Protect Your Noggin

Jeff lays out his take on Jesus and freedom, and lays out a summary of the biblical narrative from a Christian Anarchist perspective. One need not commit to a particular perspective on how to apply these ideas to contemporary life. There is value in first examining the moral ideal of Jesus, which invalidates the way of domination, injustice and inequality, and then taking a while to ponder how we...

We explore various stories in the news and our lives, including journals found in our recovered stolen truck camper from a person who wanted to take it to Slab City in California.  

Ancient Chinese philosophers in the Taoist tradition envisioned a beautiful world that is a template for just the sort of spiritual anarchism we find attractive. We discuss the importance of libertarian thought within the Tao Te Ching and begin to explore whether it is viable for our context today. Later episodes will examine Jesus anarchy and more recent atheistic forms of this perspective on pol...

Where you live affects your perspective on the worlds that are possible. Our new season's theme is full spectrum emancipation and the interrelation between financial, spiritual, and emotional freedom. We start with the question of how where we live affects our happiness and freedom. We discuss where and why people are moving to new states in the US, the concept of cultural hegemony, the problems o...

In the aftermath of our son Auggie’s death, we took a few months off from the pod. We are back with a season finale to share with you where we’ve been and how we’ve been doing. We are joined by Auggie’s fiancé Sydnie who is living with us now. We share news about big life changes and how we’ve been working toward spiritual, emotional and financial emancipation. This is a show in which we process o...

This show is a collection of recordings with Jeff and Stacie's son Auggie, who died recently. It includes free form speculation about spirituality, the mythologies behind popular culture artifacts, and what Auggie thought the point of life was. As you'll see, there's a consistency from start to finish. At the end, you can hear a song written by Jeff and Auggie, and performed by the whole family ma...

Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the sicknesses that infect the world and its structures, Lao Tzu urges us to start with ourselves and our immediate communities, and allow this to spread throughout the world naturally. 

In recent years, there’s been an increase in hysteria about Critical Race Theory in the schools. We discuss the nature of this theory, the ways we ought to engage the subject in our current context, and the ways in which the theology of the “Orders of Creation” in Nazi-enabling Lutheran theologians like Paul Althaus shed light on the issue of CRT in schools. We conclude with a discussion of the or...

Stacie and Jeff reflect casually on their experiences within the revival of reformed theology in Southern California during the 1990s, then chat with Luca Azuma, alumnus from Concordia University’s history program, who has written on the history of the young, restless and Reformed response to non-denominational evangelicalism, and what this means about authoritarianism, masculinity, and dogmatism....

53. Even with only half my wits about me, I would travel the way of the Tao, the only thing to fear is getting off course. For it is a safe, wide open highway. Oh, but men love to get sidetracked. Politicians’ vanity projects get funded while infrastructures crumble, and natural resources get depleted. They wear expensive suits, own trendy status symbols, drink the best whiskey, dine at exclusive...

What does the controversy about vaccination teach us about civilization, religion and politics, and the effectiveness of legalism as a way to order society? We share our own decisions about vaccination, share briefly our advice to others who want to be healthy and ethical, but ultimately focus on whether one can be a part of the system without obeying the mandates of the system. What about civiliz...

A reading of Tao Te Ching chapter 52, in the Taosurfers' rendering. Reflection on the importance of awareness for coping with frustrating patterns of life.  See protectyournoggin.org for a written reflection and links.  See taosurfers.com for more information about our ongoing rendering of the Tao Te Ching.

Jeff Mallinson explains how ancient Taoists and early Christians both faced worlds that were uncertain, violent & riddled with factionalism & war. According to him, both approaches to life encouraged a sort of spiritual anarchism, which is the central topic of this outside lecture in the CUI Heritage Garden. Anarchism here refers to the idea that the state serves its own interests, rather than our...

An overview of the history and contemporary landscape of yoga. Is it something worth considering for folks who are wary of uncritical religious ideas, cults, or worship of strange deities? Is it bad for your health or wholesome? What about terms associated with Hinduism like namaste , used in most practices? What forms of yoga are there? How might yoga help me with anxiety, health, spirituality, a...

We explore the historical background of the dietary traditions and rules of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, AKA Mormons. Learn about fry sauce, root beer, and dirty soda, along with some general background on the history and development of a quintessentially American religion, and its well-known food and beverage practices.

Jeff discusses the positives and pitfalls of the liberal arts, the Western classical tradition, and anarchist ideas about schooling, then shares the audio of his opening convocation address this week at Concordia University Irvine, in which he shares ways in which church related universities can offer a liberating experience, given the right commitments. If you want to skip to the convocation addr...

We got wind of an odd idea in American evangelicalism: some are provocatively and or implicitly saying that empathy is a sin. It leads, it seems, to too much tolerance and not enough doctrinal purity. We discuss this, a negative article written about Jeff and his views on science at church related universities, and why we had to take bit of a pause for the last few weeks of our road trip down from...

Reflection on Stacie’s hypothesis that American Christian beliefs about hierarchy and inequality in the home are negatively affecting the sex lives of evangelicals and others whose ideologies or theologies reject the basic equality of all partners in a sexual relationship. Also a discussion of why people fight at campsites and the conditions in which people can be genuine friends. This season, we'...

Two outsiders’ assessment of initial inquiry into this ancient Indian esoteric tradition related to using food as medicine. We seek valuable wisdom from the tradition but also note the problems of ideological and religious dogmatism, the nutritional dangers of uncritical acceptance of authority, and the scientific evaluation of ancient Indian principles. We come from a Christian and Western backgr...

The Tao births them. Then Te nurtures them. Stuff affects them. Life events complete them. There's not a single living thing that doesn't exalt the Tao and proclaim Te's glory. They exalt the Tao and proclaim Te's glory not through coercion, but spontaneously, because of who they are.

About a 1/4 of the world’s population has a religious restriction against pork. For other cultures, pork represents a sustainable way to find food independence, apart from empire. We discuss scholarly and intuitive hypotheses related to the reason why the Hebrew Bible and later rabbinic and Islamic traditions refrain from eating certain animals. We end with a discussion about the importance of int...

We discuss some ways in which a macrobiotic diet-- which consists of consuming locally sourced, organic, sustainable produce commonly in the form of brown rice, fruit, vegetables, seeds, soy products, buckwheat noodles, beans, etc.--expounded for Westerners via George Ohsawa (1893-1966) & adapted in an allegedly criminal way by Italian food cult leader Mario Pianesi.

Discussion of news stories reporting on allegations of sexual assault, misconduct, and mismanagement of a hyper sexualized culture at Concordia Preparatory School, near Baltimore. We laud the courage of the young women who have spoken out bravely about their experiences. How does this all demonstrate system justification theory? What lessons can concerned parents school administrators learn from t...

In the course of life and death, three in ten are cautious disciples of life. Three in ten are reckless disciples of death. Three in ten chase life but actually veer toward death. Why is this? By worrying too much about staying alive and consuming life’s treasures, they never truly live, yet death catches up with them. Still, I’ve heard of rare individuals who’ve mastered the art of living. They t...

The Sage is not closed-minded but considers what ordinary folks have on their minds. I am good to those who are good. I am good to those who are not good. This is the goodness of Te. I hope in those who are hopeful. I hope in those who are hopeless. This is the hope of Te. The Sage is engaged with the world. She brings balance to the world by carefully uniting her heart with it. Ordinary folks, he...