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By Dan Koch
4.7
498498 ratings
The podcast currently has 300 episodes available.
Author and researcher Ryan Burge joins me to discuss religious trends in America. Ryan's research reveals a surprising plateau in the growth of religious "nones" over the past five years, even through the COVID-19 period. We explored his upcoming book on the "big church sort," discussing the polarization of American religion into conservative churches and liberal non-religious groups, while moderate and mainline churches rapidly decline. Our conversation touched on the challenges facing mainline Protestantism, the use of political symbols in religious spaces, and the importance of exposing ourselves and our children to diverse viewpoints within religious settings.
Highlights:
08:12 The Plateau of the Religious 'Nones'
35:10 The Big Church Sort: The Decline of Mainline Protestantism
01:02:36 Exposing Children to Different Views
Ryan's Substack
Ryan's Books:
The Great Dechurching
The Nones
YHP Episodes with Ryan:
Episode #25: "Myths about Religion and Politics in America”
YHP Episode with Josh Porter
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Returning guest and psychologist of religion Daryl Van Tongeren (Hope College) and I discuss his new book "Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion,” a book that is also quite helpful for those remaining in faith communities after changing beliefs/deconstructing, etc. We explore the concept of "religious residue": how religion continues to impact the way we think, feel, and act even after leaving faith. We discussed the complexity of deconversion and why leaving faith can be so challenging and time-consuming, especially when finding community. This was a rich and insightful conversation, and will hopefully be encouraging to anyone navigating the tumultuous waters of religious change.
Highlights:
04:16 Difficulties of Leaving Religion
12:11 The Great Disillusionment: Reasons for Leaving Religion/Deconstruction
26:45 Religious Residue and Crafting a New Identity
36:36 Navigating Isolation
55:40 Finding a New Community
Daryl's Book | Done: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion by Darrell Van Tongren
Daryl's Website
Episodes with Daryl:
Episode 195: “You Are Not Your Beliefs”
Episode 177: “The Good of Religion Without the Bad?"
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Matt and Max from Milkless are back! We pick up our conversation on belief and the meaning of life that we started in episode #271.
After exploring the potential downsides of belief without proof (i.e. conspiracy theories) and the psychology behind how and why we believe, we chatted about the meaning of life. We grappled with the nature of meaning itself, expressing both panentheistic views of God and naturalistic explanations of existence. We also talked through how finely-tuned the universe is and debated the validity of intelligent design.
We didn't solve any universal mysteries, but enjoyed a respectful, thought-provoking conversation about the biggest questions of our existence.
Milkless Podcast
Milkless Podcast on IG
Highlights:
02:56 Belief in a higher power
08:07 Our need for meaning
11:56 Conspiracy theories and conservative religion
19:05 Spirituality with or without religion
25:12 The universe and intelligent design
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I’m kicking off a new series exploring the intersection of comedy, religion, and spirituality!
My first guest is Ryan Erwin, a gay ex-Mormon missionary turned clean comic. We talk about his idyllic Mormon childhood in Utah, his departure from Mormonism and exploration of other faiths, his introduction to comedy, and how he has ultimately found spiritual fulfillment in nature and everyday activities.
I appreciated Ryan’s humor, warmth, and grounded perspective, hearing how he finds meaning outside traditional religious structures, as well as how his comedy can be a vehicle for exploring profound, sometimes uncomfortable truths about faith and identity.
Highlights:
08:37 “Religious Residue”
22:12 The Power of Storytelling
33:18 Leaving Mormonism and Pursuing Comedy
45:03 Finding Spirituality in Nature and the Present Moment
57:06 Living in the Here and Now: Embracing New Experiences
Ryan's Instagram
Ryan's Website
Dry Bar Comedy Specials: Dry Bar Comedy - Ryan Erwin
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When we have spiritual experiences with things like worship music, is that the Holy Spirit moving? Or, as Tim Whitaker (The New Evangelicals) claimed in a viral Instagram meme, is it “just the drums”? Can it be both?
Tim and Sarah Lane Ritchie return to discuss these ideas, Tim’s experiences as a worship drummer, “spiritual technologies” like worship music, the potential harm of conflating these experiences with “God,” the role of such experiences in the life of faith, and more.
Watch this Episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/qMTeohCkEDA
Tim's Viral Drums Reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6PhVL6OlDG/?igsh=eDdhZjFoMjI2NjJ1
The New Evangelicals Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-evangelicals-podcast/id1557794865
thenewevangelicals.com
Sarah's Faculty Page:
https://www.templeton.org/team-member/sarah-lane-ritchie-ph-d
Sarah's Twitter:
@slaneritchie
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tyson Motsenbocker returns to help Dan answer if he is being followed by a handful of AI-generated bot Instagram accounts. Could they be Russians? Why is Avis so interested in her son Jason and “knitting small bees”? Are we in an “uncanny valley” yet with AI content?
Tyson on Instagram
Where the Waves Turn Back Book
Tyson's Website
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week I’m joined by co-hosts of the excellent fatherhood-focused Milkless Podcast, Max Valverde and Matt Naylor for another listener-favorite “I Don’t Believe in That God” episode. Max leans towards atheism, finding a personal God unlikely, while Matt feels a pull towards spirituality but questions specific religious claims.
This is actually an episode swap -- so today there is both a new Milkless episode featuring yours truly (in which we discuss the benefits and costs of religion/spirituality in raising kids) AND a You Have Permission episode with the two of them.
A major theme that emerged was the difference between specific truth claims about the nature of reality and God vs. poetic or "theopoetic" framings that resonate as meaningful and promote human flourishing, even if not literally true. We didn't see perfectly eye-to-eye on this, with Matt expressing reservations about believing things for the sake of comfort or convenience rather than evidence. (Of course, I pushed back on what counts as evidence, etc.)
This conversation was SO GOOD that Matt and Max are returning for round 2 in a month or so -- keep your eyes out for that one!
Watch this Episode on YouTube
Milkless Podcast
Milkless Podcast on IG
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Finally, a long chat with indie Christian musician John Mark McMillan! John Mark started out firmly in the mainstream Christian world but has been gradually exploring more complex and nuanced expressions of faith (and doubt!) through his art.
We discussed his early life on a Christian commune, what it's like to be a recording artist wrestling with deep questions of faith and doubt, and whether a doubting faith is actually more faithful than one laced with certainty. We got into meaning-making, suffering, and the audacity of hope in an imperfect world. In other words, it was great.
Watch this Episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/PcWpzObjGK4
John Mark's Website
John Mark McMillan on Spotify
Resources Mentioned:
Hunting the Divine Fox: An Introduction to the Language of Theology
Viktor Frankl's Book: A Man's Search for Meaning
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How many times has someone told you that you have to watch The Chosen, the smash hit TV series depicting the life of Jesus?
My buddy Jeff Martin and I break down season 1, episode 2 & 3, reacting to all manner of interesting details from my own liberal Christian therapist perspective and Jeff’s more moderate Evangelical lens.
We get into:
I’m very curious how much appetite there is for continuing with episodes like this, so please check it out and let me know what you think!
**Watch this episode on YouTube**
https://youtu.be/3ViFnTp7Des
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sarah McCammon, NPR journalist and author of "The Exvangelicals," shares her journey out of evangelical Christianity, including her pivotal relationship with her non-religious gay grandfather.
We explore how journalism provided Sarah with a space to question and how my work in therapy also demands openness to evidence. We covered the impact of the Trump era on evangelicalism and the earlier Emergent movement led by figures like Rob Bell and Rachel Held Evans.
We delve into the evangelical subculture's "parallel institutions" and their role in fostering distrust of mainstream institutions. Finally, we reflect on our wariness of echo chambers and the value we now place on viewpoint diversity and factual specificity.
Watch this Episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Kl0cr4MZaBI
Sarah’s Book “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church”:
https://www.amazon.com/Exvangelicals-Loving-Living-Leaving-Evangelical/dp/1250284473
Sarah’s Substack
Depolarize! Podcast
Reconstruct Podcast
___________________________________________
Get Tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2024
Use Code ReturnofYHP for $50 off your ticket!
___________________________________________
Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/
Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch
Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/
Edited by Josh Gilbert (joshgilbertmedia.com -- he is accepting more work!)
Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch
Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: [email protected]
YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98
Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/
Artwork by sprungle.co/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The podcast currently has 300 episodes available.
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