The Overcomers with Matt Chandler Embodied Faith and the Death of Platitudes
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Oct 7, 2025 In this engaging discussion, artist and writer Josh Nadeau shares his journey from a deeply catechized Christian upbringing to spiritual numbness and eventual rebirth through beauty. He delves into themes of apathy, addiction, and the struggle against Gnosticism in modern faith. Josh recounts finding hope in embodied discipleship through boxing and emphasizes the importance of the Theology of the Body. His book, Room For Good Things to Run Wild, reflects on using beauty and story to reconnect with the disenfranchised middle of Christianity.
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Raised On Doctrine, Not Feeling
- Josh grew up "super Christian," memorizing systematic theology and catechisms from childhood.
- That early doctrinal certainty left him knowledgeable but emotionally disconnected from a living relationship with God.
Five Years Of Slow Decreation
- For roughly five years Josh experienced a slow descent of apathy and alcoholism while outwardly performing in church.
- He describes living like "a ghost" and making thousands of small choices that eroded him over time.
Rock Bottom And The Hidden Music
- Josh hit rock bottom when he drank bourbon at 5am and seriously considered dying instead of living his pain.
- That moment birthed what he calls a "hidden music," a longing that prompted one last attempt at change.
