Veterans of Culture Wars

What do you believe happens after you die? What do you hope happens after you die? Dave Maher died. Well, sort of. Host of the "This is Your Afterlife" podcast and the subject of a memorable story on NPR's This American Life, comedian Dave Maher joins the VCW to talk about his near death experience and evolving thoughts about death, his Evangelical upbringing, and how his creative process has changed. Find Dave Maher: On his website:  https://www.thisisdavemaher.com/ On Twitter:  @ThisisDaveMaher On Instragram:  @ThisisDaveMaher Mentioned on the pod: Listen to "This is Your Afterlife" right here:  https://thisisyourafterlife.captivate.fm/ Listen to the "This American Life" episode featuring Dave Maher right here:  https://www.thisamericanlife.org/646/the-secret-of-my-death -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Author Katelyn Beaty, former Christianity Today managing editor, current co-host of the Saved By the City podcast, and no relation to Warren "Two T's" Beatty, joins the podcast to talk about her time as the youngest and first female managing editor of Christianity Today, the state of religious journalism, evangelicalism and disinformation in a post-Trump (and potentially pre-Trump) world, and Mark "No T's" Driscoll. Plus, she gives us some details on her forthcoming book "Celebrities for Jesus". Visit Katelyn's website:  https://www.katelynbeaty.com/ Follow Katelyn on Twitter:  @katelynbeaty Mentioned on the Podcast: Katelyn's article on Qanon:  https://religionnews.com/2020/08/17/qanon-the-alternative-religion-thats-coming-to-your-church/ Katelyn's Washington Post piece after the November 2016 election:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/11/14/i-was-an-evangelical-magazine-editor-but-now-i-cant-defend-my-evangelical-community/ Listen to Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone's podcast "Saved By the City":  https://religionnews.com/saved-by-the-city/ -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Welcome to our one year podcast anniversary! Spooky terror lies within! Sarah Welch-Larson returns to the VCW hall to discuss horror movies and how Evangelicals approach that genre. In the second half, we have a spoiler-filled discussion about the thought-provoking new Netflix horror miniseries Midnight Mass. Follow Sarah Welch-Larson on Twitter:  @dodgyboffin Pick up a copy of Sarah Welch-Larson's book "Becoming Alien" about the Alien film franchise seen through the lens of Dr. Catherine Keller's theology:  https://wipfandstock.com/9781725283008/becoming-alien/ Sarah's recent writing: https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2021/10/06/stealing-fire-frankenstein-1931/ https://thinkchristian.net/finding-grace-in-screen-violence https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2021/06/11/ill-see-you-in-hell/ -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Blake Chastain, host of the popular podcast Exvangelical, joins us to discuss his faith story and what Evangelicals (and others) get wrong about Exvangelicals, how faith shifts impact identity, relationships, parenting, and more. Plus, Blake and Zach discuss the music of Dave Bazan, and what it's meant to them during their faith journeys. Follow Blake Chastain on Twitter:  @brchastain Listen to the Exvangelical podcast:  https://www.exvangelicalpodcast.com/ Further Reading: Marlene Winnell - Leaving the Fold: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BD5ILAW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Jamie Lee Finch - You Are Your Own: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Christianity-ebook/dp/B07TDNMK8K/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=jamie+lee+finch&qid=1634453407&s=digital-text&sr=1-2 Pedro the Lion/Dave Bazan Songs mentioned on the podcast: "People" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/people-2 "The Secret of the Easy Yoke" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/secret-of-the-easy-yoke "Hard to Be" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/hard-to-be "Foregone Conclusions" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/forgone-conclusions "The Fleecing" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/the-fleecing "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/slow-and-steady-wins-the-race "Bands With Managers" - https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/track/bands-with-managers Semler: T.G.F.T. EP - https://open.spotify.com/album/5JAeOD4hK5JY33KXOueTk7?si=RHTpfNqSTWSh44aOrpLUsA Preacher's Kid - https://open.spotify.com/album/20lA7mlCMab9U1jhRusPEI?si=RB9lYg1tTC-CjhR5pbEIqw -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Dr. Jessica Johnson (author of Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire) returns to talk about her new piece in Religion Dispatches critiquing Christianity Today's "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" podcast. We also discuss Driscoll's recent pamphlet "Christian Theology Vs Critical Theory".  Read her article here: https://religiondispatches.org/sharing-many-of-the-same-flaws-as-its-subject-the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill-podcast-puts-blame-anywhere-but-where-it-belongs/ Follow Dr. Jessica Johnson on Twitter:  @dr_jessjohnson Order Dr. Jessica Johnson's book "Biblical Porn" here:  https://www.dukeupress.edu/biblical-porn Mentioned on the Pod: Book:  Richard Delgado "Critical Race Theory.  Order here:  https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-us/books/richard-delgado/critical-race-theory-third-edition/9781479802760?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvIqtie_D8wIVxT2tBh3Eygi_EAQYAyABEgIoP_D_BwE#GOR011122618 Book:  Kimberle Crenshaw "On Intersectionality".  Order here:  https://www.target.com/p/on-intersectionality-by-kimberl-crenshaw-hardcover/-/A-82947255?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012510700&CPNG=PLA_Entertainment%2BShopping%7CEntertainment_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=SC_Entertainment&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9033307&targetid=pla-308131048976&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7aflsO_D8wIVFiCtBh1vAw2DEAQYAiABEgJicvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Book:  Derrick Bell "And We Are Not Saved:  The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice". Order here:  https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/and-we-are-not-saved-the-elusive-quest-for-racial-justice_derrick-a-bell/315727/item/4398451/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqa6s0-_D8wIVkLh3Ch2nrwGDEAQYAyABEgL-UfD_BwE#idiq=4398451&edition=2401748 -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Roger Ebert said, "The movies are like a machine that generates empathy." Film critic and author Jeffrey Overstreet joins the pod to talk about how Evangelicals approach movies, cinematic art, transcendence, and empathy, as well as spiritually based themes in the films by the Coen Bros.  He also shares some of his favorite films from 2020. -Jeffrey Overstreet's website:  lookingcloser.org -"The Theology of the Coen Brothers? A Conversation Between Matt Zoller Seitz and Jeffrey Overstreet" https://www.lookingcloser.org/blog/2018/04/20/the-theology-of-the-coen-brothers-a-conversation-between-matt-zoller-seitz-and-jeffrey-overstreet/ -Buy Jeffrey's memoir of moviegoing and faith, "Through a Screen Darkly": https://www.amazon.com/Through-Screen-Darkly-Looking-Closer/dp/0830743154/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1N4KTUBB4XHQO&dchild=1&keywords=through+a+screen+darkly&qid=1613176010&sprefix=through+a+screen+%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1 -Buy Jeffrey's fantasy novel "Auralia's Colors":  https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/the-auralia-thread/42859/ Mentioned on the Pod: Book:  "Amazing Grace:  A Vocabulary of Faith" by Kathleen Norris. Song:  "Street Hassle" by Lou Reed. Film:  Midnight Run (d. Martin Brest) Film:  Extra Ordinary (d. Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman) Film:  Lady Bird (d. Greta Gerwig) Film:  Little Fish (d. Chad Hartigan) Film:  Save Yourselves! (d. Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson) Overstreet's Top 5 Films of 2020: 5) Shirley (d. Josephine Decker) 4) Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (d. Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross) 3) Lover's Rock (d. Steve McQueen) 2) Minari (d. Lee Isaac Chung) 1) Nomadland (d. Chloe Zhao) -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com. Twitter: Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Jeffrey- @overstweet Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Revisiting our wonderful conversation with New York Times Bestselling author of "Jesus and John Wayne", Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez.   Author of the book "Jesus and John Wayne:  How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation", Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins the pod to talk about how white evangelicals redefined Biblical masculinity to fit the militant masculinity of secular icons like John Wayne, Teddy Roosevelt, and William Wallace. We talk about Mark Driscoll, Donald Trump, Beth Moore, egalitarianism and complementarianism in the church, Explo '72, Hal Lindsey's "Countdown to Armageddon", Kristin's favorite John Wayne film and more. For more information on "Jesus and John Wayne" and Dr. Kristin Du Mez and to get a copy of the book, you can go here: https://kristindumez.com/books/jesus-and-john-wayne/ Get a copy of Kristin's first book "A New Gospel for Women:  Katharine Bushnell and the Challenge of Christian Feminism" by going here: https://kristindumez.com/books/new-gospel-for-women/ Follow Kristin on Twitter:   @kkdumez Mentioned on the pod: -Leah Payne, who is writing a book about Contemporary Christian Music.  For more information on Dr. Payne and updates on her forthcoming book you can follow her on Twitter:  @drleahpayne and view her bio on the Portland Seminary website:  https://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/faculty/bio/leah-payne.html -God's Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America by Larry Eskridge. You can get that book here:  https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326451.001.0001/acprof-9780195326451 -Daniel Silliman's upcoming book Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith. Follow him at @danielsilliman -Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America by John G. Turner https://uncpress.org/book/9780807858738/bill-bright-and-campus-crusade-for-christ/ -The Armageddon Experience - One Way (Live at Explo '72) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MoYtlhdirw -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com. Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Revisiting our conversation with Jessica Johnson, a professor (at William and Mary College) and author of "Biblical Porn:  Affect, Labor and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire".  We talk about her anthropology work at Mars Hill Church in Seattle (from 2006-2008) which resulted in the definitive book about that megachurch.  Zach and Dave have shared their stories about being a part of Mars Hill Church in past episodes so this is an exploration of the megachurch's history, teachings and culture.  Jessica also shares about her current work on Jerry Falwell Jr and explains her developing thoughts on the culture war. Mentioned on the pod: Book:  "Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire" by Jessica Johnson.  Order here: 00:53:50.793 Zach.23 6 00:40:37.942 Article:  "The Self-Radicalization of White Men: 'Fake News' and Affective Networking of Paranoia" by Jessica Johnson.  Read here: https://www.academia.edu/36332026/The_Self_Radicalization_of_White_Men_Fake_News_and_the_Affective_Networking_of_Paranoia Article:  "Porn Again Christian?  Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, and the Pornification of the Pulpit" by Jessica Johnson.  Read here:  https://www.academia.edu/12465355/Porn_Again_Christian_Mark_Driscoll_Mars_Hill_Church_and_the_Pornification_of_the_Pulpit Article:  "Trolling on Mission to Save a 'Pussified Nation'" by Jessica Johnson.  Read here: https://www.academia.edu/12474361/Trolling_on_Mission_to_Save_a_Pussified_Nation_Society_for_the_Social_Scientific_Study_of_Religion_2015_Paper_Abstract_accepted_ Article:  "Review of Jessica Johnson, Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire" by Greg Carey.  Read here: https://www.bibleandcriticaltheory.com/issues/vol-15-no-2-2019-bible-and-critical-theory/review-of-jessica-johnson-biblical-porn-affect-labor-and-pastor-mark-driscolls-evangelical-empire/ Article on "Pussified Nation":  "Inside Mark Driscoll's Disturbed Mind" by Rachel Held Evans.  Read here: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/driscoll-troubled-mind-william-wallace Website on Mars Hill Church:  Joyful Exiles.  https://joyfulexiles.com/ Blog:  "Hello, my name is Mike, I'm a Recovering True Believer" by Mike Anderson:  http://mikeyanderson.com/hello-name-mike-im-recovering-true-believer Blog:  "It's All About Mark Driscoll:  The Tragedy of Mars Hill Church" by Dave Lester:  https://dangeroushope.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/its-all-about-mark-driscoll-the-tragedy-of-mars-hill-church/ -Purchase a vinyl copy of Zach Malm's Christmas album "The Darkest Night of the Year" by going here:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com/album/the-darkest-time-of-year -Zach has created a new mix of Christmas music.  40 tracks and over an hour and a half.  Download the music here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CbencqOQ4ti_r6jVjbiKloZpe9GmbEI7/view?fbclid=IwAR0xwEBkzLPgyJMBbisCN3FBcHzIii4a1ADSsmA2_1SQ1X7xr29cvLxSMSg -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com. Twitter: Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester VCW- @vcwpod Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

EPISODE REPLAY:  We were honored to talk with Christian activist Shane Claiborne earlier this year about America's epidemic of gun violence.  We recorded this episode on March 24th - a few days after mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, and the 3rd anniversary of the March For Our Lives. The conversation includes why gun violence is both a heart problem and a law/legislation problem, why Americans make idols of guns and rugged individualism, and Virginia becoming the 23rd state to outlaw the death penalty.  The problem of gun violence can certainly look bleak, but Shane has an infectious hope that meaningful change is possible, and we felt more hopeful after talking with him. "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." Isaiah 2:4, NIV Find Shane Claiborne online: Twitter:  @shaneclaiborne Facebook:  ShaneClaiborne Instagram:  ShaneClaiborne Books by Shane Claiborne: Beating Guns: Hope for People Who are Weary of Violence by Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin. Order here:  https://thesimpleway.myshopify.com/collections/books/products/beating-guns-hope-for-people-who-are-weary-of-violence Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why Its Killing us by Shane Claiborne.  Order here:  https://thesimpleway.myshopify.com/collections/books/products/beating-guns-hope-for-people-who-are-weary-of-violence Other books by Shane you can view and order here:  https://thesimpleway.myshopify.com/collections/books Article on Shane Claiborne's activism:  https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/god-guns-and-country-the-evangelical-fight-over-firearms Mentioned on the Pod: Article:  Virginia bans the death penalty.  https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/24/politics/virginia-governor-signs-law-death-penalty/index.html Article:  8 million people have left the church between 2016-2020.  https://newrepublic.com/article/161772/can-religion-give-ptsd Article:  Seeing Gun Violence as Pro-Life Issue by Shane Claiborne.  https://baptistnews.com/article/seeing-gun-violence-as-a-pro-life-issue/#.YGOmJ0hKiSM Article:  Rethinking the Second Amendment by Shane Claiborne.  https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2021/3/24/22347346/maybe-its-time-to-rethink-the-second-amendment-christians -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com. Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm

Jolie Monea and Tiffany Eneas, formerly members of The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, AZ, join the pod to talk about their experiences at Mark Driscoll's desert church, where Mark and Grace Driscoll present themselves as spiritual "father" and "mother" in front of the church while congregants are the "family". Jolie also shares about how her long-term friendship with the Driscolls (one of her daughters is married to one of the Driscoll sons) led to her family being part of a small home group with them after Mark resigned from Mars Hill, then ultimately moving with the Driscolls from Seattle down to Scottsdale when Mark was starting The Trinity Church.  Finally, Tiffany shares how God used Beavis and Butthead to bring her and her husband (former guest Ben Eneas) together. Mentioned on the pod: Professor Warren Throckmorton interviews former Mars Hill Executive Elders Sutton Turner and Dave Bruskas:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPwP4ng5l4 Jolie Monea's "Postcards from Phoenix":  https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/07/02/postcards-from-phoenix-when-family-ties-are-tested/ Tiffany Eneas' "Postcards from Phoenix":  https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/06/02/postcards-from-phoenix-when-church-demands-obedience/ Kim Thompson's "Postcards from Phoenix":  https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/08/12/postcards-from-phoenix-too-good-to-be-true/ Luke Chase's "Postcards from Phoenix":  https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/05/30/postcards-from-phoenix-when-church-divides-a-family/ Babylon Bee:  Marco Driscolito:  https://babylonbee.com/news/hot-new-seattle-church-launched-by-mexican-american-pastor-marco-driscolito?fbclid=IwAR1nYkZGiru_uSh_8qBMVISfFJSYeQ3cXbAYaF2nVeLiifhCZKO94ahvsGQ -Check out Zach's music by going to:  https://muzach.bandcamp.com -Read Dave's occasional blogging at:  www.dangeroushope.wordpress.com Twitter: @vcwpod Zach- @muzach Dave- @Davejlester Podcast music by Zach Malm Logo by Zach Malm