Irenicast: Recent Episodes
Jeff, Mona & Allen
Thanks for joining the conversation for 200 episodes of Irenicast! In this episode the hosts answer your questions.
One thing that tends to get left out of many conversations on deconstruction is atheism and agnosticism. Why is this? Even when it is brought up, it is rarely spoken of as an ending point. Why is that? Can our deconstruction lead us to atheism and agnosticism? Is that ‘okay’? Spoilers, we think it is.
War and Christianity are certainly not strangers. In fact, they seem pretty friendly many of the times. In this episode Bonnie, Rajeev and Jeff discuss the complicated history of war and Christianity.
In this episode on queer legacy, Casey shares a recent revelation from a queer history class he has been taking. He shares the history of the term two-spirit. A term used by some to describe Indigenous North American people who fulfilled a traditional third-gender ceremonial and social role in their cultures. As someone who is both queer and has Indigenous ancestry Casey expressed his deep sense of validation in his pastoral calling.
How do Eschatology and Process Theology fit together? This week we try and answer that question by sitting down with Dr. Thomas Jay Oord. Dr. Oord is an expert on Process Theology, also known as Open and Relational Theology.
The problem with patriarchal Christianity may seem obvious to many listeners of Irenicast. It is no surprise to us that patriarchy has done perhaps irrevocable damage to not just Christianity, but the nation as well. We are seeing the ripples of that sad truth on every level in society.
In this episode Bonnie sits down and has a compelling conversation with Carolyn Baker PhD mostly about her newest book, Confronting Christofascism: Healing the Evangelical Wound. It is no secret that since 2016 the United States has felt as though it is on its last legs as a democracy. Carolyn shares with us many of her perspectives on why that is the case from her book.
The generational divide in our country feels massive. With the rise of Gen Z and the sentiment of ‘Okay Boomer’, it doesn't feel as though one generation values the other. If anything, younger generations especially are scapegoated for the direction our culture is taking. In this episode we welcome Selah Cluff and as a member of GenZ to discuss this divide and explore how we might cross it.
Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev, discuss a broad range of feminist perspectives on Mary the mother of Jesus and virginity. Did ancient communities understand the concept of virginity through the lens of purity culture or did they hold a more sophisticated understanding of feminine power?
What is love? In this episode each host attempts to provide their definition of what they think love is. It quickly becomes apparent that the concept of love is more difficult to pin down than expected. Is love a feeling? Is love an action? Or is love where in between?
What is hope? Christianity is filled with buzz words that we can easily take for granted or turn into catch phrases. In this episode the hosts discuss one of those words, hope. Hope can mean a lot of different things for different people. It can also feel like a concept that is slowly fading from view in the current world we live in.
What is Faith? Bonnie, Jeff, Casey, and Rajeev share perspectives that are found just beyond the edge of clarity - “objects” are visible but there is little certainty about what those objects might be. After all, faith is murky and shifty. As the crew discusses the evolution of their personal faith journeys they confront each other by what is meant by faith and how the misunderstanding and misuse of the term has caused a lot of confusion within, and between, people.
In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Six the co-hosts explore the diversity of what community can be: quilting club, birdwatchers, family-groups (biological or chosen), faith community, and so many more. While there is agreement that what a community looks like can vary greatly, the hosts have differing thoughts on the importance of belonging, responsibility, and duty.
In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Five, the multiverse of self, co hosts, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev dive into the most uncomfortable and awkward of spaces “the self.”
In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part 4 the hosts discuss the voices that helped them reconstruct some semblance of belief… or non-belief. The legend and public persona of Rob Bell unexpectedly becomes the yardstick that each host measures their rebuilding experiences against. Each host shares a ton of resources and voices that helped them in their movement away from fundamentalist authority. Some that became irrelevant and others that still ring true today.
In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Three, the Irencast crew try desperately to come up with suitable metaphors for the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ stage in deconstruction. Since each host had such different experiences the task becomes difficult, which leads to a beautiful discussion on why these moments cannot be boiled down to a formula.
In Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Two, the discussion centers around the aftermath of waking up. What do you do with the shame, regret and anger of living in a high control environment? Each host shares their journey through that cloud of emotions.
Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part One explores the first movement in someone’s journey toward change, waking up.
Since we’ve been gone a lot has happened in the world. An election, an insurrection, a vaccine, a new president and a whole lot of the same old crap in the world.
What Does Christmas Mean to You? Join the hosts of Irenicast as they ponder the birth narrative, and the multiple ways that the story of Jesus' birth has been told and understood over the years.
Discovering your authentic self is something that can seem like a vague or cliche notion. Is there a balance between authentic inner life and authentic communal life? Where are the tensions? What does it even mean to be your authentic self? These are some of the questions explored in this episode as Allen, Bonnie, Jeff & Rajeev discuss the difficult task of figuring out our place in this insane world.
In response to a listener question about God’s immutability, all five co-hosts discuss a changing God. The conversation begins with the God of the bible before it turns toward the God of human experience.
Framing language around stages of spiritual development and developmental language from former faith communities and broader American culture.
All five co-hosts grab some tea, full of compassion for one another, to talk about awakening compassion. The conversation begins with definitions and connections to spirituality. Since everyone thinks compassion is a good thing, co-hosts wonder how we become more compassionate. By awakening? By watering a seed inside of ourselves? Through training?
Casey and Bonnie have a heart to heart on the topic of abortion. They begin by sharing their experiences with abortion, planned parenthood, anti-choice protestors and sexuality education. Casey shares his mom’s story. Bonnie shares her own. Co-hosts take an incredulous look back in time at the attitudes about abortion they inherited from their formative evangelical and fundamentalist Christian communities. Bonnie and Casey consider the opportunistic way the oppressive forces of male supremacy and patriarchy infused with American evangelical Christianity after Roe v. Wade.
At the terrific suggestion of a listener, the Irenicast crew takes up the Atonement Doctrine for round 2 in Atonement Theology Revisited.
In this interview Casey draws out wisdom carried by his friend Tenneson Woolf. Tenneson is a consultant, facilitator, workshop leader, coach, teacher, and writer.
Jeff, Bonnie and Rajeev take on the topic of parenting. They begin with their definitions of parenting before moving into the struggles of parenting. Co-hosts notice how parenting children often triggers a return to the parent’s own process of growing up.
Rajeev and the Rev. Dr. Miguel De La Torre converse about belonging, sexism, racism, pluralism, immigration, internal integrations and synthesis, violence, hope and hopelessness, the climate of Trump’s America and more in this packed episode that is right on time! Rajeev and Miguel close out the conversation with Over/Under that leads to more gems of insight and personal story.
This is the audio from our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Progressive Christianity on Facebook and YouTube Live. Jeff and Rajeev take thoughts and questions from listeners about episode #171. Catch these conversations the Monday’s after each regular episode at 5pm PST
The conversation begins with co-hosts’ varying views on white supremacy in progressive Christianity. From there the talk turns to progressive Christian purity codes, boundary training and other forms of white-centeredness. Co-hosts take an honest look at the average progressive white Christian’s struggle with following POC leaders though they say they want to. There is discussion on the evangelical and progressive Christian responses to the Black Lives Matter movement with speculation about the future.
This is the audio from our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Evangelicalism on Facebook and YouTube live on Monday, July 13, 2020.
Co-hosts begin this raw and real conversation about white supremacy in Evangelicalism by reflecting on their experiences of white supremacy in their formative churches. Memories arise from Awana, mission trips, seminary and other church settings.
In our continuing the conversation on Quanita Roberson, the full cast reflects on the firehose of wisdom in episode #169. The Irenicast team specifically centers their conversation on collective grief and the value in calling on our ancestors. If you’d like to see the video replay of this conversation you can do that on Facebook and YouTube.
Casey and Bonnie sat down with spiritual teacher, speaker, author, life coach, storyteller and shaman Quanita Roberson to talk about the strange and fertile time of this present moment. If you have felt moments of despair in these tumultuous times, listen to hear Quanita’s wisdom. As herself, she offers embodied hope.
This week we are continuing the conversation on Changing Truth and officially wrapping up our 4 part truth series. This is the audio from our live conversation with listeners on Facebook and YouTube. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Our truth series is wrapped up this week with a deeply personal conversation on changing truth. Everyone on this show, and the vast majority of our listeners, have experienced a truth change. Many times we refer to that process as deconstruction. A term that reflects a reality we all share, but that falls short of communicating the depth and heartache involved in the process of changing truth.
Once again we are Continuing the Conversation on Who Tells the Truth, episode 167. For this edition Bonnie, Jeff, Rajeev, and showing up a little late to the party, Allen, expand their thoughts on who tells the truth.
Talk of truth continues with an exploration of trusted sources of truth. Co-hosts wonder what makes us think something is true.
For our continuing conversation on moral truth (Episode #166) Allen, Bonnie, Jeff and Rajeev discuss the most recent episode with listeners live on Facebook and Youtube. Some additional thoughts on moral truth are offered. Specifically the dynamic between individual and systemic morality. Thanks to everyone who participated in this continuing conversation. Join us on May 25th at 5pm PST for our next conversation on episode #167
Because you can’t cover Truth in just one episode, all five co-hosts come back for round two on Moral Truth.
In our very first in the Continuing the Conversation series we follow up on episode #165, What is Truth? - Spilling the Capital Tea. Continuing the Conversation will be a limited run of Live events on Facebook and YouTube to expand on the previous episode and provide a platform to hear from you, our listeners
What is truth? The co-hosts take on the little topic of truth. Capital “T” truth? Lowercase “t” truth? You decide. Given that none of us expected 2020 to bring a pandemic lockdown, it makes sense that Irenicast would use their quarantime to boldly enter a crisis of truth and reality.
In this episode co-hosts juxtapose isolation and connection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A feminist approach to the bible may on the surface seem like a narrow lense in which to view scripture. However, as you’ll hear in this episode, it is more accurate to say that the interpretations that we’ve been given since the beginning of biblical scholarship are far more limiting. Especially if we believe the bible is to have a prominent place in modern Christianity.
Linda Midgett and Dr. Larycia Hawkins join the show this episode to discuss embodied solidarity via their new documentary film, Same God.
In this episode Casey dives right into talking redemption with Jay Bakker. Jamie Charles “Jay” Bakker is an American pastor, author and speaker.
This week Jeff has a conversation with The Next Question co-hosts Chi Chi Okwu and Jenny Booth Potter.
We’re survivors of high control religious environments? What? Irenicast co-hosts offer the (sometimes) uncomfortable awareness that if you were in an evangelical/fundamentalist community, much of your life, inside and outside of church, was probably highly controlled.
Jeff & Casey sit down for a conversation with Matthias Roberts, author of the new book Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms.
It’s a Process Theology Christmas, because that’s our thing now. In this conversation Bonnie leads the team in a super-sized discussion on all things Christmas. Through a process theology lens of course.
To begin, each of the co-hosts speaks to their experiences of women in church leadership. You might be surprised. Then questions surface like -- should we be gender-izing leadership? Aren’t we over the gender binary thing? Bonnie shares her own difficult journey toward claiming pastor-hood.
Brian McLaren and Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, have an intimate conversation beginning with the story of their conservative Christian upbringings, ending with their visions of the future of American Christianity. Co-hosts, Rajeev Rambob and Bonnie Rambob, ask for insights on faith, doubt, belief, Christian identity and secular Christianity.
In keeping with the shadow side of Halloween, Jeff, Casey and Rajeev ask the question, what is evil? -- capital E, Evil.
Our first Process Theology episode is finally here! We know many of our listeners have been waiting to hear more about this particular theology that was introduced to the Irenicast audience by Bonnie in episode #136. We expect there will be more conversations on this topic to follow. Because, in this episode, we just dip our toes into the realm of possibilities embedded in process thought and theology.
Per listener request, the Irenicast crew takes up the topic of Faith Healing. Surprise! Not every evangelical and/or fundamentalist tradition approaches this topic in the same way. Co-hosts discuss personal experiences with Faith Healing through the filters of their former faith contexts as well as their current faith contexts.
Rajeev sits down and has a conversation on grief with author Megan Devine. Grief might be the most universal human experience and Megan shares her personal journey to her work as a grief advocate.
Allen, Casey and Jeff dive into the disturbing notion of “gay conversion therapy”, sometimes called “gay reparative therapy”.
Rajeev and Bonnie interview their good friend in this episode, The Rev. Dr. Horace L. Griffin. Rev. Dr. Horace L. Griffin is an Episcopal Priest and gay man serving St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia as Associate for Pastoral Care and Outreach. He is author of the award-winning book, Their Own Receive Them Not: African American Lesbians and Gays in Black Churches.
Because the topic is worth repeating, we are revisiting forgiveness as a topic. Previously, way back in episode 73, Jeff and Mel (aka Mona) came to the conclusion that forgiveness and reconciliation are not at all synonymous. This time around, Jeff, Allen, Bonnie and Rajeev explore humanity’s need for forgiveness, individually and communally. They consider the relationship between forgiving and “letting go” of harms done or wounds inflicted. This leads the conversation to God’s role in forgiveness.
Does God Act? In an epilogue to their Community series, Irenicast co-hosts ask and answer the question where they find God showing up in the world. Spoilers: they don’t all agree!
Elizabeth Jeffries PhD, author of Through the Kaleidoscope, sits down with Irenicast co-host Jeff, bringing forth spiritual treasures out of the world of molecular biology. For anyone seeking to ground their religious affections and theological process in the solid matter of the natural world, Jeffries offers fresh ideas-- herself having navigated a path of deconstruction with an open mind and open heart.
Author Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated and homeless, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make the all headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work—drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.
If you didn’t get out to your local LGBTQ Pride festivities -- no worries -- this episode is a Pride month celebration. Our own Pastor Casey Tinnin was elected the Grand Marshal of the Sacramento, California Pride Parade. What do you wear when you’re the Grand Marshal of a Pride parade? In the first half of this celebration, Casey recounts his experience, internally and externally, of representing and serving his community in Sacramento Pride. In part two of this episode, Casey sits down with author and pastor, Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson.
In the final episode of the “relational” series, the Irenicast crew reflects on chosen community. We all need a chosen family to do life with. This is especially true for people in marginalized, oppressed groups like those who are LGBTQ+ and are those who minortized because of their race/ethnicity. Co-hosts discuss the formation and cultivation of chosen community, the distribution of power and the nature of consent -- as Allen puts it: it gets meta.
Parenting is hard, but deconstructing with kids adds an extra layer to the hard. Some parents feel the need to reform fundamentalist/evangelical Christian values into progressive Christian values. Other parents want to distance children from conservative Christianity by raising children outside of religious faith.
It gets real as the Irenicast team talks about one’s given community -- or family of origin-- as family systems rather than a collection of individuals. Thinking about family as a system impacts the way we think about ourselves in relation to family members. Family relationships can be especially hard to navigate when one’s views of the world are very different from other family members’ views.
Conceptualizing the self, building intrapersonal intelligence, becoming aware of our interconnectedness, reclaiming self-love in theological context, moving beyond platitudes about self-care, and more mix in this week’s conversation. Officially kicking off our series on relationships, the team begins with that person nearest and dearest to us - our own selves. A game of Desert Island rounds off the discussion and reveals the personalities of our co-hosts.
A heart and head heavy conversation between Allen, Jeff, Casey and Raj about pluralism. The conversation navigates theology, race, homophobia, and hobbits, all as they navigate new ways of being different together.
How cosmology shapes our theology: as our understanding of our origins and universe shifts, what does that mean for our concepts of ourselves and of God? Jeff, Allen, Raj, and Casey talk all things science and literature, touching on biological evolution, the evolution of galaxies, ancient cosmologies, fundamental shifts like the Copernican revolution and the cosmological principle, overcoming misconceptions in physics, and how all of these inform theology.
While some may play the Alphabet Game on a road trip, Casey and Bonnie get into a deep conversation on two tried and true Christian approaches - Apologist or Evangelist.
Despite what many of us from fundamentalist backgrounds have been told, there is a diverse array of Christian theologies. Liberation, Queer, Womanist and Process theology are some of the lenses we will be looking through on this week’s episode.
Irenicast Roundtable y’all!
There are certain legends that speak of a round table where valiant heroes, thought leaders and purveyors of magic gathered to rid the world of injustice. Well f**k those guys. This is the round table worthy to be called a showcase of the immortals. Where else can you encounter a high caliber cast of characters that could be taken straight out of a Tolkien novel?
Our conversation on race takes an honest look at the team’s understanding of race as a complex construct that has shapes every aspect of our lives; who we are, how we related to self and others, its role in the pursuit of justice.
Linda Kay Klein author of PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free joins us this week. Sexuality, sexual purity as Christian faithfulness, girls, boys, women, men, shame, guilt, American Evangelicalism, political opportunism, the Virgin Mary, healing, hope and community – these are just a few of the topics Linda discusses with Irenicast co-host, Bonnie Rambob.
‘Tis the episode before 2019 and all through the show, we are politicizing Christmas and hoping to grow. Our new hosts are ready, and chosen with care. As we continue to cultivate a place for our souls to be laid bare. So, gather in and listen to our chatter, as we serve up something fun and challenging on a digital platter. Let us call out together without haste, Merry Christmas to all and lay the establishment to waste.
Pastor Casey Tinnin, who is a gay pastor shares of his journey out of fundamentalism, coming out, and his process of being ordained in the United Church of Christ. Jeff and Pastor Casey have a lively discussion about the influence that fundamentalism and conservatism played in Casey’s coming out process.
In confronting masculinity, Jeff, Allen, and Raj discuss building a better social construction for themselves, particularly by tackling toxic masculinity and male supremacy. They examine their formations as cisgender-straight-males, reveal personal challenges, challenge each other and wonder what could be.
Parenting during deconstruction, nurturing the spiritual child and adolescent in our care and in our hearts -- Rev. Bonnie Rambob (from episodes #113 and #123) joins Allen and Jeff to delve into this much-requested topic. Drawing from Lisa Miller’s research, other sources and their own experiences with parenting and ministry, Jeff, Allen and Bonnie discuss ideas about natural spirituality and the spirituality of children and adolescents.
Halloween and heritage, ancestors and the thinning of the veil between worlds- Rev. Raj Rambob (From episode #113) joins Jeff and Allen to talk about all this and more in Irenicast’s fourth Halloween special. In past Halloween episodes, they have discussed the supernatural, the devil and witches. This year they reflect on the holiday itself. They reflect on the larger historical development of the day and how it specifically changed for them in moving away from fundamentalist contexts.
How and why are the Enneagram and Progressive Christianity having their moment? Pastor Casey Tinnin joins Jeff and Allen for a discussion about personality typing, self-knowledge, emotional intelligence, relationship styles, and more as we dive deep into “heart-centered” types and the Enneagram in general.
Is Christian celebrity culture a blessing? A Curse? Simply inevitable? From psychological needs, hagiographies, and cult of personalities to new structures of power, Jeff and Allen tackle the phenomena involved in celebrity and how these operate within Christian culture. This episode’s segment pivots and addresses “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel,” a much-talked-about document sponsored by leaders within Allen’s alma mater.
Jeff and Allen have another conversation with Jennifer Knapp about the many things she is working on right now. The discussion takes us through her recently finished theology degree from Vanderbilt University, her upcoming tour and finally her favorite cooking method.
How does loving haters work in the Trump era? A year and a half into Donald Trump’s presidency, what do we see when we look across the aisle? Jeff and Allen welcome back Mel (The artist formerly known as Mona) to revisit episode 90, in which they resist cheap peace, struggle with the tension of loving those who vilify the vulnerable, and wonder aloud about the lack of practical vision for the beloved community.
Poverty and protest: let’s fight poverty not the poor. That’s a message Jeff, Allen, and Bonnie find so central to their faith, two of them joined MLK and Rev. Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign, risking arrest to speak it. In this episode, hear about the intersections between that story, the way communities of faith misconstrue the poor, whether or not some things are “earned” (including unearned income and healthcare), Capitalism and church, protest, the military industrial complex, ecological devastation, racism, prosperity gospel, the prophetic tradition, discipleship and more, followed by a hilarious round of three preachers “Jesus Juking.”
In revisiting the Holy Spirit, Jeff and Allen explore their Pentecostal and “cessationist” roots through deconstruction and beyond. Scriptures, liberation and process theology, ecology, pragmatism, panentheism, and more combine to inform their perspectives in this lively discussion. They also give an update about the state of the podcast and play a game in which they have to guess whether a name belongs to an X-treme sports brand or youth group.
As some Evangelical churches move toward progressive policies and theologies, do they do so in proximity to whiteness? What does it mean to be progressive or to inhabit progressive spaces? Guest Joey Torres discusses his doctoral research and contemplates the trajectory of American Evangelicalism.
Jamie Wright, author of The Very Worst Missionary, sits down with Jeff and Allen this week to discuss her new book. They talk about the failings of short term mission trips, the North American Missions Industrial Complex, being authentic, church ministry, and more.
It seems too often that euphemisms in our culture go beyond softening social interaction to propping up the powerful. This week Allen and Jeff explore euphemistic language in various Scriptures, political spin, and how it might create life (or manufacture manipulation) in our own speech. Maybe we don’t take language seriously enough? More pointedly, how do we choose between softening words to foster connection and, on the other hand, telling it like it is and speaking truth to power?
Austin Channing Brown shares with us about her new book, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness,” and life of work as a black woman in predominantly white ministries and spaces. The discussion touches on topics from writing to anger, creativity, expression, parenthood and more.
Evangelicals meet to discuss their political base and its connection to Trump, forming two cohorts with markedly different ideas about how to respond, and Jeff helps Allen develop a more nuanced understanding of cult-like culture.
They say “that’s what friends are for,” but who are they and what is it? Finding and maintaining friendships seems like frustrating business for many of us: Jeff and Allen included. This episode asks whether it’s better to have a small group of close friends or a large group of ones further away, the possible limitations of our social brains, and more, before capping off with another “Top Three” segment about iconic duos.
Allen believes the church is for cultivating story. So let’s talk about that. And in this episode, the hosts answer “Ask Me Anything” questions submitted by listeners, including science and miracles, spiritual formation for children, and revisiting pacifism.
Is there value in reclaiming repentance? The word itself connotes different things for all of us and, in this episode, Jeff and Allen unpack the stuff it brings up for them. Is it condemnation or invitation? Transformation or challenge? After the conversation, they try to guess who said what on another edition of Famous Christians for 100.
This is the story of Intersections, told by pastors Allen, Casey, Bonnie and Raj -- a diverse group of clergy with their own stories of leaving Evangelical and Fundamentalist communities of faith. Together they’ve established a group for spiritual conversations between people with similar paths. Jeff and Adam (from Divine Cinema) host the roundtable.
Pain, media portrayal, and empathy. Who of us hasn’t come across images of suffering? Jeff and Allen discuss the nature of pain, the way presentations of suffering get used, and alternately consumed, and how we might provide spaces for healing in honest and genuine ways. The episode ends in a moment of honesty through admission how their inner “fundies” occasionally slip.
Of all the out of context verses Revelation has its fair share. One of the most used and abused passages of the New Testament, the “hot or cold” verse means exactly the opposite of what you think it means. Jeff and Allen discuss the virtues of doing good work (read: being useful) despite religious affections, then share the most useful and useless items in their own lives.
Mona returns to the booth for a discussion on Christian hegemony and its negative impact on Christianity. There are those that believe the United States is, and should continue to be, a Christian nation. However, what makes a nation Christian? Who decides what form of Christianity becomes the dominant form? Have we really ever been a Christian nation? These are some of the questions Jeff, Mona & Allen explore this week. The episode finishes with the crew indulging in meaningless arguments in a round of Pursuit of the Trivial.
Can We Get Better At Doing Spirituality? Astrology to Astronomy, Phrenology to Psychology, and Alchemy to Chemistry -- in what ways is theology becoming? Is there such a thing as spiritual intelligence? And what do we do with the Evangelical ideas of progress and work ethic in relation to individualized faith? Jeff and Allen tackle the topic of “bettering” ourselves and our faith traditions in honor of the New Year, then share their own resolutions for 2018.
The illustrious Deborah Blades joins us to discuss the incarnation, the disruption that are bodies, and what a theology formed in postcolonial and feminist theory might look like around the holidays. For the segment, Jeff, Allen, and Debbie talk about those times they each discovered Santa was a little too incredible.
The sovereignty of God can bring with it a lot of questions and/or baggage depending upon your religious context. Is God in control? What is God’s will for our lives? Is history already determined? This week Allen and Jeff discuss how their answers to these questions have changed for them over the years and what that has meant for their lives and spirituality.
Is sincerity dead? “I don’t stand by anything” - both presidential quotation and epitaph on the tombstone of sincerity. Do we believe one another? Ourselves? And does it matter anymore? Jeff and Allen debate the presence of sincerity in public space and places of faith, before crafting their perfect Thanksgiving guest list.
What do we do with our Evangelical roots in reconciling the past? How do we navigate our former relationships? Jeff and Allen review their own efforts to reconnect and reframe at this point in their journeys through the post-evangelical wilderness and offer a few ideas that have helped them immensely along the way. And in the spirit of reflection, they name the top three things from their childhoods that didn’t hold up so well.
The witch hunts of the early modern period were served by the very things we trade in today: uncritical reception of tradition, groupthink, the impulse toward comfort and away from “otherness.” Since Halloween is just around the corner, Jeff and Allen discuss that perhaps we still hunt witches in our own time by proposing a spiritual discipline of resisting. The episode closes with a classic round of Jesus Juke. This time, they Jesus-ify Horror Film tropes.
The texts we love to misquote. In this new series, Jeff and Allen will occasionally spend an episode tackling infamously out of context verses in the Bible thrown around the Christian world. This time it's a passage used by everyone from athletes to those who oppose psychology.
Anyone remotely plugged into 90s contemporary Christian music has probably heard of Jennifer Knapp. This week Jeff has a wonderful conversation with Jennifer Knapp about everything from her early years in the Christian music industry to her current music and work with LGBTQ people of faith.
Freshly back in your feed after seven months. Jeff and Allen discuss their work and the return of the podcast, Mona responds to a listener question about abstinence, and Allen gives important news on the personal front.
In our 100th episode, we take time to reflect on the past, present and future of the show. Jeff, Mona and Allen share about who they were when the show started and reflect on what’s changed. They also share their favorite episodes and segments with other listeners who tuned in for our live recording on Facebook.
Christian Mingle the Movie is about what you’d expect from a faith-based romantic comedy. The story follows Gwyneth (Lacey Chabert) as she maneuvers through the dating scene with no luck. On an especially discouraging evening, she decides to open up an account with an online dating site for Christians. There is only one problem: she is not a Christian. Determined to make love work she pretends to be something she is not for a man named Paul (Jonathan Patrick Moore). Eventually, everything falls apart and just when she feels she has lost everything, she finds God.
Hailing from one of the most violent neighborhoods in the country, from a community of field workers, Dr. Patrick B Reyes speaks with Mona this week about his book, Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community and Surviving to Adulthood. Unlike many academic theology books, Nobody Cries is rich with not only theory, but also stories - many life moments that Dr. Reyes regards as God’s voice, spoken by a community that helped him survive incredibly difficult conditions and social systems. This interview shares some of these stories, framing an honest discussion about education, identity, prejudice, and what it means to call others to life, as God has called us. This work reminds us of how interconnected we are, and how vital it is to speak life to those who live in worlds of death.
The making of Bucket Lists, the having of #lifegoals, the pursuit of pleasure - what role does pleasure play in giving our lives meaning? Is it central? This week, the dynamic trio discusses hedonism and pleasure, Christian adaptations a la John Piper, neurochemistry, conditioning, and whether or not the small things ought to command at least a little of our attention. A “I Have Never” segment then reveals just how cosmopolitan each of them are.
Jim Wagner (The Boomer) joins Jeff (The Gen Xer) and Allen (The Millennial) for a conversation about generational stereotypes, what function they serve, and why they exist in the first place. They explore economic and cultural contexts, deconstruct a few of the common characterizations of their own age groups, and suggest ways to combat this kind of thinking. Then, having all served as preachers in their respective careers, their skills are put to the test in another round of Jesus Juke.
Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas is our movie for this edition of Divine SINema. Allen and Mona take the week off and Adam and Dylan step in to discuss with Jeff this truly awful Christmas film.
Through a conversation with his sister, Kirk learns his brother-in-law, Christian, is not into Christmas this year. We come to find out that he is struggling with the fact that Christmas Trees, Santa and presents have hijacked Christmas from Jesus and the Bible. After finding that Christian has retreated from the party to his car, Kirk begins a conversation with him that will change everything. They exchange “witty banter” and Kirk gives several separate mini sermons dealing with the Biblical justification of the Christmas tree and historical justification of Santa. Ultimately Christian’s Christmas spirit is restored and the party kicks into high gear.
Mass incarceration has reached truly astounding levels in the land of the free and home of the brave and its criminal justice system. Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the newly released documentary 13th, various social and historical factors behind the growth of the prison industrial complex, specifics like mandatory minimum sentencing, generalities around criminality, the image of God, ministry of Jesus, and much more. The segment in this episode consists of “crazy laws” which are somehow still on the books.
Video games are a prominent part of the American landscape and are only becoming more accessible with the advent of mobile gaming. Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss the possible ways in which video games and video game culture can cause, or encourage, good and bad behaviors. The attempted co-opting of the gaming space by evangelicals, using games for positive real life benefits and gamergate are all touched on during the conversation. The episode finished by transitioning into a light-hearted affair as each host discusses their favorite video games.
Despite the fact that the 2016 election has come and gone there are still so many aspects to reflect on. This week Jeff sits down with Angelina Hagan, a Bernie Sanders delegate. Although we are probably all intimately familiar with the electoral process, the process of the primary elections can sometimes be confusing. Angelina describes the journey in becoming a delegate in her district in Colorado. She also describes what the Democratic National Convention was like as a Bernie delegate. The good, the bad and the divisive. And despite negative experiences during her time as a delegate, she is reinvigorated and even more aware that there is still work to do.
For the first time Devine SINema steps out of bonus episode territory with a look at the 1972 film, If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horsemen Do? This movie takes us to a time when America was in fear of a foreign ideology, marriage was under attack, public schools were taking away our children’s innocence and our country was in desperate need to return to God. Apparently, some things never change. Written by and starring Reverend Estus Pirkle and directed by Ron Ormond, this movie gives us a graphic look into what “will happen” to America if it “continues to engage in immorality” and deny God.
Jeff, Adam and Dylan discuss some of the more alarming scenes in this illustrated sermon about the end of days. They also discuss the flaws in the theology put forth in this film. Along with the introduction of a new rating system. this episode contains all the things you’ve come to love about our Divine SINema series. Watching bad Christian movies so you don’t have to.
From rallying voter bases to post-election anxieties, the 2016 election, for many, has created an atmosphere of fear. The Irenicast hosts talk about the importance of dialogue rather than dismissal when it comes to engaging fears, the relationship between fear and privilege, as well as the role fear might play in control. The hosts challenge listeners to think outside the box when it comes to fear itself - to analyzing the impact fear has on us and what its real effects are.
Understanding rape culture is a vital issue today. What is rape culture? What reality does it reflect? When did it begin? Who is responsible for creating it? This week Jeff, Mona and Allen take on the difficult topic of rape culture and discuss it from both male and female perspectives. They also discuss theologies of sexuality and ending dominance, with an honest conversation about what the Bible may or may not offer for a contemporary sexual ethic. In the effort to take a break from heavy conversation, the team ends with a game of Sort of Scattergories.
On the dawn of election day 2016 Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss compassion fatigue. What do you do when you’re tired of caring? When you’re tired of believing anything is going to change? These are questions many people who desire to be a part of a bigger solution face. And although no one really has the answers, it helps to talk about it and know we are not alone in our occasional desire to give up. And since it is election day we close out the episode with our own exercise in democracy in a segment called Biblical Elections.
This week a conversation with Science Mike McHargue author of FInding God in the Waves. Mike is a fellow podcaster. He is the co-host of the Liturgists Podcast, host of the Ask Science Mike Podcast and author of the new book, FInding God in the Waves. In addition to talking about his book Mike shares a story about an incident that helped shape his views on race. He also discusses his difficulties with learning despite being considered the smartest person in most rooms he enters. We are so grateful to have Mike on this episode. Enjoy!
A God’s Not Dead 2 review is the subject of this bonus episode. Adam and Dylan are back and join Jeff for another addition of Divine SINema. This movie takes place in the same town as the first God’s Not Dead. It is about a teacher named Grace who is a Christian and a teacher at a public school called Martin Luther King Jr. High. During a lesson on the civil rights movement, a student asks about Jesus’ words in connection to Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi's non-violent protests. Grace answers by confirming that Martin Luther King Jr. especially was indeed influenced by the teaching of Jesus. When word gets out that Grace talked about Jesus in her classroom it leads to outrage among the school officials, community, and even the ACLU. Things escalate quickly causing Grace to face a jury of her peers for her actions. Ultimately it is Jesus himself that is put on trial.
With Halloween 2016 less than a week away from this episode, Jeff and Allen discuss the evolution of Satan. Depending on our religious upbringing we may take for granted that the existence of Satan is a forgone conclusion. But is it? What does the Bible say about Satan? Does the Bible have a consistent narrative about Satan? What other things outside of scripture have we unwittingly accepted as fact regarding the prince of darkness? These are some of the questions we answer. And finally for our segment this week, Jeff and Allen reminisce about their favorite Halloween costumes and memories.
Mona sits down with Lauren Andrea-Lucia to explore what it means to have multiple religious identities. Lauren grew up in Italy with a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, and finds religious and spiritual nourishment in both traditions, identifying as a dual-religious person. Lauren shares her experience of holding both religious identities together, despite their seemingly mutually-exclusive claims to truth. The conversation covers the context of the history of anti-semitism and forced conversions, and explains why the blending of Jewish and Christian religious identity - and inter-religious dialogue in general - is often difficult. She also shares her perspective on what it means to have a religious family heritage, the difference between religion and spirituality, and why ideas of time and memory are so important to faith practice.
In a conversation geared more toward culture than faith Jeff, Mona and Allen explore why young males are disengaging from society. Far from an agreeable conversation about things we can do to reverse this trend, this episode focused on nuanced disagreement about its primary causes. Between video games, easy access to pornography, education, economic factors and a host of other causes, is there a primary one? And more importantly, is there a solution? We finish the episode with a new segment called Staff Picks, where each host gives a few recommendations of things worth checking out.
Is prophecy today simply fortune telling or something else? Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss this deceptively layered topic. Much of the time the rhetoric around prophecy, or the prophetic, or even the hebrew prophets themselves seems so otherworldly. Saturated with mysticism and the divine. Perhaps there is more. And that although all that is true, there is another dimension to the tradition of the prophetic. A practical one. One deeply connected to the real life details and systems we all encounter on a regular basis. And finally in an attempt to divine the thoughts of our co-hosts we play another round of Title Me This.
As part of our celebration of International Podcast Day 2016 we are giving you a bonus episode of Irenicast. Jeff, along with guest co-hosts Adam and Dylan, provide a critical analysis of God’s Not Dead. We watch horrible Christian movies so you don’t have to. Racial stereotypes, bad theology, one-dimensional characters and the Newsboys come together for this cringe inducing film based off of a bad sermon illustration. God may not be dead, but perhaps the Christian film industry should be.
Art vs the artist. Can bad people create good things? How closely should we judge someone’s work in view of the person themselves? Our co-hosts go in, without concrete answers, to mine for clarity in this nebulous conversation. Two-thirds of our hosts leave this conversation relatively sure how they feel about this topic. One ends up more confused than ever. And finally, for your word-association fix, Jeff, Mona & Allen play another round of Say What?!
Does prayer work? How is it possible that a post-evangelical podcast like ours has had over 80 episodes without ever talking about prayer? This episode reconciles this quandary. Jeff, Mona and Allen ultimately agree to disagree about how prayer causes God to act, or not act. However, they all agree that prayer is a worthwhile spiritual practice that is beneficial for a person's well being and connection to something beyond themselves. We close our episode with our mashup of Balderdash and Apples 2 Apples called Appledash.
Does God laugh? Is God affected by creation and the affairs of people? Despite getting trapped in a theological hamster wheel of logic, Jeff, Mona and Allen set out to tackle these questions head on. Recognizing that, though we may never have definitive proof either way, our opinions about divine emotion have implications for the way we live and/or practice faith. To further add to the confusion we close our episode out with impossible questions in a round of “Would You Rather.”
Joining us this week for a conversation on simply simplicity is second-time guest Adam Loveridge, who steps into an empty co-host chair while Mona is on vacation. He joins Jeff and Allen as they think aloud about the nature of our relationship with the stuff we own, what it might be like to transform that relationship, and what we stand to gain in doing so (Allen thinks it’s “everything”). We know that we want to live simpler lives - lives free from distraction, stress, and worry. But it isn’t always easy. How do we navigate the tension between enjoying the things we own and the driving desire to have more? After exploring all this, in an act of self-aware irony, we close our episode with a good ol’ fashioned round of Desert Island.
Guess who’s back, back again? Allen’s back, tell a friend. That’s right, our illustrious co-host Allen is back for another conversation on faith and culture. In this episode, each host reflects on their personal pilgrimage experiences while discussing the larger concept of pilgrimage itself. We close our time together with a Knowin’ Jemonen segment highlighting...
Maintaining status quo can be a strong motivation for people in power to suppress questioning and intellectual exploration. Often in church communities we can feel isolated for asking hard questions. Especially questions that challenge long standing ideas and methods. This week Jeff and Mona discuss the many layers surrounding the topic of anti-intellectualism within the church and christianity. They also discuss the polarity created around intellectualism and emotionalism between conservatives and progressives. Closing out the show Jeff and Mona conduct an old fashioned check in.
Many times it is difficult to really understand the plight of any group of people without insight into what life is really like for them. Inspired by conversation Mona overheard on a city bus, this week's episode explores the issue of homelessness. Jeff and Mona discuss attempt to provide a new perspectives on stereotypes and false rhetoric associated with homelessness. They also touch on social services like welfare. This episode closes out with a round of 10 questions.
Life, God, community and beer. These are the pillars of a different type of church model, beer church, introduced to us by guest co-host Jeff, aka Jeff 2. Jeff 2 shares with us the great value he places on gatherings of corporate worship. That the sacred nature of gathering together is in itself the divine, not necessarily the method or space in which we worship. His preferred method of corporate worship just happens to be beer and conversation. It is even suggested in this episode that perhaps Jesus turned water into beer and not wine. Jeff 2 joins Jeff and Mona to close out the episode with a round of Jesus Juke.
Experiencing anger in a life-giving way for some may seem like a paradox. However, every emotion has the potential for good if we seek to understand where it is coming from and are able to control where we take it. Sometimes we can figure out the best way to express anger within ourselves or our community. Other times we need to seek professional help. It is only when we deny or dismiss people’s emotions that we create toxic expressions. In addition to these ideas Jeff and Mona also discuss their personal feelings of anger and how it has manifested in their own lives. This episode closes out with a round of Judging a Book by its Cover.
Inspired by a listener comment on a past episode, Jeff and Mona have a conversation about forgiveness. Forgiving is not forgetting. It is all about remembering, reframing and creating healthy space. But what else is it? How do we practice it? Our attempts to answer these questions lead us into topics like justice, trauma and reconciliation. For our segment the theme of forgiveness continues as Jeff and Mona may give you reason to forgive by declaring themselves prophets of the 42nd dimension.
This week we discover the story behind the story: the feminist theology foundations of Irenicast. Mona welcomes to the show Kat, Jeff’s wife (whom you may remember from our family reunion episode), and a feminist theologian named Dr. Debbie Blades. Debbie has played in significant role in walking with both Mona and Kat during uneasy and challenging times of spiritual de- and re- construction. Mona, Kat, and Debbie share with listeners personal and poignant story of their feminist theology group called Gentle Thursday. They offer their understanding of the foundations of feminist theology and its significance to their lives; they also discuss the importance of language and why language has played such a central role in their work with women who don’t fit the typical mold in religious spaces.
You are creative. Many times in life we convince ourselves that we are not creative. That creativity is reserved for the special and talented. This week Jeff and Mona debunk that idea and celebrate the creativity of everyone. Our hosts discuss the relationship between creativity and talent and offer up their own creative methods. The episode ends in a creative exercise with the segment, Good News, Bad News.
The statistics regarding church attendance and relevancy in today’s culture seems to be getting more and more bleak. With church participation steadily declining in America it is important for churches to let go of outdated models and begin to explore new ways for people of faith to gather together. This week we talk with guest co-hosts Zach Kerzee and Christy Wright of Simple Church. Simple church is a dinner church that is doing some creative things to reclaim the community and intimacy of church gatherings. They are breaking the mold for what it means to be a thriving congregation. They don’t meet on Sunday, they don’t have a building and they don’t even have an organist. What they do have is bread.
In a follow-up episode on the Orlando attack, Mona interviews her friend Rafael who is an LGBTQ Latino. Rafael shares about about the impact of this shooting from a multifaceted cultural perspective, and offers some personal insights on the events and what it means to work across difference. They discuss internalized homophobia, faith, othering, and what brings them hope for overcoming hate in trying and fearful times.
Grieving for Orlando in the aftermath of the shooting at the Pulse night club Jeff & Mona discuss the tragedy with guest host, Bentley Stewart. Bentley is a chaplain at UCSF Medical in the Bay Area, and has worked for many years as a pediatrics chaplain. He is also originally from Orlando and provides profound context to the origins of the Pulse night club. Through grappling with their own feelings and thoughts, the three touch on a wide range of topics around the shooting, including tragedy and grief, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, violence, toxic masculinity, the challenges of being an ally, power, and voice. Instead of having a group segment at the end of the show, Mona reads the names of the victims to honor and commemorate their lives.
Churches, non-profits, Kickstarter campaigns, charity events - Jeff, Mona and Allen give some space this week to the topic of charitable giving. How do we exercise generosity in a way that really makes a difference? From the “faith giving” of the televangelists’ guaranteed returns to the one-for-one giving of Toms shoes, this conversation challenges our notions of philanthropy and charity - and is followed by another round of Knowin’ Jemonen.
The social media landscape seems endless. Not only are there more and more platforms available, but there are also endless implications for humanity. These are some of the things Jeff, Mona and Allen explore this week. Does social media make us more social? Do we end up more disconnected in the long run? Is all of it it simply a funhouse mirror that distorts what’s already inside of us? We end our discussion with another round of Famous Christians for 100.
Bridging the gap between culture and language are two of the biggest hurdles in approaching scripture. For the final installment of our interpreting the Bible series Jeff, Mona and Allen talk about ways we can accomplish this sometimes overwhelming task. How do we read the bible in and out of its original context? The episode, and series, ends with a segment called Biblical Oddities.
Week two of our interpreting the Bible series centers around a conversation on the editing of the Biblical texts. How was the Bible written over time? Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the progression of the Biblical text over time through the lense of Source and Redaction criticism. The episode finished with a fun round of Sound Charades.
Part one of a new series on interpreting the Bible starts this week. Throughout the course of the next three episodes we will be answering the questions: How do we read the Bible as literature? How was the Bible written over time? How do we read the Bible in and out of context? Jeff, Mona and Allen kick everything off with a conversation laying out why the Bible should be recognized as literature and what that means for engaging the text. Rounding out the episode is our second attempt at Pursuit of the Trivial.
In this episode Allen interviews author Mark Van Steenwyk whose works include That Unholy Anarchist, The UnKingdom of God, and most recently the children’s book A Wolf at the Gate. He is also co-founder of Mennonite Worker, and co-producer of Iconocast. In discussing his new book, Mark touches on topics like anarchist resistance, eco-psychology, intentional community, theological imagination, violence, inequality and much more.
North Carolina’s “Bathroom Bill” HB2 is at the center of a national conversation over gender inclusive bathrooms, gender discrimination and public safety. States are facing economic retaliation, people are getting ejected from restrooms, and it seems doing our “business” is quickly becoming everyone’s business. So where do we land when things like transgender suicide hotlines take in more than double their normal calls and bills overturn years of civil rights work? Jeff, Mona and Allen talk radical hospitality, brutalis effect?, assumption of guilt, and safety for all people, cis and transgender alike. They then look to the lighter side of things with a round of “Wacky News.”
This week Jeff, Mona and Allen have a conversation with Benjamin L. Corey. Benjamin is a leading voice among post-evangelical and progressive Christians, the author of both the blog Formerly Fundie and the book Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus, as well as a co-host for his own podcast That God Show with Matthew Paul Turner. In this episode Ben shares with us his personal journey, which includes the challenges of things like overnight notoriety and the loss of community. He also shares about his doctoral work in trauma after-care, the reception of his recent series on Hell and the Atonement, and thinks out loud about his commitment to pacifism. Finally, Ben joins the team for a good ol’ fashioned round of Jesus or Jay-Z?
The cross has to be one of the most talked about, debated and sacred aspects of the life of Jesus. Why Did Jesus Die? Amazingly enough, Irenicast has yet to dip it’s proverbial toe into the pool that is the “Atonement,” so hosts Jeff, Mona and Allen jump in. They discuss different views and theories and conclude with surprising cohesion on what the death of Jesus means for them personally. Then they indulge in another round of Sorta Scattergories.
In a slight change of course from their usual approach to discussions on faith and culture, the Irenicast team gives a movie analysis and review of Inside Out. The conversation digs into elements of filmmaking, emotional intelligence, and the roles that faith communities sometimes play in shaping emotional pathways. The segment this week features each host’s cast and script for the hypothetical blockbuster, Irenicast: The Movie.
This week Mona brings an interview with her friend Kayla Michelle. Kayla is a former runway model who became a fitness expert and competitive bodybuilder through an amazing journey of self discovery. The two share a vulnerable conversation about body image. Particularly the ways women are taught to see and treat their own form. They talk about what has been meaningful in learning how to accept and celebrate strength.
When we discuss faith and culture long enough, we’ll inevitably have a conversation about food. This is that conversation. Food not only provides us with the physical stuff that keeps us moving and breathing, it can bring a mysterious depth to our way of life. Food is art, culture and community. There is power in breaking bread with one another. This week’s conversation ends with a Knowin’ Jemonen segment in which Jeff, Mona and Allen share the foods they love to hate, love to make, and love to eat.
Does a concept of humility help or ultimately hurt people? Is humility antiquated? Jeff, Mona and Allen explore different definitions of the classic virtue, wonder aloud if the word should be decommissioned, share a little bit about their own relationship to it, and end up with much to think about. After the conversation, the co-hosts indulge in the new segment Title Me This.
Social transformation might look like an accident to less scrutinizing observers, but there are always people behind the issues, behind the transformation. Professional community organizers Joe and Seth join Irenicast for this episode to share about their work in community organizing.
Scientists, theologians and philosophers have wrestled for millennia over questions of determinism and the freedom of the human person. The Irenicast co-hosts, on the other hand, sidestep most of this in order to discuss the effects of embracing one view or another. Do our thoughts on free will matter?
A super episode for Super Tuesday 2016! Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss the place of politics in the church, the way politics has polarized people of faith, and the promise of dialogue for doing things differently. In the spirit of public discourse, each of them have needlessly censored a soundbite from politicians in their new segment Out of Context.
The topic of immigration has become more polarizing than ever during this year's election cycle. To help gain some clarity and perspective Jeff sits down with immigration lawyer, Amber Heffner. She sheds light on some of the myths and misunderstandings about this issue and reminds us that there are real people, good people, behind the political rhetoric, headlines and facebook updates.
In honor of our fiftieth episode, we have opened the floodgates for listener feedback and questions. By happenstance, all of the questions have theological themes around scripture, the nature of salvation, and faith reconstruction and deconstruction. The hosts dive into a personal discussion of these issues and conclude with a hard conversation on both the death of Justice Scalia and what it means to love your enemies.
In this episode Allen interviews the one and only Joey Aszterbaum. You may have heard Joey playing guitar for the Christian band Skypark in the 90’s, or read his work on faith, art, and justice at the Charismanglican, or saw him on television marching against the anti-immigration protesters in Murrieta, CA - Joey has been an outspoken advocate of peace, family, and (more recently) Bernie Sanders and “sloths.” His story takes us through the processes of deconstruction and testing, a rebirth of sorts as he encounters helpful people along the way, and on into the merits of the wider Christian faith and the Episcopal tradition.
Is it moral to be grateful for privilege? This week the hosts try to answer what seems to be a paradox: gratitude and privilege. Covering topics from thankfulness, entitlement, wealth and leisure, wonder and a theology of being, Jeff, Mona and Allen try to get to the bottom of this unsettling question. The episode ends with a game called Good News, Bad News where they may or may not tease out a hypothetical scenario where Mona goes on a date with Donald Trump.
Anyone who has spent significant time in the Christian Church, of any background or denomination, has probably held opinions about their Christian worship experience. “The music was too loud.” “Did the preacher just really say…?!” “I should have skipped out with the children!” “That really spoke to me.” During this episode, Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss various aspects of the worship service while reflecting on their own histories, then introduce a new segment to the show and name it Sound Charades.
How do we have a meaningful response to the global environmental crisis? Jeff, Mona and Allen wade through a challenging question this week. From their own skepticisms and personal journeys in relating ethically to the earth, they discuss pandas, waste, animal agriculture, calorie costs, and oceans. They try to wrap their minds around the impact we all have as creatures and consumers within larger global ecosystems. The episode concludes with one of the silliest Knowin’ Jemonen segments yet, where the hosts argue about which animal each person would be if they were an animal.
Perhaps it’s time to leave behind our “Left Behind” theology? This week Jeff, Mona and Allen talk all things apocalyptic; the end of the world, rapture, tribulation, Revelation, and more are covered in this eschatological conversation. One thing not left behind, however, is a segment from the past that always makes Allen angry, Sorta Scattergories.
For the first episode of 2016, Jeff, Mona and Allen attempt to answer the question: Is the world getting better or worse? What is the purpose of history, humans, and the future? Otherwise known as the ‘Myth of Progress,’ the team touches on philosophy, theology, calculus, and disobedient robots in this week’s somewhat contentious conversation. The episode finishes with a segment where the hosts discuss their New Year’s Resolutions... and the conversation takes an unexpected turn into debating the merits of cannibalism. Enjoy!
All under one roof for the first time since the podcast began, Jeff, Mona & Allen talk about family… with their family. The guests at this family reunion consists of Kat (Jeff’s wife), Amy (Mona’s mother and Allen’s aunt) and Vicky (Allen’s wife and Jeff’s Sister). There are even a couple appearances from Jeff & Kat’s twin girls. End your 2015 by joining us in the living room for some thoughts on life, love and family.
The first annual Irenicast Christmas episode is a Massive Mishmash Holiday Extravaganza. This week the three hosts play a Christmas Cheer quiz, talk about magic and the “feeling” of Christmas, discuss favorite gift memories, analyze the “War” on Christmas (apparently, it’s over?), chat about favorite Christmas music and movies, and talk about what Biblical mistranslations in the Luke narrative might mean. Finally, Mona serenades us all for the very first time with a little acoustic version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Happy holidays to all and to all a good night!
This week Mona has a conversation with her friend Stomp NYC cast member Jesse Armerding. Jesse talks about the importance of creativity in his own life and career. The conversation muses about who is “creative,” the importance of being in the present moment, our human capacity to wander and wonder, and the idea of art as a search for God.
The holidays are here and they’re bringing cheer! But maybe not for everyone - feelings of loneliness and isolation are sometimes most acute this time of year. So what exactly is loneliness? Are there different kinds of loneliness? Is it avoidable and can we address it? Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the elements of isolation, open up about their own struggles with feeling alone, and share some helpful ways for making Numero Uno no longer the loneliest number. Then they play an epic first round of “Mind Meld” to foster some intimacy in addition to fun.
A fourth voice, Katie, joins our conversation on family relationships. Specifically family systems theory and internal family systems theory. Katie, M.Div., M.S.W., has served as the Director of Children and Youth Ministries at Fourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston since 2013. Prior to serving at Fourth, she worked as a community organizer with the Greater Boston Interfaith Organzation (GBIO). Katie received her M.Div. and M.S.W. from Boston University, and was inspired to pursue the dual degrees out of her summers working with Appalachia Service Project, a nonprofit that strives to eradicate substandard housing in Central Appalachia. Katie helps the team discuss family relationships. We close out this weeks episode with a round of Jesus Juke.
With a show hosted by all youth group kids and two former youth pastors we were bound to have an episode on the joys of adolescence eventually. Understanding teenagers can be a difficult undertaking, especially the further we are removed from our own youth. This week we look at what adolescence is, how it has changed and how we can help be a part of creating a space for the emerging generation to thrive. The episode finishes with a new segment called Top 3. Jeff, Mona and Allen share their top 3 fictional adolescent characters.
In a 24 hour period there were terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut and Paris by suicide bombers and shooters in what are being attributed to the work of ISIS terrorists. The world is reeling. Countries are debating closing their borders to refugees, communities are dealing with the strains of fear, and we are all left with hard questions. What is going on? What are we going to do about it? What do we do when peace eludes us? And in this episode, listeners weigh in with questions of their own.
This week’s conversation tackles the horrific reality of human trafficking around the world. Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss the realities of forced labor, the underground sex industry, roles that race and patriarchy might play, and offer partial solutions to this global, systemic evil. After such a heavy topic, the co-hosts talk about the ways they care for their own emotional and mental health when confronting the heaviness of the world.
Mona sits down with guest Allison Bovell for a discussion on hunger in America. Allison is the Research, Policy and Communications Coordinator for the Boston Medical Center. She will help provide needed insight on the issue of hunger in america. Things like government assistance programs, economic factors, health and developmental issues, and of course a theological perspective.
In one of our more surprisingly combative Irenicast episodes, Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss various things related to Halloween and the supernatural. Everything from their favorite Halloween memories, scary encounters, angels, demons, fear and of course some history and theology. This witch's brew of topics concludes with a new segment: Pursuit of the Trivial.
Is humanity good or bad? What is total depravity and original sin and are they helpful for the life of faith? Emilie, an Irenicast listener, touches off a conversation between Jeff, Mona & Allen over these questions and more when she wonders if “being told every Sunday morning for decades on end that you are dirty, sinful, wicked, and completely worthless” makes theological sense. And in honor of Back to the Future Day’s impending arrival, your hosts offer a few 30-year predictions of their own.
Does life exist on other planets? If we discover an alien civilization, does that mean God won’t love us or hang out anymore? Is Allen’s alien superpower the lamest thing ever or the greatest? Our co-hosts answer these questions and more in this week’s episode on God and aliens.
On October 1, 2015 a shooter used six guns to murder nine people on the Oregon Community College campus. In light of the tragic event, our hosts pause to lament, reflect, process, and discuss the day itself, as well as the issues it has come to represent.
What do immigration, violence and homemade clocks have in common? Fear. Fear seems to be a consistent motivator in our culture, especially fear of the other. This week Jeff, Mona & Allen address many of the issues connected to Xenophobia. Wrapping up the show our hosts bring back a segment called Say What!?
The subject of church can be a joyous one or a difficult one depending on your experience. This week Jeff, Mona and Allen explore some of the possible reasons why people are leaving church. Specifically they discuss a group of people known as ‘The Dones’. People who are done with church, but not done with their faith. And then for something completely different, the team plays a round of Was it Hitler?
The conclusion of our conversation with Brandy Daniels focuses on her current work in the field of theology. She explains in detail her thoughts on the importance of the connectivity of theology and the way that we live.
Jeff sits down this week with Brandy Daniels. Among the many things Brandy is involved in she is an author for the blog, Women in Theology (WIT), and a Ph.D. candidate at Vanderbilt University. Her work centers on the intersection of queer theory and Christian theology. In this conversation Brandy shares her journey from youth group kid in an evangelical church to a career in academia and how that journey not only affected her theology, but her spirituality as well.
Bugapolocalypse, seductive scarf dancing and humans with lion tails. This is all in just the first 5 minutes of this week’s episode. Our conversation is an in-depth discussion on the Ashley Madison hack and privacy in the digital age, capped off by a round of “Craigslist Hall of Fame.”
Total Eclipse of the Heart, Alanis Morrisette, and high school reunions are some of the stops along a stroll through the respective pasts of our hosts this week. In this episode, Jeff, Mona & Allen conclude their secular vs sacred series with a discussion on the sacred in terms of selves. What makes a person sacred? Can one person be more sacred than another? Do we confuse the sacredness of a person’s status, position or accomplishments with the sacredness of the person? These are all questions, and more, our hosts attempt to tackle, before finishing off with another round of Name that Sound.
In this second installment of the secular vs sacred, hosts Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss "spaces.” They explore what makes a certain location more or less sacred than another. This weeks episode is wrapped up with a segment called Dinner Party. Each of our hosts share three people they would have over to a dinner party and why.
Jeff, Mona (Umami) and Allen (Smellfungus) start a new series of episodes this week on the secular vs sacred. Their first stop on this journey is exploring the sacredness, or lack of sacredness, in stories. Our hosts specifically explore the mediums of art, media and even the Bible. Our discussion of the sacred leads into a mash up of Apples 2 Apples and Balderdash, called Appledash.
You might think an episode on the importance of language would be an easy topic to conquer for three people who speak on a weekly podcast. This, however, is not entirely the case. Jeff, Mona and Allen get meta as they discuss the importance of language and tackle the issues of rhetoric, political correctness, cronuts, the Bible, and new attempts on metaphors for God. All that, plus the brand new segment Fill in the Blanks: Etiquette Edition.
In a special Irenicast episode the team welcomes guest host Casey Comstock. Casey joins us this week to share a very personal story about raising a child with special needs.
Ever ones to speak, the team takes on the topic of active listening this week. Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss the elements of good listening, the habitual quirks of bad listening, and offer ideas concerning the cultivation of listening as both art and skill. The latest installment of Knowin’ Jemonen follows the discussion and reveals the co-hosts’ favorite works of fiction.
With Mona and Allen on assignment this week Jeff brings in guest host Adam Loveridge for a discussion on deconstructing your faith. Adam shares insights from his journey away from Evangelicalism and what things were important for rebuilding. They then walk through the deconstruction process, from the tearing down to the rebuilding. The conversation also...
Sans Mona this week, Jeff & Allen bring in guest host Dylan Van Lant. After sharing interesting stories from their honeymoons, Dylan starts the conversation on mental health and the church by sharing his history with depression. The conversation touches on the taboo stigma of mental health in certain segments of the church, the role of a pastor in counseling and the underlying pressure within certain churches to present yourself as having it all together. The trio ultimately concludes that the best kind of support for mental health and for the church is a healthy, accepting, and empathetic community. The episode then concludes with a getting-to-know-you segment called 2 Truths and a Lie.
This week’s listener-requested episode goes after the issues surrounding the afterlife, particularly heaven and hell. Jeff, Mona, and Allen discuss the historical and cultural context behind “hell” passages in the Bible, why they lead us to rethink concepts that have been around since the Middle Ages, speculate about the this-worldly nature of a future heaven, and then disagree about how all of this relates to the here-and-now. Their discussion is topped off with an old-fashioned round of Wacky News.
Criminal justice is a complex topic with many ethical streams. This week the team takes on a bird's eye view of justice in the prison industry, capital punishment and immigration, to name a few, and hidden factors many might not think of in these issues. They explore what it might mean to seek restorative justice, both in the ways we challenge our systems and in how we treat others. The episode ends with a new round of Famous Christians for 100, where they try to guess who said what in the media recently.
The team takes a bit of a break from heavier topics this week to discuss the nature of beauty, and what it means to describe and participate in beauty. The conversation veers philosophical as Jeff, Mona and Allen discuss wonder, love and transformation, and ultimately where God might be in relation to it. They wrap up with a silly game similar to Scattergories, which is much more difficult to play over the air than they imagined.
Sin is a difficult subject when viewed from Biblical, cultural and philosophical perspectives. What is sin exactly and what does it have to do with us? The hosts attempt a real discussion of the idea of sin while being honest about their personal reservations. They propose different avenues for rethinking the word sin in light of its historical baggage and look for ways that are life giving, honest and compassionate. The episode winds down with a lighthearted game of Name That Sound.
Concluding our series of episodes on gender and sexuality Jeff sits down for an interview with a gay couple, Jim and Richard. Jim and Richard share their individual stories of coming out and how they met. They also discuss how they’ve remained in the faith despite their experience with people’s reactions to homosexuality and the church.
After catching up on their past two weeks of life filled with grilling and hammocks, Jeff, Mona and Allen begin an in-depth conversation about homosexuality and Christianity. They touch on historical attitudes toward sex, what the Bible says about “homosexuality” in its cultural context, present-day issues, and what the stakes are for us today. After...
In this interview, Mona talks to Nathan, who self-identifies as a gay, queer, Catholic divinity student. Nathan shares their story about being a part of the community of genderqueer people of faith and not fitting into a gender binary - including gender performance, coming out, internalized homophobia, and what faith and the belief in the Image of God has meant for their life. They discuss ways to the church can be more responsive and loving toward trans and genderqueer people.
Kicking off a four part series on gender and sexuality, the team begins with an in-depth discussion on gender roles and binaries, and sexism in the church and society. They talk about why we might need to revise our thinking on legacies, and maybe, just maybe, why we might need to move past the binary view of gender altogether. They conclude the episode with a ridiculous game of Would You Rather that includes a brief foray into the benefits of time travel, polka music and heavy breathing.
Entering their tenth episode, the Irenicast team celebrates with a not-so-rapid-fire round of listener generated topics. They talk about everything from hell, virginity, and tithing, to breakfast cereals, music, and toiletries. Following their responses to listener feedback they oblige the call for more IreniHacks!
To break up the pattern of heavier topics, this week Jeff, Mona & Allen have a discussion on mindfulness. The team shares their experiences and frustrations with trying to remain present in the midst of loaded schedules, unlimited distractions and nagging insecurities. The conversation is followed by a game of 20… uh, 10 Questions.
In this bonus episode we continue the conversation on racism and dialogue. Mona interviews Mariama White-Hammond, a community organizer and minister in Boston. Mariama shares insights from her personal experiences and her understandings on issues of racism in context of greater US society and civil rights history. Mona and Mariama engage in a heartfelt conversation...
Never ones to shy away from a difficult topic, this week the hosts enter into an important discussion on racism and dialogue used in conversations about race. The conversation opens up into an honest look at the history and realities of racism, and ways in which we are all complicit in systems of inequality. After exploring such complexities, Jeff, Mona and Allen shift into a lighter conversation about IreniHacks!, their favorite life-hacks.
Do humans have souls? Getting meta this week, the team talks about the nature of human nature, whether we have free will, how to think about souls, and how religion, philosophy and science can shape our understandings of these mysteries. Hilarity ensues when Jeff, Mona and Allen play a game called Judging A Book By Its Cover.
Jeff, Mona, & Allen tackle all things religious and free. This week, that happens to be Indiana’s widely disputed SB 101 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. They follow up the discussion with Say What?!, a segment involving speaking before thinking… as if their podcast didn’t have enough of that already.
Living in a consumer culture can make it difficult to challenge ideas that seem to be central to our American life. This week on Irenicast Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the good, bad, and ugly about living in a consumer culture. Then, like good little consumers, they weigh in on favorite movies, what their celebrity couple name would be, and the meaning of the word “awesomeful.”
Hipsters, the Bible and Batman this week on Irenicast. The team gets into a deep discussion of the nature of Biblical text, what interpretation means, and how to treat ancient sacred texts with respect. Also, Mona and Allen play a round of Missing Link, while Jeff plays an entirely different game.
How do we go about reconciling scripture with science? This week Jeff, Mona & Allen scratch the surface of the issues around Evolution versus Creationism, from ancient times to present. Bookending their conversation they reflect on some moments from their history in youth groups and play a particularly scandalous round of Jesus Juke.
Between discussing candy bars and playing a game of Famous Christians for 100, Jeff, Mona and Allen have a serious conversation about the curious relationship between Christianity and militarism. What should be a Christian response to war? In attempt to answer this question they explore visions for just religious responses to violence.
In this Leaving Evangelicalism bonus episode, Mona takes on the quest of answering the following question: where did Evangelicalism come from? What is it, exactly, and how did it become the multi-faceted movement it is today? Along with her guest and co-host Allen, the two trace the family tree of Christianity through looking at church history, from ancient to modern times. This is a fun conversation, but we want to mention it is also quite information-heavy.
In the inaugural episode of Irenicast, Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss their journeys leaving Evangelicalism. Plus they will play a little game they like to call Jesus or Jay-Z.
An Irenicon is very excited to introduce Irenicast, our new weekly podcast dedicated to conversations on faith and culture. Our first official episode will be posted on Tuesday, 3/10/15. Join hosts, Jeff, Mona & Allen as they explore various topics from pop culture to more serious issues impacting religion, society, and day-to-day life.