If you're like most christian folks (current or former), you are likely familiar with the Contemporary Christian Music genre. Music has a power unlike anything else in this world. It can beautifully connect us to something deeper within ourselves. But when it's packaged and marketed for christian consumption and separated from so-called "secular" music, it can also be manipulative, shallow, and not at all about Jesus. Of course, it's not all bad. But this strange christian sub-culture is an odd beast to reckon with.

We are joined by Jamie Kocur, a brilliant singer, songwriter and author. We discuss her book, "My CCM Soundtracked Life." She walks us through her relationship to CCM music and the ways in which it shaped her. We talk about the latest Bethel and Sean Feucht madness and why Michael W. Smith felt it necessary to hold a concert in the middle of a pandemic. We discuss trying to find hope in the midst of what often feels hopeless. We are grateful to have her expertise for this deep dive into christian culture. Listen up!

Most of us have a box our concept of God fits in. If you're like either of us SOS hosts, you grew up in the Evangelical church believing there was one way to follow God. Read your Bible. Pray. Go to church as often as possible. Be a straight, white, male...

At least that would be a safe assumption if you took your cues from the vast majority of church leadership.

We're grateful for this conversation with Minister Mitchell Anderson, a Minister in the United Church. Mitchell has a deep and rich faith, informed by the ferocious love of God and the gentle voice of Jesus he discovered when at his lowest point. We talk about his faith and how its informed by him being both gay and Indigenous. Mitchell beautifully describes a God that is always reforming, is never static, and already at work in the world. Our job isn't to lead, but to join in wherever that work is happening. Even if that means doing so outside our church walls. Listen up!

Dallas and Blair are here to pump...YOU UP! We are joined by Rob Hartman, a fitness enthusiast, football coach, personal trainer, former Pastor, and all around solid dude. He might be the brother-in-law to Dallas, but don't hold that against him. We spend lots of time talking about fitness and the connection between taking care of your body and spirituality. We also discuss his role coaching women's football and upending misogyny in sports.

Rob is an American, so we spend time diving into the differences between Canadian and American culture, from healthcare to gun control. We also talk about getting burned by the church and being burned out by ministry. Rob shares with us his process of deconstruction, how he reads the bible and how his faith has shifted. Join us and have a listen!

Most of us don't know the experience of having to live life trying to be someone we're not. We don't know what it's like to be told that who you are is not acceptable, and the only way to please God is if you change everything about yourself. Our LGBTQ2S+ siblings deal with this all the time. This is the story of someone who discovered himself as God's beloved, just as he is.

The wisdom and grace of Matt Nightingale are pretty unmatched in our world. His vulnerability breaks down your walls and draws you in. We discuss the process of coming into his own as a gay Christian man while still very much loving his wife and children. We also talk about the importance of queer representation and the need for churches to be clear about what they believe.

Matt's one of our favourites! Tune in and check it out.

Remember when John Piper farewell'ed Rob Bell on Twitter? Before cancel culture was cool to make fun of, evangelical gatekeepers perfected the technique by canceling anyone who disagreed with their narrow interpretation of faith. Of course, regardless of what the supposed gatekeepers say, there are different ways to believe and live a life of faith in God. At least we hope so, or we’re screwed...

We're excited to bring you known heretic, Matthew Distefano, for a wide ranging conversation on all the heresy. Among other heretical ideas, we discuss leaving "traditional" beliefs behind, cussing (salty language warning), cannabis, and racial justice...

All this and more in today's episode.

We're kicking off season 3 today with an incredible guest! Stephanie Tait has long been one of our favourite writers and voices. Stephanie joins us for a wide ranging discussion all tied together by how bad theology lies at the heart of so much of what is wrong in our world.

She's developed a healthy theology of suffering, living with 15 years of misdiagnosis until finally learning she had Lyme Disease. We also discuss ableism, and how our world and the church both need to do a better job of caring for the other as opposed to focusing on individual rights. Stephanie also has much wisdom to share around the ongoing Menlo church crisis, as they deal with an absence of spiritual leadership and mismanagement, along with the cover-up of potential abuse and endangering their people (by allowing a predator to be in proximity to vulnerable populations). We also discuss the recent Supreme Court decision allowing certain religious groups to deny coverage for birth control in their medical plans, how it relates to adoption and abortion, and how often the church messes this conversation up.

All this and more! We're pumped to be back.

Dallas and Blair wrap up Season 2 with a deep dive into their current relationship with the church, other Christians, and God, while we try to discern where this podcast is leading us.

Thanks so much to everyone for joining us in Season 2. We'll keep you posted on Season 3 plans on social media. Cheers!

What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Planned Parenthood? Of course, it's abortion. The conversation around Planned Parenthood and abortion in Christian circles has been messy and at times, misinformed. Heck, conversations in Christian circles about sexuality in general are messy and misinformed. Without an agenda, but eager to learn, we set out so speak with someone who could add some nuance to the conversation, and we found the perfect fit for the Shipwreck crew.

Taryn Wahl is an Education Coordinator at Planned Parenthood. She spent much of her early life in church, and understands the intensity of the conversation around pro-life vs. pro-choice. We discuss what those terms actually mean. She tells us about her work as an educator and her belief in the importance of being sex positive, taking out the shame that purity culture has ingrained on us.

Imagine growing up hearing the church tell you that being straight is unnatural. Or that giving birth to children is wrong. Maybe they say that being left handed is an abomination. Imagine a key piece of who you are and who you were made to be, which you have no control over, being feared and despised by your faith community. To top that off, they tell you God feels the same way. Heartbreaking, right? This is a sad reality for many LGBTQ+ christians. Fortunately, some are refusing to be separated from God's love, ignoring the self-appointed gatekeepers who would tell them otherwise.

On today's episode, we were grateful and honoured to speak with the wonderful Kevin Garcia. We discuss using right pronouns, the gay agenda (spoiler: it involves brunch), being genderqueer in the church, the connection between sex and spirituality, why we feel so much shame and believing in the love of God. What a gift Kevin is!

All that and more! Listen up.

Where is God in the crisis? In the evil? Where does prayer fit into this conversation? People cry out to God every day, wondering where God is and why they don't intervene. The answers found in church are often trite cliches with little merit or substance, and certainly with little benefit to the pain right in front of us. You've heard them before...

"God is in control"

"Everything happens for a reason"

"God's ways are not our ways"

We invited Thomas Jay Oord to the Pod, where we brush off the cliches and explore a new way of seeing things in which God's love of everyone and everything means God CAN'T control everything. God's love means freedom. It's a challenging idea that is contrary to so much of what we've been taught about God. We talk about this and so much more. Listen up!