In this episode, we finally dive deep into religion—the topic we've been promising since day one. We're thrilled to be joined by Reverend Benjamin Cremer, who brings serious theological credentials and two decades of pastoral experience. More importantly, Ben brings the kind of honest, historically-grounded perspective on American Christianity that cuts through the Christian nationalist white noise (pun intended).

We each share our spiritual journeys and unpack the movements that shaped our parents (and us), explore why American Christianity's extremists have become its loudest representatives, and ask the big question: does American Christianity exist outside of its dirty deal with power?

We also tackle where Gen Z fits into all this, why men are flocking back to rigid religion, what the "church of piety" looks like, and whether there's hope in Christianity's historical pattern of resistance movements. Spoiler: monasteries were the original protest against empire, and every reformation comes with reformers who get crucified for it.

Segments & Timestamps:

00:00 - Introducing Reverend Ben Cremer

00:25 - Episode Preview

01:40 - Meet Ben Cremer

04:05 - Historical Context

08:33 - Ben's Early Years

12:18 - Escaping Extremism

16:25 - Seminary & Grace

17:50 - Compensation Crisis

20:16 - Losing Credentials

25:25 - Online Ministry

31:12 - Church as Club

35:06 - Trevor's Background

38:03 - End Times

39:56 - Reformed Phase

42:02 - Philosophy & Faith

44:06 - Episcopal Discovery

47:14 - Emily's Journey

50:14 - Homeschool Movement

54:56 - Cult Years

58:08 - Church & Trauma

1:00:31 - American Christianity

1:05:05 - Gen Z

1:09:53 - Hope

1:13:27 - Church of Piety

1:18:12 - Wrap Up

1:20:27 - Outro

Mentioned:

Chad Kim's podcast: History of Christian Theology

Ben Cremer's newsletter: Into the Gray

Ben Cremer on social media: @brcremer

Ben Cremer's Substack

Connect With Us:

Produced and Engineered by ⁠Ken Wilson⁠ | Original Music by ⁠Robert Lanterman⁠

Website: ⁠thenuancehour.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠@thenuancehour⁠

Email: [email protected]