Fruitless

Josiah is joined by Josh Boerman (@boshj) from The Worst of All Possible Worlds to discuss growing up Reformed and evangelical, discovering "secular media," the general loneliness of American life that makes church attractive, and the way Trump broke the brains of so many evangelicals. Follow today’s guest on Twitter. Check out The Worst of All Possible Worlds Become a Fruitless Patron here: https...

Today's episode is the first installation of the Barker Bookclub (Maybe. Name pending.), a show-within-a-show where Chris Barker and Josiah read nonfiction books they've been meaning to read. In today's episode, Chris and Josiah are also joined by Chimera to discuss The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky. Next book: Late Victorian Holocausts by Mike Davis Become a Fruitless Patron here:...

Josiah is joined by Joseph (@Gross_Online) to learn a bit about the Evangelical Orthodox Church and discuss the role of the Orthodox Church in America, before turning to a more personal conversation about Joseph's eventual choice not to convert to Orthodoxy, and the role traditions we almost join have in our spiritual lives. Reference Turning to Tradition: Converts and the Making of an American Or...

Josiah is joined by his first return guest, Chris Barker, to discuss the revolutions of 1848. While the string of revolutions that rocked Europe over the year were ultimately a failure, their legacy lived on and shaped the way modern politics developed. This is the year nationalism became a real political force. This is the year Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto. The ripple effects from this even...

Josiah is joined by Phil Cozzi (@CryptidDirector) to discuss film and chasing your dreams. While the conversation was initially going to be about film, it eventually pivoted into a more personal discussion about the feeling of giving up on your passions, and the narcissism lurking in most artistic or academic endeavors. We often think of great artists or thinkers as powerful individuals who pursue...

Josiah is joined by Gavin Aronsen (@garonsen) to discuss Iowa politics, especially it’s recent right wing turn. They discuss Steve King’s connections to Viktor Orban, the rise of illiberal conservatism, and the failure of local media to report on local politics. They also reflect on the 2020 protests, Occupy Wall Street, and point toward some optimistic developments as well. Follow today’s guest o...

Josiah is joined by Phil Christman (@phil_christman) to talk about the Midwest, American evangelicalism, and the future of the left. Both the Midwest and evangelicalism are made up of lost futures—radical moral or political visions that eventually lost out to the iterations we see today. In a casual discussion, Josiah and Phil ask what we can learn from history, both the good and the bad, and how...

You can find a link to the new Very Legal, Very Cool RSS feed here . Here are the original show notes: The season finale! In today's episode, Randy (Josiah's dad) joins Josiah to talk about his faith journey from drugs and rock music to Golden Dawn occultism, on to a born again conversion to Christianity during the 90s. We discuss the rise of the charismatic movement bringing him to Reformed theol...

Hello! I was not able to record any new Fruitless this month. Instead, I'll be sharing two old Very Legal, Very Cool episodes. This is the first one featuring Jackal (@JackalJester) You can find a link to the new Very Legal, Very Cool RSS feed here . Here are the original show notes: cw: sexual violence, gore, and racism/racial slurs. In today's episode, Jackal (Mammonburg! @JackalJester) joins Jo...

Josiah is joined by Keanu Heydari (@WoeToChorazin) to discuss queer theory and Christian theology. While liberal Christian denominations have grown increasingly inclusive of a queer individuals in the past decade, they still struggle to make sense of sexual identity and gender. In the broader culture, anti-LGBTQ politics seems to be on the rise. Using the insight of queer theory and Christian theo...

Josiah is joined by AJ to discuss the material and spiritual sides of the culture war. Among left wing circles, it is common to either completely disregard the culture war to focus on "material" politics or become completely enthralled by cultural battles. AJ and Josiah try to find a middle ground and, in the process, discuss the future of the left and online media.  Music  Yesterday – bloom. Stra...

Josiah is joined by Jackal (@JackalJester) to discuss Orientalism in art history. They take some time to look over a few paintings and try to examine what they say about European perceptions of the East, as well as European perceptions of their role in the East.    References Orientalism by Edward Said Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa , painted by Antoine-Jean Gros (1804) The Massacr...

Josiah is joined by Joel Harrison (@profjharrison) of uswithoutThem to discuss the book he’s writing on Christian music of the 1990s and 2000s, specifically bands signed on to Tooth & Nail. This serves as an entry point to discuss the broader religious and political development of millennial evangelicals and the rise of “deconstruction” or exvangelical movements.   References Against by Tad De...

In today's episode, Josiah is joined by Morgan Vander Hart, a good friend and anarchist who is heavily involved in mutual aid work in Des Moines, IA. They discuss the state of radical politics in Des Moines and the Midwest after the 2020 George Floyd protests and the struggle for hope in spite of the increasingly dire political situation in the United States. I didn't release a second episode for...

Josiah is joined by Chris Barker to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War. The invasion of Ukraine has lead to a lot of scrambling to make sense of the conflict. Chris and Josiah walk through some of the history of Ukraine before offering their thoughts on the future and where they think the left is gets lost. Referenced Works Neonazis & Euromaidan - Aleksey Kochetkov and Stanislav Byshok (Russian p...

Josiah is joined by Francis Cooper (@attnfrancis) to discuss his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy. Francis and Josiah have been friends for a long time and both went through various "deconstruction" paths regarding their former evangelical faiths. Through this conversation, they talk about their spiritual journeys to high church traditions and what, for Francis, is compelling about Orthodox spiritu...

Josiah is joined by Josh Christianson (@GnomeChamsky) to discuss the Midwest as a region and a concept. The Midwest represent "normality" in the American psyche despite it being a very weird place. It gets treated as a place without history, and it has a mythology of not having a mythology. In a casual discussion, Josiah and Josh deconstruct these ideas and ask what the future of the Midwest may b...

 Brief introduction to who I am and what I’m doing here. Music Yesterday - bloom. In My Dreams - bloom. Find more of Josiah's work here Follow Josiah on Twitter @josiahwsutton ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★