Ep. 163 - Rabbi Brad Hirschfield ”Finding Faith without Fanaticism” pt. 1

The Deconstructionists

John Williamson

Religion, Religion & Spirituality

4.4 • 823 Ratings

🗓️ 3 August 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Guest Info/Bio:This week’s guest is the amazing Rabbi Brad Hirschfield! Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis,” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers & Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Fox News regular contributor, Washington Post blogger, and think tank President Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism (Harmony, 2008). He also conceived and hosted two groundbreaking series for Bridges TV—American Muslim TV Network, Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on the World Today (three seasons), and American Pilgrimage. He is also the Co-founder and Executive Editor of The Wisdom Daily.An expert on religion and public life, Hirschfield offers a unique perspective on the American spiritual landscape and political and social trends to audiences nationwide. A regular on Lou Dobbs Tonight on the Fox Business Network, and The Washington Post’s Conversations: Live Q & A, he’s been a contributor on ethical issues for Tru-TV, co-hosted the weekly radio show Hirschfield and Kula and is frequently quoted in the press. A popular guest on such shows as The Dennis Miller Show, Lars Larson, and Fox News.com Live, he has appeared on CNN, PBS, MTV and NPR, among others, and was featured on PBS’s “Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” and the acclaimed documentary, Freaks Like Me. A regular commentator for The Huffington Post and one of Patheos.com’s Experts, he contributes frequently to Fox News Opinion, writes a column, For God’s Sake, for the WashingtonPost.com’s “On Faith.” His blog, Windows & Doors, appears on Beliefnet.com (the net’s largest site for spirituality and inspiration), and was featured on the homepage of Digg.com.Rabbi Hirschfield is also an interfaith activist, he has inspired audiences from the Aspen Institute and the Washington National Cathedral, to the Islamic Society of North America and many leading universities and religious institutions. A featured speaker at Parliament of the World’s Religions in both Barcelona and Melbourne, he was recently invited by the Governments of the United States and the Republic of Indonesia to speak at the Jakarta Interfaith DialogueGuest (select) publications: You Don’t Have to Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism Guest Website/Social Media: www.clal.org Twitter: @BradHirschfield Special Theme Music by: Forrest ClayInstagram: @forrestclaymusic Twitter: @clay_kYouTube: www.youtube.com/claykmusic Songs featured on this episode were from the Recover EPYou can find Clay’s music on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere good music is found!This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh - America’s #1 meal kit! My daughter and I swear by it and have our favorite recipes that we make together every week! Go to www.hellofresh.com/deconstruct50 for 50% off PLUS free shipping! This episode of the Deconstructionists Podcast was edited, mixed, and produced by John Williamson Stay on top of all of the latest at www.thedeconstructionists.com Go there to check out our blog, snag a t-shirt, or follow us on social mediaJoin our Patreon family here: www.patreon.com/deconstructionists Website by Ryan BattlesAll photos by Jared HevronLogos designed by Joseph Ernst & Stephen PfluigT-shirt designs by Joseph Ernst, Chad Flannigan, Colin Rigsby, and Jason Turner. Starting your own podcast? Try Riverside! https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=john-williamsonSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-deconstructionists/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0	I would want the more deeply committed you are to whatever tradition you practice, that that would make you more interested in other traditions.
0:09.0	And not because I think they're really all light deep down. I don't.
0:12.7	Not because I think.
0:13.8	It's because if you are faith interested, think about the weird process of education that would say the way you demonstrate your fealty or your faithfulness to your tradition is by knowing less about others as opposed to the greatest demonstration people can have of the faith they follow is a deep curiosity about the ones they don't because that's precisely when you go. Wow.
0:39.8	I guess I'm so committed that I'm not intimidated by the reality of other experiences and I'll go
0:47.4	further by the truths that can be found in those other experiences even when they don't accord with my own. And I want to be clear,
0:57.4	they don't accord. I think that actually the God in whom I believe is infinite. And I'm finite.
1:07.1	There's only so much divine blessing that can be gifted to me or to my tradition.
1:12.6	And so I thank God every day for a generosity which pours divine wisdom into other traditions as well.
1:20.6	And not because they all accord. If they all accord, we could get by with one.
1:24.6	So I invite people who are faithful to do two things. Fall in love with
1:29.2	their faith because it is from an infinite source. And then try and remember that any of our
1:38.3	faiths, including the one that fills me up 100%, he's an eight-ounce cup filling from an infinite spring.
1:46.8	And that means that my cup literally overflows to use the Psalms.
1:54.4	But the fact that my 8-ounce cup overflows doesn't mean it's the only 8-ounce
1:58.7	of divine blessing in the world.
2:00.1	What matters most as a overflows doesn't mean it's the only eight ounces of divine blessing in the world.
2:35.7	Welcome to the deconstructionist podcast. I'm your host John Williamson, and we're back with part one of two, the last two episodes of this particular season, but don't worry. I've already got quite a few episodes recorded for the next season, season 11, which will launch in early fall. I just need some time to get some of the series together.
2:36.3	I'm working on.
2:39.2	I have some crazy ideas that I think are finally coming to fruition,
2:42.6	and I'm very, very excited to release those in the fall.
2:45.9	I'm going to definitely dive into other religions and, you know, just learn about some different faith traditions.
	...

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