The Knitting Pilgrim Talks

In episode 123 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Daniel Brereton of St. John's Dixie Anglican Church about the section of the "Stitched Glass" Christian tapestry depicting a female figure reaching up to the figure of Christ, yet being pushed aside. In the background are pink triangles, representing the LGBTQ+ community and their similar experience of being ostracized by the church. Rev. Brereton talks about the link between women's rights, gay rights, and their essential threat to the patriarchy of a capitalist society that would rather focus on the biblically insignificant issue of gender rather than the bible's fundamental message prohibiting idolatry, greed, and the misuse of money.

In episode 122 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Rev. Janet Ryu-Chan of Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church about the section of the Christian Tapestry depicting a female figure reaching up to Christ yet being pushed aside. Rev Ryu-Chan speaks of what it felt like to grow up in a patriarchal denomination of Christianity, her experience as a female member of the clergy, and can’t help but wonder how differently she’d be treated if she were a six-foot tall white man. 

In episode 121 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Daniel Brereton of St. John’s Dixie Anglican Church about the image of the dove at the top of the Stitched Glass Christian tapestry, and how Jesus offered his followers peace… but not the kind of peace they may have wanted. They talk about the importance of remembering both the painful history and the powerful hope of the faith’s great symbols.

In episode 120 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Rabbi David Seed of the Adath Israel Congregation in Toronto about importance of Holidays—or ‘Holy Days’—in Judaism. We discuss a section of the Stitched Glass Judaic tapestry depicting a shofar, a menorah, and a lulav—ritual items central to Jewish holidays, which are days set apart as being separate, unique, and which give us an opportunity to reflect on the gifts we have been given in this life…particularly, the gift of time.

In episode 119 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald, professor of Church and Society at Knox College, University of Toronto, about the section of the Stitched Glass Christian window tapestry depicting a corruption of the burning bush: a figure being burned at the stake. While the church’s response to heretics or non-believers is no longer so drastic, Kirk and Stuart discuss the kind of thinking that can lead to such extreme responses to theological differences.

In Episode 118 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I welcome back accomplished physician, scientist, theologian, and Muslim community leader Dr. David Liepert as we chat about the section of the Islamic tapestry depicting a 6th century statue of Buddha in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan, and how the Taliban twisted the Islamic prohibition on idolatry to justify its destruction.

In episode 117 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with Imam Jihad Turk (@jihadturk) of the Bayan Islamic Graduate School (@Bayanchicago) about the holy book of Islam, The Qu’ran. We talk about the history of the Qu’ran, its importance to Islam, and its consistent thematic message to Muslims about how they should live their lives with justice, compassion, mercy, truth, and beauty.

In Episode 116 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, I speak with the Rev. Dr. John-Peter Smit about a section of the Christian tapestry depicting the Body of Christ – a euphemism for the Christian Church. We talk about the challenge the church faces to incorporate many disparate views of the faith, and the mystery of the sacrament of communion through which Christians can experience the holy. Rev. Dr. John-Peter is the recently retired Regional Minister for Congregational Health for the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario, and Bermuda.

In Episode 115 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk chats with accomplished physician, scientist, theologian, and Muslim community leader Dr. David Liepert about Islam and science. We use the Islamic tapestry’s image of a winged figure (that of Abbas Ibn Firnas, who experimented with flight in the 9th century CE) as a jumping-off point for a conversation about the incredible contributions and technological breakthroughs made by Muslim mathematicians, engineers, and physicians throughout history.

In Episode 114 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk spends time with Imam Jamal Rahman of the Interfaith Community Sanctuary in Seattle discussing the section of the Islamic tapestry that features a set of scales with the new millennium on one side and the year of the Prophet Muhammad’s death on the other. They talk about Islam’s challenge in balancing the past with the present, and a reminder that the progressive anti-patriarchal ideas of the Prophet are very much in line with the modern world.

"Why is it, in each of the (Abrahamic) traditions, there is so much exclusivity, violence, patriarchy, and homophobia?" - Imam Jamal Rahman

In Episode 113 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, we look at the central image of the Judaic tapestry which features The Tetragrammaton (the four-letter Hebrew name for God) which has been superimposed over a representation of the Talmud. Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg of Temple Israel in Ottawa takes me through the background of the Ineffable Name, and introduces me to the Talmud, a text created by ancient Rabbis to provide a path of how to live Jewishly in a non-Jewish world.

Within the top left section of the Christian window, a Star of David can be seen behind coils of barbed wire. This is a reference to the poor performance of the organized Christian Church in response to the Holocaust during the Second World War. Kirk talks to the Rev. Dr. Stuart McDonald about the Antisemitism behind the Church’s silence during this period in history, and its continued presence in our society today. 
“It’s not going to take a couple of days. We’re talking about centuries in which Antisemitism has just grown within Christianity. And so, we need to begin the process -- or continue the process -- of moving away from that. But it is going to take time and listening.” – Rev. Dr. Stuart McDonald

In researching Stitched Glass, Kirk heard from a number of Muslims that they felt they had “a great religion, with the worst press.” In this section of the Islamic Tapestry, a television set can be seen with an image on its screen. The image has three aspects – it is in the shape of a spherical bomb (a lit fuse can be seen at the upper left), the crescent and star of Islam are incorporated into this shape, as is the globe. Kirk talks to Dr. Katherine Bullock about the poor treatment Islam often receives in Western Media. 

“You know that famous saying, ‘if it bleeds, it leads.’ There’s a need nowadays for clicks on the website, so there needs to be the thing that attracts the most attention, which unfortunately in human nature tends to be the negative things... So human nature likes and is attracted to the sensational, to the extreme, to the exotic. And these sound bites of Muslims doing those things fit perfectly into that need.” – Dr. Katherine Bullock

The 9th episode of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks looks at the section of the Christian tapestry evoking the resurrection -- the Christian belief that has risen from the dead, reassuring us that life in God cannot be killed by death. I speak with my father, The Rev. Dr. Zander Dunn, about the importance of this doctrine, the story of the empty tomb, and what that story means.

Within the Judaic window's top centre point of the Star of David, we can see a globe, cradled in a pair of hands. This image is a reference to the Judaic tradition of Tikkun Olam, repairing (or caring for) the world. Avrum Rosensweig, founder of the charity Ve’ahafta (Hebrew for “you shall love”) shares with Kirk that while Tikkun Olam may not be mentioned specifically in the five books of Moses, it is fundamental to the Torah.

In episode 107 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Imam Jamal Rahman explains to me that the word “Islam” literally means to surrender in peace. In the upper left section of the Islamic tapestry, inside the outline of the crescent moon, we can see five hands making the peace symbol, meeting at their extended fingertips. The five hands represent the five continents, and their five different skin tones represent all peoples. While Islam has its roots in 7th century Arabia, for Muslims it is a modern faith through which racial differences can be overcome. 

The section of the Judaic window we explore in this episode evokes the Sabbath -- or Shabbat – and features images of a loaf of bread (challah), a pair of candlesticks, and a goblet of wine. These are all items that are a part of the meal that begins Shabbat. But Shabbat is much more than just a dinner – it is a day of rest, contemplation, and re-creation. It is one of the true gifts Judaism has given to the world, and it is a gift that most of us don’t really take the time to understand, appreciate, or enjoy. Journalist, author and spiritual advisor Ralph Benmergui talks to Kirk about the value of one day of being after six days of doing.

This episode explores the Christian tapestry section depicting the paradox of the Christian solider, a vocation often held up by society as hero having paid the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life for their country. And yet, the vocation of soldiering is about as diametrically opposed to the example set by Jesus as one can get. Living in a country ruled by an occupying army, Jesus advocated non-violence and turning the other cheek. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald helps Kirk look at how the life of Jesus informs our response to the violence and war that we see in our world today.

This section of the Judaic tapestry celebrates the Torah, the holy book of Judaism, on the shoulders of which both Christianity and Islam stand. Rabbi Elise Goldstein takes Kirk through the the importance of these texts in Judaism, how they are incorporated into the Sabbath service, and a few more things that he, as a Christian, didn't fully appreciate about what he had always thought of as "The first five books of the Bible."

In Western society, “Jihad” may be the most misunderstood word of the Arabic language. In this conversation with Imam Jihad Turk, we take a look at the true meaning of the word (and his name) and discuss the link between the adjacent sections of the Islamic tapestry depicting Jihad and peace.

In this episode of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, we look at the Christian tapestry's section exploring the lion and the lamb, all about the power and vulnerability of Christ. I speak with Rev. Michael Coren about the irony that Jesus--whom Christians now call 'The King of Kings'--was actually an anti-establishment rebel.

This first episode of The Knitting Pilgrim talks deals with the section of the Judaic window depicting a female figure wearing a prayer shawl, tefillin, and blowing a shofar: all rituals, according to the Orthodox tradition, reserved for men. But are women actually excluded from these practices? Kirk speaks with Rabbi Jennifer Gorman about what Judaism actually says about women's place in the faith.

"If you are involved in a mitzvah, you are then exempt from doing another mitzvah that would preclude the first one. So, raising children is itself a mitzvah, a commandment. And so if you’re too busy doing that, and that means that you cannot physically do another one while you are doing that, you become exempt from it. " -- Rabbi Jennifer Gorman