Best Randy Knie Podcasts (2024)

1
Making Sense of Negative Theology: Peter Rollins, Part 2 1:27:18

9h ago1:27:18

1:27:18

Believe it or not, this is our 100th episode! And what better way to spend it than diving back in with Peter Rollins, a guest who is unusually suited to the regular themes of our show, while also throwing some wrenches into pretty much everything we do. :-) Picking up with where we left off in Part 1, we explore the sense in which Pete is a trinita…

1
Disillusionment, Pyrotheology, and the Death of God: Peter Rollins, Part 1 1:04:06

13d ago1:04:06

1:04:06

Break out your dictionaries folks, this one got in the weeds a bit. But if you're familiar with Peter Rollins, you're probably not too surprised by that. Peter is a philosopher, public intellectual, and self-described anti-guru who writes and speaks extensively about concepts like the death of God, negative theology, "pyrotheology," and Atheism for…

1
Is Your Theology Too Small? A Conversation with Trey Ferguson 1:26:15

27d ago1:26:15

1:26:15

Trey Ferguson of the New Living Treyslation and Three Black Men podcasts joins us to discuss his new book Theologizin' Bigger: Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly. We talk about the Bible, the difference between "theologizin'" and theology, the racial dynamics of deconstruction, why evangelicals are so obsessed with "facts," why they're pro…

1
Is There a Soul? 1:04:59

1M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

In this episode, Kyle and Randy discuss the philosophy of the soul and its implications for religious belief, the lived experience of faith, and even ethics. Kyle is a materialist, which means he thinks humans are physical objects, and Randy leans towards dualism, which involves belief in a soul or non-physical part of a human being. Are there any …

1
Randy Quit 59:39

2M ago59:39

59:39

... drinking. This is a more personal episode for us, particularly for Randy. As you know, we like alcohol around here, especially whiskey. In this episode, we chat about that and the presence it's had on our podcast and in our lives. Can we have a "healthy relationship" with alcohol? What does that look like? How does that question get answered fo…

1
Changing Our Mind with David Gushee 1:18:17

2M ago1:18:17

1:18:17

David Gushee is an influential Christian ethicist who famously changed his mind about LGBTQ Christians. His 2014 book Changing Our Mind (now in its third edition) has been celebrated and widely recommended as an honest and forceful reckoning with the ethical issues surrounding LGBTQ Christians and the church's complicity in their exclusion, neglect…

1
Philosophy in the Wild: Aaron Simmons 1:19:02

3M ago1:19:02

1:19:02

Philosopher Aaron Simmons joins us to discuss his new book Camping with Kierkegaard. It's all about living life in a way that is "worthy of your finitude," avoiding becoming an "asshole capitalist," and learning how to value the things in your life with the help of folks like Kierkegaard and Simone de Beauvoir. We discuss living faithfully, being p…

1
After Evangelicalism with Keri Ladouceur 1:19:59

3M ago1:19:59

1:19:59

Where do we engage when we're done with evangelicalism, but we don't want to be done with the church? Thanks be to God, there are new signs of life springing up in the post-evangelical wasteland, and we're so here for it. Keri Ladouceur leads one of those hopeful spaces called the Post Evangelical Collective. Keri is the Executive Director of the P…

1
William Paul Young & Brad Jersak: Judgment, Wrath, Hell, and the God Who Is Love (Re-Release from S01E11) 1:13:19

4M ago1:13:19

1:13:19

For New Year's, we're re-airing an episode from Season 1 in which we discuss God and love in the context of suffering, abuse, betrayal, and addiction with William Paul Young and Brad Jersak. It remains one of our most popular episodes to date, and we hope re-airing it will introduce it to new listeners. Enjoy! We'll be back on our regular schedule …

1
The Other Side of Advent with Brian Zahnd 1:15:22

4M ago1:15:22

1:15:22

Merry Christmas! Brian Zahnd is back on the show to discuss his Christmas devotional The Anticipated Christ. We talk about why he's "trying to be religious," the difference between Christmas and Advent, the book of Isaiah, the Magnificat, what nonviolence has to do with Advent, the current Israel–Hamas war, and more. We also spend a few minutes at …

1
Theology, Race, and Inclusion: An Interview w/ Dr. Willie James Jennings 1:13:23

5M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

This is such a rich conversation. Dr. Willie James Jennings is an incredible theologian who teaches Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Dr. Jennings has written influential books like, The Christian Imagination: Theology and Origins of Race, After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, and a groundbreaking commentary on…

1
Theology from the Margins: An Interview w/ Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim 1:14:11

5M ago1:14:11

1:14:11

How do you process your identity and theology if you feel invisible as a person? What if your story, history, and experience are largely rejected and excluded from the culture you're a part of? How does that shape the way you see God and the world? Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a Korean-American theologian who works in liberation and feminist theology an…

1
Q&A Bonus Episode: The Problem of Evil 55:51

6M ago55:51

55:51

Jeff joins us to ask some questions about evil and get into the philosophical weeds a bit. What is the connection between God's nature and suffering? Can we say that suffering is meaningless? What was up with Leibniz? And a lot more. If you'd like to ask a question about a recent episode to be featured on one of these bonus segments, email us at pa…

1
How Liberals, Progressives, Feminists, and Black and LGBTQ People Got Kicked Out of Evangelicalism 1:06:13

6M ago1:06:13

1:06:13

We discuss the history of evangelicalism with Isaac B. Sharp. Or rather, the alternative history of evangelicalism, for it differs in some significant ways from what you may have heard about how evangelicalism in America developed, and how most of us understand what it is today. Would it surprise you to learn there were once proud theologically lib…

1
The Problem of Evil (Part 2) 41:45

6M ago41:45

41:45

We wrap our discussion of evil and suffering with a look at some other sorts of responses to the problem and a reflection on where we land personally. If you haven't heard part 1, start there first. Due to the subject and the tone of this conversation, these episodes do not include a beverage tasting. Content note: this conversation includes discus…

1
The Problem of Evil (Part 1) 1:04:34

7M ago1:04:34

1:04:34

How can people who believe in a good God account for the existence of pervasive suffering and evil? This is the oldest and most powerful objection to both belief in God's existence and religious practice, and it has been the subject of philosophical discussion and theological speculation spanning many religious traditions for thousands of years. We…

1
Q&A Bonus Episode: AI and God 26:15

7M ago26:15

26:15

Elliot has a few more questions about AI following our conversation with Derek Schuurman. Is AI a Tower of Babel moment? Is there any real reason for concern? Will it go so great that it makes us all soft? If you could live forever, would you? What about the end of the world? Big questions! We do our best for answering on the fly. If you'd like to …

1
The AI Takeover: A Conversation w/ Dr. Derek C. Schuurman 1:21:17

7M ago1:21:17

1:21:17

The rise of artificial intelligence has happened at a startlingly rapid rate, and it seems like it's only accelerating by the month. Whether it's AI writing (plagiarizing) college papers and lazy pastors' sermons, potentially curing horrific diseases, making fake humans, or taking over the world, we all have an endless amount of questions when it c…

1
Q&A Bonus Episode: Evangelicals, Nationalism, Guns, and Masculinity 33:09

7M ago33:09

33:09

Our friend Jeff Cook joins us for a new Q&A segment to reflect on our conversation with Rob Schenck (see parts 1 and 2 of that conversation here and here). This is our second installment of what will become a regular bonus segment with Jeff unpacking the content of certain episodes. You can hear the first installment, on LQBTQ affirmation and the c…

1
Christians and Guns: A Conversation with Rob Schenck (Part 2) 51:51

8M ago51:51

51:51

In the second part of our interview with Rob Schenck, a former Washington insider and heavy hitter in the evangelical pro-life lobbying industry, we discuss gun culture among American Christians and how asking questions about it ultimately cost him the organization he built and led for decades and led to him being ostracized by longtime friends and…

1
Abortion and American Nationalist Religion: A Conversation with Rob Schenck (Part 1) 51:45

8M ago51:45

51:45

Season 4 is here! To kick it off, we've got a 2-parter for you with Rob Schenck, a former Washington insider and heavy hitter in the evangelical Christian lobbying industry. Rob was an influential voice in the pro-life movement for decades, but lost his position, and his funding, when he began to question the consistency of the evangelical position…

1
January 6, White Christian Nationalism, and How We Got Here, with Bradley Onishi 1:19:25

9M ago1:19:25

1:19:25

We speak with Dr. Bradley Onishi, a religion scholar whose latest book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism and What Comes Next, explores the rise of the extremist religious right in America and its evolution from the 1960s through the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. We discuss his personal transf…

1
The Meeting That Changed the Church 1:20:15

9M ago1:20:15

1:20:15

Many Protestants don't understand or appreciate how transformational Vatican II was for the Catholic Church and the whole global Christian Church in general. Our friend and Catholic theologian Shaun Blanchard co-wrote a book called Vatican II: A Very Short Introduction. In this episode, we chat with Shaun about the size, scope, and impact of Vatica…

1
Arguing About the Enneagram 1:15:25

10M ago1:15:25

1:15:25

If you're an American evangelical or used to be, there's a good chance you've heard of the Enneagram. You may have even run into it in another context or heard about it from friends who are really into personality tests. We've discussed it briefly on the show before, and we've wanted to eventually give it its own episode because Randy has found it …

1
Why the Church Should Be LGBTQ+ Affirming With Tom and Alexa Oord 1:18:26

10M ago1:18:26

1:18:26

Tom Oord is back! Dr. Thomas Oord and his daughter Alexa compiled and edited a book called Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming." We wanted to talk to them about the book because everyone in the church (not just the Church of the Nazarene) is talking about human sexuality and whether or not the church should be LGBTQ+ aff…

1
Is God All Powerful? A Conversation with Thomas Jay Oord 1:13:42

10M ago1:13:42

1:13:42

We speak with theologian and philosopher (and former pastor) Thomas Jay Oord about his new book The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence. We cover Tom's objections to the classical idea that God is all powerful, including that it's unbiblical, philosophically unsound, and makes the problem of evil impossible to solve. It's a fun intervi…

1
Certainty, Hell, Evil, and Universalism: A Conversation with Keith DeRose 1:12:07

11M ago1:12:07

1:12:07

If you heard our recent episode on hell and universalism, you may recall that Randy mentioned having Keith DeRose, a philosopher at Yale, on the show at some point to respond to some of the objections Kyle had to universalism (the idea that everyone is eventually reconciled to God). Well, we reached out to Keith and he graciously agreed to chat wit…

1
Rescuing Sex and Raising Girls: Sheila Gregoire 1:04:29

11M ago1:04:29

1:04:29

Sheila Gregoire is an author who has written several books that break the mold of Christian books about sex and marriage. Her latest book, She Deserves Better, is about raising girls as followers of Christ in ways that leave purity culture and teaching about modesty in the dust while showing us a better way. We also talked to Sheila about her 2021 …

1
How the Brain Constructs Reality: Interview with Andy Clark 1:10:28

12M ago1:10:28

1:10:28

Every now and then we like to talk to someone who is an expert in something we know almost nothing about. What better topic than philosophy and neuroscience? Andy Clark is Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at the University of Sussex, and is a well-known voice within philosophy of mind, pushing the boundaries of how we conceive of the brain, its co…

1
Redeeming Revelation w/ Scot McKnight 1:01:32

1y ago1:01:32

1:01:32

Do you keep a healthy distance between yourself and the book of Revelation? Have a loved one who believes super weird things about Revelation? If so, you're in good company. Scot McKnight wrote a brilliant book called Revelation for the Rest of Us that turns all of those weird ways of interpreting Revelation on their heads and shows us what Revelat…

1
Not Your Typical Easter Podcast 1:05:20

1y ago1:05:20

1:05:20

In this special Easter episode, Kyle and Randy discuss all their questions about resurrection. They cover its significance to them, its coherence, whether it makes any sense to hope for it, apologetic approaches to it, how much it matters, and why Randy finds conversations about it kind of frustrating. Happy Easter! Extra resources (including those…

1
Is Hell Real? 1:13:17

1y ago1:13:17

1:13:17

Who will be saved in the end? Does the Bible support eternal conscious torment, annihilationism, or ultimate reconciliation (or all three)? Can a good God condemn a majority of human beings who've ever lived to eternal hell? In this episode we tackle these questions and more, and we find out that Randy and Kyle don't quite agree on this one. In thi…

1
Science and Religion Walk Into a Bar 1:00:38

1y ago1:00:38

1:00:38

Are science and religion compatible? Should there be any crossover whatsoever? Why is it dangerous when we try to make our science fit into our religion? These are questions that Randy and Kyle chat about in our latest episode. Kyle strongly thinks that science and religion are in completely different categories and should almost never mix. Randy l…

1
Broken Brains and Alternative Facts 1:17:46

1y ago1:17:46

1:17:46

Bonnie Kristian is a journalist who writes for Christianity Today and has been published in The New York Times, The Week, CNN, The Daily Beast, and many more. Bonnie wrote the book Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community. The title says it all. How can we have good faith co…

1
Reconstruction: An Interview with Brad Jersak 1:08:25

1y ago1:08:25

1:08:25

Brad Jersak is an Eastern Orthodox theologian, author, and great friend of this podcast. Brad recently published a book called Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction. In this interview, we chat about what Brad calls the Great Deconstruction, the history and tradition of deconstruction within and outside of our faith tradition, why …

1
Stay Humble 1:02:37

1y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Humility is one of those fleeting virtues in our world, and it feels like we need a healthy dose. Being comfortable with what we know and what we don't know, what we're good at and what we're not, and not trying to live in hubris and pretense. It's not easy, but it is really important. In this episode, Randy and Kyle talk about humility, pride, cer…

1
Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: Interview with Randy Woodley 1:03:28

1+ y ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Randy S. Woodley is a Native American theologian, community builder, and seed farmer, and sees little difference between those vocations. We speak with him about the relationship between Christianity, Judaism, and Native American religion, the contrasts and similarities between indigenous and Western worldviews, why he thinks the Bible shouldn't ha…

1
What Is Truth: Wrestling with Absolutism, Relativism, and Alternative Facts (Re-Release from S01E21) 1:16:10

1+ y ago1:16:10

1:16:10

For New Year's, we're re-airing an episode from Season 1 in which we discuss the question "What is truth?" We think it's as timely now as it was when we first released it and probably deserves a bit more attention than it got then. We hope you enjoy re-listening or perhaps catching it for the first time. We'll be back on our regular schedule with n…

1
Christmas, Empire, and Context: Discussing Advent with Kelley Nikondeha 52:16

1+ y ago52:16

52:16

Merry Christmas! In this episode, we talk with Kelley Nikondeha about her book The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope. Kelley helps us reimagine the meaning of Advent by taking us into the complex political, religious, and ethnic landscape that forms the backdrop of the Christmas story, and encourag…

1
Growing Into Freedom: A Conversation with S. David Lutz 1:03:55

1+ y ago1:03:55

1:03:55

Dave Lutz is a therapist in Seattle who works with families, couples, men, youth, and more. He's also a former college pastor at a mega-church whose faith journey has evolved and simplified into a spacious and beautiful place. And he's Randy's former college pastor who is in many ways to blame for who Randy is and what he's doing on this podcast. D…

1
Exvangelicals and Parenting: An Interview with Bekah McNeel 1:22:00

1+ y ago1:22:00

1:22:00

We were raised in the church, and now it's our turn to parent our kids and figure out how to pass on a healthy spiritual journey to them. We don't really know how to do it, but we know we don't want to do it in ways that we were raised on in the church. Does that sound familiar? Bekah McNeel wrote Bringing Up Kids When the Church Lets You Down from…

1
Why Conservatives Should Be Against Christian Nationalism: Conversation with Paul D. Miller 1:04:28

1+ y ago1:04:28

1:04:28

Our second political episode ever! Does it have anything to do with the elections occurring next week? You bet! Did we invite this guest on the show to trash nationalism some more? Sure did! BUT: Paul Miller is not our typical guest. For one thing, he's a self-described conservative patriot. He's a professor of International Affairs at Georgetown U…

1
Transforming: Gender, Trans Identity, and the Church with Austen Hartke 1:05:53

1+ y ago1:05:53

1:05:53

Austen Hartke is a transgender Christian man who wrote the book Transforming: the Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians. The book is a gift to the trans Christian community, as well as to parents, church leaders, and the church in general. While the church and politicians debate and degrade transgender people's existence, they are trying to…

1
The Error of Biblical Inerrancy 1:09:50

1+ y ago1:09:50

1:09:50

Sometimes it's appropriate to carefully weigh all sides of an issue, patiently sorting through reasons, listening to perspectives, and respectfully dialoging with people who believe differently. We spend most of our time on this podcast trying to commend and practice that sort of thing. On the other hand, sometimes ideas are just bad, and it's appr…

1
Bonus Episode: Bourbon Tasting with the Power of Bourbon YouTube Channel 58:25

1+ y ago58:25

58:25

This one is for the whiskey geeks. In this special bonus episode, we join our friends TJ, Chuck, and Brian at the Power of Bourbon YouTube channel for a blind-tasting of six exquisite whiskies. Along the way, we also find time to chat a bit about our podcast and introduce ourselves to their subscribers. And now we're sharing the experience with you…

1
How to Inhabit Time with James K.A. Smith 57:04

1+ y ago57:04

57:04

We speak with philosopher James (Jamie) K.A. Smith about his new book How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now. It's a contemplative exploration of what it means to be a temporal creature, a being constituted by a past and oriented toward a future. If that sounds heady, it's honestly one of the most spir…

1
A Conversation with Stanley Hauerwas 37:28

1+ y ago37:28

37:28

Stanley Hauerwas. Do we need to say more? The man is the preeminent living American theologian and has formed and shaped Christian thought and practice for decades. Stanley is a gift to the Church, and we loved chatting with him. We talked about sola scriptura, Kierkegaard, pacifism, how to be a Christian in America today, and much more. The audio …

1
Creation, Inspiration and the Hebrew Scriptures: An Interview with Dr. John Walton 1:14:03

1+ y ago1:14:03

1:14:03

In this episode, we chat with John Walton, one of the foremost evangelical Old Testament scholars alive. Dr. Walton teaches Old Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois. John has also written groundbreaking books about Genesis 1 and 2, commentaries on Genesis and Job and many more books. We chat about creation, ancient people groups and cultures th…

1
What Bar Culture Can Teach the Church: Patreon Bonus 16:10

1+ y ago16:10

16:10

Why is "bar" part of the theme of our show (besides the obvious joke)? Kyle and Randy break this down with the help of an excellent article by Rich Manning called "The Complicated Journey from Holy Studies to Hospitality," which interviews various bartenders about their experiences in the seemingly contrasting spaces of the hospitality industry and…

1
Deconstructing Deconstruction 58:40

1+ y ago58:40

58:40

Deconstruction. What is it, why are so many doing it, and why are so many others apparently so threatened by it? We've said a few times on the show that we don't want to be just another deconstruction podcast, but we've never quite fully explained what we mean. So we sat down to work through our own experiences with deconstruction and what we've he…

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