Irenicast - A Progressive Christian Podcast

In Irenicast's first full episode in over two years the team discusses Christian Nationalism.  Bonnie, Casey, Jeff and Rajeev go deep on the origins and dangers of Christian Nationalism   RELEVANT LINKS The New Testament as Political Documents A Campgate of the Mind: Roman Propaganda and Trump's America (Article) What Gov. Gavin Newsom's order to clear homeless encampments means for the people who...

We are back!  Irenciast has taken many different forms over the years and after a couple year break we return in a new iteration.  In this episode we take some time and catch our listeners up on where we've been and what we've been up to.  In addition we provide some information on the direction of the show.  We are so happy to be back and are tremendously thankful for everyone that listens.  We l...

Thanks for joining the conversation for 200 episodes of Irenicast!  In this episode the hosts answer your questions.  The topics range from the bible, hell, marriage and more.  After 7 years and 200 episodes the Irenicast team is still so thankful to helping provoke the progressive Christian imagination.  Here's to 200 more! Thanks for Joining the Conversation Comments & Questions: #1 ( 01:58 ) -...

One thing that tends to get left out of many conversations on deconstruction is atheism and agnosticism.  Why is this?  Even when it is brought up, it is rarely spoken of as an ending point.  Why is that?  Can our deconstruction lead us to atheism and agnosticism?  Is that 'okay'?  Spoilers, we think it is. In this episode the Irenicast hosts discuss the important space atheism and agnosticism hol...

War and Christianity are certainly not strangers.  In fact, they seem pretty friendly many of the times.  In this episode Bonnie, Rajeev and Jeff discuss the complicated history of war and Christianity.  A discussion that seems especially timely considering the current invasion of Ukraine. The conversation starts by acknowledging the ample examples of divine mandated war in our religious text.  To...

In this episode on queer legacy, Casey shares a recent revelation from a queer history class he has been taking.  He shares the history of the term two-spirit.  A term used by some to describe Indigenous North American people who fulfilled a traditional third-gender ceremonial and social role in their cultures.  As someone who is both queer and has Indigenous ancestry Casey expressed his deep sens...

How do Eschatology and Process Theology fit together?  This week we try and answer that question by sitting down with Dr. Thomas Jay Oord.  Dr. Oord is an expert on Process Theology, also known as Open and Relational Theology. Many days it feels as though the end of the world is upon us.  This is even true for people across the proverbial aisle.  Although for much different reasons.  In this conve...

The problem with patriarchal Christianity may seem obvious to many listeners of Irenicast.  It is no surprise to us that patriarchy has done perhaps irrevocable damage to not just Christianity, but the nation as well.  We are seeing the ripples of that sad truth on every level in society. In this episode, three beneficiaries of the the f**ked up system we've come to know and loathe discuss ways we...

In this episode Bonnie sits down and has a compelling conversation with Carolyn Baker PhD mostly about her newest book, Confronting Christofascism: Healing the Evangelical Wound .  It is no secret that since 2016 the United States has felt as though it is on its last legs as a democracy.  Carolyn shares with us many of her perspectives on why that is the case from her book. This conversation inclu...

The generational divide in our country feels massive.  With the rise of Gen Z and the sentiment of 'Okay Boomer', it doesn't feel as though one generation values the other.  If anything, younger generations especially are scapegoated for the direction our culture is taking.  In this episode we welcome Selah Cluff and as a member of GenZ to discuss this divide and explore how we might cross it. One...

In Episode 192 Rebirthing Christmas - Virgin Mary Smashes the Patriarchy, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev, discuss a broad range of feminist perspectives on Mary the mother of Jesus and virginity. Did ancient communities understand the concept of virginity through the lens of purity culture or did they hold a more sophisticated understanding of feminine power? We leaned towards the latter.  The Ma...

What is love?  In this episode each host attempts to provide their definition of what they think love is.  It quickly becomes apparent that the concept of love is more difficult to pin down than expected.  Is love a feeling?  Is love an action?  Or is love where in between? And finally a new segment is introduced to end the show, Bad Advice Column.  This segment quickly goes off the rails and hila...

What is hope?  Christianity is filled with buzz words that we can easily take for granted or turn into catch phrases.  In this episode the hosts discuss one of those words, hope.  Hope can mean a lot of different things for different people.  It can also feel like a concept that is slowly fading from view in the current world we live in. Each host shares their current definition of hope.  This lea...

What is Faith?  Bonnie, Jeff, Casey, and Rajeev share perspectives that are found just beyond the edge of clarity - "objects" are visible but there is little certainty about what those objects might be. After all, faith is murky and shifty.  As the crew discusses the evolution of their personal faith journeys they confront each other by what is meant by faith and how the misunderstanding and misus...

In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Six the co-hosts explore the diversity of what community can be: quilting club, birdwatchers, family-groups (biological or chosen), faith community, and so many more.  While there is agreement that what a community looks like can vary greatly, the hosts have differing thoughts on the importance of belonging, responsibility, and duty. ...

In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Five, the multiverse of self, co hosts, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev dive into the most uncomfortable and awkward of spaces "the self."  The work and interview with Debbie Glander is referenced to remind us that our formation (childhood, puberty, adolescence) was not a solo project but many, in trusted positions, had major impacts o...

In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part 4 the hosts discuss the voices that helped them reconstruct some semblance of belief… or non-belief.  The legend and public persona of Rob Bell unexpectedly becomes the yardstick that each host measures their rebuilding experiences against.  Each host shares a ton of resources and voices that helped them in their movement away from fun...

In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Three, the Irencast crew try desperately to come up with suitable metaphors for the 'Dark Night of the Soul' stage in deconstruction.  Since each host had such different experiences the task becomes difficult, which leads to a beautiful discussion on why these moments cannot be boiled down to a formula. We all experience our faith jour...

In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Two, the discussion centers around the aftermath of waking up.  What do you do with the shame, regret and anger of living in a high control environment?  Each host shares their journey through that cloud of emotions. Being gracious with yourself, finding a safe place to express anger and learning to listen are some of the lessons learn...

Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part One explores the first movement in someone's journey toward change, waking up.  To lay the groundwork, not only for this episode but the episodes to come in this series, each host shares some of the experiences that put them on the path of deconstruction.  Because of the benefit of highsight, insight is given into the difficulty and event...

Since we've been gone a lot has happened in the world.  An election, an insurrection, a vaccine, a new president, and a whole lot of the same old crap in the world.  Things have also changed for the hosts of Irenicast.  A lot of personal and professional shifts in addition to planning new stuff for Irenicast.  In this come-back episode, we will be discussing all things Irenicast as we move forward...

What Does Christmas Mean to You? Join the hosts of Irenicast as they ponder the birth narrative, and the multiple ways that the story of Jesus' birth has been told and understood over the years.   Jeff invites the team to consider what Christmas means to them this year. The conversation begins with each of the cohosts pondering what it has been like to try to find Christmas cheer in 2020. The conv...

Discovering your authentic self is something that can seem like a vague or cliche notion.  Is there a balance between authentic inner life and authentic communal life?  Where are the tensions?  What does it even mean to be your authentic self?  These are some of the questions explored in this episode as Allen, Bonnie, Jeff & Rajeev discuss the difficult task of figuring out our place in this insan...

In response to a listener question about God's immutability, all five co-hosts discuss a changing God. The conversation begins with the God of the bible before it turns toward the God of human experience. Co-hosts reflect on the groups that might benefit from a fixed or static God and those groups that might benefit from a God who is impacted (and therefore changed) by a relational life with creat...

The episode begins by framing some language around stages of spiritual development. Co-hosts take a trip down memory lane as they dig up developmental language from their former faith communities and from broader American culture. The conversation continues with the inclusion of helpful models as well as critiques of developmental theory. While discussing spiral dynamics and various approaches to...