The Beached White Male Podcast with Ken Kemp

Send us Fan Mail In this very special episode, Carla reveals her real identity . Ken and Carla share how they met, the projects that brought them together, and how they began this 18-month weekly conversation they call "Beach Talks." Rather than spell out the details here, you'll need to listen to the podcast. Sharing the early days, pre-podcast, they talk about their new friendship...

Send us Fan Mail Ken is pleased to welcome Lisa Sharon Harper and her new groundbreaking book, Fortune - How Race Broke My Family and the World--and How to Repair It All . It all began with the results of her submission of DNA to ancestry.com . Lisa learned of her Nigerian roots - and ancestry that extends all the way back to the onset of slavery in America in the 1600s. Lisa shares her story of a...

Send us Fan Mail For Easter Week, Ken and Carla begin on a very personal note - Carla's departed husband, Fritz would be celebrating his birthday on the day of this recording. They reminisce about Fritz who, like Ken, went o seminary and served as a pastor. Carla shares the story of their romance. The two reflect on the meaning of this season of resurrection. Turning to the headlines, Joe Bid...

Send us Fan Mail The vote is in! Ketanji Brown Jackson has been approved by the Senate to become the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court . Ken and Carla review the events leading up to and following the historic bi-partisan vote: 52/47. The sorry Republican response triggers their analysis and commentary. Eddie Glaude, Jr. and Cory Booker contribute their insight and perspectives. Carla...

Send us Fan Mail Ken welcomes his good friend Osahon Obasuaye for the first in a series they call, "Cabana Talks." Cancel culture has become what Osahon calls, the Cult of Cancellation . It seems to be everywhere. Julie Roys exposes John MacArthur's misdeeds; both have something to learn from the "N" word - nuance. Ken asks about Osahon's take on the Will Smith/Chris...

Send us Fan Mail Ken and Carla celebrate the first day of the month, April Fool's Day . The Oscars are still the buzz as the nation processes Will Smith's assault on Chris Rock , before Hollywood's glitterati and millions of views. Lost in the fray was the Oscar-winning documentary, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Ken and Carla celebrate the music...

Send us Fan Mail Ken welcomes Rev. David Swanson, author of the powerfully provocative book, Redisciplining the White Church from Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity . Once again on the podcast, two white guys talk about race - specifically race in the American white evangelical church. David started a church in the historic Bronzeville district in the South Side of Chicago . David tells the story...

Send us Fan Mail Ken welcomes Diana Butler Bass, an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. They talk about her new book (to be released March 31, 2021) Freeing Jesus . Diana shares the background that took her from the East Coast to Arizona and Scottsdale Bible Church where she made a commitment to follow Jesus. It took her to Westmont College and G...

Send us Fan Mail Ken and Carla review the situation in Ukraine and then turn to the Judiciary Committee hearings with Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson . Ken expresses relief that he left the republican party years ago. The grandstanding and political theater betrays a complete abandonment of democratic norms, all played out on the world stage. Turn's out, Robin D'Angelo'...

Send us Fan Mail Carla turns a professional page and shares the implications. Secretary Pete appeared on 60 Minutes for a full segment on Infrastructure - a welcome priority for our nation. Christianity Today gives a public response to the accusations of sexual harassment in their organization. It signals the troubling impact of toxic masculinity in evangelical institutions which historically have...

Send us Fan Mail The two Kens ponder the perplexing question: why are many evangelicals enamored with Vladimir Putin and his nationalist vision for Russia? As Russia invades Ukraine this month, Putin has been exposed as an autocrat and brutal, murderous tyrant. Some conservatives, by necessity, are back-tracking. But for years, far-right conservatives, including Donald Trump , Mike Pompeo , Frankl...

Send us Fan Mail NOTE: Audio issues have been repaired. Ken and Carla pick up on their conversation over Lent . A "Yacht Music Playlist" takes Ken to another place. They turn to Ukraine and unprovoked assault on civilians including women, children, and now, a maternity hospital. Rabbi Jeff Salkin weighs in. While there is still reason for hope, the situation has turned dark. Putin's...

Send us Fan Mail Carla is back. After a week off, Ken and Carla reconvene for Beach Talk #73. Ken reviews his road trip up North for wine tasting and a brunch at Pebble Beach Lodge . He reminisces over his one round on the course years ago and his memorable finish on the 18th Hole. Ukraine is in the headlines, displaying their patriotism and commitment to democracy, dong their best to stand up aga...

Send us Fan Mail The Beached White Male Podcast welcomes Scott Young , Creator and President of Culture Connection and the former Director of the City of Angels Film Festival . Ken likes to call Scott the Professor of Cinema . Scott asserts that we are at the end of the "print culture" and we've become a "culture of moving images."  Movie images are today's " lin...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Ken has a road trip which means a rarely missed week of Beach Talk with his good friend Carla. If you are a regular, you know that Ken and Carla, the "Bleached Blonde Female," have a weekly conversation reviewing the headlines - political, religious, and more. Today, we re-release their very first podcast - Beach Talk #1 from August of 2020. It was an experime...

Send us Fan Mail Ken welcomes the popular scholar, professor, author, and podcaster, Dr. Peter Enns . Pete's podcast, The Bible for Normal People ("the only God-ordained podcast on the internet") has a broad and wide reach, exploring the sacred text along with his co-host Jared Byas . They have interviewed a wide range of scholars from many religious and theological backgrounds. Ken...

Send us Fan Mail Carla slips on the winter Mid-West ice and falls. She's rescued by her daughter and son-in-law. The spectacular Super Bowl LVI brought memorable moments, a major victory for the Rams,  especially Cooper Kupp , Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford . There was plenty of controversy. The dazzling Half-Time Show  with Dr. Dre , Snoop Dog, and Eminem brought nostalgia and equal time,...

Send us Fan Mail Carla pines for a Minnesota-style grilled walleye-pike sandwich - and reveals that her husband proposed to her on Lake Minnetonka .  Switching to the headlines, according to  Maggie Haberman , the White House plumbing while occupied by the former President frequently backed-up thanks to official government documents flushed from the Presidential suite. Carla objects to the general...

Send us Fan Mail Kemp and Fong come together for a different TWO KENS conversation. They both like to listen to the other's podcasts. Kemp comments on Fong's interview with non-profit fund-raiser Vu Le . Fong heard Ken's exchange with Osahon Obazuaye and asked if the two might spend the majority of this podcast exploring how Kemp transitioned from the conservative friend Fong new th...

Send us Fan Mail This Beach Talk is a CLASSIC. Ken and Carla jump right into a conversation about democracy in danger. The Electoral Count Act is in desperate need of revision, highlighting the archaic and unfair electoral college. Best of all is Carla's take on the Spotify kerfuffle - surrounding mega-podcaster Joe Rogan . Neil Young (Ohio) and Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi - Paved Paradise...

Send us Fan Mail An aging white male (Ken - the Beached White Male) and a young, influential African American male (Osahon Obazuaye) engage in a lively conversation about race. The two currently are co-hosts for an online Table Talk focussed on The 1619 Project . Nikole Hannah-Jones won the Pulitzer Prize and then, in a predictable white backlash, a vicious attack on her work. Osahon shares a very...

Send us Fan Mail Carla's experiencing a serious cold snap as Ken describes his California blue sky and 70 degrees. In this fireside chat, they open with stories of emotionally charged moments in church over the weekend - for them both in different places for different reasons: It's sacred ground . Time for lament; welcoming break-throughs. They reflect on Ken's conversation with Jas...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Ken welcomes Jasmin Schupper , Founder and CEO of Greenline Housing Foundation . With a university degree in business and corporate and non-profit experience in finance, Jasmine learned about the racial wealth gap in this country. She's taking action. Ken and Jasmine discuss that wealth gap, from the post-civil war reconstruction era where the newly freed, formerly ens...

Send us Fan Mail Ken and Carla connect for their weekly review, following Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's memorial weekend.  Both Ken and Carla attended church services that honored Dr. King. It's more than "I have a dream..." Ken's Table Talk on the 1619 Project starts next week. The humble Rabbi Cytron-Walker is celebrated around the world, underscoring the anti-Semitism t...

Send us Fan Mail Ken welcomes acclaimed TEDx Speaker, author, podcaster, and authority on diversity training in the workplace, Julie Kratz . A seasoned veteran of corporate life, Julie founded and leads The Next Pivot Point , a consulting and training firm that serves major corporations across the nation. Julie found Ken on LinkedIn, seeking allies in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion (...