Religion on the Mind

Those of us who grew up with the Gospel's exhortation to “lay down your life” and “take up your cross” find modern culture constantly encouraging “self-care.” Is this helpful, like putting on our own oxygen masks before helping someone else, or mere selfishness in disguise? Are there limits to self-care or self-sacrifice? In today’s episode (Part 2) Matt Wright gets into this topic by way of discu...

Those of us who grew up with the Gospels exhortation to “lay down your life” and “take up your cross” find modern culture constantly encouraging “self-care.” Is this helpful, like putting on our own oxygen masks before helping someone else, or mere selfishness in disguise? Are there limits to self-care or self-sacrifice? In today’s episode (Part 1), returning guest Andy Squires expresses some conc...

Derek Kubilus, a Methodist minister, was surprised to find so much pain around the concept of Hell among his parishioners despite serving in a progressive denomination. This led him to write the new book “Holy Hell: A Case against Eternal Damnation” and to explore the concept and history of “Hell” without the baggage it is often accompanied by in more conservative spaces. Over time, humans seem to...

Kathleen Tarrant, a Seattle music journalist who covered Mars Hill Church extensively, joins for another “I Don’t Believe In That God” episode with Dan. Kathleen was raised Catholic and finds some value in aspects of that experience, but these days finds herself outside of Christian/religious circles.  Kathleen’s The Stranger Page: https://www.thestranger.com/authors/23297822/kathleen-tarrant?page...

Our own Kristen Tideman (media and marketing) joins Dan for another Q&A session — for the full episode, join up at patreon.com/dankoch. Questions for Dan include: - what got you into podcasting? - will Taylor and Travis last? - when did your panic attacks start, and what do they feel like? - how do you think you would you handle fame? - if you lost your hearing, what would you do for work? The Fee...

(First ever) FOUR-time guest Bonnie Kristian returns to talk about the different tiers of Christian publishing, which Dan thinks applies equally to podcasting. Embedded in this discussion is the fact that Bonnie is a Christian female writer… but she’s definitely not a “Christian female writer.” What is expected of these writers? Must they constantly “create content” populated by their shiny, happy...

Good times were had by all at this live-at-Theology-Beer-Camp special edition of the Generation Gap Culture Hour, the recurring Patreon-feed show where Dan is joined by Tony Jones and Josh Gilbert. Organized on the fly after Jars of Clay’s Dan Haseltine failed to arrive at camp, Dan put the question to Josh and Tony: Is there a “masculinity crisis” as has been reported in some corners of the media...

Jed Payne (Church and Other Drugs Podcast) is back to continue the series of “Worries About…” episodes, this time on Jed’s concern that progressive Christianity might be too “humanistic” and not serious enough about human depravity. As always with Jed, it’s a great and incredibly candid conversation with a lot of much-appreciated vulnerability, especially on Jed’s end. They discuss OCD/religious s...

After Dan’s solo mini episode on Israel-Hamas and the “End Times” (as conceived of by Left Behind-style premillennial dispensationalist Protestants), he wanted to go further in-depth on the background of that particular theology and reading of apocalyptic texts within the Bible. Dan Hummel (University of Wisconsin Madison) was gracious enough to join on short notice, and the two cover the history...

Aaron Simmons is back! This time, we are not talking so much about Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but rather in more general terms about the philosophical movement he began: existentialism. Or anyway, he kicked off modern European Existentialism. Since Tripp Fuller and I are gearing up for our “Live Before You Die: Existentialism in Psychology and Theology” online class, I wanted to talk wi...

Given recent events in Israel and Palestine, it is inevitable that Christians focused on the Rapture and a Left-Behind-style view of the “End Times” will begin to draw explicit connections between this war and the so-called “signs of Christ’s return.” Dan is planning at least one more episode on this topic, but in the meanwhile, these two episodes, featuring conversations with four Baby Boomers wh...

Given recent events in Israel and Palestine, it is inevitable that Christians focused on the Rapture and a Left-Behind-style view of the “End Times” will begin to draw explicit connections between this war and the so-called “signs of Christ’s return.” Dan is planning at least one more episode on this topic, but in the meanwhile, these two episodes, featuring conversations with four Baby Boomers wh...

Dan's old college friend and country artist Sam Outlaw (born Sam Morgan) joins to talk about the role of his faith/spirituality in recovering from alcohol use disorder. Along the way, they discuss authoritative vs. nurturant parenting styles, messages they received about alcohol growing up Evangelical, some of the benefits of that upbringing, and the awkwardness inherent in many parachurch organiz...

In this brief solo episode, Dan shares some quick anxiety-relieving thoughts about the way that the unfolding Israel-Palestine conflict will inevitably, but falsely, be linked to predictions about the “End Times.” End Times Anxiety: Part 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-have-permission/id1448000113?i=1000462348895 End Times Anxiety: Part 2: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-hav...

Matthias Roberts joins me again! Previously we talked about healing from sexual shame; this week, he builds a bridge from that conversation to his new book Holy Runaways. After coming to terms (more or less) with sexuality issues, Matthias found that he and many of his friends were still unsure what to do with the whole “faith” thing. What was salvageable, and what were the stakes of ignoring this...

*Full episode on the Patreon feed* Psychotherapist Pamela Cooper-White shares about her book “The Psychology of Christian Nationalism." We talk about white supremacy, conscious and unconscious needs, motivating via fear, “crisis merchants,” and when to ask yourself questions like, "Am I the right person to have this convo?" or "Is this the right setting for this convo"? Pamela’s Book “The Psycholo...

Dan and Tripp Fuller get themselves psyched for their upcoming online pop-up learning community on existentialism by sharing songs that remind them of death, isolation, freedom, meaning/meaninglessness, and courage.  Learn more or sign up for their class, “Live Before You Die: Existentialism in Theology & Psychology”: exploringexistentialism.com _____________ Register for Theology Beer Camp: Theol...

On the most recent "I Don't Believe in That God," Dan talks with former Christian missionary and current minister in The Satanic Temple Stephen Bradford Long. Stephen defines Satanism as he and Dan discuss three or four options for what people imagine when they hear the term "Satanist." Stephen shares his story from Charismatic Presbyterianism, through mainline Protestantism, to atheism, and event...

Kristen’s back with Dan to ask some of your burning Q’s and get some A’s! After talking about the need or value of religion after believing no one goes to Hell, Kristen also asks: If you could have a beer with one character from a Sci-Fi or Superhero or Fantasy genre who would it be and why? What are you going to teach your kid about sex? What are some meta-narratives in pop-culture that you enjoy...

Earlier this summer, some mild controversy around a video released by Pete Enns (Bible/Faith for Normal People) brought up some interesting questions. First, if someone has experienced a particularly “toxic” version of Christianity, how equipped are they to speak about the larger Christian tradition? Second, is all Christianity inherently “toxic” (and how do we define “toxic”)? In a dual-feed epis...

*To update your Patreon giving, head to patreon.com/dankoch. Thanks for your support!* Dr. Steven Sandage (Boston University) joins Sarey Concepcion and myself for a fairly wide-ranging conversation about his own story and some of the topics he has focused on during his research career, including: -Healthy Spiritual Leadership -Spirituality as a way to maintain healthy relationships  -Attachment &...

*To update your Patreon giving, head to patreon.com/dankoch. Thanks for your support!* Ex-pastor Brandon Flanery joins Dan to talk through his own research as to why people are currently leaving Christianity for non-Christian or non-religious waters. His sample skews young and LGBTQ-heavy, which is helpful for understanding the experience of sexual and gender minorities around this topic. Check ou...

From a postmodern perspective, there is no entirely objective “view from nowhere.” The Evangelical tradition, however, presents itself as ahistorical and objective. Trans ordained priest Shannon Kearns reminds us that actively working to understand the history that has shaped current theological perspectives can help us see in what ways it has influenced how we live, vote, and interact with those...

What makes a conspiracy theory? How does it differ from healthy skepticism? Mike Austin and Greg Bock, editors of QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross, join Dan to discuss everything from the “deep state” to why biblical literalism and Christian nationalism predict conspiratorial thinking. Insights into the psychology behind conspiratorial thinking can provide strategies for meaningful dialogue in today's...

How does music contribute to forming a community identity? Dan welcomes guest Matt Knight to talk about how “End Times” songs helped shape the cultural understanding of the Jesus Movement in the early ‘70s and beyond. Much like Billy Graham’s “Crusades,” powerful emotional experiences and songs played into the plausibility structures of this specific subculture, reinforcing the idea that Jesus was...