Shows
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastChristian Nationalism - Devouring Diversity - 202In Irenicast’s first full episode in over two years the team discusses Christian Nationalism. Bonnie, Casey, Jeff and Rajeev go deep on the origins and dangers of Christian Nationalism RELEVANT LINKS The New Testament as Political Documents A Campgate of the Mind: Roman Propaganda and Trump’s America (Article) What Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to clear homeless encampments means for the people who live in them (Article) 'Invisible in our own country': Being Muslim in Modi's India (Article) The Handmaid's Tale (TV Series)
2024-11-051h 07
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Conversation Continues - 201We are back! Irenciast has taken many different forms over the years and after a couple year break we return in a new iteration. In this episode we take some time and catch our listeners up on where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to. In addition we provide some information on the direction of the show. We are so happy to be back and are tremendously thankful for everyone that listens. We look forward to continuing the conversation with you. IRENCAST HOSTS Rev. Bonnie Rambob, MDiv | co-host Pastor Cas...
2024-10-2322 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThanks for Joining the ConversationThanks for joining the conversation for 200 episodes of Irenicast! In this episode the hosts answer your questions. The topics range from the bible, hell, marriage and more. After 7 years and 200 episodes the Irenicast team is still so thankful to helping provoke the progressive Christian imagination. Here’s to 200 more! Thanks for Joining the Conversation Comments & Questions: #1 (01:58) - New Zealand Listener Audio Question#2 (08:29) - New Zealand Listener #2, Email#3 (13:24) - Recent Apple Podcast Review#4 (14:25) - Audio Question #2#5 (25:04) - Listener Email from Former Adventist#6 (32:36) - Listener Email from Florida#7 (39:06) - Final Audio Question#8 (46:10) - Listener Email from Washington#9 (51:27) - Anon...
2022-04-191h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWar and Christianity - Striving for Co-FlourishingWar and Christianity are certainly not strangers. In fact, they seem pretty friendly many of the times. In this episode Bonnie, Rajeev and Jeff discuss the complicated history of war and Christianity. A discussion that seems especially timely considering the current invasion of Ukraine. The conversation starts by acknowledging the ample examples of divine mandated war in our religious text. To which, the wide path of Biblical interpretations has come up with many theological ‘theories’ on war and peace. Bonnie specifically lays out a great overview of the history of the peace movement in America from her studies t...
2022-03-1558 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Problem with Patriarchal Christianity - Let Go and Let OthersThe problem with patriarchal Christianity may seem obvious to many listeners of Irenicast. It is no surprise to us that patriarchy has done perhaps irrevocable damage to not just Christianity, but the nation as well. We are seeing the ripples of that sad truth on every level in society. In this episode, three beneficiaries of the the f**ked up system we’ve come to know and loathe discuss ways we can lay aside our privilege to make room for others to lead. It is not an easy task, and sometimes it seems like it is too littl...
2022-02-0149 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Conversation with Carolyn Baker, Author of Confronting ChristofascismIn this episode Bonnie sits down and has a compelling conversation with Carolyn Baker PhD mostly about her newest book, Confronting Christofascism: Healing the Evangelical Wound. It is no secret that since 2016 the United States has felt as though it is on its last legs as a democracy. Carolyn shares with us many of her perspectives on why that is the case from her book. This conversation includes many of the things we are not supposed to talk about at the dinner table: religion and politics. Specifically the marrying of fascism and a large portion of American Chr...
2022-01-1848 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Generational Divide - Special Guest Co-Host Selah CluffThe generational divide in our country feels massive. With the rise of Gen Z and the sentiment of ‘Okay Boomer’, it doesn't feel as though one generation values the other. If anything, younger generations especially are scapegoated for the direction our culture is taking. In this episode we welcome Selah Cluff and as a member of GenZ to discuss this divide and explore how we might cross it. One of the first places this discussion goes is how each generation views the future and what cultural events define the generations represented. It is a wide road of experie...
2022-01-041h 12
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastRebirthing Christmas - Virgin Mary Smashes the PatriarchyIn Episode 192 Rebirthing Christmas - Virgin Mary Smashes the Patriarchy, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev, discuss a broad range of feminist perspectives on Mary the mother of Jesus and virginity. Did ancient communities understand the concept of virginity through the lens of purity culture or did they hold a more sophisticated understanding of feminine power? We leaned towards the latter. The Magnificat by Mary in the Gospel of Luke is discussed with great interest and reverence. It is a most powerful passage that is often omitted from most liturgies. The conversation explores the fleshy, lived, ex...
2021-12-211h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat is Love? - The Space BetweenWhat is love? In this episode each host attempts to provide their definition of what they think love is. It quickly becomes apparent that the concept of love is more difficult to pin down than expected. Is love a feeling? Is love an action? Or is love where in between? And finally a new segment is introduced to end the show, Bad Advice Column. This segment quickly goes off the rails and hilarity ensues and fun is had by all. Conversation on What is Love (02:35)Bad Advice Column Segment (35:55) ANNOUNCEMENTS Sign...
2021-12-0755 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat is Hope? - Gratitude and WonderWhat is hope? Christianity is filled with buzz words that we can easily take for granted or turn into catch phrases. In this episode the hosts discuss one of those words, hope. Hope can mean a lot of different things for different people. It can also feel like a concept that is slowly fading from view in the current world we live in. Each host shares their current definition of hope. This leads to a short detour into a discussion on hope’s connection to the afterlife. Given the hosts' evangelical pasts this is an important elephant in the r...
2021-11-1655 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat Is Faith? - Wrestling the UnknownWhat is Faith? Bonnie, Jeff, Casey, and Rajeev share perspectives that are found just beyond the edge of clarity - “objects” are visible but there is little certainty about what those objects might be. After all, faith is murky and shifty. As the crew discusses the evolution of their personal faith journeys they confront each other by what is meant by faith and how the misunderstanding and misuse of the term has caused a lot of confusion within, and between, people. The hosts delve into the realities, and tensions, of whether faith is a personal thing, a communa...
2021-11-0251 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Six - CommunityIn Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Six the co-hosts explore the diversity of what community can be: quilting club, birdwatchers, family-groups (biological or chosen), faith community, and so many more. While there is agreement that what a community looks like can vary greatly, the hosts have differing thoughts on the importance of belonging, responsibility, and duty. Ultimately there is a recognition that there is no singular way to integrate past connections, present realities, and future possibilities, when it comes to community - but it is important work to do. In the segment, Tw...
2021-10-1859 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Five - The Multiverse of SelfIn Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Five, the multiverse of self, co hosts, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff, and Rajeev dive into the most uncomfortable and awkward of spaces “the self.” The work and interview with Debbie Glander is referenced to remind us that our formation (childhood, puberty, adolescence) was not a solo project but many, in trusted positions, had major impacts on who we have become. Each co-host still feels the lingering stings of being told we were sinful-to-the-core and the profound difficulty that creates when trying to trust oneself. This results in a redu...
2021-10-0559 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Four - The Rob Bell is Full of Sh*t SpectrumIn Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part 4 the hosts discuss the voices that helped them reconstruct some semblance of belief… or non-belief. The legend and public persona of Rob Bell unexpectedly becomes the yardstick that each host measures their rebuilding experiences against. Each host shares a ton of resources and voices that helped them in their movement away from fundamentalist authority. Some that became irrelevant and others that still ring true today. The episode finishes with the revival of an old segment formerly known as Jesus or Jay-Z and now rebranded as Friday Night or Sunda...
2021-09-2157 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Three - Flying Through the Soup On a Treasure HuntIn Beyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part Three, the Irencast crew try desperately to come up with suitable metaphors for the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ stage in deconstruction. Since each host had such different experiences the task becomes difficult, which leads to a beautiful discussion on why these moments cannot be boiled down to a formula. We all experience our faith journey differently, and while there are some commonalities, we cannot prescribe a specific way out for any one person. Sometimes we need to sit, listen and just experience certain moments in life. This convers...
2021-09-0755 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part One - Waking UpBeyond the Binary of Deconstruction and Reconstruction Part One explores the first movement in someone’s journey toward change, waking up. To lay the groundwork, not only for this episode but the episodes to come in this series, each host shares some of the experiences that put them on the path of deconstruction. Because of the benefit of highsight, insight is given into the difficulty and eventual freedom in the deconstruction process. Toward the end of the main conversation we share a relevant portion of an interview with Debbie Glander, LMFT. Debbie’s insights into the negative effects of many fun...
2021-08-0358 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastSince We’ve Been GoneSince we’ve been gone a lot has happened in the world. An election, an insurrection, a vaccine, a new president, and a whole lot of the same old crap in the world. Things have also changed for the hosts of Irenicast. A lot of personal and professional shifts in addition to planning new stuff for Irenicast. In this come-back episode, we will be discussing all things Irenicast as we move forward into a new era of the show. We hope that you continue with Irenicast as we unpack the notions of Deconstruction and Reconstruction over the next several episode...
2021-07-2038 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastYour Authentic Self - The Difficult Work of BecomingDiscovering your authentic self is something that can seem like a vague or cliche notion. Is there a balance between authentic inner life and authentic communal life? Where are the tensions? What does it even mean to be your authentic self? These are some of the questions explored in this episode as Allen, Bonnie, Jeff & Rajeev discuss the difficult task of figuring out our place in this insane world. Self awareness and our relation to one another become prominent talking points during this conversation. Self reflection, along with a solid community, can be powerful allies in our journ...
2020-12-011h 09
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastChanging God - A Way Out of Omni-imperial TheologyIn response to a listener question about God’s immutability, all five co-hosts discuss a changing God. The conversation begins with the God of the bible before it turns toward the God of human experience. Co-hosts reflect on the groups that might benefit from a fixed or static God and those groups that might benefit from a God who is impacted (and therefore changed) by a relational life with creation. Rajeev wonders about God ideas as connected to the ego. The conversation includes an exploration of various God narratives and systems. Are there “right” ideas about God? To clo...
2020-11-171h 00
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Cadence of Despair with Tenneson WolfIn this interview Casey draws out wisdom carried by his friend Tenneson Woolf. Tenneson is a consultant, facilitator, workshop leader, coach, teacher, and writer. Keeping an eye on our collective global pandemic experience, Casey and Tenneson talk religion, human spirituality, and questions of who we are and who we want to be. They acknowledge profound challenges stirred up by the novel coronavirus and wonder about the gifts those challenges, courtesy of the virus, might have to offer us. The conversation includes an indepth look into the formation of Tenneson’s most recent book, A Cadence of Despair: Poe...
2020-09-011h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastParenting - Simple Word, Infinite ImplicationsIn this episode, Jeff, Bonnie and Rajeev take on the topic of parenting. They begin with their definitions of parenting before moving into the struggles of parenting. Co-hosts notice how parenting children often triggers a return to the parent’s own process of growing up. They reflect on the grief involved in the transitions from one stage of the child’s development to another. Co-hosts consider the influence their parents’ parenting-style has had on their own, for better or for worse. They discuss the need to shed expectations of their kids as well as themselves as parents. Because... mistake-making is cla...
2020-08-181h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre - Racism, Sexism and Trickster EthicsRajeev and the Rev. Dr. Miguel De La Torre converse about belonging, sexism, racism, pluralism, immigration, internal integrations and synthesis, violence, hope and hopelessness, the climate of Trump’s America and more in this packed episode that is right on time! Rajeev and Miguel close out the conversation with Over/Under that leads to more gems of insight and personal story. Conversation with Rev. Dr. Miguel De La Torre (01:55) Over/Under Segment (50:11) MORE ON REV. DR. MIGUEL DE LA TORRE Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, Professor of Soc...
2020-08-0456 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation White Supremacy in Progressive ChristianityThis is the audio from our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Progressive Christianity on Facebook and YouTube Live. Jeff and Rajeev take thoughts and questions from listeners about episode #171. Catch these conversations the Monday’s after each regular episode at 5pm PST. RELEVANT LINKS From Our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Progressive Christianity Multiracial Congregations May Not Bridge Racial Divide (Article) Celeste Williams (Congressional Candidate in Arkansas) IRENCAST FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS During quarantime, we are offering additional ways to connect via Facebook Live and...
2020-07-2942 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhite Supremacy in Progressive Christianity - The Soul of The Church OrganThe conversation begins with co-hosts’ varying views on white supremacy in progressive Christianity. From there the talk turns to progressive Christian purity codes, boundary training and other forms of white-centeredness. Co-hosts take an honest look at the average progressive white Christian’s struggle with following POC leaders though they say they want to. There is discussion on the evangelical and progressive Christian responses to the Black Lives Matter movement with speculation about the future. Toward the end of the conversation, co-hosts wonder about the impact of white supremacy on white people’s souls. Does progressive Christianity have a fram...
2020-07-211h 20
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation of White Supremacy in Evangelicalism - 170bThis is the audio from our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Evangelicalism on Facebook and YouTube live on Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5pm PST. For this conversation Bonnie and Casey are on assignment and Rajeev, Jeff and Allen field listeners' questions and thoughts. You can watch the video by going to our Facebook page or YouTube channel. RELEVANT LINKS From Our Continuing the Conversation on White Supremacy in Evangelicalism Haystacks (Bonnie and Rajeev’s new podcast for fringe, questioning, ex or former Seventh-Day Adventists) Miss America (Netflix) Southern Baptist Convention The Poiso...
2020-07-1551 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhite Supremacy in Evangelicalism - Hidden in Plain SightCo-hosts begin this raw and real conversation about white supremacy in Evangelicalism by reflecting on their experiences of white supremacy in their formative churches. Memories arise from Awana, mission trips, seminary and other church settings. Co-hosts recall witnessing the pervasive project to marginalize people of color across all aspects of their formative church life. The white co-hosts marvel that with all the talk of sin, never did that talk include racism. The conversation dips into topics like colonialism, school/church integration and the invisibility of whiteness. Rajeev shares his immigrant experience of being taught to master the...
2020-07-071h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation on Quanita Roberson - 169bIn our continuing the conversation on Quanita Roberson’s episode the full cast reflects on the firehose of wisdom in episode #169. The Irenicast team specifically centers their conversation on collective grief and the value in calling on our ancestors. If you’d like to see the video replay of this conversation you can do that on Facebook and YouTube. MORE ON QUANITA ROBERSON Quanita Roberson is a facilitator dedicated to addressing embedded trauma. She is a spiritual teacher, speaker, author, life coach, and a storyteller. Her work over the past 20 years has been focuse...
2020-06-241h 04
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastQuanita Roberson - Grief, Healing and HopeCasey and Bonnie sat down with spiritual teacher, speaker, author, life coach, storyteller and shaman Quanita Roberson to talk about the strange and fertile time of this present moment. If you have felt moments of despair in these tumultuous times, listen to hear Quanita’s wisdom. As herself, she offers embodied hope. MORE ON QUANITA ROBERSON Quanita Roberson is a facilitator dedicated to addressing embedded trauma. She is a spiritual teacher, speaker, author, life coach, and a storyteller. Her work over the past 20 years has been focused in the areas of healing, initiation, gri...
2020-06-1558 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation on Changing TruthThis week we are continuing the conversation on Changing Truth and officially wrapping up our 4 part truth series. This is the audio from our live conversation with listeners on Facebook and YouTube. Thank you to everyone who participated. We had some great comments and questions. Check us out on Facebook and YouTube the Monday after each regular episode at 5pm PST. ANTI-RACIST RESOURCE LIST This list is an evolving anti-racist resource list, and consists of material we have found helpful in our journey into anti-racism. To view the update list please visit Irenicast.com/A...
2020-06-1047 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastChanging Truth - An Ever Evolving JourneyOur truth series is wrapped up this week with a deeply personal conversation on changing truth. Everyone on this show, and the vast majority of our listeners, have experienced a truth change. Many times we refer to that process as deconstruction. A term that reflects a reality we all share, but that falls short of communicating the depth and heartache involved in the process of changing truth. Bonnie starts the conversation with the question, “What was it like for you to wake up one morning and know you were not operating with the same set of beliefs?” The answ...
2020-06-021h 20
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation on Who Tells the TruthOnce again we are Continuing the Conversation on Who Tells the Truth, episode 167. For this edition Bonnie, Jeff, Rajeev, and showing up a little late to the party, Allen, expand their thoughts on who tells the truth. A couple of the topics explored are research methods and tradition. Listen here or watch this conversation on Facebook or YouTube. FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS During quarantime, we are offering additional ways to connect via Facebook Live. You can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Irenicast On Thursdays, Casey will be popping on to share...
2020-05-2643 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWho Tells the Truth? - Rajeev’s Three R’s - 167Talk of truth continues with an exploration of trusted sources of truth. Co-hosts wonder what makes us think something is true. Since the printing press and ensuing Reformation, have we been programmed to think the truth can only be told through the printed word? Co-hosts share their stories of questioning the fundamental truths handed to them by the authorities in their former lives. The conversation turns toward the differences between facts and truth. Each co-host reveals their personal discernment processes. Rajeev’s truth discernment strategy is so good, Casey writes it down. As the conversation unfolds, co-hosts di...
2020-05-191h 06
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation on Moral TruthFor our continuing conversation on moral truth (Episode #166) Allen, Bonnie, Jeff and Rajeev discuss the most recent episode with listeners live on Facebook and Youtube. Some additional thoughts on moral truth are offered. Specifically the dynamic between individual and systemic morality. Thanks to everyone who participated in this continuing conversation. Join us on May 25th at 5pm PST for our next conversation on episode #167. FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS During quarantime, we are offering additional ways to connect via Facebook Live. You can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Irenicast On Thursdays, Casey...
2020-05-1353 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastMoral Truth - Relative or Reality?Because you can’t cover Truth in just one episode, all five co-hosts come back for round two on Moral Truth. Jeff begins the conversation with the annoying question of God and the Bible as the ultimate authority on morality. All of the co-hosts weigh in with excitement. After getting that question out of the way, the repartee between co-hosts weaves together thoughts on evolving moral truth, absolute evil, forming frameworks for ethics as well as criticism of conservative and liberal approaches to morals and ethics. The conversation moves between the world of ideas and the real world applications of...
2020-05-051h 23
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuing the Conversation on Episode #165 - What is Truth?In our very first in the Continuing the Conversation series we follow up on episode #165, What is Truth? - Spilling the Capital Tea. Continuing the Conversation will be a limited run of Live events on Facebook and YouTube to expand on the previous episode and provide a platform to hear from you, our listeners. Join us on the Monday’s after each episode posts at 5pm PST on Facebook or YouTube or catch the replay on either platform. If you cannot join us live for these events please email us your questions and comments in advance at pod...
2020-04-2944 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat Is Truth? - Spilling the Capital TeaWhat is truth? The co-hosts take on the little topic of truth. Capital “T” truth? Lowercase “t” truth? You decide. Given that none of us expected 2020 to bring a pandemic lockdown, it makes sense that Irenicast would quarantime to boldly enter a crisis of truth and reality. What can we claim to know as true? The conversation begins with an attempt at defining the nature of truth. Co-hosts discuss uncertainty, relationship to truth, views on reality and the relationship between truth and power. Who gets to decide what is true? Who benefits from a collectively accepted truth? The conv...
2020-04-211h 28
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIsolation and Connection - Coping with Being CoopedIn this episode co-hosts juxtapose isolation and connection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It begins with each co-host describing their own COVID coma as they shelter-in-place. Collectively the descriptions expose both connection and diversity in what has become a globally shared experience. The conversation turns toward learning and meaning-making. Co-hosts imagine the ways our shared life could be changed forever, for the better, like with a different attitude toward capitalism and health care. Along the way -- trigger warning -- co-hosts reflect on their fundamentalist backgrounds revealing how they might have responded to the pandemic...
2020-04-071h 25
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Feminist Approach to the Bible - Read Like A WomanA feminist approach to the bible may on the surface seem like a narrow lense in which to view scripture. However, as you’ll hear in this episode, it is more accurate to say that the interpretations that we’ve been given since the beginning of biblical scholarship are far more limiting. Especially if we believe the bible is to have a prominent place in modern Christianity. The conversation in this episode takes us through the damages and limited scope of the type of biblical interpretation taught in many churches. How a women’s voice and experience is many t...
2020-03-171h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastEmbodied Solidarity - A Conversation with Linda Midgett and Dr Larycia Hawkins About the Documentary, Same GodLinda Midgett and Dr. Larycia Hawkins join the show this episode to discuss embodied solidarity via their new documentary film, Same God. Dr. Hawkins’s Christian practice of embodied solidarity. In the documentary film Same God directed by Linda Midgett viewers follow the story of Wheaton College tenured professor Dr. Hawkins who wore a hijab in solidarity with Muslim women following the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA. Dr. Hawkins’s act of embodied solidarity prompted her termination from Wheaton College. Dr. Hawkins shares a Christianity-grounded explanation of embodied solidarity in contrast to cultural appropriation. Co-hosts and guest...
2020-03-031h 30
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastTalking Redemption with Jay BakkerIn this episode Casey dives right into talking redemption with Jay Bakker. Jamie Charles “Jay” Bakker is an American pastor, author and speaker. He is the son of televangelists Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker Messner. During his young adult years Bakker became disillusioned with mainstream Christianity, becoming particularly critical of Christian fundamentalism and the Christian right. He has pastored the Revolution Church in Minneapolis since 1994. Casey and Jay challenge and affirm each other as they exchange their perspectives on LGTBQ+ treatment by the church, the current political climate, the path to redemption and more. True to Iren...
2020-02-1758 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Conversation with The Next Question Co-hosts Chi Chi Okwu & Jenny Booth Potter - 160This week Jeff has a conversation with The Next Question co-hosts Chi Chi Okwu and Jenny Booth Potter. The Next Question is a revolutionary web series where racial justice happens face-to-face. It dares to ask hard questions, listen, and then ask the next question. Chi Chi and Jenny, along with Austin Channing Brown, sit with intellectuals and artists, activists and historians, journalists and authors to expand our imaginations for racial justice. In this episode Chi Chi and Jenny discuss the process of starting a web series like this. They share the highs and lows of everything from pr...
2020-02-0459 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastHigh Control Religious Environments - Do Not Keep Calm and Carry OnWe’re survivors of high control religious environments? What? Irenicast co-hosts offer the (sometimes) uncomfortable awareness that if you were in an evangelical/fundamentalist community, much of your life, inside and outside of church, was probably highly controlled. The conversation includes the harmful legacy of growing up and living within a highly controlled religious environment. For example, strong leadership equals controlling people; vulnerability is exploited and access to “worldly” information is heavily managed. Each co-host shares their own experiences of how being part of a high control religious environment impacted them developmentally and psychically. Using recent...
2020-01-211h 09
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Conversation with Matthias Roberts, Author of Beyond ShameJeff & Casey sit down for a conversation with Matthias Roberts, author of the new book Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms. Before discussion the book, Matthias talks a little bit about his podcast Queerology and his trademark opening question: How do you identify and how would you say your faith has informed that identity? Focus soon turns toward his new book. Matthias shares how the book came together and what motivated him to write it. He shares how Beyond Shame encourages each of us to determine our own definition of healthy sex, whi...
2020-01-071h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIt’s A Process Theology Christmas - The Soul Felt Its WorthIt’s a Process Theology Christmas, because that’s our thing now. In this conversation Bonnie leads the team in a super-sized discussion on all things Christmas. Through a process theology lens of course. It begins with a discussion around an old Christmas classic, O Holy Night. Specifically the line, “and the soul felt its worth.” Where does our worth come from? God? Experience? Process theology may surprise you with its view on the value of life. It certainly did for one of our co-hosts. And from the big questions of existence itself, the conversation moves into th...
2019-12-171h 22
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWomen in Church Leadership - Home Is Where The Pulpit IsTo begin, each of the co-hosts speaks to their experiences of women in church leadership. You might be surprised. Then questions surface like -- should we be gender-izing leadership? Aren’t we over the gender binary thing? Bonnie shares her own difficult journey toward claiming pastor-hood. This episode holds an open-hearted conversation in which mistakes are made and forgiven. You’ll hear men own up to male privilege and brainstorm ways to detox masculinity. You’ll also hear Allen (and the other co-hosts, but especially Allen) get excited about the bible as the conversation turns to Christianity’s potentia...
2019-12-031h 14
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastBrian McLaren & Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon - The Age of Secular ChristianityIn this episode two innovative spiritual leaders and thinkers, Brian McLaren and Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, have an intimate conversation beginning with the story of their conservative Christian upbringings, ending with their visions of the future of American Christianity. Co-hosts, Rajeev Rambob and Bonnie Rambob, ask for insights on faith, doubt, belief, Christian identity and secular Christianity. Have you ever heard of secular Christianity? Well, it’s a thing. Listen to learn more about these fascinating and inspiring visionaries and their evolving faith. Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college Eng...
2019-11-1954 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat Is Evil? - Size Does MatterIn keeping with the shadow side of Halloween, Jeff, Casey and Rajeev ask the question, what is evil? -- capital E, Evil. Each co-host brings his own, different perspective. Is Evil personal? Is it systemic? Should it be a category at all? Does the Good-Evil binary serve us or harm us? What about the Devil? Through the conversation, the co-hosts model another E word -- Evolution. Perhaps a conversation on Evil exposes an evolving spiritual/theological journey more than any other concept. The episode concludes with a rousing rendition of Irenicasting. Listen to hear who ge...
2019-11-051h 01
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastProcess Theology - Being is BecomingOur first Process Theology episode is finally here! We know many of our listeners have been waiting to hear more about this particular theology that was introduced to the Irenicast audience by Bonnie in episode #136. We expect there will be more conversations on this topic to follow. Because, in this episode, we just dip our toes into the realm of possibilities embedded in process thought and theology. As you’ll hear, Process Theology emerges out of Alfred North Whitehead’s metaphysics of reality as process which fundamentally contradicts reality as substance. This creates an opportunity for a shift i...
2019-10-151h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastFaith Healing - Legit or Placebo?Per listener request, the Irenicast crew takes up the topic of Faith Healing. Surprise! Not every evangelical and/or fundamentalist tradition approaches this topic in the same way. Co-hosts discuss personal experiences with Faith Healing through the filters of their former faith contexts as well as their current faith contexts. The question of faith leaders using “faith healing” in manipulative or exploitative ways comes up. Because of Allen and Jeff, the bible comes up too. The conversation includes the underlying exploration of what it means to be broken/not well and what it means to be whole/heal...
2019-10-011h 02
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Conversation On Grief with Author Megan Devine - It’s OK You’re Not OKRajeev sits down and has a conversation on grief with author Megan Devine. Grief might be the most universal human experience and Megan shares her personal journey to her work as a grief advocate. She provides wisdom into developing one’s own grief skills, whether they are needed for personal griefs or to walk into grief with a loved one. As a loving act toward yourself, listen to this conversation and take a look at all of the amazing resources Megan has available. This may be the most practical episode we’ve ever recorded. To top it off, Ra...
2019-09-1654 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastConversion Therapy - Praying the Gay AwayAllen, Casey and Jeff dive into the disturbing notion of “gay conversion therapy”, sometimes called “gay reparative therapy”. The episode begins with Casey sharing his personal experience with the horrific practice. Allen and Jeff share from their own experiences as straight white guys. All three reveal the influence of religiously institutionalized sexual purity culture and homophobia on their own formations as young men growing up. They each share their process toward seeing beauty and goodness in the entire spectrum of human sexuality. You might be thinking --- there is no way conversion therapy is still happening. Yet as the co-hos...
2019-09-031h 05
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Rev. Dr. Horace L. Griffin - Their Own Receive Them NotRajeev and Bonnie interview their good friend in this episode, The Rev. Dr. Horace L. Griffin. Rev. Dr. Horace L. Griffin is an Episcopal Priest and gay man serving St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia as Associate for Pastoral Care and Outreach. He is author of the award-winning book, Their Own Receive Them Not: African American Lesbians and Gays in Black Churches. The episode begins with Horace Griffin’s story of growing up in the Black Church in the Florida Panhandle where, at a young age, he was called into ministry by his community. However, within th...
2019-08-2058 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastRevisiting Forgiveness - To Eff or Not to EffBecause the topic is worth repeating, the team is revisiting forgiveness. Previously, way back in episode 73, Jeff and Mel (aka Mona) came to the conclusion that forgiveness and reconciliation are not at all synonymous. This time around, Jeff, Allen, Bonnie and Rajeev explore humanity’s need for forgiveness, individually and communally. They consider the relationship between forgiving and “letting go” of harms done or wounds inflicted. This leads the conversation to God’s role in forgiveness. Jeff acknowledges the baggage that words like “forgiveness” and “sin” tend to carry, especially for those migrating out of fundamentalist and evangelical backg...
2019-08-061h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastDoes God Act? - Community Series EpilogueDoes God Act? In an epilogue to their Community series, Irenicast co-hosts ask and answer the question where they find God showing up in the world. Spoilers: they don’t all agree!After a brief discussion on the language we use for God, Casey helps turn the discussion toward the experiential, highlighting the diversity of the team. Eventually this connects to a more theoretical and systematic consideration of divine action, causality, process and a discussion on the trajectory and diversity of progressive thought. The episode finishes with a new, hilarious segment Praise, Protest, Pray to: a variation of...
2019-07-301h 16
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastElizabeth Jeffries PhD - Through the KaleidoscopeElizabeth Jeffries PhD, author of Through the Kaleidoscope, sits down with Irenicast co-host Jeff, bringing forth spiritual treasures out of the world of molecular biology. For anyone seeking to ground their religious affections and theological process in the solid matter of the natural world, Jeffries offers fresh ideas-- herself having navigated a path of deconstruction with an open mind and open heart. Growing up evangelical, Elizabeth Jeffries was certain about how the world worked. She had an unfalsifiable understanding of scripture, sin, God’s will, and the role of women, and she carried this same certitude into he...
2019-07-1657 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastDear Church - An Interview with Pastor and Author Lenny DuncanAuthor Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated and homeless, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make the all headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work—drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers. Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future...
2019-07-0248 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastPride Month Celebration - Grand Marshal Pastor Casey and Trans Pastor & Author Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson - 144If you didn’t get out to your local LGBTQ Pride festivities -- no worries -- this episode is a Pride month celebration. Our own Pastor Casey Tinnin was elected the Grand Marshal of the Sacramento, California Pride Parade. What do you wear when you’re the Grand Marshal of a Pride parade? In the first half of this celebration, Casey recounts his experience, internally and externally, of representing and serving his community in Sacramento Pride. In part two of this episode, Casey sits down with author and pastor, Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson. Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson is an...
2019-06-181h 03
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastChosen Community - Creation, Cultivation & Consent - 143In the final episode of the “relational” series, the Irenicast crew reflects on chosen community. We all need a chosen family to do life with. This is especially true for people in marginalized, oppressed groups like those who are LGBTQ+ and are those who minortized because of their race/ethnicity. Co-hosts discuss the formation and cultivation of chosen community, the distribution of power and the nature of consent -- as Allen puts it: it gets meta. Surprise, surprise, the conversation takes a theological turn. Co-hosts wonder how is God reflecting, acting, creating (or none of the above) in rela...
2019-06-041h 06
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastDeconstructing with Kids - Two Young Adults Tell Their Parents What’s UpParenting is hard, but deconstructing with kids adds an extra layer to the hard. Some parents feel the need to reform fundamentalist/evangelical Christian values into progressive Christian values. Other parents want to distance children from conservative Christianity by raising children outside of religious faith. Still other parents jerk the family back and forth as they figure it out. Because, maybe spiritual migration doesn’t happen in a straight line. In this episode co-hosts Bonnie and Rajeev Rambob interview their young adult children, Julian and Nik Rambob who share their perspectives on what it was like to move...
2019-05-211h 02
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastFamily Systems - Our Given CommunityIt gets real as the Irenicast team talks about one’s given community -- or family of origin-- as family systems rather than a collection of individuals. Thinking about family as a system impacts the way we think about ourselves in relation to family members. Family relationships can be especially hard to navigate when one’s views of the world are very different from other family members’ views. Post-evangelicals know this all too well. Looking through the lens of Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, co-hosts, Allen, Bonnie, Casey, Jeff and Raj offer multiple perspectives on navigating complicated...
2019-05-071h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIntrapersonal Intelligence - From Self Care to Self AwareConceptualizing the self, building intrapersonal intelligence, becoming aware of our interconnectedness, reclaiming self-love in theological context, moving beyond platitudes about self-care, and more mix in this week’s conversation. Officially kicking off our series on relationships, the team begins with that person nearest and dearest to us - our own selves. A game of Desert Island rounds off the discussion and reveals the personalities of our co-hosts. Our Conversation on Intrapersonal Intelligence (01:11) Desert Island Segment (50:43) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Intrapersonal Intelligence Glide Memorial United Meth...
2019-04-161h 03
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastPluralism - You Be You, Unless You’re a HobbitJeff, Allen, Casey and Raj embark on a heart and head heavy journey towards pluralism as guided by Diana Eck’s markers of pluralism: "First, pluralism is not diversity alone, but the energetic engagement with diversity. Diversity can and has meant the creation of religious ghettoes with little traffic between or among them. Today, religious diversity is a given, but pluralism is not a given; it is an achievement. Mere diversity without real encounter and relationship will yield increasing tensions in our societies. Second, pluralism is not just tolerance, but the active seeking of understanding ac...
2019-04-021h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastCosmology Shapes Our Theology - A Chaotic JourneyHow cosmology shapes our theology: as our understanding of our origins and universe shifts, what does that mean for our concepts of ourselves and of God? Jeff, Allen, Raj, and Casey talk all things science and literature, touching on biological evolution, the evolution of galaxies, ancient cosmologies, fundamental shifts like the Copernican revolution and the cosmological principle, overcoming misconceptions in physics, and how all of these inform theology. Conversation on How Cosmology Shapes Our Theology (00:53) Sound Charades Segment (55:23) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on How Cosmology Shapes Our Theology
2019-03-191h 10
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastApologist or Evangelist - Roots Down, Walls DownWhile some may play the Alphabet Game on a road trip, Casey and Bonnie get into a deep conversation on two tried and true Christian approaches - Apologist or Evangelist. Jeff and Raj are brought into Casey’s and Bonnie’s road trip question: Are you an apologist or an evangelist? In other words, are you more interested in defending Christianity (or as Casey says, put lipstick on a pig) or in spreading the good news of unconditional love? Jeff wonders if the question poses a false dichotomy, maybe it’s possible to be both an apologist and an e...
2019-03-051h 06
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Diversity of Christian Theologies - What Straight Old White Guys Don't Tell YouDespite what many of us from fundamentalist backgrounds have been told, there is a diverse array of Christian theologies. Liberation, Queer, Womanist and Process theology are some of the lenses we will be looking through on this week’s episode. This week Raj, Bonnie and Casey share their learnings and leanings on the the theologies of Liberation, Queer, Womanist and Process in ways that are moving, inspiring, troubling and down right blasphemous. The co-hosts explore the power and possibility of each theology and connect dots and highlight intersectionality all over the place. Liberation theology posits tha...
2019-02-1958 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIrenicast Roundtable - The Art of OversharingIrenicast Roundtable y’all! There are certain legends that speak of a round table where valiant heroes, thought leaders and purveyors of magic gathered to rid the world of injustice. Well f**k those guys. This is the round table worthy to be called a showcase of the immortals. Where else can you encounter a high caliber cast of characters that could be taken straight out of a Tolkien novel? There is Jeff, the court jester who is skilled in avoiding the fiery darts of vulnerability with humor. Allen, a powerful empath and over-sharer dubbed by m...
2019-02-051h 19
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastConversation on Race - A Kick in the WallsOur conversation on race takes an honest look at the team’s understanding of race as a complex construct that has shaped every aspect of our identities, our relationships and our lives. Raj suggests the topic in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Dr. King called us into uncomfortable spaces to do challenging work in the areas of economic justice, anti militarism, prison reform and racial equity. Additionally Raj shares the observation that “white people” rarely have the opportunity to talk openly about race. The pursuit of racial justice requires engaged particip...
2019-01-151h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastLinda Kay Klein Author of PURELinda Kay Klein author of PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free joins us this week. Sexuality, sexual purity as Christian faithfulness, girls, boys, women, men, shame, guilt, American Evangelicalism, political opportunism, the Virgin Mary, healing, hope and community – these are just a few of the topics Linda discusses with Irenicast co-host, Bonnie Rambob. The conversation begins with Linda’s relay of her own personal experiences with purity culture during her adolescence. As Linda grew, left the church and entered the secular world, she likens her struggle in the...
2019-01-011h 14
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Special Announcement, Politicizing Christmas and Holiday Traditions‘Tis the episode before 2019 and all through the show, we are politicizing Christmas and hoping to grow. Our new hosts are ready, and chosen with care. As we continue to cultivate a place for our souls to be laid bare. So, gather in and listen to our chatter, as we serve up something fun and challenging on a digital platter. Let us call out together without haste, Merry Christmas to all and lay the establishment to waste. Irenicast is expanding its borders this week and welcoming Bonnie & Raj Rambob and Casey Tinnin as official co-hosts of Irenicast. Liste...
2018-12-181h 11
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastMemoir of a Gay Pastor - Closets and CallingPastor Casey Tinnin, who is a gay pastor shares of his journey out of fundamentalism, coming out, and his process of being ordained in the United Church of Christ. Jeff and Pastor Casey have a lively discussion about the influence that fundamentalism and conservatism played in Casey’s coming out process. Pastor Casey talks at length about his journey, and how his faith was formed in the wake of so many Christians telling him he would never be ordained. He also speaks about growing up in evangelical purity culture and “dating Jesus” all four years of high school...
2018-12-0450 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastConfronting Masculinity - Building a Better Social ConstructionIn confronting masculinity, Jeff, Allen, and Raj discuss building a better social construction for themselves, particularly by tackling toxic masculinity and male supremacy. They examine their formations as cisgender-straight-males, reveal personal challenges, challenge each other and wonder what could be. Patriarchy is examined in relationship to male supremacy and toxic masculinity. A definition of toxic masculinity offered in the show is from the good men project. Women After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy by Melvin Konner M.D is cited as a resource. The reduction of testosterone in men is mentioned...
2018-11-201h 04
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastParenting During Deconstruction - Nurturing the Spiritual Child and AdolescentParenting during deconstruction, nurturing the spiritual child and adolescent in our care and in our hearts -- Rev. Bonnie Rambob (from episodes #113 and #123) joins Allen and Jeff to delve into this much-requested topic. Drawing from Lisa Miller’s research, other sources and their own experiences with parenting and ministry, Jeff, Allen and Bonnie discuss ideas about natural spirituality and the spirituality of children and adolescents. Bonnie shares her insights from parenting her kids (now adults) through her and her spouse’s (Raj Rambob from episodes #113 and #128) process of deconstruction, or as she calls it, spiritual metamorphosis. When it com...
2018-11-061h 07
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastHalloween and Heritage - Have Your Soul Cake and Eat it TooHalloween and heritage, ancestors and the thinning of the veil between worlds- Rev. Raj Rambob (From episode #113) joins Jeff and Allen to talk about all this and more in Irenicast’s fourth Halloween special. In past Halloween episodes, they have discussed the supernatural, the devil and witches. This year they reflect on the holiday itself. They reflect on the larger historical development of the day and how it specifically changed for them in moving away from fundamentalist contexts. The discussion takes them from childhood memories, how Halloween was approached in each of their fundamentalist spiritual development to wha...
2018-10-161h 07
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Enneagram and Progressive Christianity - Two Two’s and A Four Walk Into A BarHow and why are the Enneagram and Progressive Christianity having their moment? Pastor Casey Tinnin joins Jeff and Allen for a discussion about personality typing, self-knowledge, emotional intelligence, relationship styles, and more as we dive deep into “heart-centered” types and the Enneagram in general. Pastor Casey Tinnin, in addition to being an Enneagram guru, is the pastor of Loomis Basin Congregational Church in Loomis California and one of the co-creators of Intersections which is a support group that meets once a month to deconstruct their evangelical past. Casey also created a non-religious LGBT teen group, The Landing Spot...
2018-10-021h 07
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastChristian Celebrity Culture - Blessing, Curse, or Inevitable?Is Christian celebrity culture a blessing? A Curse? Simply inevitable? From psychological needs, hagiographies, and cult of personalities to new structures of power, Jeff and Allen tackle the phenomena involved in celebrity and how these operate within Christian culture. This episode’s segment pivots and addresses “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel,” a much-talked-about document sponsored by leaders within Allen’s alma mater. Conversation on Celebrity Christian Culture (01:26) Current Events Segment - The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (42:48) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Christ...
2018-09-181h 02
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastAnother Conversation with Jennifer Knapp - Theology, Music and Sous VideJeff and Allen have another conversation with Jennifer Knapp about the many things she is currently working on. The discussion takes us through her recently finished theology degree from Vanderbilt University, her upcoming tour and finally one of her favorite cooking methods. For those unfamiliar with Jennifer Knapp’s work, she has been a recording artist since the late 1990s. She started her music as a CCM artist. After an extended hiatus and coming out as a lesbian Jennifer started the second half of her musical career outside CCM. She refers to her current musical trajectory as caree...
2018-09-0459 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastLoving Haters In the Trump Era - With the Artist Formerly Known as MonaHow does loving haters work in the Trump era? A year and a half into Donald Trump’s presidency, what do we see when we look across the aisle? Jeff and Allen welcome back Mel (The artist formerly known as Mona) to revisit episode 90, in which they resist cheap peace, struggle with the tension of loving those who vilify the vulnerable, and wonder aloud about the lack of practical vision for the beloved community. Inside you’ll hear about Narcissism, conflict resolution, neuroscience research on political motivation, protest, the Christian Right, neoliberal shortcomings, and, to cap it all off, a rou...
2018-08-211h 10
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastPoverty and Protest - With Guest Co-Host Bonnie RambobPoverty and protest: let’s fight poverty not the poor. That’s a message Jeff, Allen, and Bonnie find so central to their faith, two of them joined MLK and Rev. Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign, risking arrest to speak it. In this episode, hear about the intersections between that story, the way communities of faith misconstrue the poor, whether or not some things are “earned” (including unearned income and healthcare), Capitalism and church, protest, the military industrial complex, ecological devastation, racism, prosperity gospel, the prophetic tradition, discipleship and more, followed by a hilarious round of three preachers “Jesus Juking.”...
2018-08-071h 09
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastRevisiting the Holy Spirit - Ghosting Our ‘isms’In revisiting the Holy Spirit, Jeff and Allen explore their Pentecostal and “cessationist” roots through deconstruction and beyond. Scriptures, liberation and process theology, ecology, pragmatism, panentheism, and more combine to inform their perspectives in this lively discussion. They also give an update about the state of the podcast and play a game in which they have to guess whether a name belongs to an X-treme sports brand or youth group. Conversation on Revisiting the Holy Spirit (02:12) State of Irenicast Survey Review (50:35) Youth Group of Sports Brand Segment (55:59) ANNOUN...
2018-07-171h 10
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastEvangelicals Shift Progressive in Proximity to Whiteness - With Special Guest Joey TorresAs some Evangelical churches shift toward progressive policies and theologies, do they do so in proximity to whiteness? What does it mean to be progressive or to inhabit progressive spaces? Guest Joey Torres discusses his doctoral research and contemplates the trajectory of American Evangelicalism. Joey Torres is a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the Study of Religion at UC Davis. To learn more about his work you can follow him on Facebook or email him at djtor@ucdavis.edu. ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations to Katelyn Deininger Thompson for being the winner of J...
2018-07-031h 04
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastJamie Wright Author of The Very Worst MissionaryJamie Wright, author of The Very Worst Missionary, sits down with Jeff and Allen this week to discuss her new book. They talk about the failings of short term mission trips, the North American Missions Industrial Complex, being authentic, church ministry, and more. In 2007 Jamie and her husband uprooted their family from the life they knew to the unknown land of Costa Rica to be missionaries. Despite what the rhetoric of the church had taught her, being a missionary was not all it was cracked up to be. In fact, she found missions to be a broken s...
2018-06-191h 13
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastEuphemisms - Uncovering the Feet of Public DiscourseIt seems too often that euphemisms in our culture go beyond softening social interaction to propping up the powerful. This week Allen and Jeff explore euphemistic language in various Scriptures, political spin, and how it might create life (or manufacture manipulation) in our own speech. Maybe we don’t take language seriously enough? More pointedly, how do we choose between softening words to foster connection and, on the other hand, telling it like it is and speaking truth to power? Also in this episode Jeff and Allen bring back a classic segment formally called ‘Jesus or Jay-Z?’. However...
2018-06-041h 02
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastAuthor Austin Channing Brown - I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for WhitenessAuthor Austin Channing Brown shares with us about her new book, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, and life of work as a black woman in predominantly white ministries and spaces. The discussion touches on topics from writing to anger, creativity, expression, parenthood and more. Austin is a freelance writer and speaker with a particular focus on black womanhood and faith. She is working on her first book to be released in May 2018. Her writing can be found in Sojourners Magazine, Relevant Magazine, Mutuality Magazine, and other places around the web. She...
2018-05-1549 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastAn Evangelical Summit On Trump & Thinking Through Cult CultureEvangelicals meet to discuss their political base and its connection to Trump, forming two cohorts with markedly different ideas about how to respond, and Jeff helps Allen develop a more nuanced understanding of cult-like culture. Evangelical Summit on Trump (01:04) The Culture of a Cult (19:52) Judging a Book by It’s Cover (44:12) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on the Evangelical Summit on Trump At a Private Meeting in Illinois, a Group of Evangelicals Tried to Save Their Movement from Trumpism (Article that prompted our first conversation segment) Lea...
2018-05-011h 01
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhat Friends Are For - Cultivating Community in the Age of AnxietyThey say “that’s what friends are for,” but who are they and what is it? Finding and maintaining friendships seems like frustrating business for many of us: Jeff and Allen included. This episode asks whether it’s better to have a small group of close friends or a large group of ones further away, the possible limitations of our social brains, and more, before capping off with another “Top Three” segment about iconic duos. Conversation on What Friends are For (01:02) Top 3 Duos Segment (40:02) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on What Frien...
2018-04-1757 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastCultivating Story - Rethinking What Church Is ForAllen believes the church is for cultivating story. So let’s talk about that. And in this episode, the hosts answer “Ask Me Anything” questions submitted by listeners, including science and miracles, spiritual formation for children, and revisiting pacifism. Cultivating Story Conversation (00:55) AMA Segment (31:02) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Cultivating Story Conversation Intersections Roundtable – A Community of EXvangelicals and UNfundies – 113 (Irenicast Episode) Field of Dreams (1989 Film) Brian's Song (1971 TV Film) The Simpsons (TV Show) StoryCorps (Non-Profit Organization) From Our Irenicast AMA Segment A Christian Resp...
2018-04-031h 07
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastReclaiming Repentance - An Invitation to Subvert Our Status QuoIs there value in reclaiming repentance? The word itself connotes different things for all of us and, in this episode, Jeff and Allen unpack the stuff it brings up for them. Is it condemnation or invitation? Transformation or challenge? After the conversation, they try to guess who said what on another edition of Famous Christians for 100. Reclaiming Repentance Conversation (01:03) Famous Christians for 100 Segment (40:31) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Reclaiming Repentance Kirk Cameron (Actor and Christian Personality) Connect (2018 Film) The Way of the Master Romans Road (You...
2018-03-201h 01
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIntersections Roundtable - A Community of EXvangelicals and UNfundiesThis is the story of Intersections, told by pastors Allen, Casey, Bonnie and Raj -- a diverse group of clergy with their own stories of leaving Evangelical and Fundamentalist communities of faith. Together they’ve established a group for spiritual conversations between people with similar paths. Jeff and Adam (from Divine Cinema) host the roundtable. RELEVANT LINKS From Our Intersections Roundtable Get more information on Intersections at https://www.facebook.com/theintersections/ You can hear more of Adam on these Irenicast episodes or on every episode of Divine Cinema. Deconstructing Your Faith – Gues...
2018-03-061h 19
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastPain, Media Portrayal and EmpathyPain, media portrayal, and empathy. Who of us hasn’t come across images of suffering? Jeff and Allen discuss the nature of pain, the way presentations of suffering get used, and alternately consumed, and how we might provide spaces for healing in honest and genuine ways. The episode ends in a moment of honesty through admission how their inner “fundies” occasionally slip. Conversation on Pain, Media Portrayal and Empathy (00:54) ‘You Fundie is Showing’ Segment (48:49) RELEVANT LINKS Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link… this bo...
2018-02-201h 03
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastOut of Context Verses Revelation 4:15-16 - Hot for GodOf all the out of context verses Revelation has its fair share. One of the most used and abused passages of the New Testament, the “hot or cold” verse means exactly the opposite of what you think it means. Jeff and Allen discuss the virtues of doing good work (read: being useful) despite religious affections, then share the most useful and useless items in their own lives. Conversation on Out of Context Verses Revelation 3:15-16 (01:37) Our Usefulness Segment (38:19) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Out of Context Verses...
2018-02-0657 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastWhy Christian Hegemony is Bad News for Christianity - Mona Drops By For a VisitMona returns to the booth for a discussion on Christian hegemony and its negative impact on Christianity. There are those that believe the United States is, and should continue to be, a Christian nation. However, what makes a nation Christian? Who decides what form of Christianity becomes the dominant form? Have we really ever been a Christian nation? These are some of the questions Jeff, Mona & Allen explore this week. The episode finishes with the crew indulging in meaningless arguments in a round of Pursuit of the Trivial. Conversation on Christian Hegemony (01:09) Pursuit of the Trivial...
2018-01-161h 16
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastCan We Get Better At Doing Spirituality?Can We Get Better At Doing Spirituality? Astrology to Astronomy, Phrenology to Psychology, and Alchemy to Chemistry -- in what ways is theology becoming? Is there such a thing as spiritual intelligence? And what do we do with the Evangelical ideas of progress and work ethic in relation to individualized faith? Jeff and Allen tackle the topic of “bettering” ourselves and our faith traditions in honor of the New Year, then share their own resolutions for 2018. Can We Get Better At Doing Spirituality? Conversation (01:17) New Year Resolutions (40:15) RELEVANT LINKS From...
2018-01-0258 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Incarnation - With Guest Co-Host Dr. Deborah BladesThe illustrious Deborah Blades joins us to discuss the incarnation, the disruption that are bodies, and what a theology formed in postcolonial and feminist theory might look like around the holidays. For the segment, Jeff, Allen, and Debbie talk about those times they each discovered Santa was a little too incredible. Incarnation Conversation (01:23) When We Stopped Believing in Santa Segment (57:59) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Incarnation The Story of Gentle Thursday – Loss, Language and Feminist Theology – Guest Hosts Kat & Dr. Debbie – 072 (Deborah Blades’ First Appearance on Irenic...
2017-12-191h 12
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastThe Sovereignty of God - Potter, Puppet Master of Patron?The sovereignty of God can bring with it a lot of questions and/or baggage depending upon your religious context. Is God in control? What is God’s will for our lives? Is history already determined? This week Allen and Jeff discuss how their answers to these questions have changed for them over the years and what that has meant for their lives and spirituality. Conversation on the Sovereignty of God (00:37) Wacky News Segment (43:18) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Sovereignty of God Conversation Decision Making and the Will of God by...
2017-12-0558 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastIs Sincerity Dead? - Keeping it 100 in 2017Is sincerity dead? “I don’t stand by anything” - both presidential quotation and epitaph on the tombstone of sincerity. Do we believe one another? Ourselves? And does it matter anymore? Jeff and Allen debate the presence of sincerity in public space and places of faith, before crafting their perfect Thanksgiving guest list. Our Conversation on Is Sincerity Dead? (00:50) Thanksgiving Dinner Party Segment (38:42) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Is Sincerity Dead Trump Proud to be a Troll (Tweet) The Trump Presidency: Last Week Tonight with John Oli...
2017-11-2155 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastReconciling the Past - From Deconstruction to ReconnectionWhat do we do with our Evangelical roots in reconciling the past? How do we navigate our former relationships? Jeff and Allen review their own efforts to reconnect and reframe at this point in their journeys through the post-evangelical wilderness and offer a few ideas that have helped them immensely along the way. And in the spirit of reflection, they name the top three things from their childhoods that didn’t hold up so well. Reconciling the Past Conversation (01:00) Top 3 Things From Our Childhood That Did Not Age Well Segment (43:52) REL...
2017-11-071h 01
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastAre The Witch Hunts Behind Us? - Different Pot, Same BrewThe witch hunts of the early modern period were served by the very things we trade in today: uncritical reception of tradition, groupthink, the impulse toward comfort and away from “otherness.” Since Halloween is just around the corner, Jeff and Allen discuss that perhaps we still hunt witches in our own time by proposing a spiritual discipline of resisting. The episode closes with a classic round of Jesus Juke. This time, they Jesus-ify Horror Film tropes. Conversation on Are The Witch Hunts Behind Us (00:49) Jesus Juke Horror Trope Edition (46:14) RELEVAN...
2017-10-161h 01
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastOut of Context Verses Philippians 4:13The texts we love to misquote. In this new series, Jeff and Allen will occasionally spend an episode tackling infamously out of context verses in the Bible thrown around the Christian world. This time it's a passage used by everyone from athletes to those who oppose psychology. Philippians 4:13 Out of Context Verses Philippians 4:13 Conversation (00:59) Judging a Book by Its Cover Segment (36:35) RELEVANT LINKS Previous Episodes on the Bible The Nature of Biblical Texts – Wholly Scripture, Batman! – 004 (Irenicast Episode) Interpreting the Bible Part 1 – Literally Literature – 063 (Irenicast Episode) Interpreting the Bible Part 2 – A Scribed M...
2017-10-0354 min
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastA Conversation with Jennifer Knapp - Isolation, Creativity & Career 2.0Anyone remotely plugged into 90’s contemporary Christian music has probably heard of Jennifer Knapp. This week Jeff has a wonderful conversation with her about everything from early years in the Christian music industry to her current music and work with LGBTQ people of faith. MORE ABOUT JENNIFER KNAPP’S NEW ALBUM Jennifer Knapp has experienced enough chaos and turmoil in her life that she could write about it on every album. Instead, she made Love Comes Back Around, a collection of songs that focus on what really matters. Funded through a PledgeMusic campaign and...
2017-09-191h 08
Irenicast - A Progressive Christian PodcastContinuity, Abstinence, Transition - We Kissed Hiatus GoodbyeFreshly back in your feed after seven months. Jeff and Allen discuss their work and the return of the podcast, Mona responds to a listener question about abstinence, and Allen gives important news on the personal front. Opening Catch Up Session (00:11) Listener Response, Mona’s Thoughts on Abstinence (13:36) Allen’s Shares His Personal Journey (48:35) Closing Remarks (53:38) RELEVANT LINKS From Our Opening Catch Up Session Divine Cinema (Podcast) Past Divine Cinema Episodes (aka Divine Prequels): Christian Mingle The Movie – A Divine SINema Review – 099 (Irenicast Episode) Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas Review – Divine SINema...
2017-09-0557 min