The Deconstructionists

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Candice Marie Benbow. Candice is a multi-genre theologian who situates her work at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism and culture, giving voice to Black women’s shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness. Reimagining how faith can be a tool of liberation and transformation for women and girls, she challenges Black women to think crit...

Guest Bio: Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty books. Oord has won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as professor of Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, relational theology, science and religion,...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Kirsten Powers! Kirsten Powers is a CNN senior political analyst and NYT bestselling author whose forthcoming book is "Saving Grace: Speak Your Truth, Stay Centered and Learn to Coexist with People Who Drive You Nuts," publishing on Nov. 2, 2021. Kirsten formerly was a columnist for USA Today, The Daily Beast, American Prospect Online and the New York Po...

Guest Info/Bio: No, your ears do not deceive you! Long-time listeners asking where Adam went…well….I found him! Adam is a live and well! I packed up the recording gear, set up in Adam’s bourbon room, and we sat down to talk all about what Deconstruction means to us 6 years after starting this crazy project. This week I welcome back my friend and co-founder of The Deconstructionists Podcast, Adam “...

On Saturday, January 15, author and renowned thought leader Alexander John Shaia, PhD, will share the universal 4-path journey — recognized by every major spiritual tradition, from Shamanism to Judaism, and by mythology and psychology — as a powerful and reassuring guide to transformation for these times. You can register here for Discover the Mystical, Feminine Map to Transformation Hidden in Chr...

Guest Info/Bio: This week we welcome the incredible Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis! We talk all about her brand new book, “Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World.”  Jacqui is an author, activist, preacher, public theologian who uses her gifts to work toward creating an antiracist, just, fully welcoming society in which everyone has enough. Jacqui gr...

Guest Bio: This week week we have the incredible Brian Zahnd. We cover a whole host of topics from Brian’s amazing new book, “When Everything's on Fire: Forging Faith from the Ashes.” Brian is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational congregation in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is a passionate reader of theology and philosophy, an avid hiker, mountain climber, and a...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Dr. Janet Kellogg Ray! Dr. Ray currently teaches biology at the University of North Texas and speaks and writes at the intersection of science, culture, and faith. We discuss the disconnect between faith and science and why science isn’t at odds with religion.  She is an adjunct clinical assistant professor at the University of North Texas in the Department of B...

Guest Bio: This week we welcome back one of our favorite guests Dr. Diana Butler Bass! Diana is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a Ph. D. in religious studies from Duke University. Diana regularly speaks at conferences, consults with religious organizations, leads educational events for religious leaders, and teaches and preaches...

Guest Bio: This week is a special Halloween episode first released on the From the Void Podcast. I talk with special guest Kimberly Clark Sharp about her own personal near death experience and subsequent work with others who have had similar experiences. Kimberly is a long-time social worker and leader in exploring near-death experiences for more than thirty years. Following her own NDE, she found...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the incredible Kate Bowler, PhD! Kate is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we still ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change.  At age 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think in different terms about t...

From the Void is back Monday, October 18th with an all-new season of strange and unusual mysteries! Strange objects shooting through our galaxy, historic hauntings, the axeman of New Orleans, strange winged creatures in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a still unsolved escape from Alcatraz, the Black Dahlia, UFOs over Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and more! Check out From the Void anywhe...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Ron Steslow! Prior to the 2016 election Ron had run million dollar senate races, worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, led redistricting efforts in Nevada, and started his own consulting firm. He was set to become the future of the Republican party until he started to deconstruct both his faith and his personal identity. We talk al...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Cliff Young and Aaron Benward. Cliff started his career as a member of the band, Caedman’s Call and Aaron Benward began his career as part of the father/son duo Aaron Jeoffrey and later Blue County. Cliff and Aaron have been friends since childhood and were two of the producers on the new movie, Playing God. Playing God stars Michael McKean (Better Call Saul &am...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Julie Rodgers! Julie is a writer, speaker, and leader in the movement working for full inclusion for LGBTQ people in Christian communities. She played a significant role in shutting down Exodus International, the largest conversion therapy organization in the world, and she was also the first openly gay person to be hired by an evangelical Christian...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome a long overdue guest, Trey Pearson! Trey is best known as the lead singer of the popular band Everyday Sunday and current solo artist. We talk about Trey’s experience with coming out publicly in 2016, the pressure of being known as a “Christian” artist, the church’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, and much more.  Guest Links: www.treypearson.com   Twitter: @t...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Ryan David Green & Cameron Hood of the band Ryanhood. Named 'Best Group/Duo' in 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards, acoustic duo Ryanhood began as street-performers at Boston's Quincy Market. It was there that they were spotted by a college booking agent and thrust into the college touring scene, where Campus Activities Magazine would name...

Guest Info/Bio:  This week I welcome the incredible Brenda Marie Davis. Brenda is a YouTuber, Podcaster, Author, and Speaker who uses her platform to talk to young people about sex and religion. Her platform God is Grey, has become an interactive space for people of all ages, orientations, & beliefs to engage, seek guidance, & heal.  Guest (Select) Published Works:  On Her Knees: A Memoir...

Hey, Deconstructionists listeners! We know you love a good podcast and a good story and think you might enjoy the new one we're working on. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself. About From the Void: The Universe is filled with all kinds of mysteries. Come join me each week as I bring you a new guest to get to the bottom of all sorts of strange and unusual stories from UFOs to Unsolved...

Guest Info/Bio: This week we welcome Kat Harris! Kat and I talk all about Purity Culture and it’s impact as well as the church’s views on sex in general.      Kat is a podcaster, online educator, speaker, author, photographer, Beyonce lover, and Ranch dressing aficionado. Her vision is to equip and empower women with practical tools to walk in their worth and navigate their lives grounded in freed...

Guest Info/Bio: This week we welcome back the Rev. Dr. Brad Jersak AND Wm. Paul Young for part 2 of our conversation.  Brad holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from Bangor University (Wales) and is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. Wm. Paul Young is the best-selling author of the...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I not one, but two guests! This week we welcome the Rev. Dr. Brad Jersak AND Wm. Paul Young!  Brad holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from Bangor University (Wales) and is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery.  Wm. Paul Young is the best-selling author of th...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre! He is a professor, author, scholar, and activist who is currently Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He has served as the elected 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics and served as the Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity and Religion...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Bunmi Latidan. We talk all about her amazing new book on prayer and how we all struggle with it.  Bunmi is a writer living in Quebec, Canada by way of northern California. Her writings include The Honest Toddler and Confessions of a Domestic failure and poetry such as Dear Mother and Dear God: Honest Prayers to a God Who Listens.  Guest Publications:...

Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund. Sarah majored in religious studies in college at Trinity University, graduated with a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary, and also received a Master of Social Work degree at Rutger’s University.  Ministry and Social Work blend together are her two passions of loving God and loving her neighbors. She was...