Growing Up Christian

This week we’re pleased to welcome back writer and host of the Tell Me About Your Father podcast, Matt Phillp! In this episode we cover a broad range of topics like cringe youth group object lessons, the absurd difference between America’s self-concept and what it looks like from the outside, the symbolic importance of wheat in film, and the morality and necessity of the Oxford comma. It’s a fun conversation, and we hope you enjoy it. Follow Matt on Instagram, X, and Bluesky (@mattphillp), and check out Tell Me About Your Father wherever you listen to podcasts!

This week discussion seems to revolve around death… Personal loss, remembrance, sentimental attachments, and lastly, a Special Forces operator named John “Shrek” McPhee. Known as “the Sheriff of Bagdad,” John McPhee served as a Delta Force sniper among other things in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and now he teaches combat training. He came to our attention because he’s been playing the podcast circuit lately, and his gruff, sarcastic, matter-of-fact descriptions of killing are kind of shocking. We take a look at some clips from his recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast and discuss the implications and aftereffects of war. Kind of a weird one, this week, but we hope you enjoy it!

This week we’re joined by Jeremiah to discuss the colorful cast of characters being appointed to the highest offices in the land! It’s traditionally known as a cabinet, but I think this is more of a pantry given the number of rotten potatoes inside (that’s my joke and you need to cite me if you use it. I will press charges.). As always, if you’d like to get in on the fun, join our Discord server! You can find a link in our Instagram bio.

This week we’re pleased as heck to welcome back activist, documentarian, and internet provocateur Charles McBryde! Since we last spoke, Charles has been working diligently on a documentary about the plight of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (better known as UNRWA). Back in March of this year, the US and several other nations cut funding for the organization after Israel accused 12 UNWRA staffers of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attacks. The organization plays a critical role in caring for around 7 million Palestinians living throughout the region. They provide humanitarian aid, healthcare services, education, job opportunities, etc. to an extremely vulnerable group of people, but the loss of funding has crippled UNRWA. Although several nations have lifted the funding ban, the US will not have the opportunity to change its stance until March of 2025. Charles and his team are working hard to complete their documentary titled “Lifeline to Palestine” in part or in full before that time, and they could use our help! Go to https://ko-fi.com/charlesmcbryde/goal?g=5to donate to the effort, and visit https://linktr.ee/CharlesMcBrydefor links to all of Charles’ pages, including his Substack: Refuse Dystopia!

This week (and what a week it’s been) we got together to discuss the election, how we got here, and the absurdities of American politics. If you want to pipe in on the discussion you can join our Discord using the link in our Instagram bio.

*Intro clip by the great Tim Dillon from episode 304 of his show “What America Means to Me.”

This week we’re joined by Drew and Grant of Twinnuendo, a 50% gay podcast about two brothers reuniting after 20 years of living worlds apart! Drew is a drag queen living in LA with his husband and dog, while Grant is a former pastor raising 4 kids with his wife in Florida. The two of them reconnected after Grant’s turbulent exit from the church about a year and a half ago, and their show is all about sharing each of their perspectives on their childhood, as well as the fundamentally different worlds in which they currently live. These guys are sharp, witty, and very funny, and we had a great time talking to them. You can follow them on Instagram (@darbylynncartwright; @donttalktogrant; @twinnuendo), find Twinnuendo on the IMHO: The Show youtube channel (www.youtube.com/IMHOTheShow) or wherever you listen to podcasts!

This week, Jeremiah joins us to debrief on Sam’s rollercoaster weekend in Las Vegas at the When We Were Young Festival! If you haven’t heard of WWWY, take a look at the lineup. It’s insane. Over the course of a couple days, Sam fell in love with the timeless beauty of the Vegas strip. Join us as he imparts the valuable life lessons he learned during his weekend in that sleezy human terrarium, and have a great week!

This week we’re excited to welcome back musician, former pastor, and our friend, Ben Sooy! We discuss Ben’s vision for a less coercive and predatory music industry, some of the struggles facing up-and-coming artists and musicians, his experience playing with Christian rock legends Switchfoot, long nighttime chats with Sam over carcinogens, and the most despicable bird in the animal kingdom. Ben has a phenomenal band called A Place for Owls, and they have a new album dropping in November! For info and links to their socials, visit www.aplaceforowls.com!

This week we’re chatting the accelerated aging cycle of Goodwill stores, the looming disaster that is the presidential election, a Wisconsin pastor with idle hands and a Net Nanny skeleton key, and finally we’re dusting off an old prophesy trick that I’ll bet you’ve used yourself in the past. Enjoy the show!

This week we’re happy to welcome back author, activist, and Christian thought leader Shane Claiborne! Shane is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, a non-profit serving people in some of the poorest communities in Philadelphia, as well as Red Letter Christians, an organization that promotes a progressive Biblical view on issues such as social justice, nonviolence, and human rights. Our previous episode with Shane focused on the culture of gun violence in America, but he joins us this week to discuss the principles of nonviolence, the triviality and horrific realities of war, dehumanization, and the ways in which American Christianity has perverted a Biblical perspective on conflict. We really appreciate Shane’s commitment to these principles and the good work that he’s done over the course of his career. For more information and links to his socials, visit www.shaneclaiborne.com!