Religion on the Mind

Mason Mennenga, Minneapolis-based commentator and organizer who documents community responses and activism. He recounts living under intense immigration enforcement and national scrutiny. He describes recording raids, local networks mobilizing support, debates over disrupting worship, and the psychological toll on residents.

Myron A. Penner, a philosopher specializing in religion and cognitive science, takes the stage alongside Philip Clayton at Theology Beer Camp. They delve into the evolutionary origins of religion, exploring archaeological evidence that suggests early humans had religious impulses. Penner discusses how cognitive science sheds light on why religious beliefs may feel intuitive. The conversation touches on how understanding religion's naturalness can have implications for therapy, politics, and personal faith, all while engaging the audience with thought-provoking questions.

Join Bonnie Kristian, Deputy Editor at Christianity Today and author, as she navigates the complexities of modern evangelicalism. She delves into James Dobson's controversial legacy in parenting and critiques his misuse of psychological credentials. Bonnie also discusses the media's reaction to spiritual warfare language at Charlie Kirk's funeral, stressing the need for biblical literacy. Lastly, she reveals how Peter Thiel's apocalyptic rhetoric serves more as political fearmongering than genuine theology, raising questions about the impact of spiritual language in public discourse.

Brian Hall, a talented recording artist, shares his journey of moving from Portland to rural Oregon, motivated by a blend of faith reconstruction and family needs. He discusses the challenges of parenting special-needs children and the benefits of small-town community support. The conversation touches on engaging with conservative spaces for healing, the importance of vulnerability, and the complexities of educational choices. Brian emphasizes prioritizing hope and simplicity in a complicated world, offering listeners a heartfelt view on faith and family.

Kristen Tideman, a writer and organizer in the realm of theology, opens up about her recent complex diagnosis and its impact on her as a new mom. She delves into the concept of 'dying fast and slow,' contrasting sudden illnesses with aging. They explore the authenticity of religious art versus secular expressions, and the cultural avoidance of grief. Kristen emphasizes how limitations can be liberating, drawing on existential therapy, music, and personal anecdotes to find meaning in life amidst uncertainty.

Monica DiCristina, a licensed professional counselor and author, dives into the complexities of self-trust after leaving conservative religious settings. She shares insights on navigating personal intuition versus ingrained teachings, drawing from her bicultural Spanish Catholic and evangelical experiences. The discussion highlights how naming one's pain can lead to healing, the distinction between wisdom and certainty, and the importance of self-love as taught by Jesus. It's a transformative conversation on rebuilding trust in oneself amidst cultural and personal crises.

Religion on the News is back — (thanks to our patron Samantha for suggesting that series title!) Mason Mennenga joins me to round up the latest stories from faith, culture, and psychology. After acknowledging the tragedy of the mass shooting in Australia, we segue into the absurdity of Skillet—yes, the massive Christian rock band—getting "criticized" for making their Christmas hymn cover sound too demonic (spoiler: the controversy seems manufactured by two Twitter/X accounts with tiny followings). But this leads us down a fascinating rabbit hole about evangelicalism's century-long panic over music itself, from jazz's "jungle rhythms" to today's active rock, and why conservative Christians keep mistaking their aesthetic preferences for theological truths.  Speaking of music, AI-generated gospel music hit #1 on iTunes! We reckon with whether the "art vs. artist" divide holds up when there's no actual artist at all—just algorithms and Auto-Tune's logical endpoint.  Finally, we discuss if declining alcohol consumption might actually be terrible news for the American community, drawing on Blue Zones research and my own recent reckoning with using substances to enhance rather than escape. If you've ever wondered whether Process Theology can capitalize on increased cannabis use, why college students don't party anymore, or what it means that we're losing our shared vices without replacing the social functions they served, pour yourself a craft beer (or don't) and listen now. Mason's Website | ⁠Masonmennenga.com ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98 Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/ Artwork by sprungle.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, I’m joined by social psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker from UT Austin to explore an uncomfortable truth: we don't use language to tell the truth—we use it to justify ourselves and protect our egos, whether we're explaining to our spouse why we didn't do the dishes or electing presidents based on confidence rather than facts. We dig into why we're suckers for confident, simple speakers (explaining the rise of figures like Trump and Obama), how wisdom traditions manage to preserve truth despite our constant self-deception, why we've all retreated into communities that confirm our existing beliefs, and whether the 90% of values we actually share can compete with the 10% that's tearing us apart. James brings decades of psychological research to help explain several cultural movements, like how politicians have become less logical but more confident over the past century and how evangelical Christian institutions have trained millions of people to tune out challenging information.  We end wrestling with whether AI represents humanity's next great cognitive leap forward or just gives us shinier tools to build more convincing echo chambers—and why the answer might depend entirely on how we choose to use them. James's Faculty Page ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98 Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/ Artwork by sprungle.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a special episode of GenDERation Gap Culture Hour with Joy Vetterlein bringing a female perspective to the conversation with me, Josh Gilbert and Tony Jones. We launch in with crystals and why religious nones don’t seem to engage in more spiritual practices before we each share our Spotify Wrapped ages (guess who is the oldest?). Tony shares why Hans Zimmer is at the top of his playlist. In the Patron-only second half, Joy airs her grievances with how we’ve discussed Taylor Swift in the past, Dan shares his new nightly ritual of watching the American Revolution docuseries by Ken Burns, and we debate whether patriotism is a right-leaning tradition. ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98 Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/ Artwork by sprungle.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, I’m joined by writer, rabbi, journalist and fellow “weird religious person” Jay Michaelson for a thought-provoking conversation that already has me scheming ways to have him back on the show! We articulate the tension between liberal theology and ecstatic spiritual experience: why do people whose politics we agree with have boring prayer services while the charismatic communities offer genuine transcendence amidst their rigid theology?  Jay opens up about overcoming his own "Christophobia" (yes, he wrote an article called "How I Finally Came to Accept Christ in My Heart"), and we dig into his concept of "small-r religion"—the intentional, piecemeal approach to meaning-making that liberal religious folks practice versus capital-R traditional religion. It gets juicy as we wrestle with whether this progressive, open-minded approach can actually compete with conservative religion's appeal in our current moment of nihilism and meaning crisis. Can pluralistic spirituality be effective at fighting back against the wide road of AI slop, economic despair, and rising authoritarianism?? I push back on Jay's darker assessments while he challenges my therapeutic optimism, and we land somewhere fascinating between acceptance, the narrow road, and what we can actually control. This one covers everything from Buddhist meditation to Trump to whether my hypothetical gay Christian clients need liberal churches. I hope you enjoy. Jay's Substack | Both/And with Jay Michaelson Jay's Book "God vs. Gay? The Reli­gious Case for Equality" Jay's Website | Jaymichaelson.net ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98 Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/ Artwork by sprungle.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices