Virtue In The Wasteland Podcast

This year's Christmas special was recorded live at the Boathouse Collective in Costa Mesa, California.  We were stoked to have Blake Flattley and his band lead the evening with a collection of interviews and musical performances.  

On today's show we welcome author Rebecca Lemke who came out joined us here in studio from her regular base in Oklahoma.  Rebecca has written The Scarlet Virgins: When Sex Replaces Salvation.  Rebecca led us through a complicated and sometimes very difficult episode about sexual predators in the church, the role of purity culture in American evangelicalism and where we might find some hope in our preoccupation with all things sex, culture and church.  Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for links and an article by Jeff from his recently published book, Sexy.

On Feelings: A Quick Guide to Navigating Your Inner Life Jeff and Dan discuss the ways in which our feelings, thoughts and behaviors affect our search for a virtuous life.  It may not be going in the direction you think!

It’s Thanksgiving and we do well to take a few minutes out of our day to remind ourselves why we love America.  The divisiveness of the last Presidential campaign and the vitriol coming through our TV boxes and ear buds has made being thankful difficult.  So, here are a few things, whether you are on the left or right, that you can be thankful about.      

A bonus episode in which the guys follow their discussion of the best movies to portray Sex, Drugs and Religion with their top songs in those categories.  There is a 30 second gap between U2's 40 and Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools. Despite that little gaffe, we really dig this show and had a great time recording it.

On today's episode we count down our favorite films (or most poignant films) in the categories of Sex, Drugs, and Religion.  This is part 1 of a two part series.  The second part where we count down our top songs in these categories comes out on Friday.  Check out the show page to read Dan's article on Pornography, Methamphetamines and Jesus.

We look at the rise of the Occult in our post recession anxiety, the roots of occultism with the Rosicrucian movement in the 16th century, new religious movements in the 19th and 20th century, the curious case of Josephine Paladin, and why we shouldn't be afraid of the rise of occultism today.    

Dan's back for a discussion of his reading of David Foster Wallace and Søren Kierkegaard in the hospital. Hope and despair in an anxious age. Defense of the so-called snowflake millennials and their plight. virtueinthewastleand.com  

Jeff Mallinson's lecture on the implications of Luther's concept of the freedom of the Christian. How we can love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. How we can stop worrying about legalistic works to earn our standing before God: once we are freed from acts of religiosity that are no good to our neighbor, we can spill out the unconditional love of God for others. Freed from worrying about looking bad by being associated with sinners, we can serve those sinners and bear the burden of their sin.  Jeff would like to apologize for not clearly concluding his point, but hopefully there are some inspiring themes that you can apply. The main point is that instead of treating people how they deserve, we are free to treat others like God treats us.

Music! Reformation! Reformation Music! Oh, ok... so maybe I say "look at this slide".  And you are all, "I can't see with my ears, dummy". And then I am like, "they were bad slides and would have confused you more". Problem solved. Today's show is on another Reformation theme and taken from a lecture Dan gave on the eve of the Reformation a few years ago.  Also, there might be a ticket or two for you last stragglers to join the crew in San Diego this weekend (Oct. 19 2017).  Go here to see what you can get!

Scratching the surface of a longer conversation regarding the nature of the demonic and mental health. Stay tuned for more detailed conversation with psychologists and biblical scholars in the weeks to come. virtueinthewasteland.com  

Mental health, mental illness, social stigma related to such things, and the way we fund health care. Dan starts by talking through his trip to the hospital and life for a few days in a psychiatric ward. Following this, the dudes discuss the lessons learned from the experience related to the way American's fund health care. virtueinthewasteland.com

Jeff interviews newly minted PhD and former student Dr. Ryan Tafilowski about his research into the theologians in Germany under the Third Reich. Some opposed the Nazis, some cooperated. Is the two kingdom's theory to blame? Find out.

Dr. Wade Johnston discusses historical and current cultural and ideological reasons why Lutherans have a long history of not getting along. Johnston has degrees from Martin Luther College, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Central Michigan University, and Erasmus University Rotterdam. He serves as assistant professor of theology at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and served for ten years in parish ministry in Saginaw, Michigan. He also has a podcast: https://www.letthebirdfly.com 

How pyramid schemes operate like new religious movements. The history of direct marketing. Tupperware. Herbalife. Multi-level marketing. Capitalism. John Stuart Mill and classical liberalism. Regulations and the public good. 

Jeff interviews Christian and Chelsea Tuttle, outside their home (a Cold-War era six wheel drive: a 1982 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 712W) to discuss the ways in which this young couple has sought adventure, met new people, and lived life deliberately. (The cold open uses ear buds; don't worry, the audio get's better after the opening music.) They discuss the importance of travel, the ways in which people have been surprisingly decent along the road, and how one might choose the best vehicle for a roving lifestyle. (There are short reviews of a few types of modified vehicles). Check out their blog site: http://www.travelingtuttles.com/fleet/  Chelsea's a professional photographer, whose website is here: http://chelseatuttle.com  Some of their friends: http://viajeros4x4x4.com  The Facebook page Jeff mentions at the start of the show. https://www.facebook.com/groups/panamtravelers/  We mention Mauricio and Abigail Parra, whose site is here: http://vinoclub.com.mx    For other shows: http://www.virtueinthewasteland.co

A candid and uncensored conversation with Shannon, who grew up in the church but discusses the perplexing difficulties of reconciling her upbringing with the new rules of dating at age 33, especially in Manhattan. Perhaps the most valuable part of the conversation is the unique dangers for people--perhaps especially women--who live in the emotional aftermath of a divorce, and may become susceptible to manipulative people who want to capitalize on it for their own power and gratification. Listed as explicit for adult language. Whether or not you agree with Shannon's response to her life situation, her candid explanation of how she feels will perhaps help you understand yourself, your loved ones, and even your romantic enemies a bit better. virtueinthewasteland.com 

What was the civil war about? How ought we remember it? What about Confederate monuments and statues? www.virtueinthewasteland.com 

We explore moral psychology in Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind. Next week, we will discuss further with Dr. Kristen Koenig, a sociologist. www.virtueinthewasteland.com will have relevant show notes.