The Magnificast

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...

Everybody's talking about Black Panther, so we decided to talk about the Black Panthers! Specifically, we looked at two essays by Huey P. Newton, the Minister of Defense for the Black Panther Party, one called "On the Relevance of the Church" and another called "The Son of Man." We talk about how leftists can help Christians see the contradictions in our communities, Huey's mystical theology, and...

This week we talked with Kaya Oakes (of America Magazine, Religion Dispatches, Killing the Buddha) about the Pope, women's ordination, and the religious left! Dope into by Amaryah Armstrong Dope outro by theillogicalspoon

In the past weeks, we've been focusing on conversations about the extremely bad history embedded in Christianity and how to wrestle with Christian complicity. This week, we continue that theme with Michael Jimenez, author of Remembering Lived Lives(https://wipfandstock.com/remembering-lived-lives.html). In this episode we talk about history, theology, decolonial theory, and we even get back around...

"The biggest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution that has to start with each one of us." - Dorothy Day There is no history of the Christian Left in the United States that can be complete without a discussion of the Catholic Worker. Staring in 1933, the Catholic Worker was a network of Catholics, Anarchists, and other Leftists who helped establish new...

In the first half of the show, we talk with Marika Rose about her essay "For Our Sins: Christianity, Complicity and the Racialized Construction of Innocence," which looks at the ways Christian appeals to universality troublingly license Christian colonialism and white supremacy. We talk about Christian complicity in domination, whether there's a future for Christianity, how Trump is innocent, and...

Talk about a "religious left" has been swirling in the media ever since Donald Trump was elected. Was it a force to be reckoned with in 2017? Will it be a force in 2018? We take a look at some popular representations of the "religious left," and think through the new Christians for Socialism manifesto as one way of responding to the problem of organizing Christian folks struggling to make sense of...

Pastor and socialist John Thornton Jr. is the first Magnifiguest of 2018! We talk about slogans for the new year, being a socialist in church, debt, pastoral work, and how if folks want to get young people back in the church they should try socialism!

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about Cornel West's essay Religion and the Left and figure out if religious is too idealistic for Marxist Materialism.

Ho ho ho, it's The Magnificast Christmas special! in this episode, Matt and Dean discuss Christmas presents, Nicaragua, Ernesto Cardenal, reading the gospel alongside peasants and why it's important that Jesus was poor. incredibly dope intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Exquisite outro music by theillogicalspoon

For weeks, Matt and Dean have been promising an episode on anarchism and now, with the help of Katherine, from Friendly Anarchism, we're delivering! In this episode, we discuss Anarchism, Democracy, Direct Action, Violence, Pacifism, Revolution, and Jesus! Very dope Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon (theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/album/theillalogicalspoon-sings-t...