The Fascinating Podcast

Our annual pop culture tournament is back and more brutal than ever. Dolly Parton, Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the Snyder Cut and more face off, with one of the most shocking endings in our podcast history! Plus: the final choice is in YOUR hands!

In the wake of more mass shootings, we turn our attention to gun rights by asking the question: who ends up afraid?

A year of pandemic has brought a massive spike in violence against Asians and Asian Americans. Professor and activist Dr. Russell Jeung joins us to explore how we can join the fight for justice and peace for our Asian American siblings, especially in light of last week's horrific murders in Atlanta.

Connor Alexander, the creator of the new tabletop role-playing game sensation COYOTE AND CROW, joins us to talk race in gaming, representation and creating a world you want to live in.

From Star Wars to Dr. Seuss, not a day goes by we don't hear about someone getting 'cancelled'. But is 'cancel culture' a real thing? And how do we engage problematic content and creators? Take a deep dive with us!

That massive winter storm that swept the US knocked out two of our cohosts so Matt and Clay catch up on how they stayed warm.

Message from Fascinating Podcast on February 15, 2021

How should Christians engage policies surrounding minimum wages? We dive in headlong, including an exploration of Biblical economic theories and how the year of Jubilee might impact how we approach financies and flourishing for everyone. Plus: a Necronomicon uncovered - what could go wrong?

Your Fascinating friends are back! We introduce a new segment - the Squad Review! We check in on everything that's been happening since the election. PLUS: which host would make the best president?

Our last episode of the year is a big one. How else can we send out 2020 than by counting down our favorite TV shows, movies and books. Hey... it turns out there was plenty to love in 2020 (especially since we were all locked inside!).

Producer and screenwriter (The Tick, Detective Pikachu) Dan Hernandez joins us to talk about how creatives can thrive in quarantine.

After last week's conversation with Kristin Kobes du Mez, we turn to the future of masculinity in the Evangelical world. What pitfalls and promises do we see as we move forward?

Pundits, pastors, prognosticators and podcasters have spent the last four years wringing our hands to explain how 81% of Evangelicals could vote for Trump despite the convictions of our faith. Scholar Kristin Kobes du Mez demonstrates that our vote wasn't despite our faith, but because of it. She joins our podcast to explore how Evangelicals have baked militant white patriarchy into our faith. It'...

We're giving thanks for Lovecraft Country - HBO's powerful new horror show that suggests humans are the real monsters. Irene M. Cho joins us to break down our favorite themes - and scares! - in a double episode that will keep you through Thanksgiving!

It's time to decompress! We talk about how we spent election night (all five days of it!) and how we're processing the outgoing and incoming administrations. Plus... almost definitely clear-ish proof of aliens! (Maybe?)

Every election day, we wring our hands over the electoral college. What, exactly, is this thing? And how did it come to be? Professor Clay is back in the driver's seat, guiding us through the twists and turns of this election season!

With the appointment of a new justice, the Supreme Court is news a lot. Our resident historian Clay dives in to the history of the court, its evolution and why we might see more justices.

No issue more divides Christians than abortion. But that hasn't always been the case, and it shouldn't be now. Reproductive rights expert Elaina Ramsey joins us to explain what it looks like to be faithfully pro-choice.

We needed a breather, so the gang picks a historical event, a current event and a novel they want to see made into a movie. Some of us even did some dream casting. Now to get funding...

`With attacks on voting rights as present as ever, how can we as persons of faith make a difference? We dive in this week to the current struggle to protect the ballot, with a special emphasis on getting involved in the next month!

Since we are a month out from the 2020 election, we dive into the history of Voter Suppression. How are votes suppressed today? Where did these practices originate? And why should Christians care about any of this? Listen up!

Fascinating is back! Since we spent last season exploring reconstruction, we're pressing further in season 5. What's in store for a season of dreaming? Tune in as we preview what's in store for this season!

Netflix latest sensation is WARRIOR NUN. We're joined by screenwriter Brenden Gallagher, who served as the show's writer's assistant. He takes us on a deep dive into the show, from its mythology to its surprisingly terrific take on religion.

As season 4 comes to a close, we take a look back at our journey of reconstruction. What were our season highlights? Where are we in our own journeys of reconstructing our faith? And what's ahead for the podcast? 

It's a sin problem, not a skin problem. I'm colorblind. Our church isn't in a diverse area. Bring up race, and Christians have a predictable set of responses. We investigate how racial ideology functions to shield us from real conversations about race, and how we can confront engage them.