Are you ready to relearn what you thought you knew about the Bible? Almost Heretical invites you on a journey of reclaiming the Bible and revolutionizing Christianity as we know it. Led by Nate Hanson (a former Crazy Love pastor) and Shelby Hanson (MA Biblical Studies & Dead Sea Scrolls). We challenge traditional teachings and offer a sanctuary for those questioning and reshaping their faith. 7 years running, with over 2 million downloads, this is a space for authentic exploration and tough ...
…
continue reading
A weekly podcast hosted by Jon DiSavino. It celebrates the enduring and compact literary form known as - you guessed it - the short story. But more importantly, it gives listeners an opportunity to hear the work of some of the best emerging writers of today. Each episode begins with an interview with the week's guest author, and ends with a professional audiobook production of a story by that author.Jon DiSavino is an actor and stage director. In the last few years he has begun producing and ...
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 107 - Kathryn Mockler: Four Stories from ANECDOTES
54:30
54:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:30
There's a lot on Canadian author Kathryn Mockler's mind when it comes to what sorts of things the future might hold. In her hybrid collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press), she channels her anxiety about the planet into bold, original, and surprisingly humorous works that take aim at the indifference surrounding us in these perilous times. We read fou…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 106 - Claire Carroll: "My Two Sons"
1:01:19
1:01:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:19
UK author Claire Carroll is the daughter of a zoologist, which is no surprise given the ways in which her reverence for the natural world figures largely in her fiction. She brings a daring imagination and a dark humor to the stories in her debut collection The Unreliable Nature Writer (Scratch Books), which examine the fragile relationship between…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 105 - Nick Rees Gardner: "Psychedelicious"
1:03:50
1:03:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:50
In his linked story collection Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts, Washington DC author Nick Rees Gardner has created a fictional landscape inspired by his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio - which he has affectionately dubbed "Westinghouse." But it's not a rose-tinted homage. Nick's personal experience of the opioid crisis that grew out of the econom…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 104 - John Sheirer: "Security"
1:06:26
1:06:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:06:26
In his collection Stumbling Through Adulthood, Massachusetts author John Sheirer pays homage to folks like the ones he got to know while growing up in rural Pennsylvania. He creates indelible portraits of the unsung heroes of small town America - simple folk who time and again prove that "simple" is simply a matter of opinion. We read "Security," w…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 103 - Kolby Granville and After Dinner Conversation: "Father Dale's Drive-thru Exorcisms"
1:16:37
1:16:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:16:37
Kolby Granville, Founder and Editor of After Dinner Conversation: Philosophy and Ethics Short Story Magazine shares his thoughts and ideas about publishing a periodical, using fiction to explore ethical principals and philosophical concepts, and elevating popular culture. We read a story from the magazine: "Father Dale's Drive-thru Exorcisms" by Vi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 102 - Timothy Laurence Marsh: "The Perfect Paris Day"
1:09:42
1:09:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:09:42
Author Timothy Laurence Marsh's coastal Southern California home town set the stage for his entering college on a tennis scholarship, where he began pursuing a career in law enforcement. But an elective course in creative writing put him on a very different path. We discuss his forthcoming story collection My Mother Fires Guns, and read "The Perfec…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#144 – Jon Foreman: Leaving the Christian Label
55:24
55:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:24
Jon Foreman of Switchfoot (link) discusses the journey of faith, doubt, and the rejection of labels. We delve into the topics of deconstruction, being hurt by people claiming Christianity, and the complexities of using “Christian” as an adjective. We also explore the idea of embracing community over tribalism in today’s divided culture. Thoughts, q…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 101 - Eufemia Fantetti: "A Recipe For Disaster"
1:09:16
1:09:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:09:16
Toronto author Eufemia Fantetti is the child of Italian immigrants who emigrated to Canada in the sixties. In her story collection A Recipe for Disaster & Other Unlikely Tales of Love (Mother Tongue), she responds to the ways in which cultural beliefs and traditions effect the lives of generations struggling to adapt in their new and strikingly dif…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 100 - Aaron Kreuter: "The Krasners"
1:07:32
1:07:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:07:32
In Toronto author Aaron Kreuter's linked story collection Rubble Children, he's provided a stirring and provocative portrait of a Jewish community in Toronto struggling with the difficult choices they must face as their core beliefs are called into question. Palestinian-Canadian author Saeed Teebi, author of Her First Palestinian, is the guest inte…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#143 – Candida Moss (Part 2): Uncovering Biblical Authorship Mysteries
43:11
43:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:11
Listen to the After Show Candida Moss, a leading theology professor, returns for part two of our conversation, diving into her groundbreaking research on the manuscript traditions and writing processes of the New Testament. Discover how dictation, collaboration, and the roles of enslaved individuals shaped the creation of early Christian texts. Lea…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 99 - Nicola Winstanley: "Feeling in the Flesh"
1:04:13
1:04:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:13
Award-winning Ontario children's book author Nicola Winstanley has recently published a collection of fiction - this time for grownups. Smoke (Buckrider Books) is a linked story collection. It follows the path of a resilient woman from her rocky New Zealand childhood to her life as a professional living in Ontario, Canada. Nathan Whitlock, author o…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#142 – Candida Moss (Part 1): Enslaved Authors of Christianity
44:00
44:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:00
Listen to the After Show Candida Moss is a leading theology professor, about her groundbreaking research on the enslaved Christians who helped create the New Testament. Discover how this reshapes our understanding of biblical inspiration, ancient authorship, and Christianity’s historical complicity in slavery. Get Candida's book God's Ghostwriters.…
…
continue reading
To become a supporter of Almost Heretical and get more bonus episodes like this, click here: http://almostheretical.com/subscribe In this bonus episode of Almost Heretical, Nate Hanson and Shelby dive into the story of the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11. They discuss its significance, the cultural context, and various interpretations, including its…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#140 – Frank Kenny: Unveiling the God of War
57:41
57:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:41
Listen to the Frank Kenny after show! How has our understanding of God evolved over time? Nate & Shelby talk with Frank Kenny about his book, The God of War: How an Ancient God Shaped a Modern World (link), exploring the historical contexts and conflicts that have shaped modern Christianity. Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email almostheretica…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#139 – Brian McLaren: Christianity Beyond Belief
59:13
59:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:13
Listen to the after show for the Brian episode where we talk about why the Church tries to control beliefs What if being a Christian wasn't about what you believed? Nate & Shelby talk with Brian McLaren about his influential works, including Do I Stay Christian? and his latest, Life After Doom. Thoughts, questions, stories? Please email almostheret…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode #95 - Charles Hanson Towne: "Shelby" (A "Found Fiction" Episode)
34:07
34:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:07
While we prepare for Season 3, we thought it might be fun to bring you some first-rate stories that probably haven’t seen the light of day in ages. We’re going to refer to these episodes as our "Found Fiction" episodes. These gems have been unearthed from the electronic vaults of Project Gutenberg - one of our favorite literary resources. They're s…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#138 – Olivia Jackson: Why Christians Deconstruct
41:23
41:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:23
Listen to the after show where we talk about favorite books, women missionaries, and being anti-academia Olivia Jackson interviewed hundreds of Christians about their deconstruction experience. We talk about why people changed their faith. Is it different in America compared to the UK, Australia, etc? Olivia's book. Thoughts, questions, stories? Pl…
…
continue reading
Nigerian author Wole Talabi excels at math (he's an engineer), so he creates what he calls a "fiction-equation" when beginning a story. But don't be misled by the technical sound of it. There's a deep reverence for humanity in his stories, which expertly capture the beauty and wonder of science and technology. His new collection is Convergence Prob…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#137 – Tim Alberta: Reject Trump, Embrace Jesus
1:09:27
1:09:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:09:27
Listen to the after show where Nate & Shelby talk about Tim's more traditional beliefs... Why did they have Tim on? Tim Alberta reflects on how his Christian upbringing shapes his approach to politics, emphasizing critical thought over tribalism. He advocates for a church response that mirrors Christ's love and grace, facing societal challenges wit…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode #93 - Nicole Haroutunian: "Three Times I Breathed Other People's Breath and No One Worried About Death"
57:29
57:29
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:29
New York author Nicole Haroutunian knows how to keep an audience engaged - whether, as a museum educator, it's the groups she helps find a deeper connection with art - or readers of her fiction. Her newly-released novel-in-stories Choose This Now has been hailed by Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility and The Golden State as " a sparkling, intimate l…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#136 – Tiffany Yecke Brooks: Spiritual Anxiety & Religious Trauma
1:02:46
1:02:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:46
Listen to the after show where Nate & Shelby debrief and shore more thoughts about this conversation with Tiffany Tiffany Yecke Brooks discusses her evolution from fundamentalist roots, questioning long-held doctrines, and identifying spiritual anxiety as a trauma response. She advocates for reinterpreting biblical stories and emphasizes the import…
…
continue reading
Chicago author Ananda Lima was born in Brasilia, Brazil, and made her way to Illinois via Australia and New York while working in the field of linguistics. She is a translator, a fiction writer, and an award-winning poet. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called her debut collection Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil "a terrific fiction deb…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#135 – Thomas Jay Oord: Open Relational Theology
1:08:41
1:08:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:08:41
Listen to the Utterly Heretical after show episode that Nate & Shelby recorded debriefing this conversation with Thomas Jay Oord Dr. Thomas Jay Oord delves into open relational theology, highlighting a non-controlling, relational God and rethinking traditional omnipotence. Check out his book God After Deconstruction with Tripp Fuller. We addresses …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode #91 - Jess Bowers: "Granddad Swam"
1:12:17
1:12:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:17
Missouri author Jess Bowers began her lifelong love affair with horses while still a child in her hometown of York, Pennsylvania - but she wasn't born to ranchers or farmers. Her dad was a sports journalist and a poet who fostered the love of literature in their home, which became the foundation on which she would build her writing career. We read …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode #90 - Trent Lewin: "The Longest Day"
58:38
58:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:38
This emerging Canadian author writes under the pseudonym of Trent Lewin. "It was specifically picked so that I could elude the reality in which I’d lived for so many years, the reality that always had boundaries on it, and limits as to what I could do. I didn’t want my writing in a box." He has a PhD. But it's not in Creative Writing. It's in Envir…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#134 – Dr. Laura Anderson: Sex, Dating, Courtship and Trauma
1:02:25
1:02:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:25
Listen to the 20-minute Utterly Heretical after show episode that Nate & Shelby recorded debriefing this conversation with Dr. Laura Anderson Dr. Laura Anderson tackles religious trauma, explaining it as our physiological response to religious experiences, distinct from the events themselves. She critiques purity culture for its detrimental effects…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode #89 - Andrea Bishop: "Ice Created Layer Upon Layer"
59:21
59:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:21
Vancouver, Canada author Andrea Bishop has been awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to complete her first collection of short stories. The work-in-progress features stories of fearless women - hikers, hockey-players, moms, and mom-athletes - all striving to create harmony in an often brutal world. We read her story "Ice Created Lay…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#133 – David Fitch: Is God's Love Coercive?
59:23
59:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:23
Listen to the extra 20-minute Utterly Heretical episode that Nate & Shelby recorded debriefing this conversation with David. Does Hell or even annihilationism mean that God's love is coercive? David Fitch (author of Reckoning With Power) debates with Nate and Shelby about whether we can call God's love "non-coercive". Thoughts, questions, stories? …
…
continue reading