The Knitting Pilgrim Talks

Apr 11 2024 23 ep. 24 mins
The Knitting Pilgrim Talks Podcast artwork

The Knitting Pilgrim Talks is a deep-dive exploration into the themes of The Knitting Pilgrim stage play and “Stitched Glass,” the three large hand-knitted tapestries created by actor/writer/knitter Kirk Dunn featured in the play. The result is a gentle, often surprising, always engaging conversation between Kirk and a guest, each episode themed around one segment of the tapestries, that fosters interfaith understanding, and shines a light on fear of the other.

  Religion & Spirituality
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123: Pushed Aside: Women and LGBTQ in Christianity pt. 2

Apr 11 2024 12 mins  
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 o

122: Pushed aside: Women and LGBTQ in Christianity pt. 1

Mar 29 2024 43 mins  
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 cler

121: The Dove of Peace and Reclaiming Symbols

Feb 13 2024 18 mins  
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

120: Holy Days

Feb 07 2024 25 mins  
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

119: Burned at the Stakes

Feb 06 2024 15 mins  
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 d

118: Bamiyan Buddhas

Jan 17 2024 20 mins  
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.

117: The Qu'ran

Jan 08 2024 29 mins  
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 b

116: The Body of Christ

Dec 14 2023 15 mins  
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 th

115: Islam and Science

Dec 13 2023 23 mins  
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 contr

114: Balancing the Past With the Present

Nov 28 2023 18 mins  
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,