Religion on the Mind

Can silent meditation be prayer? Is prayer always in some sense bodily and physical, or is it only a spiritual thing? When did prayer first enter the story of humanity — millions of years ago, or only after verbal language? Did Neanderthals pray? Is it worth looking into the prayer practices of other religions, and if we do, what might we learn? These questions and more are explored with Dr. Carol...

Did God really command the complete slaughter of everyone living in the Promised Land (men, women and children)? Would a loving God ever allow Israelite soldiers to take on additional wives as war widows (if they found them attractive and if they proved themselves to be sexually pleasing)? For 2,000 years, Christian thinkers and Biblical scholars have wrestled with difficult Old Testament passages...

One of the most divisive questions in the modern church is whether or not biological sex plays a role in who should be allowed to preach (and there are other issues wrapped up in this one, like whether women should be primary bread-winners, etc). Egalitarians say, “No, let the women preach!” Complementarians say, “Yes, men only; that is how God set things up.” In this episode, we hear from Dan’s G...

Why is there a (perceived) conflict between science and religion, and has it always been that way? How does science actually get done, and is the scientific method and community set up in such a way as to come up with trustworthy claims? Are young Christians being set up to fail by well-meaning teachers who are skeptical of “mainstream” science? Dan is joined by Adrian Wyard of Counterblance.org t...

Is it possible to be certain about anything in one’s Christian faith? Is it possible to be certain about anything at all, like math, science, or the love of a spouse? Why does it often seem moreseo like preachers and Christian authors are peddling certainty than they are encouraging genuine faith? (The same could also be said for the “New Atheists.”) What does genuine faith look like in a world fu...

Dan is joined for a long afternoon of somewhat experimental podcasting by Christopher Carter and Seth Schoen, who together have developed a very interesting group/individual practice (and they teach a class together about it), using meditative practices and psychology to talk about, think through, and FEEL their way through racial issues, questions, and personal histories. It is, in fact, as inter...

While of course there are times when it makes sense to leave one’s religious institution, today Dan and sociologist of religion Dr. Tricia Bruce make the case for staying. What is lost when people leave their churches or denominations? When they leave the church altogether? How much do they unintentionally reduce their potential impact? How have a group of concerned Catholics worked from within th...

Should Christians go to "regular" therapists, or is "Biblical Counseling" the only option available to a Christian? Do therapists encourage Christian couples to divorce unnecessarily? Is it shameful to see a therapist? This week, we hear from Howard, a therapy skeptic, and then from Jonathan, whose positive experience with therapy led him ultimately to a master's program to become a psychologist h...

...and still love the Bible! Thomas Jay Oord joins Dan to discuss the issue of postmodernism and the Bible (through the lens of a fantastic article by Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim, which Tom himself edited). How does a postmodern Christian's reading of the Bible differ from a modernist approach? What is modernism and postmodernism? Don't worry -- no ivory tower language here; everything...

Seattle's own Dr. Tina Shermer Sellers (psychologist and sex therapist) joins Dan for a fascinating conversation about what is known as Purity Culture, that near-ubiquitous set of sexual-moral claims and practices that ruled the Evangelical zeitgeist in the 80s, 90s and 00s, and is still today probably the default sexual understanding of most American Protestants. But is that understanding Biblica...

Dan is re-joined by Bonnie Kristian (author of "A Flexible Faith") to talk through the various ways that Christians think about Biblical inspiration (and just what kind of "errors" might be in there). As you know from episode 6, Bonnie is a great guest, and has really done her research on these topics! Also, Dan corrects something from last week regarding his "Protestant Rosary" segment, shares so...

Richard Beck is a psychologist, professor, speaker and author of many books, right in what I consider to be the sweet spot: the overlap of psychology and Christian faith/theology. This is more or less where I am headed professionally, and it’s encouraging to have had a conversation like this one, so chock full of interesting, challenging, and inspiring stuff. We talk a good bit about disgust, whic...

Many of us know the psychological costs of our addiction to all our electronic devices (do we really?), but have we considered the spiritual costs (and are those actually distinct)? Do we really understand what's going on neurologically, as we continue to log hours per day on our smartphones? Dr. Tricia Rhodes chats with Dan about what exactly is being lost, what we might regain, and how the human...

Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and author/speaker with degrees in physics and theology. He speaks with Dan about his regular practice of seeking the Christian God through "Buddhism Light" meditation services in London, where he lives. Dan and Mark also discuss how Christians might relate to other faiths in general, and the danger of leaving one's own tradition for greener pastures, which is not...

Dan is joined by NT scholar Dale B. Martin to consider what it means that the four Gospels present four at-least-somewhat divergent accounts of both Jesus's life and his character. Dale argues that there is both much to be learned and much to be experienced devotionally by taking each Gospel separately, and not "deciding beforehand" that they must be harmonized. Dan's friend Kenny shares his conce...

There is a kind of “religious humidity” in some parts of our country, such that the dominant form of Evangelicalism puts a kind of constant and uniform pressure on anyone who lives there. This affects what happens to people who leave their religious communities, either altogether or who leave to join different communities. Dr. Terry Shoemaker has done some very interesting research with some of th...

Bethany’s book “God, Evolution and Animal Suffering”: https://www.routledge.com/God-Evolution-and-Animal-Suffering-Theodicy-without-a-Fall-1st-Edition/Sollereder/p/book/9781138608474 Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermi...

This one is a doozy! And it's both here and in the Depolarize! Podcast feed because it's just that good. Sociologist Michael O. Emerson breaks down his and Christian Smith's argument as to why White Evangelical Christians have such a bad track record on racial issues, summarized in their co-authored "Divided by Faith." This is the best explanation that I have ever heard or read regarding this phen...

Reese Roper is the singer of Christian ska-punk band Five Iron Frenzy. We hear how his understanding of what it means to be Christlike has changed -- or more accurately, has been nuanced -- over the years, from his many years touring in an 8-piece band to his more recent work managing a nursing home in Virginia.http://www.fiveironfrenzy.com/Imitation of Christ ($4 copies): https://www.thriftbooks....

Our guest today is Dr. Philip Clayton (Claremont School of Theology), giving us his personal faith story from a secular household, through conservative Evangelicalism, and ultimately into Quakerism. We also talk about Panentheism, for which he is a major Christian advocate. Most of the nerdy stuff occurs after the ad break, starting around 54:00, so feel free to skip that stuff if you are less int...

(This episode is appearing on both the You Have Permission and Depolarize! Podcast feeds.) How do we know that we aren't caught up in a "mob mentality" on social, political, or theological issues? Can universities be places where we teach young people to think critically? Can an openly gay woman and her conservative "marriage-is-between-one-man-and-one-woman" sister stay close friends? The answer...

This is a tricky one, especially for those who have a genuine desire to take the Bible seriously. The argument for inclusion that J. R. Daniel Kirk presents, however, is one that I find convincing, and it is the best one of the many that I have read or heard (including by Matthew Vines, Gene Robinson, and others). Richard Hay's compassionate argument against affirmation is also presented. Many pod...

Does the Bible teach a soft, "kind" version of patriarchy, or was patriarchy the unquestioned cultural backdrop of the Biblical text? Does God proscribe a loving patriarchal system, or is God against it? What does God call his daughters to be and do in the world? Author Carolyn Custis James joins Dan to talk through her work in this area, which has massive implications for the Egalitarian vs. Comp...

This week (partly since I will be out of town next weekend) we are getting a doozy of an episode with Dr. Kyle Roberts (Dean of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities) about progressive Christianity. What is it? Can we get a 30,000 ft view of what it looks like to be in this world? Can a progressive Christian still affirm the Trinity, Christ’s resurrection, and more? How might a progressiv...

The first in an ongoing occasional "to change your mind" series. Thomas Jay Oord is one of the leading theologians in the world of Open & Relational Theology (which includes Open Theism, Process Theology and more), and his beliefs about God's healing, and whether or not we should pray for healing, have changed multiple times throughout his life. Reconstruct episode with Tom: https://itunes.apple.c...