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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

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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41:49

What is a ‘Theology of Culture’? (#360)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/11/13

Matthew Burdette—Episcopal priest, theologian, and editor—joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about theology and culture. We cover a little bit of everything in this one!Matthew begins by telling me about his theology of culture, and how his approach allows God to remain distinct from culture while still being relevant to everything. We look at how both liberal and conservative Christianity can fail when they focus too much on either human goodness or human sinfulness. Matthew also

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27:55

When Fiction Reveals a Deeper Truth (#358)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/11/06

Today I’m joined by my brother-in-law Cameron Reed and fellow therapist Gabe Cortez to explore fiction through the lens of psychology and spirituality.We’re planning a series of conversations on Religion & Fiction in which we look at literary short stories and make the case for why fiction matters—not as escapism, but as an essential way of understanding ourselves, building empathy, and accessing truths that nonfiction simply can't reach. We start by discussing the benefits of fiction broadly

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91:38

Clergy vs. ICE & Thiel’s Antichrist Lectures...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/11/03

It’s a Religion News Roundup with podcaster and theologian Mason Mennenga, where we discuss the latest in religion-related current events. In this first episode trying out this new format, we explore why young people seem more open to spirituality than millennials were at their age, discuss clergy getting pepper-sprayed while protesting ICE detention centers, and unpack the wild story of gay billionaire Peter Thiel giving ticketed lectures about the Antichrist in San Francisco. We also chuckle at

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83:33

Why John Mark McMillan Walked Away From The Music...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/10/27

I sit down with musician John Mark McMillan for an exclusive conversation about something I never thought I'd see—one of contemporary Christian music's most boundary-pushing artists stepping away from the touring life after nearly 20 years on the road. What starts as a discussion about the brutal economics of modern music—the streaming pennies, the oversaturated venue landscape, the mounting tour costs—quickly becomes something richer: a meditation on what music is actually for. John Mark shares

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11:07

Theology Beer Camp Update

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/10/23

Here's a little update after our weekend in St. Paul, MN for Theology Beer Camp 2025. See you on Monday with our regular episode!___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only

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111:07

Cognitive Distortions & Religion, Pt 1: Should/Must...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/10/20

I'm launching a new series diving deep into cognitive distortions—those sneaky thinking errors we all fall into—and exploring how they show up at the intersection of psychology and religion. In this first episode, I tackle "Should/Must statements" with research psychologist Laird Edman. We go way beyond the therapy textbooks to explore how these rigid internal rules can either guide us toward our values or trap us in cycles of shame and perfectionism, examine why our brains evolved to be so

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78:50

Charlie Kirk: Martyr? (#354)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/10/13

I sit down with John Hawthorne, retired Christian university sociology professor and author of The Fearless Christian University, to unpack the troubling martyrdom narrative emerging around Charlie Kirk's assassination. We explore how Kirk is being weaponized as an icon by Christian nationalist ambassadors while everyday adherents struggle to make sense of senseless violence through familiar theological frameworks. John and I compare the Kirk situation to George Floyd—not as moral equivalents, but

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