Theology Made Podcast

Before hobbits, elves, or rings, there was a pew. In this episode, we go beneath the surface of The Lord of the Rings and into the mind that built it, J.R.R. Tolkien, a man formed not primarily by Oxford, war, or philology, but by Catholic faith. Tolkien didn’t write an allegory, and he wasn’t preaching through fantasy. He was doing something far more interesting: letting theology shape the imagin...

This Christmas week, we’re going to Oxford—into the quiet study of J.R.R. Tolkien, where a young father and future literary giant spent twenty years writing letters from “Father Christmas” to his children. But these weren’t cute holiday notes. They were battles with goblins, polar bears on the brink of disaster, and hand-drawn worlds shimmering with meaning. And behind it all was a theology Tolkie...

On Christmas Eve, 1914, in the trenches of World War I, guns fell silent. Across the frozen front lines, soldiers from opposing sides began to sing the same carol “Silent Night.” In this episode, we trace the unlikely journey of the world’s most beloved Christmas hymn: from a small Austrian village in 1818 to the muddy battlefields of Europe, where it became a moment of impossible peace. You’ll he...

Before Christmas was a countdown, it was a cry for God to come. In this episode, we rediscover Advent; not as a warm-up to Christmas, but as a sacred season of longing. Long before lights and carols, the early Church called December a second Lent: a time to fast, pray, and remember why the Light had to enter the darkness. From ancient cathedrals in Gaul to modern living rooms lit by a single candl...

Before there was Santa Claus, there was a saint, a fourth-century bishop named Nicholas of Myra. He didn’t live at the North Pole or slide down chimneys… but he did throw bags of gold through windows, rescue the desperate, and—according to legend—once punched a heretic at the Council of Nicaea. In this episode, we trace the true story behind one of the most beloved figures in history from persecut...

Every November, one bird takes center stage on millions of tables and somehow, it’s not the bald eagle. The wild turkey, awkward and unmajestic, became America’s sacred symbol long before parades and pumpkin pie. But how? In this Thanksgiving deep dive, Theology Made traces the strange story of the turkey from the forests of New England to Benjamin Franklin’s letters and Lincoln’s proclamation. Al...

When we think of Thanksgiving, we picture peace — family tables, roasted turkeys, gratitude lists, and pumpkin pie. But the real story of America’s national day of thanks began not in abundance, but in blood. In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving. The Union was fracturing. Thousands were dying. And yet, in the middle of the nation’s dark...

We all think we know the story of the First Thanksgiving, Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a peaceful feast over turkey and pumpkin pie. But the truth is far more complex and theological. In this episode of Theology Made, we uncover the real story behind the First Thanksgiving; a story not of cozy tradition, but of starvation, survival, providence, and covenant faith. The Pilgrims who gathere...

Step aboard the Mayflower and into the stormy origins of American faith. The Puritans and the Birth of American Theology explores how covenant, Scripture, and suffering at sea shaped not only a colony, but the very DNA of American religion. From the English Reformation and Calvinist theology to the Mayflower Compact and John Winthrop’s vision of a “city upon a hill,” this episode traces how the Pu...

Halloween didn’t start with candy, costumes, and haunted houses. Long before pumpkins glowed on porches, the night belonged to bonfires, monks, and saints. In this deep-dive episode,we trace the story of October 31st—from the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the medieval church’s vigil of All Hallows, to Luther’s hammer on the church door, to the immigrant streets of America. Along the way, we’ll se...

The Jesus People and the Electric Guitar In the late 1960s, no one expected a revival to break out among America’s hippies. They were supposed to be lost to drugs, protests, and free love. Instead, they found Jesus, on beaches, in coffeehouses, and through songs strummed on battered guitars. This is the story of the Jesus People movement: baptisms in the Pacific surf, barefoot worship circles, and...

“Amazing Grace” may be the most famous hymn ever written — sung at funerals and protests, in cathedrals and stadiums. But its origins are stranger, darker, and more powerful than most people realize. Born from the pen of John Newton, a former slave trader turned pastor, the hymn’s journey from an obscure English parish to a global anthem of hope is a story of sin, redemption, and the surprising wa...

In the 1800s, a quiet Augustinian friar in a monastery garden uncovered the laws of heredity, decades before anyone knew what DNA was. His name was Gregor Mendel, the “godfather of genetics.” This episode explores how his faith shaped his science, why his work was ignored in his lifetime, and what his story teaches us about hiddenness, legacy, and the fingerprints of God in creation. Theology Made...

What comes to mind when you picture the devil? Horns. A pitchfork. Red tights. But that image isn’t biblical, it’s medieval. In this episode, Jordan traces the surprising story of how one saint’s imagination, a few desert monks, and centuries of theater and art gave Satan his face. From serpents in the catacombs, to horned hybrids borrowed from Pan, to the booming devils of mystery plays, this is...

In 1925, a small-town courtroom in Dayton, Tennessee became the stage for one of the most famous trials in American history. The “Monkey Trial” wasn’t really about Darwin, evolution, or even a $100 fine. It was about dignity. When Clarence Darrow grilled William Jennings Bryan on the witness stand, the courtroom laughed. Newspapers printed cartoons of monkey-preachers. And in that laughter, evange...

Empire of Relics: When Bones, Blood, and Bread Became the Currency of the Sacred What happens when faith turns material? In the Middle Ages, relics were more than devotional objects, they were power. The finger of a saint could draw pilgrims across Europe. A vial of blood could bankroll a cathedral. A splinter of the “true cross” could legitimize an empire. In this episode, we step inside the stra...

We all picture angels with white feathers, halos, and harps, but the Bible never describes them that way. In Scripture, angels show up as messengers, warriors, and servants of God’s will but never as winged ornaments. So where did the wings come from? This episode traces the surprising history of how angels grew wings: from the throne guardians of Isaiah and Ezekiel, to pagan gods like Nike and He...

In the 16th century, a bitter, dark drink swept into Europe from the Muslim world and panic followed. Priests called it “the invention of Satan.” Rumors claimed it fueled heresy, addiction, and political unrest. Some feared it might even replace wine in Christian life. The controversy reached the Pope himself. What happened next would transform coffee from a suspicious foreign vice into the drink...

Rome, 897. On a gray January day, the streets of the Eternal City fill with bakers, monks, and merchants, all walking toward the Lateran Basilica. Inside, beneath flickering candles and the scent of incense, a corpse sits on the papal throne. What follows is one of the strangest trials in church history: a pope on trial months after his death. This is the story of the Cadaver Synod . A mix of poli...

They didn’t just pray for the sick, they stayed. While the rest of the world fled plagues, early Christians moved toward the dying. They didn’t wait for governments to act. They built something entirely new: the hospital. In this episode of Theology Made , we trace the radical roots of medical care not to ancient Greece, Rome, or science alone, but to the revolutionary compassion of the early Chur...

We’ve all heard the story of the Salem Witch Trials, but most of what we know barely scratches the surface. This episode unpacks the deeper forces behind one of America’s most infamous chapters: political instability, religious fervor, social vendettas, and the terrifying power of unchecked accusations. More than a tale of superstition, Salem reveals how fear and groupthink can turn neighbor again...

Before the councils. Before the creeds. There was Macrina. She never wrote a book or held a title, but her faith, intellect, and quiet influence shaped two of the most important theologians in church history: Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This episode tells the powerful story of the woman behind the Trinity as we know it and why her fingerprints are still on our faith today. Theology Made...

Before William Carey. Before Adoniram Judson. Before the mission boards and the maps, there was George Liele. A formerly enslaved Black man who preached with power, crossed an ocean, and planted churches before the modern missions movement even began. He had no passport, no denomination, and no platform. Just a Bible, a burning conviction, and the courage to go where no one had gone. So why isn’t...

In 1962, a 22-word prayer changed American history. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t controversial, at first. But when Engel v. Vitale reached the U.S. Supreme Court, it ignited a national firestorm over religion, freedom, and the role of faith in public life. Was this the moment God got kicked out of the classroom? Or was it a courageous defense of religious liberty? In this episode of the Theology Made...

Before hashtags, hot takes, and going vliral meant a million views, there was the medieval pilgrimage. In this episode, we explore how spiritual journeys to places like Canterbury and Compostela became the original social network. Pilgrimage was not just a religious ritual. It was a medieval mix of Twitter threads, TikTok trends, Amazon storefronts, and reputation management. Along muddy roads and...