Homebrewed Culture Cast

This week’s theme: when doing good breaks the law. Christian and Amy take a look at civil disobedience and discuss their personal struggles with protest and civil disobedience, Jim Wallis’s recent arrest for civil disobedience in the Senate Office Building, the 6 steps to prepare your community for civil disobedience, the most (and least) effective...

This week’s theme: when doing good breaks the law. Christian and Amy take a look at civil disobedience and discuss their personal struggles with protest and civil disobedience, Jim Wallis’s recent arrest for civil disobedience in the Senate Office Building, the 6 steps to prepare your community for civil disobedience, the most (and least) effective tactics, and Christian, in what may the hardest interview he’s ever done, talks with CIA whistle-blower John Kiriakou. As followers Jesus, people who believe we are called to do what’s right in the world, is breaking the law ever OK? What does it really mean to resist? Plus, Billy Bush one year later, and the challenge of remembering someone’s good works only and not their faults. Would JFK, Ghandi, MLK have be indicted under the #MeToo movement? Should someone’s moral and ethical failings change how we view their legacy? In the interview with John Kiriakou (columnist with Reader Supported News, former CIA analyst and senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Counter-Terrorism consultant with ABC news, author of Doing Time Like a Spy, and perhaps most significantly a whistle-blower concerning torture techniques) Christian and John talk about getting recruited into the CIA, what a CIA analyst does, his switch from intelligence to counter-terrorism, what compelled him to share about the CIA’s use of waterboarding, and the fallout from that decision. They also touch on fake news and state-owned media organizations, and the difference between news and propaganda, whistle-blowing and leaking. Plus, John suggests that the Justice Department and Judiciary are in cahoots to fix trials involving the Justice Department. You won’t want to miss this one! You can listen to the full, unedited interview with John Kiriakou by supporting the podcast at patreon.com/culturecast. Not only will you be able to hear the full interview, you’ll be helping us reach our December goal of 10 new patrons! Help us makes our December goal and get a chance to be on the show! Our goal is to get ten new patrons in December. Anyone who signs up in December (or increases their donation) will get to be a part of a new segment called Ask the Caster and the Pastor. This is where you’ll get to send in a 30 second audio clip asking a question about anything and Christian and Amy will answer it on air. Plus, each new patron will get a copy of Christian’s new book, Surviving the Bible. Visit patreon.com/culturecast to begin your support today. Links from Jim Wallis and Sojourners: * Resistance is Patriotic – and Christian: A 6-point Strategy * Video of their protest at the Senate Office Building * Warning! Senate is NSFBR (Not Safe for Bible Readers) – full audio of Jim Wallis describing the events Other links mentioned: An odd kind of piety: The truth about Gandhi’s sex life JFK File: FBI Monitored Martin Luther King’s &...

What does it mean when we send a citizen away to fight for their country? Can we still be proud to be an American? Do we make our leaders into saviors? In this episode, Christian and Amy talk about national pride, how it has changed, what it looks like, where the trends are headed, and...

What does it mean when we send a citizen away to fight for their country? Can we still be proud to be an American? Do we make our leaders into saviors? In this episode, Christian and Amy talk about national pride, how it has changed, what it looks like, where the trends are headed, and what to do about it. Christian also talks with Martha Raddatz, chief global affairs correspondent for ABC news and author of The Long Road Home. They discuss the impact of war not just on the soldiers, but on the often overlooked families of soldiers, the personal toll that covering war can have, and the difficult journalistic decisions about how to show the realities of war. Plus, a look at the growing number of celebrities, public figures, and powerful men being accused of sexual misconduct, the article A Slow Burn: Why Matt Lauer Got Fired but Trump is Still President by Erin Wathen, and what we can and should do about all of this. Help us makes our December goal and get a chance to be on the show! Our goal is to get ten new patrons in December. Anyone who signs up in December (or increases their donation) will get to be a part of a new segment called Ask the Caster and the Pastor. This is where you’ll get to send in a 30 second audio clip asking a question about anything and Christian and Amy will answer it on air. Plus, each new patron will get a copy of Christian’s new book, Surviving the Bible. Visit patreon.com/culturecast to begin your support today. Subscribe and listen on iTunes HERE Get Bonus Content HERE Join us on Facebook HERE  

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Rick Steves, travel journalist and host of  the PBS show Rick Steves’ Europe, and the public radio show Travel with Rick Steves, sat down with Christian and Amy in Washington DC to talk about the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Is the Reformation still...

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Rick Steves, travel journalist and host of  the PBS show Rick Steves’ Europe, and the public radio show Travel with Rick Steves, sat down with Christian and Amy in Washington DC to talk about the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Is the Reformation still significant 500 years later? Was it really as revolutionary as everyone makes it out to be? How do you claim grace over works, yet compel good works? What do we say to people who say they don’t need the church? Do we make a case for church? What is the role of corporate worship? Plus, hear bishop Eaton and Rick talk about why they are Lutheran, what Lutheranism has to offer, about faith, doubt, and coming back to faith, embodiment and incarnation, the material versus the spiritual, and what it means to be in the world but not of it. This show is free, but it isn’t free to produce. You can help support the podcast for as little as $1 a month, and if you sign up for $10 a month you will get a copy of Christian’s new book, Surviving the Bible. Sign up by January first at that level and also get a signed copy of Leaving A-Holiness Behind.  Subscribe and listen on iTunes HERE Get Bonus Content HERE Join us on Facebook HERE

Coming at you LIVE from Surly Brewing in Minneapolis, it’s the Homebrewed CultureCast. Get ready to wade into nerdy theological waters. Right after Christian keynoted at the Voices Conference, he hung out with Dr. Kyle Roberts and Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde of the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Up first, Kyle talks about his work and...

Coming at you LIVE from Surly Brewing in Minneapolis, it’s the Homebrewed CultureCast. Get ready to wade into nerdy theological waters. Right after Christian keynoted at the Voices Conference, he hung out with Dr. Kyle Roberts and Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde of the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Up first, Kyle talks about his work and why he’s dedicated his life to theology, what faith looks like actually in the world, doing public theology, social ethics, Kierkegaard, existentialism and post-modernism, and his new book, A Complicated Pregnancy: Whether Mary was a Virgin and Why it Matters. * Is post-modernism just a slippery slope where everything, including morality, is relative? * Was Mary a virgin, and why does it matter? * How church politics played a role in understanding the virgin birth * And how our understanding of the incarnation influences whether we emphasize Jesus’ humanity or divinity Plus, the questions that keep you up at night, dramatic readings of psalm 23, the “biblical” defense of Roy Moore, and what Prince has in common with the virgin birth. Speaking of Prince, Pamela talks about the Theology of Prince project at United, what it means to be an interfaith Buddhist practitioner, the co-mingling of Buddhism and Christianity, the resistance of some Christians to engage in inter-religious practice, and the intersection of pop culture and faith. You’ll hear: * A story about how someone found their spirituality through Prince * The disembodiment of our faith and how Prince reconciles sexuality and spirituality * Was Prince famous before he got wise? * And about how Prince went door-to-door evangelizing The University of Minnesota and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities invites the public to submit academic papers, personal essays, poetry, spoken word, or visual art on Theology of Prince. If you become a patron and help support the podcast at $10/mo you’ll get a signed copy of Christian’s new book, Surviving the Bible. Or you can enter the Surviving the Bible Giveaway by going to the CultureCast Facebook page and signing up for the newsletter. Winners will be announced at the end of November.

This is perhaps the nerdiest episode of the CultureCast: an all politics-nerd episode. In it, Christian and Amy talk about the special election in Virginia, the anniversary of the 2016 election, the Mueller investigation, and what the Democrats need to do for 2018. Trump has quietly accomplished more than it appears… so Christian and Amy...

This is perhaps the nerdiest episode of the CultureCast: an all politics-nerd episode. In it, Christian and Amy talk about the special election in Virginia, the anniversary of the 2016 election, the Mueller investigation, and what the Democrats need to do for 2018. Trump has quietly accomplished more than it appears… so Christian and Amy take a look at what he has and hasn’t accomplished. Plus, they take a look ahead to the 2018 midterms and what tax reform has to do with Obamacare. Are you confused about the whole Russia/Trump timeline? about who’s who? Or maybe you’re confounded by the scriptural defense of pedophilia. Or maybe you’re wondering what Democrats need to focus on in 2018 to win? Guns? Abortion? Trump??? The Piatt’s are here to help! And something weird is going on in the recommendations of the week… A big thanks to our four new supporters! If you become a patron at $10/mo you’ll get a signed copy of Christian’s new book, Surviving the Bible. Or you can enter the Surviving the Bible Giveaway by going to the CultureCast Facebook page and signing up for the newsletter. Stay tuned for our LIVE episode from Minneapolis where Christian talks with Pamela Ayo Yetunde about the theology of Prince. And if you can’t wait that long, check out United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities invite for submissions of academic papers, personal essays, poetry, spoken word, or visual art on the Theology of Prince.

When does religion become a cult? What groups might qualify? And who decides? In this episode of the CultureCast, Christian and Amy talk about the 6 criteria used to determine if a group is in fact a cult, have we as a nation become a cult, and are certain brands of Christianity cult-ish? Christian interviews...

When does religion become a cult? What groups might qualify? And who decides? In this episode of the CultureCast, Christian and Amy talk about the 6 criteria used to determine if a group is in fact a cult, have we as a nation become a cult, and are certain brands of Christianity cult-ish? Christian interviews David Trotter about his new documentary Set Free Posse: Jesus Freaks, Biker Gang, or Christian Cult? The story revolves around pastor Phil Aguilar in Anaheim, CA. David talks about seeing him for the first time as a college student, their first face-to-face meeting in David’s house, Phil’s conversion in prison, his involvement with Trinity Broadcasting Network, housing people dealing with drug addiction in his home, and why things started to fall apart. Plus, they also talk about one particular moment, involving the set free posse and some hell’s angels… You can watch the documentary an Amazon, or head over to setfreefilm.com to learn more. You’ll also hear about David’s new project, The Road to Edmond, staring Homebrewed Christianity’s own Tripp Fuller! Amy and Christian also discuss the latest mass shooting at a Texas church, this New Yorker article, the location of evil (and love), and reminisce about the first time they met. Make sure to join Christian at the Voices Conference in Minneapolis November 11th (you can get tickets here) for his keynote about his new book Surviving the Bible, and for a live podcast where they’ll talk about the theology of Prince. You can also enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Surviving the Bible and over $100 of other awesome books. And last, but certainly not least, you can be apart of the CultureCast community by donating to help support the podcast. Patrons get access to all sorts of goodies, like Amy and Christian’s new series, Hidden God.  

There’s no question that what the word “family” means today, which means the values of what make for a good family, are changing as well. We’ve all heard that we need to get back to “Biblical family values,” but that does that mean? We break out a list of some models of family and what...

There’s no question that what the word “family” means today, which means the values of what make for a good family, are changing as well. We’ve all heard that we need to get back to “Biblical family values,” but that does that mean? We break out a list of some models of family and what was acceptable during “Biblical times.” Safe to say these aren’t your momma’s values. We talk with Amber Cantorna, author of “Refocusing My Family,” about how she took a different path from her “Focus on the Family” roots to marry her female partner. The Echo Chamber runneth over too, with everything from the so-called “Goddess Myth” about what makes a good mother to plural marriage and what the Church’s role is in that discussion. It’s hot, fresh and choc-full-o mental nutrition. Come and get it! Join the CultureCast community here, or follow us on Facebook here. Subscribe to our newsletter for free swag here.

Will our connections be our salvation? Or our destruction? In this Homebrewed CultureCast episode, Christian and Amy explore: how we are bound together by trauma, silence, and genetics the connection between neutron stars, gravitational waves, and Christian’s wedding ring difference and balance between cultural appropriation and respectful connection Christian talks with AJ Jacobs, author of The...