Untangling Christianity Podcast

This episode is the fourth of a four-part series where Gregg reads excerpts from—and comments on—an excellent  conversation that took place in the Untangling Christianity Facebook group.  All comments and names are used with permission of the authors. In this podcast Gregg engages with Amy’s comments about “preaching the Word of God” and “sensing the […] The post faith AND suspicion; belief AND scepticism (156) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

This episode is the third of a four-part series where Gregg reads excerpts from—and comments on—an excellent  conversation that took place in the Untangling Christianity Facebook group.  All comments and names are used with permission of the authors. In this podcast Gregg explains his comments at the end of the previous episode, #154, where he […] The post Problems with the Westminster Confession (155) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode Gregg continues his review of—and commentary on—a conversation that took place in the Untangling Christianity Facebook group.  NB: All comments have been quoted (and names mentioned) with permission. As with the first podcast in this series, this podcast is likely to move faster be “denser” than most, and so re-listening to sections […] The post Meeting Non-Christians Where They Are At (154) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode Gregg summarizes–and responds to–an interesting conversation that took place in the Untangling Christianity Facebook group in mid-September 2017.  Note: all comments have been quoted (and names mentioned) with permission. Gregg begins by indicating that this podcast is likely to move faster be “denser” than most, and so re-listening to sections may be […] The post Understanding Non-Christians Starts With Them (153) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode Gregg discusses comments made in the Untangling Christianity Facebook Group regarding comments that he made in episode #149.  Specifically, a listener is advocating against Gregg’s view and is stating that Christians are seeking to engage with outsiders and are, generally, doing a good job at it. Gregg introduces the discussion by noting […] The post Christians Disconnected From Outsiders (152) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode Gregg talks about the necessity for Christians to be pursuing excellence and the conditions for inclusivity within Christian communities. He does so by drawing on his experience of moving from a small town is South-Central Alberta to Canmore Alberta, 15 minutes from Banff National Park, and the differences in employment experience that […] The post Excellence and Inclusivity (151) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg re-connect to discuss the idea of whether we “deserve” certain things. John takes this idea from the Bronnie Ware’s book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying (upon which John has also podcasted). John is intrigued by the notion of whether we “deserve” certain things and how we would […] The post What Do You Deserve? (150) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode Gregg goes further regarding the Integration Project. He begins by expressing doubt that “seekers” actually exist, arguing that this is a fictional category of people created by Christians.  Instead, Gregg views those people who appear most open to Christianity as perhaps a) those with past exposure but who have not been marginalized […] The post Feeling Dirty at Church (149) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode, Gregg takes the discussion of the previous few episodes (on Coaching versus Christianity) as a point of departure to begin a new, solo podcasting series that focuses on “love and truth in Christianity.” Gregg explains the importance of this  focus using the tagline of the Untangling Christianity podcast: “Defusing destructive ideologies, unsnarling […] The post Considering Love and Truth (148) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg round-out their “coaching versus Christianity” discussion.  Gregg begins by affirming his perspective that it is both normal and potentially helpful to find oneself more deeply engaged or compelled by pursuits other than Christianity. John wonders: what core questions could help listeners ask themselves to evaluate theses types of situations? […] The post Going to the Next Level (147) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg record the podcast together for the first time in person in Drumheller, Alberta. In it they discuss their recent trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, one of the world’s preeminent dinosaur museums, that is located in Drumheller. John explains how, while at the museum, he was struck by the amount of […] The post Dinosaurs and Drumheller (146) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg return to John’s positive engagement with coaching and his unfulfilling engagement with Christianity. Gregg’s hunch is that John’s situation offers an example that is very applicable for many listeners, in that the phenomena of finding one’s faith to be lackluster in comparison with other activities or pursuits seems not […] The post Ownership, Coaching and Christianity (145) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

This episode continues John and Gregg’s conversation about John’s excitement around coaching and lack of enthusiasm for Christianity. Yet Gregg proposes that this may actually offer positive orientation for John’s engagement with Christianity. Gregg believes that there are many Christians in a similar position to John, such that they are excited and enthused more by […] The post Coaching and Christianity (144) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg take their discussion in a different direction. Beginning with a retrospective of the podcast, they discuss a potentially “new way” for Untangling Christianity to fulfill one of it’s original purposes which was to give hope to other people.  John originally put this as, “I have to believe that there […] The post Self Discovery as a Hobby or Lifestyle? (143) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg discuss an introspection on “where John is at,” touching on John’s views about God, his career, and life generally. John opens with his concern of being being misunderstood by listeners, and specifically not wanting to regret being “nailed down” to what he offers today while sharing personally and honestly. […] The post What Belongs in the House? (142) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg resume their discussion from last episode of the article on apologetics in the Biola University Magazine: “Young people are indeed leaving the church,” by Craig Hazen and Larry Barnett. During this conversation John contrasts the above article with another, entitled “How becoming more secular brought me closer to Jesus,” […] The post Paying an Intellectual Cost (141) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg discuss an article from the Fall 2016 Biola University Magazine entitled, “Young People are Indeed leaving the Church.” John summarizes the article as stating that the reason why young people are leaving the church is because they have “doubts,” and if these doubts can be sufficiently addressed then young […] The post Bogus Commandments (140) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg discuss what “core values” are and how they apply to Christianity. Gregg explains that he created a questionnaire for his church group when he understood that several participants were having a very hard time engaging with the material on self-deceit. One of those questions was: “What is satisfying to […] The post Do Core Values Mix with Christianity? (139) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg talk further about Gregg’s Sunday morning “Discussion Group.” John wonders: How is the “back and forth” within the group affecting Gregg? Gregg notes that he is learning to pay attention to how some participants habitually “detract” from or even contradict his perspectives without actually engaging with the material, and […] The post Recognizing Our Own Deceit (138) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.

In this episode John and Gregg return to the topic of Gregg’s Sunday morning discussion group. Gregg explains that last week, instead of pursuing the course of study (on self-deceit), he presented the group with 10-question Questionnaire to help them assess their expectations, energy and commitment level to the discussion group. Could it be that […] The post Choose Your Own Adventure? (137) appeared first on Untangling Christianity.