Jann Cather Weaver is an associate professor emerita of worship and theology and the arts at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. She’s an ordained minister, and has served parishes in Wisconsin and Missouri. A published author, and a former Yale Divinity School professor, Jann and I met at Yale, where she taught one of the most memorable courses I took in my master’s program, “The Theology of Art and Film.” Join me for this interview with Jann Cather Weaver on radical gratitude, acceptance, and hospitality.
This interview was a true delight, for so many reasons. Jann’s ministry has been a beautiful dance of art, of exploring the human condition, and of looking for divine communication through many lenses, and many art forms, including photography, music, and film. She is a welcoming presence, and at the same time, a powerful force, truly comfortable in her own person, and yet pushing out toward the radical edge of theological education. It’s a joy to witness how she’s followed her own heart in pursuing theology and the arts, “not because Ithought there was a career there, but because it was (for lack of a better word) my passion. I could do no other than that.”
I hope that you will take a listen, and soak up her words; her journey is one of an artist honing her craft, and I very much resonated with her words about finding a vocation, about pursuing dreams, and about extending radical love, acceptance, and hospitality to all of the creation.
In this episode we talk about:
– Jann’s journey to earning her MDiv (Master’s of Divinity) at Eden Seminary
– how a T5 tornado that struck Barneveld Wisconsin in 1984 changed her life, and the trajectory of her ministry
– about her time at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California
– how careers change over time, and how the question of “good enough” may crop up more than once in the course of one’s life
– Boy George, Torch Song Trilogy, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – and a paper I wrote at grad school
– Lars and the Real Girl, and the theology of this 2007 film starring Ryan Gosling
– Jann’s most recent courses, and future plans
– Jann’s answer to how to jump start your own joy
Links:
Eden Theological Seminary
Acts 2: the Story of Pentecost
Isaiah 43: Jann preached on this after the events of Barneveld
News footage of the destruction at Barneveld in 1984
War of Art by Stephen Pressfield
Graduate Theological Union
Yale Divinity School
Boy George: Cheapness and Beauty (the album) on Amazon
Boy George’s song Il Adore on Amazon (video is also below from YouTube)
Torch Song Trilogy on Amazon
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Amazon
Lars and the Real Girl on Amazon
Jann Cather Weaver’s page on United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
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