Some of the things people abandon when they leave the church are rituals. But this week's Q&A features a voicemail by listener Morris Bird, who asks: "The word ritual is used to describe things as innocent as reading the newspaper. On the other hand, it's used to describe sinister cult ceremonies. I'm curious, what are [...]
Don't worry; if you've never heard of 'evidism', you're not alone. This is a term coined by the guests in this episode, inventor Jeff Haley and author Dale McGowan, to describe people committed to fact-based, evidence-based thinking. In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Haley and McGowan talk about their book, Sharing Reality: How to Bring [...]
How does one decide who to pick to be friends with? Bart Campolo and John Wright look at this question as a sort of 'Part 2' to the last Q&A about cultivating good friendships: "I really enjoyed Episode 326 where you guys talked about how being interested in other people is the first step to [...]
Bart’s Book List (Part 2) Here's the second half (or a little more than half) of my reading list, and please check out our accompanying in-depth bonus podcast episode over on Patreon, just for podcast insiders, partners and supporters! Here are the books we talk about in the bonus episode: Reclaiming Conversation - Sherry Turkle [...]
No defaults. That's how Dedeker Winston, and her romantic partners Jase and Alex, see the foundation of their relationship structure: conscious, intentional choice around a lifestyle that works for the people involved in it, rather than defaulting to the monogamy (or serial monogamy) of our culture. As a former evangelical Christian, Dedeker not only left [...]
People often ask for a list of books that I would recommend. The list has changed a little over time, but we figured we'd put it out in two ways: a simple list here on my blog for everybody, and a more in-depth bonus podcast episode over on Patreon just for podcast supporters! So, here [...]
It's a line Bart Campolo uses a lot in this podcast and elsewhere, that the essence of life is cultivating loving relationships with other people. Today's question asks how to begin the process of doing that: "Bart often talks about about cultivating loving relationships, but I’m never sure what he means or what I’m supposed [...]
It's often noted that Alcoholics Anonymous sounds like a religious movement, with its appeal to a 'Higher Power'. But Joe C. is the founder of a group called AA Beyond Belief, which he says exists to provide a space for AA agnostics, atheists and freethinkers worldwide. Bart Campolo has wanted to have a conversation with [...]
Bart Campolo thinks his kids are the best in the world. Well, not objectively speaking. Well, sort of. I mean, he really prefers his kids to your kids. But he hopes you feel the same way about your own. Is that right? Is that okay? And is there any problem with that sort of 'us-them' [...]
It's not a term most people use every day, but street epistemology is a thing. Anthony Magnabosco is one of its more prominent ambassadors, largely because he routinely captures his efforts on video and posts them on the internet. What is street epistemology? It's a conversational tool which uses Socratic questioning to help people expose [...]