Irenicast - A Progressive Christian Podcast

In this interview, Mona talks to Nathan, who self-identifies as a gay, queer, Catholic divinity student. Nathan shares their story about being a part of the community of genderqueer people of faith and not fitting into a gender binary - including gender performance, coming out, internalized homophobia, and what faith and the belief in the Image of God has meant for their life. They discuss ways to the church can be more responsive and loving toward trans and genderqueer people.

RELEVANT LINKS

• Organization: I Am From Drift Wood - From their About page, "I'm From Driftwood aims to help LGBTQ people learn more about their community, straight people learn more about their neighbors and everyone learn more about themselves through the power of storytelling and story sharing. Increasing empathy and empowering individuals is accomplished by creating an apolitical forum for LGBTQ stories from every age, race, gender, background and culture. The stories deepen our understanding of each other, preserve history, and open hearts and minds."
• Blog: A Safe Space for Queer Christians - From their About page, "This blog seeks to be a safe space for queer Christians, at all stages in their faith and regardless of sexuality/gender identity. A place to accept, but also to encourage. And to provide resources of all forms, from sermons promoting equality to articles taking you down the finer points of Biblical translation. We don't have all the answers, nor do we claim to have them, but we're here to support, to accept, and to remind you that God is love. Feel free to message with questions, concerns, or just to share your story."
• Personality: Andrea Gibson
• Book - Amazon Affiliate Link: Pastrix - The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber
• Organization: Metropolitan Community Church - Resources on Queer Christianity. From their About page, "Since its founding in 1968, MCC has been at the vanguard of civil and human rights movements by addressing important issues such as racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, and other forms of oppression. MCC has been on the forefront in the struggle towards marriage equality in the US and other countries worldwide and continues to be a powerful voice in the LGBT equality movement."

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Kicking off a four part series on gender and sexuality, the team begins with an in-depth discussion on gender roles and binaries, and sexism in the church and society. They talk about why we might need to revise our thinking on legacies, and maybe, just maybe, why we might need to move past the binary view of gender altogether. They conclude the episode with a ridiculous game of Would You Rather that includes a brief foray into the benefits of time travel, polka music and heavy breathing.

Host Check In (00:21)

Discussion on Gender Roles and Binaries (05:41)

Would You Rather (48:22)

RELEVANT LINKS

Gender Roles and Binaries Discussion

• An Irenicon Blog Post: The Baby Makin', Prone-to-Evil, "Other" Gender: Woman by Allen O'Brien ... tracing Aristotle's thoughts on gender and their impact upon church history through Thomas Aquinas and the witch hunts of the Middle Ages.
• Organization: BanBossy.com - When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a "leader." Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded "bossy." Words like bossy send a message: don't raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead.
• Reading List: Getting to Know Feminist Theology: An Introduction and Reading List
• Book - Amazon Affiliate Link: A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilbur … Jeff refers to the first couple chapters of this book where an argument is made that certain gender roles came from need and over time turned to hierarchy.
• Biblical Commentary: The Pastoral Epistles (The New International Greek Testament Commentary) by George W. Knight III … Specifically the commentary on the book of Titus.
• Book - Amazon Affiliate Link: Radical Love: Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick Cheng

Would You Rather Segment

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Nuclear Weapons (HBO)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Entering their tenth episode, the Irenicast team celebrates with a not-so-rapid-fire round of listener generated topics. They talk about everything from hell, virginity, and tithing, to breakfast cereals, music, and toiletries. Following their responses to listener feedback they oblige the call for more IreniHacks!

Host Check In (00:23)

Listener Feedback (06:33)

IreniHacks! Returns (1:00:03)

RELEVANT LINKS

Listener Feedback Questions

• From Listener Nicholas Quient, host of Split Frame of Reference - "what 'is' hell/eternal punishment?" and "the question of Pauline authorship and authority"
  • Book - Amazon Affiliate Link: Love Wins by Rob Bell
  • Ancient Text: Acts of Paul and Thecla

• From Facebook Listeners
  • David - "The awkward marriage of American Evangelicals to the GOP and the contradiction between values on both sides."
  • Ceasar from FB - " I like what David said, especially as it concerns the lower class."
  • Justin from FB - "What David said. Alternatively, how religious activism in politics works in theory vs reality."
    • Speech: "Evil Empire" by President Reagan - Address to the National Association of Evangelicals
    • Book - Amazon Affiliate Link: The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted by Obery Hendricks

• Facebook Listener Steve - "Gospel Coalition: Fundamentalism 2.0?"
  • Organization: The Gospel Coalition

• Facebook Listener Chadáe - "The double standard of modesty"
  • Blog Post: Modesty - I Don't Think it Means What You Think it Means by Rachel Held Evans
  • Article: 'Dad Bod' Is a Sexist Atrocity by Brian Moylan

• Facebook Listener Hank - "virginity. sexual repression and patriarchal or spiritual need/desire?"
  • Blog Post: Twenty Vile Quotes Against Women By Church Leaders from St. Augustine to Pat Robertson by Valerie Tarico

• Facebook Listener Kyle - "Since none of these questions seem to actually be something that can be discussed rapidly I'll throw one in, the theological implications of an ahistorical Genesis (or at least the first 11 chapters), i.e. no historical Adam and Eve, no Fall, etc."
  • Irenicast Episode: 003 EVILution – Reconciling Scripture with Science

• Anonymous Listener - "What bands have you been listening to lately"
  • Jeff: Alabama Shakes
  • Allen: El 10 11, Ratatat, Eluvium, Tycho, Glass Animals, Modest Mouse
  • Mona: DeVotchka, Everything Everything, Walk the Moon, The Local Natives, Laura Marling, Ben Howard, Asgier

IreniHacks! Links

• Mona: Phone Amplification, Bell Hooks Text Line: 669-221-6251
• Jeff: Pepper Drill, Heating Pads for Food Warming, Door Knob Rubber Band
• Allen: OverDrive App

THANK YOU

A special thank you for the use of Endlings by The Well Pennies. The song was used as our transition music for this episode. Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and check out their music on iTunes!

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

To break up the pattern of heavier topics, this week Jeff, Mona & Allen have a discussion on mindfulness. The team shares their experiences and frustrations with trying to remain present in the midst of loaded schedules, unlimited distractions and nagging insecurities. The conversation is followed by a game of 20… uh, 10 Questions.

Host Check In (00:25)

Conversation on Mindfulness (07:48)

Questions (50:34)

RELEVANT LINKS

• The Art of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• What Happens to the Brain When You Meditate (And How it Benefits You) (article)
• The Scientific Power of Meditation (YouTube Video)
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Dialogues with Silence: Prayers & Drawings by Thomas Merton (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Joan Chittister (nun, theologian)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon Email Us at [email protected] Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+ Like Us on Facebook Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

In this bonus episode we continue the conversation on racism and dialogue. Mona interviews Mariama White-Hammond, a community organizer and minister in Boston. Mariama shares insights from her personal experiences and her understandings on issues of racism in context of greater US society and civil rights history. Mona and Mariama engage in a heartfelt conversation about what it might mean to live and dialogue in fearless, interconnected ways.

HELPFUL LINKS FROM MARIAMA

• Check out and support Project Hip-Hop (organization)
• Dear White Facebook Friends: I Need You to Respect What Black America is Feeling Right Now by Julia Blount (article)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Never ones to shy away from a difficult topic, this week the hosts enter into an important discussion on racism and dialogue used in conversations about race. The conversation opens up into an honest look at the history and realities of racism, and ways in which we are all complicit in systems of inequality. After exploring such complexities, Jeff, Mona and Allen shift into a lighter conversation about IreniHacks!, their favorite life-hacks.

Host Check In (00:25)

Discussion on Racism (06:37)

IreniHacks! (49:04)

RELEVANT LINKS

Helpful Links from Our Discussion on Race

• City Officials, Police Officers Quit After Mo. Voters Elect First Female Black Mayor by Linsey Bever (article)
• Joe vs Jose (YouTube Video)
• Study Examines Racial Bias at Crosswalks (article)
• The Neuroscience of Race – Is Racism Inbuilt? (article)
• PBS - RACE: The Power of an Illusion (reference link)
• Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Megyn Kelly Defends Her Santa Comments, Attacks Critics For 'Race Baiting' (YouTube Video)
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh (article)
• The Guardian - Everyday Racism: What Should We Do? (YouTube Video)
• The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)

Links for Our Ireni-Hacks!

• Wire/Cable Management
• Blowhard 5000 (Courtesy of the great Alton Brown)
• Soda Tabs & Hangers
• Seal Plastic Cereal Bags With Old Bottle Tops

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Do humans have souls? Getting meta this week, the team talks about the nature of human nature, whether we have free will, how to think about souls, and how religion, philosophy and science can shape our understandings of these mysteries. Hilarity ensues when Jeff, Mona and Allen play a game called Judging A Book By Its Cover.

Host Check In (00:24)

Discussion On the Soul (06:49)

Judging A Book By Its Cover (49:49)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon Email Us at [email protected] Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+ Like Us on Facebook Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Jeff, Mona, & Allen tackle all things religious and free. This week, that happens to be Indiana's widely disputed SB 101 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. They follow up the discussion with Say What?!, a segment involving speaking before thinking… as if their podcast didn't have enough of that already.

Host Check In (00:22)

Religious Freedom Discussion (06:30)

Say What?! (48:07)

RELEVANT LINKS

• Opinion: Indiana Didn't Actually Pass an Anti-Gay Bill by Brett Arends (article)
• Definitive List of 2014's Attacks on Christianity by Allen (An Irenicon Blog Post)
• Nanner Puss Video (YouTube Video)
• My Hands Are Bananas (YouTube Video)

CORRECTIONS

In episode #005, All-Consuming Buyer Mona said UNICEF but should have said Unilever.

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon

Email Us at [email protected]

Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+

Like Us on Facebook

Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

This week on Irenicast Jeff, Mona & Allen discuss the good, bad, and ugly about living in a consumer culture. Then, like good little consumers, they weigh in on favorite movies, what their celebrity couple name would be, and the meaning of the word "awesomeful."

Host Check-In (00:22)

Consumerism Discussion (05:21)

Getting to Know Your Hosts (48:47)

RELEVANT LINKS

• What If Shopping Malls Are Really Sanctuaries? by Allen (An Irenicon Blog Post)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon Email Us at [email protected] Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+ Like Us on Facebook Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback

Hipsters, the Bible and Batman this week on Irenicast. The team gets into a deep discussion of the nature of Biblical texts, what interpretation means, and how to treat ancient sacred texts with respect. Also, Mona and Allen play a round of Missing Link, while Jeff plays an entirely different game.

Host Check-In (00:22)

Biblical Texts Discussion (08:10)

Missing Link (50:54)

RELEVANT LINKS

• The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It by Peter Enns (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• The Last Word by N.T. Wright (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Plowshares & Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic by Brent Sandy (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Wisdom Ways: Introducing Feminist Biblical Interpretation by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Democratizing Biblical Studies: Toward an Emancipatory Educational Space by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Battered Love (Overtures to Biblical Theology) by Renita Weems (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music. Check out his band Soulwise.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Thank you for supporting the podcast! Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show. If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon Email Us at [email protected] Follow Us on Twitter or on Google+ Like Us on Facebook Love Us

You can also send us a Voice Message at irenicast.com/feedback