The apostle Paul. Other than Jesus, arguably the most famous / notorious figure in the Christian scriptures. His name has authorial responsibility for a huge chunk of the New Testament. Statues of the man litter modern day Italy. There are fields of study dedicated exclusively to trying to understand his thought. In a word, Paul’s influence is massive. But… Paul himself may not have been massive. Might he have actually been more minuscule? Could the apostle Paul have been significantly shorter t...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 9 min
In this conversation, Mitchell Eithun and I pick away at the challenging ways that Christian worship has represented people with disabilities, and how we might want to consider doing so in the future. If you’d like to follow Mitchell online, his Facebook page is likely the best spot to do so. If you, like me, did not know what a carillon was, be sure to check it out! If you, like me, had never heard the term “ presbycostal” before, maybe Eugene Peterson says it best: “Pentecostalism and Presbyte...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This summer has been pretty typical for me. A lot of camping, a lot of complaining about the heat, a lot of searching for cool water to dip into. A lot of walking the dog. A lot of trying to keep the dog from being overly social. A lot of trying to encourage opportunities for my kids to be IRL social. A lot of wishing I was sleeping just a liiiiiiiittle bit more than I am. A lot of being thankful. This summer has also been pretty atypical for me. A lot of trying to get my head wrapped around tea...
Aug 04, 2023•39 min
“[When considering the presentation of violence in the Old Testament]… I hope that we can nudge the needle further along, not towards resolution, but toward trust in God's ultimate goodness.” - Matthew Lynch, Flood & Fury This episode of the podcast is with OT scholar and prolific podcaster Matthew J Lynch . Currently teaching at Regent College in Vancouver and releasing content into the world via the evergreen OnScript & Biblical World podcasts, he and I get into a number of topics (not...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Professor Nancy Pearcey (author of the upcoming book The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes , which you can pre-order NOW) is no stranger to difficult but important subject matter. Her most recently published book ( Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality ) was a great & thought-provoking read, and though I haven’t had the chance to check out her previous work (like The Soul of Science , Saving Leonardo , Finding Truth , and two ECPA Gold...
Jun 09, 2023•53 min
Few people (save The Edge himself) have had as great an impact on a generation of church guitarists as sir Stuart Garrard (aka Stu G). From his epoch-making time with Delirious to his second (or third?) life as a roving guitarist (with the likes of Michael W Smith & One Sonic Society ) and a songwriter that has helped pen dozens of influential songs over the last decade, as well as his innovative work with guitar amp modelling … Stu has left a giant imprint. On top of all that, he has spent ...
May 26, 2023•1 hr
“… it is not a question of if we should engage in work to benefit those around us. It is a question of how broadly we define the ‘us’ who benefits.” The above quote from Andrew Whitehead ’s forthcoming book American Idolatry (in my opinion) sets the tone for the nuanced conversation we try to engage in over these topics that are often portrayed as anything but nuanced. What do you think? BONUS: Below is a little walk through Andrew’s & my own musical-memory lane… “Americanism” by MxPx: “The ...
May 05, 2023•53 min
In this unuuuuuuusual (for me, anyway) episode, I have a chat with Ambrose Andreano about his recently released book, Angels, Archons, & Aliens . It’s a pretty wild ride, and likely not for the faint of heart, but (for many) it could also be an important conversation starter. You’ll have to be the judge of that. Ambrose is on Substack and Academia.edu , too. Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts) at marcjolicoeur.substack.com/subscribe...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Something special is a foot… In this episode of the podcast I catch up with looooong time friend (and all ‘round good guy) Jeff Somers about his brand new book, Avery And The Special Shoe . It’s a very specific story he wrote for his daughter, which is why it has universal appeal. We talk about the challenges his daughter faces, we talk about writing, and we talk about publishing (oh, and about Meaghan Smith’ s beautiful illustrations). If you’d like to pre-order a copy of the book, swing by ave...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 12 min
“In every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture - and American culture has triumphed.” – Alan Wolfe The above quote is from page 4 of Dr Sam Reimer ’s fascinating new book, Caught In The Current . The book is his synthesis of a compilation of both quantitative data and qualitative surveys that he personally undertook, and it reveals a lot about how so-called “evangelicals” who live in Canada and the UK see themselves, the world around them, and the ideal and actua...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr
“I think Christian nationalism started in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was reaching for the Cross, and Peter, who loves Jesus, thought he should protect him with a sword.” – Caleb Campbell, Disarming Leviathan In this episode of the podcast I chat with pastor and doctoral student Caleb Campbell about his new project to engage in meaningful but intentionally transformative dialogue with those who are self-described “American Christian Nationalists”. The ministry is called “ Disarming Levia...
Mar 03, 2023•57 min
Faith harms and heals. It pulls us apart and binds us together. It builds cathedrals and burns down cities. It gives life and brings death. Asking if religion is good is like asking if music is good. Or food. Or politics. Or baseball or books or art or science or any other human endeavor. Religion is human. And it matters. ( Reorganized Religion , pg 39) Bob Smietana has covered a LOT of “bad news” stories when it comes to organized religion in the US. But he still has hope for the institution. ...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 4 min
“A mighty zeal for truth, for great purity, and other good purposes, is displayed; and it is observable, that this zeal generally rises in proportion as the peculiar tenets of the innovators, deviate from scripture and common sense; zeal being the substitute to make up the deficiency.” When was this sick burn tossed around? Last week? Last year? Nay, 230 years ago, from a little pulpit in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The preacher (Charles Inglis) was concerned about “fanatical” “enthusiasts”, people wh...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 6 min
In this episode I’m pleased as punch to be able to catch up with my fellow-follicly-feable friend Cody Matchett! Cody is a husband, dad, pastor, scholar, and he’s just about to release a co-written book with the prolific Scot McKnight entitled Revelation For The Rest Of U s . We catch up a little, but then we dive deep into how and how NOT to read this long-contested and deeply important book of the New Testament. If you enjoy this conversation, keep your eyes peeled for more from both Cody &...
Jan 20, 2023•53 min
I have been looking forward to this conversation with Dr Alan Streett for a looooong time now. Streett’s book on baptism ( Caesar And The Sacrament ) almost literally blew my mind while reading it. So much so that I ordered his prequel ( Subversive Meals ) and the newly-released followup ( Songs Of Resistance ) as soon as I could. In this conversation, we get a little window into Streett’s own background, as well as wrestle a little with some of the tensions that his masterful work presents. Get...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min
In this episode of the podcast, my friend (and first-time SECOND-TIME podcast partner) Jeremy MacDonald asks me questions about the message I shared last weekend at my local church . The message was about (in essence) the relative value of “religion” when it comes to people’s desires & ability to connect with the divine. You can hear the message here , if you’d like to catch up in advance or after the fact. Would loooooove to hear from you about the ways you see this differently, since (as m...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Y’all, I had pretty much no idea what I was walking into when I signed up to chat with the newly doctored Merrill Greene , but I AM SO GLAD I DID. This conversation was wide-ranging, but everywhere we roved, I was the better for it. Not only do we get into some of the nitty-gritty on his Dead Sea Scrolls research, we also tie some observations into Christian practice & experience, with some pastoral implications for how we might want to “be” in the world today. I hope you’ll find this conver...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min
You guys, part of the reason I started a podcast was because I would listen to conversations other people were having (with people I agreed with AND disagreed with) and I would find myself yelling questions back… but to no avail. Now, I am blessed with the opportunity to have and to host such conversations, with people I agree with AND disagree with. Today is one such conversation. Nathan Finochio does a whole lotta things (bonus points if you can track down the old song of his we passingly refe...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Folks, they say you learn something new every day, and I gotta tell ya… I’m not sure that’s true. But TODAY I DEFINITELY DID! I am so pleased to be able to share this conversation with my friend, (the newly doctored) Dan Cooper . Dan’s thesis ( “Where Is The Place Of Darkness? A Metaphor Analysis Of Darkness In The Old Testament” ) is a wild ride which takes us to unexpected places and, in the end, both clarifies and complicates my own understanding of “darkness” in the scripture. How much can w...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min
In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Dr Matt Friedman of Kingswood University . Matt is an author, a lecturer on intercultural studies, and a messianic Jew. We talk about how he got to where he is, what these shared identities mean for him, and what they might mean for us. This conversation was eye-opening for me, particularly when we spoke about his interpretation of Leviticus chapters 17 & 18. At a time when the concept & value of reconciliation is front & centre, consid...
Sep 29, 2022•54 min
This episode of the podcast is more monologue than dialogue, though I am in dialogue with David Desteno (in a sense). For full notes and links and essentially the text of what you hear here, check out this link: David Desteno's "How God Works" // Religioprospecting, considering the source, and minding the hack Tell me: Do you see any downside to religioprospecting, or am I being an overly reactionary weirdo? (those aren’t necessarily the only two options…) Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka ...
Sep 23, 2022•21 min
Y’all, it’s been a minute, but after much summer adventuring I’m (mostly) baaaaack in the saddle for September. One of the marvellous weeks I was able to spend this summer was at our local church district’s campground, Beulah Camp , and during that week I was blessed to have been preached at by a number of folks, including this fellow follically-challenge brother, Steve Deneff: Steve preached about a half-dozen times over the days he was with us, and I was blown away by not only his content, but...
Sep 09, 2022•50 min
In this episode of the podcast, I am pleased to share a recent conversation I had with longtime friend (and first-time podcast partner) AJ Thomas. AJ is the Lead Pastor of Deep Water Church in the Halifax area, and is deeply committed to his own faith tradition AS WELL AS not allowing his own faith tradition to alienate him from others. We share this in common. As such, this conversation centres mainly on the conundrums that come with this worldview. We talk about the so-called “New Evangelizati...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min
You guys, I am so stoked to be able to share this conversation with Dr Dru Johnson , a man of many talents, a pied past, and a prolific output. Dru and I talk about his origin story, what it means to think “Hebraically” (and why he’s passionate about it), as well as the recently released Biblical World of Gender book. Below are just some of the links we reference in the course of the show: Dru’s Official Website Kings College Center for Hebraic Thought Biblical Mind Podcast OnScript Podcast “Hum...
Jul 14, 2022•55 min
Folks! This conversation with Dr Carmen Joy Imes is an absolute game-changer. If you have ever wondered about what actually constitutes a “human identity”, or what the so-called “image of God” language (from which virtually all of our modern human rights language derives) means, then this is the chat for you. Dr Imes unsettles so many preconceptions about gender, race, God, and the Bible, and she does it with a loving smile and in an orthodox way. Below are a heavy-handful of links from the vari...
Jun 10, 2022•59 min
In this episode of the podcast it is my privilege to share a chat I recently had with a friend and co-leader, Love Egbon . Love is a relatively-new-Canadian who was born in Nigeria. She is a dynamic individual and a DYNAMITE singer, and (like so many of our black & brown brothers & sisters) she has observed racism in her life & surroundings. This chat is mostly just an opportunity for her to share some of her story and some of her heart for our shared culture, both inside & outsi...
Jun 03, 2022•46 min
In this episode, we sit down for a chat with the ever-pleasant & effervescent David Drury . David is the former Chief of Staff for The Wesleyan Church , the current purveyor of wisdom & strategy over at the DruGroup , and the future impactor of Global Partners’ “ Global Marketplace Multipliers ” initiative. We recorded this convo roughly 24 hours after the adjournment of TWC’s 14th General Conference , so you’re gonna hear some “shop talk” in here, to be sure, but David found a great way...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 13 min
In this episode of the Jolly Thoughts podcast I have the pleasure of chatting with financial advisor, failed lobsterman, and successful marathoner “Pete” Benson . We talk about his early life on Grand Manan Island, his propensity towards spiritual-entrepreneurship, and what he believes successful physical & financial training share in common (spoiler alert: it’s A GOAL). Here’s the Lobster War Documentary I poorly reference: https://lobsterwar.com/ And here’s a link to the Navy Seal mind-nin...
May 20, 2022•55 min
Last weekend, I did something that was unthinkable (and uninteresting) to my younger self: I ran a marathon . In this episode of the podcast, I take a few minutes to unpack some of my reflections on the experience. For a written version, please check out either my website or my Substack page . Oh, and if you’ve been tracking along with me in this journey at all, it’d be so great to hear from you! Please, leave a comment or a question (or, heck, even a complaint would do at this point). Get full ...
May 13, 2022•17 min
My friend and co-labourer Austin White was kind enough to take a few of his last British minutes to chat with me about his experience at Alpha’s 2022 Leadership Conference and to reflect upon about some of his initial takeaways. As expected, he’s articulate and insightful, and I learned something myself! Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts) at marcjolicoeur.substack.com/subscribe...
May 06, 2022•13 min
