Virtue In The Wasteland Podcast

On today's show we discuss one of the root causes of the Russian troll attacks, our willingness to give out all of our most private information, often times only to have a computer guess your age, compare you to a Disney princess, or explain why you and your coworker don't get along. We do this by talking about, and taking the Proust Questionnaire- listen up!

It's a slightly different show today in that our guest is... well, Dan! He has recently published a full length historical monograph through 1517 Publishing and is promoting it around the web in various places.  And so Jeff decided to put on his interview hat and treat Dan like a guest. This lasted all of 15 minutes.  The guys end up discussing what Jeff is drinking, which historical duo we'd like to be, and of course, the Prophet of Lutheran Pietism, Johann Arndt. Dan's research on Arndt not only affected his own spiritual life and theological self understanding, but also offered him a way to look at problems within Lutheranism that persist to today.  Enjoy the show!    

Following in our now 5 year tradition, today's episode is a Graduation Special! We think about the world today, and what we woulds day to grads on their way into the real world!

On today's show we take your calls! (You can call in on our voicemail line 844-393-0012) We take a range of questions from callers today, from the recent show we did on the poor, to some comparative religions and talk a little bit about surfing the Tao from some unlikely sources     0000014C 0000014C 00004F12 00004F12 0052F3D1 0052F3D1 00008171 00008171 004E5D39 004E5D39

On today's episode we book end last weeks episode on why people leave the church.  On this episode we hear from a caller, discuss why we haven't left the church ourselves and talk about why we stick around. 

On today's episode we talk about an upcoming podcast on the 1517 network of podcasts.  We are talking about why people live the church- something about which there has been no end to the writing of books.  So we want to try and whittle down the question: why do people leave thus church? And we want to be sympathetic and open to correction.  George Barna and others have spent the past decade telling us about the Millennials and Gen-Z, so what do we do about it?

On today's show we start by discussing a tent city for the homeless in Dan's hometown.  We move on to discuss the centrality of the poor throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.  What are the "options" in how we might think about the poor and poverty?  What does the Reformation tradition show us? Listen up, we get deep and challenge ourselves on this episode.

On today's show we examine the idea of a "narrative of decline" and how it might impact how we view the church.  This show is a thought experiment that began when Dan had an idea he wanted to work through.  This show is an exercise in thinking, looking at optimism and pessimism, and learning to understand how the gospel of hope fits in.

On today's episode we play actual calls from actual listeners who bring up topics from gun control, the popularity of Jordan Peterson and our religious convictions.  Check it out, and call us at 844-393-0012 to leave your question as a message

On today's episode we dig into the national conversation on gun control after the recent tragedy in Parkland, FLA.  But don't expect the kind of conversation you might be used to.  The guys talk about the history and the constitution but then press on to a deeper answer (if it exists).

Today's show is in two acts.  In act 1 the guys reflect on Cuba, talk about a few current events and talk about running to extreme positions in theology, politics and in general.  The second act is an interview with our friends Marcos and Mark a week after our trip to Cuba to reflect on what we learned there.

On todays show we play clips from an interview we did with Marcos Ruiz and Mark Norman.  We discuss cuban politics, religion and the state of travel to the once forbidden isle.    

On today's episode we pick up the theme from last week and discuss the ancient figure of Moloch, the importance of calling out religions of cruel power, and the surprisingly anti-intuitive actions of Jesus.

On today's episode we discuss an ancient religion with modern implications.

On today's show we answer actual questions from actual listeners.  We talk about tragedy, reproductive issues and ethics, the #metoo movement and the question Dan gets more than any other. Enjoy the show!

On Today's show we discuss current events coming out of the Vatican and with Evangelical leader Franklin Graham on current events.  We then look at a brief history of the papacy, church authority in civil matters, and why we have an inclination to find figureheads who speak publicly for us.

On today's show the guys talk about the most compelling arguments against the church and discuss ways in which we can take these criticisms (from Marx, Freud, etc... ) and build stronger arguments for the importance of religious life today.

On today's show we go to a number of recent polls that tell us number of fascinating, hopeful, and curious things.  We discuss the nature of the American job market, vocational opportunities, millennials, and a few numbers that remind us that everything is going to be ok.

On today's episode we hand out awards for our favorites of 2017 and look at some of the bigger stories of the past year and discuss how they might effect 2018.

An overview of the Gospel according to Luke with special attention to the concept of the Temple and the idea of cleaning the house of faith to make room for Jesus' kingdom. Political elements are particularly emphasized.  virtueinthewasteland.com