The Fascinating Podcast

God has no gender, but we almost always refer to God as 'he'. What do we lose by ignoring the feminine attributes of God? Teresa Kim Pecinovsky joins us to explore her beautiful new book Mother God. Why is interacting with God as father AND mother vital to a robust faith?

Why are there so many bad marriage books? Marriage is anything but one-size-fits-all, and it's long past time we had a fresh vision of marriage - one that's good news for every kind of person and sexuality. Dr. Brian and Rev. Gail Song Bantum join us to pull back the curtain on their terrific new book CHOOSING US.

What is Asian America? Can we trace the origins of this distinctive and important pattern in the tapestry of American popular culture? Jeff Yang and Phil Yu say we can, and they join us to show how with their new book RISE. Plus: it wouldn't be a Fascinating season premier without a feral hogs update!

Your Fascinating pals close out the season (and the year!) by offering up their favorite media pics of 2021. What made our list? And what did we miss?

Remember the National WOMEN'S Football League? You don't? Well, sportswriter Frankie de la Cretaz joins us to share the surprising, thrilling story you've never heard. Plus: the latest feral hog update!

This one's been a long time coming: your four co-hosts trace key moments in our journey toward becoming LGBTQ+ affirming. What does that term mean? What does it look like to be affirming and faithful to the witness of Scripture? This is a super-sized episode so buckle up!

Jeff Chu joins us to discuss Wholehearted Faith, the last book from Rachel Held Evans. Jeff co-authored the book, and our own Kathy Khang recorded one chapter of the audiobook. We reflect on Rachel's legacy - including some clips from our final interview with her where she discussed this book. Ultimately, we consider a faith that is both deeply rooted in God's love and widely inclusive of all peoples.

Moby Dick turned 170 years old this year, which got us thinking: what books from the last decade will still be around in 150 years? What makes a classic? And should every book strive to be a classic anyway? PLUS: Martian ketchup and other important Pittsburgh updates.

What is privilege? Why does talking about it get us so defensive? Dominique Dubois Gilliard returns to the podcast to dive into his new book SUBVERSIVE WITNESS. How is learning to spot our privilege good news? And what are we supposed to do when we identify it? PLUS: does one of your hosts have a secret passage in their house?

Matt Mikalatos is back in the hot seat. His latest book, Journey to Love, explores our deepest need: to live lives that are more full of love. We do a deep dive on what love is not - after all, knowing what love isn't makes it easier to spot!