A Beautiful Faith

BIG CHANGES, but we aren't leaving you behind. All of the great content you have come to expect from Henry and Ryan will still keep coming! We promise! All future episodes of A Beautiful Faith will be found here: (iTunes) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/absurdity-with-ryan-becker/id1146967818 or (Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/show/45DbluOYdniz5iUkUU9N8U?si=V7PFWzRUTNeVtXq5XEF1Kg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

The truth about Ravi Zacharias has been a disgusting one for many to accept, especially those whom he helped through his ministry career. But, like it or not, Ravi Zacharias is an example for all of us. The question is...what kind of example do we see him as? For more information on Ravi Zacharias: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/february/ravi-zacharias-rzim-investigation-sexual-abuse-sexting-rape.html Check out our sponsor: https://www.swau.edu/apn A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out https://www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Henry and Ryan answer the question: 2020 was a year of opportunity for online content creators and others who had new ideas and wanted to grow their platforms, businesses, etc. So, what happened? Why, when we had so much opportunity, did burnout win against so many people? And what do we do about it? Check out our sponsor: https://www.swau.edu/apn A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out https://www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

A great personal friend of both Henry and Ryan, Pastor Jaime (pronounced "Hi-may") Pombo joins the show to talk a bit about his own faith journey as he became a Seventh-day Adventist and what life has looked like for him as he has grown in his faith and calling and entered fatherhood! Check out our sponsors: https://www.swau.edu/apn A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out https://www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

This week, Henry and Ryan jump into the denominations conversation, and what role, if any, denominational affiliation should play in your faith as you build it back up. Check out our sponsors: https://www.swau.edu/apn and https://theabsurdity.org/ppe A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out https://www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Guilt and Shame have longed been used as a tool by those in the Church with authority to control those without. This has led to a large swing out of pushback where any feeling or application of guilt is ignored and resisted in favor of a gospel that emphasizes forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Check out our sponsors: https://www.swau.edu/apn and https://theabsurdity.org/ppe A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out https://www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Kim Cove joins Ryan and Henry once again, but this time to discuss her experience as a licensed counselor. Why is counseling/therapy so important? How can it benefit you and those around you? How do you even go about finding a counselor and starting that journey? We hope you find some answers you are looking for in this episode! Check out our sponsors: https://www.swau.edu/apn and https://theabsurdity.org/ppe A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Is how Christianity teaches sexual health and sex education really the most effective way? What have been some of the outcomes of the traditional form of "Abstinence-only" education and how can and should we be doing better? Henry and Ryan dive into this in hopes that you can find freedom from shame that you feel for things that you may not have even had any control over. Article discussed: https://bit.ly/2AACF4a Check out our sponsors: https://www.swau.edu/apn and https://theabsurdity.org/ppe A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Gratitude. Ain't that a complicated topic? How can I experience gratitude when it feels like everything is falling down around me? What is the proper role of gratitude in my faith journey and how do I use it as such? Henry and Ryan do a deep dive on everything gratitude is and isn't. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

We all disagree with something. It may be the color of the carpet, it may be which songs to sing during the service, or it may be over a difference in core theological belief. No matter what it is, it does not give us the excuse to treat each other in unkind and unhelpful ways. What should disagreement look like in the church? How do we begin to utilize disagreements in healthy ways and see them as opportunities for personal and spiritual growth? A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

This week, Henry and Ryan talk about what to do with all that newfound energy we get when we have an extraordinary spiritual experience and want to tell our communities about it. How we talk about the things that get us excited matters as much as the topics themselves! A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Beth Grissom joins Henry and Ryan to discuss her journey through facing shame and feeling like a failure and how she moved forward from that to face life with joy, peace, and a renewed faith in God. Check out Joy in the Weeds here! A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Liturgy has become something many are afraid of. Often associated with religious formalism or fundamentalism and rooted in tradition, liturgy has caused a lot of damage for believers seeking an authentic and personal connection with God. But what if we misplace the blame? What if liturgy isn't the root of the problem? A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Kaleb Eisele, Adventist creative and founder of Humans of Adventism, joins Henry and Ryan to talk about his journey through faith and how he rejected the fluff in church and found God through getting to know his community and finding beauty through meaningful relationships. While Kaleb is our first ever interview for our series 'The Return,' we've obviously released another one, first. Don't let that detract from how amazing this conversation is! https://www.adventisthumans.com/ A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

How do you discern God's Will and what is prayer's role in that process? Ryan and Henry dive into what praying for God's Will looks like, the ways it is misused, and how we can all grow in our understanding of how to pursue it in our own lives. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

So what's more important in faith? Emotions? or Knowledge? Or is some balance of both a better ideal for anyone on a spiritual path? Henry and Ryan jump into intellectual and emotional spiritual needs and try to pinpoint where we can do better in both areas. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

What does having purity really mean? If you've lost it, can you get it back? Purity and Modesty Culture have caused incredible trauma, pain, and shame because of what they've taught people about their own worth, value, and bodies. Henry and Ryan try to explain where the movement came from, what its effects have been, and what we can do about it. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Kim Cove, a licensed therapist in North Carolina, joins Henry and Ryan to share her story of her reconstructive journey with her faith, her identity, and her self-worth. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

When people experience a conversion or re-conversion experience, there are many that feel a compulsion to respond to God's presence or actions with actions of a similar level. This usually results in people walking away from jobs, careers, people, or more in order to "follow God's calling." Henry and Ryan jump into why that may not always be the best decision, and when it is, why it's best to make that transition slow and deliberate. How should we properly utilize and direct all the positive energy we feel when we have seen God move? A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

What do you do when things are going great, but something bad happens that gets in your way and trips you up? How should you respond and how do you push through those situations? Henry and Ryan jump into this issue head on so that you can be well-equipped to face any faith setback and come out the other side. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

A few months back, we came across an article with a troubling definition for the singular purpose of religion. So this week, Henry and Ryan take some time to debunk that improper definition and talk about why it's so important to have the correct understanding of why we are Christians and what the implications of an improper definition are. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

One of the biggest obstacles on a reconstruction journey can be a surprising one: the Bible itself. The Bible Problem is a mini-series within A Beautiful Faith, where we tackle a lot of the common issues people encounter in the Bible head on. This week, we tackle Job. In an hour, we can't deal with every question ever on Job, but we sure do try! If Job has been an issue for you, we hope that this episode can be a breath of fresh air, helping you understand a complex book full of sorrow, tragedy, and intense conversations about the character of God. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Henry and Ryan talk about the need for community in faith, how communities can both help and harm us in our faith journeys. "Jesus>Religion" is just not enough, or is it? A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

This week, Ryan and Henry jump into the tension that people often experience on their reconstruction journey between their growing faith and lingering questions and doubts they are still seeking answers for. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

This week, Ryan and Henry dive deep into Henry's story of reconstruction. Henry describes his journey not just through faith, but across denominational lines and through experiences that ultimately led him to even doubt his own calling. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

This week, Henry and Ryan dive into Ryan's story of reconstruction. Ryan tells about how his faith was challenged, where he questioned, and how he maintained his faith through tragedy. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Welcome to A Beautiful Faith! In this episode, Henry and Ryan talk about why deconstruction isn't enough for someone's faith journey and how can leave people wanting or leave people in a place of bitterness, anger, and pain. A Beautiful Faith is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network. For more great podcasts, check out www.absurdnetwork.com Connect with us! Twitter: @ryan180becker, @henrywjohnson2 Email: ryan@absurdnetwork.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://absurdpodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm