Spurred on by a video of a man harassing a Boston Dynamics robot with a hockey stick, we consider the ethical challenges of living in a world filled with machines that blur the line between humans and technology.

The recent slaying of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, at the hands of the nation's notorious "morality police" has led to massive protests around the country. It's also reigniting the conversation about the public consequences of religion. In the face of an increasingly radical progressive agenda in the west, many people find themselves gravitating toward extreme alternatives. In this episode, we consider the severity of our cultural moment, as well as the call to Christian steadiness in the midst of major upheaval. 

Why is it that so many pastors are dejected and ready to jump ship? It’s no secret that being a pastor is a largely thankless job these days, but the difficulties involved with the role are multiplying rapidly as our cultural division grows. In this episode, we talk about the crucial role that pastors play, and some of the features of North American Christianity that diminish that role.

Alright, the title is pure clickbait, but it arises from a troubling new article from Christianity Today that charts the top five heresies among evangelicals. Given today’s cultural climate, is it really that surprising that heresy is widespread in North America? And for that matter, how do we even define the term “evangelical” these days? Tune in to hear us talk heresy and evangelicalism.

In the face of skyrocketing tuition rates and increasing isolation between departments, is traditional college still a viable option? For those of us with kids, should we send them to college, or is there a significant shift taking place in the landscape of higher education? In this episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Brush, President and CEO of Unbound, to discuss the future of learning.

Responses to the death of Elizabeth II range from casual indifference to profound grief. Who was this remarkable lady and why is she so historically and ecclesially significant? We all know that the monarchy sits uneasily in our modern world, but Elizabeth II, more than any other member of the royal family, built some remarkable bridges in her long lifetime. In this episode, we’re joined in our discussion by Stuart McAllister, who grew up in Scotland during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

As our cultural moment grows more embattled and contentious, many of us long for alternative forms of community. Perhaps this explains our largely romantic view of the Amish. From romance novels to daydreams of a “simpler form of life,” the notion that most of us could bring our consumerist individualism into the tight knit fold of an Amish community strains credibility. But what happens when communal practice clashes with the laws of the land? Tune in as Nathan and Cameron press into this question and try to settle once and for all why so many folks think Nathan is Amish.

Cameron recently tagged along to a metal concert headlined by a band that flirts with satanic themes. But there's a reason the word "satanic" appears in scare quotes in the title. Is this a sincere conviction on the part of these musicians? Or is this a clever marketing strategy to scare parents and get the attention of their kids? And what does it say about our supposedly secular society that a band like this gets top billing? (And what band are we talking about? Listen to find out.) Here, Nathan and Cameron explore the strange and deeply spiritual terrain of pop culture, consider some of the double standards, and try to make sense of what happened in that concert venue.

Megachurch pastor Matt Chandler is the latest church leader to find himself embroiled in controversy over an inappropriate online relationship with a female congregant. Many of us are growing more jaded with these kinds of reports. In the case, the current details seem cryptic at best. In this episode, we talk about the broken trust that hangs over all of these scandals and consider how me might move forward by leaning into our own churches and communities. 

In this episode, we're joined by Wade Bearden, author of Failing Faith and most recently, To My Friend Who Left the Faith: A Letter to a Prodigal from a Prodigal. We sat down to chat with Wade about his latest book, the changing face of apologetics and evangelism in today's landscape, as well as the crucial need for faithful local churches. 

In addition to his writing, Wade also works with Sermonary, "an all in one sermon app that makes preparing and preaching a sermon easier than ever before." Wade also serves as a pastor himself and has a heart for the local church.