Homebrewed Culture Cast

In this week’s episode, Christian and Amy are exploring some questions about church and get a little help from some friends.

Topics and themes discussed: intersectionality, that is, the overlap of the labels we use for people, how differentiation and the safety that brings plays out in the church today, the ingredients for dehumanization present in the church, and the curiosity of church for those in a post-church culture.

Plus, holding the tension of difference and the cohesion of community, the symbol of the table, the frustration of trying to include people you disagree with, redeeming the loving mother image of God, and Amy shares some big news.

Don’t miss the CultureCast live in Chicago on Wednesday, April 18th. Click here for more information and tickets.

You can help support the CultureCast (and get some sweet perks) by going to patreon.com/culturecast

This week’s theme is wrestling with resurrection, transformation, the ways people are changing the world and when our best intentions go awry.

Amy talks about how she was considering leaving the church and Christianity completely, the ways in which she has changed over the past year, and how resurrection has manifested in her life. Christian talks about resurrection as transformation from potential to actuality, his resurrection agnosticism, and how our wounds can be the site of transformation. They also discuss the response from the students in Parkland, Florida, and the historical parallels to this movement.

Later, Christian interviews Jamie Wright, best known for her blog-turned-book, The Very Worst Missionary, which comes out today! Christian and Jamie talk about how they met, the crazy process of writing a book, about growing up in an atheist and agnostic family and how she ended up going to a synagogue, about wanting to be someone else and finding her identity in Christianity, and what happened when she dissented in her women’s small group.

Jamie also talks about her time as a missionary, the experience of moving to Costa Rica with her family, the decision to be honest about missions work and how hungry many Christians are for people to speak truthfully and honestly about reality. Plus, the top 5 reasons Christian missions suck.

Last, but not least, Recommendations and Fear of the Week are back, and Christian and Amy help us avoid some of the worst words of consolation, support, or advice that we give as people of faith.

You can help support the CultureCast (and score some sweet stuff) by going to patreon.com/culturecast.

It’s Holy Week, and the CultureCast is here to help you survive Easter.

John 20:1-18 | Amy shares the Easter message she would preach, the calling out of Mary’s name and the importance of the act of naming, the significance of Jesus the gardener, opening ourselves to truth, being broken open by suffering, what we’ve missed about the resurrection, and how it relates to Genesis 3.

Luke 24:1-12 | Christian talks about what Jesus had to die to before engaging and, ultimately, transcending the cross. He quotes noted atheist Penn Jillette and explains what modern science has to reveal to us about resurrection. Finally, he connects resurrection back to Genesis and talks about why the women were the right ones to witness Jesus’ death and resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 | Tripp shares his frustration with this passage and how this (and others) are used to kick people out for not ‘believing’ the correct thing, the invitation to be resurrected, the urgency of the message, and can you believe God really does anything?

Acts 10:34-43 | Tripp tries to convince Amy that this is the text she should preach on Easter, the resurrection as the rupture of Peter’s understanding of the gospel, how the proper affirmation of the resurrection removes the barriers to our embodied existence, and being witnesses to transformation.

Plus, Christ is risen, he is risen indeed? Who are our Easter services for?

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

This week on the CultureCast: the Triumphal Entry versus the Annunciation. Christian tries to convince Amy and Tripp that they should preach on the Annunciation texts, and not the triumphal entry, by showing how they’re connected.

In Isaiah 7:10-14, Christian tells us about the scandal of particularity, and being participants in Easter without making it about us. Then Tripp and Amy turn to the triumphal entry in Mark 11:1-11 and how we’ve lost the significance of Palm Sunday, the messianic secret and the turn towards Jerusalem, the contrast between Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the Roman Army’s entry before Passover, the real threat Jesus poses, and the conflict of two different types of power.

Plus, how throwing a party that celebrates our ignorance is good news, David and Goliath as the opening match for Jesus and Pilate, the power at play in re-reading a text, and the anxiety surrounding our own agency and the possibility of transformation.

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

This week on the CultureCast we continue with highlights from the Surviving the Bible for Lent course. Tripp gives you your Bible-nerd fact of the day, you’ll hear about why David is like the Harvey Weinstein of the Hebrew Bible, what Mandy Moore has to do with the Psalms, and our avoidance of suffering.

First up, Jeremiah 31:31-34. Tripp once again gives you many options for preaching this text: who has access to God in the new covenant? the tension between institutions and movements, the democratization of God, the deep political divisions latent in the passage, and how new life is stymied by needing to be right in that divide.

In the Psalm (51:1-12) we see David’s internal struggle and our uncomfortability with God using someone like David for something good. For Hebrews 5:5-10, Tripp helps explain how the text can short-circuit latent penal-substitutionary atonement interpretations by noticing what it doesn’t say, how Jesus’ faithfulness helps re-frame our understanding of sin and salvation, and how Jesus changes the job description of high priest.

Lastly, in John 12:20-33, Christian and Amy talk about our inability to recognize the truth right in front of us, the requirements of transformation, what is truly necessary to be born again, and hurting for the right reasons. Plus, Amy gives some advice and reasons for engaging in contemplative practices.

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

This week on the CultureCast, you’ll hear about snakes on a stick (Numbers 21:4-9), Eddie Izzard, and Princess Leia. Christian and Amy are joined once again by Tripp Fuller to talk about some of the problems of reading this passage literally, the role this text plays in the relationship between God and Israel, those wilderness times in our lives, and what this has to do with a cake or death decision.

They’ll also tackle the most one of the most significant verses in the whole bible: John 3:16. Plus those other ones nearby: John 3:14-21. Why do we so often lift this passage out of context and use it as a test of faith? How can we avoid using this text to harass people? Plus the way John connects the cross with the snake in numbers.

Lastly, Ephesians 2:1-10. What is the difference between grace and mercy? Do we often miss the really radical part of grace? How does this text help us shift our economic understandings of how grace and mercy work?

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

If you want to join the Surviving the Bible for Lent group, it’s not too late!

Sure, we all know Bible verses and may have even tried to read the “whole Bible,” maybe even more than once. But it can be confusing, contradictory and – if we’re being honest – really freaking boring in places. But there’s another way to approach scripture that can actually make sense, and might even be enjoyable.

Join the CultureCast’s Amy and Christian Piatt, along with Tripp, in figuring out how to “Survive the Bible” together this Lent.

This edition of the CultureCast is from the second live session of Surviving the Bible for Lent, with Tripp Fuller and Christian and Amy. They take a look at the texts for the second Sunday in Lent (Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22). Tripp gives you 3 different sermons you can preach for Lent using this text, Amy helps us find our true selves, and Christian helps us see the Good News, but difficult news, of Lent.

Plus, the importance of giving up the rules, our identities, our titles – anything we’ve created that we’re attached to, the completeness of God’s law in the Psalm, and the transrational nature of the crucifixion.

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

If you want to join the Surviving the Bible for Lent group, it’s not too late!

Sure, we all know Bible verses and may have even tried to read the “whole Bible,” maybe even more than once. But it can be confusing, contradictory and – if we’re being honest – really freaking boring in places. But there’s another way to approach scripture that can actually make sense, and might even be enjoyable.

Join the CultureCast’s Amy and Christian Piatt, along with Tripp, in figuring out how to “Survive the Bible” together this Lent.

We just passed 15% of our monthly goal! Thanks to everyone who helps to support the CultureCast. You can help us reach our goal, support the podcast, and get some sweet perks by donating at patreon.com/culturecast

This special edition of the CultureCast is from the first live session of Surviving the Bible for Lent, with Homebrewed Christianity’s Tripp Fuller. Tripp, Christian, and Amy take a look at the texts for the second Sunday in Lent (Mark 8:31-38; Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25) plus a brief look at last week’s texts. They talk about the Transfiguration, Peter as object lesson, the willing surrender of control, and Christus Victor.

They also cover the ways these texts have been used to justify suffering, oppression, and abuse, the covenant between God and Abraham, the genesis of the Genesis passage, how the mistranslation of one of the proper names of God radically changes our understanding of the passage, and the importance of the maternal lineage and parental role of God in these passages.

Plus everyone wrestles with Paul about the difference between Law and Covenant

And don’t forget you can enter to win some sweet new bibles from our friends at the Common English Bible.

If you want to join the Surviving the Bible for Lent group, it’s not too late!

Sure, we all know Bible verses and may have even tried to read the “whole Bible,” maybe even more than once. But it can be confusing, contradictory and – if we’re being honest – really freaking boring in places. But there’s another way to approach scripture that can actually make sense, and might even be enjoyable.

Join the CultureCast’s Amy and Christian Piatt, along with Tripp, in figuring out how to “Survive the Bible” together this Lent.

In this episode, all the way from Hawaii, Christian and Amy talk about the Christian obsession with sex and fear.

Christian interviews Benjamin Corey about his new book Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith, and his move from fundamentalist Christianity into something else. Hear about why writing this book was a big challenge for him, the major shifts that occurred while writing, the experience of losing community overnight, his period of theological deconstruction and how a conversation with Rob Bell sparked it.

Plus, how our views about God inform our views about ourselves and Benjamin tells the story of meeting Joe Biden with his Dad. You can check out Benjamin’s blog here.

It’s not too late to sign up for Surviving the Bible for Lent! Sure, we all know Bible verses and may have even tried to read the “whole Bible,” maybe even more than once. But it can be confusing, contradictory and – if we’re being honest – really freaking boring in places. But there’s another way to approach scripture that can actually make sense, and might even be enjoyable.

Join Amy, Christian, and Homebrewed Christianity’s Tripp Fuller in figuring out how to “Survive the Bible” together this Lent.

If you’d like to get your question answered on the show, get a copy of Christian’s book Surviving the Bible, plus a bunch of other sweet perks, become a member at patreon.com/culturecast.

Tripp Fuller, from the Homebrewed Christianity podcast, join Amy and Christian to extend a warm invitation to join the Surviving the Bible for Lent community.

For a lot of us these texts have been used as weapons, experienced as burdens, so let’s acknowledge that together and discover what it looks like to survive the bible today. If you’re interested in thinking about scripture in a new and different way, this is the group for you.

Amy, Christian and Tripp will answer your questions about the bible (or how to survive reading the Bible) every Monday through Friday throughout Lent. Once a week, all three will do a live video talking about the lectionary texts for that week. Plus, you’ll also have access to a community of people where you can connect with others who have similar ideas and questions. 

One of the unique aspects of this group is that the responses and questions are happening in real time, not something pre-packaged and devoid of context. The video reflections and live streams will not just be answering your questions about reading the Bible, but will be addressing and engaging what’s going on in world politically, culturally, religiously, etc.

So go to survivingthebible.club and join today.