In Medias Res with Glanz & Jerončić
On this podcast, we engage in free-ranging conversations on life, faith, philosophy, ethics, relationships, culture, experience, and all matters existential. And as the title of the show points to, we approach these things "in the middle of things," that is, by grabbing hold of them unsystematically and provisionally. Concerning "about us," we are friends and verbal sparring partners who also happen to be colleagues at Andrews University.
Episodes
42 episodes
42. GUEST EPISODE: Fear and Authoritarian Structures
For this episode, Oliver and Ante are delighted to connect with their good friends, Oleg Kostyuk, Assistant to the President for Mission at AdventHealth University, and Torben Bergland, a psychiatrist from Norway. Building on their previous dis...
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1:05:12
41. On Fear
Fear is an incredibly complex emotion, differing in expressions as it does in its causes. Ante and Oliver try to tackle it from different angles, including its neurobiology, connection with human identity, personal and social manifestations, ne...
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1:05:12
40. On Doubt
Doubt shows up in many different guises. What accounts for the variety of such human experiences? What is its relation to faith? What are the different causes and expressions of doubt? What is it about our cultural moment that makes doubt such ...
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1:00:49
39. Education and Ancient Texts
This time, the starting point for the conversation is Oliver's upcoming article, "A Critical Look at Modern Graduate Education Through the Lens of Ancient Texts." They explore some strengths and weaknesses of contemporary education, how some of...
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1:01:58
38. Objectivity as Love and Death to Self
Back in November 2024, Ante presented a paper at the Society of Adventist Philosophers titled The Anthropotechnics of Freedom: Training in Objectivity and the Ethics of Epistemic Authenticity. In this episode, Oliver and Ante take up that topic...
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58:15
37. What Homer's Odyssey has Taught Us
In this episode, Oliver and Ante delve into the enduring legacy of Homer's Odyssey. They explore its profound impact over the centuries, discussing why this epic poem remains so significant today. The conversation covers a breadth of e...
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52:11
36. The Objectification of Reality
This time around, Ante and Oliver have a free-ranging conversation on a number of issues. After a brief life debrief and some discussion of AI tools, they delve into a US presidential election post-mortem, questions of objectification in relati...
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1:02:12
35. Vagaries of Understanding
After a longish break, Oliver and Ante are back recording new IMR episodes. In this one, they tackle different aspects of understanding, ranging from problematic self-perceptions, to evaluations and surveys, to the problem of objectification, a...
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1:01:44
34. Manifesting: Claiming Reality into Being
In recent years, "manifesting" has gained significant traction in pop culture and social media. It is the idea of willing the universe to bring into being our desires, in the sense of already possessing them in the act of wishing. As this rides...
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54:08
33. Trophy Culture, Parenting, & Education
In recent weeks, all across the country, students have received countless awards, recognitions, and trophies. That state of affairs prompted Ante and Oliver to examine the participation trophy phenomenon to probe the underlying forces that fuel...
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1:00:28
32. Golden Rule 2.0?: Kant at 300
Continuing in the spirit of Kant's 300th anniversary, Oliver and Ante are taking another crack at this monumental thinker. This time, they focus more specifically on his moral thought, running with the contention, partially tongue in cheek, tha...
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1:00:55
31. Dare to Think: Kant at 300
In light of the 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant's birth, Ante and Oliver discuss his status as one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era. It is hard to fully capture all the ways in which he has influenced our culture. In a way,...
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59:31
30. A Depth Psychology Reading of Exodus
In this fascinating episode, Oliver and Ante discuss the importance of Eugen Drewermann, a leading 20th-century theologian, particularly his integration of exegesis and depth psychology. Using his ideas as a springboard, they explore insi...
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1:03:08
29. Life, Theology, and Trauma Literature
As mentioned in their previous episode, Oliver and Ante continue discussing the topic of trauma rooted in personal experience. They examine the rise of trauma literature, how it has impacted biblical studies and theology, and the new insights i...
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57:40
28. GUEST EPISODE: On Trauma, with Steve Yeagley
In another guest episode, Oliver and Ante connect with Steve Yeagley, the Assistant Vice President for Campus & Student Life at Andrews University, to discuss various aspects of trauma. After some introductory remarks, they discuss the defi...
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59:10
27. Interpretation is Everything
The main theme of this episode concerns the ubiquity of interpretation or hermeneutics. As Oliver and Ante stress in the beginning, there is no dimension of being in the world that does not have an interpretive dimension to it, ranging from ord...
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1:00:05
26. A Health and Fitness Episode
This time around, Oliver and Ante take a slightly different track by tackling the theme of health and fitness, sharing some of the lessons learned concerning fasting, the psychology of fitness, exercise protocols, diet, and wholeness in general...
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1:10:53
25. GUEST EPISODE: With Torben Bergland on Fanaticism
This guest episode features the psychiatrist Dr. Torben Bergland on the topic of fanaticism. What is fanaticism? How prevalent is it? What are the best angles to explore it? Is it a matter of cognitive closure or a type of psychopathology? If n...
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1:02:50
24. Rethinking Cain, Rethinking Interpretations
The story of Cain and Able has been explored through many angles, each adding to a rich history of interpretation of the narrative. In this episode, Oliver and Ante take a fresh look at it, trying to attend to the multiple meanings the text aff...
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58:24
23. Looking Back at 2023
All in all, this is a debrief episode where Ante and Oliver look back at 2023, share some lessons learned, reflect on the nature of resolutions, and consider some of the promises and decisions for the coming year. CONNECT WITH US
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49:35
22. Marriage, Eschatology, and Ethics
Taking Ante's recently published chapter as their starting point, Oliver and Ante discuss some of the ways in which marriage, eschatology, and ethics intersect. In the process, they address a number of questions. What is the difference between ...
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1:00:05
21. Oliver's Approach to Life & Productivity
In this second part of a two-episode mini-series, the conversation turns to Oliver's approach to life and work, revisiting the reasons why he finds the notion of "productivity" unhelpful, only to discuss the role of passion, its relationship to...
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1:03:33
20. LIVE FROM AAR/SBL: Presentations that Spoke to Us
In another "first" for the IMR podcast, Oliver and Ante sit down during the annual AAR/SBL meetings to debrief on the sessions they attended and the interactions that spoke to them. They delve into a range of topics, beginning with Daniël Mulle...
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52:35
19. Ante's Approach to Life & Productivity
In this first of a two-episode mini-series, Oliver interrogates Ante's approach to organization, productivity, planning, values, and other aspects of mindful living. The discussion veers between basic convictions about life and more concrete qu...
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1:03:17
18. LIVE EPISODE: Is the Bible Still Relevant?
In this inaugural live recording of the podcast, Ante and Oliver delve into the enduring cultural and spiritual significance of the Bible before a predominantly college-aged audience. Throughout the event, including the additional pre- and post...
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1:03:02