A “Long and Lazy” Conversation with Traci Smith

February 9, 2022

I always love it when Traci and I get a chance to talk about stuff that matters to us, though we don’t often do it publicly. On this occasion, however, Traci invited me to join her on Zoom to discuss a topic close to her heart (and directly related to her most recent book, Faithful Families for Lent, Easter, and Resurrection), namely, A Theology of the Cross for Children: Beyond Substitutionary Atonement, and I decided to be brave and share my musings.

We had what Traci calls a “long and lazy conversation” about all sorts of things–the sort of meandering exploration that doesn’t happen as much any more in these days of quick headlines and soundbites. It was a rare pleasure.

I thought I’d share the link here both because readers who know Read, Wonder, Listen (52:51) and Make Room (33:08) may be interested in some of the thought process and history behind those books. But readers with no interest in theology or religious education might also be curious about how our entire conversation ended up coming around to Maria Mitchell and The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything (1:21:46) and the high value she placed on intellectual freedom and healthy skepticism.

You can listen to our discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzSwJPc6ao8

Somehow, no matter how heavy the subject matter, Traci and I end up laughing. This time was no exception 🙂