TheoNerd Podcast
54 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsWelcome to TheoNerd. Ben and Andrew are the hosts of TheoNerd, a blog and podcast about the intersection of nerd culture and theology/religious studies.
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Episodes
PAX East 2017: Dr. Catherine Flick
March 21, 2017 19:28 - 18 minutes - 25 MBBen closes out our PAX East 2017 coverage by speaking with Dr. Catherine Flick about video games and ethics, the moral potential of games, and chickens... yes, chickens. Dr. Catherine Flick is a Senior Lecturer in Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University Her occasional podcast about video games and ethics can be found at notjustagame.eu And you can follow Dr. Flick on Twitter @CatherineFlick Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find the...
PAX East 2017: Games' Healing Power
March 18, 2017 14:41 - 22 minutes - 37.9 MBOn Friday afternoon of PAX there was a panel titled "What We Talk About When We Talk About Games’ Healing Power" and that is a topic that overlaps with so many of our beliefs about the power of our nerdy interests. Thank you to Alexa Ray Corriea, Andrea Rene, Becky Taylor, and Brittney Brombacher for letting us record their panel. Read the panel description and find them all online below. Alexa Ray Corriea is @AlexaRayC on Twitter. Andrea Rene is @andrearene on Twitter. You can also find...
PAX East 2017: Native Realities
March 15, 2017 16:56 - 46 minutes - 68 MBOur content from PAX East 2017 begins with the first thing Ben saw at the show: the Native Realities panel. He also spoke with the CEO of Native Realities, Lee Francis. Audio from the first few minutes of the panel could not be salvaged, so this episode starts with Ben's interview with Lee in which some of that missing material is covered, before transitioning to audio from the great panel. Check out Native Realities on their website Like them on Facebook Follow them on Tw...
32 Why Podcast?
February 15, 2017 00:31 - 29 minutes - 46.3 MBAndrew and Ben have both been beset by illnesses and had to reshuffle the podcast schedule. But the two most recent episodes were recordings of panels from Arisia, a great con in Boston. Ben recently spoke about that experience on his other podcast he hosts as part of his job, and it makes a great follow-up to the Arisia episodes. So come listen about why a podcast, in some ways, matters more to us than doing our strictly academic work. Arisia is a greta sci-fi, fantasy, and general nerd c...
Arisia 2017: "Don’t Feed The Trolls" Doesn’t Work
January 25, 2017 18:45 - 54 minutes - 74.7 MBAndrew and Ben were both on panels at Arisia: New England’s Largest, Most Diverse Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention! This episode is from the panel Ben was on: "Don’t Feed The Trolls" Doesn't Work. Thank you to everyone on the panel for letting us record. Find their awesome work (other than Ben – you know him by now) and the description of the panel below. "Don’t read the comments" is not an option for your own Facebook, blog, or other online community. How do we moderate this input? Is simply t...
Arisia 2017: On Shaming, Bullying, and Public Humiliation
January 17, 2017 01:42 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBAndrew and Ben were both on panels at Arisia: New England's Largest, Most Diverse Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention! This episode is from the panel Andrew was on: On Shaming, Bullying, and Public Humiliation. Thank you to everyone on the panel for letting us record. Find their awesome work (other than Andrew - you know him by now) and the description of the panel below. "SF/F fans are no stranger to bullying—many of us who were picked on for being different at a young age found refuge and escape...
Holiday Gift 2016: Final
January 03, 2017 02:06 - 1 hour - 50.5 MBHappy New Year! Enjoy the final chapter of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. We will now get back to posting regular episodes every other week. Thanks to Thomas Jay Oord and InterVarsity Press for making this possible.
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 7
January 01, 2017 19:50 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBOur holiday gift to you is nearing its conclusion. Enjoy ch. 7 of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. Look for the final chapter tomorrow. Thanks to Thomas Jay Oord and InterVarsity Press for making this possible.
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 6
December 30, 2016 12:31 - 39 minutes - 24.2 MBAs the 12 days of Christmas continue, so does our holiday gift to you. Enjoy Ch. 6 of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Look for the remaining two chapters to appear on the show throughout the rest of this week. Thanks to Thomas Jay Oord and InterVarsity Press for making this possible.
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 5
December 27, 2016 15:57 - 46 minutes - 29.3 MBIn case you don't know, the 12 days of Christmas actually start on Dec. 25. So it is only appropriate that our holiday gift to you continues. Enjoy Ch. 5 of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Look for the remaining three chapters to appear on the show throughout the rest of this week. Thanks to Thomas Jay Oord and InterVarsity Press for making this possible.
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 4
December 25, 2016 18:15 - 1 hour - 39.5 MBIf you are celebrating, Merry Christmas! And to everyone else, we hope you continue to enjoy our holiday gift: the audiobook of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. Today we give you Ch. 4. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Every other day over the next two weeks we will put a chapter of his book up on the podcast. And look for an article on the website where you will be able to find all chapters as they are released. Leave comments and questions about the boo...
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 3
December 23, 2016 17:12 - 1 hour - 38.8 MBOur holiday gift to you, the audiobook of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord, continues with Ch. 3. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Every other day over the next two weeks we will put a chapter of his book up on the podcast. And look for an article on the website where you will be able to find all chapters as they are released. Leave comments and questions about the book on that article, and Andrew and Ben will answer them. Thanks to Thomas Jay Oord and...
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 2
December 21, 2016 21:01 - 53 minutes - 65.7 MBWhether you are celebrating one of many religious holidays taking place this time of year or just using this season to spend time with friends and family, we wanted to give you all a holiday gift. That gift is the audiobook of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Every other day over the next two weeks we will put a chapter of his book up on the podcast. And look for an article on the website where you will be able to find all...
Holiday Gift 2016: Part 1
December 19, 2016 21:35 - 33 minutes - 42.9 MBWhether you are celebrating one of many religious holidays taking place this time of year or just using this season to spend time with friends and family, we wanted to give you all a holiday gift. That gift is the audiobook of The Uncontrolling Love of God by Thomas Jay Oord. You may remember Tom from episode 17 of this show. Every other day over the next two weeks we will put a chapter of his book up on the podcast. And look for an article on the website where you will be able to find all...
31 Rami Ismail on Muslim Representation
December 06, 2016 21:44 - 50 minutes - 75.5 MBIn an episode that has been made timely by the presidential election in the U.S., Ben has a conversation with indie game developer Rami Ismail. Rami is also a Muslim and speaks very intelligently about the good, the bad, and the ugly representations of Muslims in video games and our culture at large. This conversation grew out of two panels at the Game Developer's Conference. Rami spoke about language and inclusion and was on a panel about the state of Muslim representation in games. His...
30 Video Game Outsiders
November 21, 2016 23:15 - 56 minutes - 84 MBBen and podcast alum Khadeja Merenkov talk about being video game outsiders. Why do they apply their academic training in other fields to video games, and what have they learned in doing so? Listen to find out. Also, Andrew is now a father. Congratulations! Khadeja's voice reel can be found here. You can also find her on Twitter here. She had some panels at GaymerX. Khadeja was on a penal with Carolyn VanEseltine at GaymerX. Carolyn's gaming company is Sibyl Moon Games. The work of ...
29 Caitlin Martin-Wagar Defined Lines
November 08, 2016 18:02 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBIn what became a timely episode with the presidential election upon us, Ben and the president of Defined Lines, Caitlin Martin-Wagar, talk about rape culture and preventing sexual assault on college campuses. She also applies her experience to gamergate. Adult content warning: rape is discussed in this episode. Like Defined Lines on Facebook and visit their website. Dr. Nicole Johnson of Lehigh University Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http...
28 Audra Jamai: People Do Things
October 24, 2016 21:08 - 42 minutes - 59.6 MBIn this episode Andrew and Ben speak with friend, nerd, and now convention colleague Audra Jamai about Arisia: "New England's Largest, Most Diverse Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention." Audra is the co-chair of the diversity committee for Arisia. There is talk of race, different meanings of increased diversity, the importance of bare feet, and Andrew's glorious shiny head. Luke Cage is on Netflix. Watch it. Is good. Audra says Cleverman is everything. Watch it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was me...
27: Philosophy of Games (& Chipmunk Voices)
October 05, 2016 00:47 - 1 hour - 81.4 MBYour humble co-hosts apologize for their voices in this episode. We're not sure what happened, but we sound like chipmunks whose voices skip. But don't let that stop you from listening. We finally got a philosopher of games, C. Thi Nguyen, on this show about philosophy, theology, and nerd culture. He does most of the talking, and his audio sounds great! We talk video games, board games, the very concept of play, and even a little food writing. It is an accessible wide-ranging conversation. ...
26 - Boston GameLoop 2016
September 13, 2016 00:57 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBBen recently attended Boston GameLoop 2016, spoke to one of its original organizer's Scott Macmillan, and hosted a session called "Oh my god! Getting religion right and wrong in games." This audio comes from that day, and you may have to turn up your volume at parts. Sorry! We did our best. Many awesome people attended the session, and some were willing to share their information. We want to give them kudos for participating: Richard Eberhardt: Studio Manager, MIT Game Lab Elliot Pi...
TheoNerd BonusCast Fight Talk
September 05, 2016 04:00 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBIn this bonus episode Ben and Andrew talk about UFC 202, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Andrew drops a little knowledge about the fight game. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast 25 - Olympic Gaming
August 28, 2016 22:06 - 49 minutes - 68 MBIn this episode Ben and Andrew talk the Olympics, including Ryan Lochte's gold medal winning Privilege Olympics demonstration. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast 24 - Critical Hits and Misses
August 01, 2016 23:00 - 51 minutes - 70.4 MBIn this episode Ben and Andrew talk Pokemon Go, Strange Things, and Islamophobia. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdcast 23 - Wide Eyed Sean Witty
July 23, 2016 01:08 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdcast features Ben speaking with his boss, minister and musician, Sean Witty about diversity and deconstructed churches. Sean also goes on about music, Prince, recording in a studio, and how it all may be more religious than you think. First Baptist Church in Newton - http://www.fbcnewton.org/blog Lynn Bailey Witty - http://lynnbaileywitty.com/ Upcoming podcast - Wide Eyed Christianity Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can...
TheoNerdCast 22 - Joel Cruz is a TheoNerd!
July 04, 2016 15:01 - 39 minutes - 53.9 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast features a conversation with Joel Cruz, faculty member of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast 21 - Honoring 49 Lives
June 25, 2016 15:32 - 3 minutes - 4.84 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast honors 49 lives tragically cut short through homophobia and self-hatred. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast Episode 20 - Pebbles in the Pond
June 10, 2016 01:47 - 42 minutes - 58 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast features a conversation with Ben and Andrew the slew of celebrity deaths in 2016, along with Andrew's thoughts and experiences around life and death as a hospice chaplain. We give honor to Muhammad Ali, Kimbo Slice, Prince, and David Bowie. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast Episode 19 - Diversity Our Friend
May 19, 2016 22:06 - 49 minutes - 67.5 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast features a conversation with Ben and Andrew about Captain America: Civil War, Ben's experience at PAX East, and the importance for acceptance of diversity with the United Methodist Church. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerd BonusCast PAX East 2016 Wrap-up with Ken Gagne
May 02, 2016 22:59 - 20 minutes - 47.6 MBThis bonus conversation is between a very tired Ben andfriend(of the show) Ken Gagne as another PAX East ends. @gamebits polygamer.net indiesider.net youtube.com/gamebits
TheoNerd BonusCast With Princess DeJesus
April 29, 2016 00:30 - 7 minutes - 17.9 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and Senior Volunteer at The AbleGamers Charity, Princess DeJesus. Princess DeJesus - Senior Volunteer at The AbleGamers Charity @AbleGamers ablegamers.com www.unstoppablegamer.com/
TheoNerd BonusCast With Justin Amirkhani
April 29, 2016 00:28 - 11 minutes - 26.6 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and Creative Director for Vagabond Dog, Justin Amirkhani. Justin Amirkhani - Creative Director, Vagabond Dog @Keadin vagabonddog.com Always Sometimes Monsters: http://store.steampowered.com/app/274310/ Sometimes Always Monsters: http://store.steampowered.com/app/441440/
TheoNerd BonusCast With Patrick Klepek
April 29, 2016 00:27 - 18 minutes - 43 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and Senior Reporter for Kataku, Patrick Klepek. Patrick Klepek - Senior Reporter for Kotaku @patrickklepek kotaku.com youtube.com/patrickklepek
TheoNerd BonusCast PAX East 2016 Interview with Susan Arendt
April 27, 2016 16:00 - 28 minutes - 64.7 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and gaming journalist Susan Arendt. @SusanArendt TakeThis.org gamesradar.com
TheoNerd BonusCast Pre-Pax 2016 Interview with Emerson Engagement Lab
April 26, 2016 22:17 - 13 minutes - 31.5 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and the Emerson Engagement Lab. @xina @EngageLab elab.emerson.edu Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerd BonusCast Pre-Pax East 2016 With the Developers of "Threads"
April 26, 2016 22:14 - 8 minutes - 18.6 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and developers of the independent game “Threads”. You can see the game information here: http://mlhamlin.github.io/ThreadsRepo/ Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerd BonusCast Pre-Pax East 2016 Francesca Carletto-Leon
April 26, 2016 22:11 - 12 minutes - 27.8 MBThis bonus conversation is between Ben and independent game designer Francesca Carletto-Leon. You can find Francesca here: @ceschiii www.fcarlettoleon.com/ Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast Episode 18 - Theologizing With Andrew
April 22, 2016 21:58 - 1 hour - 93.6 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast features a conversation where Ben interviews Andrew about his scholarship, both in practical theology and in comics and graphic novels. We also discuss Batman V Superman and the importance of believable villains in stories. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast Episode 17 - Hiking with Thomas Oord
March 24, 2016 23:59 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBThis episode of the TheoNerdCast features a conversation with Thomas Oord, a theologian and nature photographer. We discuss process theology and open and relational theologies, hiking, and photography. See the photography at http://thomasjayoord.com/ Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk
TheoNerdCast Episode 16 - Nerdful
March 15, 2016 23:02 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThis podcast features a conversation with Ben and Andrew about Ben's gaming, news about PAX East, and Andrew's commentary on the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman movie. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 15 - Disney Princess Party
March 01, 2016 23:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBIn this week's episode, Andrew and Ben return with some real conversation about Andrew's work in hospice care, a return to a discussion about the video game, "That Dragon, Cancer," and thoughts on movies that are recently released. As always, thanks to Bright Primate for the use of their music for the intro and the outro.
TheoNerdCast Ep 14 - Marital Bliss
February 21, 2016 23:48 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBOn this episode of the TheoNerdCast, Ben and his wife Jessica have a conversation. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 13 - Listeners Have Some Questions
January 25, 2016 01:39 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBThis week on the TheoNerdCast, Ben has come down with the plague. As a result, we have a Q&A with listener questions. You can submit questions to [email protected] Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 12 - Making Space with Khadeja Merenkov
January 18, 2016 00:49 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBThis week on TheoNerd, Ben and Andrew have a conversation with Khadeja Merenkov about being a voice actress for games, her involvement with the Boston game design scene, and her thoughts on religious pluralism and her own Muslim faith. You can see Khadeja's voice acting work at http://www.khadejasvoices.com/. Khadeja recommends you check out the work of Amina Wadud Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 11 - Anna Megill Teaches Empathy for KPop
January 11, 2016 05:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBThis week on the TheoNerdCast, we chat with Anna Megill about empathy cultivation in game design and her love for KPop. We reference many games this week, and want to link to That Dragon Cancer and Fragments of Him. Follow Anna on Twitter @cynixy Anna's website: http://www.annamegill.com/ Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 10 - PAX East Panel
January 04, 2016 05:00 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBSorry for no episode last week. Holiday travel and sickness sent us out for the count. This week on the podcast we have the audio from our PAX East Panel that started our thoughts about TheoNerd. You can watch the video on YouTube. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 9 - Holiday Gameplay
December 21, 2015 05:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBThis week on TheoNerd, Ben and Andrew have a conversation about Star Wars, AFA, the link between the Christmas story and current thoughts about folks in need of hospitality, some 411 on Islam, and games and shows we've enjoyed this year. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 8 - Aleen Simms is Greater Than or Equal to Us
December 14, 2015 05:00 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBThis week on TheoNerd technical difficulties struck us down from having a three way conversation with Aleen Simms from Less Than or Equal so Ben and Aleen have the conversation about diversity and gaming with some nerdy digressions along the way. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 7 - Violence
December 07, 2015 05:00 - 51 minutes - 47 MBThis week on TheoNerd, Ben and Andrew have a conversation about the recent mass shootings in America and previous debates about violence in video games. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk. Check out this episode!
TheoNerdCast Episode 6 - Patreon Teaser
November 30, 2015 05:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBThis week on TheoNerd, Ben and Andrew have a conversation about Patreon and TheoNerd, as well as offer a teaser of bonus content you will get if you pledge. Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at http://brightprimate.tk.
TheoNerdCast Episode 5 - Speed Racing with Philip Clayton
November 23, 2015 05:00 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBThis week on TheoNerd, Ben has a conversation with Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor of Theology, Claremont School of Theology about his love for racing. Philip Clayton wants you to check out ecociv.org theoedu.org Thanks to Bright Primate for our intro and outro music. You can find them at brightprimate.tk