The UnSunday Show asks honest questions about the origin and validity of institutional church rules, traditions, and practices. These religious rules and practices lead us away from the simplicity of the gospel and into an exhausting performance-based experience that is designed to perpetuate itself by placing ever increasing demands on its people and are of no value in Christ. If you're exhausted from trying to keep all the religious rules that have been placed on you, listen in to these co ...
…
continue reading
As In Heaven, hosted by Jim Davis and Michael Aitcheson, is a new podcast in The Gospel Coalition podcast network. Each episode seeks to glean insights from a wide variety of people doing strategic work in their cities and communities. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Our prayer is that our spheres of influence would be places that look more like God’s kingdom—where love reigns, humanity flourishes, and Christ is glorified.
…
continue reading
Weird Religion is a podcast for people who think religion is weird but love it anyway. Your hosts, Leah Payne and Brian Doak, are both professors, authors, and pop culture aficionados, whose interests range from archaeology and history and linguistics to LARPing and The Walking Dead. Episodes tackle some piece of media highlighting the wonderful weirdness of religious experience—a documentary, a television show, a Twitter scandal—and use that as a "thread" on which to hang reflections on a w ...
…
continue reading
The video version of this episode is on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/H89bdlfkwHg In this episode I share a quote from Michael C. Kapler's book, Clash of the Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee. This is an excellent book that I recommend without hesitation. You can find it on Amazon at https://bit.ly/3Rump8V I…
…
continue reading

1
Grace Alone: The Freedom of Bringing Nothing to the Table (105)
10:16
10:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
10:16The gospel isn’t a group project. If grace is free, why do we try so hard to add to it? In this episode, I talk about how bringing nothing to the table isn’t a burden but is ultimate freedom. Grace apart from works is a death sentence for institutional religion that can't be tolerated there. Let's talk about grace! Other Places You’ll Find Me The G…
…
continue reading

1
Sweating for Jesus? Why Sanctification Isn’t About Working Harder (104)
16:59
16:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:59Holiness Isn’t a Hustle. Many believers feel trapped in a cycle of performance, thinking sanctification is about sweating for Jesus. Too often, we’re taught that sanctification, or holiness, is about working harder, doing more, and proving ourselves to God. But what if it isn’t about striving to do more but about resting in what's already been done…
…
continue reading

1
Breaking the Pulpit Barrier: Freeing the Body of Christ (103)
20:31
20:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:31"The moment the church of God shall despise the pulpit, God will despise her." -Charles Spurgeon The pulpit is in the way. Pulpits have a long history of being an obstacle that is in the way of the Body of Christ functioning as God intends for it to function. When the Body of Christ is gathered together are we limited to the voice of one person beh…
…
continue reading
"I don't want to read my Bible anymore. Is there something wrong with me? I need to fix this!" This is a common theme that happens when we leave the institutional box church. Many times, any desire to read the Bible disappears and we start to think there's something wrong with us that needs fixed. We tend to think that losing a desire to have a reg…
…
continue reading

1
The Lie of a Deceitful and Desperately Wicked Heart (101)
19:35
19:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:35Let's talk about Jeremiah 17:9 and his statement that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Is it true? Are our hearts deceitful and wicked and not to be trusted or is there more to that description that needs clarification? Let's talk. Other Places You’ll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com Ti…
…
continue reading
Welcome to episode 100 of The UnSunday Show! I was so focused in this episode on what I wanted to say that I forgot to mention this is episode 100. Triple digits! Yay!!! This is the final episode on the subject of pastors, elders, and shepherds. In this episode I talked about how the word pastors, which only appears in Ephesians 4:11, was a result …
…
continue reading
This episode is a continuation of last week's as we turn our attention to the topic of elders in the body of Christ. Elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, and pastors. How are these terms used in the New Covenant scriptures and are they related in some way? Let's sort these out in this episode. Other Places You’ll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: h…
…
continue reading
Do institutional church pastors have a special calling to be pastors? Let's take an honest look at this in light of the New Testament scriptures. Other Places You’ll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@unsunday.mike Instagram https://www.instagram.com/unsundayshow YouTube https://www.youtu…
…
continue reading

1
126 THE LEGITIMACY (has Christian television finally arrived)
30:27
30:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:27Let us discuss a DANGEROUS TV SHOW. And of course, we’re talking about a very family friendly Jesus TV show—The Chosen. What is the state of the evangelical search for validation, for legitimacy, in the American religious landscape today? Has Christian TV arrived? Can we tell who is an “evangelical” by what they purchase, what they consume? The Las…
…
continue reading

1
125 THE MUTATIONS (battle on: Precious Moments vs. Precious Mutations)
29:59
29:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:59We celebrate the religious aesthetic—and mourn the loss—of Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher. A pastel-colored, Christian-infused aesthetic embodied by Precious Moments may of course prompt a reaction: like the “Precious Mutation” of Keith Busher. Did evangelical art (and theology) ever grow up? How can this couple have been married 25 years whe…
…
continue reading

1
124 THE IMPOSSIBLE (is it OK now to believe in every miracle?)
30:34
30:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:34Today we’re discussing a book by religion and philosophy professor Jeffrey Kripal (Rice University), called How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else (University of Chicago Press, 2024). He seems to be suggesting…that we should believe…in impossible things. Miracles. Levitation. UFOs. Archetypes. And many other t…
…
continue reading

1
123 THE MICROFEMINISTS (you are not alone at the end of the year)
26:14
26:14
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:14Feeling spiritually vulnerable while you are in an airport? You are not alone. Looking for a Popeye horror film? You are not alone. Naming your child Muhammed in the UK this year? You are not alone. Flocking to Orthodoxy as a young man? You are not alone. Committing acts of microfeminism? You are not alone. Portland airport Beni the Therapy Llama: …
…
continue reading

1
122 THE SPIRIT (why is that man running and yelling)
30:04
30:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:04When, and why, did Catholics stop saying “and also with you” in response to “The Lord be with you,” and instead start saying, “and with your spirit”? And how would you respond to the ecstatic worship practice of “running the aisles”? We discuss the aesthetic we’d want—in heaven. Brian gaslights himself and all academics about “change.” Leah sings s…
…
continue reading

1
121 THE OLIGARCHS (the Swiss create a new way to confess sins)
29:38
29:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:38The Swiss have created a new way to confess sins. Brian does something he vowed he would never do. Digital oligarchs will rule our future. A mysterious man passes by outside dressed like a priest of the Pacific Northwest. The Film Her (2013): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ “Hey Alexa, Are You Sexist?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/a…
…
continue reading

1
Covenant Confusion: A Conversation With Mike Kapler (97)
1:04:27
1:04:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:27This episode of the UnSunday Show is a conversation from the 2018 archives of The Grace Cafe podcast that Mike had with Mike Kapler of the Growing in Grace podcast. It centers around the content of Mike Kapler's book, Clash Of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through The Grace Guarantee. We talked about many topics that often lead to confu…
…
continue reading
The Everyday Pastor is a new podcast from TGC on the nuts and bolts of ministry. Hosted by Ligon Duncan, with nearly 20 years of pastoral experience, and Matt Smethurst, who planted a church three years ago, it seeks to model how ministers of different generations, levels of experience, and even denominations can apply God’s never-changing Word in …
…
continue reading
I recorded this conversation with my wife on The Grace Cafe podcast but am posting it here as well. It's a short health update from yours truly. Push play and give it a listen and thank you for following my podcasts! I was recently invited to speak on the Grace at Last podcast with Corinne Kinstler on the subject of women in the church. I would rea…
…
continue reading

1
Declaration of Conformity: Formal Church Membership’s Hidden Agenda (95)
19:04
19:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:04I was installing a couple of lights in my garage and when I opened one of the boxes, a paper fell out with the heading at the top that read: FCC's Supplier's Declaration of Conformity So naturally, my mind went to formal church membership because at its core, formal church membership is a declaration of conformity. So let's talk. Links I mention to…
…
continue reading

1
The Debilitating Delusion of Institutional Religion, With Trent Antle (94)
59:48
59:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:48I asked Trent Antle to join me on this episode of the UnSunday Show because I wanted to hear more his story and I wanted others to have that same opportunity. After 20 years as a pastor in the institutional church setting, Trent began to see through the facade of propped-up religion as his eyes were being opened more and more to the New Covenant go…
…
continue reading

1
Why Is The Church So Captivated by the Law and the 10 Commandments? (93)
17:44
17:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:44Why is the modern church so captivated by the 10 Commandments when the New Covenant scriptures tell us plainly that the Law has been fulfilled and abolished? One reason is the theological systems we subscribe to that have the Law and the 10 Commandments as their centerpiece. One such system is Covenant Theology. I also mentioned in this episode tha…
…
continue reading

1
Old Covenant Imperatives Don't Belong in the New Covenant (92)
7:40
7:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
7:40This episode is the audio I pulled from a video I just did. I came across a post in one of my social media feeds where a church had posted Joshua 1:8 as a memory verse for its people to memorize this week. The passage reads, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do every…
…
continue reading

1
The False Doctrine of Top-Down Authority and Honorific Titles (91)
29:46
29:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:46Welcome to episode 91 of The UnSunday Show. In this episode I take a hard look at top-down authority and the use of honorific titles in the body of Christ. These things are not neutral and in fact, they do harm to the body of Christ by choosing to ignore the clear directives of Jesus concerning these important topics. In short, they prevent the bod…
…
continue reading

1
Top Theology Stories of 2023 with Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger
1:30:34
1:30:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:30:34Join Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger for their annual recap discussion on the biggest stories affecting the church around the world in the last year. This conversation was originally featured on TGC's Gospelbound podcast.By Melissa Kruger, Collin Hansen
…
continue reading
In this episode of the UnSunday Show, I ramble on about some important things that have been on my mind recently concerning institutional church and its inability to reflect the heart of Jesus and his kingdom in the world. Other Places You’ll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@unsunday.mi…
…
continue reading

1
120 THE DECHURCHING (the stunning story of why people have left church)
30:22
30:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:22One of the biggest religious storylines of 2023 has been: the huge number of people leaving their faith communities. Because Christianity is the #1 by volume religion in America, the loss has been felt heaviest there. Why has this been happening? And how many have left? A new book shares the latest research, and the data may shock you (= clickbait)…
…
continue reading

1
119 THE FIRSTSTONE (news roundup: Bible quoting courtroom antics and living forever)
30:24
30:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:24Beware, lest ye try to convict others in court, that ye have never sinned! We review some recent weird religious news with an eye toward non-obvious stories. From dreams of living forever to Taylor Swift promoting witchcraft: while away this thirty minutes with us. Lori Vallow statement, opens with “he who is without sin throw the first stone”: htt…
…
continue reading

1
118 THE COTTON (academic conference attire, Cotton Mather, and the Bible in America)
29:53
29:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:53We prepare to engage in the yearly ritual of scholars in our field: the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), abbreviated AAR-SBL…or is it SBL-AAR? The order makes all the difference. Quality tips are shared to survive an academic conference of this type. Brian shares the tale of his firs…
…
continue reading

1
117 THE BOOKS (live episode! books that have changed our lives)
30:10
30:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:10Gather ‘round for an episode recorded in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE in Portland, Oregon! We take a piece of listener (e)mail and answer the call: to talk about books that have been deeply impactful for our lives and research—books that anyone could read and learn a lot. From classics in the early history of sociology to ritual to women in the church …
…
continue reading

1
116 THE MH370 (this year's weirdest airplane-UFO conspiracy so far)
30:07
30:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:07The aftermath of the July 2023 Congressional UFO hearing has been fascinating, infuriating, mysterious, and ominous. We get you caught up, and present a chilling conspiracy theory about what has become already one of the most famous airplane disappearances of the past several decades—Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014. The Congressional UFO hear…
…
continue reading

1
115 THE SCARIES (movies we’re watching and NOT WATCHING this Halloween)
22:04
22:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:04Let Halloween feelings shower over you as you listen to this, our Halloween episode. One of us loves the horror genre on TV and movies, and the other absolutely does not. One of us can barely handle even watching the trailer for one of these films. Children of the Corn (1984): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087050/ The Satanic double scene in The Pa…
…
continue reading

1
My Interview on The Grace At Last Podcast (89)
0:43
0:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
0:43This is a short announcement to let you know I was interviewed on the Grace at Last podcast and that episode is out! I had a great conversation there with Corinne Kinstler, host of the Grace at Last podcast as we talked about church, the New Covenant, and a host of other topics along the way. Go check it out at: https://www.lastministry.org/grace-a…
…
continue reading
In this final season episode of As in Heaven, Jim Davis and Michael Graham are joined by Trevin Wax to discuss what it looks like to help individuals reconstruct their faith and for evangelicals—as a movement—to rebuild their witness. This episode is part of As in Heaven’s third season, devoted to The Great Dechurching—the largest and fastest relig…
…
continue reading

1
What Does "Study to Show Yourself Approved" Mean? (88)
12:05
12:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
12:05Welcome to episode 88 of The UnSunday Show. Today we're going to talk about 2 Timothy 2:15. This is another verse in a long list of verses that has been taken out of context and weaponized by institutional religion to mean something that it was never intended to mean. Here it is in the King James Version: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a…
…
continue reading

1
114 THE AYNRAND (what is it like to grow up in an Objectivist household?)
30:23
30:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:23What would it be like to grow up in a household guided by the principles of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy? We talk to Things Not Seen radio host Dr. David Dault, of Loyola University Chicago, about being expoed to the ideology of Ayn Rand at a young age. If you’ve ever wanted to know about Rand’s “Objectivist” idea but were too afraid to ask, w…
…
continue reading

1
How to Be a Missional and Confessional Church That Motivates People for Faithful Ministry
55:59
55:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:59In this final episode of season three of As in Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Irwyn Ince to discuss the value of churches that seek to be both missional and confessional. When churches seek to hold both of these things in harmony, they become places that people won't want to leave. Episode time stamps: Episode and guest introduc…
…
continue reading

1
085 THE DEMONTIME (Kathryn Krick, your local exorcist in the park; guest Sam Kestenbaum) [April 2022]
34:15
34:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:15As longtime Weirdo Listeners know, we don’t always have guests—but when we do, they win awards. Or they should. New York Times contributor Sam Kestenbaum won a 2023 Wilbur Award this past spring and now an AAR Journalism Award for a captivating article on Kathryn Krick—a Christian social media celebrity and charismatic preacher who frequents parks …
…
continue reading

1
How to Faithfully Engage the Dechurched Movement as a Church in Exile
54:18
54:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:18In this episode of As in Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Michael Graham welcome Jake Meador to discuss the merits of having a posture of a "church in exile." They explore how this exilic posture could help us close the back door of the church and regain our prophetic voice. Episode time stamps: Episode and guest introduction (0:00) Moving from empire t…
…
continue reading

1
038 THE TRUTH (Ancient Aliens, the History Channel, and all of the possibilities) [September 2019]
31:24
31:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:24Rebroadcasting a popular season finale from several years ago. Aliens are the quintessential sci-fi topic. Leah admits she used to watch Alf. Brian watched Alf too! We all did. Was The History Channel ever really respectable? The true utopian technology prophets will tell us when everything has been illuminated at the same time. Is it possible that…
…
continue reading

1
Perspectives on American Dechurching from Post-Christian Europe
46:36
46:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:36In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Michael Graham welcome Andrew Wilson and Glen Scrivener to discuss European perspectives on dechurching in America, drawing from insights in the UK, Australia, and Italy to compare and contrast the dechurching movement. Episode time stamps: Episode and topic introduction (0:00) Losing cultural pr…
…
continue reading

1
113 THE X (why are the clothes on floor and Real Talk Kim)
26:58
26:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:58To celebrate what appears to be a departure of people of some amount from “Twitter” (now “X”?!), we run to the new “Threads” app and find dueling weird religious stories to share: (1) Leah finds a joke that leads to rumination on “premillennial dispensationalism” (2) and Brian offers an engaging TikTok sermon by “Real Talk Kim.” Threads has lost 80…
…
continue reading

1
The Challenges of Ministering Well Amid the Waves of a Divisive Culture
50:27
50:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:27In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Robert Cunningham to discuss the complexities of our ever-shifting culture. They share insights into pastoring through election cycles, polarizing cultural moments, and how not to grow weary. Episode time stamps: Episode and topic introduction (0:00) The impact of cultural …
…
continue reading

1
033 THE NOSTALGIA (Stranger Things, Cold War, child abductions) [AUGUST 2019]
33:37
33:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:37Rebroadcasting because we are jonesing for a new season of Stranger Things. Monsters, the 1980s, neon clothes, loaded memories of teenage drama, and a time when malls ruled supreme over the lives of adolescents. We talk about the Cold War and the child abduction fear craze in the 1980s and wonder: Why are we looking back on this era with fondness, …
…
continue reading