Irenicast - A Progressive Christian Podcast

Can We Get Better At Doing Spirituality?  Astrology to Astronomy, Phrenology to Psychology, and Alchemy to Chemistry -- in what ways is theology becoming? Is there such a thing as spiritual intelligence? And what do we do with the Evangelical ideas of progress and work ethic in relation to individualized faith? Jeff and Allen tackle the topic of "bettering" ourselves and our faith traditions in ho...

The illustrious Deborah Blades joins us to discuss the incarnation, the disruption that are bodies, and what a theology formed in postcolonial and feminist theory might look like around the holidays. For the segment, Jeff, Allen, and Debbie talk about those times they each discovered Santa was a little too incredible.   Incarnation Conversation ( 01:23 ) When We Stopped Believing in Santa Segment...

The sovereignty of God can bring with it a lot of questions and/or baggage depending upon your religious context.  Is God in control?  What is God's will for our lives?  Is history already determined?  This week Allen and Jeff discuss how their answers to these questions have changed for them over the years and what that has meant for their lives and spirituality. Conversation on the Sovereignty o...

Is sincerity dead?  "I don't stand by anything" - both presidential quotation and epitaph on the tombstone of sincerity. Do we believe one another? Ourselves? And does it matter anymore? Jeff and Allen debate the presence of sincerity in public space and places of faith, before crafting their perfect Thanksgiving guest list.   Our Conversation on Is Sincerity Dead? ( 00:50 ) Thanksgiving Dinner Pa...

What do we do with our Evangelical roots in reconciling the past?  How do we navigate our former relationships? Jeff and Allen review their own efforts to reconnect and reframe at this point in their journeys through the post-evangelical wilderness and offer a few ideas that have helped them immensely along the way. And in the spirit of reflection, they name the top three things from their childho...

The witch hunts of the early modern period were served by the very things we trade in today: uncritical reception of tradition, groupthink, the impulse toward comfort and away from "otherness." Since Halloween is just around the corner, Jeff and Allen discuss that perhaps we still hunt witches in our own time by proposing a spiritual discipline of resisting.  The episode closes with a classic roun...

The texts we love to misquote. In this new series, Jeff and Allen will occasionally spend an episode tackling infamously out of context verses in the Bible thrown around the Christian world. This time it's a passage used by everyone from athletes to those who oppose psychology. Philippians 4:13 Out of Context Verses Philippians 4:13 Conversation ( 00:59 ) Judging a Book by Its Cover Segment ( 36:3...

Anyone remotely plugged into 90's contemporary Christian music has probably heard of Jennifer Knapp. This week Jeff has a wonderful conversation with her about everything from early years in the Christian music industry to her current music and work with LGBTQ people of faith. MORE ABOUT JENNIFER KNAPP'S NEW ALBUM Jennifer Knapp has experienced enough chaos and turmoil in her life that she could w...

Freshly back in your feed after seven months.  Jeff and Allen discuss their work and the return of the podcast, Mona responds to a listener question about abstinence, and Allen gives important news on the personal front. Opening Catch Up Session ( 00:11 ) Listener Response, Mona's Thoughts on Abstinence ( 13:36 ) Allen's Shares His Personal Journey ( 48:35 ) Closing Remarks ( 53:38 )   RELEVANT LI...

In our 100th episode, we take time to reflect on the past, present and future of the show.  Jeff, Mona and Allen share about who they were when the show started and reflect on what's changed.  They also share their favorite episodes and segments with other listeners who tuned in for our live recording on Facebook.   ANNOUNCEMENTS After 100 straight weeks of episodes, Irenicast will be taking a bit...

Christian Mingle the Movie is about what you'd expect from a faith-based romantic comedy.  The story follows Gwyneth (Lacey Chabert) as she maneuvers through the dating scene with no luck.  On an especially discouraging evening, she decides to open up an account with an online dating site for Christians.  There is only one problem: she is not a Christian.  Determined to make love work she pretends...

Hailing from one of the most violent neighborhoods in the country, from a community of field workers, Dr. Patrick B Reyes speaks with Mona this week about his book, Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community and Surviving to Adulthood. Unlike many academic theology books, Nobody Cries is rich with not only theory, but also stories - many life moments that Dr. Reyes regards as God's voice, spoken by...

The making of Bucket Lists, the having of #lifegoals, the pursuit of pleasure - what role does pleasure play in giving our lives meaning? Is it central? This week, the dynamic trio discusses hedonism and pleasure, Christian adaptations a la John Piper, neurochemistry, conditioning, and whether or not the small things ought to command at least a little of our attention. A "I've Never" segment then...

Jim Wagner (The Boomer) joins Jeff (The Gen Xer) and Allen (The Millennial) for a conversation about generational stereotypes, what function they serve, and why they exist in the first place. They explore economic and cultural contexts, deconstruct a few of the common characterizations of their own age groups, and suggest ways to combat this kind of thinking. Then, having all served as preachers i...

Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas is our movie for this edition of Divine SINema.  Allen and Mona take the week off and Adam and Dylan step in to discuss with Jeff this truly awful Christmas film.   Through a conversation with his sister, Kirk learns his brother-in-law, Christian, is not into Christmas this year.  We come to find out that he is struggling with the fact that Christmas Trees, Santa an...

Mass incarceration has reached truly astounding levels in the land of the free and home of the brave and its criminal justice system. Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the newly released documentary 13th, various social and historical factors behind the growth of the prison industrial complex, specifics like mandatory minimum sentencing, generalities around criminality, the image of God, ministry of Jesu...

Video games are a prominent part of the American landscape and are only becoming more accessible with the advent of mobile gaming.  Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss the possible ways in which video games and video game culture can cause, or encourage, good and bad behaviors.  The attempted co-opting of the gaming space by evangelicals, using games for positive real life benefits and gamergate are all...

Despite the fact that the 2016 election has come and gone there are still so many aspects to reflect on.  This week Jeff sits down with Angelina Hagan, a Bernie Sanders delegate.  Although we are probably all intimately familiar with the electoral process, the process of the primary elections can sometimes be confusing.  Angelina describes the journey in becoming a delegate in her district in Colo...

For the first time Devine SINema steps out of bonus episode territory with a look at the 1972 film, If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horsemen Do?  This movie takes us to a time when America was in fear of a foreign ideology, marriage was under attack, public schools were taking away our children's innocence and our country was in desperate need to return to God.  Apparently, some things never change...

From rallying voter bases to post-election anxieties, the 2016 election, for many, has created an atmosphere of fear. The Irenicast hosts talk about the importance of dialogue rather than dismissal when it comes to engaging fears, the relationship between fear and privilege, as well as the role fear might play in control. The hosts challenge listeners to think outside the box when it comes to fear...

Understanding rape culture is a vital issue today.  What is rape culture?  What reality does it reflect?  When did it begin?  Who is responsible for creating it?  This week Jeff, Mona and Allen take on the difficult topic of rape culture and discuss it from both male and female perspectives.  They also discuss theologies of sexuality and ending dominance, with an honest conversation about what the...

On the dawn of election day 2016 Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss compassion fatigue.  What do you do when you're tired of caring?  When you're tired of believing anything is going to change?  These are questions many people who desire to be a part of a bigger solution face.  And although no one really has the answers, it helps to talk about it and know we are not alone in our occasional desire to giv...

This week a conversation with Science Mike McHargue author of FInding God in the Waves.  Mike is a fellow podcaster.  He is the co-host of the Liturgists Podcast, host of the Ask Science Mike Podcast and author of the new book, FInding God in the Waves.  In addition to talking about his book Mike shares a story about an incident that helped shape his views on race.  He also discusses his difficult...

A God's Not Dead 2 review is the subject of this bonus episode.  Adam and Dylan are back and join Jeff for another addition of Divine SINema.  This movie takes place in the same town as the first God's Not Dead.  It is about a teacher named Grace who is a Christian and a teacher at a public school called Martin Luther King Jr. High.  During a lesson on the civil rights movement a student asks abou...

With Halloween 2016 less than a week away from this episode, Jeff and Allen discuss the evolution of Satan.  Depending on our religious upbringing we may take for granted that the existence of Satan is a forgone conclusion.  But is it?  What does the Bible say about Satan?  Does the Bible have a consistent narrative about Satan?  What other things outside of scripture have we unwittingly accepted...