texts like the Didache, demonstrating a lived faith independent of a finalized scriptural canon.
- Peter and Apostolic Succession: The Unbroken Chain. A core point from Leon was Jesus designating Peter as the "rock" upon which He would build His Church. This, combined with the principle of apostolic succession—the laying on of hands in an unbroken line from the apostles—forms the Catholic and Orthodox claim to authoritative teaching and sacramental ministry.
- Fulfillment, Not Abolition: Jesus and the Law. Leon clarified that Jesus, as stated in Matthew 5:17, came not to abolish the Old Testament Law but to fulfill it. This means the Mosaic Law finds its ultimate meaning and completion in Christ, who institutes a New Covenant.
- Secularism's Spiritual Vacuum: A Modern Religion? I, Stewart, posited that modern secularism, while valuing empiricism, often acts like a new religion that explicitly rejects the spiritual and miraculous. Leon agreed this can lead to a sense of emptiness, as humans inherently long for purpose and connection to a creator, a void secularism struggles to fill.
- The Criticality of God's Will: Beyond Lip Service. Leon pointed to Matthew 7:21 ("Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...") as a stark reminder. True faith requires more than verbal profession; it demands actively doing the will of the Father, implying that actions and heartfelt commitment are essential for salvation.
- The Eucharist as Central: The New Passover and Real Presence. Leon passionately explained the Eucharist as the new Passover, instituted by Christ. Referencing John 6, he stressed the Catholic belief in the Real Presence—that the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ—which is essential for spiritual life and communion with God.
- Reconciliation and Purity: Restoring Communion. Leon explained the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) as a vital means, given through the Church's apostolic ministry, to restore communion with God after sin. He also touched upon Purgatory as a state of purification for overcoming attachments to sin, ensuring one is perfectly ordered to God before entering Heaven.
Contact Information
* Leon Coe: @LeonJCoe on Twitter (X)
Episode transcript
Welcome to the Crazy Wisdom Podcast. This podcast is for you. If you have an insane drive to find the truth of things, it's not the good answers that we seek, but the good questions. I interview a range of different guests from many different fields, all with the intention to uncover the simple truths that are hidden in plain sight. Most people don't want to go there. I go there, my guests go there, and you benefit. Please let me know if you enjoy these episodes and as always, subscribe on itunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to the podcasts.
Welcome to the Crazy Wisdom Podcast. I've got Leon Ko here, and this is the second time we have had a conversation. Last time, we talked all about AI. This time we're going to go back to the original roots of Crazy Wisdom, which is talking about theology, spirituality, consciousness, philosophy, and maybe even some AI stuff as to how it all all wraps up, because both of us are big Fans of Marshall McLuhan maybe, but I might have gotten his name wrong, but McLuhan and media and the evolution of the Renaissance and all this different stuff, but not only that, we'll also go from a theological perspective as well. So welcome back to the show.
Yep. So, I mean, I always love going back to history. Um, and so what. What do you think happened in the Renaissance when Martin Luther created the printing. Printing press, and what did that do to religion and what did that do to spirituality? What did that do to everything?
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