The Fascinating Podcast

The US is running out of water. From Tuscon to Flint to Jacksonville, we don't have enough to drink. What does it mean that other countries are buying up our water rights? What is the role of faith in addressing this crisis? And what good does gluing ourselves to paintings do?

It's Halloween, so your Fascinating pals ruminate on what scares us, some of the best spooky movies and books for the season and more! You might want to grab a blanket and a mug of cider... thought they won't stop the chill from running down your spine!

After three kids, Carolyn Hays and her husband figured their fourth would be a piece of cake. But almost immediately, their daughter proved to be transgender. A GIRLHOOD is Carolyn's memoir of raising a transgender kid while navigating a world hostile to her very existence. We dive deep with Carolyn on everything from the insidious varieties of discrimination she and her daughter face to how she n...

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Alex Shvartsman returns to the show to share his unique perspective on the conflict. Alex is Ukranian-American, and fluent in Russian, Ukranian and English. What does this war look like from the Russian side? The Ukranian? And what further surprises might be in store? PLUS: it's been 60 years since the Cuban Missile Crisis - the closest we've come to all-out nuclear...

A recent deluge of new media - from A League of Their Own to She-Hulk to Little Mermaid have some folks angry that media is getting too woke. What does that even mean? And how should we be thinking about these media as we consume them?

Women have been playing basketball since the week after it was invented (literally). So why did it take a century for women to play professionally? Historian and author Andrew Maraniss takes us to the 1976 Olympics, where the US women's team created whole new possibilities for women's sports.

This month marks 65 years since the famous Little Rock Nine became the first black students to attend an all-white high school. It took the National Guard to ensure the students' safety. Did the Little Rock Nine mark the end of segregation? Unfortunately, schools are nearly as segregated today as they were in the 60s. Why? And what can we do?

Voices of Lament is a powerful collection of essays by women of color, all inspired by Psalm 37. What if there's more to life that the pursuit of happiness? What if it's good to admit we're not okay? Since Kathy has an essay in this collection, she ditches the guys and brings on editor Natasha Sistrunk Robinson and fellow contributor QuaWanna Bannarbie.

Your Fascinating Pals are back, with a new format, bigger interviews and more! We gotta start with a little catch up - what did we miss over the summer?

Your Fascinating pals are all together to wrap up a tumultuous season of podcasting! We reflect on current events and offer a few of our favorite movies, books and tv shows to get us through the summer. See you soon!

What does it mean to be 'woke'? How do we know if we're 'woke'? And why do white men keep using the term as an insult? Rohadi Nagassar joins us to explore what church looks like when it comes from the margins, not the centers.

Churches across the country chase bipartisanship, the elusive 'purple' church. But is that the Church Jesus leads? Pastor Jonny Rashid says no. He insists that Jesus takes a side, that bipartisanship isn't revolutionary at all - it maintains the status quo. Join us for this potent, provocative conversation.

Dan Merchant returns to the show to tell us about his new TV show GOING HOME. How do you make a show about death and dying... hopeful? What's the good news about death? Oh, and did we mention that our own MATT MIKALATOS is one of the writers? Listen in for this exclusive interview!

The episode you've been waiting for: we invite LGBTQ+ Christians to speak for themselves. First, Bridget Eileen Rivera - aka @thetravelingnun - joins us to explore HEAVY BURDENS: her book on how the Church harms queer people (and how we must do better). Next, Marcus Mason-Vivit joins us to talk about growing up black and queer, and what his faith looks like today.

What does a space created by black women, for black women look like? Ekemini Uwan and Dr. Christina Edmondson, 2/3 of the force behind the Truth's Table podcast and book, join us to explore how they're working to resist whiteness and misogyny by creating a space for them to flourish!

She can't watch horror movies, but wrote one of the best cosmic horror trilogies maybe ever. Oh yeah, and it was only supposed to be one book. Premee Mohamed joins the show to tell us how her Indiana Jones adventure with a teen of color at the center became a trilogy of terrifying tentacle monsters. PLUS: how many weird medieval beliefs about animals do you think Matt knows?

A recently leaked Supreme Court opinion indicates the current court wants to overturn Roe v Wade. What exactly does that mean? We dive into the powers of the Supreme Court, the history of the cases and the implications for the Church. PLUS: the Mexican Pizza is back and not all of our hosts are happy!

Dr. Amy Kenny joins us to explore how persons of faith ought to engage a world built for ability. What's the difference between curing and healing? And how do we receive disability as a witness to God's power? Plus - what makes a good Shakespeare adaptation? And did JR. find Kathy a new job?

Meet one of the funniest authors we know - Alex Shvartsman. He takes us behind the scenes of his new novel, the Middling Affliction. Ever wonder how Batman would fare in the wizarding world of Hogwarts? Of course you have. We all lay awake at night asking that very question. It's time to meet Conrad Brent. PLUS: feral hogs have a new superpredator!

What could possibly be so bad about paradise? Catherynne Valente joins us to dish on her terrific new novella COMFORT ME WITH APPLES. Plus: the French Revolution, the Masked Singer and more!

Author Ryan North joins us to explain how we can all fulfill our dreams of being a real-life supervillain. We talk cloning dinosaurs, the price of immortality and even the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl!

The heads of Keeping the Faith Press - Jonathan Walton, Suzie Lahoud and Sy Hoekstra - join us to reflect on American Evangelicalism in the wake of Trump. How are they catalyzing a different kind of faith? And what are their hopes for the future of the church? PLUS: the surprising results of the March Madness bracket!

It's our annual March Madness Pop Culture Bracket episode! What moments from the last year made the cut? And who has what it takes to go all the way? Remember: it's totally arbitrary! But don't let that stop you from casting your vote in the final game!

Andre Henry returns to the show to tell us about all the white friends he couldn't keep. We dive deep into the world of activism, as Andre guides us to imagine what a truly just world can look like - and how to get there. This is one you don't want to miss!

THE BATMAN is a certified hit... but is it any good? The Fascinating crew heads to Gotham City to investigate Battinson, his allies and his foes. Plus a deep dive into the film's treatment of Asian Americans, women and the noir tropes it drapes itself in. Buckle up, because this podcast is powered by a jet engine, apparently?