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PODCAST

Religion on the Mind

Interviews with experts, writers, psychologists and more on the intersection between psychology, religion and spirituality… with a little bit of cussing. dan@religiononthemind.com

religion & spirituality religion

All Episodes

85:50

Is Dan a “Christian Agnostic”? (#295)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/11/04

Take a break from election coverage and enjoy this thoughtful conversation with Brandan Robertson, a pastor in Queens, NY, about "Christian agnosticism" and navigating faith with intellectual honesty. We explore how embracing uncertainty about religious claims can actually deepen rather than diminish faith, moving beyond the rigid certainty of our evangelical backgrounds toward a more nuanced approach. We share our experiences of finding value in Christian traditions while holding space for doubt,

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38:10

The Nicene Creed (#283)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/08/27

In this follow-up to our discussion on the Apostle's Creed, Thomas Jay Oord and I delve into the Nicene Creed, examining its history, language, and theology through a progressive Christian lens. We grapple with complex concepts like the Trinity, the nature of Christ, and the Holy Spirit, questioning traditional interpretations and exploring how our diverse backgrounds shape our understanding of these ideas. While acknowledging the historical significance of the Creed, we also confront the challenge

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91:25

The Apostle's Creed (#282)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/08/26

In this first part of our discussion, Thomas Jay Oord and I take a deep dive into the Apostle’s Creed, exploring its origins, language, and theology through a progressive Christian lens. We examine foundational beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, questioning traditional interpretations and considering how our experiences and backgrounds influence our understanding of these core tenets of faith. As we navigate the historical significance of the Creed, we also grapple with the

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78:15

Russell Moore on Cynicism in the Trump Age (#279)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/08/05

Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, sat down with me to explore the current state of American Christianity, focusing on the challenges of maintaining relationships across ideological divides in an age of deep political cynicism and polarization. He shared insights on navigating family dynamics in a polarized era, emphasizing the importance of preserving relationships even when agreement seems impossible. We discussed the complexities within the Southern Baptist Convention,

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74:02

Is America Really Becoming More Secular? (#277)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/07/22

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

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70:44

How to Leave Religion (#276)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/07/15

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

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47:37

Matt & Max from Milkless 2.0 (#275)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/07/11

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

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74:48

Gay Ex-Mormon Comedian Ryan Erwin (#274)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/07/08

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

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85:59

The Holy Spirit? Or "Just the Drums"? (Sarah Lane...

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/07/01

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

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104:39

John Mark McMillan: Faith & Doubt (#270)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/06/17

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,

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59:45

Who Are the Exvangelicals? (#268)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/06/10

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

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45:12

GGCH: Israel, Rome and Christianity as a Story (#267)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/06/06

After kicking things off with our usual game of "Bar, Bank, Church or Dispensary?” and “Ways we are becoming our dads” segments, I introduced a new segment focused on funny Hard Times headlines. Tony recalled his recent time in Rome and reflected on the passing of theologian Jurgen Moltmann. This led into a conversation about Israel and the war in Gaza, and all three of us gave our thoughts on the conflict. Finally, I brought forward the idea of seeing Christianity as a story in which we find

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66:34

A Difficult Relationship with Christianity (#266)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/06/03

Today’s episode is a thoughtful conversation with my friend Josh Patterson of the (Re)Thinking Faith Podcast about his evolving relationship with Christianity. No longer a pastor, he sometimes struggles to articulate theological concepts that once came easily. Practices that used to nourish his soul now give him pause, and he wonders if his reduced engagement with Christian community and spiritual disciplines has contributed to this sense of distance.Despite this, Josh still experiences spontaneous

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35:12

Using Movies in Therapy (#265)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/05/30

In this mid-week episode (full version is available on Patreon!) I am joined by Jenny Hamilton, a licensed therapist and senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln in the UK, talking about her peer-reviewed movie therapy method.We discussed how films can provide a unique form of escapism while also helping foster empathy by allowing viewers to experience the world through someone else's perspective. Jenny emphasized the importance of tailoring selections to each individual client's interests,

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73:18

Why Are We Obsessed with the End Times? (#264)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/05/28

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Halstead about his new book “The End of the World as You Know It” which focuses on End Times prophecies and apocalyptic literature. We touched on everything from the psychological drives behind our fascination with the future to the importance of maintaining a questioning mindset in matters of faith. We kicked things off by acknowledging the trauma and anxiety that can often accompany these teachings, especially for those who grew up in

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72:43

Still Christian & Way Humble About It! (#253)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/04/15

Dan spoke with friend and frequent guest Sarey Martin Concepcion about the intersection of intellectual humility and our Christian faith journeys, attempting to tie this together with his recent set of “Still Christian” episodes. They discussed how Sarey was raised in a fundamentalist evangelical strain of Christianity that valued certainty and correct doctrinal beliefs above all else. This made it challenging to embrace intellectual humility -- acknowledging what one can and cannot be confident

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38:13

GGCH: Richard Hays’ Gay Affirmation, Huberman, and...

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/04/11

On this month's Generation Gap Culture Hour, Dan, Josh, and Tony play a round of “Bar, Bank, Church, or Dispensary,” consider ways they are becoming like their dads, discuss the impact of the forthcoming gay-affirming book by New Testament scholar Richard B. Hays, the New York Magazine attempted takedown of Andrew Huberman, and more.**Watch this episode on YouTube** https://youtu.be/g5vmzxlRTLI RESOURCES MENTIONS: Richard Hays’ Book “The Widening of God’s

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75:22

How Do Violent & Unhealthy Men Change? (#251)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/04/08

Dan's guest today is Simon Nixon, a former pastor and licensed counselor in Australia who works predominantly with domestic violence offenders in group therapy settings, helping them understand how to change their behavior and become safe partners and fathers. They discuss the challenges of such work, including the emotional difficulty and the need for a non-judgmental approach to facilitate change. Simon and Dan explore the concept of toxic and non-toxic masculinities and the importance of helping

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22:18

Trump 2024 Anxiety, Part 2 (#250)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/04/04

Speaking as much to himself as to listeners, Dan continues this series by recapping Part 1, then discussing two more common thinking errors, known in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as “cognitive distortions,” that he sees in news coverage around the possibility of a Donald Trump victory in 2024. Recognizing these distortions in the media as well as our own thoughts about the election and its results can 1) reduce our anxiety and 2) align our thoughts more fully with the reality that the future is

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72:05

A Pastor Walks Out of The Church and Into The Woods...

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/04/01

Our very own Tony Jones (Generation Gap Culture Hour episodes, author, theologian, recovering youth ministry wunderkind) joins Dan for a very special conversation about the release of his brand new book, The God of Wild Places. Their conversation follows a three-act structure: Tony's early ministry days, then his escape into hunting while his marriage and life were crumbling, and finally the re-approaching and rethinking of his theology and faith in light of those experiences. Along the way, they

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62 results

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