Pop Culture Catechism

U2 & Christopher West are a match made in Pop Culture Catechism heaven: one the world’s best evangelists takes us deep into the music of one of the world’s biggest bands and shares why and how he ditched the “Fast Food Gospel.” Mike also performs a concert of U2’s music, exclusive for the Awaken Nation. We cover A LOT in this episode: -Hungry People -Starvation gospel vs the fast food gospel v...

Oops! We did it again. We made another episode wading into some controversial waters, this time centering around the career and ever evolving legacy of Britney Spears. Julia Strukely from the podcast 7 Mile Chats joins us to discuss: - female sexuality and empowerment - feminism - Body image - profanity (we use the b-word a lot!) - Double standards - The most influential songwriter you’ve never he...

What do you do when the truth hurts? WandaVision, the MCU’s flagship Disney+ show, has touched hearts and imaginations with its subtle exploration of the grieving process as well its nostalgic homage to sitcom history. In this episode of #PopCultureCatechism, we tap Josh Noem, senior editor at the University of Notre Dame’s @GrottoNetwork and author of the novel “The End of Ending” to give us some...

Widely considered to be the best video of the modern era, God of War is so much more than a game. The story wrestles with fundamental questions of human relationships and family dynamics. On this episode, we are joined by Forte Catholic founder, and Catholic Speaker and worship leader, Taylor Schroll who has a great beard and an even better Kratos impression. Awaken Catholic President, Nick De La...

Expecto Patronum, muggles! Catholic speaker, YouTuber, & HP superfan Maggie Craig joins us to wax theological on the Boy Who Lived. We go deep in this episode and cover a swath of themes from the books and the Christian faith including: - Should read Harry Potter? - Are the Weasleys Catholic? - Is Harry a Christ figure? - What did Jesus’ death really do? - Love vs. Passion - Does your calling...

We welcome back Kevin Heider (singer songwriter and host of the Song & Story podcast) to discuss the world's biggest young pop star, Billie Eilish. Kevin & Mike share stories from their high school and college days, sing some songs, make a LOT of 90’s music references, and discuss: - What introverts want to say to extroverts - Breaking up with girls to enter the seminary (and for other rea...

How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a scottsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the caribbean by providence, impoverished in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar? We cover all this and more in our episode on HAMILTON: An American Musical. Broadway vets Stacey Sumereau and David Sanborn join us to share their stories and their thoughts on this remarkable piece of mus...

Does my brokenness define me? Is there anything really special about me? Can I ever repair the damage of my past mistakes? Entrepreneur and game maker extraordinaire, Tony Vasinda joins us to discuss one of Netflix’s top series. On the way, we talk about: - Can you rely on God too much? - approval seeking behaviors - should you stick with it or quit? - Men and women as brothers and sisters - do th...

Note: This episode was recorded in November 2020. Mike is joined by Redeemer Radio host Kyle Heimann to plumb the rock/rap/funk political mele that is Rage Against the Machine. Their music is as relevant now as it ever was. Mike & Kyle bust out the guitars and uke’s to see what Tom Morello riffs they can still play. We cover a LOT of controversial political topics so prepare yourself: Racism a...

Journey with us to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away to plumb the depths of the Star Wars mythos. Awaken Catholic veterans Jon Marc Grodi (Elevate Ordinary, The Men’s Show) and Rob Hohler (The Men’s Show) join Mike for some major nerd time. We discuss: -Is the force kinda sorta maybe like the Holy Spirit? -What to do after a powerful religious experience -Religious people and Jedi who abus...

We venture “Into the Unknown” to unpack the hit Disney movies Frozen I & II. We are joined by the dynamic teaching duo of Kim & Jeremy Rheam. The are Disney nerds, love experts, and long time friends help us journey through some big questions: What is true love and how do you become a love expert? What to do when a voice inside is calling you? Is freedom all it’s cracked up to be? Why is a...

Can you become numb to intimacy? What is the power of prayer? What makes for good art? Is Bruce anti-American? Why does everyone from New Jersey want to get out? What does all this have to do with Nickelback and the Notorious BIG? Singer-songwriter, podcaster, and Springsteen aficionado, Kevin Heider joins us to discuss all this and more, walking us through almost 50 years of the Boss’ music. Show...

A child star turned international phenomenon drops a sexy new banger for 2020. On the surface, Justin Bieber’s “Holy” and Ariana Grande’s “Positions” share much in common. But go deeper and you find some big differences and some profound questions: - What does “holy” feel like? - Can you change for someone else without losing yourself? - Is sex dirty or holy? - Is the missionary position really pa...

Join us as we geek out hard for one of Pop Punk's quintessential records, Paramore’s sophomore album RIOT! We discuss doubt, faith, fame, friendship, and what you get when you let your heart win. Our guest for this episode is Benjamin Jude, singer-songwriter and worship leader from St. Louis and friend of AWAKEN Catholic. Show notes: https://www.awakencatholic.org/pop-culture-catechism/paramores-h...

Twenty One Pilot's breakout album "Blurryface" is arguably the biggest rock album of the 2010's and also one of the most thematically Christian mainstream albums ever. JonMarc Grodi (of the Coming Home Network) and Mike take a deep dive into the album and explore all the musical and spiritual nooks and crannies. Stick around until the end to hear Mike's rendition of one of the best known songs off...

Ed Sheeran is the 2nd most streamed artist of the decade (behind Drake) and just wrapped up the highest grossing and biggest tour of all time. He's the real deal. Mike talks with evangelist Brian Rhude about why Ed Sheeran's one man show as well as his songwriting, is so compelling. We talk about death and mourning, love, vocation, Theology of the Body, soteriology, love, persecution, evangelizati...

We go Crawling through the past twenty years of the world's biggest Rap/Rock group since their debut album, Hybrid Theory, changed the game. Nick & Mike discuss their very different upbringings as well as the devil, St. Ignatius and the Jesuits, our false and true selves, conversion, discernment, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Disturbed, Twenty One Pilots, and more! We also rap and sing a bit, a...

Put on your cardigans and join us for this deep dive into Folklore, Tay Tay's surprise album which dominated the charts at the end of the summer. It's been called "the perfect quarantine album" and Mike's fanboy level is 11. Our guest is Sr. Liz Sjoberg of the Daughters of Charity and host of the podcast "In the Company of Charity." It's a love story, just say yes. Show notes: https://www.awakenca...

[PARENTAL ADVISORY] Everything you've wanted to know about cervical mucus. Mike Tenney tackles the hottest and most controversial song of the summer with guests Laura Beeson, an NFP teacher with the Couple to Couple League, along with Angelica De La Torre, pop artist, and Nick De La Torre, president of AWAKEN Catholic. In this inaugural episode of Pop Culture Catechism we talk about sex, NFP, doub...