Stories Are Soul Food

Nate, a pastor's kid, discusses the sliding scale of bad words and the nature of evil. Words are neither intrinsically bad nor good, their usage in a story or alignment with God's will determines their morality. The discussion also challenges Augustine's view on evil and highlights the importance of intent and authenticity in language. Overall, the podcast delves into the complex nature of language and cultural influences on profanity.

Here's an interesting truth that Nate once tried out on his roommate: pure, syllogistic reasoning is not persuasive. In fact, unvarnished truth does not "prove" anything -- by that we mean that it does not obligate belief as well as, say, story might. And you'll notice that people seldom believe the things they do for logical reasons: they come to their beliefs by narrative paths, and construct the logic to defend as needed. So, what does it mean to "obligate belief"? When is truth not persuasive? Why are Christians the one who often need to hear this most? These and other rhetorical intricacies occupy this episode of SASF. #StoriesAreSoulFood #Rhetoric #EthosPathosLogos #Proof #Logic #character

Is a book with a good witch a bad book? The guys use the Wizard of Oz as a jumping off point for this lengthy discussion of magic, which listeners know is a favorite SASF hobbyhorse. Nate claims that moderns have lost an appreciation for the miraculous in an attempt to describe the natural. In reality, everything is magic. But Brian objects: if everything is magical, then nothing is. Nate responds with MOSES AND THE WIZARD DUEL. Of course Tolkien and Lewis -- and Gandalf and Jadis -- also feature in this discussion that will get you thinking about your favorite stories... and how our scientists have crossed the line into witchcraft long ago.#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #magic #science #Tolkien #CSLewis

Episode ocho-ocho is about narrative architecture, but that sounds boring so we made the headline more interesting, having been inspired by one of SASF's favorite novels, Evangellyfish. In point of fact, though, this week's episode is fantastic: The guys get into a discussion of favorite (living) novelists, with disagreements aplenty. If you've been looking for novel recommendations for adults, this is the episode for you. And when the guys move into film, and how to structure new stories based on old ones that work, you'll just have to listen to get Nate's take on Terrence Malik... Nipples on the Batsuit and jumping the shark are also discussed. Oh, and Nate loops back around to tie a bow on his disappointment with the end of Cobra Kai. #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #Evangellyfish #JessWalter #LeifEnger #TerrenceMalik #MarilynneRobinson

The guys discuss feedback from the Rings of Power sort-of-watchalong. Then, in a shocking turn of events, one of the guys is accused of being too critical of a film--and the critical one is Brian. Nate defends the honor of Top Gun 2, and even a bit of Cobra Kai (always with filters, people). They get into a discussion of character and when you can allow bad things to happen to main characters. They venture far afield in this SASF medley -- perhaps they were just relieved to not be watching Rings of Power. #SASF #NDWilson #StoriesAreSoulFood #TopGunMaverick #CobraKai

It's the moment you've all been waiting for: You get to listen as Brian surprises Nate with a laptop and The Rings of Power Episode 1: A Shadow of the Past. This is the first ever SASF Watch-Along, so you'll have to listen to see how far they got... Of course, this episode also includes a useful discussion on how the project could have suceeded, what its goals were, whether Nate was unfairly prejudiced, whether critics of the show are racists, and other such Stories Are Soul Food topics. Enjoy! And as always, you can watch the video of the SASF show at mycanonplus.com. #Tolkien #RingsOfPower #Galadriel #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #WatchAlong

In this episode, Nate explains why some Christian readers are the worst: they love to demand that he sell chicken sandwiches with a side of Gideon Bible in the french-fry box. But Nate's trying to sell the best chicken sandwich & fries he can... he gives away Bibles elsewhere, including in this podcast. This episode is about when / why you might choose to have your characters in fiction pray -- and when you might not. You'll also get some key insights into rhetoric: who are you, who are you writing for, and where do you want to get them. And also some really interesting thoughts comparing Nate's characters to those in the Christian movie "The War Room" (about prayer). #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #BrianKohl #AmWriting #ChristianFiction #WarRoom

The guys dig deep into this Coen Bros Academy Award Winner. Is it worth the hype? Watch it and find out. We're sure you'll get that cozy family movie night feeling as Brian and Nate discuss brutal stun gun executions and drug money chasing. They'll also answer your key question about the film, and discuss what Josh Brolin's character is up to in "No Country for Old Men." Spoilers included: Fundamentally, the movie is about the clash of two villains: the romantic, old-school outlaw and the new, pitiless vice of Chigurh. You can also hear what two small things Nate would have changed in this movie -- which is high up on his list. As a bonus, they'll discuss the danger of thinking you're so smart when watching a movie, and then proceed to fall into the trap. (Brian manfully restrained from bringing WB Yeats into the conversation.) #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NoCountryforOldMen #CoenBros #NDWilson #MovieNight #spoilers

Have you wondered what Nate is up to recently? Then you don't want to miss this episode. The guys also perform an autopsy on the last two years of being alive, looking at how things have played out in our country, specifically with the test case of Nate's children's own shenanigans with Stickergate. Standing up to tyrants is a lot more costly than you might think -- but it's vital you show your children how to do it. And you'll get lots of good advice on being able to read your own history in this episode. Here's the promised link for the episode: www. givesendgo.com/SovietMoscow #SovietMoscow #DefyTyrants #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF

Wouldn't things be simpler if kids were fictional, and you could "write" their success over each challenge? In today's SASF, the guys discuss how a mom can help her children with their own "character" weaknesses. You get to hear another Nate airplane-story-turned-car story; Brian explains why camping is fun even though it sounds like it isn't; this episode also features two deer, a marten, and Yellowstone. But the real takeaways from this episode is 1) where to get the best breakfast burritos in the the Pacific Northwest; 2) stop trying to make life easy for your kids; and 3) be a killer side character in your kids' stories instead. #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #BrianKohl #parenting #storytelling #character #Yellowstone