Religion on the Mind

Seattle's own Dr. Tina Shermer Sellers (psychologist and sex therapist) joins Dan for a fascinating conversation about what is known as Purity Culture, that near-ubiquitous set of sexual-moral claims and practices that ruled the Evangelical zeitgeist in the 80s, 90s and 00s, and is still today probably the default sexual understanding of most American Protestants. But is that understanding Biblical? Does it accord well with what we are learning through science? Why did it come to such prominence? Does having premarital sex really take away "a piece of you" every time you do it, and what's with the double standards for boys and girls? We get into it all, including a bunch of interesting listener questions.Later, Dan answers a patron question: "What is the Gospel, and how do you evangelize?" (1:30:00)SEXUAL SHAME is a visceral feeling of humiliation and disgust toward one's own body and identity as a sexual being and a belief of being abnormal inferior and unworthy. This feeling can be internalized but also manifests in interpersonal relationships having a negative impact on trust communication and physical and emotional intimacy sexual shame develops across the lifespan in interactions with interpersonal relationships one's culture and society and subsequent critical self appraisal. there is also a fear and uncertainty related to one's power or right to make decisions including safety decisions related to sexual encounters along with an internalized judgment toward one's own sexual desire.Vow of Onah: http://tinaschermersellers.com/2011/02/12/the-vow-of-onah-and-other-jewish-attitudes-about-sex/Bible For Normal People purity culture episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-82-linda-kay-klein-breaking-free-from-purity/id1215420422?i=1000434395466Sex, Mom and God: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sex-mom-and-god-how-the-bibles-strange-take-on-sex-led-to-crazy-politics--and-how-i-learned-to-love-women-and-jesus-anyway_frank-schaeffer/369821/#isbn=0306819287&idiq=4395577Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Sex-Navigating-Complicated-Landscape/dp/006220974480% of abstinence-only curricula contain serious erroneous information: https://rockthrower.blogs.com/rockthrower/files/20041201102153-50247.pdfhttp://tinaschermersellers.com/Thankgodforsex.orgNwioi.com - Northwest Institute on IntimacyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtinashamelesssex/Twitter: @tinassellersEdited by Scott CangemiJoin the Patreon for bonus episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan is re-joined by Bonnie Kristian (author of "A Flexible Faith") to talk through the various ways that Christians think about Biblical inspiration (and just what kind of "errors" might be in there). As you know from episode 6, Bonnie is a great guest, and has really done her research on these topics! Also, Dan corrects something from last week regarding his "Protestant Rosary" segment, shares some thoughts about the theological consequences of how we process the sudden passing of Christian author and thinker Rachel Held Evans, and he answers a listener question: "How do you navigate conversations with conservative friends/family as you deconstruct?"Corrections / Rachel Held Evans: 2:00Inerrancy, Infallibility, Inspiration: 10:00Listener Question: 1:19:00Bonnie's Discussion Questions:- Which view of scripture is most familiar to you? Which one did your Sunday school teachers tell you?- Which perspective do you find most appealing and why? Most convincing?- Is the view you find more convincing the same as the one you find appealing? Why/why not?- How authoritative is the Bible in your life and faith? How does it interact with church tradition, reason, and personal experience?- What is at stake in how you understand the inspiration of Scripture, and should your view influence your reading and studying of the Bible?"A Flexible Faith": https://smile.amazon.com/Flexible-Faith-Rethinking-Means-Follow/dp/1478992093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548661564&sr=8-1&keywords=a+flexible+faithEdited by Josh Gilbert (Gwall.Gilbert11@gmail.com)Join the Patreon for bonus episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Beck is a psychologist, professor, speaker and author of many books, right in what I consider to be the sweet spot: the overlap of psychology and Christian faith/theology. This is more or less where I am headed professionally, and it’s encouraging to have had a conversation like this one, so chock full of interesting, challenging, and inspiring stuff. We talk a good bit about disgust, which is a big factor in the impossibility of “love the sinner hate the sin,” but we also talk about spiritual practices and habits, Jesus and the Pharisees, and even placing cockroaches in orange juice. Later, I introduce a simple prayer practice I call The Protestant Rosary (1:26:00).Richard’s blog/site: http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/Directions for praying the "Protestant Rosary":1. Get a rosary2. Start where the three strands meet, near the cross, and pray one Jesus Prayer for each of the 10 beads before the spacer bead3. For the spacer bead, pray the Lord's Prayer4. Repeat until one "lap" of the rosary is finished. Repeat if you so desire.Variation #1:For each of the 10 standard beads, pray for a person in your life, i.e. "Have mercy on Derek," and imagine God's mercy enveloping Derek.Variation #2:Like Variation #1, but use multiple beads for the same person, each time saying the same prayer, "Have mercy on Derek," but with each bead, focusing on a different aspect of Derek's life, like his work life, his faith, his relationship with a loved one, his health, etc.How to End:Madame Guyon recommends taking a moment to "swallow" or accept whatever God has given during the prayer time, even if this time nothing appears to have been given; be grateful for the silence and peace.The Jesus Prayer:"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me/us (a sinner)."Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us know the psychological costs of our addiction to all our electronic devices (do we really?), but have we considered the spiritual costs (and are those actually distinct)? Do we really understand what's going on neurologically, as we continue to log hours per day on our smartphones? Dr. Tricia Rhodes chats with Dan about what exactly is being lost, what we might regain, and how the human brain is able to re-wire itself -- thank God!Later, Dan answers a listener question: "You often mention that you were more afraid to be a liberal Christian than a non-believer when you were younger. What's the main belief you feared would change and has it changed? Is there anything that changed as you became more progressive that went back to, or is now trending toward, a more traditional position over time?”** Edit: In the Introduction Dan says Tricia‘s books are released by Zondervan. It is actually NavPress -- an even more conservative publisher!Tricia’s site/blog: https://www.soulatrest.com/Tricia’s book “The Wired Soul”: https://smile.amazon.com/Wired-Soul-Finding-Spiritual-Hyperconnected/dp/1631465120/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=tricia+rhodes&qid=1552191189&s=gateway&sr=8-6Tricia’s book “The Soul at Rest: 25th Anniversary Edition”: https://smile.amazon.com/Soul-Rest-40-Day-Journey-Prayer/dp/163146860X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tricia+rhodes&qid=1552191189&s=gateway&sr=8-1Madame Guyon’s autobiography is actually FREE for Kindle users: https://smile.amazon.com/Autobiography-Madame-Jeanne-Bouvier-1648-1717-ebook/dp/B0082PM382/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=madame+guyon&qid=1551923653&s=gateway&sr=8-9Fenelon’s book (includes “Christian Perfection”): https://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Fenelon-Paraclete-Giants/dp/1557256071/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2MYKLUR2JD68H&keywords=christian+perfection+fenelon&qid=1551923842&s=gateway&sprefix=christian+perfection+fe%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-2Edited by Joe Diaz-RomeroJoin the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist and author/speaker with degrees in physics and theology. He speaks with Dan about his regular practice of seeking the Christian God through "Buddhism Light" meditation services in London, where he lives. Dan and Mark also discuss how Christians might relate to other faiths in general, and the danger of leaving one's own tradition for greener pastures, which is not what Mark sees himself as doing.Mark’s book “A Secret History of Christianity” http://www.markvernon.com/books/a-secret-history-of-christianity rethinkinghell.com/Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan is joined by NT scholar Dale B. Martin to consider what it means that the four Gospels present four at-least-somewhat divergent accounts of both Jesus's life and his character. Dale argues that there is both much to be learned and much to be experienced devotionally by taking each Gospel separately, and not "deciding beforehand" that they must be harmonized. Dan's friend Kenny shares his concerns regarding the Gospel of John, and Dale responds to those questions. At the end of the episode, in a brand new segment, Dan answers a patron-submitted question about he and his wife's current church transition, after leaving their church of 10 years.Timeline:Dale Pt: 1: 4:15Kenny Pt 1: 36:00Dale Pt 2: 52:00Kenny Pt 2: 1:24:00Q&A: 1:31:00Depolarize Episode with Dale (web): http://depolarize.blubrry.net/2018/10/01/while-you-were-evangelizing-hell-with-dale-b-martin/Depolarize Episode with Dale (iTunes): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/while-you-were-evangelizing-hell-with-dale-b-martin/id1163609659?i=1000420855971Jean Vanier, “Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John”: https://smile.amazon.com/Drawn-Mystery-Jesus-through-Gospel-ebook/dp/B00I08WWA0/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=jean+vanier+drawn&qid=1554673416&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnullDale’s fantastic book “Biblical Truths”: https://smile.amazon.com/Biblical-Truths-Meaning-Scripture-Twenty-first/dp/0300222831/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=biblical+truths&qid=1554673453&s=gateway&sr=8-1Edited by Scott CangemiJoin the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a kind of “religious humidity” in some parts of our country, such that the dominant form of Evangelicalism puts a kind of constant and uniform pressure on anyone who lives there. This affects what happens to people who leave their religious communities, either altogether or who leave to join different communities. Dr. Terry Shoemaker has done some very interesting research with some of these people, especially those who were in some way traumatized by either their original community, or through the process of leaving. Some of them, he says, were “weaponized into a Culture War Christianity.” Wars require weapons, and sometimes those weapons end up being our own children.“Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays” - https://smile.amazon.com/Pray-Gay-Away-Extraordinary-Lives/dp/0814786383/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=pray+the+gay+away&qid=1552928029&s=books&sr=1-2“The Sacred Canopy”: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Canopy-Elements-Sociological-Religion/dp/0385073054“America’s New Religions”: http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/andrew-sullivan-americas-new-religions.htmlDr. Tina Sellers: http://tinaschermersellers.com/Allender Center Podcast Episode on Spiritual Trauma: https://theallendercenter.org/2018/03/spiritual-abuse-1/Shelly Rambo: https://www.bu.edu/sth/profile/shelly-rambo/Terry’s email: Terry.Shoemaker@asu.edu Edited by Scott CangemiJoin the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/Keywords: spiritual abuse, Bible Belt, culture war, weapon, spiritual trauma, science, creationism, theology, spiritual but not religious, progressive, liberal, conservative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bethany’s book “God, Evolution and Animal Suffering”: https://www.routledge.com/God-Evolution-and-Animal-Suffering-Theodicy-without-a-Fall-1st-Edition/Sollereder/p/book/9781138608474 Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comEdited by Josh Gilbert (Gwall.Gilbert11@gmail.com)Artwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one is a doozy! And it's both here and in the Depolarize! Podcast feed because it's just that good. Sociologist Michael O. Emerson breaks down his and Christian Smith's argument as to why White Evangelical Christians have such a bad track record on racial issues, summarized in their co-authored "Divided by Faith." This is the best explanation that I have ever heard or read regarding this phenomenon.“Divided by Faith”: https://smile.amazon.com/Divided-Faith-Evangelical-Religion-Problem/dp/0195147073/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=divided+by+faith&qid=1553212642&s=gateway&sr=8-1Pass the Mic Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pass-the-mic/id1435500798?mt=2Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reese Roper is the singer of Christian ska-punk band Five Iron Frenzy. We hear how his understanding of what it means to be Christlike has changed -- or more accurately, has been nuanced -- over the years, from his many years touring in an 8-piece band to his more recent work managing a nursing home in Virginia.http://www.fiveironfrenzy.com/Imitation of Christ ($4 copies): https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/de-imitatione-christi-by-thomas--kempis/256916/#isbn=038502861X&idiq=3793782Five Iron Frenzy songs played in this episode: "Far, Far Away""Dandelions""Anthem""Fahrenheit"Join the Patreon for bonus episodes every month: patreon.com/dankochYHP Patron-only FB group: https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98Website: youhavepermissionpod.comJoin Dan's email list: dankochwords.comEmail Dan: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.comEdited by Josh GilbertArtwork by http://sprungle.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices