4 - David Cayley - Christian Thought and Public Radio

The Ferment

One of the strange wonders of Marcus’ life is that the core of his after-degree theological training came to him through the medium of publicly funded radio programming, almost all of it curated by David Cayley. For over 20 years, Cayley was a producer for a program entitled simply, “Ideas” at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Always clear, always careful, always genuinely seeking after the Good, David Cayley has deepened and enriched the public conversation in this country and well beyond it. “What is worth understanding is worth being understood well by everyone,” said Northrop Frye, one of Cayley’s many interviewees. Cayley made a career of helping the Canadian public understand ideas with philosophical heft, and, perhaps even more challenging in the present milieu, ideas of great spiritual significance. We were delighted to have Cayley’s warm and iconic voice on The Ferment.

Episode References:

• David Cayley’s programs on several thinkers and themes:
  • Ivan Illich
  • Rene Girard
  • Simone Weil
  • After Atheism
  • Between Two Ages
  • William Blake
• David Cayley’s books:
  • Ivan Illich in Conversation
  • Rivers North of the Future
• Ivan Illich’s work: Deschooling Society
• Marcus’ book: Life at the End of Us Versus Them
• The New Left: a loosely organized progressive movement that emerged in the 60’s and 70’s that emphasized personal initiative over state reform. Think home-schooling, organic food, intentional communities and back-to-the-land experiments. Cayley features some of the important voices of this movement in his first documentary series for CBC Ideas, Between Two Ages
• William Blake’s mythological figure, Urizen
• Eric Voegelin – (the tragedy of the western tradition is the separation of theology and philosophy – theology takes a propositional form, e.g., web article by Yotam Hotam)
• Bruce Cockburn “The ones who know don’t have the words to tell/ and the ones with the words don’t know too well” – from “Burden of the Angel/Beast“
• Thomas Merton, Gethsemani Abbey, Merton’s monastery, and St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” one of Merton’s inspirations
• Alana’s song, Little Flower, from the album Point Vierge:

Little Flower I will be your monk, little flower
Show me what to do, little flower
Pray for me, little flower
Pray for me