Virtue in the Wasteland Podcast: Recent Episodes
1517 Podcasts
I am exhausted, emotionally and otherwise... hey all, Dan here... just posted this last episode with calls from listeners, and a song at the end with a story that wraps into ViW... So, this is it. Thank you all. Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for where you can find us, now that the curtain has descended on this episode of our life. Make sure you check out Arnold Mitchem's "Drive" the song "Grace" is featured in this episode. Jeff will live on at @Taosurfers and its internet cognates. You can find me at 1517, my name dot com, doing the Soul of Christianity podcast... it's the future... you know how to find things on the internet... EGBOK
So, if the title of the show doesn't give it away.... surprise! After 300+ weeks, 3 continents, dozens of states and hours of conversation, we are hanging up the microphones and turning the lights out on the ViW project. But, not without a bang. This is the second to last- we ask that you call the hotline at 844-393-0012 and leave a 60-second message as to what you learned while listening to the show. On this show we discuss the way forward, future plans and the big take away lessons for both of us, from thousands of hours of podcasting together. Listen up, give us a call (or leave a message on FB or Twitter) and THIS Thursday, Feb 14th we will drop our final show with your calls and questions.
Giving shows their titles is a funny thing. I’ve probably done 250 or so of them, and I rarely think much about it. Also, when I myself look for podcasts, all I care about is the title of the episode. The very thing I wasn’t paying attention to! Preposition! To which, I had not paid my attention. My attention bill was late…. you get it. So this title is descriptive, very descriptive. The kids might even call it descriptive AF, which I will pretend to know nothing about if asked. So you are going to hear us talking very specifically in this show about this one thing that might not sound that exciting: an imperial peace treaty. Well, it was called the “interim” so it didn’t expect to hang around much longer. It was also pegged with the location of Augsburg, the free imperial city that Charles V (Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Spain and the Netherlands, and Austria. He was also kind of inbred, so that makes all of his stories a little weirder. Get this: his mom’s name was Juanita The Mad. Bad omen, homie. Nonetheless, Martin Luther had just died and Charles, Chucky 5, decided to put the hurt on the reeling Protestants and impose his will. And his will wasn’t that bad! He wanted to end the religious wears and call the Reformation over. A tie. We’ve got a grand idea to mix Catholics and Lutherans in a way that is sure to disappoint everyone! Today’s show is about that story, that peace treaty and goal for religious peace, and some observations on what we might have learned from this monumental historical event. Are their links? Nah, but you can always go to or or or Also, last week I wrote something at 1517 with you ViWers in mind- check it:
I used to think it was really cool when people broke the 4th wall. You know, like, in Fight Club or the original Pink Panther when something happened to remind you that you were indeed watching a film reel. There is nothing as clever here, but a little twist which might make you take notice. Usually we banter for a few minutes, talk around the subject, and then dig in. Well, it seems to be only once every twenty years the Rams make the Super Bowl, so we spent some time talking about them, the game and a myriad of other things. But to get to those hot takes, you need to wade through the actual subject matter. I've moved that 30 minute conversation to the back of our first conversation about dutch radicals, the reformation and the enlightenment. And it is probably more interesting than you first think. We talk a lot about the Reformation and how it has shaped the modern world, but often we miss out on one really important link, the connection between the radical reformation, skepticism, and the modern age. We talk about the nature of radicalism, and why we all kind of gravitate towards it (and what it might teach us). Jeff talks about the Trinity. Dan throws out a few ideas which might lead to further questions. That's the whole point. Have those conversations with your friends and co-workers and family and church group. The point isn't that we come to something like a silly podcast with two professors for all our answers, or to confirm that they have the answers in the back ofd the book too, rather, it's that we start conversations and learn to talk about weighty things that matter with a bit of grace, a sense of humor, and the reminder that everything is going to be ok. P.s. Because of the way this show was edited, it can be the answer to a trivia question sometime in the future. The question is: is there a time, after ep 101, that the show didn't end with someone saying EGBOK? Yes, this one. Because I edited it,
Sometimes our shows start with really simple ideas. For instance, one of us might think of something that would be relevant to the podcast and send the article, idea, etc… via text. We do a little reading, figure out what the “bigger story” at play is, and… voila. An hour and a half later, plus editing time (we sometimes do that!) and we’ve got another show. Ok, now you know how the generic sausage is made. This show, this sausage (?!) is al about the States of the Union. Having just completed a road trip, Dan being in the middle of his own personal California Renaissance, and Jeff having wandered the earth much of his life, the guys reflect on the nature of these United States with regards to state rankings, biases, federalism, and all of this with two dogs running around the studio. As we tell you in the beginning, this is a standard “let’s think through this together” show that involves postulating theses, changing them, rethinking them, and then coming together at the end of the show to discuss what we learned from the conversation. We go on a few tangents, edited a few, but this is a kind of “at home with Jeff and Dan” type show where they talk about their lives, their dogs, the really big questions, and perhaps a Super Bowl prediction or two…
Time to clear out the old phone machine and respond to some of the more common, or curious questions we received. The first half hour of the show has us talking about 2019, Dan's favorite movies of the year, and reading a very revealing and honest email. the next hour is all your calls- a few notes: Dan says "American" when talking about a piece of music.... he misspoke, please replace that in your brain with "New World" Jeff would like you to see Dan says, "Look at " As always, this is a conversation that might resemble a late night conversation you had in college or might have with friends in a safe and welcoming environment. Everything is penultimate, God's not angry, and everything is going to be ok. Thank you for calling, or emailing, if we haven't responded to you, it is all Dan's fault. Some calls we edited for sound quality, or we combined two or three similar calls with one answer. We do not talk about the following, in any meaningful way: California Renaissance Mobbing A young man saying no thanks to a certain label The weird book of the Acts of the Apostles But we promise to, soon.
Happy New Year! On today’s show we talk about the biggest and best of 2018 and what we might look forward to in 2019. It’s an episode with the two guys doing what they love most, chatting with each other about challenges in culture and the church. We decided to look at the “biggest” and “best” stories of 2018, with Jeff taking the “biggest” stories and Dan covering a few of the “best”. Thanks for your support in 2018, in our 5th year we continue to grow in listenership and opportunities to expand. Thank you also to those who have invited us out (together or individually) to give talks, spend time talking about important things, etc… check out the webpage, or the webpages of each of the guys (their names and a .com) to have them come out to you! Here’s just a few things we discuss on today’s show: The Monks of New Skete Kanye West Bad priests Bad elected officials The ozone Layer Net Neutrality Why we can’t seem to get along and argue so much Prohibition and Cannabis “Making a Murderer” and “The Innocent Man” Molech, and more….
Little known fact: the original name of Virtue in the Wasteland was “Jeff and Dan’s Vanity Project to Explore Their Hobbies” but we decided to go a little more broad and talk about society and religion and stuff… Maybe that’s not exactly how it played out, but there is a funny bit of guilt we feel whenever we dive head first into a topic that is seemingly just tickling our fancy as mass entertainment and thus unworthy of critical reflection. But on this show we will argue that R.E.M. is not just one of our favorite bands, but the most important American band of all time. Sound hyperbolic? Check out the show and see if we can pull off the argument and join in on virtueinthewasteland.com We recorded this show from the RV somewhere between Athens, GA and Charlottesville, VA after our pilgrimage to the mecca of R.E.M. fan sites. We got to discussing the band, its evolution and role in 80’s and 90’s pop culture. On this show, which was recorded moths ago and feared lost until only a few days ago, we make the audacious argument that R.E.M. is the most significant rock band in U.S. history. 3 caveats: this is not “the best R.E.M. songs” podcast. In fact, if it was, it would suffer from being terribly mundane and uninventive as a “best of”. Doing that, using commercial success and air play to judge significance, would make this super lame and obvious. So the tracks we pick are the hits, but the ones that are indicative of the band, and tell us something about them and the society they reflected. Caveat # 2: There is a lot of music on this episode! About a minute or so of each song we talk about. Using all the actual music is allowed under the Fair Use Act, as we are playing it to comment on, and use for teaching purposes. In case you were concerned. Caveat #3 We do not discuss R.E.M. post New Adventures in Hi-Fi. This is not because we dislike later R.E.M. (listen to our show with Dave Zahl, he convinced us to give late R.E.M. more attention in our own lives. We could argue that R.E.M after New Adventures is a different band, as Bill Berry suffered an aneurysm on tour and retired, giving way to a rotating list of drummers and (unfortunately, in this case) drum machines. I have recently picked up an article I’ve been working on ,which ranks every R.E.M. song. Late R.E.M is well represented. On the Spotify list below, you can see some of our picks for post Hi-Fi R.E.M. songs.
Andrew Syed (formerly Andrew Paquin) visited Jeff recently, during which time Dan was in Dallas related to the new 1517 Academy (check it out). Andrew was Jeff's colleague at a previous institution, until politics and conceptions of Christian political beliefs resulted in a controversy. Andrew and Jeff explore this backstory, which several news outlets picked up a decade ago. Andrew discusses the negative effects the events and how he sought healing through recognition of the long term effects of trauma.
Christmas movies and carols and traditions and….. we could go on and on. And in fact, we have gone “on and on” for over 5 years now doing a special Christmas show. On today’s show the guys are back together again in the comfy confines of the ViW Irvine studios and it felt like old times. The thesis of today’s show is that the strange “thrill of hope” we all experience this time of year is no coincidence. In fact, we are not thoroughly entangled in any other holiday like we are Christmas. And while we might bemoan the commercialism, or creeping secularism (still not sure what that is, though) or stress, we might also recognize that our grocery store aisles are filled with the music proclaiming good news. While the general tenor of the yer can be rough and go-it-alone, this is the time of year when we soften, the time we become like a child again in the very season God deigned to do the same thing.
I don’t have any naked baby photos. Frankly, I don’t have any baby photos. I blame either a house fire or parental indifference. Nonetheless, I wonder if I might not start subtitling my talks as “naked baby photos” not because there are, but because when I overshare, that’s the closest thing I can relate to how I’ll probably make you feel when I share publicly about my life. Like naked baby photos, they are harmless, but show you a side we don’t always put on display. As a matter of fact, you aren’t supposed to be hearing this talk! the deal was that it was only for those in the room. My wife convinced me to figure out a way to edit it in such a way to take out some detail which might frustrate a minor side story, but not the big picture. So, I took my editing fingers to my LogicPro X (the official editing software of ViW!) and I cut out some proper names. As I was editing it just now, I was listening to it and thinking, “dang, I shared quite a bit, maybe I should edit out that story that doesn’t make me look that good in retrospect” but I didn’t…. This isn’t the story of my delinquency, that’s just a side avenue where we see God at work shining some grace on me in Jesus. This is a talk about EGBOK (everything is going to be ok) and what it means. It’s the most in depth we’ve ever gone into that thing we say at the end of every show. If you are so inclined to want me to speak at your event, or you want to hear or read or watch more of me you can go to my website Check out Jeff (and listen to last week’s show wherein we play his HWSS talk) Oh. please go too and give, if you’re so inclined.
From Here We Still Stand 2018: This is a talk with Jeff blowing up any ideas of works righteousness and refuses to settle with a message that’s just another doctrine to keep straight or moral code to live up to. Maybe you’re a bear, maybe you’re a butterfly, listen to this talk and it will make sense.
David Zahl leads Mockingbird Ministries and has a forthcoming book about secular religion and self-righteousness in America. We talk virtue signaling, popular music, Bob Dylan's Christian era, and Charlottesville, VA. Pre-order Dave's book ! virtueinthewasteland.com
So, this show was a long time coming. Since earlier in this year we had been playing phone and email tag with student filmmaker Jessica van der Wyngaard regarding her new documentary project that chronicles the lives of those influenced by Josh Harris, for good or ill. The first interveiw is a conversation with the filkmmaker- an Autralian, living in Canada, making a film about a largely American phenomenon. van der Wyngaard was engaging and willing to take on the critics of her project. Meanewhile, Josh Harris seemed reluctant to make, or talk about the film, and in our interveiw today, you may learn why. Check out the film here: https://www.isurvivedikdg.com
On this weeks episode we welcome back an old guest of the show: Emily Joy. Since last being on our show, Emily Joy has contributed to Jeff's book Sexy as well as co-founded the #churchtoo movement and has become something of a lightning rod for issues of abuse in the church. We interviewed Emily Joy while travelling through Nashville, and when she had told us she had "changed since we last me", we weren't sure what to expect. Turns out she is the same poet, critic and artist just having raised the volume to 11. We got an opportunity to sit back and listen to her tell her story, and share her perspective amongst the chirping crickets in the warm Nashville evening. You can prepare to take notes, and challenge, and set the guest straight... wait, not on this show. We listen, and we would ask that you would do the same.
On this weeks’ episode we take you back to the 2nd Annual Here We Still Stand conference in beautiful, if slightly milquetoast, San Diego (just kidding San Diego, we love you, as we have recorded at least once a year from your confines only to eventually praise your street food, socio-economic diversity and weather). Think of it as part of the road trip, as we recorded this show almost immediately upon returning from our road trip. Stay tuned in the next few weeks as we continue releasing those shows. On this live show we talk with Debi Winrich on her new podcast “the Soul of Christianity” as well as Dr. Russ McCullough from the Gwartney Institute to discuss his work on Christianity and Capitalism. If you’re still reading, cool. So we can get a little more serious. Not really serious, but just more familiar. This is Dan, I write in the third person plural sometimes, but usually it’s me. So.... hey. This conference was super rad and you will be hearing our talks (mine in some edited fashion) soon. But it was also crazy anxiety inducing for me as it could seem like a kind of intellectual fashion show for a specific type of religious speaker. I had initially thought that we were doing a show that a few people might watch, but not that we were doing an actual live program. You see, an hour or so of intellectual-and-otherwise chit chat isn’t that hard, but it’s also not a live performance. At any rate, I had an acting coach once tell me that the last thing you should do is apologize before a performance. What did she know, anyway? Enjoy the show. Even if it sounds rushed and stilted in the beginning because it was a strange new environment and I felt like a caged animal on display. But it was fun. For reals! Peace!
Eric Dorman discusses his personal transition from progressivism to classic conservatism despite being a never Trumper, and the pragmatic nature of Tennessee politics. He works for a nonprofit news source that serves the homeless in Nashville, is a frequent contributor to Mockingbird, and runs his own site called Kept Republic. virtueinthewasteland.com
After five plus years of the podcast, we finally get around to a proper discussion of virtue ethics. We do so with the leading active scholar in America today: Christian Miller of Wake Forest University. (The Roman Catholic Alisdair McIntyre and Lutheran Gilbert Meilaender have both recently retired, so we don't think this claim is hyperbolic.) Miller is the author of several books and articles, but his recent book The Character Gap: How Good Are We? is a gem. And it is both good at handling scholarship--including scholarship from the field of social psychology--and presenting it in an understandable way to a non-technical audience. If you've been listening for a while and want a good presentation of virtue theory, this is the place to go. Miller holds a B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. His main areas of research are meta-ethics, moral psychology, moral character, action theory, and philosophy of religion. He is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University and Philosophy Director of the Beacon Project (), funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. He was the Director of the Character Project (), which was funded by $5.6 million in grants from the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton World Charity Foundation. He is the author of over 80 papers as well as three books with Oxford University Press, Moral Character: An Empirical Theory(2013), Character and Moral Psychology (2014), and The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (forthcoming 2017). He is also the editor or co-editor of Essays in the Philosophy of Religion (Oxford University Press), Character: New Directions from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology (Oxford University Press), Moral Psychology, Volume V: Virtue and Character (MIT Press), Integrity, Honesty, and Truth-Seeking (Oxford University Press), and The Continuum Companion to Ethics (Continuum Press).
On today's show we travel into the deep south, racecar country, to meet up with Fr. Victor Singingeagle to talk about Potowatomi religion and Christianity, the pre-columbian social world of 15th c. America, and life as an outsider looking in. We first met Fr. Victor Singingeagle through our friends the Klembara's and Blake Flattely, who met him when they produced their documentary short on Concorida Selma. The Rev Dr holds two PhDs, one in anthropology and one in English and He is a former administrator and professor at the now defunct Concordia College, Selma, a historically black college. As part of their road trip throughout the American South, Dan and Jeff met up with the good Reverend Dr., for a lively evening of discussion all things Native American, faith and culture.
Reflections on first leg of the road trip through the American Southeast, and an interview of three committed Christian kids in the Bible belt who defy easy categorization. Julia, Luke and Calista share their candid thoughts on hot button topics. Not a debate but fact finding. virtueinthewasteland.com 1517.org
The #VIWROADTRIP2018 is underway, and this is our first show from the road. While we are on the trip to visit a few people and places in the south, we started our RV trip in Orlando at the home of one of Jeff's best childhood friends. The beginning of the show is a little different than others, as we did this in the RV while driving- Dan opens the show with a bit of the "thesis" of the show and then the guys go into Star Wars, religion, walking away from what we once loved, devotion despite criticism, and other things that swing in both the direction of Star Wars and the Church. From Sep 28-Oct 10 the guys will br checking in daily from the road and you can find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Oh, that title almost sounds cynical. You know, like the kind of show that goes “you know that one incredibly popular thing? yeah? We, and God, disapprove”. That’s not our vibe, so, if you’re looking to slam on the Enneagram, that’s not what’s happening. In fact, you might be surprised at what we find as we dig into this popular, kinda-historical, emotional and psychological mapping system. We have some fun, talk about the popularity of these kinds of tests, and give you some info on our upcoming tour through the South.
On today's show we talk about heroes and superheroes as an entrance into talking about one of the great lost "superhero" stories of all time: the Heliand. This story, a kind of Beowulf meets King Arthur meets the Gospels, was super important during a few critical times in our history. The story is good, but it could be dangerous. Do our heroes fall prey to the dark side of the myth? Tune in and check it out.
So, last week we gave you a show that clocked in at over two hours- we always recommend that you break the show up in to bits, and so it might take some time for you to get to this next show. But fear not, this one is a shorter show, comprised of a few questions and calls from listeners. Lest you think that a breezy call in show would allow us to dodge topics and pick easy questions like: best pizza topping? Or Unicorns or Bigfoot? But we want to let the show go where you, the listener, are interested. And this often leads to provocative questions and answers- we aren’t trying to be “edgy” but think through, in a non BS way, how we might want to respond and think.
Whoa boy, this is a long one. But well worth it, and we hope you will agree. Break it up into a few listens, the show consists of three long form interviews. A few weeks ago we played the stunningly raw April Kirby discuss her own story of abuse in the church, but we didn't head down to a creative collective outside of Dallas to hear that story (though we are glad we did). We came down to do some work with our friends that Klembara's and record at their studio- The TX Studio- to record some classes and promotional materials. While there, we interviewed a number of people we found at the co-op that had really interesting work and work stories. We thought, what better time than when we are all getting back into the grind to hear some stories of people who got out of the common daily grind to find their calling. This doesn't mean that working a 9-5 is less, but we are seeing that when it comes to jobs, there are more and more than we thought. But how might we find these jobs that our high school or college counselors never told us about? That is the direction we go with all three interviews, and we think you will find their stories inspiring.
Ok, so we have these interviews, and we have listener calls, and we wanted to get to all or most of these things this week. And then things changed, unfortunately. On this episode we talk about the place of public mourning, we answer your pressing questions on tyrannosaurus procreation, talk about the place and power of forgiveness, and some personal things for public processing (because that seems to be what we do to a fault).
So this is show 300. And it's recorded on location in Dallas, TX. This interview was going to be in a series of interviews on craftsmanship, vocation and creativity. And trust us, April is one talented woman. You can check out her stuff on Aprilkirby.com- she tells stories, makes videos, and helps to document important life events. But, it's a little different than we thought. Dan met April and her husband Clint about a year ago here in Dallas and was dranw to their particular journey in the creative world and the church. So, the interview started by talking about the church, and didn't really leave that topic. But it wasn't the conversation we were expecting. It was more timely and important than we could have thought. A quick note about the subject matter: this isn't a show for kids, and it touches on some issues of sexual abuse in the church. Ultimately, we want to foster the kind of listening that allows victims of abuse to feel safe, comfortable and worthy of sharing their story.
Seriously, a show about animals. Which, of course would be interesting to a large majority of people given the fact we have an entire television networks devoted to animals. The problem is, neither of these two Drs are a zoologist, and we're pretty sure Dan couldn't tell you the difference between any two closely related animals (try him, ask him the difference between a seagull and a dove). But this show is not about zoology, but rather the imagery (sometimes from the zoo) that humankind has used to identify and explain itself to others. We have an eye on the history of some of the more rich metaphors we have made as a species, from spirit animals to college mascots. On today's show the guys discuss everything from mascots, to pets, spirit animals, and images of redemption in the animal kingdom. Enjoy the show.
Augustine, his importance, the City of God, the Confessions, and what he means for Western Christianity. Also, is there any legitimate criticism or concern about his views on the relations between church and empire? Also, Jeff gives his take on the Beverly Hills Chihuahua franchise.
"Why don't you guys talk about [fill in the blank] more often?" We've gotten this comment throughout the years, and as a show about everything, it's hard to give all of our topics the appropriate time. So- we opened the Virtue in the Wasteland Hotline at 1-844-393-0012. And, as you may have heard before, we dedicate shows to answering whatever burning questions you might have for your two favorite professors. Or us. Enjoy the show. And call in with your own question (90 second maximum)
On today's show we have another summertime special on which Dan is furiously overcompensating for Jeff being gone. And you win! That's right, another guest and two different topics, almost too much show. In the beginning of the show Dan talks about fear and immigration and then brings on policy analyst Joe Laughon to discuss the facts about what is happening on our border. And then, there is a summer time treat, a live talk given by Dan a few months ago in North Dakota. Dan sets it all up on this last of shows without our pal Jeff. Godspeed, good buddy.
"If the Gospel is For Everyone, Why Is Everyone Around Me So White?" This was a question asked on today's episode by one of our guests, Doug Klembara. It led to our conversation on the short documentary his wife and friend just made, and leads us into the conversation Dan has with @Lex_Lutheran of Twitter fame, he's a man who digs his church but sees major racial issues to be discussed and combatted. Sure, when we talk about the college closing everything is "alleged" and these are nothing but initial thoughts on how to think and talk about the issue. As we always say, if you want to play "gotcha!", you will win. Help us formulate our thoughts, recommend books, or just listen along with us as we delve into a topic that makes us all a little uncomfortable. We are on the go and in 3 timezones, so mic quality could be better but the quality of conversation makes up for it- we'll be back in our regular studio next week.
The title makes it sound like this is a serious show. It really isn't. Mostly filled with Dan and Jeff messing around, but that's part of the point. Plus, they do get to a serious bit 3/4 of the way in, about the importance of letting go of the tyranny of leisure... the idea we have to "do" something instead of receiving the gift of existing, releasing our pain and resentment, and setting aside ego and fear. That's where things end up: ten things we refuse to do even though we know it will be good for us. virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com
It's another live show! This time with a bunch of high school kids who had spent the week at Concordia University, Irvine for the annual Crosswise Institute. They heard world class lectures and discussed really difficult and rewarding topics pertaining to the nature of God, the brain, science and drugs. On the final day of the institute, Jeff and Dan (Jeff is one of many behind the scenes for the institute at CUI), set up for a live show with a guest audience, a musical guest and a game. It's a summer time special, a live show- enjoy!
On today's show the guys take a little break from their recent shows on history and power (all the moloch business) to answer questions you have and listen to comments you've made on our ViW hotline. Enjoy the show!
On today's show we are back discussing old-timey people and old fashioned ideas. Not because we think making them old makes them good, in fact, some of our characters are downright scoundrels. But we are looking for ways in which we might engage both the state and religious institutions in creating a compassionate, faithful, and flourishing state. This is, in part, a reflection of the joint research the guys have undertaken for their first joint publication. Enjoy the Show!
On today's show the guys get into some of the content of their latest research for the upcoming book. As the guys are looking for thoughtful ways to address contentious issues they sometimes come across a book that shakes things up a bit. In this case, it was Peter Leithart's Defending Constantine. Jeff and Dan discuss the book, the emperor and more importantly, what any of it means for us today.
Hey, it's our 5 year anniversary show! And rather than simply talk about the show, we decided to do the mother of all "what did we learn" segments. If you've been traveling with us, you know it has been a wild ride and we have tried to be very open own our discussions with all of you. On this show we discuss the big take aways from over 275 consecutive weeks of broadcasting
On today's show the guys discuss some big news and talk about the upcoming, very special, 5 year anniversary show. We talk about Reinhold Niebuhr, Roseanne, and a few other things that will set the course for the rest of this year. Listen up, and enjoy the show! note: this show has been edited from its original. If you don't know why, it's not a big deal. If you do know why... it's not really a big deal either.
Yeah, you read that right. It's not a typo. On today's show we discuss a small asian community that is thousands of years old and has remained hidden from American eyes until recently. After some of the more shameful events in the later years of the Vietnam War, many Hmong (then in Laos as exiles, and then mercenaries) came to America. By 1980 the Hmong were allowed to become citizens and have since founded two rather large communities in California and Minnesota. How do the Hmong deal with the "American" aspects of Christianity and how do they see they're own tribal and sometimes animistic faith in light of being baptized. To talk through these interesting people, we have another immigrant but from Korea, Prof. Tom Park. Prof Park is doing his doctoral studies on the faith and culture of these people he has lived amongst and served. Enjoy the show!
On today's show we discuss one of the root causes of the Russian troll attacks, our willingness to give out all of our most private information, often times only to have a computer guess your age, compare you to a Disney princess, or explain why you and your coworker don't get along. We do this by talking about, and taking the Proust Questionnaire- listen up!
It's a slightly different show today in that our guest is... well, Dan! He has recently published a full length historical monograph through 1517 Publishing and is promoting it around the web in various places. And so Jeff decided to put on his interview hat and treat Dan like a guest. This lasted all of 15 minutes. The guys end up discussing what Jeff is drinking, which historical duo we'd like to be, and of course, the Prophet of Lutheran Pietism, Johann Arndt. Dan's research on Arndt not only affected his own spiritual life and theological self understanding, but also offered him a way to look at problems within Lutheranism that persist to today. Enjoy the show!
Following in our now 5 year tradition, today's episode is a Graduation Special! We think about the world today, and what we woulds day to grads on their way into the real world!
On today's show we take your calls! (You can call in on our voicemail line 844-393-0012) We take a range of questions from callers today, from the recent show we did on the poor, to some comparative religions and talk a little bit about surfing the Tao from some unlikely sources 0000014C 0000014C 00004F12 00004F12 0052F3D1 0052F3D1 00008171 00008171 004E5D39 004E5D39
On today's episode we book end last weeks episode on why people leave the church. On this episode we hear from a caller, discuss why we haven't left the church ourselves and talk about why we stick around.
On today's episode we talk about an upcoming podcast on the 1517 network of podcasts. We are talking about why people live the church- something about which there has been no end to the writing of books. So we want to try and whittle down the question: why do people leave thus church? And we want to be sympathetic and open to correction. George Barna and others have spent the past decade telling us about the Millennials and Gen-Z, so what do we do about it?
On today's show we start by discussing a tent city for the homeless in Dan's hometown. We move on to discuss the centrality of the poor throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. What are the "options" in how we might think about the poor and poverty? What does the Reformation tradition show us? Listen up, we get deep and challenge ourselves on this episode.
On today's show we examine the idea of a "narrative of decline" and how it might impact how we view the church. This show is a thought experiment that began when Dan had an idea he wanted to work through. This show is an exercise in thinking, looking at optimism and pessimism, and learning to understand how the gospel of hope fits in.
On today's episode we play actual calls from actual listeners who bring up topics from gun control, the popularity of Jordan Peterson and our religious convictions. Check it out, and call us at 844-393-0012 to leave your question as a message
On today's episode we dig into the national conversation on gun control after the recent tragedy in Parkland, FLA. But don't expect the kind of conversation you might be used to. The guys talk about the history and the constitution but then press on to a deeper answer (if it exists).
Today's show is in two acts. In act 1 the guys reflect on Cuba, talk about a few current events and talk about running to extreme positions in theology, politics and in general. The second act is an interview with our friends Marcos and Mark a week after our trip to Cuba to reflect on what we learned there.
On todays show we play clips from an interview we did with Marcos Ruiz and Mark Norman. We discuss cuban politics, religion and the state of travel to the once forbidden isle.
On today's episode we pick up the theme from last week and discuss the ancient figure of Moloch, the importance of calling out religions of cruel power, and the surprisingly anti-intuitive actions of Jesus.
On today's show we answer actual questions from actual listeners. We talk about tragedy, reproductive issues and ethics, the #metoo movement and the question Dan gets more than any other. Enjoy the show!
On Today's show we discuss current events coming out of the Vatican and with Evangelical leader Franklin Graham on current events. We then look at a brief history of the papacy, church authority in civil matters, and why we have an inclination to find figureheads who speak publicly for us.
On today's show the guys talk about the most compelling arguments against the church and discuss ways in which we can take these criticisms (from Marx, Freud, etc... ) and build stronger arguments for the importance of religious life today.
On today's show we go to a number of recent polls that tell us number of fascinating, hopeful, and curious things. We discuss the nature of the American job market, vocational opportunities, millennials, and a few numbers that remind us that everything is going to be ok.
On today's episode we hand out awards for our favorites of 2017 and look at some of the bigger stories of the past year and discuss how they might effect 2018.
An overview of the Gospel according to Luke with special attention to the concept of the Temple and the idea of cleaning the house of faith to make room for Jesus' kingdom. Political elements are particularly emphasized. virtueinthewasteland.com
This year's Christmas special was recorded live at the Boathouse Collective in Costa Mesa, California. We were stoked to have Blake Flattley and his band lead the evening with a collection of interviews and musical performances.
On today's show we welcome author Rebecca Lemke who came out joined us here in studio from her regular base in Oklahoma. Rebecca has written The Scarlet Virgins: When Sex Replaces Salvation. Rebecca led us through a complicated and sometimes very difficult episode about sexual predators in the church, the role of purity culture in American evangelicalism and where we might find some hope in our preoccupation with all things sex, culture and church. Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for links and an article by Jeff from his recently published book, Sexy.
On Feelings: A Quick Guide to Navigating Your Inner Life Jeff and Dan discuss the ways in which our feelings, thoughts and behaviors affect our search for a virtuous life. It may not be going in the direction you think!
It’s Thanksgiving and we do well to take a few minutes out of our day to remind ourselves why we love America. The divisiveness of the last Presidential campaign and the vitriol coming through our TV boxes and ear buds has made being thankful difficult. So, here are a few things, whether you are on the left or right, that you can be thankful about.
A bonus episode in which the guys follow their discussion of the best movies to portray Sex, Drugs and Religion with their top songs in those categories. There is a 30 second gap between U2's 40 and Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools. Despite that little gaffe, we really dig this show and had a great time recording it.
On today's episode we count down our favorite films (or most poignant films) in the categories of Sex, Drugs, and Religion. This is part 1 of a two part series. The second part where we count down our top songs in these categories comes out on Friday. Check out the show page to read Dan's article on Pornography, Methamphetamines and Jesus.
We look at the rise of the Occult in our post recession anxiety, the roots of occultism with the Rosicrucian movement in the 16th century, new religious movements in the 19th and 20th century, the curious case of Josephine Paladin, and why we shouldn't be afraid of the rise of occultism today.
Dan's back for a discussion of his reading of David Foster Wallace and Søren Kierkegaard in the hospital. Hope and despair in an anxious age. Defense of the so-called snowflake millennials and their plight. virtueinthewastleand.com
Jeff Mallinson's lecture on the implications of Luther's concept of the freedom of the Christian. How we can love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. How we can stop worrying about legalistic works to earn our standing before God: once we are freed from acts of religiosity that are no good to our neighbor, we can spill out the unconditional love of God for others. Freed from worrying about looking bad by being associated with sinners, we can serve those sinners and bear the burden of their sin. Jeff would like to apologize for not clearly concluding his point, but hopefully there are some inspiring themes that you can apply. The main point is that instead of treating people how they deserve, we are free to treat others like God treats us.
Music! Reformation! Reformation Music! Oh, ok... so maybe I say "look at this slide". And you are all, "I can't see with my ears, dummy". And then I am like, "they were bad slides and would have confused you more". Problem solved. Today's show is on another Reformation theme and taken from a lecture Dan gave on the eve of the Reformation a few years ago. Also, there might be a ticket or two for you last stragglers to join the crew in San Diego this weekend (Oct. 19 2017). to see what you can get!
Scratching the surface of a longer conversation regarding the nature of the demonic and mental health. Stay tuned for more detailed conversation with psychologists and biblical scholars in the weeks to come. virtueinthewasteland.com
Mental health, mental illness, social stigma related to such things, and the way we fund health care. Dan starts by talking through his trip to the hospital and life for a few days in a psychiatric ward. Following this, the dudes discuss the lessons learned from the experience related to the way American's fund health care. virtueinthewasteland.com
Jeff interviews newly minted PhD and former student Dr. Ryan Tafilowski about his research into the theologians in Germany under the Third Reich. Some opposed the Nazis, some cooperated. Is the two kingdom's theory to blame? Find out.
Dr. Wade Johnston discusses historical and current cultural and ideological reasons why Lutherans have a long history of not getting along. Johnston has degrees from Martin Luther College, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Central Michigan University, and Erasmus University Rotterdam. He serves as assistant professor of theology at in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and served for ten years in parish ministry in Saginaw, Michigan. He also has a podcast:
How pyramid schemes operate like new religious movements. The history of direct marketing. Tupperware. Herbalife. Multi-level marketing. Capitalism. John Stuart Mill and classical liberalism. Regulations and the public good.
Jeff interviews Christian and Chelsea Tuttle, outside their home (a Cold-War era six wheel drive: a 1982 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 712W) to discuss the ways in which this young couple has sought adventure, met new people, and lived life deliberately. (The cold open uses ear buds; don't worry, the audio get's better after the opening music.) They discuss the importance of travel, the ways in which people have been surprisingly decent along the road, and how one might choose the best vehicle for a roving lifestyle. (There are short reviews of a few types of modified vehicles). Check out their blog site: Chelsea's a professional photographer, whose website is here: Some of their friends: The Facebook page Jeff mentions at the start of the show. We mention Mauricio and Abigail Parra, whose site is here: For other shows:
A candid and uncensored conversation with Shannon, who grew up in the church but discusses the perplexing difficulties of reconciling her upbringing with the new rules of dating at age 33, especially in Manhattan. Perhaps the most valuable part of the conversation is the unique dangers for people--perhaps especially women--who live in the emotional aftermath of a divorce, and may become susceptible to manipulative people who want to capitalize on it for their own power and gratification. Listed as explicit for adult language. Whether or not you agree with Shannon's response to her life situation, her candid explanation of how she feels will perhaps help you understand yourself, your loved ones, and even your romantic enemies a bit better. virtueinthewasteland.com
What was the civil war about? How ought we remember it? What about Confederate monuments and statues?
We explore moral psychology in Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind. Next week, we will discuss further with Dr. Kristen Koenig, a sociologist. will have relevant show notes.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty today is learning how to speak to one another without a shared canon, a shared set of values, or a shared way of seeking goodness truth and beauty. We discuss the nature of our postmodern context and how ethics and aesthetics might lead us out of the present cultural quagmire. See the show notes for links to the various projects in Baja California, Mexico, overseen by Mauricio and Abigail Parra, who we discuss in the first part of the show.
Micah is back! He's coming out with a new hip hop album that will rattle some cages. Where is the line between art, religion, politics, and freedom? virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org
Listener questions answered. What's burning, and what's at stake these days in the lives of Dan and Jeff as they return home from travels and speaking. virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org
As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we address the many ways in which Martin Luther has been mischaracterized, by friends and foes alike. Dan and Jeff are joined by Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto, author of The Fabricated Luther (Concordia Publishing) and founder and director emeritus of the League of Faithful Masks. They are also joined by 1517's own Dr. Scott Keith, who wrote his dissertation on Luther's successor, Melanchthon. virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org 1517legacy.com
The historical importance of the concept of heresy. A discussion of Dan's odd travels and flight cancellations. Addiction as a sin but not as a moral failing. Gnosticism, Pelagianism, Donatism, and the importance of understanding that understanding heresy is a defense against the dark arts, not an excuse to poke people in the eye. virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org
This podcast discussion took place in France, where LFM founder, lay theologian, and renowned journalist, Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto tends to spend his summers. He joined us to discuss the vocations of voters, the way we consume and sift through media, and what that says for Kurt Winrich's business--investment. He is on the board of 1517 but also a principle at . Note: no investment advice is given; rather we discuss the real world importance of getting the news right. 1517legacy.com virtueinethewasteland.com themasks.org
At the end of a thoughtful and enriching week (Jeff was a speaker and MC of the weeklong experience at Concordia University Irvine), the guys brought the podcast to the live audience to reflect on issues related to transhumanism, the future economy, and careers that will remain in a world of increasing AI and automation. We had a lot of fun. We play a game about robots, and interact with some very interesting young people, who got the chance to hear from some theologians, but also from Zoltan Istvan, California's upcoming Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and internationally known transhumanist. For more information on the institute:
The world got you down? Freaked out? Nothing new under the sun. First half: a discussion of Jeff's experience traveling to Madrid to view Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" and other pieces. What was he saying with this bizarre work? Second half: a discussion of how echo chambers cause us to beat down people of principle. The example we primarily use is the case of leftist hysteria at Evergreen State College, but it can apply to most other groups that get into their own loops without generously listening to others in the world.
The newest mask Blake Flattley joins the show to talk about liturgy, art, music, emotion, and the tricky music industry.
Hold on to your hats kids! You might be in for some cognitive dissonance depending on where your sensibilities might be found. How about we talk about Trump, Jesus, and Reefer Madness. Listen up. Unless you are a sensitive type who can't abide by perplexing questions and evidence that we might all be wrong. Enjoy the Show!
Marcos Ruiz introduces, then joins the show for the second live podcast of the Sexy/Monsters summer tour. There are few venues as cool for this sort of thing as Cubaocho, in Little Havana, Miami. Art, cocktails, music and dancing abound. So does good conversation. On this show, Jeff and Dan discuss the spiritual peace we call "blood orange" and explain how the best way to get there is to confront what Jung described as the shadow self, and what Dan calls monsters. Then there's an interview with Marcos Ruiz, founder of the El Lector feast, talking about Cuban Americans and changing relations with Cuba itself these days. Finally, we take questions about sex drugs and religion from the audience, using the new Virtue in the Wasteland wheel.
Marcos Ruiz brought the guys out to Miami Florida, to a pig roast at Church for a live recording, to launch the books Sexy and Monsters. Audience Q&A.
What if we stopped focussing on abstractions and ideologies, and took a moment to consider virtue? Virtue is often defined literally as manliness--the Romans equated virtue with heroic human excellence. Since manliness means something a bit different, we discuss being humane, and consider how our culture could benefit from humanizing issues that are otherwise seen as abstractions. We go through an exercise where we consider several classic virtues and see whether Trump exhibits them. All in good fun. virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org
Factors related to whether you or someone you care about should go on to a formal BA or grad degree, now that you've graduated. What college alternatives exist? What about going to Europe? Should you take a gap year? Dan and Jeff won't answer these questions for you, but they will invite you to freely ask yourself who you really are and what that means for the next phase of life. virtueinthewasteland.com
Dan and Jeff do a short introductory discussion about divorce and the difference between Pharisees and Jesus on this matter. Some follow up about Dan's relationship and the status of the books. Then they shift to a long form interview with the girlfriend of Jeff's son Auggie (who you heard back in the old days from time to time, and the bass player in the opening/closing music). Her name is Sydnie, was the child of divorce, and didn't tell us exactly how she would answer questions before we pushed "record." So check out what she says. This ain't theory, but rather an honest reflection on life after a broken marriage.
This is part two of a new focus, and this is where it gets a bit heavy. Don't give in to despair. Check out jeffmallinson.com for more information on Sexy: The Quest for Erotic Virtue in Perplexing Times and danvanvoorhis.com for more information on Monsters: Addiction, Hope, Ex-Girlfriends, and Other Dangerous Things.
After four years, Virtue in the Wasteland reboots, starting a new focus on sex, drugs, and religion, with a conversation between Jeff and Stacie Mallinson and Dan and Beth Anne van Voorhis, in the Gramercy Park Hotel, in New York. The first part gives some of the back story and there's some playfulness. The second part may get a bit more uncomfortable. But despite the changes long time listeners might notice, the end should be familiar. Take heart. Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for show notes and cool links.
Sometimes, we feel the need to defend great artifacts and contributors to culture. But why not let them speak for themselves, whatever the critics may think? We return to some reflections on a Father John Misty concert, discuss the cultural significance of Saturday Night live, explore the importance of a sixteenth century painter who's wilder than Dali. Enjoy. virtueinthewasteland.com
Joel talks about the upcoming Crosswise Institute event in Irvine, transhumanism, robots, embodiment, and his trip to Iceland. virtueinthewasteland.com
Father John Misty (the moniker for Josh Tillman, former drummer of the Fleet Foxes) dropped his third album Pure Comedy, through Sub Pop records this last week. Dan and Jeff discuss the cultural significance of this album, which is a contribution to the conversation about religion, politics, and technological culture today. Tillman reportedly was reading Zizek's Living in the End Times during the recording of the album. That book was part of a Virtue in the Wasteland "class" Dan and Jeff taught last year. Thus, it brings together ViW's favorite themes: where we are going culturally, whether everything will indeed be ok in the end, religion, philosophy, ideology, politics, and well-written pop music. This may not be for everyone, but you may want to listen even if Father John Misty isn't your style. This is because he taps into a very real concern young people (but not just young people) are raising about why it seems so often that conservative religious people act "like godless animals." By the way, the album cover is interesting: it is like a modern take on Hieronymus Bosch. virtuneinthewasteland.com
This was supposed to be a serious, high-brow, educational show. It turned into something hard to categorize. We had fun at least. virtueinthewasteland.com shop.1517legacy.com
Part two in our series on the history of the reformations that took place outside of Germany. Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, the Book of Common Prayer, and Anglicanism as a middle way between Wittenberg and Geneva. virtueinthewasteland.com themasks.org 1517legacy.com
This is the first in a series of shows about the Reformations that took place in the sixteenth-century, outside of Germany and the Lutheran tradition. We explore Zwingli's thought, the affair of the sausages, and political aspects of the Swiss reformation. 1517legacy.com virtueinthewasteland.com
Why does painting matter? We discuss: La la Land, New Sincerity, Edvard Munch, The Scream, Impressionism, and the art of children. Join us for a great conversation with our friend Dr. Dan Siedell. Our guest is Director of Whale & Star, the Miami-based studio of artist Enrique Martínez Celaya, where he oversees research and development. He is visiting professor at Knox Theological Seminary and Kings College, NY. Previously, he taught modern and contemporary art history, theory, and criticism at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was also Chief Curator of the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for eleven years. He holds a Ph.D. in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory, and Criticism. University of Iowa (1995), and an M.A. inArt History, Theory, and Criticism. SUNY Stony Brook (1991). He's the author of God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art (Baker Academic, 2008) and Who's Afraid of Modern Art?: Essays on Modern Art and Theology in Conversation (Cascade, 2015). virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com
Joe Laughon is back. Are we in an age of corruption and decay? Are we on the verge of a new world order, or on the edge of doom. Can we lock things down and keep the dangerous outsiders at bay?
The corruption of power, why people want it, why we don't always realize that power is behind other "causes" and why people get aggressive when their power is questioned. Jeff and Dan riff on a theme close to home for them, and for all of us these days. 1517legacy.com virtuneinthewasteland.com
Listen to find out. Also, the point: things have already changed and the results of those changes will affect institutions and ways we live in the future. No fear: everything is vanity, but all is enfolded into a larger, righteous cosmic story.
Gustavo Arellano is one of the coolest journalists and authors in our neck of the woods. He’s the editor of the , where Dan and Jeff learned about bands to follow, local issues and stuff to see, when they were growing up. He is the author of the nationally syndicated column He is a best selling author with three great books to check out: ¡Ask a Mexican!, Orange County: A Personal History, and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America We also discuss politics, syncretistic religion, and the Catholic church’s scandals here in Southern California. virtueinthewasteland.com
How a lot has already changed in 2017... it may have changed a while back but we discuss three ways in which politics, religion, and entertainment have shifted significantly. What we find each of these changes have in common is a questioning of longstanding authorities.
On today's show we discuss the idea of normal. Having received so many emails from all around the world, we have a particularly American and west coast mentality. We think some things are normal when in fact it might be shocking to others. Is normal the same as good? how do we judge what is "normal"? Do we need to check what we believe is normal, or are they socially constructed and need not be judged as normal or abnormal? From Aquinas to Warren Harding to Oingo Boingo. Enjoy the show!
In this, the last episode of 2016, Jeff and Dan discuss what they might slough off and let go of in 2017. Rather than think too much about we will do in the coming year, this show explores what kind of rubbish, litter and filth we would like to shake off for the coming year. We discuss politics, personal ideologies and the album of the year (and play what Dan believes is the best track... if you want to slip through it, he won't take it personally). We all know 2016 has been a tumultuous year, the guys discuss how we might enter the new year, #EGBOK style...
How a famous 19th c. Danish statesman, hymn writer, poet, theologian and education reformer, though little known to many Americans today, had a profound influence on the world, and represents an alternative to angrier approaches to life.
Depression, Christmas, muddling through, hope, the Christmas blues, great but darker pop Christmas lyrics. The Pogues, Calexico, Eels and more. Why suicides don't really spike around Christmas. Why April is the cruelest month.
What happened to the European Christian world after Luther posted his 95 theses. Protestant scholasticism, pietism, Philip Melanchthon, Johann Sturm, Martin Bucer, Primoz Trubar, and Johann Arndt.
Fidel Castro, evil, the media, failures in journalism, ideology, how to defeat or overcome self-defeating ideology.
Why the 95 Theses of Martin Luther sparked a revolution beyond what anyone, including Luther himself, probably expected. The political, cultural, religious, and psychological issues surrounding a little academic document posted on a church door in Wittenberg, 500 years ago.
Following his recent death, we discuss Leonard Cohen's songs, which deal with biblical and romantic themes. Was he pessimistic and despairing, or was there a secret chord that some might miss if they don't listen close enough to this genius songwriter. Check out virtuneinthewasteland.com for show notes and links.
How will we live after nearly half the country is frustrated that their candidate didn't get what they hoped for? Healing and virtuous community in the aftermath of an ugly election cycle with Clinton and Trump.
We discuss journalism, education, Williams syndrome, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the changing shape of journalism. Teri Sforza is a journalist, author, filmmaker and mom. She contributed to the Orange County Register's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of fertility fraud at UC Irvine, covered what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in America‘s history, and is the author of "The Strangest Song," the first book to tell the story of Williams syndrome and the extraordinary musicality of many of the people who have it. Sforza decided to harness the power of the moving image to help bring her stories to life, earned her M.F.A. from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, and has made two documentaries - "American Pie: Slices of Life (and pie) on America's Back Roads," which won the Audience Choice Award at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival; and the OC Register's "The Boy Monk," a story that was also told as a series in the newspaper. Sforza birthed the OC Watchdog column aiming to keep a critical (but good-humored) eye on governments and nonprofits, large and small.
A conversation with a loyal listener. Elizabeth in many ways reflects our core listener base: interested in ideas, educated, not a theological specialist or ethicist, church background, with some frustrations about church experience, and aware of the complexities of our cultural wasteland.
You may have read Grapes of Wrath, but East of Eden is a powerful book. You don't have to have read it to join in the conversation. We share some parts of the middle of the book, but don't give away the ending. Are we capable of choosing virtue and vice freely? Are some people so monstrous that they are unredeemable? We don't answer all these questions, but we explore them. 1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org virtueinthewasteland.com
This is the second, and longer part, of the story of Gina Eilers, former Lutheran pastor who now identifies as a woman, but believes she will be male once again, in her glorified, resurrected body. In this part, we discuss the implications of Gina's transition for family and church relationships.
Gina, formerly known as Greg Eilers, resigned from the pastoral office after coming to terms with gender dysphoria. This is a sensitive, complex but important story to consider. In this first part, we hear Gina's story. In the second part, we will hear how this affected her family and church affiliation.
Micah took a short break from his heavy spoken word poetry touring to share about his new blues album No Ugly Babies, which will be released Sept. 27, 2016. We discuss the power of love and grace, the perplexities related to race and violence in America, symbolic patriotism, the real Martin Luther King, Jr., and forms of protest in the NFL. There are some songs shared, and Micah recites a poem that hits the spot. micahbournes.com faithfulmasks.org virtuneinthewasteland.ocm
Lest you think venturing out on entrepreneurial projects is all fun and games, Dan and Jeff discuss the anxiety of freedom in life, and the necessity of remembering our histories, tracing our steps, and staying centered. They discuss their tattoos too, and how they tell stories about their lives.
Frolic with us through our conversation about doing what you love. Anne tells about leaving a decent job to take a risk and become a food photographer. Her bold move paid off in terms of acclaim and personal fulfillment. Her many awards include 2016 P and Errazuirz Wine Photographer of the Year. OC WEEKLY called her OC's most beloved food photographer and a "." She provided the photography for a book with her husband: (2011). Her website: Our websites: virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
The killer robots are still worth worrying about. But how is the digital and cybernetic world threatening human embodied sexuality. Joel is on the theology faculty at Concordia University, where he overseas the MA Program, and heads up the Crosswise Institute, which will this year host an event for high school students on the topic of transhumanism and theology. He runs a blog called Fishing for Leviathan which talks about embodiment and spirituality in our technological age.
We've talked about leaving your job to follow your vocation before. This time, one of the guys actually put the theory of resigning into practice. One of the guys shares some ideas related to the nature of quitting the traditional concept of a 40 hour a week job and taking on multiple revenue sources in our changing economy.
How our Janus faces of secularism and Christianity have helped create the complex situation we find ourselves in, at least in America.
The four basic types of foreign engagement doctrine in US history, and what that means for today.
This is the first in a series of shorter chats, trying to make sense of the reasons why things have become so perplexing in our culture.
Jeff and Dan discuss their experiences teaching English and virtue overseas, along with some recent graduates. There is also mention of a culinary adventure.
Dan and Jeff discuss sexual ethics and the art of being sexy, and introduce a talk on the subject Jeff gave at the Shaped by What You Love event, sponsored by, among other entities, Cross of Christ Church in Costa Mesa, CA. 1517legacy.com virtuneinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org
What is the mythic value of the Lord of the Rings? What is Dan's reaction to the films, having not seen them, nor read the books? What are the enduring themes for life found in this story? faithfulmasks.org virtuneinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com
The virtuous shopping list! Dan and Jeff discuss the idols of consumption in our homes and offices. What sorts of thing are worth investing in? What is a waste of time? How can we simplify our lives yet live richly? 1517legacy.com virtuneinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org
How can we learn the rules of conventional wisdom, learn when to break them, and avoid putting on costumes instead of faithful masks? Dan and Jeff discuss practical examples of how to navigate these waters, while knowing that we are free to break even these protocols of cultural practice. We discuss examples from film, television, music, and branding. virtuneinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org
With several distressing events and impending cultural issues abounding, we defend the overall thesis that all manner of thing shall be well, despite the terrifying snags along the way. virtuneinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org
How not to be a poser. When to break the rules. The relationship between fashion, culture, and virtue ethics. This show sets the stage for several shows to come on the topic of knowing when to break with conventional rules for the sake of goodness, truth, and beauty. The guys also talk about their experiences visiting the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Salton Sea.
Jeff talks about why he thinks Dan is one of the most together person he knows, then shares a bit about what it's like to have family and friends who are addicts or recovering addicts. Then we include Dan's presentation at the 2016 Christ Hold Fast Conference, in which he shares about his struggles with alcohol and his six years of sobriety. Jeff begged Dan to let him post this, because of how much it meant to him personally. We left in some language this time, instead of bleeping it. If you don't need the first part, you can find the audio by itself, along with other good talks, including one by Jeff here:
Going to a party this summer? What will you do when the conversation turns to religion and or politics? Can you hang? Can you keep your principles?
Recreation, rest, working, vocation of vocation, sail boats, Boy Scouts, rest, recharging, introversion, love, grace, Aristotle and ethos and habituation and virtue. virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com
Veteran civil engineer and founding board member for the League of Faithful Masks Dave Atkinson discusses the challenges and changes to our cultural landscape, especially in the Orange County CA scene. Mentoring, and how to get and keep a good job is also discussed.
We discuss books we are digging and reading through this summer. We also give you a digest of the contents of those books. So, even if you don't end up reading them, you'll get some good summaries and ideas to mull over. Since we are doing research for our own writing projects, you won't be surprised to find that they tend to be related to sexual ethics, addiction, and edgy memoirs. Just take a shot on this one, because we think you'll dig it, but if you don't come back soon for some great interviews we've got lined up.
The poignant importance of the father-child relationship. We discuss Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, the story of Abraham and Isaac, the Terrance Malick film Tree of Life, and fatherhood in general.
We figured it was time to explain ourselves. We are unashamed to call ourselves Christians in the sense that we cannot deny the hope that is within us. But have any of us really let it sink in that the radical call of Christianity is more devastating and indeed impossible than most of us ever admit to ourselves or others? Come with us on this special show about why we "feel" more Christian than ever but have also come to realize how offensive the the Law and Gospel are to us all. The song at the end is Wovenhand "The Threshing Floor" Go to 1517legacy.com to donate to the show for our campaign.
During the spring 2016 semester, Dan and Jeff team taught an upper division course on several themes from our show, including TS Eliot's "The Wasteland," Zizek, Living in the End Times, Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, short stories, Bonhoeffer's ethics, C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, the Tao Te Ching etc. We then selected two excellent students to discuss and reflect back on the semester. Sam Leanza's family makes Jeff's favorite incense, which you too can buy here:
Timothy and Jay Winterstein brothers talk about lastweek's Newport Beach Film Festival, some up and coming filmmakers and new movies, and the post-apocalyptic genre.
The twenty dollar bill. Holocaust memorials. The confederate flag. How do symbols become important to us as we try to remember and not forget past cultural mistakes? David Schulz is an expert in communication theory and is currently chair and professor of Communication at Trinity Lutheran College. He formerly served as an assistant professor at California State University, where he taught persuasion and rhetoric courses. He has also taught at Penn State, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Columbia College. He has published a book, book chapters, several peer reviewed journal articles, and a number of book reviews. He has presented research both nationally and internationally at academic conferences. He holds a B.A. in Communications from Western Washington University and an M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned a Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in Speech Communication. David lives on a little lake in Marysville with his wife and two sons.
Raleigh Sadler is based in New York city, where he works to fight human trafficking. As a speaker, his work has taken him to universities and churches across the country speaking on how the Christian faith frees us to explore justice and mercy in our communities. With that said, he believes that the church should be leading the way in the fight against human trafficking. The local church, he says, best fights human trafficking by loving those vulnerable to it. With this message, He has worked with the , , the , the , , , as well as several other justice and mercy organizations. He currently leads the Let My People Go movement, which challenges leaders to do justice though innovation and collaboration with the Gospel as their motivation. He believes strongly that the world will not see an end to the problem of human trafficking until the local church rises up against it.
Ted Giese is our go to guy for movies and theology. We chat about the death of doubt in films of late, and several interesting recent releases. We spend a good deal of time on God Is Not Dead 2. Apologies for occasional audio glitches that resulted from the Skype feed. Apologies also for not having time to bleep two mild profanities. For more from Pastor Giese:
Jesus movies from start to finish, the good and the bad and the compelling. We spend much of our time on the cultural phenomenon and now direct examination of the controversial film, The Last Temptation of Christ, though we also discuss the Jesus Film, the Life of Brian, and some Jesus musicals. Rick Ritchie is a thinking fellow at 1517, and has a long history of contributing to outlets like Modern Reformation magazine and online theological platforms. 1517legacy.com virtuneinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org
Losing yourself and finding yourself. What kind of self do you have anyway? Self optimization the ViW way. virtuneinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
How to end well. How to end at the right time, and how to keep moving forward even when the grass might look greener on the other side. Kierkegaard, White Sox baseball, Lost, X-Files, Leonard Cohen
Trump, Sanders, Clinton, populism, the media, journalism, and how it all went wrong. Can it be made right? What caused this mess? Is there any earthly hope for American democracy?
Wai shares his story and the story of violence in Sudan. He has worked with Sudanese refugees who live in San Diego. sudaneseamericanyouthcenter.org
Women in conservative Christian communities. Santa Ostapowich is in charge of the Higher Things Conferences (higherthings.org).
Spoken word artist Emily Joy joins us for a discussion of the ways in which poetry might change our world and help us gain empathy for those whose voices are sometimes silenced or ignored. We chat about Nashville weather, growing up in the evangelical world, adolescent sexuality, and the experiences of women in Christian communities. Our guest doesn't mince words or pull punches, so expect a lively conversation. Check her work out at emilyjoypoetry.com, or buy her albums on Bandcamp or iTunes.
This year, we are trying out yet another Lenten challenge: reading poetry or listening to it read instead of watching t.v. or playing background music. On this show, we discuss the ways in which poetry can inspire the imagination and also create silence and space for reflection and insight. We talk a bit about psychologist Paul "Stormy" Fairweather, lots about T. S. Eliot, especially his poems "The Hollow Men" and "Ash Wednesday". We also chat a bit about the Superbowl and Jeff's Broncos. Jeff read a list of global poetry, recommended by our colleague Adam Lee. Here's that list, since Jeff had a hard time with the pronunciations:Ten poets I'd want to spend 40 Days ReadingTomas Tranströmer (Sweden)Wislawa Szymborska (Poland)Ko Eun (South Korea)Czeslaw Milosz (Czech)Anna Akhmatova (Soviet Russia)Fernando Pessoa (Portugal)Derek Walcott (Trinidad)Octavio Paz (Mexico)Anne Carson (Canada)Nikki Giovanni (USA) virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com
Why does every attempt at a perfect society always become such a drag? We discuss Jeff's run in with some KKK fellows, Zizek's book, Living in the End Times, the backstory to utopian literature, such as that of Thomas More, and some interesting examples of utopian societies.
Is there an ultimate sublime reality outside of our own opinions, emotions, and sentiments? We think so, but it isn't always easy to identify and like the good. Sometimes we are misguided intellectually, sometimes our hearts are in the right place. Such is life in the wasteland. The medicine is virtue. We discuss: Dudes that Know (DTK), Zizek's Living in the End Times, C.S. Lewis' Abolition of Man, aesthetics, virtue theory, Aristotle, the ethics of belief, ethical habituation, elitism, Yelp, and the democratization of cultural criticism online and through social media.
Can we really study war no more? Or is war inevitable, a natural and irremovable aspect of our human nature? We don't come to a final answer, but we explore the tough elements of the question with Dr. Caleb Karges, who specializes in military history and war in the eighteenth century. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews. We also throw in a brief bit about the theories of Mark Juergensmeyer on cosmic violence, and René Girard on mimetic violence.
We share our reflections, review, and theories, regarding Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Joining us via Skype (sorry the audio gets weird once again because of connections) is Ted Giese, who writes thoughtful film reviews, when he isn't serving in his role as pastor (or maybe, that's part of the role). Spoilers abound, as you might expect from the title. The first half is Jeff and Dan, the second half is Jeff and Ted. Rev. Giese is associate pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Born in , he grew up just outside the city in Alberta were he attended . In his travels he has lived in , British Columbia and , Nova Scotia. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from in Halifax, a Masters of Theological Studies Degree (2000) and a Masters of Divinity Degree (2007) from Edmonton. For eight years (1998 - 2006) he worked at Andy's Valleyview IGA in Edmonton, five of those years as a manager. From 2004 to 2006 he also worked as the night manager at . Here's his film review site:
What stories really mattered in 2015? What can we expect in 2016 in culture and politics?
What do we do when the euphoria of Christmas morning is past? We discuss the Persian holiday of Yalda, the future, a bit more about Christmas movies, and share stories about our family Christmases.
The obligations of virtuous citizens, with respect to the Syrian refugee situation, Trump, Angela Merkel, journalism, and American self-imposed ignorance. Uwe is a lay theologian and internationally-renowned journalist. Siemon-Netto was born in Leipzig, Germany, where his devoutly Lutheran grandmother was the pivotal figure in his childhood in World War II. He is the former religion editor of . He began his journalism career 1956 as a trainee at Westfalenpost, a large regional newspaper in southern Westphalia. In 1958, he joined the Associated Press in Frankfurt first as copy editor, then as slot editor and roving reporter, covering, among other things, the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. From 1962 to 1969, he worked as a correspondent for Springer Foreign News Service in London, Paris, New York, Vietnam, the Middle East and Hong Kong. His assignments included the United Nations, the U.S. civil rights movement, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the (over a period of five years), the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, and China's Cultural Revolution. From 1969 to 1973 Siemon-Netto was North American correspondent for the magazine, Der Stern, writing about many major news events in North, Central and South America, East Asia, France, and again Vietnam.From 1973 to 1986, Siemon-Netto served as Managing Editor for Hamburger Morgenpost, taught journalism at Hamburg's Journalistenschule Henri Nannen, worked as a freelance correspondent for German, Swiss, French and U.S. publications, and as a media consultant overseeing a variety of design and management tasks at publications in Germany and the United States.In mid-career, at age 50, he began his theological studies, first in Chicago, then in Boston. During these studies, Siemon-Netto freelanced as a magazine correspondent. At the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Germany's subsequent reunification, he served, concurrently with his academic work, as an editorial consultant and—as independent contractor—executive editor for Bild, launching its East German editions, helping plan newspapers for Leipzig and Dresden, training Eastern German journalists and developing a new curriculum for .From 1993 to 1994 he managed the redesign of Der Tagesspiegel, a Berlin daily, the Scientific American, in New York, and dea-Spektrum, a Protestant magazine in Wetzlar, Germany. He also co-founded CA-Confessio Augustana, a Lutheran quarterly magazine in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria. From 2000-2005, he was religious affairs editor of United Press International and a Washington-based columnist for a variety of German-language publications.He studied for his M.A. in theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. His Ph.D. in theology and sociology of religion is from Boston University under Peter L. Berger, Carter Lindberg and Uri Ra'Anan. He spent a post-doctoral year at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J. working on a project to bridge the gap between theology and the media.He is the author of , , and , . faithfulmasks.org virtueinthewasteland.com thejaggedword.com 1517legacy.com christholdfast.org
Expert in the history of Christian-Muslim relations, Dr. Francisco chats with us about the perplexing circumstances of our era. How do we balance our love for neighbor with our concern for our neighbors' safety. How do we juggle religious freedom and obvious threats from radicalized believers. We discuss Trump, ISIS, ISIL, jihad, refugees, and radical Islam.
Many atheists and conservative Christians have one thing in common this Christmas season: they worry about whether they should tell their kids a benevolent but not exactly true tale about Santa Claus. There are economic, mythic, religious, and cultural issues at play. We learn about the history and development of the Santa legend.
Twitter, public vitriol, shrill rhetoric, journalism, the history of political debate, postmodern thought, the linguistic turn, analytic philosophy and speech act theory.
Give thanks for even the things you think you resent. Hear how Jeff, Dan, the 1517 crew, and sports radio all interconnect.
The cultural, philosophical, and religious significance of Star Wars, as we anticipate the reboot in December. virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org thejaggedword.com
Are you a Chicken Little, always shouting about impending doom? Are you an ostrich with your head in the sand, not attending to the threats on the horizon? What kind of bird are you? This week, Dan and Jeff reset after several shows about societal collapse and discuss various aspects--all in free-form--of the phenomenon of being right but not having any satisfaction once vindicated. We mess about but have some fun.
Modern art and art critic and author, Dr. Daniel Seidell, all while we watch a muted game 2 of the World Series. What does art provide? Is there a way in which beauty might bring us back to truth? And what does that mean? Maybe our favorite show. This cat is the real deal. Too much fun amidst profound exploration of ideas.
Dr. Deen is a Faithful Masks Fellow, a 1517 Thinking Fellow, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University, Irvine, and a dude who specializes in the ethics of belief. We think virtue is the way out of the intellectual wasteland, and we discuss ways to move forward with respect to perplexing issues like science and religion, and reproductive ethics.
World War I, the Lost Generation, postmodernity, continental philosophy, and the US presidential contenders, like Trump, Clinton, Bush, and Sanders. We don't recount all the events, we just put them into context. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
Dr. Olson is chair of Exercise Sports Science at Concordia University, where he also serves as Assistant Dean. He helps us sort out the confusion of the idea of getting healthy. We learn that we don't know a lot. Nor do many of the famous gurus. We unlearn some things and learn other things. And we have a bit of fun.
After back tracking to discuss monasticism as an option for cultural (dis)engagement, we discuss the valuable contributions of the Enlightenment, ending with a warning that, despite its gifts, not all was well during the autumn of the progressive era.
Fatherhood, the Prodigal Son, and grace in the home. Scott Keith is an Associate Dean of Students and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine. He is also a Thinking Fellow of 1517 The Legacy Project. Here, he discusses his new book On Being Dad, available at and on Amazon.
Transhumanism, theology, cyborgs, and what to do about it all. We discuss H+ as a movement, focussing on the ideas of super-longevity, super-intelligence, and super-wellbeing. Ray Kurtzweil's dream of living forever on a digital platform may come true; if it does, Jeff requests his consciousness be kept on a Mac OS not a PC. Dr. Oesch is Associate Professor of Theology and director of the MA in Theology at Concordia University, Irvine. He is also the creator and essayist on fishingforleviathan.com.
We look for the resources from sages past to see how they figured out how to live at peace and find virtue in our cultural wasteland. A bit of ancient philosophy like Taoism and a discussion of Seneca, Sextus Empiricus, Luther, and Calvin.
This one's a bit of a downer. We explore some reasons why we are all, whatever we think about the grass on someone else's side, terribly stuck. We are stuck in this penultimate world hoping for ultimate victory but sometimes unable to see it. We still believe everything is going to be ok. That doesn't mean every day between now and our deaths will be an easy road. No sir. No ma'am. We begin a theme for fall: the Fall. Why can't we expect political, ecclesiastical, and mental health utopias? Cause it's all fallen. But it's all redeemable. Let's try and press on together, dear listener. Moral courage and sincere humility are where we start. Hope is our banner. But we must first face the abyss. Here's the show mainly about the abyss.
Jeff and Dan discuss the personal development that occurs through travel and by being open to new people and experiences even near home. Jeff shares a series of insights he and his son Auggie drafted while watching the sun set over the Yulong river.
Are things getting better or worse? What do the statistics say about crime and can we trust them. Faithful Masks fellow Dr. Kristen Koenig helps answer these questions.
What to wear and the history of style just in time for back to school wardrobe upgrades. Maybe deeper stuff too.
By letting three outside observers reflect on American culture, we reflect on the nature of the American spirit, our anxieties, and our hopes. History, religion, and politics. Join our expedition. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
The history, famous personalities, and social importance of fundamentalism in America. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
Is Harper Lee's novel worth reading? Does it disappoint us about the complexity of racism in America? Listen up and find out.
Reinke discusses the back story and aftermath of the circumstances surrounding the critically-acclaimed documentary, "The Overnighters" (2014), winner of several awards, including the Sundance special award for best documentary. This is an amazing conversation, reflecting on the work of Reinke and his LCMS congregation to help displaced workers who came to North Dakota to benefit from the fracking boom. Reinke is by no means a perfect guy, he never claims to be. But he also has a way of inspiring folks to consider radical hospitality and grace--even to the unloveable. He is an underdog, and a champion of underdogs. That isn't always a formula for earthly succes. Perhaps the best quote from our guest (who had a good many): "Love is not an investment. Love is a gift." virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com thejaggedword.com
What do you do when you hate what you do? Before that, we discuss emails and feedback related to our previous show. We share a bit about what's been going on this summer with our family vacations. We reveal a dream Jeff's dad had about the nature of this life's journey. We read through and discuss a letter a young Hunter S. Thompson wrote to a friend. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
Gay marriage, the constitution, ethics, Christianity, and America. Will the 14th Amendment threaten the 1st Amendment? Is there a difference between what is legal and what is moral? Should conservative Christians be as upset as they are about the recent Supreme Court decision? On this show, we risk upsetting everyone from right to left. We challenge the conservative view that the sky is falling. We challenge the view of those who want to use the state to further biblical positions. We agree with some of the concerns of the consevative, dissenting justices on points of law, and yet suggest that the overall outcome is a reasonable one.
What is pietism, who were the Pietists, and why does this all matter for contemporary American culture? We chat about Wesley, Zinzendorf, Spener, Arndt, Haugee etc.
Narnia, myth, mere Christianity, and how to be both faithful and willing to play nice with others. Dr. Mueller is Dean of Christ College, Concordia University Irvine, where he is also a Prof. of Theology. He is the author of several books, including Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology (Wipf & Stock, 2005), Not a Tame God (CPH, 2002), and The Reformation Heritage Bible Commentary (CPH, 2015).
Another show in the Wrong Side of History series, we sit down with a native Hawaiian and a missionary to the Navaho Nation to discuss the ways in which Western Christians have made mistakes, but also some positive contributions, to first nations people around the world, especially in US states and territories. De Lude III (Native Hawaiian) serves the Native Hawaiian people on the island of O’ahu, the third largest and most densely populated island comprising the state. Having received his master’s in Lutheran education and serving many years as vice-principal, Clarence is now enrolled in the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center (CMC) Program at Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., leading to ordination. Tim Norton and his family serve the Navajo Nation – the largest Native nation both in terms of population and area of more than 25,000 square miles. Tim works with Louise Lee (Navajo), who also serves with Lutheran Indian Ministries at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Navajo, N.M. Tim is enrolled in the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center (CMC) Program at Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., leading to ordination. http://lutheranmissionariesandpilots.org virtueinthewasteland.com 1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org
LA Country music, religion, hipsters, and making sincere music. samoutlaw.com virtueinthewasteland.com
Music and book suggestions to change things up for you this summer. Don't get into a rut. We created a playlist on spotify to sample some of the stuff we mention: https://play.spotify.com/user/virtueinthewasteland/playlist/6DfJ5Lp4JWdYQhCPDdjVkI You can find a full list of readings on our website: virtueinthewasteland.com
Climate change, desertification, ethics, ecology, fisheries, and caring for our neighbors around the world. Dr. Bignmami is a marine biologist, specializing in the relationship between fish and the acidity of our oceans. Another episode with the "wrong side of history" theme. virtueinthewasteland.com
If we look at our landscapes, our cities, our churches, and our homes, we can tell what we value. Indeed, we can determine who our real gods are. From cathedrals to bank buildings, we have, as a race, shifted our allegiances (sometimes from God to mammon). Dan and Jeff banter about Mirecea Eliade, the layout of a home, and though we only use the term once: cultural Feng Shui.
Commencement speaches tend to be salads of platitudes and cliches. But one great one was offered by David Foster Wallace ("This is Water"). We share our advice to students who graduate this year, but also to anyone who wants to reset, wake up, and live well.
Fighting, our fights, and the Crusades. This is part of our recent theme: "The Wrong Side of History." Historian and scholar of Islam, Adam Francisco (a Faithful Mask Fellow) joins us to reset our understanding of the history and legacy of the crusades.
We bring Rev. Dr. C. J. Armstrong back to help unpack the ways in which religious communities and other groups maintain their identity, struggle with welcoming outsiders and maintaining identity, and appear to the outside world. We go into the concept of taboos in Freud and Alasdair MacInytre, and spend some time giving a brief history of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, as a case study for this topic.
This is a brief show that we hope to elaborate on later. (Dan's edit: a show on which we wish to elaborate later). In some ways it was occasioned by a comment by Jesse Nigro, posted to a . How is it that two guys in a conservative and sometimes prickly denomination are simultaneously irenic. We ultimately argue that by being confident in our confession, we can be in dialog with people from radically different perspectives. It's not that we jump on the fad of the hour, but rather that because of our anchor, we need not fret when strange winds blow. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com
Narrative, fiction, stories, and myth. Why do stories matter? What do they say about society and ideology. Come find out. We mention Casey Abrams, George Washington, Cato, Into the Woods, John Milbank, Radical Orthodoxy, postliberalism, Turretin, ACTC, Stephen Jay Gould, and Enlightenment.
How should we talk to our children about dating? How should we date ourselves? Dr. C. J. Armstrong comes along for the mellow ride, as a chapperone. Courtship, love, romance, sex, adolescence, and flirtation.
Onanism is an old word for masturbation. Why? What is the historical background to the ways in which the church has understood sexuality, the body, what is normal, and how to talk to young people about sexuality. We discuss the origins of the Graham cracker, grain based cereal, and 19th century health fads. This is the first in a series of shows dedicated to evaluating whether the church has been on the wrong side of history and learning how we can apply lessons from the past to our cultural engagement today.
Don't listen to this one first, if you've never heard the show before. We've been busy, so this show checks in and answers some mail that's been piling up. Is Dan really a Republican? What have we been reading? Why are we in LA?
Hear what some sharp students and Faithful Masks Fellow Dr. Kristen Koenig have to say about hearing President Obama at the 50th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Martin Luther King Jr., Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Rosa Young, Concordia Alabama, and more. This is episode 114. virtueinthewasteland.com http://www.ccal.edu
A discussion of political, cultural, or religious code words and signs that separate the in group from the out group. virtueinthewasteland.com
Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto, author of Triumph of the Absurd, discusses ways in which we can apply lessons from Vietnam for today's crises.
Introverts, introversion, C. G. Jung, dreams, and how to live an optimal life as an introvert or someone who loves an introvert. What is the MBTI test and does it matter? Should it lock us in to patterns of life? Dr. Cosgrove is a Prof. of Psychology at Concordia University Irvine. virtueinthewasteland.com This is episode #111.
We're not giving up on this show. But we are talking about ways in which giving something up for a time might be good for us. Just days after Valentine's Day, we ask what's up with Lent? Is it worth giving a shot? Even if we aren't Roman Catholic? Or even religous at all? Jeff explains why he has recently changed his favorite holiday from Ash Wednesday to an unlikely day on the calendar (for him). Dan goes deep into major artists in popular culture, like REM and the Pixies. Listen to find out how (or whether) this all fits together.
A Valentine's day bonus. Sociologist Kristen Koenig joins us to deconstruct relationships in contemporary culture, the holiday called Valentine's day, the nature of passion, eros, love, commitment, and our era's dissolution. This is episode #109 virtueinthewasteland.com
We try to move past the meaninglessness of some ideologies, past the cheap hope of the positive thinking movement, and on to a path to hope. We have an ethical obligation to hope until its last embers have been extinguished. Patience, friends. Things are going to be fine. There's a crack in everything, as Leonard Cohen says, but that's how the light gets through. This is episode 108. virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org
Jenn Koiter shares her poetry with us as we discuss her nonprofit work in India, the value of poetry, the problems of poverty tourism and cultural appropriation, suffering, sex trafficking in Asia, Zen, and why one might stick with their Western spiritual heritage through it all. We did not censor this episode, though even grandma should find it tame overall. This is episode 106. virtueinthewasteland.com
Lending with interest in European history, Adam Smith, social ethics, borrowing, debt, greed, and cash societies. The song we play at the break is "Gimme Some Money" by the spoof band Spinal Tap.
Shūsaku Endō, his Tanizaki Prize winning novel Silence, when mentors disappoint you, Jesuits, the Catholic mission to Japan in the early modern era, Francis Xavier, Martin Scorsesse, Pure Land Buddhism, Jodo Shu, Jodo Shinshu, faith, doubt, martyrdom, and the silence of God in the midst of suffering and abandonment. We won't give any spoilers till after the music break. Check out other wasteland companions if you dig this sort of thing.
What is anti-wisdom? What is it's purpose? How does it inform our spirituality, emotions, ethics, and philosophy? Job and Ecclesiastes are examples in the Hebrew Bible. They deal with themes that assist us during times when conventional wisdom can't help us.
We discuss the recent film by James Franco and Seth Rogan, its cultural effects, and its international implications. We discuss the difficulty of liking things on facebook that have ideological baggage. We share our new year's resolutions for each other. Episode 102
Shelley, Thoreau, Ferguson, the police, the law, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ideology, Žižek, and our post-Christmas depression.
For our hundredth episode, we discuss the sociology and cultural implications of Christmas traditions in the west. Joining us are Faithful Mask Fellows, Dr. Koenig (a sociologist) and Dr. Armstrong (a classics scholar and occasional pulpit jockey). This one gets a bit giddy and a tad out of hand, since we recorded at the end of a semester and were celebrating the fact that we hit 100.
This isn't your normal self-help conversation. Dr. Lu is brutally honest. He is all about research and not so much of the fluff. But we can learn some things about parenting, continuous improvement, setting realistic and motivating goals, and letting go of our egos.
We run down the top 10 christmas films, what they say about our culture, and the message they have for us about life together, overcoming the grinches in our world and virtue. We definitely will hit on It's A Wonderful Life and Christmas Vacation. Will your favorite make the list? Will Charlie Brown?
Philosopher of science Dr. Angus Menuge joins us to talk about the vocation of a scientist, especially that of a scientist who is also religious. Prof. Dan Deen (Concordia University, Irvine), another philosopher of science is along for the expedition. We talk about new atheism, virtue, epistemology, science, biology, physics, paradigms, theories, and Motörhead (that's right). Dr. Menuge is professor of philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin and is the president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. His research interests include philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, apologetics, and C. S. Lewis. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Diploma in Christian Apologetics from the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights, Strasbourg. He is editor of C. S. Lewis: Lightbearer in the Shadowlands, Christ and Culture in Dialogue, Reading God's World and of Legitimizing Human Rights (forthcoming). He is author of Agents Under Fire: Materialism and the Rationality of Science (Rowman and Littlefield, 2004). His most recent work focuses on libertarian free will and the creative powers of agents.
We talk NFL, explain why we've been wrestling with immigration, share some stories about our week, and end by applying philosopher of science, Ian Barbour's four transparadigmatic criteria to NFL viewing and other indulgences. Just Dan and Jeff between classes. Enjoy the expedition.
In anticipation of President Obama's executive action related to immigration and Central American Child Refugees, Joe Laughon of Café Con Leche Republicans returns to the show to discuss the controversial idea of opening the US borders. Is it possible that it is in our economic and moral interest to do so? What about communism and radical Islam? What about drugs? What about the burden of social service resources? Come with an open mind and feel free to disagree and remain friends with our show. Whatever your political position, undocumented (aka illegal) immigrants (aka aliens) are human beings, so we need to consider a virtuous response to our current crisis.
Survivor of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Alex Nsengimana tells of his experiences during the bloodshed, from the vantage point of the capital city. He also shares his story of transformation and hope. He currently works with Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse.
While Dan is out speaking at the Teigen Reformation Lectures, classicist and biblical scholar, Dr. C. J. Armstrong sits down with Jeff to trace the theme of the hero's journey to the underworld and back. What does it look like? Can we fight against death. Why does the Apostle's Creed say that Jesus descended into hell? Listen in and find out.
Our second spooktacular. This is a show about stuff you should be more afraid of than you are. Dan shares the biggest fears of friends and experts. Jeff shares his recipe for a mini-bug-out-bag, should the apocalypse arise. Dr. CJ Armstrong joins the wasteland gents at the end to bring a word of comfort in the face of fear and death. Jeff reads a moving passage from Peter Berger's book A Rumor of Angels.
We mail it in. We were going to a basketball game, so why not? We talk about mailing it in. If you find the audio quality distracting, come back next week, when we'll be back in studio.
Tucker Kaas, from Kaas Tailored (kaastailored.com) talks about quality, ethical business practices, beauty, reduction of waste, kai zen, continuous improvement, vocation, Design on Stock, and the good life.
Rapture culture rapping with Dr. Amy Frykholm, writer for and associate editor with the Christian Century, and author of Rapture Culture, Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography, and See Me Naked: Stories of Sexual Exile in American Christianity. We talk about Nicolas Cage, dispensationalism, the rapture, eschatology, the recent film adaption of the books, the way gender plays into the book series, American religion, popcorn, paper planes, and happiness. We had a lot of fun with this one.
We explore the nature and history of evil regimes, their ability to kill people on large scales, and how to oppose such things with Marc Thomas Voss, a historian and German language instructor, who is completing his doctoral work on this topic in Germany. Hitler, Stalin, Polpot, oh my. Bonus b-sides are shows where we go deep into content with a professor or a professional in some specialized field.
South Africa, Yoruba, Christianity, excommunication, Nelson Mandela, women in African society, racism in America and one superb woman: Nokukhanya Shabalala. We play a clip from Micah Bournes.
This one is a messy but relaxed discussion of the big question of human culture: are we basically violent and chaotic, or cooperative and caring? Should we embrace utopianism and primitivism? Scotland voted to stay in the UK. What does this mean? Jeff thought he saw a sea monster. Was it because of what Jeff failed to describe with the correct term, which is hyperactive agency detection device.
All about the phenomenon of witch hunts, contemporary and old timey. Salem, McCarthy, and Bewitched.
We discuss recent downfalls of evangelical Christian leaders, the vocation of the journalist, including the work of Janet Mefferd. We check to see if the hosts are dogmatists or authoritarians using an old psychology questionaire. We reflect on the structures that failed Mark Driscoll, Ted Haggard, and Bill Gothard.
We talk about the history of the Reformation as it affected the idea of vocation, the Max Weber thesis, the puritans, Theodore Beza, the practical syllogism, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, providence, Roger Williams, and Labor Day.
Civil engineer and League of Faithful Masks chairman of the board talks about vocation, David's story of deciding to leave seminary for a different, public calling, and the ways in which he has contributed to landmarks throughout Southern California. It turns out, civil engineers save lives, quietly and behind the scenes.
You'll have to excuse us this week for sounding a bit like the odd couple. Stemming from a conversation that began some time ago, Dan truly believes that we live in the greatest time period in human history (yeah, yeah, there are caveats of course) and Jeff is pretty sure that we aren't. Dan is very unfashionable in some circles for his love of the Enlightenment, and Jeff is sometimes cautious when he talks about why he can dig the postmodernists. Nevertheless, this show discusses just how good (or bad) we have it right now from a historical and philosophical perspective. And if that seems a little too heavy, while we were recording, our favorite classicist CJ Armstrong strolled by the studio and we had him sit in and join the conversation and add a bit of levity (you might not get the Flinstone's reference, but Dan is still laughing about it). Enjoy! We mention Jacobi, Hamann, Radical Pietism, Kierkegaard, Grundtvig, Continental Philosophy, Voltaire, Ovid, Art of Love, Metamorphoses.
Too often we get caught up using bad analogies. While there are many commonly used poor analogies, we find the hitler/holocaust and "fall of rome" parallels particularly confusing and unhelpful. What do these events have that cause constant modern analogies? How might we better understand certain landmark historical events without taking them out of time and making a modern "version"? In what ways are the present and future different? We tackle these and other related topics. Give it a listen.
Dr. Adam Francisco, a historian who specializes in Islam and Middle Eastern history, joins us as we discuss the current conflict in the between Israel and Hamas, and the possible future of Palestine.
We look back at the first full year+ of our podcast+. We ponder what we might have done differently, what we enjoyed most, and where we are heading in year two. We didn't miss a single week release and don't intend to in the next year. Thanks for listening and engaging with us through facebook, the website virtueinthewasteland.com, and through our Twitter and Instagram presence. Thanks especially for listening and spreading the word. Dan is in the mountains and Jeff is in Key Largo while this is dropping. So, if you write a comment and we don't respond, we will get to it after our much needed breaks from the bustle and the hustle.
What is a cult? How do we balance tolerance and critical thinking when it comes to new religious movements? Are their authoritarian personalties in my own, established religious community? How are multilevel marketing and pyramid schemes like cults? Is cult a bad word or is it a concept we need to preserve for the good of a safe and healthy society? We wrestle with these questions and more. We mention Jim Jones, Swedenborgianism, the Guru Maharaji, Amway, Scientology, and the FLDS. We love everyone. Please don't sue us; we have no money and few assets, so it wouldn't be worth it. Moreover, we are critical of ourselves and our own communities, various states that never really done nobody wrong, and the entire Inland Empire on occasion. So it's all in good fun. If we talk about your group, and you don't think we've represented it properly, feel free to explain where we were mistaken in the comment section. Or, better, stage a press conference explaining why you think Virtue in the Wasteland is bad, making sure to get coverage from the major media outlets, and making sure to wear your sect's most distinctive clothing and strange hairdos, if applicable.
We discuss the promises and perils of making books into movies. We focus on Steinbeck's East of Eden and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but we also mention and/or discuss the following: Ian Flemming's James Bond stories, Michael Crighton and Jurassic Park, Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, the Cohen Brothers and Huckleberry Finn, musicals, The Last Temptation of Christ, Jungian archetypes, the value of mythology, and the importance of fairy tales.
We freestyle chat about the nature of the good life and the ways in which we measure life's success. This is about vocational questions for young people looking to the future or folks who want to redirect their lives later in the game. We mention Daoism, LeBron James and The Decision, Stoicism, and whether you might want to rethink your current path.
Whether you've read this book before or thinking about giving it a shot, you can join in. We discuss important historical, religious, literary and philosophical themes in this important Russian Novel. We talk especially about the Grand Inquisitor, the novel's most famous chapter.
The 4th of July is upon us! Are you ready for the party? No, seriously. Are you ready? We've all been to parties with terrible hosts, terrible guests, poorly thought out games or ice breakers, etc... On today's summertime show we break from our recent heavier topics and talk about how to throw a party. As we were discussing this idea with our friends and colleagues we realized that there are some definite party do's and don'ts. And maybe this isn't as frivolous as we first thought. Hosting a party can be an important event in bringing together various people and opening a camaraderie in our ever self secluding world.
This one is just a bunch of fun conversation tossed together like your favorite salad. But it all revolves around emotional wellbeing and how external factors like the food we eat or our physiology affect our mood. We learn a bit too about what we are able to do to eat ourselves to a bit more happiness. Check out this conversation about psychology and happiness. We also check with her on the nature of addiction and prisons, following up on our last episode on the War on Drugs.
The history and ethical problems with the war on drugs. We discuss the nature of addiction and why private prisons are an unethical place to house those who have substance dependency. We argue that we should focus on actual data and seek to be virtuous toward our addict neighbors, rather than merely looking virtuous to our upstanding and "together" neighbors. Discussion topics include initiatives to legalize cannabis, the history of the penitentiary system, methodone, and other social issues related to narcotics.
Happy Father's Day. Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, his son Ted Rosenbladt, Steve Byrnes, Dan Deen and other old friends try and capture the sort of conversation that has been happening for decades on the Rosenbladt deck. Dan was out for this one, but he's got a history of joining in these back yard conversations. What is it to be a good father? What is it to be a true brother--or friend? We discuss answers to all this and a kind of love called philia. Ted, of New Reformaion Press, also reveals some plans for an organization called 1517.
Armageddon. Apocalypse. Rapture. What do such words mean? This show is about the end of the world, what it will be like according to several ideologies, and why it matters. Even if you don't believe strongly in a particular religion or political ideology, you probably have an implicit theory of the end (eschatology), and your neighbors sure do. Sometimes, our views about the end of the world have serious consequences for our life in the world today. Even though we don't spend much time on the traditional theological conversation, we do mention the distinction between premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial theologies. Oh, and Dan also lets us know whether Putin is bringing on a third world war.
It feels good to give. But what we don't often realize is the uneven ways charities distribute our gifts. We talk about the best and worst nonprofit organizations as regards their stewardship of donor money. We talk about ways for young professionals to consider a career in the world of development aka fundraising. Philanthropy is best done with knowledge. This show gets us on the right track at least.
The Winriches are former Jesus Freaks. They are currently highly involved in youth work, music, and nonprofit organizations. We talk about the good, the, bad, and the musical as it relates to working with adolescent religious education.
What does the average person NEED to know about video games? Jeff's son joins the show to share the top five things folks need to know (especially parents) about the world of video games. We find that it is a world that you are probably too worried about in some regards and not wary enough of in other regards.
Freak out. Dr. Kristen Koenig joins us again, this time to discuss those who are outside the societal norm. I'm surprised we never got to mentioning Michel Foucault. But we did deal with important issues related to what it means to be normal and how we should respond to the other. We mix a little sociology with a bit of good old human decency. And some awkwardness.
When scandals strike, or big decisions need to be made, do we let the masses decide how to respond? Clippers owners, media stars, and your neighbor all are involved in this one. How helpful is the popular opinion? Do we seek an honor culture or a virtue culture?
Commencement is about beginnings. We address those who graduate this spring and all those who are adults and out of school. We talk abou the importance of ongoing exploration of the world and ways to stay sharp. We share some of our favorite podcasts for learning as adults.
What do amateur ornithology and coffee snobbery have to do with anything? We explain the personal and cultural value that avoocations bring. Dan explains some ways to enjoy a better coffee. Jeff explains why he loves birds so much and explains how to get started as an amateur bird watcher.
What is virtue anyway, and can it be taught? This is not our dissertation on the subject, just some friendly conversation with several colleagues who participated in a panel conversation on great texts. Dr. Scott Ashmon, Dr. John Lu, Dr. C.J. Armstrong, and Prof. Dan Deen gathered in Dr. Ashmon's Hilton suite for beverages and conversation. We talk about ethos, pathos, logos, virtue, habituation, Aristotle, Virgil, and love. This affects everything from parenting to pedagogy, so give it a listen.
We explore the beauty of language, classic and contemporary with Dr. Stanley Lombardo, a translator of classics like the Illiad and Aeneid. Listen even if classic Latin and Greek epics aren't familiar to you. If nothing else, listen for the first twenty minutes to hear Dr. Lombardo recite poetry in classical Greek. The sound itself will demonstrate the importance of our topic. Topics include the art of translation, Homeric legends, Virgil, Zen Buddhism, and poetry in general. B-Sides are in depth discussions with professors and professionals about the beauty and importance of their callings.
Classicist C.J. Armstrong explains the importance and beauty of Homer's Iliad. This is the first of several Wasteland Companions, shows where we give you the important background and summary of a great book. Unfortunately, Jeff's mic wasn't working right. Fortunately, this is one of the few shows where he doesn't talk too much. Share with a high schooler or college student perhaps who is reading this in their studies, or a friend who likes to go back and pick up great works they missed in school.
Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto has seen it all. The JFK assassination coverage, the rise of the Nazis, a famous drinking horse in Germany, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, and of course the Vietnam War. Uwe talks about getting a doctorate after a not so good high school experience. We learn why our news media has gone so far away from its original calling or vocation today. Learn why you should not criticize a German town’s beer. Learn who can drink more beer and not slur: Catholic priests or Lutheran pastors. Find out how clumsy and immature JFK was, but also how he rose to the occasion when global annihilation loomed. What should a journalist do when they come across a scandal? Find out why Uwe wouldn't mind being a horse poop specialist. By the way, you wish you were as cool as the guy in the picture here. I suppose you can be. Just become a journalist in the old school style. Learn about how Uwe came to study with Peter Berger, thanks to his wife, Gillian's wise sense of Uwe's suitability for the clergy ranks, or lack thereof.
We list great classical, early modern, and modern books and why they are worth reading.
Art prof Rachel Hays raps with Dan and Jeff about art, its history, and why Jeff is wrong to dig Banksy so much.
Veteran journalist, author of a new book on the Vietnam War, Triumph of the Absurd: A Reporter's Love for The Abandoned People of Vietnam shares a story from his travels, and explains how unethical journalism failed the people of Vietnam.
We discuss holidays associated with American immigrant communities and ask whether they might be culturally inappropriate. Joe Laughon joins us once again. We discuss Public Enemy's "By the Time I Get To Arizona" video, St. Patrick's Day, and Cinco De Mayo.
Dan and Jeff start by a list of regrets, clarifications and retractions from prior shows. Then they talk about MBTI (Meyers Briggs) profiles and what celebrities share them. Finally they answer listener questions. We talk Lana Del Ray, Putin, the Big Lebowski, nihilism, and narcissism.
On this, our 50th episode (enter fanfare) we discuss the nature of sanity and insanity. Wait, before you think that this is a highfalutin' philosophical show (well, it does have some philosophy) we came to this show by way of a question we asked ourselves: who is the sanest person we know?This lead us down a rabbit hole for a week as we tried to put together a composite of the "sanest person" we know. Perhaps, sanity is illusive. Perhaps we are all insane. Or, like most things... it's complicated and we're not quite sure. But, join us as we discuss Dan's adventure with his two boys and missing cat, Jeff's new bike, and we think out loud through the thought of G.K. Chesterton, Soren Kierkegaard and others. We play some Old 97's and Beastie Boys and get around to making a little more sense of the world, our collective selves, and what it means to be sane. The closing song is a cover of "Crazy Train" by the Denver country band .
We share things we wish were true but probably aren't. We share things we are pretty darn sure aren't true are not true. We discuss conspiracy theories, the Melanchthon Circle, Santiago Sam, kambucha, alchemy, neoplatonism, St. Augustine's Confessions, Masonry, Airborne, occult philosophy, esoterica, the JFK assasination, Ethiopia's claim to have the Ark of the Covenant, and postmodernity.
We discuss the history of immigration in the United States and converse with Joe Laughon, a contributor to Cafeconlecherepublicans.com. He helps to dispell some misunderstandings about immigration laws and attitudes past and present. We discuss the use of terms like "illegal immigrant" and "undocumented worker". What's the virtuous response to todays immigration debates? Listen in to hear a unique, and arguably sane, perspective.
We talk about several recent scandals and leaders who have fallen from cultural grace. Then, we call Jeff's old friend Chris to talk about his experience with the movement led by Bill Gothard. We discuss authoritarianism, spiritual abuse, Woody Allen, Ted Haggard, Anthony Weiner, and Lance Armstrong.
With Jeff Macaré, a favorite Lutheran hippy. We talk about music, the nature of digital and analog sound, Dan's diet of caffeine, nicotine and prozac and more importantly: the ambiguity of the word "nature" and Jaff Macare on his vocation of filtering water (that's right! water filtering! Seriously, hear what he has to say about that bottled water you're drinking)
We move from individuals to society in our quest to understand narcissism. Sociologists, Dr. Kristen Koenig (B.A., Occidental College, M.Sc., University of Oxford, D.Phil., University of York) joins us to make sense of it all. This is one of our favorite conversations yet. We find out what the "i" in "iPhone" means. You are going to dig Dr. Koenig! Has narcissism as a trait (not the disorder per se), including vanity and selfishness been on the rise over the last several decades? Listen to find out.
Dr. John Lu, social psychologist, joins us for a discussion of the nature of the DSM (a tool for diagnosing psychological disorders), the nature of narcissism, and the concept of an operational definition. This is the second of several episodes planned for spring on the topic of narcissism.
The hosts play with some initial ideas related to art and why we like what we like. Dan explains some of the background behind conversations about art and beauty we will have over the coming months. Don't expect a full and comprehensive lecture. Expect the opening volley in a larger discussion about beauty (since we've talked a bit more about goodness and truth in our first six months). Dan gives some art history background. Jeff talks about beauty in the Bible. We share our top guilty aesthetic pleasures and guilty aesthetic displeasures.
The myth of Narcissus with classicist and Faithful Masks Fellow Dr. C. J. Armstrong. We each take an online narcissism test and share the results. Stories about Dan's kids.
Stories about snags over the winter vacation, things we learned from vocation fails in our own lives, and historical vocation fails. Thanks for checking out the first podcast of 2014. Topics include: Epic of Gilgamesh Householder Yogi Drinking your own urine for health benefits Upgrade to Garage Band The Big Lebowski One Week Wundermann Norton Motorcycles The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Sucker Punch Jerry Garcia Senior Bob Dylan Senior Young Life Paul Fairweather, Symbolic Regression Therapy Dr. Bruce Gordon HD DVD Crystal Pepsi Arch Delux
47 Ronin
We share the best Christmas hymns (sacred songs). We provide clips only of each; but listen all the way through and we share a classic: a hymn performed by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt in its entirety.
We discuss the ethics, aesthetics, and humanitarian possibilities for those who have the vocation of architecture. After some banter between our co-hosts, Jeff interviews Ian Lodge, who oversees the operation, in Hesperia, California. This is the result of the humanitarian vision of Nadir Khalili, a Persian architect who was influenced by the Sufi mystic Rumi and brought his spiritual values, scientific training, and concern for humanity together through teaching methods of creating sustainable, economical, and artful housing.
We do our best to define what we mean by nihilism, the history of reductionism, meaninglessness, and the ways in which this leads to indifference and narcissism.
We explain the true, modern origins of the American national holiday of Thanksgiving. Why do we get tired after eating the dinner? Why do presidents pardon a Turkey each year?
We follow up on old emails, messages, and questions. We tell a story about loose ends, then conclude with two former students: Tim Olson, an ethnomusicology student and world traveler who sets the record straight on the Afghan national sport, and Lauren Yauk who traveled the world to find the best approach to global development. Her story is helpful for understanding how young adults think about the world these days, and the obstacles they face as they seek to do good in the world.
The often untold history leading up to the first Thanksgiving. Jeff tells about one of his favorite topics in history: the Florida Holy Wars of the 1560s; this is the Thanksgiving that almost was. Dan gives the true story of the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving meal. We argue that Thanksgiving is a holiday with religious roots, but that the holiday as we have it today originates in the secular or "left hand" kingdom, and thus is of value to all people in the US. Foreign listeners should listen to find out why we Americans have such a fetish for Turkey once a year, and for some interesting stories from early modern history.
Filmmaker Lev Anderson joins us to talk about his move from city planning to directing documentaries, "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" and spend the bulk of our time discussing his upcoming project on the history and future of Irvine, CA the safest city in America, a model of urban planning that is copied around the world, and the epicenter for our podcast. We start by discussing his recent documentary We discuss the ethics and art of city planning, and the ways in which it affects our lives. Bonus B-Sides are in depth conversations with professionals who join us to talk about why they like what they like and how exercising their vocations can cultivate virtue in our cultural wasteland.
The second part of a two part conversation about the intersections of religion and politics. In this episode, we focus on US Supreme court cases related to the exercise of religion.
What is the distinction between the two kingdoms? Should faithful citizens want to merge the church and state? Is America a Christian nation? Where did James Madison get his ideas? We rely heavily on Dr. Dan van Voorhis' knowledge of American history to help address these questions and more.
Renaissance wizards, strange stuff in general, and the closest thing the hosts have to direct ghost experiences.
The history, cultural significance, and overall value of the movies. We are joined by Micah Luce, who earned his MAR in Theology and Cinema from . We also have with us Eleanor Pettus, Assistant Professor of History at Concordia University and Faculty in Residence for the , and Joel Oesch, , and director of . Several of us share our most memorable moviegoing moments. Micah shares a recipe for geekdom movie marathons. We ask whether moviegoing creates authentic community.
Zombies in history and popular culture, the Walking Dead season premiere, and philosophical thoughts related to our time of technology and fragmentation. Dr. C.J. Armstrong joins in this episode.
How culture faces death, with clacissist Dr. C. J. Armstrong. A quiz game on world funeral traditions. The history of funerals from the ancient word to today.
What do you fear? What do Dan and Jeff fear? How do we face our fears? We address this in this podcast that kicks off our October theme of things that scare us.
Breaking Bad gets broken down. Dan shares the top television shows of all time, by category. We talk television but especially we talk about the choices we make in this chaotic world. Break virtuous, friends.
Spoken word and hip hop artist Micah Bournes chats with us about life in Long Beach, faith and art, and contemporary hip hop culture. We discuss ways in which people of faith can enter into their cultural conversation with good art, rather than with religious parodies of popular culture. Micah shares what he's listening to lately, a couple poems (one previously unheard).
Former UFC fighter describes his work with the Mbuti Pygmies. He tells heartbreaking stories but also uplifting developments in his work to fight for the freedom of these slaves, their reestablishment in hunter-gatherer land, and his future work to bring culturally-appropriate housing technology. There was audio interference in almost every room and with every piece of equipment, but we pieced together the best parts from the day, especially Justin's presentation to students about Fight for the Forgotten.
UFC star and advocate for the Mbuti (Pygmy) people of the Congo joins us to answer the question whether it is virtuous to compete in and watch mixed martial arts competition. Gladiators or artists? You'll get a chance to find out the inner details of the sport and decide for yourself.
Ethical dilemmas in our alleged wasteland. Dan poses tough questions to college students and tells them "the right answer". Syria, homeschooling, government internet snooping.
Dan shares his top ten rules to follow before getting a tattoo. Jeff's pop comes and explains why tattoos are a horrible idea. Dr. Jack Schultz, an anthropology professor, discusses tattoos in traditional cultures.
Syria, Miley Cyrus, Club Music. We share our takes on what's going on locally, in our own lives, and in the world. This is a current events show [C-Side] that we record on the fly and post within 24 hours to provide commentary on what's going on in the news.
The top 10 songs that talk about Jesus but aren't from explicitly religious artists. We discuss the role of Jesus in Western culture, artist Mark Wallinger, the nature of blasphemy, and some interesting artists you might not have heard before.
We go deep into the cultural value of education, whether you should go or send your children, and the affects of reductionism and secularism on higher education in the West.
The history, philosophy, and psychology of happiness. Dr. John Lu, a colleague and social psychologist joins us. We play a game to guess the happiest US states and countries around the globe. We find out from Dr. Lu whether money can buy happiness.
To help us understand our Muslim neighbors, and the ways in which thoughtful dialog can take place without being disengenous, we brought in an expert in historical and contemporary Christian-Muslim relations, Dr. Adam Francisco. Adam is an Oxford alumnus, an author of a book on the topic and Assoc. Prof. of History at Concordia University Irvine.
Location, location, location. Choosing where to live can be one of life's most important concerns, but it's also a decision we often give little sophisticated attention. Chosing a hometown affects your and your children's ability to fulfil your vocation, and be as virtuous as possible. It can also affect your potential earning power. We share about our experience in suburban wastelands, ask whether a good person should live in an urban environment, and why some who grew up in the city are nervous in the country.
Alex Rodriguez, the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post. Before we get to those trending stories, we share a couple anecdotes each about our wild week. Not that wild, but fun.
How can we effectively be good neighbors to human beings around the world? Dan shares the top events that connected America to the world in history. We interview Andrew Syed about various ways to care about others, including the nonprofit, NGO, and for-profit world.
Interview with Dan Deen, philosophy prof, on the relationship between virtue and knowledge. We talk about Dan's doctoral adviser Michael Ruse and ways of doing debate between atheists and theists.
Should a virtuous person waste time on sports? We chat with classical scholar (that means ancient Greece and Rome), Dr. C.J. Armsrong about the history and ethics of sports. We share the top five banned sports and the top ten most culturally significant American sports moments. This is a show for people who are fanatics as well as those who hate professional sports. It's about its prominent role in our world and it might be the most fun we've had to date thinking through this stuff.
Dan and Jeff interview Prof. Joel Oesch about his doctoral research on facebook and theology.
Dan and Jeff banter about technology and how we might have to fight killer robots. We discuss the ways in which American society benefits from technology but also the need for true human associations.
We interview psychologist, Dr. Betsi Little-Van Fossen about the ways in which social networks, especially technology, affect our lives. We also follow up on some aspects of evil, garnering insights about important historical experimental work in the field.
After the first episode, we needed to have a bit more fun. Here we discuss the nature of humor, share our list of topic comedies and comedians, and talk about the ways in which laughter is a sign of wisdom and transcendence. We don't recommend you watch or listen to all the pop culture artifacts we discuss--especially with your mom--but we use these as a catalyst for understanding why it is important to take our engagement seriously, without failing to laugh at ourselves. We argue that humor is important for religious and political contexts.
We interview documentarian and former radio and television host Zeke Piestrup about his new film Apocalypse Later: Harold Camping vs The End of The World. After attending the premiere, we liked his work. But we were just as intrigued with the story behind the filmmaker. Zeke exemplifies many of the virtues we are seeking in this podcast, so we are glad to present this as our first Bonus B-Side. Dan and Jeff love B-Sides in music, so we expect these to be some of the most interesting shows we release. Nonetheless, as they go into depth with professionals and professors, listeners can look at each topic to determine and select the in-depth conversations they think are most appealing.
We discuss the complexity of evil, especially by investigating its portrayal in film The show sets up the context for the podcast in general, and so it emphasizes the darker aspects of our culture. Don't fret though, future episodes will cover toopics like humor and interviews with artists. Go to virtueinthewasteland.com for show notes or further information. Please subscribe and give us a rating to help us get underway.