Humanize Me

When you’re asked for money by a homeless person, or pass someone who appears to be homeless standing in a doorway or on a street corner, how should you respond? That’s the topic addressed in this, the first of Humanize Me‘s regular Q&A episodes. Bart Campolo is joined by the podcast’s producer John Wright to attempt to answer the question, which came in from a listener called Mark in Bristol, UK and reads in part: “I know you’ve got tons of experience helping [the homeless], and seem to have made it a component of your life’s work. But what’s a good, productive approach for the rest of us who have all-consuming careers (I’m an academic research scientist) and who can spare but a moment and some spare change for the homeless we see on the streets?” Takeaways: Each of us must ask how our life is contributing to making life better for society, if we’re going to feel okay walking past that person on the street. It’s a good thing to be altruistic in a mission-focused way. Our energy, emotional bandwidth and finances are finite resources that need managed well. Listen to the episode for more! Bonus question: “Do you still find any bible verses inspirational and why?” — Enjoy the podcast? Support it on Patreon, which is about to get a whole lot better, offering bonus content and live interaction! Review us on iTunes (it really helps). And join over 600 other listeners on the show’s Facebook Group. Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by Jux Media.

Well, are we? It’s a weird thought that the experience we all share – of making our own decisions, freely choosing our next move – is nothing more than an illusion. But the science leans that way, and Dan Barker has engaged with the subject more than most. Dan is an activist, an author and speaker who serves as the co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. He’s sued the government, talked about atheism with Oprah, debated with Sean Hannity and hung out with Christopher Hitchens. And he agrees with Sam Harris about free will, but has his own thoughts on the implications of that conclusion. Grab Dan’s book on the subject HERE! — Enjoy the podcast? Support it on Patreon! Review us on iTunes (it really helps). And join over 600 other listeners on the show’s Facebook Group. Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by Jux Media.

In this episode Bart talks (a lot) with new pal Mike McHargue, aka Science Mike, whose two podcasts, Ask Science Mike and The Liturgists (with Michael Gungor) are HUGE among the still-kinda-Christian-but-with-lots-of-questions crowd.  We don’t normally post anything this long, but so many of Science Mike’s listeners told him this was their favorite episode of all time that we couldn’t resist seeing if our Humanizers would like it too. You can find Science Mike at his website, as well as on Twitter @mikemchargue and @asksciencemike . Leaving My Father’s Faith, the film about Bart and his father Tony, is now streaming on Vimeo and Amazon Prime. Check it out here.

It’s here! For all of you who have been waiting patiently to see the documentary film Leaving My Father’s Faith – capturing Bart’s conversation with his dad Tony Campolo on the subject of his leaving Christianity – the film is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video and Vimeo On Demand. This week’s episode is a chat between Bart, Tony via phone and John Wright, the director of the new film. They reflect on the release of the film, what it captures, reactions to it, and how they feel it portrays them and their interactions on this touchy but important subject. Press play here to listen. Stream the film now at CampoloFilm.com.

Daniel Bogard is a Jewish rabbi who’s passionate about building bridges across faith and cultural borders.  He’s also a deep thinking, warm feeling, easy talking person with whom Bart has a terrific conversation about, well…a whole bunch of stuff. You can follow him on Twitter @ravbogard . If you enjoy the Humanize Me podcast and would like to help support it as well as Bart’s work, you can donate at Bart’s PayPal page or you can become a monthly Patreon patron.

Jennifer Wright-Berryman is a suicidologist in the School of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati and is currently the lead researcher for a peer-to-peer, school-based program called Hope Squad. Jennifer is an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati and has a PHD in Social Work from the University of Indiana. You can find out more about her and her work by going to her website here. And to check out more info on the National Hope Squad program, go here. Did you know that Bart also does counseling and coaching? For more information, go here.  

Ryan Bell is a former pastor who became an atheist after spending a year without God as an experiment. He started and hosts the popular blog and podcast Life After God and is now both the National Organizing Manager for the Secular Student Alliance, as well as the new Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California, a position that Bart held before moving back to Cincinnati. Follow Ryan and his work on Twitter at @ryanjbell. The documentary about Bart and his father Tony is now available for screenings! You can find out more information here.

What does a real apology look like? What is the difference between remorse and regret? Between saying sorry and asking for forgiveness? In this episode, Bart talks about how to make an authentic apology and shares some stories from his own life that have shaped his own apologies. You can support Bart, his podcast, and his work by going to his paypal site or by becoming a Patreon patron. Who knows, you might get a mention on the next podcast like the four people in this episode!

Ryan Meeks is the founding pastor of EastLake Community Church outside of Seattle, Washington. A couple of years ago, EastLake became one of the first evangelical megachurches in America to support full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ+ people. In the process, Ryan also transitioned out of evangelicalism.  The fallout was huge but still hundreds stayed and Ryan shares his story with Bart. You can find more information about Ryan and his church  here.   You can support this podcast and Bart’s work by becoming a Patreon supporter here or you can support him through PayPal here.  

Sammy Rangel is a transformed man: a former far-right extremist who had a powerful change in his life and is now the Executive Director of Life After Hate, a nonprofit that works with ‘radicalized’ individuals in extremist movements and assists them in leaving the movements and reforming their lives (among other things). More about Sammy’s story can be found HERE. Check out his TED Talk. Oh, and here’s his book. To join the community of Humanize Me listeners, go HERE!

How do men take the natural thoughts and urges they have and channel them appropriately? How do men grapple with their nature, while remaining safe and steadfast for the women in their lives? Bart takes a look at the issue in this episode, including: * All men need to grapple with this * Bart talks about a story from college that changed him * Article: The unexamined brutality of the male libido * Christianity makes sins out of someone’s thoughts, but secular people should avoid doing so * A scene from Seinfeld * What humanism can offer the world in this moment Contact Bart at bartcampolo.org/contact. Join the discussion at the Humanize Me Facebook Group HERE.

How do men take the natural thoughts and urges they have and channel them appropriately? How do men grapple with their nature, while remaining safe and steadfast for the women in their lives? Bart takes a look at the issue in this episode, including: * All men need to grapple with this * Bart talks about a story from college that changed him * Article: The unexamined brutality of the male libido * Christianity makes sins out of someone’s thoughts, but secular people should avoid doing so * A scene from Seinfeld * What humanism can offer the world in this moment Contact Bart at bartcampolo.org/contact. Join the discussion at the Humanize Me Facebook Group HERE.

Bart tells a story from his days as a Christian evangelist after having been to a storytelling workshop. In this episode he talks about storytelling as one of the most powerful tools that we have, and which binds us together as a tribe.

Bart tells a story from his days as a Christian evangelist after having been to a storytelling workshop. In this episode he talks about storytelling as one of the most powerful tools that we have, and which binds us together as a tribe.

Bart checks in from Cincinnati, his old neighborhood made new again. Catch up on current happenings, future plans and more. Bart can be contacted HERE. Join the ‘secret’ Facebook group HERE. Add your name to the mailing list for the soon-to-be-released-we-promise documentary HERE.