Guest Bio: This week we welcome back one of our favorite guests Dr. Diana Butler Bass! Diana is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University. Diana regularly speaks at conferences, consults with religious organizations, leads educational events for religious leaders, and teaches and preaches in a variety of venues. She writes at The Huffington Post and The Washington Post and comments on rel...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 8Ep. 132
Guest Bio: This week is a special Halloween episode first released on the From the Void Podcast. I talk with special guest Kimberly Clark Sharp about her own personal near death experience and subsequent work with others who have had similar experiences. Kimberly is a long-time social worker and leader in exploring near-death experiences for more than thirty years. Following her own NDE, she founded the Seattle chapter of IANDS (International Association of Near Death Studies) in 1982, the oldes...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 131
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the incredible Kate Bowler, PhD! Kate is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we still ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. At age 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think in different terms about the research and beliefs she had been studying. She penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Ever...
Oct 11, 2021•53 min•Season 8Ep. 130
From the Void is back Monday, October 18th with an all-new season of strange and unusual mysteries! Strange objects shooting through our galaxy, historic hauntings, the axeman of New Orleans, strange winged creatures in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a still unsolved escape from Alcatraz, the Black Dahlia, UFOs over Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and more! Check out From the Void anywhere podcasts are found! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-deconstructionists/donations ...
Oct 04, 2021•1 min
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Ron Steslow! Prior to the 2016 election Ron had run million dollar senate races, worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, led redistricting efforts in Nevada, and started his own consulting firm. He was set to become the future of the Republican party until he started to deconstruct both his faith and his personal identity. We talk all about his spiritual journey, coming out as a gay man, and split with the party he seemed destined ...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Season 8Ep. 129
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Cliff Young and Aaron Benward. Cliff started his career as a member of the band, Caedman’s Call and Aaron Benward began his career as part of the father/son duo Aaron Jeoffrey and later Blue County. Cliff and Aaron have been friends since childhood and were two of the producers on the new movie, Playing God. Playing God stars Michael McKean (Better Call Saul & Spinal Tap), Alan Tudyk (Rogue One, Deadpool 2, Doom Patrol, Resident Alien), and Luke Benward (D...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 128
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Julie Rodgers! Julie is a writer, speaker, and leader in the movement working for full inclusion for LGBTQ people in Christian communities. She played a significant role in shutting down Exodus International, the largest conversion therapy organization in the world, and she was also the first openly gay person to be hired by an evangelical Christian college. She is featured in “Pray Away” (2021), a documentary about the movement to pray the gay awa...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 127
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome a long overdue guest, Trey Pearson! Trey is best known as the lead singer of the popular band Everyday Sunday and current solo artist. We talk about Trey’s experience with coming out publicly in 2016, the pressure of being known as a “Christian” artist, the church’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, and much more. Guest Links: www.treypearson.com Twitter: @treypearson Facebook: @treypearson Instagram: @treypearson Special guest music on this episode provide b...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 126
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Ryan David Green & Cameron Hood of the band Ryanhood. Named 'Best Group/Duo' in 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards, acoustic duo Ryanhood began as street-performers at Boston's Quincy Market. It was there that they were spotted by a college booking agent and thrust into the college touring scene, where Campus Activities Magazine would name them "one of the most requested acts by college buyers all across the country." They've since gone on to perform...
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 8Ep. 125
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the incredible Brenda Marie Davis. Brenda is a YouTuber, Podcaster, Author, and Speaker who uses her platform to talk to young people about sex and religion. Her platform God is Grey, has become an interactive space for people of all ages, orientations, & beliefs to engage, seek guidance, & heal. Guest (Select) Published Works: On Her Knees: A Memoir Guest Website/Social Media: www.godisgrey.com Twitter: @GodisGreyxo Instagram: @onherknees & @godis...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 8Ep. 124
Hey, Deconstructionists listeners! We know you love a good podcast and a good story and think you might enjoy the new one we're working on. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself. About From the Void: The Universe is filled with all kinds of mysteries. Come join me each week as I bring you a new guest to get to the bottom of all sorts of strange and unusual stories from UFOs to Unsolved True Crime and everything in between. What is true and what is legend? Listen and subscribe to From the...
Jun 11, 2021•1 min
Guest Info/Bio: This week we welcome Kat Harris! Kat and I talk all about Purity Culture and it’s impact as well as the church’s views on sex in general. Kat is a podcaster, online educator, speaker, author, photographer, Beyonce lover, and Ranch dressing aficionado. Her vision is to equip and empower women with practical tools to walk in their worth and navigate their lives grounded in freedom, vision, and wholeness. Guest (Select) Publications: Sexless in the City: A Sometimes Sassy, Sometimes...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 8Ep. 123
Guest Info/Bio: This week we welcome back the Rev. Dr. Brad Jersak AND Wm. Paul Young for part 2 of our conversation. Brad holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from Bangor University (Wales) and is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. Wm. Paul Young is the best-selling author of the book The Shack, Cross Roads, and Eve, and the non-fiction book Lies We Believe About God. Guest (Sele...
May 20, 2021•54 min•Season 8Ep. 122
Guest Info/Bio: This week I not one, but two guests! This week we welcome the Rev. Dr. Brad Jersak AND Wm. Paul Young! Brad holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from Bangor University (Wales) and is an author and teacher based in Abbotsford, BC. He serves as a reader and monastery preacher at All Saints of North America Orthodox Monastery. Wm. Paul Young is the best-selling author of the book The Shack, Cross Roads, and Eve, and the non-fiction book Lies We Believe About God. Guest (Sel...
May 12, 2021•42 min•Season 8Ep. 121
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre! He is a professor, author, scholar, and activist who is currently Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He has served as the elected 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics and served as the Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity and Religion (2012-2017). In 2020 the American Academy of Religion bestowed upon him the Excellence in Teaching A...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 120
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the amazing Bunmi Latidan. We talk all about her amazing new book on prayer and how we all struggle with it. Bunmi is a writer living in Quebec, Canada by way of northern California. Her writings include The Honest Toddler and Confessions of a Domestic failure and poetry such as Dear Mother and Dear God: Honest Prayers to a God Who Listens. Guest Publications: The Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide To Parenting; Toddlers Are A**holes: It’s Not Your Fault; The Big...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 119
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome the Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund. Sarah majored in religious studies in college at Trinity University, graduated with a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary, and also received a Master of Social Work degree at Rutger’s University. Ministry and Social Work blend together are her two passions of loving God and loving her neighbors. She was ordained into Christian ministry by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2002 and began serv...
Mar 23, 2021•57 min•Season 8Ep. 118
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome back Dan Koch and this time he brings along his friend Sarey Martin Concepcion. They came on the podcast to address a topic we haven’t discussed in great depth since literally episode #1. We talk all about the term deconstruction, what we mean when we use the term, and how each of our journeys began. Dan and Sarey also created an amazing library of resources for folks going through a spiritual deconstruction at www.soyouredeconstructing.com So You’re Deconstru...
Mar 04, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 8Ep. 117
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome back one of our favorite guests - Sarah Bessey! Sarah Bessey is the author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist (2013); Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith (2015); and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things (2019). Her new collaborative book, A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal is now available everywhere books are sold.d. Along with her friends, the late Rachel Held Evans and Jim Chaffee, Sarah ...
Feb 18, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 116
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome back our dear friend Peter Rollins to talk all about his annual Atheism for Lent course. To sign up for Atheism for Lent go to Pete’s website: www.peterrollins.com for tickets. Pete is an author, philosopher, storyteller, producer, and public speaker who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and forming “churches” that preach the Good News that we can’t be satisfied, that life is difficult, and that we don’t kno...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 8Ep. 115
Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with Stina Kielsmeier-Cook about what it’s like being in an interfaith relationship. What does it look like when the other person in your relationship has a different faith or no faith at all? Stina is a writer from the cold north where she raises kids, maxes out her library card, and is usually late for church. A former housing advocate for refugees, Stina loves to talk about public policy, parenting, and her neighborhood in Minneapolis. She works as Director ...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 7Ep. 114
Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with Dr. Richard Beck. Richard Beck is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of Unclean, The Authenticity of Faith, The Slavery of Death, Reviving Old Scratch, and The Gospel According to Johnny Cash. Richard's published research also covers topics as diverse as the psychology of profanity to why Christian bookstore art is so bad. Richard leads a bible study each week for fifty inmates at the maxim...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 7Ep. 113
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome Justin Toppins is a writer and filmmaker who recently released his book, “The Outcast Daughter: What I learned about hope and faith from conversations with sex trafficking survivors and his accompanying documentary film, “Irreclaimable”. For more than a year, Justin set out to learn about the dark world of sex trafficking. Along the way he spoke with victims, sex workers, and even law enforcement to separate fact from myth. Guest Links: http://covenantbooks.co...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 7Ep. 112
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome David Zach. David Zach is the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Remedy Drive as well as an advocate in the fight against human trafficking. The band has recorded two concept albums to shine a light on slavery and to celebrate the modern day abolition. The band's community and fan base has contributed around $350,000 in donations and in-kind donations to the counter trafficking organization The Exodus Road. When the band is not on tour David voluntee...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 7Ep. 111
Guest Info/Bio: This week I welcome back comedian Kevin James Doyle! Kevin just released his first comedy special, The 30 Year Old Virgin on all major platforms - iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Spectrum, Comcast, Apple TV, Dish, DirectTV, Vimeo, YouTube, etc. The audio album is available on Sirius XM, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, and more. We talk about Kevin’s religious upbringing and how that played a major role in the stories that make up his hilarious special. Kevin is a ...
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 7Ep. 110
Guest Info/BIo: This week I have a fascinating conversation with Dan Koch. Dan got his start in professional songwriting in 2002 with his band Sherwood. They released three full albums and a handful of shorter EPs, toured the US, Europe & Japan, and generally had a great time. As that season of life ended, he settled in Seattle and began transitioning into writing music for film & TV. He’s been fortunate to work with some great people, and has landed some 80+ national TV & radio spot...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 35 min•Season 7Ep. 109
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Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 46 min
Guest Info/BIo: This week I have a fascinating conversation with Dr. David Bentley Hart on his new book That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation. Dr. Hart has held positions at numerous universities including St. Louis University, University of Virginia, Duke University, and Providence College. His specialities are philosophical theology, systematics, patristics, classical and continental philosophy, and Asian religion. Dr. Hart has published numerous books and over 450 art...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 7Ep. 108
Guest Info/BIo: This week I have a long overdue conversation with Shane Claiborne. Shane is a best-selling author, renowned activist, sought-after speaker, and self-proclaimed “recovering sinner.” Shane writes and speaks around the world about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus, and is the author of several books including “The Irresistible Revolution,” “Jesus for President,” and his newest book “Executing Grace.” He is the visionary leader of The Simple Way in Philadelphia and co-director o...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 7Ep. 107
Guest Info/BIo: This week I have a really fun conversation with Jon Steingard. Jon is a Canadian musician who is the lead vocalist/guitarist of the band Hawk Nelson. Jon currently works as a director and filmmaker. Guest Links: www.steingardcreative.com Twitter: @jonsteingard Instagram: @jonsteingard Facebook: @jonsteingard Special Music By: Hawk Nelson www.hawknelson.com Instagram: @hawknelson Twitter: @hawknelson Facebook: @Hawknelson Enjoy the music? Songs heard on this episode were: “Drops i...
Sep 02, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Season 7Ep. 106
