You Never Studied: Recent Episodes
You Never Studied
Hans and Evan say farewell to all the wonderful listeners of You Never Studied on this ultimate (final) episode of the show.
People like NFTs. People also think they are dumb because cryptocurrency is ephemeral and not real. Hans and Evan discuss fandom around digital currency (among other things) and what that teaches us about ourselves and God. Then Evan reviews a book geared at Christian students that enroll in religion classes at secular universities and the challenges that come with them. Then Evan discusses "The Outer Banks" on Netflix.
Finally, an announcement for the YNS faithful.
Hans and Evan attempt to understand the continual tumult in celebrity pastor culture, Hans reviews a book on creating powerful moments, and it's time for another MCU roundup, giving their reviews on both Black Widow & Loki (spoilers!).
With Evan out, Hans and Dale get together to talk about eldering. Dale is in an elder process at his church and Hans tries and talk him out of it (not really). Then Dale shares a story about a time that he was walking around with friends and broke a bone.
Why are videogamers better at finding cheaters than physicians? What is the world coming to and how do Christians respond? What is this show about that Evan's watching (Hans doesn't know)? Thanks for joining us for this episode!
Welcome to the first of two episodes about stealing (or cheating, or stretching truth). Pastor plagiarism has made its way into the limelight. The world tries to tell better stories, but Jesus has the best. Finally, The Tomorrow War basically every sci-fi movie in a blender.
Note: this podcast mentioned Lecrae suing Katy Perry. This statement gets at least one pinocchio. Lecrae was named on a lawsuit against her for a song he was featured on with Flame. However, Lecrae dropped his name from the suit. Source: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/july/katy-perry-dark-horse-lawsuit-beat-stealing-chh-flame.html
What happens when you try to do things the right way and it doesn't work out? A lot happens—and it isn't all good. Evan is working through a great book on election—and he's also serving as a post-apocalyptic mail courier. We aren't joking.
Indiana Jones just turned 40! Hans and Evan discuss a criticism lobbed at Raiders of the Lost Ark--namely, that the plot doesn't matter, and we discuss criticism in general and when and how to respond. Then Hans reviews a book by J.C. Ryle. And finally, Evan talks about watching The Chosen.
Hans and Evan have a spoiler-filled discussion about the first two episodes of the new MCU Disney Plus Series LOKI.
Follow us on a fatherhood through-line this week in You Never Studied. In honor of Father's Day we track a few of our favorite topics of the week: (1) Ghostbusters, (2) Augustine, and (3) A Quiet Place Part 2.
"See? I knew it!" Said everyone in the world about Dr. Fauci's FOIA email dump... no matter what they read or didn't read. Don't worry. Hans and Evan don't dive too deeply into pandemic stuff but rather use the Fauci email stuff to talk about the internet and confirmation bias. Then Hans has a book on the plurality of elders. And then Evan saw Tenet. Or maybe Evan was inverted and will see Tenet. We're not sure. It was kinda confusing.
You know how those McDonald's Ice Cream Machines always seem to be broken? Turns out they are notoriously difficult to maintain and repair and need specialized technicians from the company that sells them to service them. Well, one startup found a way to help diagnose and repair the complicated machines. Until they get shut down by Big Fast Food and Big Ice Cream. Then Evan takes a swim in J.T. English's new book Deep Discipleship. Then Hans and Evan discuss the trailer for Chris Pratt's new Amazon film The Tomorrow War.
Hans and Evan put their confirmation bias to good use, discussing an article that highlights how awesome older millennials are at everything. Then Hans reviews a re-read of Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, and then we talk Marvel's "See You At The Movies" Phase 4 trailer.
What happens when a Belgian farmer moves an old stone so he could drive his tractor through an area? He accidentally changed his country's border with neighboring France! Then Evan reviews a 9 Marks book on Biblical Theology. And finally Hans tells us about the Prime Video Original Movie - Without Remorse.
We all see things from our own perspective and, thus, often assume our experience is the norm. When it comes to those who are leaving the church, some new(er) research shows us that the exodus is more diverse than what might be assumed. This data can help us as shepherds, which is the book Hans reviewed. And what would an episode be if we didn't talk about Marvel?
In this seventieth (!) regular episode we bring you what we've all feared: a world run by AI and robots. Follow that up with a book on prayer and a brief discussion on the next season of Picard and you have yourself a barn burner of an episode.
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To kick off a run of a few weeks of episodes we wanted to bring you our thoughts on the recently-completed run of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Spoiler alert! A lot to discuss so let's dive right in.
A man tragically dies alone in his apartment (or "flat" for our European listeners) and lies undisturbed... for nine years... because he has autopay for all his bills. Hans and Evan discuss and then resume the second part of Evan's review for Matthew Barrett's book Simply Trinity. Then Evan talks about a new "discovery" Andrea made (a TV show about witches).
A Pastor/Senator tweeted a thing about Easter. It was not great. Hans and Evan discuss it (and then discuss if they should discuss it). Then Hans reviews another pastoral leadership book. His take: also not great. Then we check in on the old MCU on Disney + both The Falcon & Winter Soldier half-way mark and the new trailer for the Loki series. (Our take: It's great).
What happens when an Italian mobster and fugitive uploads cooking videos on YouTube while hiding out in the Caribbean? (Hint: he gets caught) Then, Hans and Evan get theological, discussing a chapter of a book on the Trinity on Eternal Functional Subordination... and our heads hurt. Finally, Hans brings us a musical Study Break where we talk about rapper NF's new song/video "Story."
Get it while it's hot!
Preachers are still wearing sneakers! Hans and Evan revisit a topic all the way back from our first few episodes as the man behind the famous Preachers n Sneakers account has revealed his identity in order to sell his book. Then Hans talks about preaching through narrative sections of Scripture, and finally, the study break where they review the first episode of The Falcon & the Winter Soldier
Evan kicks Hans to the curb and joins another Googer, Hans' nerdier, younger brother, Dale, for a deep dive into the fabled SNYDER CUT of DC's Justice League, which just released on HBO Max. And boy do we have opinions. Take a listen.
Hans and Evan look back on a year of life and ministry in the midst of a pandemic. Then look at Jonathan Leeman's 9 Marks Book on Church Membership, and finally, we tie up Wandavision's Finale.
Tough topic this week as Hans and Evan take a look at a few recent instances of tremendous leadership failures that all lead back to the culture of each organization. Paul Tripp's book LEAD helps provide the antidote to such poisonous cultures. And then Evan talks about band Greta Van Fleet's new song "Heat Above."
What happens when homes can have fake Twitter Blue Checks? Sadly, some people believe it's real and actually want them. Then Evan discusses John Cleese short, cheerful guide on Creativity. Finally, Hans and Evan gush about how much they are continuing to enjoy Wandavision on Disney + and speculate on where it's heading next.
Hans and Evan discuss the merits of Microsoft turning people's dead loved ones into digital recreations. Then Hans reviews a book from a Pope! Finally, the first Marvel Disney Plus show has dropped--learn how both Hans and Evan felt about Wandavision.
Is there a link between Dispensationalism and Q'Anon? Phil Vischer (jokingly) makes one, but Hans & Evan wanna discuss the implications of the joke. Then we look at a book on owning your mistakes as a pastor. Finally, we talk about the departure of James Harden and the potential re-emergence of Chris Evans in the role of Captain America. We're back!
Conan O'Brien, the late-night host who has been in the game for almost three decades is moving from his current TBS offering to a weekly show on the streaming HBO Max. Why do you care? You might not, but Evan and Hans do. As life-long fans of Conan, we've seen the way the TV host has conducted himself through some career highs and lows that warrant discussion. Plus, he's really, really funny.
What happens when you finally locate a "Murder Hornet" nest? (A lot). Hans and Evan discuss it along with the early holiday spirit everyone seems to be needing.
Hans and Evan do the unthinkable and TALK POLITICS. Particularly as it relates to Christians being faced with tough choices. Also, go vote.
Is Covid-19 a "blessing from God" or "divine judgment"? Or neither? It depends on who you ask and who's been infected... maybe? Hans and Evan try and make sense of this question. ALSO--Doctor Strange is joining Spider-Man for his third solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But will they use their made-up names?
You know all those stories you've heard about the early church? The books of the Bible were formed by a committee? Santa punched a heretic in the face? Hans and Evan get to the bottom of some of these legends and erroneous claims with authors and professors Michael Svigel and John Adair, as they discuss their new book: Urban Legends of Church History.
Hans and Evan talk through an Atlantic article on coping with the feeling of hopelessness during these troubling times. Then, we give a sneak peek at next week's deep dive into the Urban Legends of Church History. And Evan might just sell Hans on Wandavision on the air.
The former editor of Christianity Today, among the foremost Evangelical Christian publications, converts to Catholicism. Hans and Evan discuss. Also Robert Letham's book on the Trinity. And the incredibly amazing Dune Trailer--at least, according to Evan.
Evan and Hans discuss the Beatles Breakup 50 years later and narratives that persist even though, like many things, the truth is much more complicated. Speaking of Truth, Hans talks a new book on the Sermon on the Mount. And then Evan reviews Bill & Ted Face the Music.
Busy weeks for both Hans and Evan meant we didn't exactly come locked and loaded with a stacked episode this week. But you know who did come stacked for their online presentation this week? DC with their new film slate at their online "DC Fandome" event. Listen as Hans and Evan (okay, really just Evan) unpack it all for you.
The CDC issued a new report that showed a marked increase in mental health issues and substance abuse. We talk to Medical Professional Scott Bradford about it. He believes this is a significant problem that is being underreported in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to our conversation to see what it all means.
Hans and Evan are back! A good hiatus isn't worth much if you don't talk about what you did and what you learned. That leads Hans to a discussion about coaching baseball THE RIPKEN WAY! And then we answer your burning questions you had for us the break about Bon Iver, Taylor Swift and the Snyder Cut!
What happens to your brain you get lost? Hint: nothing good. What happens to Christians when they disagree about politics? Hint: also nothing good--usually--but we should work to change that and Jonathan Leeman's short booklet "How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?" is a good start. Then, Ben Rector's quarantine-inspired jam "It Would Be You."
Episode half a hundred!
Thanks for sticking with us this long. We didn't even know this was our 50th episode (plus some random episodes).
Where do we head with this one? To some of our favorite topics. What might COVID do for the church negatively?Have you seen the Alicia Keys Tiny Desk concert? Also, somehow old man Batman is coming back.
Evan is back and we are all happy about it! It was time to get back to the basics—a normal flow of a show. A recent article on empathy got us wondering how thinly you can slice words before they mean almost nothing. That convo reminded us of how difficult it is to teach well. Then, to top it off, we talked a bit about the new Bill and Ted and whether or not it is a movie theater visit for us. Like, share, and subscribe.
Evan was out of commission for an evening, but Hans roped in his brother, Dale, to come join for the podcast. They previously had a podcast (Pastor and Plebe) that was more of a freeform podcast and gave it a run again for this episode. Guilty consciences, race, and selfishness all show up in this episode.
Hans and Evan are joined by special guest, fellow pastor, and family member, Kevin Bowles, to discuss how each is trying to approach resuming public worship gatherings at their respective churches.
It isn't every day that we get to have an episode with one of the biggest influences in both of our lives. Steve Corn entered into our lives when we were young (around 10) and has been there ever since. We talk youth ministry, career changing, family discipleship strategies, and much more on this latest edition of You Never Studied.
Some people cannot WAIT to get back to . . . whatever it was that they were doing before they had to stop doing it. In a recent article that was (drumroll): cruise lines. We spend some time discussing the idea of longing for the past. From there Hans shares a book he read to help him teach his kids about invest in the future, and Evan finishes discussing Waco (now on Netflix).
With COVID-19 shutting down what seems to be all other news, it is a good time to expose the world to some of our friends. This week's episode we interview Vick Green. We both served on staff with Vick and he has since moved on to focus heavily on helping local churches improve their disciple-making. He's a great hang and really helpful if you feel like you're stuck in ministry. Listen to this episode to learn about what he's working on and how he keeps himself sharp as a learner
Sometimes people say things and then have to immediately have to un-say those things. It isn't uncommon—but when you are part of a multi-billion dollar enterprise, the stakes are a little higher. Warner Brothers said, "We are rethinking the movie experience" and then said, "Jk we love movies." In the world of COVID, these stories make us chuckle. That plus John Piper wrote a book on COVID make up this week's You Never Studied.
A recent Wired article talked about how to just shut off your screen time notifications so that you don't feel guilty. Should this be what we do? How has staying at home changed our schedules and how we approach our days? Hans finished up a book recommended by a congregant, and Courtney (Hans' wife) is tearing through Harry Potter books with the kids.
This week we brought in Hans' old seminary friend Chris to help discuss Jesus, holy week, and Passover. Chris works for Friends of Israel and spends his days doing radio, writing for their ministry, and (when no virus) leading trips to Israel to better help people better understand what God has revealed in Scripture.
With so many churches live-streaming, the decision on communion comes to the forefront.
On a whim, we asked Dr. Michael Svigel, department chair of theological studies at Dallas Seminary, if he’d come on to live stream an episode of our podcast. Dr. Svigel had argued that churches could replicate many things, but communion was not one of them.
Dr. Svigel said he would do it, but only if Dr. John Dyer, dean of enrollment services and distance education at Dallas Seminary (also a coding ninja), would join. Dr. Dyer writes on the intersection of theology and technology. Last week he wrote about historic views of communion as well as how churches approach participating in communion online.
Graciously, and on short notice, both came on to discuss, and the conversation was incredibly helpful.
In different times we do different things—like live stream the recording of the episode and leaving it for you to enjoy on a Monday (with minor edits). A week ago many churches were scrambling to figure out what to do and how to do it when they weren't meeting. We work through this reality, our decisions, some lessons learned, and a couple predictions now that life has been somewhat upended temporarily.
With COVID-19 in the states and cases growing each day, it was time to talk about how Christians (and churches) could approach it (or any) public health crisis. Evan takes some time after that to remind us of prayer—specifically the Lord's Prayer—and its role in our lives. We follow this all up with a discussion about the Batmobile, because Hans can't offer anything on those third segments anymore.
Happy eleven monthiversary!!! We go in opposite order this week as we need YOUR feedback on the show heading into a new year (you can also sponsor it if you'd like) (1:06). From there we ask ourselves what we'd do if we broke our leg miles away from help (also in sub-freezing weather) (11:47) and talk a bit about lasting as a pastor (23:59).
In this episode, Hans and Evan talk about the merits of accessible home security tech—Hans isn't a fan, Evan isn't NOT a fan (02:05). Another book on preaching (Hans' read this time—22:51) and a John Mark McMillan chaser bring you this episode of You Never Studied (32:12).
What happens when you try and make a living shuttling food from place to place in your beater of a car? We take a Car and Driver article and discuss the merits (and detriments) of gig economy delivery jobs (02:49). Evan then changes gears (no pun intended) to a recent book on preaching (20:40). Finally, we discuss the Jonas brothers getting back together (27:42).
With the Godbold clan down with the flu, Hans had to handle this episode by himself. What else was he supposed to talk about than Star Wars? Lots, actually. News came out amongst Chicagoland churches about their continued issues in transitioning (in the case of Willow) and another (James MacDonald) trying a new church strategy to avoid drama (2:10). That topic plus a book (21:18) plus carpool karaoke (25:50) means—that’s right—another episode for you.
Sometimes we just want to leave—to skip town and move away with people we like and who agree with us. Well, some people do that—and they take over entire towns. Join us as we investigate what happens when an offshoot of Catholicism spends 40 years in a Kansas town. Hans gives a brief review of Death by Livingand Evan reviews Lost in Space.
Social media makes it possible to catch people at their worst (we hope). This happened recently when a pastor was caught mid-sermon asking a mom to take her child outside of the sanctuary. It isn’t a good look. We take some time to discuss this and—spoiler alert—Hans has a little sympathy (a little). We then discuss a book on pastor and abuses of power (as well as what to do about it) and finish up with a leader who didn’t abuse power—Picard. (Note: Hans mentions the metadata for the church’s website changing from being one of the friendliest churches. He just checked it again and it is back. Blame him for the confusion.)
It’s a sad day when the Astros are found cheating in a big way. Positively, we are talking about baseball in January. Negatively, the Astros are nefarious cheaters who will never be seen as the textbook way to win a championship ever again.
Hans needs some time to process this gut punch, but baseball is to Evan what Star Wars is to Hans. We bring in friend of the show Ben Haug to process the news and what we are supposed to do about it.
We get back into the new year with a great episode for you: Mr. Rogers and the value of being present, a (finally) finished book on expertise, and a movie about something or another that Evan saw (it was Shazam!). Perhaps it was the few weeks off, perhaps it was the content, but we are glad to have this episode be the one to kick-off 2020.
We did it! Thirty-one episodes, a few bonus episodes, and 2019 is in the books. Tune in as we discuss our favorite episode moment, best reads, best movies, biggest lessons, and more on this final 2019 episode of You Never Studied.
Evan saw the Rise of Skywalker. So did Hans—except not really. Hans’ brother, Dale, saw it WITH Evan (also with Zac, Evan’s brother). Hans and Dale used to have a podcast, so it only made sense to bring Dale in to talk about this movie (and all of Star Wars) in our gift-that-keeps-on-giving episode of You Never Studied—the Rise of Skywalker.
This week we take a question that one of our listeners sent in.
Should I spend my weeknights involved in church-sponsored activities or in proactive community involvement (trail clean-ups, park days, city or neighborhood sponsored events, etc.) or by simply being home and intentional with my neighbors? And how does that change when I purposefully involve other believers who live near me?It's a great question as we head into the holidays.
Have you heard about a potential new way to bury people? Yeah. It’s weird, or at least weird to Hans (and hopefully you). RC Sproul then walks us through what we can know about God, and Evan gives us his thoughts on Frozen 2 (he has three daughters). You’ll enjoy the discussion as we talk about all things frozen.
Nostalgia is quite a drug and Disney Plus knows it. With 10 million subscribers on day one, Disney surprised even themselves. Is that a good thing for us as consumers? Is 24/7 access to our heartstrings a drug worth taking? This plus (no pun intended) a great book on marriage and a short review of the Mandalorian.
It isn’t that often that we get to chat with a sociologist—twice! After recording our first “Ask the Expert” with Bart Stykes (who is a member of Genesis with Hans) we decided to re-record so that you could get even more expert precision! We hear about Bart’s research interests, learn how he navigates life as a believer in a field that isn’t full of believers, and then learn that he also loves—volleyball!
Have you heard the one about James Dean coming back from the dead in order to be in a movie? Well, we’ll wait and see whether it happens or not, but the concept itself has some pretty significant ethical considerations—which Evan breaks down for us. We gear change it into an easy read by John Calvin for those interested in getting into the Reformers, followed by what cinema is (or isn’t).
A late-in-the-week podcast means we could grab a story that dropped Sunday night. Many have heard about the issues at Harvest Bible Chapel with James MacDonald, but more got added to the story Sunday when the elders of the church shared more information with the church regarding their dismissed pastor, James MacDonald. Evan shares about a brief book on family worship and then shares about his favorite movie: TERMINATOR SIX!!!!!
Recent research has shown that the bulk of political tweets on social media come from a small percentage of users. The echo chamber is real and it affects us. How do we combat this mentality in our churches? After that, we skip our normal “Hit the Books” to jump right into a chat about one of our favorite folk musicians: David Wilcox.
From time to time we tackle a topic that was (1) suggested by others or (2) something we ourselves have talked about for some time. This one was the latter. In this week’s episode, we tackle the issue of ministering in church while operating in a world where there are no more experts. It isn’t a deep dive, but a beginning conversation that we might come back to from time to time as we work through the podcast. Listen in and let us know your thoughts.
The Beatles never leave. Ever. Even 50 years after Abbey Road, the album went number 1 in the UK. It’s amazing when some music has such staying power. After thinking through this idea, we apply it to the church. Hans finished up Thomas Kidd’s new book on evangelicalism, and then he talks about why he probably shouldn’t have seen the Joker movie.
With tens of millions of dollars to be made, companies are going all-in on the digital giving game. One such company made almost 100 million dollars processing 4.2 billion in church giving. Billion with a “B.” We tackle that topic, why churches do it, and even briefly on if that’s such a good thing in the scheme of things. Hans finished up a book on stewardship and then we end with the good news: Spider-man is back in the MCU.
After a week of whistleblowers and impeachment talk, we wanted to change the focus. To where do we change the focus? Beer money, bad tweets, and the inconsistent way a society applies forgiveness to screw-ups like us. Evan then tackles a book on the conscience and we end with a little Star Wars (like always, it seems).
A lot has been made of Kanye’s Sunday Services. As more video comes our of recent services (and a new album announced), some folks are wondering what to make of it all. We take on that topic this week—since we are both Kanye experts. Evan tackles the end of the world in a new book he finished up, and Hans chats about the new Dennis Rodman 30 for 30. Listen in.
We took a week off of our regularly scheduled programming to tackle an interesting topic: stats and their application to the church. A couple of folks share NPR’s “Modal American” podcast with us and were curious what we thought and/or other applications of the concept. The result: this episode.
We aren’t great with stats, but we were able to talk about some of the ways we use metrics in our own churches.
Benny Hinn—a notable prosperity preacher and faith healer—says he doesn't agree with things he used to proclaim. How do we handle these types of statements? Is there any room for restitution? Do we just say "Great!"? We don't have all of those answers, but we do tackle the issues. Speaking of issues, Hans recently finished up a novel on police shootings that gave him a different perspective. All of that discussion is followed up with Evan nerding out about video effects people.
Your definitive guide to the better chicken sandwich is here.
Just kidding.
But we did get our hands on one, even though they're sold-out nationwide. The convo on chicken, of course, led Hans to a conversation about church growth strategies, which led to a conversation about church books, which led to a conversation about Andy Mineo.
This is your one-stop shop for anything you care about this week.
Evan gives Hans the details concerning last week's bad news surrounding Disney/Marvel's Partnership with Sony to use Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In short--it is not looking great.
The idea that working hard is a good thing should go without saying. However, working hard (and competing with others to work harder than them) can also be an endless cycle one gets caught up in. In this episode, we take on the idea of how churches can present an alternate reality to the world’s system of merit. From there we tackle a Screwtape letters sort of geared specifically to the church, and Hans and Evan chat briefly about the new Jim Gaffigan special.
Pastors and church leaders leaving the faith has been a common theme of the past few years. The past month has seen two folks make a public decision to leave the Faith (or start leaving the Faith). As pastors, this is something we care a lot about, so we took a little extra time this week to discuss the idea of leaving the church, how we view it, and a tie-in to church history.
Ethical and legal—while not the same thing, people like to think they are. Unfortunately for Moviepass, they seemed to cross both of those lines when they decided to unilaterally change a bunch of passwords for heavy users to try and stop hemorrhaging money (it didn’t work). A recent read by Hans by someone who would’ve never known what Moviepass was (had she not left her fundamentalist family) got him thinking about seeing the world through the eyes of others. Speaking of seeing the world through the eyes of others . . . Evan gives his thoughts on the newest season of Expedition Unknown.
We recorded an episode, then the software crashed and we lost said episode.
We looked at each other with the "I really don't want to redo that one" look.
Then we opted to just talk about the past year of Hans' life as he tried to make his house work right. Listen in and commiserate.
Who doesn’t love Chick-fil-A?
That’s what we thought.
Now, what do Chick-fil-A and the StrengthsFinder assessment have in common? More than you think.
Come hear what this weeks expert, Brad Munson, TBC member and Owner/Operator of a CFA in Houston has to say about these two worlds. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll learn a lot. We did.
Today we tackle a subject that—in some way, shape, or form—affects everyone. Marriage. A recent article in The Atlantic about marriage and the potential negative effects on people got us thinking about marriage more closely. Hans was able to tie-in a book he had recently read on the subject, and then we tackle the phenomenon that is Stranger Things.
The internet has made everyone no longer trust information. How can the church fill in the gap as a place of high trust? Speaking of the church and being trustworthy—Evan finished up a book about trusting the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that you should check out. And last but not least—Evan waxes eloquent on the new Spider-Man.
This week we take another dive into the mailbag to answer another listener question: How far is too—with my hobbies? Most people have things they love doing that, if not careful, take way too much of their time. How can Christians not go overboard here?
This week we tackle a topic that affects almost all of us in some way: how specialized should you be in your career? Taking a story from The Atlantic about generalization and specialization of roles in the Navy, we apply it both to ourselves and to people we would pastor. Evan throws a wrinkle into it all when he does a little extra research, too. The topic reminded Hans of a book he read a little while back. After that, we tackle the trailer for Doctor Sleep (we=Evan).
We take a break from our normal flow to tackle a question from our friend Vick Green: How should Christians handle the tension between (1) creating content and (2) self-promotion. Is there a yes or no answer to these questions? How do we approach it with our incredibly successful podcast?
Someone stole hours and hours of MiniDiscs from Radiohead—a band Evan really likes and Hans likes in theory—and held it ransom for $150,000. Rather than pay a ransom Radiohead released all the music and Hans quickly saw the sermon illustration. Speaking of music (not music ransoms), a recent book Hans finished up taught him a cool story about “Hey Ya” (the book was fine, not great). Then, in an unrelated study break, Hans talks a bit about the Chernobyl miniseries.
A tiny segment of evangelicalism short-circuited last week when POTUS paid a surprise visit to a church and David Platt prayed for him. That led Evan to think about a recent read on church and state and share his thoughts (tl;dr: he liked the book and thinks every American Christian should read it). Finally, there's a new Aladdin that made Evan cry.
Pedometers are no longer needed, even if Evan thinks they are. Hans finished up Michelle Obama's new memoir, and Evan is excited about the new Picard show.
Beneath Evan’s cool and calm exterior is a man who gushes all things space. He doesn’t know the size of the footprint on the moon (psshh), but he does know a lot—much more than most laymen. With that knowledge, and news of a new NASA timeline to get back to the moon, it was time to discuss space. Hans contributes little to the conversation in regard to expertise, but he does talk about a book he finished up on teaching more effectively. Finally, the two talk about their recent experience at the Dave Matthews concert.
A new segment drops this week on You Never Studied! Welcome to "Ask the Expert." In these segments, we'll talk with someone who has unique expertise in an industry but ALSO unique expertise in something completely unrelated. Come for the expertise, but stay for the side-hustle.
In this episode, a meteorologist of almost thirty years—Jeff Manna—shares with us his love for weather AND 80s and 90s Christian rock.
A recent article has Evan and Hans thinking about male loneliness. Is it a real thing? What's missing? What does the church do? Evan just finished up a book on God's attributes (he liked it), and Hans and Evan share their affinity with the It movies.
What's the Acts 29 assessment process like for an established church (at least from Hans' perspective)? What's life like form the perspective from the working poor? How about a new Twilight Zone? This episode has all the feels.
Making over 600m in its opening weekend, it is clear that Avengers: Endgame—and the whole MCU—has lefts its mark on culture today. Listen in as Evan and Hans discuss the finale in two parts: spoiler-free and spoiler-full.
What do you do when you finish an episode and Evan has more to say than there is possibly time for? You make a separate episode and tell him to start talking. And he does. And it is wonderful.
We hope you enjoy our After Hours edition—a way for us to build on what we discussed in the previous episode. Only for the most committed.
In this episode we dive deep into what some might consider pastoral vanity; our friend David Mills wrote a book and you should consider what he has to say; and Hans watched the newest Star Wars trailer for the first time. Did he like it? Does he know much about anything Star Wars? (No.)
After finishing his NBA career, Dwyane Wade admits he's gonna need therapy to make the transition. Hans thinks it is a smart move. Evan shares about a book on lamenting a wife's chronic illness and then he waxes eloquent on the new Bear Grylls Netflix special.
Come with us as we discuss Easter, a book Hans recently read about habit-making (and breaking), and Evan shares us with his take on the Joker trailer.
Welcome to the show! How'd we get the name? What are you in for? How is this thing gonna work? How familiar is Hans with the Marvel Cinematic Universe? All this is and more are coming to you in our zeroeth episode: The Prologue!