Podcast appearances and mentions of brad jersak

As Bruce Epperly regularly writes to the Speaker Mike Johnson , "Please consider what Jesus, not Trump, would do." Using this petition as a starting point, we talk with Epperly, who is a theologian, spiritual guide, pastor, professor, and prolific author, about Christianity and US politics today. Listen as he explains how conservative efforts to hold onto traditional theology & the "greatness" of the 1950s goes against the "divinely creative grain of the universe." Liberals are not spared, (nor are Conservatives written off--we are all still "one Church") in this conversation that seeks Christ in the midst of a binary political divide.Dr. Bruce Epperly is the author of over 60 books, including his latest, "The God of the Growing Edge: Whitehead and Thurman on Theology, Spirituality, and Social Change" & the recent "Homegrown Mystics: Restoring Our Nation with the Healing Wisdom of America's Visionaries." In addition to teaching, preaching, and writing, Epperly is also a leading thinker in Process Theology and Christian Mysticism (and as you can hear in the podcast, hundreds of other topics.) You can find out more about Bruce Epperly and his work at www.drbruceepperly.com. Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

As Bruce Epperly regularly writes to the Speaker Mike Johnson , "Please consider what Jesus, not Trump, would do." Using this petition as a starting point, we talk with Epperly, who is a theologian, spiritual guide, pastor, professor, and prolific author, about Christianity and US politics today. Listen as he explains how conservative efforts to hold onto traditional theology & the "greatness" of the 1950s goes against the "divinely creative grain of the universe." Liberals are not spared, (nor are Conservatives written off--we are all still "one Church") in this conversation that seeks Christ in the midst of a binary political divide.Dr. Bruce Epperly is the author of over 60 books, including his latest, "The God of the Growing Edge: Whitehead and Thurman on Theology, Spirituality, and Social Change" & the recent "Homegrown Mystics: Restoring Our Nation with the Healing Wisdom of America's Visionaries." In addition to teaching, preaching, and writing, Epperly is also a leading thinker in Process Theology and Christian Mysticism (and as you can hear in the podcast, hundreds of other topics.) You can find out more about Bruce Epperly and his work at www.drbruceepperly.com.  Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Bakker is back, and he wants you to argue better! "Can't we all get along?" sounds like one of the most naive questions in the world, but in truth, it's one of the most Christlike things we can do. Our guest Jay Bakker, punk-rock pastor, author, and independent scholar, has long been a champion of arguing well, giving others grace, and also calling out intolerance--both on the right and on the left. In this conversation, we dig into what is going on in our country, the deep and wounding polarization, and the lessons we can learn from how figures ranging from Paul to MLK Jr to John Hume to our beloved Tammy Faye (Jay's mom) found a foundation for dialogue in the midst of the conflicts of their times. Jay Bakker is the pastor and founder of Revolution Gathering (https://revolutionchurch.com/), a radically inclusive online community of believers and seekers who want to do church in a way that fits their values, without the partisanship and division. He's on YouTube with his latest message every week--go watch, like, and subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@revolutionbroadcasting! Jay is also the author of "Son of a Preacher Man", which recounts his experience growing up as the son of famed televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker, and the more recent books "Fall to Grace: A Revolution of God, Self & Society" and "Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I've Crossed."  Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

There is a growing awareness of the impact that religious trauma—damaging things we've been told, that have been done to us, and that we've believed in negative religious environments—can have a lasting affects on our self-esteem, our relationships, and can even get down into our very nervous systems. This is a heartfelt conversation with Dr Mark Karris that focuses on his experiences in helping others heal the trauma of their adverse religious experiences, as well as the story of his own journey to heal his own traumatic experiences in the church. This is an important discussion for anyone who wants to understand religious trauma better, for those who pastor or counsel others who may have religious trauma, or for those who know that something wasn't right in the religious environment they were brought up in, and need to hear it: you're not crazy. Dr Mark G Karris a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who works with youth, families, couples, and individuals. He brings a range of professional, academic, and travel experiences that give him a breadth of knowledge and empathy. In addition to his role as therapist, Karris is also a prolific author. His latest book is Beyond Fairy Tales: A Couple's Guide to Finding Clarity, Doing the Work, and Building a Lasting Relationship. He is also the author of Religious Refugees: (De)Constructing Toward Spiritual and Emotional Healing; The Diabolical Trinity:Healing Religious Trauma from a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self; and Divine Echoes: Reconciling Prayer with the Uncontrolling Love of God. You can find out more about Dr. Karris and his work at https://markgregorykarris.com. Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

On March 10, a demolition crew tore up the pavement of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC, and Reverend Starlette Thomas was there to bear witness. With this moment of government-ordered erasure as our starting point, we talk with Thomas about the protest and community that happened on that very ground after the killing of George Floyd in 2020—and why recent history has made many African-American protestors avoid the recent “Hands Off” rallies across the country. In this fiery and revelatory conversation, Thomas explains how our “color-coded” society is a facade for a destructive caste system, how those who are “racialized” with the identity of “white body supremacy” need to squelch the voices of others to stay in power, and makes the case for finding our holy “somebodyness” in something other than race.Starlette Thomas is an author, activist, visual artist, and race abolitionist. She is also editor and director of the Raceless Gospel Initiative. She regularly preaches and teaches throughout the country and her sermons have been featured by Sojourners and other publications. Starlette is also a contributing author for the book Faith Forward: A Dialogue on Children, Youth & a New Kind of Christianity and author of the the book, “Take Me to the Water”: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church (Nurturing Faith). She is also the host of the Raceless Gospel podcast, now in its fifth season. Find more of her work at racelessgospel.com or on social media at @racelessgospel. Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

What's so crazy about diversity, equity, and inclusion? We are so glad to welcome back Melanie Hood-Wilson, DEI consultant and educator, to talk about her work and mission in the midst of the current administration's attacks on programs it calls “Radical and Wasteful.” Melanie is incisive, bold, and clearly lays out the issues we're facing as America “says the quiet part out loud”, the core issues of identity and belonging that are driving the backlash against DEI programs, and opens up the possibilities for things that all of us can do to help ensure that our companies and organizations include every qualified candidate, without preferencing or shutting out anyone because of their identity. Melanie is the leader of Melanie Hood-Wilson and Associates, a “consulting company providing services designed to teach, enlighten, and change lives through teaching, learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion.” She and her team are dedicated to helping organizations improve their cultural competency and increase the representation of communities of color, women, individuals with differing abilities, the LGBTQIA community, and those of diverse religious and national backgrounds. Her company also sponsors an innovative range of “caucuses,” where groups of open-minded people with similar backgrounds can learn more about disrupting biased systems and advocating for themselves. Prior to being a consultant, Melanie gained tremendous experience as a teacher both in middle school and at the Community college of Baltimore County.Learn more about her work at https://www.melaniehood-wilsonandassociates.com/ Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Tamice Spencer-Helms (they/she) riffs on wisdom. They take us on a vast, universe-spanning theological journey that is rooted in our bodies, our ancestry, and our feet right here on the ground. In the church and in our culture in America, there is something hidden and pervasive, Tamice says, and it will continue to eat at us until we find it, name it, and respond to it. Efforts to address it through the lens of race or through the lens of economics only scratch the surface. The “leaven” that contaminates our systems is deeper than that, based we relate to ourselves, to God, and to one another. It's a wild ride! Tamice unleashes some wisdom that will have you thinking long after you've finished listening.Tamice Spencer-Helms (they/she) is a theologian, public speaker, curriculum developer, and consultant based in Richmond, Virginia, with over two decades of experience in young adult leadership, spiritual innovation, and social change. She is the founder of the Soulful Leadership Project, Sub:Culture Inc., and the R.E.S.T. Mixtape. Tamice is also known for their contributions to theoactivism and the philosophy of religion. In February 2021, they published their powerhouse debut, Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin & George Floyd, and host the Life After Leaven podcast. Find more of their work at www.tamicenamaespeaks.com. Links:www.tamicenamaespeaks.comIG: @tamicenamaespeaks Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

For Kevin Sweeney (author, speaker, spiritual director), Christian faith is all about experiencing God, not in having abstract beliefs about God. And the experiences that have kept him a Christian, even after his first dogmatic teachings about the Bible fell by the wayside, have been at the intersection of the great, transcendent, mystical Cosmic Christ, and the real, authentic, liberating, earthly Concrete Jesus. Kevin talks with us about fading back from a front-and-center role as a pastor to being a servant and part of the whole body of Christ, as a writer and hospice chaplain helping people transition into their next phase. And he also talks with us about how tangible, boots-on-the ground liberation theology—particularly Black theology taught by James Cone, Kelly Brown Douglas, and others—has kept him grounded in the understanding that love is real, love is now, and love is active in this world. Jesus isn't here just to save our individual souls, he tells us. Without liberation, there is no Jesus. Listen for this great perspective on how the cosmic vision and real world works of faith can be reconciled into a single cohesive Christian faith. Kevin is the author of the new book, “Cosmic Christ and Cosmic Jesus,” which is available for pre-order and will be released in May 2025. He is also the author of the previous books “The Making of a Mystic: My Journey With Mushrooms, My Life as a Pastor, and Why It's Okay for Everyone to Relax” and “The Joy of Letting Go: How One Thing Has the Power to Change Everything.” He is also the host of “The Church Needs Therapy” podcast, and co-founder of Imagine Church in Honolulu. To learn more about Kevin's work, visit www.kevinsweeneynow.com or follow him on IG: @kevinsweeneynow Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

“The Tattooed Theologian” has something to say about all of it: racism, LGBTQIA bigotry, ecology, capitalism, fundamentalism, Christian nationalism, “F*CKWITTERY” & the questions — and revelations — that drive his work. This week's conversation with public theologian Dillon Naber Cruz covers the gamut of his musings about theology through the lens of permaculture—(which, defined too simply here, is a kind of eco-theology of partnering with nature achieve sustainable goals). It's a sweeping conversation with immediate impact. Cruz is a public theologian, blogger, podcaster, and author, whose most recent book is “Theological Musings Volume 2.” He is also the author of “Go Golden: Applying a Universal Religious Teaching and the Ethics of Permaculture to Create a Sustainable, Just, Happier World” He is also a co-host on The God Squad Pod, a regular guest on theological podcasts and a panelist on John Fugelsang's show Tell Me Everything on SiriusXM Progress. Dillon Naber Cruz Website: https://tattooed-theologian.com Podcast: https://tattooed-theologian.com/the-god-squad-podcast Instagram: @tattooed_theologian Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

The authors, Matthew Distefano and Keith Giles, are both accomplished writers and teachers in their own right, as well as being the hosts of the popular Heretic Happy Hour podcast. They are also the co-publishers at Quoir Publishing, an author-focused publishing company that publishes work about life, the universe, and everything. They are also the founders of Quoir Academy, an online learning resource where scholars and spiritual guides offer practical expertise. Matthew Distefano:Facebook: @matthew.distefano.7Instagram: @mj_distefanoWebsite: https://www.allsetfree.com/ Keith Giles:Facebook: @100063595719168Instagram: @keithagilesWebsite: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/keithgiles/ Heretic Happy Hour:https://heretichappyhour.podbean.com/ Quoir:https://quoir.com/ Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

In this weeks episode of Inverted Orthodoxy, Pastors Doug, Kyle, and Blake answer the following questions: (1:27 into episode) 1. After hearing previous conversations on what will happen when Jesus returns, specifically pertaining to revelation in this podcast. How would you all, and maybe specifically Doug, deal with parables found in Matthew 13:36-43 Matt 13:47-52, where it says the righteous and the wicked will be separated and the wicked will be thrown into the fiery pits?Resources: Inspired Imperfection by Greg Boyd, Her Gates will Never be Shut by Brad Jersak, and The Widening of Gods' Mercy by Richard and Christopher Hayes (43:52 into episode) 2.How many communions would it take to eat an entire Jesus?Do you have a question you've been wanting answered? Head on over to our website www.invertedorthodoxy.com to submit a question. You can find us on Wednesdays on Youtube, or wherever you subscribe to podcasts. To learn more about our church, you can visit www.livingspringsairdrie.com

In this weeks episode of Inverted Orthodoxy, Pastors Doug, Kyle, and Blake answer the following questions: (1:27 into episode) 1. After hearing previous conversations on what will happen when Jesus returns, specifically pertaining to revelation in this podcast. How would you all, and maybe specifically Doug, deal with parables found in Matthew 13:36-43 Matt 13:47-52, where it says the righteous and the wicked will be separated and the wicked will be thrown into the fiery pits?Resources: Inspired Imperfection by Greg Boyd, Her Gates will Never be Shut by Brad Jersak, and The Widening of Gods' Mercy by Richard and Christopher Hayes (43:52 into episode) 2.How many communions would it take to eat an entire Jesus?Do you have a question you've been wanting answered? Head on over to our website www.invertedorthodoxy.com to submit a question. You can find us on Wednesdays on Youtube, or wherever you subscribe to podcasts. To learn more about our church, you can visit www.livingspringsairdrie.com

In the USA right now, every day brings another attack on transgender identities, lives, and existence. We were eager to check in with Dina Nina Martinez--public servant, activist, comedian, queer minster, and so much more--to understand the current crisis from her point of view. Moreso, we wanted to know where she is turning for hope, community, and spiritual nourishment. The lives and safety of people we love are on the line, just to be kicked around as a political football by those who exploit them to spread fear and gain votes. The time to stand up for our trans family is now.Dina Nina serves as the 15th District Alder in Madison, WI (and is the first trans woman ever elected to office there.) She is also a performer, minister, speaker, and so much more. You can find out more about Dina Nina's creative, ministerial, and political work at her website dinanina.com. She also encourages you to check out the services and offerings at Light of Love Fellowship, an inclusive and affirming faith ​community, an organization which aims "to encourage connection with the divine, ​provide a safe space for those who have faced adversity within ​faith communities, and promote love as our guiding principle."Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford Website: https://dinanina.com/Light of Love Fellowship Website: https://lightoflovefellowship.com/Dina Nina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinaninaxo/ Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Has the US become a bad place to be a Christian? In a recent NY Times feature, writer Aaron Renn, who has been called the "Malcolm Gladwell of Conservative Christianity," claims that America has shifted into a "negative world" where Christianity is a social liability. In this episode, Mark and Kelly wrestle with this idea that Christianity is losing its cultural dominance in the US. We cover a range of topics such as the prevalence of Christianity (a recent PRRI study asserts that 2/3 of Americans identify as Christian), Christian nationalism, persecution, tolerance, inclusion, privilege and power, the response of Progressive Christians, and what it even means to be a Christian in the first place. For the original article, see https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/aaron-renn-christianity-conservative-negative-world.html For the PRRI research, see: https://www.prri.org/research/census-2023-american-religionFind your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

(Part 2 of 2) Sometimes faith just doesn't fit within the church walls—or it even breaks those walls down. This week we talk with Jon Turney, co-host of the popular THIS IS NOT CHURCH podcast, which challenges mainstream religious narratives and flips a few tables along the way. We talk about so many things we needed two episodes (!), including deconstruction and reconstruction, the religion we'd have if we were lost in space, how empathy changes us when we know people instead of objectifying them, rocking out in the SBC and maintaining friendships with faith leaders we disagree with, the jump from guilt to hyper-grace, and more. Jon Turney, a former worship and associate pastor, and the co-host of the popular This Is Not Church podcast. Nestled in the tranquility of Northern California, Jon resides with his incredible wife, his three adult children, and a lively assortment of grand pets. Beyond his roles in faith and podcasting, Jon finds inspiration on his 23-acre slice of heaven, where he explores the depths of nature, the cosmos, and his own thoughts. Jon is also the author of the thought-provoking science fiction novel RJ the Astronaut (Quoir publishing). Jon Turney FB: @jonturney.author Threads: @jon_turney_author IG: @the_unpastor TikTok: @thisisnotchurch X: @jondturney Web: thisisnotchurch.comFind your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

(Part 1 of 2) Sometimes faith just doesn't fit within the church walls—or it even breaks those walls down. This week we talk with Jon Turney, co-host of the popular THIS IS NOT CHURCH podcast, which challenges mainstream religious narratives and flips a few tables along the way. We talk about so many things we needed two episodes (!), including deconstruction and reconstruction, the religion we'd have if we were lost in space, how empathy changes us when we know people instead of objectifying them, rocking out in the SBC and maintaining friendships with faith leaders we disagree with, the jump from guilt to hyper-grace, and more.Jon Turney, a former worship and associate pastor, and the co-host of the popular This Is Not Church podcast. Nestled in the tranquility of Northern California, Jon resides with his incredible wife, his three adult children, and a lively assortment of grand pets. Beyond his roles in faith and podcasting, Jon finds inspiration on his 23-acre slice of heaven, where he explores the depths of nature, the cosmos, and his own thoughts. Jon is also the author of the thought-provoking science fiction novel RJ the Astronaut (Quoir publishing).  Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

How does one learn to love the Bible again? For Liz Charlotte Grant, it is almost like a story from a movie: girl meets Bible, falls in love, discovers Bible's secret past, falls out of love with Bible, but eventually realizes she was really in love the whole time, once she learned how to look at the Bible in a new way. This is an eye-opening conversation about how the tools that scholars have used throughout the history of scripture, with names like Hermeneutic and Midrash and Eisegesis, helped bring the Bible back to life after deconstruction, and reconnect Grant with the essence of what she loved most about scripture.Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning nonfiction writer based in Colorado, USA. Her debut nonfiction book, Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible, was released by Eerdmans Publishing Co. on January 7, 2025. In 2024, she wrote a viral article chronicling the disturbing third marriage of an icon of white American evangelical purity culture, "Elisabeth Elliot, Flawed Queen of Purity Culture, and Her Disturbing Third Marriage," the Revealer Magazine, a publication of the Center for Religion and Media at New York University. Grant's Substack newsletter, the Empathy List, has received recognition from the Webby Awards and the Best of the Church Press Awards. Her work has also appeared in outlets such as the Huffington Post, Religion News Service, Hippocampus Magazine, Brevity, Sojourners, the Christian Century, Christianity Today, US Catholic, National Catholic Reporter. Find more of Liz Charlotte's work at:https://lizcharlotte.com/ https://www.threads.net/@lizcharlottegrant https://www.instagram.com/lizcharlottegrant https://www.facebook.com/lizcharlottegrant Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Is there spirituality after deconstruction? Public theologian and “ecclesiastical disrupter” Dana Hicks shares the story of his exploration of the ways in which the post-deconstruction or post-Christian soul can find those “thin places”—areas in our lives where we can connect with the divine without dogma or fundamentalism—where practices such as meditation, service, and (perhaps) the occasional mushroom can dissolve the ego and help one remember one's place as part of the larger creation. (And that creation also includes Mark's new puppy, who, if you listen closely, you may hear squeaking a tennis ball in the background.) Dana Robert Hicks the Amazon best-selling author of The Quest for Thin Places: How to Find Spirituality after Deconstruction (SacraSage Press). His writings revolve around the themes of culture, change, and spirituality. For over 30 years, he served as a church planter, pastor, university professor, and leadership developer. He is the President of The Open Table Network - a progressive network that ordains faith leaders so they can be people of love within communities of love. He is also the Chief Operating Officer for Azura - a social services agency that exists to alleviate poverty in the State of Arizona. Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

In this episode we delve into such topics as how we continue to search for meaning and purpose in a post-truth world, how humans often find something to worship even in the absence of God, and how the power of imagination and story can help us find that which is true as we face each new day. Maria Francesca French is the author of Safer than the Known Way: A Post-Christian Journey and Reconfiguring: A Collection of Post-Christian and Theologies (Quoir Publishing). She has spent her career in theological education as both professor and administrator, holding two MAs and a DMin. Maria has worked in innovative church contexts, planting, and denominational leadership focused on the intersections of faith and culture. Offering new forums for faith engagement and theological imagination that are viable and sustainable for an uncertain future, exploring Radical Theology and post-theist thought for the present and future of faith. Dr John Thatamanil is Associate Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He is the author of Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (Fordham University Press) and The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament; An East–West Conversation (Fortress). He teaches a wide variety of courses in the areas of comparative theology, theologies of religious diversity, Hindu-Christian dialogue, the theology of Paul Tillich, theory of religion, and process theology. He is committed to the work of comparative theology―theology that learns from and with a variety of traditions. A central question that drives his work is “How can Christian communities come to see religious diversity as a promise rather than as a problem?”Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

It's our 100th episode! We celebrate this milestone with a lively conversation with our first guest speakers, two innovative spiritual thinkers who helped us launch the first Radical Love Live event 5 years ago. We welcome back author, minister, and post-Christian thinker Maria Francesca French and scholar, author, theologian, and minister John Thatamanil to revisit the first topics we took on at the beginning of this project—Crisis and Change—and to check in on how our world and the state of faith has changed since we first spoke. In this episode we delve into such topics as how we continue to search for meaning and purpose in a post-truth world, how humans often find something to worship even in the absence of God, and how the power of imagination and story can help us find that which is true as we face each new day. Maria Francesca French is the author of Safer than the Known Way: A Post-Christian Journey and Reconfiguring: A Collection of Post-Christian and Theologies (Quoir Publishing). She has spent her career in theological education as both professor and administrator, holding two MAs and a DMin. Maria has worked in innovative church contexts, planting, and denominational leadership focused on the intersections of faith and culture. Offering new forums for faith engagement and theological imagination that are viable and sustainable for an uncertain future, exploring Radical Theology and post-theist thought for the present and future of faith. Dr John Thatamanil is Associate Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He is the author of Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity (Fordham University Press) and The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament; An East–West Conversation (Fortress). He teaches a wide variety of courses in the areas of comparative theology, theologies of religious diversity, Hindu-Christian dialogue, the theology of Paul Tillich, theory of religion, and process theology. He is committed to the work of comparative theology―theology that learns from and with a variety of traditions. A central question that drives his work is “How can Christian communities come to see religious diversity as a promise rather than as a problem?”Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

In this compelling episode of Radical Love Live, hosts Mark Dilcom and Kelly Wilson sit down with Nicole Doyley, author of What About the Children, to discuss her powerful journey as a biracial child of a Black father and a White mother during a time when interracial marriage was still illegal in parts of the United States. Nicole shares intimate reflections on how her family's silence around race shaped her experience and why it's vital for families—and society as a whole—to embrace honest, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations about race.  Today, Nicole is a mother of two teenagers, and navigating this conversation within her own family.Together, we explore the emotional impact of being biracial, the challenges of navigating identity, and the importance of dismantling silence that perpetuates racial harm. Nicole also delves into how these conversations align with the Christian faith tradition, reminding us that avoiding hard truths is contrary to the radical love and justice we are called to embody.This episode is a heartfelt invitation to confront racial dynamics with courage, vulnerability, and a commitment to transformative dialogue. Tune in for a conversation that challenges us all to step into the messy, beautiful work of reconciliation and justice.  You can find Nicole and her books at www.NicoleDoyley.com.   Nicole also hosts a podcast, Let's Talk:  Conversations on Race, which can be found on Apple and Spotify.    

In this powerful episode of Radical Love Live, we sit down with Paul Darminio, an ordained minister (for now) in the Church of the Nazarene, chaplain at an inpatient behavioral health center in New Jersey, and PhD candidate at Northwind Theological Seminary. As a cisgender hetero man, married with two teenagers, Paul shares his evolving faith journey and deep commitment to a religious worldview that embraces all people as God's beloveds, including queer individuals often excluded by traditional church doctrines.Paul opens up about his own struggles with depression and the experience of being an outsider, offering a raw and empathetic perspective that informs his ministry today. He discusses the mounting tension between his inclusive beliefs and the anti-queer stances of the Nazarene Church—a conflict that ultimately become one of his reasons to resign.  The breaking point was a shocking scandal where church leadership chose to cover up a case of sexual abuse instead of reporting it to authorities.Now, Paul focuses his energy as a chaplain, where he provides spiritual care with a special tenderness for queer patients. He also reflects on the work of the Open Table Network and his vision for a future where radical love and justice replace exclusion and silence.Join us for an honest and hopeful conversation about faith, accountability, and what it means to truly embody God's radical love.

Charlotte Dalwood has written a fantastic new book, Until at Dawn We Wake, (Now Available from Quoir publishing) which takes us on a revealing, bold, raw journey through the experience of psychosis, gender dysphoria, and Christian faith. In this bold, honest conversation, Charlotte shares her journey with us and how it has urged her to reexamine creation, sin, and redemption. We cover a wide range of territory, including disability theory, anti-carceral politics, feminism, and how our theology might be shaped by the ongoing abuse crisis plaguing American churches. Charlotte Dalwood a commentator on Canadian constitutional law, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, and religion. Her monthly column for Rabble.ca appears on the third Monday of each month. She also regularly writes for Xtra Magazine, and her work has appeared in in CBC News, Religion Dispatches, and Sojourners. Until At Dawn We Wake is her first book. Charlotte's scholarly research spans the fields of law, religion, and contemporary critical theory. She also blogs at The Ends of Justice about administrative and constitutional law.Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Rev. Dr. Bruce Epperly believes it can! Join us for this groundbreaking discussion about doubling down on the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit as forces for good in our nation and the world. In the dark aftermath of the January 2020 storming of the US Capitol, Epperly was inspired to fly to his writing desk to lay out a sweeping vision for healing the American spirit. Far from shying away from Christian teaching as the source of revival in the US, he dives in deep into the prophetic iconoclasm and system-shaking theology of progressive Christianity, and makes the case for reclaiming our relationship with Jesus as a mystic, healer, and prophet.  Rev. Bruce Epperly PhD, is a multi-talented theologian, minister, professor, and author of over 80 books, including his latest, "Saving Progressive Christianity to Save the Planet." He is a pioneer in progressive Christianity and process/open and relational theology. He regularly speaks in person and on Zoom at conferences, seminars, churches and classes studying his books, and urgent topics of society, culture, politics, and faith. He also continues to teach as Adjunct Faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. From his website: "I believe that we are all mystics, and that there is a mystic in you. Each of us, whether we are spiritual, religious, agnostic, seeking, struggling with belief, is on a holy adventure. Find out more about Bruce at  https://www.drbruceepperly.com. Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

[Part 2 of 2] M.E. Young has led a varied and abundant life, with so much wildness and experience we needed two episodes to even begin to scratch the surface. Through this lively conversation we cover a range of lessons she has learned through her spiritual journey, including her vocation as a Catholic Missionary Sister and Music Minister who challenged traditional conventions, her controversial service as a Family Planning Clinic Administrator, her awakening to her true sexuality that transformed her idea of sacred desires, and her creative and healing work as a writer, visual artist, shaman, and integrative massage therapist. M.E. Young is the author of the newly released book, Naked Seeds: One Woman's Journey to Unearth What Was Silenced, which contains her seventy-plus year curation of songs, poems, sermons, and stories that she has collected along the way. As she describes her mission as helping “women and men give voice to personal truths that the religious patriarchy has silenced in the past.” She enjoys encouraging others on their healing journey and would enjoy connecting with you on her website at www.MeYoungCreator.com. M.E. Young https://www.meyoungcreator.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get Information and Tickets for Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get Information and Tickets for Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces) Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Dive into a thought-provoking exploration of Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In this episode, Brad Jersak and Tim unpack the deeper layers of the parable—its implications for wealth, justice, and faith. Together, they discuss the meaning of Hades, the cross as the punchline of the story, and the resurrection's pivotal role in our faith. You'll hear fascinating insights into how this parable challenges us today to live with compassion and purpose.Plus, learn about the powerful work being done through Impact Nations, including life-transforming projects in Uganda, Malawi, and Northern India. #ImpactNations #ParablesOfJesus #FaithInAction #Resurrection #SocialJustice #BiblicalInsights #ChristianPodcast #TransformingLives #HadesExplained #GospelTruth #BradJersak #ImpactfulStories

[Part 1 of 2] M.E. Young has led a varied and abundant life, with so much wildness and experience we needed two episodes to even begin to scratch the surface. Through this lively conversation we cover a range of lessons she has learned through her spiritual journey, including her vocation as a Catholic Missionary Sister and Music Minister who challenged traditional conventions, her controversial service as a Family Planning Clinic Administrator, her awakening to her true sexuality that transformed her idea of sacred desires, and her creative and healing work as a writer, visual artist, shaman, and integrative massage therapist. M.E. Young is the author of the newly released book, Naked Seeds: One Woman's Journey to Unearth What Was Silenced, which contains her seventy-plus year curation of songs, poems, sermons, and stories that she has collected along the way. As she describes her mission as helping “women and men give voice to personal truths that the religious patriarchy has silenced in the past.” She enjoys encouraging others on their healing journey and would enjoy connecting with you on her website at www.MeYoungCreator.com.Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

An eye-opening (and sometimes blunt) conversation about one woman's discovery that not everything she learned about God and Sex growing up was necessarily what Jesus said, OR how things are done in the big city. We are grateful to Mattie Jo Cowsert, author of the new book God, Sex, and Rich People (Quoir Publishing), for taking the time to share her story with us, “shamelessly oversharing” about how she kept laughing and learning (even through some of the worst times) as her purity culture façade came undone and she found her authentic self underneath. Mattie Jo was a pastor's kid and proud purity ring wearer before she moved to New York City and experienced an unexpected worldview and identity implosion. Her popular blog God, Sex, and Rich People exposed the sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious realities of a young female EXvangelical navigating the diversity of the Big Apple, working for the 1%, and trying to have good sex without hating herself in the city that never sleeps (and never stops sleeping around). Mattie Jo has appeared on The New Evangelicals Podcast, IndoctriNation, and Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin Each Other, among many others. She was invited by author Linda Kay Klein to join the Voices and Faces + Breakfree Together collaboration writing cohort on Religious Trauma, one of only ten individuals across the US to be selected.Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Tahtianna Fermin (she/her) has many roles, including being an ordained minister, community activist, and founder of Bridges4Life, an organization that helps the Transgender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community—work that is so essential in this current political climate that seeks to restrict care and protections for transgender/non-conforming people. In this refreshingly sunny conversation. Tahtianna talks with Kelly about her spiritual journey from conservative religious patriarchy to radical inclusion and outreach. We also talk about the need for the work that she and the Bridges4Life community is doing now, and look for some hope for the future. In addition to the qualifications listed above, Tahtianna Fermin is also a public speaker, writer, a member of The National LGBTW Workers Center's NYC chapter and other community organizations, a practitioner of spiritual healing, and an International Business and Marketing Student. Find out more about Tahtianna at https://bridges4life.org/our-founder/ and at https://tahtiannasministry.wixsite.com/transgender. Bridges4Life is an organization built on helping the TGNC community and serves the northern New Jersey and New York City metro areas. Bridges4Life provides services for a range of people in need, including children in the foster care system, young adults, and surviving sex workers. The organization is committed to helping teens and young adults on the street and in foster care become responsible, self-sufficient, confident and educated adults. Learn more about Bridges4Life at https://bridges4life.org/. Tahtianna Fermin Facebook: @tahttiana.infiniti Instagram: @tahtianna_fermin_ Bridges4Life Facebook: @Bridges4Life Twitter: @bridges4_life Instagram: @bridges4life_  Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

In this episode, Mark sits down with Luke Healy, cofounder of the Integral Christian Network (ICN), to explore Luke's journey from a conservative Christian background to becoming a pioneer in mystical, integral Christianity. Luke shares how his evolving faith led him to connect with Paul Smith, a significant figure in progressive Christianity, and how their shared vision sparked the creation of ICN. Together, Luke and Mark reflect on the soul enriching We Spaces, the small online gatherings that bring people together from across the globe, and the large Sunday gatherings designed to foster deep, spiritual connections among participants. They also dive into the reasons why ICN has seen substantial growth as people are drawn to its one-of-a-kind mystical Christian experience. Mark also reflects on a specific We Space group exclusively for queer men he co-created with Paul. Find out more about ICN at IntegralChristianNetwork.orgRemember to come see us in person at Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO  Get Information and Tickets for https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces) ______ Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Roger Wolsey wants to set your soul on fire! We've been huge fans of Wolsey's "Kissing Fish Book" Facebook fan page for years, (inspired by his book "Kissing Fish: Christianity for People who Don't Like Christianity") where he curates a Progressive Christian forum that challenges fixed ideas about Christianity, so we were so grateful go get to talk with him about his current burning passions. His latest book, "Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices that Transform Lives" carries on his iconoclastic work and explores a more expansive view of love, society, and our possibilities to connect with the divine on a soul level. Wolsey describes himself as a "Progressive Pastor, Spiritual Director, Speaker, Writer, Soul Friend, & Coach." From his website: "I have been a speaker at The Wild Goose Festival (4 times), The Embrace Festival, The Lion and The Lamb Festival, and Christianity 21. I've blogged for Elephant Journal, Huffington Post, and now primarily for Patheos as “The Holy Kiss.” I'm the author of Discovering Fire, and Kissing Fish, and am the administrator of the Kissing Fish Facebook fan-page. I am also a contributing writer for the John Shelby Spong weekly newsletter “Progressing Spirit,” and serve on the Board of Directors of ProgressiveChristianity.org Roger Wolsey https://www.rogerwolsey.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RogerWolseySoulCoach https://www.facebook.com/KissingFishBook https://www.instagram.com/rogerwolsey/Remember to come see us in person at Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO  Get Information and Tickets for https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces) ______ Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

Leslie Nease, author of "Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian,"  has been on an amazing journey, and we were blessed to be able to talk with her about it. Former Christian Radio Personality? Survivor Contestant? Publicly Celebrating People's Deconstruction Journeys? Life & Faith Transitions Coach? Yep, she is all of those and more.In Leslie's words: "I was very active in Christian Media and Ministry for about 16 years. I was a Christian Radio Host, Podcaster, Writer, Speaker and I was also a contestant on Survivor China, where I was dubbed “Sister Christian” by my fellow tribe-mates. My journey on Survivor was probably the catalyst that made me begin to question some of my beliefs and theology, but it took awhile for me to fully jump into deconstruction. For the past 7 years, though, I have been deconstructing my beliefs ). Now, I'm speaking out publicly on my podcast, sharing stories of faith and faith transitions, hoping to get people to listen and learn from my guests and encouraging people to share their life and faith journeys.Website: www.leslieneasecoaching.com Podcast: https://honoring-the-journey.simplecast.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/leslieann.nease Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslienease X: https://x.com/leslienease Remember to come see us in person at Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO Get Information and Tickets for https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces)______Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

What is the connection between religion and radicalization? When either one turns into  dehumanizing others, there is quite an overlap between the two. This week we talk with online personality The Fallen Ape-Theist (formerly known as the Faithiest Atheist) about his spiritual journey that led him to a kind of faith-friendly-atheism that frustrates believers and non-believers alike (albeit with a great sense of humor),  and more seriously, how his military and counter-terrorism experience taught him about the dehumanizing power of radicalization--whether through religion, politics, or any movement that goes to the extremes.We talk about how our polarized society contributes to extreme views, how social media pours fuel on the fire, the first-hand experiences that he has had facing and disrupting radicalization, and the kind of community he maintains online, where people with differing views can talk with one another without thinking of others as less than human just because they disagree.Find the Fallen Ape Theist at:Twitter @TheApe_Theist Threads @thefallenape_theist Instagram @thefallenape_theist TikTok @thefallenape.theist YouTube https://youtube.com/@thefallenape-theist?si=9WkQRfmG47pbU6za Remember to come see us in person at Theology Beer Camp October 17-19 Denver, CO Get Information and Tickets for https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tRADICALHOBBITthe-return-of-the-god-pods-tickets-824208298207 Promo Code for our listeners: RADICALHOBBIT (all caps, no spaces)______Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

This Quoircast podcast episode is brought to you by the book Letting Go(d) by Aaron Simnowitz. Published by Quoir and available now In this episode we chat with Keith GilesKeith Giles is a former pastor who left the pulpit to follow Jesus and start a house church where no one takes a salary and 100 percent of all offerings are given to help the poor in the community. He has been a published writer since 1989. He is the author of several books, including: "Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word of God from the Bible" and "Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb." Keith is the co-host of the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast which has featured interviews with Bart Ehrman, John Fugelsang, Richard Rohr, Brad Jersak, Greg Boyd, and many others. Keith also teaches several online courses including "Square 1: From Deconstruction to Reconstruction" and other courses based on his many books.You can follow Keith on:Facebook     Twitter     Instagram     TikTokYou can check out Keiths blog on his websiteYou can purchase The Quantum Sayings Of Jesus on Amazon.comYou can connect with This Is Not Church on:Facebook     Instagram      TikTok     YouTubeAlso check out our Biolink for all things This Is Not Church relatedPlease like and follow our Quoircast Partners:Heretic Happy Hour     Messy Spirituality     Apostates Anonymous    Second Cup with Keith     The Church Needs TherapyIdeas Digest      Snarky Faith Podcast     Wild Olive     Deadly Faith     Spirituality Brew Pub     Faith For The Rest Of UsJonathan_Foster     Sacred Thoughts     Holy Heretics     Reframing Our Stories     Bros Bibles & Beer      Liminal LivingLove Covered Life     The Social Jesus Project     I Was A Teenage FundamentalistEach episode of This Is Not Church Podcast is expertly engineered by our producer The Podcast Doctor Eric Howell. If you're thinking of starting a podcast you need to connect with Eric!

In today's bonus show, we recap the first three days of the DNC, as well as take a text from a listener.If you want to call in to the Bonus Show, leave a voicemail at (530) 332-8020. We would love to get to your calls!If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to www.QuoirAcademy.com and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [HAPPY] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show!LINKSQuoirCast on PatreonQuoirCast on Patheos

The book of Acts shares a story (not a prescription) of how the early church began.  Today we look at how the boldness of sharing good news replaced the fear and denial we saw at the end of the Gospels.  Enjoy!   Watch today's ‘edited' message on YOUTUBE:  https://youtu.be/RFZIQJ21xas   or LISTEN to it on our PODCAST https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michael-zenker   ***Love what you are hearing?  DONATE TODAY AND HELP KEEP THIS GOING:   Hope Fellowship:   https://hopefellowshipycc.com/donate/   Growing In Grace Canada:  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XHQ9UTBPTKDPW     RESOURCES FROM TODAY:   SGIG E173  ‘Ananias and Sapphira' https://youtu.be/2OCReZcJOqo     SGIG e098 “Ananias & Sapphira” Pt 1– Perspectives with Richard Murray & Bill Thrasher https://youtu.be/zrhQvKSBLck   SGIG e099 “Ananias & Sapphira” Pt 2 https://youtu.be/ncO3KH-m6sQ   Articles: “C.S.I. Jerusalem: Who Murdered Ananias And Sapphira? – Richard Murray https://www.patheos.com/blogs/richardmurray/2020/01/c-s-i-jerusalem-who-murdered-ananias-and-sapphira/   https://www.ptm.org/frontpage/getting-caught-religious-show   Greg Albrecht (posted by Brad Jersak)   https://christianity-without-the-religion.blogspot.com/2016/11/god-is-not-monster-brian-zahnd.html     https://escapetoreality.org/2015/04/09/what-about-ananias-and-sapphira/   Paul Ellis   https://emmausroadministries.international/2021/01/29/ananias-and-sapphira/   Emmaus Road   https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/2012/08/28/how-can-a-god-of-love-kill-ananias-and-sapphira-greg-boyd-answers/   Greg Boyd       FOR MORE TOPICS & CONTENT, TUNE IN HERE: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichaelZenker Weekly Blog: https://mikezenker.blog/   Hope Fellowship, Your Community Church Website: www.hopefellowshipycc.com FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/hopefellowshipycc   Growing In Grace Canada YouTube:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfv-9uArQHIzcebDIyS8F3nj2MF_FV-H FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/growingingraceministriescanada  Web: www.growingingrace.ca Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6AvFWO7epyVeIuNf5WHFRD

We have a Throwback Episode for you this week, all the way from Season Three. Paul and Dominic interviewed the Orthodox theologian Brad Jersak about new book, “Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction.” They talked about what it looks like to follow Jesus in the midst of suffering and trauma, even when the harm is coming from the Church.  Brad Jersak is the Dean of Theology & Culture at St. Stephen's University in New Brunswick, Canada, and editor in chief of Clarion-Journal.com. He is also the author or coauthor of a number of nonfiction and fiction books, including the More Christlike series. Gospel in Chairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_aALyEKh_A Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction https://www.amazon.com/Out-Embers-Faith-After-Deconstruction/dp/1641238887 Website https://bradjersak.com/ Paid subscribers get to watch each episode early! All of your contributions directly supports my family and allows me to continue this podcast and all the resources I've shared here! https://www.popefrancisgeneration.com/subscribe ABOUT POPE FRANCIS GENERATION Pope Francis Generation is the show for Catholics struggling with the Church's teaching, who feel like they might not belong in the Church anymore, and who still hunger for a God of love and goodness. Hosted by Paul Fahey, a professional catechist, and Dominic de Souza, someone who needs catechesis. Together, we're taking our own look at the Catholic Church– her teachings and practices- from 3 views that changed our world: the Kerygma, the doctrine of theosis, and the teachings of Pope Francis. Together, with you, we're the Pope Francis Generation. SUPPORT THIS SHOW: This show is brought to you by Pope Francis Generation, a project to explore Catholicism inspired by Pope Francis. Founded by Paul Fahey, you can follow the newsletter, join the group, and become a supporting member. Your donations allow us to create the resource you're enjoying now as well as much more. Paid subscribers get to watch each episode before everyone else and receive subscriber only posts. Check out: popefrancisgeneration.com ABOUT PAUL FAHEY Paul lives in Michigan with his wife, Kristina, and five kids. He's a retreat leader and counseling student. ABOUT DOMINIC DE SOUZA SmartCatholics founder, Dominic de Souza, is a convert from radical traditionalism – inspired by WherePeterIs, Bishop Robert Barron, and Pope Francis. He is passionate about helping ordinary Catholics break the ‘bystander effect', and be first responders. “We don't have to be geniuses. We just have to show up with witness and kindness. Christ does the rest.” Today he hosts the SmartCatholics community. smartcatholics.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popefrancisgeneration/message

The start of the new season 2024 marks the end of the current season for Tent Talks. We are bringing our podcast in to land, with a series of final thoughts from former guests, hosts and friends of the show. Join Stephen Backhouse in a series of conversations as we explore The Last Word.  Episode One features Brad Jersak, Natasha Beckles and friends.You can find Brad HERE. :) More about Natasha can be found HERE.Lots of Tent Talks resources have been brought out from behind the paywall. You can find them HERE.Has anything we make been interesting, useful or fruitful for you? You can support us by becoming a Fellow Traveller on our Patreon page HERE.

This Quoircast podcast episode is brought to you by There Once Were Orange Groves by David Giles. Published by Quoir and available nowIn this episode we chat with Keith Giles and Matthew DistefanoKeith Giles is a former pastor who left the pulpit to follow Jesus and start a house church where no one takes a salary and 100 percent of all offerings are given to help the poor in the community. He has been a published writer since 1989. He is the author of several books, including: "Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word of God from the Bible" and "Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb." Keith is the co-host of the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast which has featured interviews with Bart Ehrman, John Fugelsang, Richard Rohr, Brad Jersak, Greg Boyd, and many others.Keith also teaches several online courses including "Square 1: From Deconstruction to Reconstruction" and other courses based on his many books.Matthew J. Distefano is the author of multiple books, including the wildly popular Heretic! and From the Blood of Abel. He is an audio engineer, the producer of the Heretic Happy Hour podcast, cohost of Apostates Anonymous, and is a regular columnist for Patheos. He holds an undergraduate degree in Education from California State University, Chico, and has been in social work for over a decade, currently working as a Professional Service Coordinator in Butte County, California. In addition to his professional life, Matthew enjoys gardening, bicycling, and European football. He is a huge Tolkien nerd who one day hopes to live in Bag End with his wife and daughter.You can follow Kieth on:Facebook     Twitter     InstagramYou can find all things Keith Giles related on his websiteYou can follow Matthew on:Facebook     Instagram     TikTokYou can find all things Matthew Distefano related on his websiteYou can purchase Sitting In The Shade Of Another Tree on Amazon.comYou can connect with This Is Not Church on:Facebook     Instagram      Twitter     TikTok     YouTubeAlso check out our Linktree for all things This Is Not Church relatedPlease like and follow our Quoircast Partners:Heretic Happy Hour     Messy Spirituality     Apostates Anonymous    Second Cup with Keith     The Church Needs TherapyIdeas Digest     The New Evangelicals     Snarky Faith Podcast     Wild Olive     Deadly FaithJonathan Foster     Sacred Thoughts     Holy Heretics     Reframing Our StoriesEach episode of This Is Not Church Podcast is expertly engineered by our producer The Podcast Doctor Eric Howell. If you're thinking of starting a podcast you need to connect with Eric!

For New Year's, we're re-airing an episode from Season 1 in which we discuss God and love in the context of suffering, abuse, betrayal, and addiction with William Paul Young and Brad Jersak. It remains one of our most popular episodes to date, and we hope re-airing it will introduce it to new listeners. Enjoy! We'll be back on our regular schedule with new content on January 12.=====CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains references to trauma, abuse, suicide, and mental illness. Not recommended for children.On this episode, we're joined by William Paul Young (author of The Shack and Eve) and Brad Jersak (author of A More Christlike God and Her Gates Will Never Be Shut). We discuss their new co-authored novella, The Pastor: A Crisis, a raw story of a fundamentalist pastor undergoing the judgment of God. But our conversation is much more wide-ranging than just the book. We discuss what it means to say that God is love, the nature of forgiveness, the metaphor of Hell, and more.You can find the transcript for this episode here.=====Join the Post-Evangelical Collective Leading in New and Emerging Spaces Cohort with Brian McLaren, Feb. 15-16, 2024.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Episode SummaryOne of the paths available to you post-evangelicalism is mysticism, a spirituality that in many ways is almost the direct antithesis of evangelical Christianity. If evangelicalism was all about certainty, apologetics, Biblicism, and defending your faith at all costs, Christian mysticism can be defined by unknowing, mystery, paradox, and direct experience with the Sacred. Mystics know something the rest of us don't know. God is right here with us, right here inside us, right here hidden in plain site just waiting on us to have the eyes to see that this tired old world is filled to the brim with Divinity.A mystic is anyone who has moved beyond the basic understanding of faith as a belief system and into a deeper level of spirituality, recognizing faith as an intimate relationship with the divine through direct experience. They have a “thirst to taste both the holy and the human with unmediated directness,” in the words of Harvard scholar Harvey Cox. The mystical life has less to do with brief moments of divine euphoria and more to do with the realization that through practice, meditation, silence, contemplation, service, and prayer, God is a lived and present reality in daily life. To the mystic, God is no longer some external object to be studied from a distance, but rather an immediate reality to be known, loved, and communed with. Mystics typically inhabit the border streams of faith, existing on the margins, often running afoul of institutional religion. The telos or end goal of their faith is loving union with God, a kind of returning home to your maker and sustainer. Mystics embody what orthodox Christianity has been preaching from the beginning—that God is both transcendent (other worldly) and immanent (present), beyond us yet with us, unknowable yet utterly known. Simply, mystics understand that “knowing” God goes beyond the intellectual and the rational to include intimacy, like a bride “knows” her husband.Bio:Keith Giles is a former pastor who left the pulpit to follow Jesus and start a house church where no one takes a salary and 100 percent of all offerings are given to help the poor in the community. He has been a published writer since 1989. He is the author of several books, including: "Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word of God from the Bible" and "Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb."Keith is the co-host of the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast which has featured interviews with Bart Ehrman, John Fugelsang, Richard Rohr, Brad Jersak, Greg Boyd, and many others.Keith also teaches several online courses including "Square 1: From Deconstruction to Reconstruction" and other courses based on his many books.You can follow him online and find out more about his books at www.KeithGiles.comPlease follow us on social media (use the buttons below) and help us get the word out! (Also, please don't hesitate to use any of these channels or email to contact us with any questions, concerns, or feedback.)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review

“There is no retribution in the nature of God. Period. He is love plus nothing…” A throughline of trust, the cross and cruciform love, the Church & Eastern Orthodoxy, Deconstruction and liberation from false constructs, leaving and finding Jesus, reorientation, faith, communion, miracles, suffering, loss, and the infinite healing love of God, abandonment and a God who never leaves, a Christocentric hermeneutic, penal substitution, eternal conscious torment and the nature of repentance, in this conversation Brad and Jason dive into Brad's book, Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction.

This episode is brough to you by Peaceful Warrior Coffee Co. where you will find freshly roasted gourmet coffee beans from around the world that are roasted and shipped to you on the same day and shipping is always free.  Use code "Messy" for 15% off your first order.In this raw "Messy Conversations" episode, Jason talked to author, podcaster, and former pastor Nat Turney about starting a new kind of church, shutting it down, and what he learned in between. Be sure to check out Nat's incredible new book, The Seeds of Deconstruction, which has a forward by the incomparable Brad Jersak. You're definitely going to want to check out Nat's podcast, This is Not Church, as well if you're not already listening to it. There are shout-outs in this episode to Paul Bergmann, Jon Turney, Meg Calvin, Eric Howell, Brad Jersak, and more!You can follow Nat on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.You can follow Jason on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.You can also follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.Please be sure to rate and review the show on your podcast app of choice!Thanks for listening. The whole crew will be back for our next episode! Connect with the crew:You can find Lola on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTokYou can find Kyle on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.You can find Jason on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (because he's way too old for TikTok).Be sure to check out our Youtube channel.Also, please join the conversation over on our Messy Conversations group on FB!Thanks for listening! Please leave us a rating or review and subscribe or follow the show on your platform of choice!

We speak with author and teacher Brad Jersak about his book Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction, and how his dark night of the soul led him to a 12 Step program, the Eastern Orthodox Church and to a new kind of faith. Brad also reflects on the roots of what he refers to as The Great Deconstruction, and the wider cultural shifts that situate our evolving faith. After the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley ponder their own evolving faith journey, how they've been shaped by a changing culture, and how they now relate to Christianity.  Interview starts at 18m 36s Show Notes → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Nomad Devotionals and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.  

Our guest today is David Artman, who is the host of another podcast called “Grace Saves All.” This ancient Christian theology was advocated by prominent Christian leaders in the early centuries of the faith, and it is now enjoying a modern revival. It understands grace to be the effective saving presence of God in the lives of all people, and it anticipates that all persons will finally experience union with God.

Let's finish our conversation about those lost, secret and hidden books that didn't make the final cut of the Bible: The Gospel of Mary, The Gospel of Judas and The Book of Enoch. Plus our favorite returning guest, author and theologian, Brad Jersak, author of Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction is our HOTW. To support the Heretic Happy Hour podcast on Patreon, please go to www.patreon.com/heretichappyhour. As this is a crowd-funded podcast, we cannot continue without your help. So sign up today!!! Thank you! Check out all the QuoirCast Podcasts at Quoir.com.

“It's not about letting go of love. It's about letting go of the false love so we can be held by the true love and receive what we need there.” - Brad JersakBrad Jersak is a frequent guest on the Restoring the Soul podcast and joins Michael for Part 2 in this conversation about Brad's latest book, “Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction.” In the book, Brad explores the necessity, perils, and possibilities of the Great Deconstruction—how it has the potential to either sabotage our communion with God or infuse it with the breath of life, the light, and the life of Christ himself.If you are in the stage of your journey with God where you are looking for inspiration or direction, this two-part conversation may just be what you need. The conversation in its entirety is riveting.Helpful Resources:Episode 249 - Brad Jersak, "Out of the Embers, Part 1"Episode 194 - Brad Jersak, "IN: Incarnation, Inclusion, Abba & Lamb"Episode 117 - Brad Jersak & Peter Zaremba, "Centering Prayer, Part 1"Episode 51 - Brad Jersak Part II, "A More Beautiful Gospel"Episode 50 - Brad Jersak Part 1, "A More Beautiful Gospel"Contact Restoring the Soul:- Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.comThanks for listening!

“I needed to dismantle those elements of my image of God that were harming me.” - Brad JersakFor the past five years or so, the term ‘deconstruction” has become quite familiar in evangelical circles and is used to describe a process as varied as the people who experience it, but it primarily revolves around questioning tenets of faith. For some, it can mean leaving a particular church. For others, it is a process of understanding their faith in a different way or leaving religion altogether.Brad Jersak is a frequent guest to the Restoring the Soul podcast and is joining Michael for the next two episodes as they discuss Brad's latest book, “Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction.” In the book, Brad explores the necessity, perils, and possibilities of the Great Deconstruction—how it has the potential to either sabotage our communion with God or infuse it with the breath of life, the light and life of Christ himself.Brad will share a fascinating look back at his own spiritual journey and the ramifications deconstruction had on his ministry and his personal relationships.Helpful Resources:Episode 194 - Brad Jersak, "IN: Incarnation, Inclusion, Abba & Lamb"Episode 117 - Brad Jersak & Peter Zaremba, "Centering Prayer, Part 1"Episode 51 - Brad Jersak Part II, "A More Beautiful Gospel"Episode 50 - Brad Jersak Part 1, "A More Beautiful Gospel"Contact Restoring the Soul:- Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.comThanks for listening!