The Armchair Philosopher

A lost episode has been found!

In our final episode of Season 5, Marie D’Elephant joins me to discuss her story of challenging and then leaving her faith. She is one of the hosts of the Everyone’s Agnostic podcast (which is on an indefinite hiatus, but there is a wealth of episodes to listen to), and Marie has just started up a spin off show called Everyone’s Autonomous.

From the Facebook Page:

The Everyone’s Agnostic Podcast began the summer of 2014 by Cass Midgley and Bob Pondillo. In November 2018, Marie D’Elephant replaced Bob as co-host. Starting November 2019, Cass decided to close down the Everyone’s Agnostic podcast to prioritize other life callings.

Marie D’Elephant picks up the torch and continues the conversations that Cass started. While his podcast’s goal was to reassure others that they are not alone, Everyone’s Autonomous seeks to turn minds to the present and the future. If there is no god dictating our actions, how then shall we live? Do we have agency over our decisions? What does it mean, then, that every human on this earth is autonomous? How do we reclaim our autonomy over our minds, our sexuality, our finances, our relationships and so much more?

Looks like I’ll just have to have Marie on the show once more.

On the season finale of Season 5, I’m honored to have Jennifer Knapp as a guest! We discuss her faith journey as well as her music. We also discuss Inside Out Faith, a non-profit Jennifer created to actively engage faith communities in order to educate, affirm and foster support of LGBTQ persons and their allies.

About Jennifer Knapp:

Jennifer Knapp is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, author, and advocate. Her impressive history includes selling over one million albums with her first three releases Kansas(debut 1998, Gold-certified), Lay It Down(2000), and The Way I Am(2001). She has earned four Dove Awards and two Grammy nominations. The Kansas-born musician has toured the globe with artists such as Jars of Clay and was featured on the Lilith Fair Tour in 1999 and again in 2010. Knapp has received critical acclaim for her human approach to the divine, with The Los Angeles Times calling her “a rising star” and People Magazine describing her as “an uncommonly literate songwriter.”

With a considerable fan base and critical and commercial successes, Knapp walked away from music in 2002 at the height of her career. After a seven-year hiatus she returned in 2010 with a renewed passion for music showcased in her album Letting Go, which debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 200 Chart. Set Me Free followed in 2014 on Righteous Babe Records in conjunction with a memoir, Facing the Music: My Story, published by Simon & Schuster. Her 2017 album Love Comes Back Around, produced by Viktor Krauss, pairs her fearless songwriting and strong, expressive voice with rootsy arrangements.

As the first major artist known by the Christian music world to speak openly about LGBTQ identity, her unique position has created opportunities for a national dialogue, including appearances on Larry King Live and on the TEDx stage. In 2012 Knapp founded the advocacy non-profit organization, Inside Out Faith.

A true Renaissance woman, Knapp recently completed a master’s degree in theological studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* Music by Jennifer Knapp used by permission.

 

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Many people see the Pro Choice vs. Pro Life debate in simple terms. Sometimes this even affects how people will vote or what political party they align themselves with. Asha Dahya seeks to change this conversation. On this episode we discuss her recently funded docuseries “Life At All Costs: Going Beyond Pro Choice Vs. Pro Life” as well has her personal journey through and out of Evangelicalism.

About Asha Dahya:

Asha is a TV host and blogger. Indian by ethnicity, born in the UK, raised in Australia and now residing in Hollywood, Asha is a true millennial woman. She has hosted shows for Fox, MTV, MSN, Disney, Nickelodeon, TV Guide, and MySpace, and has worked behind the scenes on five seasons of “America’s Next Top Model.” Her most recent venture is the creating and overseeing the women’s empowerment news media site GirlTalkHQ.com. Asha is currently in production on Life At All Costs. You can follow the project over at SeedAndSpark.com.

 

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

 

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

Halloween is upon us! I sit down with Jill Worsley to talk about her podcast At The Fire, hear ghost stories and talk about her experience as the child of a recreational ghost hunter!

About Jill Worsley:

Jill Worsley is the host of the podcast At The Fire along with her husband, Ben.  At The Fire is a storytelling podcast focusing on the strange, weird and paranormal.

At the Fire will bring back the memories of telling scary stories around the campfire. We’ll share stories about anything and everything weird, unusual, and just plain creepy.

Jill also discusses going on ghost hunting adventures with her dad. One of their pictures was featured on Coast To Coast with Greg Noory!

 

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “Ghost Stories” by Sam Haynes from the album Ghost Stories.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

On this episode I sit down with Magister Bill M. of The Church Of Satan. We have a fantastic conversation about his journey and why the philosophies of Satanism have resonated with him.

About Bill M:

Bill M. is a Magister in The Church Of Satan. He also hosts a podcast over at Radio Free Satan called The Devil’s Mischief.

Find Bill’s articles here.

The Church of Satan Film List

To learn more about  The Church Of Satan visit churchofsatan.com.

 

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “Midnight Host” by Sam Haynes from the album Season Of The Witch.

* “Macabre” by Sam Haynes from the album Season Of The Witch.

* “October Moon” by Sam Haynes from the album Pumpkin On Your Stereo.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

On this episode Lisa Gungor joins me to discuss her book The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen and her journey of marriage, kids and viewing faith through a different lens.

About Lisa Gungor:

Lisa Gungor has been scribbling songs since she was seven years old. After studying art in college, she and her husband, Michael, launched the music collective known as Gungor. Lisa lives in Los Angeles with Michael and their two wildly adventuresome girls, Amelie and Lucie.

 

 

Buy Lisa’s book The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen wherever books are sold.

Follow Lisa on Twitter at @lisagungor.

Follow Lisa on Instagram.

Follow Gungor on Twitter at @gungormusic.

Listen to The Liturgist Podcast over at www.theliturgists.com or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Follow Gungor’s work and buy music over at gungormusic.com.

Buy One Wild Life directly from Gungor: LP | CD | DIGITAL: SOUL – SPIRIT – BODY

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “Garland” by Slow Dancing Society from the album The Torchlight Parade vol I.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

Singer/Songwriter John Mark McMillan joins us this week to discuss his faith journey, as well as tribalism, anxiety, doubt and pursuing Jesus no matter where it takes him.

About John Mark McMillan:

John Mark McMillan is something of an anomaly: an artist and Platinum-selling songwriter bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet’s eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it’s McMillan’s ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift. Mercury & Lightning reminds us why we love great songwriters; The exceptional ones find a way to put new words to private musings and desperate feelings until the songs themselves begin to live in our bones.

Follow John Mark McMillan’s work and buy music over at www.johnmarkmcmillan.com.

Follow John Mark McMillan on Twitter at @johnmarkmc.

Buy Mercury & Lightning & merchandise directly from John Mark McMillan.

Listen to Mercury & Lightning: |SPOTIFY|ITUNES|

Listen to The Mercury Sessions: |SPOTIFY|ITUNES|

Listen to The Lightning Sessions: |SPOTIFY|ITUNES|

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* Music from John Mark McMillan used by permission.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

On this episode, Michael Gungor stops by to discuss music, life, faith, ego and deconstruction.

About Michael Gungor:

 

Michael and Lisa Gungor are curators of the Grammy-nominated musical collective simply known as Gungor. The duo uses their skills as accomplished song writers and multi-instrumentalists to tell honest and forthright stories – some personal and some allegorical. Together they’ve tapped their considerable musical reserves to blur genres and break expectations creating a unique magnetic expression.

Gungor is in the midst of their most ambitious endeavor to date called One Wild Life, which is comprised of three full-length albums – Soul, Spirit and Body. On August 7, 2015, they kicked off the album trilogy with One Wild Life: Soul, which debuted as the #15 album on the iTunes Alternative chart. “One Wild Life: Spirit,” released on March 25, 2016. The final piece of the album trilogy concludes with One Wild Life: Body, which released on September 30, 2016. While each record carries with it its own distinct vibe, the album series presents a body of work that celebrates the adventure and challenges faced by Michael and Lisa Gungor since the release of their album I Am Mountain in 2013.

Follow Gungor’s work and buy music over at gungormusic.com.

Listen to The Liturgist Podcast over at www.theliturgists.com or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Follow Michael Gungor on Twitter at @michaelgungor.

Follow Lisa Gungor on Twitter at @lisagungor.

Follow Gungor on Twitter at @gungormusic.

Buy One Wild Life directly from Gungor: LP | CD | DIGITAL: SOUL – SPIRIT – BODY

 

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “Garland” by Slow Dancing Society from the album The Torchlight Parade vol I.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

This week my old friend Josiah Hesse drops by to talk about his new book Carnality: Sebastian Phoenix and the Dark Star out now on Suspect Press. We discuss his Carnality series, atheism, Evangelicalism, Christian music, the Exvangelical movement and a whole lot more.

About Josiah Hesse:

Josiah is a freelance journalist in Denver, Colorado. He writes about politics, marijuana and evangelical culture and theology, and is a regular contributor to the Guardian and Vice. He’s also had bylines in Politico, High Times, and The Denver Post, and is the senior editor of the Denver arts and literature magazine Suspect Press.

An Iowa native and leading authority on 90s Christian rock, Josiah released his debut novel Carnality: Dancing On Red Lake in 2015. A psychological horror about growing up in an isolated farming community fueled by pentecostal Christianity and methamphetamine, the book was hailed as “one of the finest novels to come out of Denver’s burgeoning arts scene.”

Josiah is currently promoting his next installment Carnality: Sebastian Phoenix and the Dark Star, which was written in part at Owl Farm in Woody Creek, Colorado – the longtime home of Hunter S. Thompson.

Follow Josiah’s work and buy his books over at josiahhesse.com.

Follow Josiah on Twitter at @JosiahMHesse.

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “The Fishy Song” by Philmore from their 2000 self-titled album.

* “Garland” by Slow Dancing Society from the album The Torchlight Parade vol II.

* “Monroe” by Slow Dancing Society from the album The Torchlight Parade vol II.

* “Davenport” by Slow Dancing Society from the album The Torchlight Parade vol II.

* “We Danced as The Evening Sky Faded to Black” by Slow Dancing Society from the album V (EP Outtakes & Demos).

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx

This week we wrap up (for now) the LGBTQ+ Conversations with an exploration of gender. I am joined by Alex Iantaffi to discuss his journey as well as the research behind understanding gender identity.

About Alex Iantaffi:

Alex Iantaffi, PhD, MS, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, supervisor, sex therapist, scholar and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy. He co-founder of Edges Wellness Center LLC, a collective of mental health practitioners in South Minneapolis and is also adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Alex is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists, and a clinical fellow with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He is a parent and active community organizer. His book How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are is available now wherever books are sold.

Follow Alex’s work over at alexiantaffi.com.

Follow Alex on Twitter at @XTaffi.

Listen & subscribe to Gender Stories (@genderstories) at genderstories.buzzsprout.com.

If you have a story/perspective you’d like to share the invitation is always open.

You can drop a text or leave a voicemail via our hotline: 951-723-5586.

Credits:

* Opening/Closing music by Candlepark Stars

* “Robot” by Khovatic from the album Desolate

* “Gravity” by Khovatic from the album Isolate.

Enjoy the show? Please consider becoming a Patron for $1/month for behind-the-scenes information and exclusives: Patreon.com/theaxpx