A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Dr. Randall Balmer to talk about our nation's 250-year history and, in particular, religion's role in shaping it.

Dr. Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest and New York Times bestselling author, teaches Religion in North America at Dartmouth College. He is a CNN Contributor, the author of more than a dozen books, and his commentaries appear in newspapers across the country. In 2024, the American Academy of Religion gave him the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Randall Balmer  - https://www.randallbalmer.com/

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Lucas Wilson to discuss his latest book, Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy, which explores the experiences of survivors of conversion therapy.

Lucas Wilson is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto Mississauga. As a former evangelical and a survivor of conversion therapy, he is the editor of Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy (JKP Books, 2025). He is also the author of At Home with the Holocaust: Postmemory, Domestic Space, and Second-Generation Holocaust Narratives(Rutgers University Press, 2025), which received the Jordan Schnitzer First Book Publication Award.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Lucas Wilson - https://lgbtqdigitalcollaboratory.org/histories-from-below-a-conversation-with-dr-lucas-wilson/

Book:

 Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy - https://www.amazon.com/Shame-Sex-Attraction-Survivors-Stories-Conversion/dp/1805011324?=undefined&linkCode=sl1&tag=bycomcon-20&linkId=e6c3b075f9b3d13acd0e3e9fe9960219&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Kathy Baldock to discuss her newest book, Forging a Sacred Weapon: The 1946 Bible Misinterpretation Behind Anti-Gay Theology.

Kathy Baldock, author, LGBT advocate, international speaker and educator, and Executive Director of CanyonWalker Connections, is a leading expert on LGBT issues in the United States, especially regarding historical and current discrimination faced by the socially conservative Christian church and political sector. Her 2014 book, Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community, and accompanying Untangling the Mess presentations, blog, podcast, and videos, piece together the history behind LGBT persecution in the church and the need for conservative Christians and church leaders to become better educated in order to properly engage members of the LGBT community.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Kathy Baldock - https://canyonwalkerconnections.com/about/kathy-baldock/

Book: Forging a Sacred Weapon: The 1946 Bible Misinterpretation Behind Anti-Gay Theology - https://canyonwalkerconnections.com/forging-a-sacred-weapon-how-the-church-became-anti-gay-hub/

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with The Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck to discuss how Faithful America recently partnered with Indivisible to launch the Frontline Faithful Tour — a multi-state journey to communities where the fight against Christian nationalism is most urgent.

The Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck is an Oklahoma native and Executive Director of Faithful America, where she leads her team in prophetically confronting white Christian nationalism in the United States. For nearly 8 years prior to taking on the role with Faithful America, Dr. Fleck led the Oklahoma Faith Network, where she drew attention to religious extremism in the nation’s reddest state. Dr. Fleck actively consults with faith leaders, politicians, lawyers, judges, businesses, and nonprofit organizations on strategic responses to religious extremism in local contexts and has been instrumental in cultivating effective, impactful responses.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Shannon Fleck - https://www.faithfulamerica.org/team/rev-dr-shannon-fleck

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Keri Ladner to discuss her newest book, American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom, an insightful exploration of the rise of dominionism and its growing impact on American politics, faith, and culture.

Keri Ladner, PhD, is an expert on fundamentalist politics in America and the radicalization of the conservative movement. She specializes in the religious beliefs of the American right wing, and her work illuminates how those beliefs have become part of American power structures. She is the author of End Time Politics: From the Moral Majority to QAnon, and her publications have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Christian Century, Religion Dispatches, and Good Faith Media.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Keri Ladner - https://goodfaithmedia.org/author/keri-ladner/

Book: American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of the New Christodom - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/american-dominion-9798216275770/

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Jonathan Brenneman, co-founder of Christians for Free Palestine, to talk about the dangers of Christian Zionism.

Jonathan Brenneman comes from a long line of Mennonites on his father’s side and a prominent Palestinian Christian family on his mother’s side. After attending Huntington University, where he studied History and Philosophy, he worked with the Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine Project in Hebron. CPT’s mission is to build partnerships to transform violence and oppression. 

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Jonathan Brenneman - https://theologyandpeace.com/2017-conference-embracing-we-centricity/2017-plenary-speakers/jonathan-brenneman/

Christians for a Free Palestine:  https://christiansforafreepalestine.com

Interfaith Action for Palestine (CUFI protest): https://www.interfaithforpalestine.com 

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy marked the 300th episode of Good Faith Weekly by reconnecting with Imad Enchassi, who joined us as one of our very first guests back in 2020.

Imad Enchassi is the senior Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City and chair of Islamic Studies at Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University. He is the author of Cloud Miles: A Remarkable Journey of Mercy, Peace and Purpose, and appeared in the short GFM-produced documentary “Mercy” (2018) and the feature-length documentary, “Different Books, Common Word: Baptists and Muslims” (2010).

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Imad Enchassi - https://www.okcu.edu/faculty/imad-enchassi-ph-d

Episodes we referenced

EP 152 - Otis Moss III - comic books - https://youtu.be/aUawIYHi6Dg

EP 220 - Amy Jill Levine - margaritas in the bible - https://youtu.be/fWfbofLRq2g

EP 135 - Brian McClaren's first visit - https://youtu.be/p6KnLwIc898

EP 217 Brian McClaren - frog in toilet - https://youtu.be/sjRSo9cLJG8

EP 218 Mitch's head injuries - https://youtu.be/srtPbjL6d4o

EP 155 Fish net in the bathtub - https://youtu.be/CcZeQ6DcDmQ

EP 161 Airplane lap dance - https://youtu.be/CepFts-CPvk

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Brian Henderson to discuss AWAB, which has just launched a new podcast in conjunction with Good Faith Media titled The Voice of the Turtle.

Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson is an ordained American Baptist minister with more than 25 years of pastoral experience and a lifelong commitment to building churches that fully welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people. He has been part of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB) since 2019, serving on both the Board and Staff, and in 2024, he stepped into the role of full-time Executive Director.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson - https://awab.org/staff/

The Voice Of The Turtle - https://awab.org/podcast/

 A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Rhonda Lauritzen to discuss her book, A Child in Berlin: The Poignant Story of Heidi Posnien and Her Mother During the Fall of Germany.

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer and speaker at international conferences. She has an MBA from the University of Utah, served as CEO of her family’s business, and a state college VP. Her writing journey began with her parents’ family business, and in 2016, she founded Evalogue.Life.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: 

Book: A Child in Berlin: The Poignant Story of Heidi Posnien and Her Mother During the Fall of Germany.- https://posthillpress.com/book/a-child-in-berlin-the-poignant-story-of-heidi-posnien-and-her-mother-during-the-fall-of-germany

A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.

This week: Mitch and Missy sat down with Jared Stacy to discuss his newly released book, Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis.

Jared Stacy is a post-evangelical theologian, ethicist, and former pastor. He received a PhD in moral & practical theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. His research focuses on the intersection of theology and politics.

"Good Faith Weekly" is produced out of Norman, Oklahoma. Music is by Pond5. Learn more at www.GoodFaithMedia.org and @GFMediaOrg

Links: Reality In Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became An American Evangelical Crisis - https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Ruins-Conspiracy-American-Evangelical/dp/0063453754

Birds aren't real? A gen-Z conspiracy theory turned social commentary - https://www.npr.org/2023/12/08/1217391587/birds-arent-real-a-gen-z-conspiracy-theory-turned-social-commentary

Jared Stacy - https://jaredstacy.com/