Holy Heretics: Losing Religion and Finding Jesus

Mar 03 2025 94 ep. 52 mins 166
Holy Heretics: Losing Religion and Finding Jesus Podcast artwork

Holy Heretics seeks to foster honest conversations about the state of religion in the 21st century. We interview experts, spiritual seekers, scholars, and activists in our quest to examine just exactly how modern-day Christianity lost the Way of Jesus while also discovering how it can be regained through subversive thought and action.

  Religion & Spirituality
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Ep 88: The Historical Jesus w/John Dominic Crossan

Mar 03 2025 62 mins  
Episode Summary:John Dominic Crossan is the world’s most prominent Jesus scholar. He joins me today on Holy Heretics to discuss what we can, and what we cannot, know about the life of this first century Jewish peasant. Unlike traditional theological portrayals of Jesus, which center primarily on his death and resurrection, Crossan’s scholarship focuses on the historic

Ep 87: MAGA Christians and the Sin of Empathy w/Gary Alan Taylor

Feb 17 2025 51 mins  
Episode Summary:I wrote an article almost two weeks ago titled, Trump’s Willing Executioners. Drawing on my graduate work in Holocaust Studies, I compared and contrasted the MAGA movement and Nazi Germany, and in particular, the glaring lack of empathy championed by both cults. The article went viral, encouraging me to consider a more robust analysis of how cruelty, the lack of e

Ep 86: The Science of Spirituality w/Dr. Rupert Sheldrake

Jan 27 2025 60 mins  
Episode Summary:For ten years running, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake has been recognized as one of the “most spiritually influential living people in the world” by Watkins Mind Body Spirit magazine. His work has been featured in many magazines, newspapers and broadcast media, including New Scientist, The Guardian, Discover magazine, The Spectator, The Washington Post, Die Zeit, the Netf

Ep 85: Ecospirituality and ReWilding w/Dr. Rachel Wheeler

Jan 13 2025 49 mins  
Episode Summary:Dr. Rachel Wheeler joins me today on Holy Heretics to discuss ecospirituality and the practice of rewilding both our life and faith.Let’s be honest, Christians have a horrendous relationship with the natural world, best understood through a combination of harmful historical, theological, and cultural influences. Growing up evangelical meant believing the world was

Ep 84: Created to Create w/Ally Markotich

Dec 30 2024 48 mins  
Episode Summary:I distinctly remember sitting in the back row of sixth grade art class in Jonesboro, Arkansas and saying to myself, “I am NOT CREATIVE!” I couldn’t draw a lick. While my friends brought forth beautiful sketches and lovely paintings their parents would proudly hang on the refrigerator, I looked down at my work with disdain. My parents should burn this. I am not

Ep 83: Finding God in an Errant Bible w/Liz Charlotte Grant

Dec 09 2024 54 mins  
Episode Summary:If I had a guess, I’m betting one of the main reasons why you deconstructed evangelicalism is because of the Bible. Growing up evangelical, the Bible was the center of faith. It was the key to unlocking the Divine. This big black book held all the secrets to a good life. Just open it up, ask it a question, and out popped God’s answer. Easy-peasy.But as you matur

Ep. 82: Celtic Spirituality w/John Philip Newell

Nov 25 2024 60 mins  
Episode Summary:John Philip Newell is best described as “a wandering teacher with the heart of a Celtic bard and the mind of a Celtic scholar.” Formerly the Warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland, John Philip joined me from his home in Edinburgh to offer a new, yet ancient way forward in a time when the empire has once again wedded and bedded Christianity.Long be

Ep. 81: This is Going to Hurt w/Bekah McNeel

Nov 11 2024 58 mins  
Episode Summary:Like a dog returning to her vomit, America chose the sexual predator, white nationalist, pathological liar, and criminal instead of an educated, compassionate Black woman to lead this nation into our collective future. This feels more sinister than 2016 because Trump and his henchmen now have a plan in Project 2025 and I promise you, people are going to suffer.How d

Ep. 80: Ministers of Propaganda w/Dr. Scott Coley

Oct 28 2024 49 mins  
Episode Summary:We are less than two weeks away from election day here in the United States. The question is - will America get its first female president or a second Donald Trump term? A more pressing question is - will America remain a democracy or will our constitutional republic deteriorate further into a Christo-fascist Trump family dynasty?Kamala Harris has a slight lead over

Ep. 79: Finding Your Place In This World w/Dr. Sharon Blackie

Oct 14 2024 48 mins  
Episode Summary:In this captivating conversation with mythologist and psychologist Dr. Sharon Blackie, we explore the mythic imagination, the reclaiming of indigenous Western spiritual traditions, and the relevance of our native myths, fairy tales, and folk traditions.Your life is a story, and your story is one small part of a larger cultural story. For good and bad, your individua