Why do so many people choose to be religious? What draws people to embrace belief? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with filmmaker Rian Johnson, his new film "Wake Up Dead Man" and the themes of faith his movie brings up.

Global religious population: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/

American religious population: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2025/12/8/us-religious-decline-stalls-as-new-pew-data-shows-stabilization-even-among-young-adults

Jon Stewart on faith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSmrEVjQdG8

The Bible--and the wider culture--agree: "It's better to give than to receive". But is that what the data says? And why would that be? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with insights from Dallas Jenkins, who discusses the DVD release of his film "The Best Christmas Pagaent Ever". 

What happens to your brain when you give vs receive: https://www.apa.org/topics/mental-health/brain-gift-giving

Everyone talks about getting in the Christmas spirit. But what is the Christmas spirit? And how do you have it? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss.

References and resources

Religious meaning of the Christmas spirit: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/the-christmas-spirit/

What was the world like that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien wrote their stories in? And how did their work change things? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with author and historian Dr. Joseph Loconte.

References and resources:

Tolkien and Lewis fantasy influence: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-companion-to-fantasy-literature/tolkien-lewis-and-the-explosion-of-genre-fantasy/47A1D63A6D2D6F2553664D98F0F2EC1D

Lewis and Tolkien influence on Christian thought leaders: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2000/04/books-of-century/

Lewis books sold: https://www.cslewis.com/us/about-cs-lewis/

Tolkien books sold: https://200.hc.com/stories/j-r-r-tolkien-and-the-trilogy/

We hear a lot about the importance of pursuing your dreams. But which dreams? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss.

Pew research: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/09/14/what-makes-for-a-fulfilling-life/#:~:text=When%20asked%20what%20it%20takes,Gender

Marriage matters more for happiness than career: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/opinion/marriage-happiness-career.html

Fantasizing about dreams kills goals, fantasizing about process helps achieve them: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/manifestation-positive-thinking-happiness/679695/

Most people do not achieve their goals: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2980864/

The changing definitions of “calling”: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-do-we-know-our-calling-with-dr-william-klein/id1510271421?i=1000684667698

Should we try to convert others to our beliefs? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson welcome American film director Justin Lin (director of multiple Fast and Furious movies) to discuss his new film "Last Days" about the 26-year-old Christian missionary John Chau, who died trying to convert the North Sentinel Island people.

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/conversion_n#8281191

What are the Medieval virtues? How are they related to the seven deadly sins? And how can they help us today? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson are joined by scholar and author Dr. Grace Hamman to answer these very questions.

References and resources:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Middle-Ages

Websites

What are real-life exorcisms like? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson interview real-life exorcist Reverend Dan Todd on our latest episode. 

https://www.history.com/articles/exorcisms-christianity-gospels-movie

https://bigthink.com/thinking/history-of-exorcism/

Vampires have been a part of our mythology and pop culture for centuries. But why do they remain so popular? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss.

References and resources:

Do monsters, cryptids, and urban legends like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster exist? If so, how would we know for certain? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with hosts of the Campfire Files podcast: Colin Blackburn and Kara Russo.

References and resources

History of Bigfoot: https://www.history.com/articles/bigfoot-legend-newspaper