In this episode Mark had the chance to sit down with Brian McLaren who is one of the emerging voices within Christianity. We discuss the cost of asking questions but also the internal struggle we face when we choose not to confront them too. This was a very honest and open discussion about holding onto faith in a world where everyone seems so certain of their beliefs. Both Brian and Mark were very candid about some of the difficulties they have faced in their faith journey. If you have ever had tough questions and doubted if you could continue holding on to your faith then this episode is for you. Mark also shares a little bit about his experience with mental illness, something we hope to touch on in more detail in future episodes.Brian's website can be found hereWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

So today David and Mark get to chat one on one with Author and Pastor Kathy Escobar. Kathy understands first hand the issues that come with organized religion and talks a little about her experience with her involvement in a reasonably large church environment. We discuss some of the latest statistics on faith and the movement that is happening indicating a significant movement away from organized church. Kathy is very open and honest about her own journey and clearly has genuine empathy and interest in the journey we are on with the podcast. We do mention in the show that we will need to do a follow up episode at some point so watch this space. You will notice a new voice on the show helping with the introduction, that is friend of the podcast Rachel Edge who is currently helping us more and more in the near future, you can find Rachel on Twitter here she has a bit of a following there and also blogs here at Craft Happiness.You connect with Kathy hereWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

So this episode is a bit of a different one for sure. Rita is a business and relationship coach who has been on a bit of a journey when it comes to relationships and dating to say the least. Out of her own personal frustration she came up with the idea of going on 35 dates in 35 days. We open up the whole discussion on dating and relationships in general and how the online world has changed so much in regard to how we humans interact with one another. Rita is a delight to listen to and is full of positivity and great advice. You can connect with Rita via Twitter here and on Facebook here, Enjoy!!!Website:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Paul Young is best known as the author of the phenomenon "The Shack" which sold over 22 million copies and is now being made into a feature film. He is a natural born story teller and understands the art of communicating deep truths in a way that reasonate in a very real way. Eve which is the latest Novel from the pen of Paul Young addresses some deep longings within the human soul, to belong, to heal, and to be whole. Eve debuted at number four on the New York Times bestseller list and is sure to continue to rise in popularity. In this discussion we begin by talking about some of the deeply profound and comically negative reactions that arose from the release of "The Shack" and then we branch out into some discussion around the latest release "Eve"You can find Paul Young hereWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

In this episode we connected with Justin Brierley who hosts Unbelievable which is a Christian radio show which aims to connect people with opposing views and create interesting an engaging dialogue. While on his own show Justin plays the mediator we did our best in this episode to find out a bit about where Justin stands when it comes to some of the issues that come up on his show. He has interviewed many prominant speakers and authors inside and outside the Christian faith, two of the interviews we highlight were with Rob Bell on his book Love Wins and Mark Driscoll on his book Real Marriage. You can find the Unbelievable show hereWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Ben Price is a Comedian and Impressionist who starred alongside Travis Owens in Audacity. For Travis Audacity was another acting role Ben saw this as more of a passion project as he resonates and upholds the message of the movie. Ben is very down to earth and honest about his beliefs, we discuss briefly his encounter with anxiety. Ben made it all the way to the semi finals of Australias got talent back in 2011. Be sure to listen to the end to catch Ben's impressions which won't disappoint.You can connect with Ben here on his websiteWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Hemant is a prolific blogger, speaker, and podcaster. Mark and Hemant had an interesting discussion and deconstructed some of the reasons Hemant does what he does. They talked openly about some of the issues that are problematic both within the religious world and the atheist world. Hemant is very friendly and honest as his blog suggests. He puts himself out there as someone who is open to being challenged and willing to be wrong though he sees very little interest in discussion around the idea of God existing. If you have ever tried to understand the mind of an Atheist from their perspective or vice versa then this episode is for you.Website:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Barry Taylor is the Artist in residence for the Brehm Centre at Fuller Theological Seminary. Barry has had an interesting life to say the least, he did not grow up religious and on his path found himself the road manager for AC/DC on their Highway to Hell tour. Mark and Barry had an insightful discussion on what it means to be fully human. There is an urban myth about the idea that Barry converted to Christianity while on tour with AC/DC though He did have a conversion experince of sorts we go into a bit more depth as to what that actually meant.Barry is a very grounded and honest person, refreshing to listen to and most defintely someone we hope to have on the podcast again in the future.Website:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Jay Bakker is an author, pastor, and podcaster, he hosts "This is Radio Cast" which can be found on iTunes and on the website here. Mark and Jay opened up and shared ideas on gay marriage, mental illness, and the ways in which we need to advocate for groups in society that are pushed to the edges without putting them into a position where they are seen as victims. Jay was very open and honest about his life and the things he learned through growing up in a very public way. This episode is a wonderful reminder that we are all on a journey and we are all doing the best with what we got handed, it is a reminder to be kind to yourself and give yourself space to go through your process whatever that may look like. Jay talked about how his parents taught him that love was always the trump card.Click here for the clip referenced in the podcastWebsite:http://fundamentalescape.net/

Reba Riley is the author of the upcoming book Post Traumatic Church Syndrome, she is also a blogger at Patheos. Her book is set to be a big seller with the following endorsement by Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat,Pray,Love. "Hilarious, courageous, provocative, profound ... Reba Riley brings the light for seekers of all paths, reminding us that every journey of transformation begins exactly where we are. If the 'Pray' in Eat, Pray, Love had a gutsy, wise, funny little sister who'd never been to India, it would be Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome." Mark and Reba had an interesting and insightful conversation and we learned new phrases like "Godiverse" and the "Divine Disco Ball". Reba is a great story teller and very relatable, honest, quirky, and insightful.Website:http://fundamentalescape.net/