The Magnificast

Greetings from the past! Dean's on vacation this week, so here's an episode we recorded a few weeks ago. In this episode, Matt and Dean read through Marx's The Critique of the Gotha Program. Hold on to your butts for some more Marxism 101! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

We did it folks, we finally talked about that good good book, that fifth gospel, the Communist Manifesto! Buckle up because this conversation is a meandering series of gushing comments about how good communism and how weird the bourgeoisie is! Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

On this episode, Matt and Dean talk about the fine art of Jon McNaughton's "Crossing the Swamp" and the fine Christianity influenced communism of A.E. Smith. This episode highlights the biography of Smith and talks about what his example means for Christian Leftists. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Over the past few weeks, we've been getting into that good pre-Marxist communism. This week, Matt and Dean take a look into what makes Marx so special in the first place! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Have you ever asked yourself, "is there communism in the bible?" If so, do we have a podcast for you! In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about Communism in the Bible by José Porfirio Miranda. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

We almost skipped from episode 68 to 70, but we thought our listeners deserved an extremely mature episode 69. Thankfully we found someone who can actually help us do that--Jessica Johnson, an anthropologist at the University of Washington who did an ethnographic study of Mark Driscoll's Mars Hill church in Seattle. Her findings and reflections are published in "Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and M...

Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, was once called the "Jerusalem of the East" because there were so many Christians there. After a brutal war with the US left the country in rubble, however, things changed--but how? We talked to Derek Ford, member of the PSL and organizer of a recent delegation to the DPRK, to find out what the country is like. We...

God is not dead. God is bread. The bread is rising! Bread means revolution. —New York Young Lords, “Celebration for a People’s Church” This week, Matt and Dean talk with Darrel Wanzer-Serrano about his book "The New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation." In this episode, we hear about The Young Lords, their 13 point platform, and the church offensive. You can find Wanzer-Serrano's book...

Continuing our historical tour through the medieval European radical Christians, this week we focus in on what Thomas Müntzer is all about by reading "Sermon to the Princes" and his confessions. In this episode, Matt and Dean connect Müntzer's radical message with the contemporary political situation and get to the bottom of just how many horses Counts and other noblemen should use. Intro Music by...

We know how much you love our episodes on the intertwined history of Christianity and leftist movements, so we dug up some hot takes on Gerrard Winstanley and The Diggers! Check out this episode for that good historical leftist Christianity and a new segment called "Answers from a Pastor" Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by Chumbawamba

In the past few months, we've been talking up the May Day Retreat the Friendly Fire Collective was putting on. Well, it happened! In this episode, we talk with Hye Sung Gehring from the Friendly Fire Collective about the retreat and just what happened! Donate to the Friendly Fire Collective here: https://www.gofundme.com/friendly-fire-retreat Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by th...

The Vatican released a document about economics and dang are the commenters upset! This week we talk about what the document does and doesn't do for Christians on the left, how the Vatican needs a better PR game, and what Christians can say about systemic capitalist problems. You can read along with us for the Magnificast home game here: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pub...

This week we remember the life of James Cone, who sparked black liberation theology in the United States. He died on April 28th this year. To think about his work, influence, and future, we talk with Amaryah Armstrong about how Cone has played a role in her own work and in public theology. We also talk about Cone's essay "The Black Church and Marxism: What Do They Have To Say To Each Other?" Also,...

Every Christian think piece since 2012 has basically been asking the same question: Why are young people leaving the church? In this episode, Matt and Dean (along with their good friend Rosa Luxemburg) offer a definitive answer to that question: churches just aren't communist enough! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon.

Happy May Day, Happy Birthday Karl Marx! This week is full of leftist celebrations! To help us think more about the historical connections about Christianity and the US Labor movement, we've got Heath Carter back for another discussion about the ways Christianity has informed class struggle! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by Woodie Guthrie

This week we sat down with Kiegan Irish, MA student at the Institute for Christian Studies and part of Christians for Socialism Toronto, to talk about his recent essay "Christian Reflections on Locke Street Anarchism." We think through what direct action says about society, why Christians have a hard time not siding with capital, and how you don't even have to be an anarchist to dig what anarchist...

We all know that the Zapatistas are the coolest and most inspiring political movement, so this week we decided to learn more about them! In this episode, we talked with author, Hilary Klein, about her incredible book Compañeras: Zapatista Women's Stories. You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Compa%C3%B1eras-Zapatista-Stories-Hilary-Klein/dp/1609805879 Intro music: Amaryah Armstrong O...

After last week's discussion with Greg Daly about the Easter Rising, we decided to track down how the Irish Christian Left emerged later in the 20th century. Unsurprisingly, our search brought us to 1968, when a radical Christian collective were in the news for demonstrations and publications. We rounded up a magazine called "Grille," published by some of those Irish Christian lefties, and decided...

On last week's episode, Travis McMaken commented that it's important to find other examples of Christianity that diverge from the usual right-wing path. This episode, we're investigating the faithful revolutionaries from the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. This episode features a brilliant interview with Greg Daly, the author of 1916: The Church and the Rising. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outr...

The Christian political imagination is often limited to a brutal and ignorant capitalism or a stuffy and naive liberalism. Finding other examples of Christianity that counter both of these logics are essential projects for the Christian Left. In this episode, we interviewed W. Travis McMaken about one of those characters that express a faithful and socialist Christianity: Helmut Gollwitzer. You ca...

Last week we talked about Jacques Ellul's weird anarchism, so this week we're talking with Katherine and Hye Sung from the Friendly Fire Collective about cool anarchism! We talk about how Quakerism and pentecostalism feed into anarchism, why anarchists and Marxists can be buds, and hear about an upcoming retreat in Philadelphia--which you can register for until March 29 (https://friendlyfirecollec...

True basement dwellers will remember our totally unlistenable first episode where we tried to talk about Jacques Ellul's book "Anarchy and Christianity." A year later, we revisited the book together in Toronto. Highlights include Ellul's weird anarchism, some more of that Very Good reflection on violence, and a reminder that there are cooler Christian anarchists out there! Intro music by Amaryah A...

Usually, on The Magnificast, we bring on a guest and talk about their work. However, in this episode, we're bringing you an amazing lecture by one of our favorite theorists: Richard Gilman-Opalsky. In this episode, you'll hear Dr. Gilman-Opalsky give a lecture he delivered at Greenville University in the fall of 2017 about incarceration, policing, and revolt. You can find Gilman-Opalsky's newest b...

We did it! We made it to ep 50! We couldn't have done it without all of you good good comrades listening and responding! To celebrate this occasion, we took some of your voicemails and emails and reflected on the past magnificent magnificast year. Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Matt and Dean hung out with Vincent Lloyd in real life, so we decided to bring him back on the show to talk about his forthcoming book, In Defense of Charisma (Columbia University Press)! We talk about why people are suspicious of charisma, what's good about charisma, how charisma functions in organizing contexts, and more! Also, next week is our 50th episode, and we need your help! Send us your q...