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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

103:06

Eclectic Therapy: Mind, Body & John Wesley with Brad...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/04/20

Brad Strawn of Fuller Seminary returns to unpack the four clinical and theological influences that shape his work as a therapist, pastor, and professor (Wesleyan theology, relational psychoanalysis, 4E cognition, and terror management theory), and we get into some genuinely good “inside baseball” about what all of this looks like in the room with actual clients.Highlights: Wesleyan theology: feelings first Relational healing through new experience 4E: embodied, embedded,

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34:57

Trump as AI Jesus & Hitler Repentance: Religion on...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/04/15

Things are, objectively, pretty rough right now! But honestly? We can't stop laughing at the "Trump AI Jesus" memes. Religion on the News is back with Mason Mennenga (A People's Theology), and today we're leaning more into the silliness and laughter of it all, with a hearty dose of psychology along the way. Topics (full list on the full Patron-only episode): Trump/Jesus AI art, the resulting memes and parodies (*chef's kiss*), Riley Gaines, Antichrist/Left Behind stuff, Evangelical art, in-group &

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82:12

Sh*tty Minister’s Club with Lillian Daniel (#394)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/04/13

Lillian Daniel returns after five years to discuss her new book Defrocked: Good News from a Bad Pastor for a Better Church — a candid, often funny, and deeply human account of the misconduct process she underwent in the UCC, what it taught her about identity, boundaries, and shame, and how she eventually found her way back to ministry.Highlights: Power, process, and accountability Over-identification with vocation Boundaries (and the lack thereof) Shame vs. guilt, done

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30:54

Naming Your Limits As a Tool For Hope: Anxious Times,...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/04/02

Co-host Kristen Tideman and I work through the final two legs of Emmy van Dersen's triad — the impossible and the desirable — using Kristen's new motherhood, MS diagnosis, and ongoing religious change as real, lived test cases for the framework. In the Patron-only second half, We move from naming what we can't have, to excavating the values underneath those wishes, to identifying what we actually can do about it — and end up somewhere more hopeful than either of us expected. Highlights:

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32:06

How to Accept What You Cannot Change: Anxious Times,...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/03/26

I'm joined by my co-host Kristen Tideman for the third installment of the Anxious Times series. We dig into Emmy van Dersen's concept of "the necessary" — the hard limits baked into existence that we can't change, only accept — and explore how resisting these limits is one of the biggest drivers of unhealthy anxiety, whether you're navigating religious deconstruction, a new diagnosis, or just being alive in a chaotic world.In the Patron-only second half, Kristen shares the raw, emotional story of

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101:18

Epstein, Conspiracy Theories & Evangelicalism with...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/03/23

I sit down with theologian and ethicist Dr. Jared Stacey to unpack his new book Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an Evangelical Crisis, exploring what actually distinguishes a conspiracy theory from a real conspiracy — and why the answer matters more than ever in the wake of the Epstein file releases. Jared on IG | @Jaredmstacy Highlights: Psychology of conspiratorial thinking Modernity, agency panic, capitalism Boundary situations and anxiety Shared

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75:48

When Old Systems Stop Working: Anxious Times, Part 2...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/03/16

We're not just individually stressed — we're living through a historic collision of crises that existential psychology has a name for. In this second episode of our Anxious Times series, Kristen Tideman and I explore why the anxiety so many of us feel right now isn't a personal failing, but an honest response to the world we've actually inherited. We explore things like:What a "boundary situation" really is Three overlapping crises reshaping modern life Why shared reality is

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44:43

GGCH: Josh Had a Baby… in THIS Economy?! (#384)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/03/05

…In this sociopolitical economy, that is. I’m joined in today’s Generation Gap Culture Hour by regulars Josh Gilbert, Tony Jones, and we hear all about the newest generation to our experiment — Josh’s brand new baby! A rewatch of Last of the Mohicans has me seriously considering learning a new hobby, and Tony's 6% confidence in me is, frankly, offensive. We close out the first half of the episode sizing up the US-Israel strike on Iran and why the story is far more complicated than your Instagram

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82:35

Self-aware Christianity with Tim Burnette (#383)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/03/02

In this episode, I sit down with Tim Burnette — founder of The Way Collective in Santa Barbara — to explore what it looks like to build a psychologically astute, contemplative Christianity for our fractured moment. We dig into the inner critic, anxiety, and how therapeutic practices like IFS, CBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy share a surprisingly deep resonance with contemplative traditions around the true self and nonviolence. Tim shares his own journey through panic attacks and cancer

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86:40

Religious “Nones” and “Dones” with Ryan Burge (#382)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/02/23

In this conversation, Ryan Burge joins me to explore the evolving landscape of religion in America, focusing on the concepts of “nones” and “dones”—those who identify as non-religious or have distanced themselves from organized religion—and how we see these concepts playing out across society.Highlights 05:36 The State of American Christianity 11:29 The Impact of Partisanship on Religion 14:28 Self-Worth and Life Satisfaction in Religious Contexts 54:35 The Evolution of Gender Identity

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27:15

C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 4) (#381)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/02/19

This is it — the finale of our four-part series on C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, and Kristen Tideman and I go out with a bang.We work through chapters 10-14, where Lewis's portrait of a controlling wife raises questions for us both. We also get into the lizard-turned-stallion scene, Lewis's theology of maternal love (I push back pretty hard), the soul-building argument for suffering, and a Sarah Smith moment I found a little too neat. After the Patreon break, Kristen and I dig into the deeper

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70:30

Dan Tries AI Biblical Counseling (#380)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/02/16

I invite previous guest Heather Patton Griffin back to the pod to discuss biblical counseling—but this time through the lens of AI. After our previous conversation about white evangelicalism's navigation system, I decided to test an AI biblical counseling app and share my findings with Heather. We unpacked what I'm calling "Bible facts"—authoritative claims that function as the foundation of biblical counseling—and examined the sincerity culture that makes the whole system feel so compelling to

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30:37

C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 3) (#379)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/02/13

I'm back with Kristen Tideman for Part 3 of our conversation about C.S. Lewis's 'The Great Divorce,' and honestly, I wasn't prepared for how much these chapters would make me squirm. We're diving into chapters 6-9, where Lewis introduces us to ghosts who can't stop being their own defense lawyers—and the uncomfortable realization that we're all doing the same thing. Kristen admits she saw herself in the hard-bitten conspiracy theorist ghost (the one who blames "management" for everything), which led

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83:31

Tony Jones on “Neighborism” in Minnesota (#378)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/02/09

In this conversation, Minnesotan and friend of the pod, Tony Jones, joins me for another look at the complex dynamics happening below the surface in Minnesota right now. We reflect on the recent events surrounding the killing of Alex Pretti, the community's response to political tensions, and the evolving identity of Minnesota as a state that embraces diversity and neighborism. Tony's Substack | Jonestony.substack.com Highlights 05:38 Minnesota's Unique Identity and Loyalty 16:35

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76:05

An Update From Minneapolis with Mason Mennenga (#375)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/01/26

In this episode of "Religion on the Mind," Mason Mennenga joins me to discuss what it’s like to be in Minneapolis right now, amid intense immigration enforcement and community responses. He shares the emotional toll of living in a city under national scrutiny (it happened during the George Floyd protests, too), as well as what he’s personally experiencing with ICE raids and the community's efforts to support one another amid fear and uncertainty. Highlights 06:01 Community Responses to ICE

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71:50

Is Religion “Natural” to Humans? (Live From Theology...

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/01/19

In this live episode of Religion on the Mind, recorded at Theology Beer Camp in October 2025, I sit down with friend and philosopher Myron A. Penner to explore the naturalness of religion, discussing its philosophical implications, evolutionary origins, and the role of cognitive science in understanding religious behavior. Philip Clayton joins us for a follow-up conversation and audience questions about halfway through. Myron's Website | Myronapenner.com Philip's Website |

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37:18

Hopelessly Religious & Moving to the Country (#372)

Religion on the Mind ·

2026/01/08

I reconnect with my friend Brian Hall to explore his family's move from Portland to rural Oregon—driven by their kids' special needs, exhaustion with sociopolitical polarization, and Brian's ongoing “reconstruction” of his spirituality. We discuss the tension between liberal values and individual family choices as Brian deliberately exposes himself to conservative religious spaces. I push back on his embrace of Trump-supporting communities while acknowledging my own growing interest in center-right

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82:45

Skillet’s Demonic Cover, AI Gospel Music & Trendy...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/12/22

Religion on the News is back — (thanks to our patron Samantha for suggesting that series title!) Mason Mennenga joins me to round up the latest stories from faith, culture, and psychology.After acknowledging the tragedy of the mass shooting in Australia, we segue into the absurdity of Skillet—yes, the massive Christian rock band—getting "criticized" for making their Christmas hymn cover sound too demonic (spoiler: the controversy seems manufactured by two Twitter/X accounts with tiny followings)

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33:08

Modern Medicine is Still Religious (#365)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/12/04

I sit down with Dr. Nathan Carlin, professor of medical humanities and author of The Secularization of Medicine, to explore his fascinating thesis that doctors have become the new priests of secular society. We trace how this shift began—from medieval cathedrals as the highest points in European cities to modern hospital skylines dominating places like Houston's Texas Medical Center, where people now make pilgrimages seeking salvation of the body rather than the soul. Nathan walks me through the

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70:34

AI Will Not Doom Us (Nor Climate Change) (#364)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/12/01

We ease into today’s topic with a Top of Mind segment on two competing narratives: does having children make the future better? Or worse? From right-leaning fears of population collapse to left-leaning concerns about overpopulation and climate impact, both arguments rely on catastrophizing about opposing dystopian predictions, and I myself have not been immune to them. For our main interview, I’m joined by Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine and author of the "thousand true fans" theory

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