Shows
God is Better Than You ThinkAubrey Becker asks whether Jesus is in the space between "pro life" and "pro choice"You read the title of the episode, you know what we are talking about. It’s THE issue for so many people.Aubrey Becker is our guest today and her role as an infant loss coordinator for a major hospital gives her the unique ability to weigh in on this conversation. You’ll hear in our conversation that before Aubrey started in this work, she would have easily identified her self as ‘Pro-Life’, but the lives that she has crossed paths with has given her pause to consider what being ‘Pro-Life’ actually means.This conversation is hard. It’s n...2024-10-231h 12God is Better Than You ThinkJosh & Taylor ask is there a better way to structure churches?Buckle Up. Your in for a wild ride with this one!Josh and Taylor are flying solo! There’s no guest on this week’s episode, and we are talking about ‘the church.’This is a conversation Josh and Taylor have as friends on a semi-regular basis, and while we have shared values we disagree quite a bit. This is a messy topic but a very important one. It’s a topic that has floated around in several of our other episodes and we are here to flesh it out a bit.We talk about, sys...2024-09-111h 21God is Better Than You ThinkCarlos Rodriguez says God is Better Than White JesusWe could not be more excited about this episode as we had the incredible opportunity to talk to Carlos Rodriguez, Founder and Director of The Happy Givers.Carlos made an unusual journey from author and megachurch pastor in the US to the founder and director of a non-profit in Puerto Rico where he is originally from and now lives with his family. His story is filled with self-reflection, action, humility, and change and we could not be more here for it!In this conversation we ask uncomfortable questions and Carlos gives a...2024-08-281h 13God is Better Than You ThinkJenai Auman says God is better than the churches that harm us*TW: This episode discusses themes and experiences of spiritual abuse. There are no graphic descriptions or details, however there is conversation around living in a culture of abuse and accounts of individual experiences in abusive systems.Our conversation with this episode’s guest—Jenai Auman—brings a deep discussion on the reality of spiritual abuse in church settings. Jenai shares some of her personal journey, her research and study, and portions of her newly released book to address why abuse of this nature is often minimized and overlooked.We talk about cycles of trauma, poor methods of chu...2024-08-141h 13God is Better Than You ThinkTerry Wildman says God is better than America's treatment of Indigenous peopleThis week’s powerful episode is with Terry Wildman—lead translator of the FNV (First Nations Version) and really beautiful human.Our conversation with Terry walks through his personal journey with Native faith in Jesus and how that lead him to start the FNV project. He shares about the collision of evangelical christianity and many indigenous people’s experience with the message of Jesus. We also discuss what it looks like to practically be a follower of Jesus when it comes to understanding the history of Native peoples in North America (Turtle Island).If you haven’t spent...2024-07-311h 00God is Better Than You ThinkNathan Daniel Blake says God is better than the rich man's gospelOur conversation with guest Nathan Daniel Blake (aka just ‘Nathan’), is one that reaches deep into the wrestlings. Nathan identifies himself in this way:“I’m steel town Appalachian.I’m Anglican leaning Anabaptist (or maybe it’s the other way around).I’m Abbot to a new monastic Appalachian Order.I’m husband and father.I’m friend and foe.I’m sinner striving to be saint.” When we first learned this about Nathan, it intrigued us enough to invite him on the show. We spend a lot of this episode unpacking thes...2024-07-171h 06God is Better Than You ThinkCharis Barker says God is better than Bill Gothard & abusive leaders*TW: This episode discusses themes and experiences of abuse. There are no graphic descriptions or details, however there is conversation around living in a culture of abuse and accounts of individual experiences of sexual abuse.In this episode, Josh and Taylor talk with guest Charis Barker. Charis bravely left an upbringing in an abusive religious environment and in years following came forward to tell her story, pursued legal action, and has been a part of several articles and podcasts as a way to ensure others are seen and protected when faced with circumstances such as her...2024-07-031h 12God is Better Than You ThinkTrey Ferguson says God is better than the way we read the Bible*The audio quality for the intro of this episode…is less than ideal…stick with us. It gets better when our guest joins us!* Our first Season 2 guest is the renown theologizer of the twittersphere—Trey Ferguson. Trey is the Executive Pastor at Refuge Church in FL, author of Theologizin’ Bigger, and podcast host of Three Black Men and New Living Treyslation. Trey is out here stretching our minds and our imaginations as he invites us to reassess how we think about the Bible, church, and our approach to theology! We LOVED this conversation! If you also loved...2024-06-1952 minGod is Better Than You ThinkThe Pod is Back! Season 2 TrailerThe pod is back, and now with double the host! Taylor Bluebaugh and her multidimensional hair flips are joining Josh Pease (non-haired, no-flips) for the relaunch. This ep details why this pod started, & what it'll look like moving forward. Be on the lookout for new episodes dropping every other Wednesday!2024-06-0511 minGod is Better Than You ThinkWade Mullen Says God Is Better Than Our Church CulturesWhy are there so many narcisstic leaders in churches? Why do so many churches cover up scandal? Wade Mullen is an expert on crisis management in Christian organizations, and one of the ONLY people in the world who has actual research about the problem. There is a five minute run in this podcast that might be the most important moment on this podcast series so far. I really hope you listen. Love this podcast? Donate here! It gives me permission to take time out to keep doing it and also feed my family! https://venmo.com/Josh-Pease2020-10-221h 02God is Better Than You ThinkAlan Noble Says God is Better Than Our Society's Fatal DistractionO. Alan Noble, hat-wearer, professor, author, and all around smart person, talks about mental health, our increasing disconnect from each other, and what being a "disruptive witness" looks like. We also laugh a lot. Buy Alan's book! https://www.ivpress.com/disruptive-witness Support this YouTube channel:https://venmo.com/Josh-Pease2020-09-0959 minGod is Better Than You ThinkJack Jenkins, Reporter Extraordinaire, On the Underreported Religious LeftDid you know the religious left was instrumental in passing the affordable care act? Did you know the predate the religious right by decades? All this and more with the amazing Jack Jenkins. Donate here: https://venmo.com/Josh-Pease Buy Jack's book: http://www.jackjenkins.me/american-pr... Find Jack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmjenkins2020-09-011h 23God is Better Than You ThinkBecky Castle Miller Asks "How Would Jesus FEEL?"The internet reception in this audio gets a little spotty, and there are a couple brief musical interludes while Becky bribes her kids to stay upstairs while she records. Apologies! Fresh off a move back to the U.S., Becky talks with me about how Christianity has misunderstood the science AND theology of emotions and has harmed many people in the process. BUT, the good news is that God is way more interested in our emotional world than we think.2020-08-251h 08God is Better Than You Think"The Christian Sex Lady," Sheila Wray GregoireSheila talks about purity culture, how the book "Love and Respect" is harming people, how women can have more orgasms, whether sex toys are a good idea, and uses the "c" word more than a few times (no not that one, the other one). If you want to learn more about how to have a healthy sex life in your marriage, make sure you don't miss this episode! 5:00 - How Sheila got her start as the "sex lady." 7:45 - "We had terrible sex when we first got married." 11:40 - How we see God impacts our view of sex (complete with in...2020-08-191h 07God is Better Than You ThinkBridget Eileen RiveraFrom an early age Bridget knew there was something different about her, but it wasn't until college she realized what that difference was: she was gay. This is her story of reconciling her sexuality, spirituality, and religious upbringing, and wherever you *think* this story is going ... you're probably wrong. This is a must watch interview for anyone who has been wrestling publicly or privately with human sexuality and Christianity. Bridget is almost certain to challenge your position, no matter what that position is.2020-08-111h 09God is Better Than You ThinkKaitlyn SchiessKaitlyn talks about the power of understanding both sides (even if you disagree), a theology of politics, and how the church needs to tell better stories. SHOW NOTES: 1:00 - Kaitlyn's debate team roots 9:15 - the cutthroat world of seminary, and the transition to full time ministry 13:14 - "it's not that churches are TOO political, it's that they are insufficiently political." 18:22 - the impossibility of being "separate from the world." 22:00 - churches need to learn to tell better stories 26:45 - the stories our worship songs tell us 28:00 - "our church's statement on race relations was that we baptized a black man" 32:17 - confe...2020-08-0750 minGod is Better Than You ThinkKat ArmasThe super smart, funny, and inspiring Kat Armas sits down to talk about how the Bible is more nuanced than we think, and the faith of desperate, overlooked people can change nations. LINKS: The Protagonistas Podcast: https://katarmas.com/theprotagonistaspodcast Kat on Twitter: twitter.com/kat_armas Kat on IG: instagram.com/kat_armas SHOW NOTES: Kat's background: 2:52 When you're perpetuating and protesting abusive power structures: 6:05 The Bible talks often about systemic oppression. 9:04 The Bible is more nuanced than you think. 12:02 America has a lack of nuance baked into its cultural DNA 15:40 What to do when God tells you to go seduc...2020-08-0652 minGod is Better Than You ThinkJemar TisbyJemar talks about racism, evangelicalism, and Christianity's historical complicity in white supremacy.2020-08-0648 minGod is Better Than You ThinkChad BruegmannA church Chad helped plant and lead had become one of the most influential megachurches in the greater Denver area. He'd arrived at the pinnacle of success. When all of a sudden, questions he'd dodged asking for years began to surface, ultimately leading to him stepping away from his role at the church to de-and-reconstruct his faith. If you've ever felt like the questions you have about Christianity are too big or too scandalous for the churches around you, I REALLY hope you watch this interview. SHOW NOTES: 0:01 - Unlike J. Lo, we ain't hustlers 4:00 - Ego isn't all bad, act...2020-08-061h 03