The Holy Spirit is a really important part of Christian theology. But he's also the least understood. What's the traditional Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit? And why does that matter? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson invite author and pastor Tyler Staton to discuss.

Catholic/Orthodox Split: https://www.britannica.com/event/East-West-Schism-1054

Culture wars seem to dominate life today. Should we participate in them, or abandon them? If we should engage with them, how and why? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss.

Definition of culture war: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/culture-war

James Davison Hunter on the culture war: 

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/08/09/culture-wars-james-davison-hunter-politics

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/20/culture-war-politics-2021-democracy-analysis-489900

Blesses

Trial and Death of Socrates (Book)

The Other Two (TV Show)

Eye in the Sky (Movie)

Curses

The act of announcing to the world you’re taking a break for social media for lent

Captain America: Civil War (Movie)

Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Walter Hickey about what the research says on how the media we consume really does--and does not--affect us and our lives.

Time people spend with TV/Media: https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2023/tops-of-2023-tv/

Sesame Street improves education outcomes: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/06/sesame-street-preschool-education/396056/

History of the Hayes Code: https://www.britannica.com/art/Hays-Code

You Are What You Watch (Book)

La La Land (Movie)

Websites

We all love heroes. But not all heroes are created equal. What makes a hero that can stand the test of time and also make us better? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes discuss. 

Hero definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero

Different cultural ideas of heroes: https://www.cam.ac.uk/system/files/heroes_teacher_resources_.pdf

Why Vince Gilligan thinks we need more heroes: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-good-guys-walter-white-1236309604/

Blesses

Gotham Knights

Daredevil

The Incredibles

Chronicles of Narnia

Superman for All Seasons

Dune: Part Two

Curses

Captain America: Brave New World

The Boys

Why are there so few religious movies when the majority of the world is religious? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson welcome back filmmaker Spencer Folmar to discuss.

America’s religious/secular demographics: https://news.gallup.com/poll/511133/identify-religious-spiritual.aspx

Atheists 7% of World Population: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-secular-life/201510/how-many-atheists-are-there

History of faith and Hollywood: 

https://www.njarts.net/hollywood-rarely-shows-much-faith-in-films-with-prominent-religious-themes/

https://faithlifetv.com/reel-redemption

Objections to Hollywood’s portrayal of Muslims: 

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/usc-annenberg-inclusion-initiative-muslim-representation-study-1235362804/

Blesses

Calvary

First Reformed

House of David

Curses

Interstellar

Anora

Mother Teresa & Me

Bless/Curse

Conclave

First Reformed

Websites

Spencer Folmar: hardfaith.org

Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world

Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me

Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com

Nobody likes modern dating. But why is it so hard? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss.

Pew research on modern dating: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-say-dating-has-gotten-harder-for-most-people-in-the-last-10-years/

Why Does Modern Dating Suck? https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-dating-sucks-we-asked-experts/

Majority want to get married: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/15/among-young-adults-without-children-men-are-more-likely-than-women-to-say-they-want-to-be-parents-someday/#:~:text=Among%20adults%20ages%2018%20to,they%20want%20to%20get%20married.

Global marriage rates dropping/women’s higher standards and men’s dropping performance: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/america-marriage-decline/681518/

Lack of church attendance driving singleness: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/happiness-recession-causing-sex-depression/586405/

Consumer mentality driving bad dating: https://www.freyaindia.co.uk/p/why-is-modern-dating-so-difficult

Why it’s hard to build community today: https://anunexpectedjournal.com/the-real-reason-you-dont-have-friends-and-how-to-fix-it/

Lies Hollywood teaches us about relationships: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/11/5/how-the-sexual-revolution-killed-the-hollywood-rom-com

 Bless

500 Days of Summer

Curse

The Idea of You

Bless/Curse

How I Met Your Mother

Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world

Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me

Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com

How does the experience of hardship in our past affect our ability to have healthy relationships now? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with author and licensed counselor Tabitha Panariso to discuss.

Definition of trauma: https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma#:~:text=Trauma%20is%20an%20emotional%20response,from%20Recovering%20emotionally%20from%20disaster

Millennials “reverse cognitive behavior therapy”: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/mental-health-liberal-girls

Gen Z’s “fear of taking part”: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/what-happened-to-fomo

Blesses

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (Movie)

The Fighter

Hollywood

Men and women have been involved in a "battle of the sexes" throughout history. What is the source of this conflict, and how do we solve it? We bring on cultural apologist Annie Crawford to discuss.

The romance genre may be the most popular genre in the world. But is it harmful for us? Does it create unrealistic and harmful expectations? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes bring on author, actress and podcast host Keelia Clarkson to get some answers.

Popularity of the romance genre: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/misconceptions-about-the-romance-genre

Popularity of Hallmark movies/problems with romance movies: https://olemiss.edu/news/2024/07/romantic-movies-perception/index.html

Popularity of Bridgerton: https://deadline.com/2024/07/bridgerton-season-3-netflix-most-popular-list-shonda-rhimes-1235999509/

People claim they don’t negatively compare their partners unlesss relationship “already rocky”: 

https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2011-jul-07-la-heb-romance-novels-women-health-20110707-story.html

https://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137675779/romance-fiction-and-womens-health-a-dose-of-skepticism

People who watch romance movies report greater relationship satisfaction: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nurturing-resilience/202302/does-watching-romantic-movies-help-your-love-life-flourish

Defending romance novels: https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/why-you-should-be-reading-romance-novels.html

Why people love romances: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/love-them-or-leave-them/202406/this-is-your-brain-on-bridgerton

How the sexual revolution killed the hollywood rom com/how sleeping around to find true love doesn’t work: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/11/5/how-the-sexual-revolution-killed-the-hollywood-rom-com

Blesses

The Vow

Five Feet Apart

Anyone But You

All Fours

An Affair to Remember

In honor of co-host Nathan Clarkson's new Western movie "Bright Sky", Nathan and Joseph discuss whether anyone is beyond redemption, and what that means.

Links to sources cited:

Summary of Thomas Aquinas’s Compilation of Answers to What is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit (including St. Augustine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf8pin8x71Y

Psychologists emphasize the capacity to grow and change: https://psychcentral.com/blog/can-people-really-change#can-you-change-habits

Views of personality and neuroplasticity: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/behavior/can-people-change-or-do-they-just-lie/

The “Beyond Redemption” narrative trope: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BeyondRedemption

The “Moral Event Horizon” which establishes a character as beyond moral redemption: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MoralEventHorizon

People who never change: https://medium.com/@justsomewriter/im-starting-to-truly-think-some-people-are-truly-beyond-saving-5379208baa06

US Office of Justice Programs - Some people are beyond modern science’s ability to rehabilitate: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/can-everyone-be-rehabilitated#:~:text=There%20are%20persons%20beyond%20the,and%20deranged%20habits%20of%20gratification.

Criticism of abandoning rehabilitation efforts:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3762476/#:~:text=However%2C%20to%20the%20shock%20of,why%20this%20shift%20took%20place. 

Blesses:

Red Dead Redemption 1 + 2 (Video Games)

Redeeming Love (Book)

Unforgiven (Movie)

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Movie)