Origami Elephants

Bryne and JR. welcome author and professor Tripp York to discuss the recent death of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo. Bringing insights from his book THE END OF CAPTIVITY to bear, Tripp invites us to consider the very nature of zoos - and the animal kingdom.

Origami Elephants returns after an extended hiatus! Maybe it's Bryne's new baby, but we've been thinking about Zika, and the implications the virus has for questions of human existence. Listen up as we debate life, death and everything in between.

Bryne and JR. recap some of our favorite films of a very good year, then dive into a couple that signal a shift in how we are telling stories as a culture. The Big Short, Sicario and Netflix' Making a Murderer demonstrate an important shift away from the traditional virtue narrative Americans like so much toward more complicated, complex and honest storytelling. We evaluate this shift, and why we are so excited for it.

In the wake of protests at Mizzou and Yale, Bryne and JR. investigate how protests make invisible persons visible, and explore how those in power ought to respond.

Bryne walks JR. through her recent lessons on privilege. They discuss Playboy's surprising announcement and then move into a conversation about Amnesty: International's controversial decision to support decriminalized prostitution worldwide.

Bryne and JR. wonder whether Evangelicals can proselytize in ways that respect the Other. Along we way, we investigate why we often struggle with the silence of God.

Bryne and JR. welcome Clay Morgan of the StoryMen podcast to help us sift through the legal ramifications of some recent Supreme Court cases. We investigate the federal ruling on same sex marriage as well as the Oklahoma ruling to remove the 10 Commandments monument from the State Capitol grounds.

Bryne and JR. welcome blogger and activist Grace Sandra to reflect on the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and the strange case of Rachel Dolezal pretending to be black. We investigate what race is, how it's similar to and different from gender, and how these comprise our identity.

Bryne and JR. investigate the recent spate of scandals in the Evangelical world concerning sexual abuse. From the Duggars to Tony Jones to the Village Church, we ask why religions tend to blame victims and what our response should look like.

Bryne and JR. welcome Rachel Stine and Evie Allport to discuss gender issues in recent comic works. We focus specifically on AGE OF ULTRON's Black Widow problem and the criticisms of MARVEL's new A-Force comic.