Sacred Tension

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Become a paying subscriber: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this paid subscriber podcast, Timothy and I are joined by Bo McGuffee, founder of the Evolving Christian Faith Network. He helps navigate Christians through re-envisioning what Christianity can be. We discuss my latest article Can I Return to C...

I am joined by journalist, author, and gay marriage activist Jonathan Rauch to discuss his recent article in The Atlantic, which is an investigation into America’s long assault on the humanity of gay people. For the majority of the 20th century, the United States waged a war of psychic terror against its gay population. This history is largely forgotten, even by LGBT people. Read Jonathan Rauch’s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com In this episode of House of Heretics, Timothy and I discuss our most recent articles. His article discusses struggling with faith, and mine is about Christian sexuality. Along the way, we talk about the necessity of ministers; my Christian ethics; the disturbing case of TikTok star Ryan Foley; myths about porn...

In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by sex therapist and author Dr. David Ley to discuss male sexuality. We talk about how men use sexuality to meet their deeper needs, myths about “porn addiction”, the importance of sexual role models, and much more. Dr. David Ley is a clinical psychologist, certified sex therapist, consultant, and expert witness. He is the author of Ethical Porn for Di...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com In this episode of House of Heretics, Timothy and I discuss the bills restricting the free speech of Satanists and how these encroachments threaten everyone’s liberty. We also discuss my latest essay The Limits of Satanism , especially my criticism of “adolescent Satanism” as a form of political protest. Becom...

In this episode of Sacred Tension, I'm joined by progressive Christian writer and minister Bo McGuffee. Bo is the founder of the Evolving Christian Faith Network and author of the Substack by the same name. We discuss his religious journey, how Christianity must evolve, orthodoxy vs orthopraxy, the necessity of spiritual practice, my journey beyond Satanism, and more. Find Bo on Substack: I love h...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Timothy and I discuss purity culture, porn, and sexuality. Become a paying subscriber: https://sacredtension.substack.com/

In this episode of Sacred Tension, my sister Elizabeth Schultz returns for a spirited debate about free will, the existence of God, and the foundations of morality. I am skeptical of the concept of free will, miracles, and God, while my sister defends them. Sacred Tension is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I lov...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Timothy recounts his experience as a Christmas bell ringer in the Salvation Army. We also discuss the Catholic Church’s astonishing new policy on blessing same-sex unions and the aftermath of my recent interview with Rauch.

Become a paying subscriber: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of Sacred Tension, author and journalist Jonathan Rauch takes the helm to interview me about my political transformation from progressive leftist to liberal centrist. We talk about cancel culture as a form of thought control, why I have turned against identitarianism, how the left’s response to the Hamas invasion of Is...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Timothy and I discuss the new Daily Wire movie Lady Ballers , which is about a men’s basketball team who decide to become trans women to compete in women’s sports. It is obviously terrible and unfunny, but there are deeper issues worth discussing. Become a paying subscriber to listen to the whole episode and s...

Become a subscriber on substack: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ This episode of Sacred Tension is a cross-over with The Deep Dive podcast with Shawn C. Fettig. Shawn interviews me about my experience growing up as a deeply religious gay person, my thoughts on group solidarity vs. individual autonomy, and whether religion offers anything positive to society. Subscribe to the Deep Dive Podcast....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Take advantage of my Black Friday Sale! You will get 40% off a 12-month subscription and join a growing community of like-minded and curious people. You will also get access to the rest of this podcast, as well as a ton of other paid content. Use this link to get the discount. It expires on Sunday 25th. https:...

In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by philosophers Subrena Smith and David Livingstone Smith to discuss the challenge and necessity of abolishing race. Subrena tells her story of moving from Jamaica to the deeply racialized culture of the USA and explains why she is Race Queer instead of Black. We discuss the many ways the ideology of race obscures actual human diversity, the difference...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Subscribe on Substack: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ Timothy and I discuss my recent interview with David Gushee and his book Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies. We talk about the deep resentment over culture war losses in conservative Christianity and the concept of “thin democracy.”

Become a paying subscriber: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by ethicist and Christian dissident David Gushee to discuss his new book Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies. We discuss why some Christians are turning on liberal democracy, and why we should all defend democracy despite its flaws. We also discuss “thin democracy” and why it is...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Become a paying subscriber to get full access: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ Timothy is out this week, so my sister Elizabeth Schultz joins me to discuss how I may or may not be getting radicalized by the (admittedly not unanimous) leftist response to the Hamas terror attack. We also discuss the importan...

Please subscribe on Substack! https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of Sacred Tension, I'm joined by author, musician, occultist, and professional weirdo Logan Albright to talk about his new book Libertarian Paganism. We discuss what drew him to the pagan path, the cross-over between Paganism and Libertarianism, the role that meditation plays in his life, the problems with utopianism...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com In this episode of House of Heretics, Timothy and I discuss the recent Atlantic article about the schisms in The Satanic Temple, whether Satanists have orgies, and why I found the article so mortifying. Become a paid subscriber and get access to this full episode: https://sacredtension.substack.com/

Subscribe on Substack: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by Yascha Mounk to discuss his new book The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time. We discuss why the progressive fixation on identity categories undermines the goals of progressive movements, my own experience as a gay man, the dangers of binary political thinking, and much mor...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com Become a paying subscriber for just the cost of a coffee: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of House of Heretics, Timothy and I discuss the importance and danger of engaging in first-person mystical practice. We also discuss why I chafe against our current culture's fixation with identity.

In this episode of Sacred Tension, I have a second conversation with the progressive Christian apologist Randal Rauser. This discussion originally appeared on Randal Rauser's YouTube channel, and I suggest that you all subscribe. In this episode, Randal asks me questions about Satanism, including why I am drawn to the literary Satan as the ultimate outsider instead of Jesus, and why I am drawn to...

In this episode of Sacred Tension, I have a conversation with Christian apologist Randal Rauser moderated by John Morehead of Multifaith Matters. Randal and I discuss The Satanic Temple’s Unveiling Day and its use of the phrase “archaic superstition.” We also discuss pluralism, why I stopped believing the core claims of Christianity, what counts as “superstition," and much more. Randal Rauser is a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sacredtension.substack.com This is a free preview of my premium podcast House of Heretics. To unlock the full episode, become a paid subscriber: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ Timothy and I discuss our kink scores from Aella’s kink survey, and then Timothy asks me probing questions about my Satanism, primarily about how stigmatizin...

Subscribe on substack: https://sacredtension.substack.com/ In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by Buddhist and Shakespeare scholar Lauren Shufran to discuss their book The Buddha and the Bard. We discuss the similarities between Buddhist and Shakespearian wisdom, how reading Shakespeare is a mindfulness practice, how to explore beginner’s mind, and much more. Buy Lauren’s book on Amazon...