Virtue In The Wasteland Podcast

Cultural, theological, and spiritual events leading up to the time of the Reformation.

Following his recent death, we discuss Leonard Cohen's songs, which deal with biblical and romantic themes. Was he pessimistic and despairing, or was there a secret chord that some might miss if they don't listen close enough to this genius songwriter. Check out virtuneinthewasteland.com for show notes and links.  

How will we live after nearly half the country is frustrated that their candidate didn't get what they hoped for? Healing and virtuous community in the aftermath of an ugly election cycle with Clinton and Trump.

We discuss journalism, education, Williams syndrome, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the changing shape of journalism.   Teri Sforza is a journalist, author, filmmaker and mom. She contributed to the Orange County Register's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of fertility fraud at UC Irvine, covered what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in America‘s history, and is the author of "The Strangest Song," the first book to tell the story of Williams syndrome and the extraordinary musicality of many of the people who have it. Sforza decided to harness the power of the moving image to help bring her stories to life, earned her M.F.A. from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, and has made two documentaries - "American Pie: Slices of Life (and pie) on America's Back Roads," which won the Audience Choice Award at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival; and the OC Register's "The Boy Monk," a story that was also told as a series in the newspaper. Sforza birthed the OC Watchdog column a

A conversation with a loyal listener. Elizabeth in many ways reflects our core listener base: interested in ideas, educated, not a theological specialist or ethicist, church background, with some frustrations about church experience, and aware of the complexities of our cultural wasteland.  

Art, symbolism, idols, faith, eye candy, and meaning. With an art critic and artist.

You may have read Grapes of Wrath, but East of Eden is a powerful book. You don't have to have read it to join in the conversation. We share some parts of the middle of the book, but don't give away the ending. Are we capable of choosing virtue and vice freely? Are some people so monstrous that they are unredeemable? We don't answer all these questions, but we explore them.   1517legacy.com faithfulmasks.org virtueinthewasteland.com  

This is the second, and longer part, of the story of Gina Eilers, former Lutheran pastor who now identifies as a woman, but believes she will be male once again, in her glorified, resurrected body. In this part, we discuss the implications of Gina's transition for family and church relationships.

Gina, formerly known as Greg Eilers, resigned from the pastoral office after coming to terms with gender dysphoria. This is a sensitive, complex but important story to consider. In this first part, we hear Gina's story. In the second part, we will hear how this affected her family and church affiliation.

Micah took a short break from his heavy spoken word poetry touring to share about his new blues album No Ugly Babies, which will be released Sept. 27, 2016. We discuss the power of love and grace, the perplexities related to race and violence in America, symbolic patriotism, the real Martin Luther King, Jr., and forms of protest in the NFL. There are some songs shared, and Micah recites a poem that hits the spot. micahbournes.com faithfulmasks.org virtuneinthewasteland.ocm

Lest you think venturing out on entrepreneurial projects is all fun and games, Dan and Jeff discuss the anxiety of freedom in life, and the necessity of remembering our histories, tracing our steps, and staying centered. They discuss their tattoos too, and how they tell stories about their lives.

Frolic with us through our conversation about doing what you love. Anne tells about leaving a decent job to take a risk and become a food photographer. Her bold move paid off in terms of acclaim and personal fulfillment. Her many awards include 2016 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year and Errazuirz Wine Photographer of the Year. OC WEEKLY called her OC's most beloved food photographer and a "badass photo ninja." She provided the photography for a book with her husband: There & Back Again to See How Far it Is: Cultural Observations of an Englishman Aboard a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Across Small-Town America (2011).   Her website: http://annewatsonphoto.com  Our websites:  virtueinthewasteland.com faithfulmasks.org 1517legacy.com 

The killer robots are still worth worrying about. But how is the digital and cybernetic world threatening human embodied sexuality. Joel is on the theology faculty at Concordia University, where he overseas the MA Program, and heads up the Crosswise Institute, which will this year host an event for high school students on the topic of transhumanism and theology. He runs a blog called Fishing for Leviathan which talks about embodiment and spirituality in our technological age.

We've talked about leaving your job to follow your vocation before. This time, one of the guys actually put the theory of resigning into practice. One of the guys shares some ideas related to the nature of quitting the traditional concept of a 40 hour a week job and taking on multiple revenue sources in our changing economy.

Capitalism, the love of money, virtue, economics, Marx, and love of neighbor.

How the two party system got started, and why it might be a major problem.

How our Janus faces of secularism and Christianity have helped create the complex situation we find ourselves in, at least in America.

The four basic types of foreign engagement doctrine in US history, and what that means for today.

This is the first in a series of shorter chats, trying to make sense of the reasons why things have become so perplexing in our culture.

Jeff and Dan discuss their experiences teaching English and virtue overseas, along with some recent graduates. There is also mention of a culinary adventure.