249. Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – The Summons of Love and Life’s True Calling

249. Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – The Summons of Love and Life’s True Calling

Author: Jerry L. Martin September 18, 2025 Duration: 58:00

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In this wide-ranging conversation, Jerry and Abigail pick up where last week’s episode left off, turning from the idea of swadharma — one’s unique calling — to how that calling actually plays out in a real life.

Jerry reflects on the Bhagavad Gita’s teaching that it is better to follow your own duty, even imperfectly, than to live someone else’s well. 

Abigail shares what it feels like when a fight “has her name on it,” telling the story of the battle to save Brooklyn College’s core curriculum and how that reluctant fight brought Jerry into her life.

They discuss the courage it takes to give up security for meaning, Jerry’s choice to twice walk away from tenure, and the role prayer plays in guiding his decisions. Abigail recalls a formative past-life memory of her death in 1930s Germany and how it shaped her lifelong commitment to confronting evil, writing about the nature of evil, and standing up against antisemitism.

The conversation turns to the “summons of love,” romance as co-constitutive with divine calling, and the serious work of keeping the romantic quest alive over a lifetime. Abigail explores the challenges of being a woman philosopher, the tension between femininity and academic culture, the dangers of free love, and the need for modesty and discernment.

Together they hold love, moral courage, and spiritual purpose in dialogue, seeking a way to live fully in history — with God as partner.

Other Series:

The podcast began with the Dramatic Adaptation of the book and now has several series:

The Life Wisdom Project – Spiritual insights on living a wiser, more meaningful life.

From God to Jerry to You – Divine messages and breakthroughs for seekers.

Two Philosophers Wrestle With God – A dialogue on God, truth, and reason.

Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – Love, faith, and divine presence in partnership.

What’s Your Spiritual Story – Real stories of people changed by encounters with God.

What’s On Our Mind – Reflections from Jerry and Scott on recent episodes.

What’s On Your Mind – Listener questions, divine answers, and open dialogue. 

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Imagine a philosopher, a dedicated scholar who spent his life in the realm of ideas without a trace of faith, suddenly finding himself in a dialogue he never sought. GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher-The Podcast is the unfolding account of Dr. Jerry L. Martin, a lifelong agnostic and former head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, who one day offered a prayer and received a clear, verbal response. This isn't a theoretical exercise or a sermon; it's a personal chronicle of what happened next, as a trained thinker with deep skepticism began asking the big questions about existence, purpose, and human nature, and recorded the answers he received. Each episode moves this extraordinary narrative forward, blending the disciplines of philosophy, spirituality, and raw personal experience. You'll hear Dr. Martin's thoughtful reflections on these conversations, which span topics from the nature of the divine to the practical challenges of living an ethical life, all grounded in his academic background. This podcast invites you into a story that challenges preconceptions, not to persuade but to present a profound and documented experience. It's for anyone curious about the intersection of intellect and the ineffable, where a philosopher's quest for truth took an utterly unexpected turn. The journey detailed here resonates across categories of religion, culture, and society, offering a unique perspective that is both deeply human and mysteriously transcendent.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 278

GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher - The Podcast
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