Steve talks to Josh Kaiser, former pastor turned deconstruction coach, about the different places people tend to end up at the end of their deconstruction / faith journeys (if there even is an end). Josh has a lot of wisdom and insight to this whole crazy process, so be sure to give this one your time.

• Josh Kaiser’s TikTok: @theLocalHeretic
• Origen
• Jerome
• Justin Matyr
• Augustine
• Mark Driscoll
• Vivant Life Coaching
• Brewery Vivant
• Christian Mysticism
• Josh’s video about mysticism
• John Philip Newell
• Cognitive Dissonance
• Pete Enns
• The Bible for Normal People
• Richard Rohr
• Film: “Ghandi”
• Hymn: “O Sacred Head”
• Vertical vs. Horizontal Morality
• Annihilationism
• Podcast: The Local Heretic Live
• Thomas Merton
• Book: “The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr
• Book: “The Universal Christ”
• Book:“Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps”
• Books by John Philip Newell

All of our music is by Daniel Wheat:

• Find more music and merch at his Bandcamp
• Follow his Instagram
• And listen on Spotify

Special Guest: Josh Kaiser.

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We read “The Watchman Decree” (and even hear a disturbing recitation of it) and discuss the implications of Christian Nationalism in America. What do we do about it? Can we do anything? Is maybe just a little bit okay? (Spoiler: No. No, it’s not)

• Following the Fire Facebook Group
• Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
• Free Dad Hugs shirt
• Free Mom Hugs (official)
• Christian Nationalism
• Theocracy
• Sharia Law
• Book: “The Founding Myth” by Andrew Seidel
• The Watchman Decree
• Article: “The ‘Watchman Decree’ is a scary vision of Christian nationalism in action”
• The Moral Majority
• Samuel Perry
• Book: “Do I Stay Christian?” By Brian McLaren
• Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13

Theme music by Daniel Wheat!

• Find his music and merch at his Bandcamp
• And follow his Instagram

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The things we lift up and admire say a lot about us. Why, then, do so many evangelical Christians in America lift up the worst of us like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and others. Has Christianity always been like this? Is there any way to redeem it?

• Halloween was weirdly warm
• Nathan can only handle “evangelical scary”
• Steve has numbed himself to everything “scary”
• Series: “Midnight Mass”
• Film Genre: Elevated Horror
• Film: “Midsommar”
• Director: Martin McDonnaugh
• Film: “In Bruges
• Purgatory
• Bruges, Belgium
• www.letterboxd.com
• 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon
• Film: “Amelie”
• Film: “Rubber”
• Film: “The Social Dilemma”
• Elon Musk buys Twitter
• Tesla
• SpaceX
• Ford valuation
• Tesla valuation
• Attention Economy
• Lauren Boebert
• Mark Driscoll
• Colt McCoy
• Series: “Knight Rider”
• Film: “Doc Hollywood”
• Film: “Cars”
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Documentary: “God Forbid” about Jerry Falwell, Jr.
• The Power Team
• Height of CEO’s in America
• Psychology Today
• Cracker Barrel
• Book: “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard
• The Beatitudes
• Constantine
• IXTHYS fish symbol
• Book: “Do I Stay Christian?” By Dan McLaren
• Jairus’ Daughter
• Jesus healing the bleeding woman

Theme music by Daniel Wheat!

• Find his music and merch at his Bandcamp
• And follow his Instagram

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Embracing the F-Word: What is Feminism and how it can help us all be fully human

Special guest Alison Buxton joins us again to discuss that OTHER dirty f-word: Feminism. She tells us what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters. The 2 dudes on this podcast learned a LOT from Alison, including how feminism is connected to everything in ways we didn’t expect.

• Friends don't have to use shortened names
• Ms.
• Book Club Episode: “The Making of Biblical Womanhood” by Beth Allison Barr
• Rush Limbaugh
• “Feminazi”
• Book: “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver
• Jane Fonda Vietnam War protests
• bell hooks
• Bra burning
• Women’s March 2017
• Black Lives Matter
• History of Feminism
• Intersectionality
• Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw
• 19th Amendment
• Jim Crow laws
• MeToo movement
• Tarana Burke
• From “The Handmaid’s Tale” - Gilead
• Clarence Thomas
• Anita Hill
• Book: “The Democratization of American Christianity” by Nathan O. Hatch
• The Bechdel Test
• The Bechdel Test Movie List
• Nadia Boltz Weber
• Article: “The Crisis of Men and Boys”by David Brooks in the New York Times
• The Feeling Wheel
• Kimberlé Crenshaw TED Talk
• Book: “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir
• Book: “The Woman’s Hour” by Elaine Weiss
• Book: “The Krunk Feminist Collective” by Brittany Cooper
• Book: “Feminism is For Everybody” by bell hooks
• Book: “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan

Theme music by Daniel Wheat!

• Find his music and merch at his Bandcamp
• And follow his Instagram

Special Guest: Alison Buxton.

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Nathan and Steve discuss the age-old conundrum of why Christians don’t show more of the Fruit of the Spirit than non-Christians. Spoiler-Alert! They remain frustrated.

• It’s dark outside, thus Nathan is tired
• Steve has been sleeping!
• Everyone should go to therapy (if possible)
• Steve talks about his neurological diseases in episode 28
• Nathan needs more "crunch"

• Sleep makes everything better

• LGBTQ+ Listener update

• Conversion Therapy is bad.

• Documentary: “Pray Away” on Netflix

• Book Club Episode 45: “Heavy Burdens” with author Bridget Eileen Rivera

• Article: “The Four Sides”Christian perspectives of LGBTQ+ relationships as “sides”

• Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23

• Fishbone Diagram

• Dunning-Kruger Effect

Theme music by Daniel Wheat!

• Find his music and merch at his Bandcamp
• And follow his Instagram

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Nathan and Steve go through the survey "The State of Theology" which was published recently and find that, not only are they both wildly heretical, but that the Ligonier group writes REALLY bad questions.

• Steve and Nathan are both exhausted because they’re privileged
• Nathan is overly concerned with the Trump Mar-a-Lago case
• Pep Band is fun
• Church is weird

• “Do I Stay Christian” by Brian McLaren

• The State of Theology Survey

• Ligonier Ministries

• R.C. Sproul

• Reformed Theology

• Martin Luther

• Calvinism

• Doctrine of “Original Sin”

• Survey Data Explorer

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The USA Supreme Court keeps throwing us curveballs, the folks in Trumpland are still doing the same-ol', everything's burning and most people just want to watch. How are we supposed to handle this kind of crazy and still, somehow, follow God?

• It’s been a rough few weeks in the news
• Nathan is nervous about his opinions
• Nathan, however, has a lot of opinions about opinions
• Somehow Steve & Nathan have become pro-choice
• Both-sides-ism is dangerous
• Steve's not feeling the USA love
• The world has always thought of America like we now think of Trump
• People don't make good decisions
• Empathy requires engagement
• Russia needs to GET OUT!
• Is rural America the danger zone?
• Documentary: "Fantastic Fungi" on Netflix
• Book: "How to Change Your Mind" by Michael Pollan
• Documentary: "How to Change Your Mind
• Steve needs shrooms

Theme music by Daniel Wheat!

• Find his music and merch at his Bandcamp
• And follow his Instagram

Support Following the Fire

Love matters more… than what? How about EVERYTHING? Even being right? Yup. We had the privilege of speaking with Jared Byas (the author of “Love Matters More” and co-host of “The Bible for Normal People”) about his fantastic book. We discuss how to move from a faith focused on knowledge to one focused on love.

• Book: “Love Matters More” by Jared Byas
• Podcast: “The Bible For Normal People”
• Book: “Genesis For Normal People” by Jared Byas & Pete Enns
• Book: “Faith After Doubt” by Brian McLaren
• Book: “Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes”
• “The truth shall set you free” - John 8:31-32
• “I have come to set the captives free” - Luke 4:18-19
• Burning Man
• Scholar: Jon D. Levenson
• “I have plans for you…” - Jeremiah 29:11
• Book: “What Would Jesus Deconstruct?” - John D. Caputo

Our theme music is by Daniel Wheat!

• Find more music and merch at his Bandcamp
• Follow his Instagram
• And listen on Spotify

Special Guest: Jared Byas.

Support Following the Fire