Absurdity with Ryan Becker

Tony and Ryan deep dive not just into the Christchurch shooting, but into the very attitudes that led to this shooting, what role our individual actions and words play into this reality, and what perspectives exist in a post-9/11 society that has only known the War on Terror.

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Ryan makes a rather large admission here and we dive into the problem of ageism in faith. This is specifically tied to assuming the relevance or capability of a person to contribute to the church based on their age. It's a surprisingly easy trap for anyone to fall into, so we won't leave you hanging with no solutions. Make sure to listen all the way through for a special announcement!

You asked for it, we brought it. It's time to go through the taboos! Tony and I talk about everything from tattoos to swearing and let you know our honest thoughts on these topics. It's important to remember this isn't a Bible Study. We aren't out here telling you how to live, but we wanted to take an episode and dive into some of these controversial topics for you and for ourselves. Who knows? Maybe in 100 episodes we will feel differently!

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We all want to belong to the group that we think has things the "most correct." What happens when we start believing that our correctness actually makes us superior to those outside our group, tribe, or community? How do we combat denominational superiority and pride? How easy it to fall into the that trap and how do we avoid it?

Tony and I deep dive into creativity in Christianity, innovation, and how artists and creatives are treated and valued within the institution. If we are made in God's image, and we first meet God as the Creator, what does that mean for us?

Luke Steen has joined us before way back near the beginning to talk about Nonviolent Peacemaking. He's currently the Associate Pastor at Marietta Adventist Church in Atlanta, GA. On this episode, we dive into practical discipleship, defining poor discipleship and how the church has created an environment where growth and discipleship isn't fostered properly, and what Christians can do as individuals to foster their own growth as disciples.

Tony and I do a deep dive on Testimony Culture in the Church. Are there testimonies that are better than others? What even is a proper testimony? Do we glorify poor decisions, radical danger, and extreme situations? Or do we glorify the God that brings us out of our previous situations regardless of their "excitement" level?

This week, Tony and I talk about Gillette's new advertisement targeting toxic masculinity and calling men to be better and behave better. Not only that but for the first half of the episode we dive into a piece of church news that you may not hear anywhere else because it's not being written about anywhere else. I don't share it because we want to start any rebellions or anything, but I share it because it is in a specific arena of church news that isn't easily accessible and I believe it's important to be aware of what is going on.

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Music by Justin Janetzko

We get personal this week. Two  of my first-ever mentors, Stephanie Johnson and her son, James, join me at Prayer Conference in High Springs, FL as we talk about some of the events revolving around my year of intense grief and loss, we talk about bullying, and the birth  of a program that teaches kids their value in Christ. Stephanie Johnson was my chaplain my senior year of high school and James is her son, a youth pastor now residing in Apopka, FL. Both have become family to me over the last 10 years, and I am honored to have them on as guests this week.  I'm pretty sure this is the closest I have ever come to breaking down on this show, and it's for a good reason. You don't want to miss this conversation.

Music by Justin Janetzko

This week we do a deep dive on projection. It's not just done in friendships and relationships, it's done on a systemic level. We do it for policy, we do it against ethnic and social groups, we enfore laws based on projections. Why do people project, what's the cost, and how do we fix it? 

Music by Justin Janetzko