When does religion become a cult? What groups might qualify? And who decides? In this episode of the CultureCast, Christian and Amy talk about the 6 criteria used to determine if a group is in fact a cult, have we as a nation become a cult, and are certain brands of Christianity cult-ish? Christian interviews… Read more about When Religion Becomes a Cult with David Trotter
There’s no question that what the word “family” means today, which means the values of what make for a good family, are changing as well. We’ve all heard that we need to get back to “Biblical family values,” but that does that mean? We break out a list of some models of family and what… Read more about Redefining Family Values with Amber Cantorna
Will our connections be our salvation? Or our destruction? In this Homebrewed CultureCast episode, Christian and Amy explore: how we are bound together by trauma, silence, and genetics the connection between neutron stars, gravitational waves, and Christian’s wedding ring difference and balance between cultural appropriation and respectful connection Christian talks with AJ Jacobs, author of The… Read more about Our Connections Can Save (and Destroy) Us...
Our nation is founded on the principle of placing central in our value system, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” But sometimes one negatively affects the other. Also, being “pro life” can mean so much more than most people assume. We discuss Diana Butler Bass’ recent claim that maybe church has reached a necessary… Read more about This Episode is (Kinda) a Matter of Life and Death...
Salon Magazine asked a poignant question recently after a spate of domestic mass shootings: why is it always the white guy? While middle class males, in particular, are supposed to have more power and privilege than anyone else on the whole in America, so why are so many of us so filled with rage and… Read more about White Men: Most Dangerous People in America?
About one in four Americans identify as a “None,” which means, when asked about their religious affiliation, they claim “none of the above.” And yet so many of them claim some form of spirituality, or at least a hunger for exploring the possibility of God. In his new move, “Becoming Truly Human,” Nathan Andrew Jacobs… Read more about Prophets, Priests, Heretics, Nones and Becoming Truly Human...
Hurricane Harvey was a “1,000-year storm” that will have an impact on the Houston area for years or even decades. But what does such disaster tell us about God? More important, perhaps, is what it tell us about ourselves and how we understand God. Megachurch Pastor and Prosperity Gospel Preacher Joel Osteen commits a “Sin… Read more about A Theology of Disaster, Osteen’s Sin of Sodom and Welcoming Disruption...
In a special double episode that combines both a CultureCast and a Homebrewed Christianity episode, we celebrate Tripp Fuller’s 1,000th episode LIVE from the main stage at Wild Goose. On the CultureCast, Christian is joined by Tripp, Kristen Howerton and pastor-cum-rapper JKwest, while Tripp welcomes Christian, Micky ScottBey Jones and Robyn Henderson Espinoza. Tripp “Takes… Read more about Wild Goose LIVE: CultureCast and Homebrewed Christianity Double Episode...
Anyone who knows a few pastors probably knows someone who has struggled with burnout. Ministry always has been an atypical job with lots of unique demands and stressors, but as reported in a Barna Research Group study discussed in a new article called “Why Pastors Leave the Ministry,” it’s a growing trend. Then author and… Read more about Pastoral Burnout, Healing Spiritual Wounds and How To Hack an Election...
What’s it like raising a child on the autism spectrum? Or being married to an adult on the spectrum? In an extended special segment, Amy and Christian Piatt talk about living with these and other realities, as well as how Church deals (or sometimes doesn’t) with special needs. We look into an online resource for… Read more about God, Gays, Autism and Embodiment
Some analysts say the left could gain some momentum, but only if they stop being “so annoying and get over their hamburger problem.” And after we looked into it, they’re right. In this episode of the Homebrewed CultureCast, we consider what’s at the root of progressives’ spate of losses in recent years, followed by a…let’s… Read more about The Left’s Hamburger Problem and Eugene Peterson’s Flip-Flop...
Matthew David Morris (a.k.a. Matt Morris) didn’t have a typical childhood. From playing arena shows with his dad alongside Kenny Rogers to starring on the Mickey Mouse Club with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Matthew David entered the public spotlight when his peers were coloring with finger paints in a… Read more about Faith, Fame and Identity with Matt Morris...
Do progressives and skinheads have overlapping agendas in the Pacific Northwest? Is “Alt Right” a synonym for “White Nationalist?” In the second half of our interview with former skinhead leader Christian Picciolini we talk about the larger implications of current political and media environments, how they contribute to racist extremism and what role we all… Read more about Skinheads in America (pt 2 of 2) with Christian Picciolini...
He was a skinhead in his youth, and now he run an organization (Life After Hate) to get people out of that life. In the first part of this two-episode interview, Christian Picciolini talks with us about what makes a skinhead in America, what the current socio-political climate is doing to mainstream similar views and… Read more about Christian Picciolini on Skinheads in America
Some people choose to break ground in their careers; others feel called to a ministry that will result in a reckoning of God’s calling with the cultural resistance on all sides. Bishop Karen Olevito is an inspiration in who she is and what she does, and we spent some time with her learning how she… Read more about Making History with Bishop Karen Olevito
He’s been a halfwit brother co-parenting his mute younger sibling (Comedy Central’s BROTHERHOOD) to a ladies’ man on with an…umm…awkward medical secret (Netflix’s LOVESICK). He’s the lead singer in the alt-folk group JOHNNY FLYNN AND THE SUSSEX WIT, and now he’s young Einstein along with Geoffrey Rush as his elder counterpart in GENIUS, Brian Grazer… Read more about GENIUS’ Young Einstein, Johnny Flynn...
Animated feature films have been around since “Snow White,” but they’ve changed dramatically. How do artists and directors keep up? I talked with Kelly Asbury, veteran Hollywood animator and director of the new movie, Sony Pictures’ “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” as well as “Shrek 2” about the technical and creative process behind the stories that… Read more about Director, Animator, Author Kelly Asbury...
Films move our culture in profound ways, but how? Did Hollywood, and particularly, the Oscars, elevate women this year after major fallout last year? How about ethnic minorities? LQBTQ? And what do 2016’s films tell us about ourselves and our world? Gareth Higgins, founder of The Porch Magazine and the Movies and Meaning Festival, joins… Read more about Movies, Meaning and the Oscars with Gareth Higgins...
What happens when an Episcopal priest Jeremy Lucas sets out to win an AR-15 in a raffle for a kids’ softball team fundraiser and gets it? What’s more, how do people – particularly Christians – react to his plans for the gun? Oh, and did I mention the the money used to buy the raffle tickets… Read more about Guns, Narcissists and What Being Human Means
What happens when Christian and Amy head to a theology camp with three days of open jerks and about a dozen other podcasters? Well let’s find out, shall we? Thanks to Tripp Fuller for having us as part of his first-ever Theology Beer camp at the Hatchery Campus in Redondo Beach, CA recently to do our… Read more about CultureCast LIVE in L.A. @ Theology Beer Camp
What do other religions say about heaven? How about hell? Do the similarities across so many cultures and faiths point to a universal cosmic truth, or does it reveal more about our basic human nature? After a few pints of heaven at the Homebrewed Theology Beer Camp, I sat down with James Younger, executive producer… Read more about Heaven and Hell with Barry Taylor, James Younger
It was reported that at least 3.2 million people marched in solidarity for women the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration. Hundreds of thousands filled the streets and sidewalks of Washington DC, with similar rallies in cities across the nation. There were even concurrent marches for women in countries around the world. The anger, tension and… Read more about Do Marches and Protests Really Matter?...
This is a post-election podcast. It is very fresh. Christian and I talk about our feelings, thoughts, anger, and hopes after the election. We discuss it in three parts: as a Citizen, as a Husband-Parent, and as a Christian. At the conclusion we decided to have a future (more reflective) episode and invited listeners of… Read more about Election Hangover Podcast with Tripp and Christian...
Can you be a Christian and not believe in God? Tom Krattenmaker thinks so. We talk about his new book, “Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower,” and why he feels like Jesus has a path that makes his life – and those of others, if they’ll be open to it – more rich and meaningful, regardless… Read more about Tom Krattenmaker, Secular Jesus Follower
Christian Piatt’s recent trip to the middle east – specifically the Kingdom of Jordan – was themed “Strong in the Broken Places.” In a region surrounded by such conflict, violence and division, how does Jordan remain a safe haven for citizens, immigrants and pilgrims alike? In the midst of brokenness, from where do they find… Read more about Finding Hope in the Jordanian Ruins
Slim Moon sits down with Jake Morrill, head of the Christian Universalist Church, for the second part of their chat: this time about the future of the institutional church as a whole. Does it have a chance at survival? What will change, and what will remain? Do we need organized religion to pursue an authentic… Read more about Jake Morrill on the Future of Church
We had our friend, Rev. Aaron Metcalf, on the CultureCast this week to share his amazing story about his childhood. He went from being a relative pariah and the subject of relentless bullying to being the one who shoved others outside the circle. But it turns out that, at least in this case, karma is real,… Read more about Bully Karma and Church as Sanctuary
Alan Chambers, former long-time Director of Exodus International, speaks in this episode about his struggle with his own sexual orientation, a love-hate relationship with church and his eventual closure of the once-notorious “Conversion Therapy” organization. Chambers headed the Christian-based conversion group for years, having gone through the program himself. But after much prayerful contemplation and… Read more about Alan Chamber’s Exodus from Religious Slavery...
In this CultureCast mini-sode, I chat with Todd Komarnicki, screenwriter for the new Clint Eastwood/Tom Hanks flick, SULLY. The movie focuses on Chelsea Sullenberger, captain of the US Air flight that he landed in the middle of the Hudson River after engine failures, saving all 155 people on board. Turns out there was more controversy… Read more about SULLY Screenwriter Todd Komarnicki
Who’s down with learning how not to be an asshat? I mean if you like being one, might not listen to us, cause we’re on a mission. In this episode, I talk with dad, author and groovy fellow God nerd Bruce Reyes-Chow about his new book, “DON’T BE AN ASSHAT: And Official Handbook for Raising… Read more about Ass-Hattery with Bruce Reyes-Chow
