Crackers And Grape Juice Podcast

For this episode, Jason talks with Eric Hall, author of the forthcoming The Home-brewed Christianity Guide to God. Eric is a Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. In his book, he narrates a bit of his own journey from Pentecostalism to Catholicism and the beauty of ancient Christianity that become available to him once he gave up on sola scriptura. You can order Eric's book at www.homebrewedchristianity.com or on Amazon.

Jason, Morgan, and Teer catch up on all things millennial and the church. You know, millennials, the unicorn the most mainline churches cannot seem to catch.

Jason sits down with David Bentley Hart, his former teacher, his idol, and his man-crush all in one. David Hart may well prove to have been the most significant theologian of the 21st century. He is the author of The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?, The Beauty of the Infinite, Atheist Delusions, and the Experience of God. And, as you'll hear, he's just translated the New Testament for Yale University Press. With his famous dog Roland at his feet, DBH discusses the Church's loss of classical theism, the (evil) God most Christians worship, the logical incoherence of Process Theology, Hell, Christian Freedom, Reformed (mis)translations of Scripture, and his own personal suffering.

Is Satan a real person? How do we know the difference between acting satanic and acting Christlike when Jesus can be such a problematic fave sometimes? And how does Beyonce factor into the answers to all these questions?

Eric Clapton may be called to change the world, but Jesus doesn't call Christians to do so. According to John Nugent, Christians are not to make the world a better place. Rather, we're called to be the better place God through Christ has made possible. In this interview, Jason talks with John about John's new book Endangered Gospel: How Fixing the World is Killing the Church. Try this quote on for size: "The most dangerous religion is not Islam nor is it Atheism but it is a form of Christianity that uses Jesus' name to keep people happy but doesn't call them into a community that displays God's Kingdom.

Jason and Teer talk about the theologically significance of studying the humanities with Dr. Nathan Gilmour, host of the Christian Humanist Podcast.

Jason, Morgan & Teer have an early morning conversation about the exclusivity of Jesus. So is Jesus really the only way?

Teer and Jason talk with Jeff Pugh about his new book: The Home-brewed Christianity Guide to the End Times.

Morgan’s fifth Wild Goose interview was with Emily Joy, an incredible poet who lives in Nashville. Emily grew up homeschooled in a fundamentalist family. She went to Moody Bible Institute where she was one of a handful of women to major in theology (in this decade). They discussed online feminism, intersectionality, and the importance of listening to your heart. Then Emily closed with her viral poem “How To Love the Sinner and Hate the Sin: Five Easy Steps.”

Morgan’s fourth Wild Goose interview was with Bec Cranford, the volunteer director at the Gateway Center for homeless people in Atlanta. Bec is a heavily tattooed progressive Pentecostal wonder-woman. On the interview, she shared powerful stories of a tough life journey that has left her full of empathy. Everything was going well until she started speaking in tongues.

Morgan’s third Wild Goose interview was with Brandan Robertson, the author of 'Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light.' His original book contract was rescinded when he came out as queer, so he had to republish with a UK publisher. Brandan was a fundamentalist street preacher in the Baltimore Inner Harbor at the age of 13. He went to Moody Bible Institute where he was almost expelled for doing a radio interview with Brian McLaren. It was refreshing to hear how little bitterness Brandan has for his past and how he seeks to integrate all the phases of his spiritual journey as he wanders and wonders into the future.

Morgan’s second Wild Goose interview was with Sarah Heath, the pastor of First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa, California. Sarah’s pure, Christlike heart is contagious. She talked a lot about the beautiful, eclectic mix of people in her church and how sad she would be if the United Methodists decided to split.

Morgan’s first Wild Goose interview was with Alicia Crosby, the co-founder and co-director of the Center for Inclusivity in Chicago. In our interview, she talked a lot about expanding the concept of church. She makes the point that while Jesus spent some time in the temple, most of where he did church was in people’s houses and on the streets. Alicia and Morgan also discussed what holiness looks like for an inclusive Christian and how the church should be responding to police violence against black people.