More Than This

For as much as people say that the bible talks about money and wealth, Christians have very different takes on these topics. From ascetic types who take vows of poverty to pastors asking for private jets, Christians can hold very different views. Add to this the fact that Americans are intensely private about money, and it makes for a very fun discussion.

Fans of the theologian Aquinas rejoice, because we are talking about natural law! You may have encountered natural law without knowing it - a lot of arguments about “normal” human motivations and relationships are based in natural law. We’re calling it An Unnatural Conversation because we are far from experts in this area.

Work... almost everyone you know does it or has done it in the past. But we don't often think about what work is for or why we do it. We talk about all of that on this episode.

Have you ever thought about why it is that we walk around in bodies? What are bodies for, and what do they tell us about the purpose of living? In this episode called Let’s Get Physical, we talk about what faith might say that is redemptive about our bodies. (This is Part 2 of our conversation about bodies).

This episode is about purity culture, a movement in Evangelicalism that had its heyday in the 80s and 90s. We’re calling this episode Help a Brother Out, based on the purity culture notion that women had to help poor hapless men from sexual impurity by wearing modest clothing. We try to give purity culture a fair hearing! (This is Part 1 of our conversation about bodies)

In the 21st century, few things divide people regarding religion more than the idea and practice of missions - sending folks to other parts of the map in the name of their religion. Dave is joined by Brooke Christensen, cultural scholar and former missionary , to talk about how Western missions can be saved (pun fully intended). Enjoy!

It seems like most people in America believe in some version of heaven, especially when someone they know dies. However, what does the average Christian in America believe heaven to be like? It may be more influenced by cartoons than by Scripture. This week, we talk about popular beliefs about heaven and what we’ve found in scripture about it.

What do we do with people and groups that we consider "other?" In this episode, we talk a bit about identity and how to we establish who's different than us. Also, we talk about how direct experience of groups we once held at arms-length can reform our views. 

This episode was recorded last year, but it's unfortunately more relevant than ever. We talk about our tendency in the US to respond to difference with outrage and to look for reasons to be outraged. What might be some of the legitimate reasons for outrage for Christians? 

Author Courtney Ellis joins us this week to talk about loneliness in parenting. It feels like parenting can be a lonely proposition in the US, particularly when you're raising young kids. We talk about this phenomenon and some ways we can foster connections with people raising young children.

Courtney Ellis writes and blogs at CourtneyBEllis.com. Pastor, speaker, and author of Almost Holy Mama: Life-Giving Spiritual Practices for Weary Parents, she lives with her husband and three littles in southern California. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.