The Sword and Staff

Before the Blues, there was Legba. Before Legba, there was the slave trade. And before the slave trade scattered the Yoruba and the Fon across the Atlantic, there were shrines at every threshold and a god who controlled every crossroads. In this episode of Pagan America, we follow that god from West Africa to Haiti, from Haiti to New Orleans, from New Orleans to the Mississippi Delta — and ask why...

Part 3 concludes our series on Jewish obsession in American cults by exposing the origins and theology of the Black Hebrew Israelites, showing how two ex-slaves in the 1890s independently claimed African Americans are the true Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.  From Philadelphia—the historic hub of Rosicrucian mystics, Prince Hall Freemasonry, and religious tolerance—emerged William Saunders Crowdy (Chur...

Part 2 of Jewish obsession in American cults examines Mormonism’s occult origins and its fixation on Israelite lineage, contrasting it with dispensationalist errors about God’s people.  This episode of Sword and Staff: Revenant dives into Joseph Smith’s mystical practices, including seer stones, magic circles, and alleged necromancy tied to the golden plates’ discovery. We explore how Smith’s trea...

This episode explores the origins of Israeli obsession in evangelical culture and begins to uncover the occult origins of Mormonism. Be sure to join in for our next episode as we move deeper into Mormonism, outlining its own reliance on Hebrew identity, and look at another distinctly American cult, the black Hebrew Israelites. How are they all related? And what was the cultural context of the time...

An unplanned episode reflecting on the sobering realities surrounding the killing of Charlie Kirk and the distinctly occult nature of the ideology that led to it. Note: This episode is heavy. Those grieving or having difficulty with the death of Charlie may want to listen cautiously.  Links: “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk”: https://web.archive.org/web/20250911002605/https://www.j...

Explore a different take as Coleman interviews Calmversations host, Benjamin Boyce. While he is used to doing the interviewing with folks like Jonathan Pageau, Andrew Isker, Joe Rigney, and hundreds of others of a more eclectic strip, the interviewer turns interviewee as Coleman asks the questions and Benjamin gets the mic. Benjamin’s Links: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BenjaminABoyce X: htt...

Delve into the spiritual crossroads of "Pagan America" in this personal podcast episode, exploring Coleman’s mixed Choctaw and European heritage. Uncover the rich tapestry of Choctaw mythology, from the sacred Nanih Waiya mound to animistic beliefs in Hashtali and Nalusa Chito, rooted in Mississippian mound-building cultures. Contrast this with the Christian gospel’s impact on Native Ame...

Venture into the wild world of demons, parasites, and conspiracy theories with Jim Parkin and Coleman Barrbour as they discuss the Demons Are Parasites series of presentations from Understanding Conspiracy. Enjoy the return of the chinwag edition of Sword & Staff and as they discuss the connection between physical malady and spiritual oppression. We talk mental health, physical health, spiritu...

Delve into the profound connections between Carl Jung’s collective unconscious and Native American spiritual beliefs, exploring archetypes, dreams, and ancestral wisdom. From Jordan Peterson’s Jungian insights to Native myths, we question whether these symbolic patterns reflect divine truth or occultic deception. Guided by Scripture, this 40-minute journey unpacks psychology, spirituality, and the...

Join Sword & Staff: Revenant & the Strange Theology podcasts for this crossover episode where Coleman and Pete talk about creation as the spoken word of God, good stories, how stories get broken, and how the great conversation of our time has taken an unexpected turn from books to podcasts and how that relates to the growth of podcasts like ours. Join us as we discuss our own journey of re...

UFOs, UAPs, and the Hebrew Zodiac…how are they related? Journey into the mind of the mysterious White Owl as he maps out their relationship to the unseen starting from the encounters of Chris and Ryan Bledsoe and their interactions with the goddess Hathor. A note of correction from White Owl: "Josephus actually says that the temple curtain contains a depiction of the heavens except for the signs o...

What happens in a sweat lodge? How does participation shape life? Listen to this discussion of the opening portions of “Mitakuye Oyasin” as Coleman asks how Christians should interact with and participate with the pagan rituals around us. "Mitakuye Oyasin: We Are All Related" : https://amzn.to/4cvuVyh (Amazon affiliate link)⁠ Sword & Staff:Discord: https://discord.gg/6hJeVrbfu4 X: ht...

Join us for a breaking first look at "Passing The Torch" a new book from Dr. Louis Markos (available April 29th) . In our last episode, Louis and I talked about the ministry of myth. This time we discuss how Classical Christian Education must be our bridge to uncover what we've lost. Don't miss this bonus episode (with no ad breaks) and pre-order the book today! "Passing The Torch" : Order Here (A...

Rediscover the virtues that built the West in the Myths that birthed them. Dr. Louis Markos discusses the Ministry of Myth and how he uses the myths of Greece and Rome devotionally in the way of our forefathers. How can Christians instill virtue in a world that worships vice? Listen to this discussion with Lou about his book “The Myth Made Fact” to find out more. Further Resources: “The Myth Made...

This is not an episode, but a call to prayer. www.aimks.org Abortion Must Be Abolished Let this be our prayer - Psalm 3 (ESV): "1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from...

Jump into our second installment in our Pagan America series, where we begin our investigation into Native American Myths. We look at the story of “Rabbit Boy” and others as we ask the important question: What bridges are there to uncover between “Indian” myths and the “True Myths” found in scripture?  Sources & Books (Amazon Affiliate Links): “American Indian Myths & Legends” by Richard E...

Join Coleman and Rich Tuttle on a journey into the mystical world of music, where biblical warfare meets melody. Explore how music holds truths beyond words and how church bells once summoned the faithful while banishing evil. Delve into the enigmatic debate of 432Hz versus 440Hz - could the Nazis have influenced our standard tuning? Coleman's Current Reading or mentioned in the show (Amazon A...

Welcome to Pagan America. Can lands be cursed? What causes this? Does worship affect individuals only or whole nations and the lands they inhabit? Coleman covers the biblical ideas of lands, people, curses, and how our cultures are oriented by these things. Amazon Affiliate Links: “The Christ of the Covenants” by O. Palmer Roberston: https://amzn.to/40UYdlr “The Spine of Scripture” by Bnonn Tennan...

Pagan America is upon us! Join Coleman for a quick look ahead at Season 2 of Sword & Staff: Revenant. Sword & Staff: Discord: https://discord.gg/6hJeVrbfu4 Twitter: https://x.com/Sword_Staff   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swordandstafforder Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordandstafforder/ Support us by buying some merch: https://swordandstaff.creator-spring.com/

Doug Wilson, pastor of Christ Church Moscow (CREC) and prolific writer of blogs, books, and many other endeavors joins Coleman for our second episode on Christmas. Coleman and Doug discuss the miracle of the incarnation, the star of Bethlehem and its angelic pilot, and some of their favorite Christmas staples around the table. Further Resources: Doug’s website:  https://dougwils.com/ “God Rest Ye...

Glenn Sunshine of the Theology Pugcast and Every Square Inch Ministries joins Coleman to talk about the history of Christmas and its relationship to Paganism. They ask questions about how we should interact with the traditions surrounding Christmas, where those traditions come from, and if they do have pagan roots, then is it good to use them now? Further Resources: The Theology Pugcast: https://t...

Ward and Jim discuss Shape of Shadows, a Merkel Media documentary centering on the ancient and odd occurrences of Skinwalker Ranch. They talk about government interests, personal paranormal haunts, First Nation stories of spiritual darkness, and the cannibal giants of Chaco Canyon. Further Resources: The Ohio How Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5xCd70YP2nNyFdJj93ZIBj Sword & Staff: Disc...

Coleman, Ward, and Jim come together for a collaboration between The Ohio Howl and Sword & Staff: Revenant. Ward shares some of the strange things that have happened while documenting cases of high strangeness and the conversations both he and Jim share as they debrief those experiences from a Christian perspective. Just how strange is Ohio? Stick around to find out. Further Resources: Sword &...

Joe Rigney of Christ Church, Moscow Idaho (CREC) joins Coleman to talk about his book “Live Like a Narnian”, the dark enchantment of modernity, re-enchantment, C.S. Lewis, Transformers, and a whole lot more. You can listen to the book on Canon+ from Canon Press or purchase it online. Further Resources: “Live Like a Narnian” by Joe Rigney: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Like-Narnian-Discipleship-Chron...

In this episode of Sword & Staff: Revenant, Coleman is joined by Bnonn Tennant host of the True Magic podcast (which he hosts with his wife Smokey) to talk about his book “The Spine of Scripture”, the Sons of God in Genesis 6 and why he thinks the sons of Seth and the Divine Council view can co-exist, and why the physical images the spiritual whether we realize it or not. Bnonn’s Website: http...