Virtue in the Wasteland Podcast
325 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 230 ratingsCulture, religion and ideas that matter.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Ep 326 What We Learned: The Final Episode
February 15, 2019 01:50 - 1 hour - 84.3 MBI am exhausted, emotionally and otherwise... hey all, Dan here... just posted this last episode with calls from listeners, and a song at the end with a story that wraps into ViW... So, this is it. Thank you all. Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for where you can find us, now that the curtain has descended on this episode of our life. Make sure you check out Arnold Mitchem's "Drive" the song "Grace" is featured in this episode. Jeff will live on at @Taosurfers and its internet cognates. ...
Ep 325 The Second to Last Show
February 11, 2019 20:16 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBSo, if the title of the show doesn't give it away.... surprise! After 300+ weeks, 3 continents, dozens of states and hours of conversation, we are hanging up the microphones and turning the lights out on the ViW project. But, not without a bang. This is the second to last- we ask that you call the hotline at 844-393-0012 and leave a 60-second message as to what you learned while listening to the show. On this show we discuss the way forward, future plans and the big take away lessons for bot...
Religion, Empire, and Molech: Lessons from the Augsburg Interim
January 31, 2019 22:43 - 1 hour - 80.8 MBGiving shows their titles is a funny thing. I’ve probably done 250 or so of them, and I rarely think much about it. Also, when I myself look for podcasts, all I care about is the title of the episode. The very thing I wasn’t paying attention to! Preposition! To which, I had not paid my attention. My attention bill was late…. you get it. So this title is descriptive, very descriptive. The kids might even call it descriptive AF, which I will pretend to know nothing about if asked. So you are go...
Dutch Radicals, The Reformation, and Wackysoup
January 25, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 101 MBI used to think it was really cool when people broke the 4th wall. You know, like, in Fight Club or the original Pink Panther when something happened to remind you that you were indeed watching a film reel. There is nothing as clever here, but a little twist which might make you take notice. Usually we banter for a few minutes, talk around the subject, and then dig in. Well, it seems to be only once every twenty years the Rams make the Super Bowl, so we spent some time talking about them, ...
The United States of America: An Experiment in Federalism
January 18, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 114 MBSometimes our shows start with really simple ideas. For instance, one of us might think of something that would be relevant to the podcast and send the article, idea, etc… via text. We do a little reading, figure out what the “bigger story” at play is, and… voila. An hour and a half later, plus editing time (we sometimes do that!) and we’ve got another show. Ok, now you know how the generic sausage is made. This show, this sausage (?!) is al about the States of the Union. Having just c...
Dvorak, Anti-Natalism, and Other Unrelated Issues: We Take Your Calls!
January 11, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 97.4 MBTime to clear out the old phone machine and respond to some of the more common, or curious questions we received. The first half hour of the show has us talking about 2019, Dan's favorite movies of the year, and reading a very revealing and honest email. the next hour is all your calls- a few notes: Dan says "American" when talking about a piece of music.... he misspoke, please replace that in your brain with "New World" Jeff would like you to see Dan says, "Look at " As always, this is a ...
The Biggest and Best of 2018
January 04, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 73.6 MBHappy New Year! On today’s show we talk about the biggest and best of 2018 and what we might look forward to in 2019. It’s an episode with the two guys doing what they love most, chatting with each other about challenges in culture and the church. We decided to look at the “biggest” and “best” stories of 2018, with Jeff taking the “biggest” stories and Dan covering a few of the “best”. Thanks for your support in 2018, in our 5th year we continue to grow in listenership and opportunities ...
Losing Our Religion: The Lost R.E.M. Show
December 28, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 114 MBLittle known fact: the original name of Virtue in the Wasteland was “Jeff and Dan’s Vanity Project to Explore Their Hobbies” but we decided to go a little more broad and talk about society and religion and stuff… Maybe that’s not exactly how it played out, but there is a funny bit of guilt we feel whenever we dive head first into a topic that is seemingly just tickling our fancy as mass entertainment and thus unworthy of critical reflection. But on this show we will argue that R.E.M. is not j...
Jesus Politics and the Academy
December 21, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 91.7 MBAndrew Syed (formerly Andrew Paquin) visited Jeff recently, during which time Dan was in Dallas related to the new 1517 Academy (check it out). Andrew was Jeff's colleague at a previous institution, until politics and conceptions of Christian political beliefs resulted in a controversy. Andrew and Jeff explore this backstory, which several news outlets picked up a decade ago. Andrew discusses the negative effects the events and how he sought healing through recognition of the long term effect...
the 2018 Christmas Spectacular
December 14, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 124 MBChristmas movies and carols and traditions and….. we could go on and on. And in fact, we have gone “on and on” for over 5 years now doing a special Christmas show. On today’s show the guys are back together again in the comfy confines of the ViW Irvine studios and it felt like old times. The thesis of today’s show is that the strange “thrill of hope” we all experience this time of year is no coincidence. In fact, we are not thoroughly entangled in any other holiday like we are Christmas. An...
The Theology of the Cross and EGBOK- Live from HWSS2018
December 07, 2018 01:00 - 40 minutes - 47.3 MBI don’t have any naked baby photos. Frankly, I don’t have any baby photos. I blame either a house fire or parental indifference. Nonetheless, I wonder if I might not start subtitling my talks as “naked baby photos” not because there are, but because when I overshare, that’s the closest thing I can relate to how I’ll probably make you feel when I share publicly about my life. Like naked baby photos, they are harmless, but show you a side we don’t always put on display. As a matter of fact, you...
The Bears and the Butterflies- HWSS2018
November 30, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBFrom Here We Still Stand 2018: This is a talk with Jeff blowing up any ideas of works righteousness and refuses to settle with a message that’s just another doctrine to keep straight or moral code to live up to. Maybe you’re a bear, maybe you’re a butterfly, listen to this talk and it will make sense.
Seculosity with David Zahl
November 23, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 69 MBDavid Zahl leads Mockingbird Ministries and has a forthcoming book about secular religion and self-righteousness in America. We talk virtue signaling, popular music, Bob Dylan's Christian era, and Charlottesville, VA. Pre-order Dave's book ! virtueinthewasteland.com
"I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye" an Interview with Joshua Harris and Jessica van Der Wyngaard
November 15, 2018 20:54 - 1 hour - 91.3 MBSo, this show was a long time coming. Since earlier in this year we had been playing phone and email tag with student filmmaker Jessica van der Wyngaard regarding her new documentary project that chronicles the lives of those influenced by Josh Harris, for good or ill. The first interveiw is a conversation with the filkmmaker- an Autralian, living in Canada, making a film about a largely American phenomenon. van der Wyngaard was engaging and willing to take on the critics of her project...
#Churchtoo with Emily Joy in Nashville
November 09, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 98.1 MBOn this weeks episode we welcome back an old guest of the show: Emily Joy. Since last being on our show, Emily Joy has contributed to Jeff's book Sexy as well as co-founded the #churchtoo movement and has become something of a lightning rod for issues of abuse in the church. We interviewed Emily Joy while travelling through Nashville, and when she had told us she had "changed since we last me", we weren't sure what to expect. Turns out she is the same poet, critic and artist just having ra...
LIVE at Here We Still Stand 2018
November 01, 2018 23:52 - 50 minutes - 58.1 MBOn this weeks’ episode we take you back to the 2nd Annual Here We Still Stand conference in beautiful, if slightly milquetoast, San Diego (just kidding San Diego, we love you, as we have recorded at least once a year from your confines only to eventually praise your street food, socio-economic diversity and weather). Think of it as part of the road trip, as we recorded this show almost immediately upon returning from our road trip. Stay tuned in the next few weeks as we continue releasing ...
Going Conservative in the Age of Trump
October 26, 2018 00:00 - 52 minutes - 62.7 MBEric Dorman discusses his personal transition from progressivism to classic conservatism despite being a never Trumper, and the pragmatic nature of Tennessee politics. He works for a nonprofit news source that serves the homeless in Nashville, is a frequent contributor to Mockingbird, and runs his own site called Kept Republic. virtueinthewasteland.com
Character Matters
October 19, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBAfter five plus years of the podcast, we finally get around to a proper discussion of virtue ethics. We do so with the leading active scholar in America today: Christian Miller of Wake Forest University. (The Roman Catholic Alisdair McIntyre and Lutheran Gilbert Meilaender have both recently retired, so we don't think this claim is hyperbolic.) Miller is the author of several books and articles, but his recent book The Character Gap: How Good Are We? is a gem. And it is both good at handling ...
Conversations with the Reverend Dr Victor Singingeagle
October 12, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 61 MBOn today's show we travel into the deep south, racecar country, to meet up with Fr. Victor Singingeagle to talk about Potowatomi religion and Christianity, the pre-columbian social world of 15th c. America, and life as an outsider looking in. We first met Fr. Victor Singingeagle through our friends the Klembara's and Blake Flattely, who met him when they produced their documentary short on Concorida Selma. The Rev Dr holds two PhDs, one in anthropology and one in English and He is a form...
Expectations v Reality on the Road
October 08, 2018 19:00 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBReflections on first leg of the road trip through the American Southeast, and an interview of three committed Christian kids in the Bible belt who defy easy categorization. Julia, Luke and Calista share their candid thoughts on hot button topics. Not a debate but fact finding. virtueinthewasteland.com 1517.org
Star Wars and Jesus in Orlando
October 05, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 72.5 MBThe #VIWROADTRIP2018 is underway, and this is our first show from the road. While we are on the trip to visit a few people and places in the south, we started our RV trip in Orlando at the home of one of Jeff's best childhood friends. The beginning of the show is a little different than others, as we did this in the RV while driving- Dan opens the show with a bit of the "thesis" of the show and then the guys go into Star Wars, religion, walking away from what we once loved, devotion despite ...
The Not-So-Sacred Enneagram?
September 27, 2018 18:22 - 1 hour - 74.3 MBOh, that title almost sounds cynical. You know, like the kind of show that goes “you know that one incredibly popular thing? yeah? We, and God, disapprove”. That’s not our vibe, so, if you’re looking to slam on the Enneagram, that’s not what’s happening. In fact, you might be surprised at what we find as we dig into this popular, kinda-historical, emotional and psychological mapping system. We have some fun, talk about the popularity of these kinds of tests, and give you some info on our upco...
On Superheroes and the Heliand
September 21, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBOn today's show we talk about heroes and superheroes as an entrance into talking about one of the great lost "superhero" stories of all time: the Heliand. This story, a kind of Beowulf meets King Arthur meets the Gospels, was super important during a few critical times in our history. The story is good, but it could be dangerous. Do our heroes fall prey to the dark side of the myth? Tune in and check it out.
Ep 303: History, Sex, and Community: Your Phone Calls
September 14, 2018 00:20 - 42 minutes - 49.9 MBSo, last week we gave you a show that clocked in at over two hours- we always recommend that you break the show up in to bits, and so it might take some time for you to get to this next show. But fear not, this one is a shorter show, comprised of a few questions and calls from listeners. Lest you think that a breezy call in show would allow us to dodge topics and pick easy questions like: best pizza topping? Or Unicorns or Bigfoot? But we want to let the show go where you, the listener, are i...
Back to School Special V- Everything Has a Story: Interviews at Tyler Station
September 07, 2018 00:00 - 2 hours - 162 MBWhoa boy, this is a long one. But well worth it, and we hope you will agree. Break it up into a few listens, the show consists of three long form interviews. A few weeks ago we played the stunningly raw April Kirby discuss her own story of abuse in the church, but we didn't head down to a creative collective outside of Dallas to hear that story (though we are glad we did). We came down to do some work with our friends that Klembara's and record at their studio- The TX Studio- to record s...
Ep 301 Death, Sex, and McCain
August 31, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 86 MBOk, so we have these interviews, and we have listener calls, and we wanted to get to all or most of these things this week. And then things changed, unfortunately. On this episode we talk about the place of public mourning, we answer your pressing questions on tyrannosaurus procreation, talk about the place and power of forgiveness, and some personal things for public processing (because that seems to be what we do to a fault).
How To Listen: Tension, Faith, and Art, An Interview with April Kirby
August 23, 2018 20:16 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBSo this is show 300. And it's recorded on location in Dallas, TX. This interview was going to be in a series of interviews on craftsmanship, vocation and creativity. And trust us, April is one talented woman. You can check out her stuff on Aprilkirby.com- she tells stories, makes videos, and helps to document important life events. But, it's a little different than we thought. Dan met April and her husband Clint about a year ago here in Dallas and was dranw to their particular journey in ...
Spirit (Animal) in the Sky
August 17, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 95.9 MBSeriously, a show about animals. Which, of course would be interesting to a large majority of people given the fact we have an entire television networks devoted to animals. The problem is, neither of these two Drs are a zoologist, and we're pretty sure Dan couldn't tell you the difference between any two closely related animals (try him, ask him the difference between a seagull and a dove). But this show is not about zoology, but rather the imagery (sometimes from the zoo) that humankind ...
Spoiling Saint Augustine
August 09, 2018 22:03 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBAugustine, his importance, the City of God, the Confessions, and what he means for Western Christianity. Also, is there any legitimate criticism or concern about his views on the relations between church and empire? Also, Jeff gives his take on the Beverly Hills Chihuahua franchise.
The Virtue in the Wasteland Hotline (Bling): Your Calls, Our Answers
August 02, 2018 23:37 - 1 hour - 98.3 MB"Why don't you guys talk about [fill in the blank] more often?" We've gotten this comment throughout the years, and as a show about everything, it's hard to give all of our topics the appropriate time. So- we opened the Virtue in the Wasteland Hotline at 1-844-393-0012. And, as you may have heard before, we dedicate shows to answering whatever burning questions you might have for your two favorite professors. Or us. Enjoy the show. And call in with your own question (90 second maximum)
Fear, Immigration, and North Dakota with guest Joe Laughon
July 27, 2018 00:00 - 56 minutes - 65.7 MBOn today's show we have another summertime special on which Dan is furiously overcompensating for Jeff being gone. And you win! That's right, another guest and two different topics, almost too much show. In the beginning of the show Dan talks about fear and immigration and then brings on policy analyst Joe Laughon to discuss the facts about what is happening on our border. And then, there is a summer time treat, a live talk given by Dan a few months ago in North Dakota. Dan sets it all u...
Red and Yellow, Black and White, They Are Precious In His Sight? Two Interviews on Race and the Church
July 20, 2018 00:20 - 1 hour - 116 MB"If the Gospel is For Everyone, Why Is Everyone Around Me So White?" This was a question asked on today's episode by one of our guests, Doug Klembara. It led to our conversation on the short documentary his wife and friend just made, and leads us into the conversation Dan has with @Lex_Lutheran of Twitter fame, he's a man who digs his church but sees major racial issues to be discussed and combatted. Sure, when we talk about the college closing everything is "alleged" and these are nothing...
Summertime Spirituality
July 13, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBThe title makes it sound like this is a serious show. It really isn't. Mostly filled with Dan and Jeff messing around, but that's part of the point. Plus, they do get to a serious bit 3/4 of the way in, about the importance of letting go of the tyranny of leisure... the idea we have to "do" something instead of receiving the gift of existing, releasing our pain and resentment, and setting aside ego and fear. That's where things end up: ten things we refuse to do even though we know it will be...
God, Drugs, and the Brain: Live at Crosswise 2018
July 06, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBIt's another live show! This time with a bunch of high school kids who had spent the week at Concordia University, Irvine for the annual Crosswise Institute. They heard world class lectures and discussed really difficult and rewarding topics pertaining to the nature of God, the brain, science and drugs. On the final day of the institute, Jeff and Dan (Jeff is one of many behind the scenes for the institute at CUI), set up for a live show with a guest audience, a musical guest and a game. I...
The Wrath of God, Calvin, Hobbes and More of Your Calls
June 29, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 81.8 MBOn today's show the guys take a little break from their recent shows on history and power (all the moloch business) to answer questions you have and listen to comments you've made on our ViW hotline. Enjoy the show!
Charles in Charge: On Crowns and Crosses
June 22, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 86.5 MBOn today's show we are back discussing old-timey people and old fashioned ideas. Not because we think making them old makes them good, in fact, some of our characters are downright scoundrels. But we are looking for ways in which we might engage both the state and religious institutions in creating a compassionate, faithful, and flourishing state. This is, in part, a reflection of the joint research the guys have undertaken for their first joint publication. Enjoy the Show!
Constant(inian) Craving: The Church's Lust for Power
June 14, 2018 22:48 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBOn today's show the guys get into some of the content of their latest research for the upcoming book. As the guys are looking for thoughtful ways to address contentious issues they sometimes come across a book that shakes things up a bit. In this case, it was Peter Leithart's Defending Constantine. Jeff and Dan discuss the book, the emperor and more importantly, what any of it means for us today.
Ep. 288 10 Things We've Learned in 5 Years
June 08, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 117 MBHey, it's our 5 year anniversary show! And rather than simply talk about the show, we decided to do the mother of all "what did we learn" segments. If you've been traveling with us, you know it has been a wild ride and we have tried to be very open own our discussions with all of you. On this show we discuss the big take aways from over 275 consecutive weeks of broadcasting
Power, the Church, and the Way of Jesus: Introducing a ViW Manifesto
June 01, 2018 02:08 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBOn today's show the guys discuss some big news and talk about the upcoming, very special, 5 year anniversary show. We talk about Reinhold Niebuhr, Roseanne, and a few other things that will set the course for the rest of this year. Listen up, and enjoy the show! note: this show has been edited from its original. If you don't know why, it's not a big deal. If you do know why... it's not really a big deal either.
Sheep Hmong Wolves?
May 25, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 73.1 MBYeah, you read that right. It's not a typo. On today's show we discuss a small asian community that is thousands of years old and has remained hidden from American eyes until recently. After some of the more shameful events in the later years of the Vietnam War, many Hmong (then in Laos as exiles, and then mercenaries) came to America. By 1980 the Hmong were allowed to become citizens and have since founded two rather large communities in California and Minnesota. How do the Hmong deal wi...
Getting to Know You: On Our Obsession with Questionnaires and Marcel Proust
May 18, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBOn today's show we discuss one of the root causes of the Russian troll attacks, our willingness to give out all of our most private information, often times only to have a computer guess your age, compare you to a Disney princess, or explain why you and your coworker don't get along. We do this by talking about, and taking the Proust Questionnaire- listen up!
On Prophets, Prohibition, and Pairs- an interview with Dr. Daniel van Voorhis on his new book
May 11, 2018 00:11 - 1 hour - 78.3 MBIt's a slightly different show today in that our guest is... well, Dan! He has recently published a full length historical monograph through 1517 Publishing and is promoting it around the web in various places. And so Jeff decided to put on his interview hat and treat Dan like a guest. This lasted all of 15 minutes. The guys end up discussing what Jeff is drinking, which historical duo we'd like to be, and of course, the Prophet of Lutheran Pietism, Johann Arndt. Dan's research on Arndt not...
The Graduation Special: EGBOK!
May 03, 2018 23:59 - 1 hour - 94.7 MBFollowing in our now 5 year tradition, today's episode is a Graduation Special! We think about the world today, and what we woulds day to grads on their way into the real world!
Real Callers Real Questions: The Poor, De-conversion, and a Sprinkling of the Tao
April 20, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 120 MBOn today's show we take your calls! (You can call in on our voicemail line 844-393-0012) We take a range of questions from callers today, from the recent show we did on the poor, to some comparative religions and talk a little bit about surfing the Tao from some unlikely sources 0000014C 0000014C 00004F12 00004F12 0052F3D1 0052F3D1 00008171 00008171 004E5D39 004E5D39
Come Hell or High Water Part 2- Before You Leave The Church
April 13, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBOn today's episode we book end last weeks episode on why people leave the church. On this episode we hear from a caller, discuss why we haven't left the church ourselves and talk about why we stick around.
Before you Leave the Church: Come Hell Or High-water pt 1
April 06, 2018 00:35 - 1 hour - 116 MBOn today's episode we talk about an upcoming podcast on the 1517 network of podcasts. We are talking about why people live the church- something about which there has been no end to the writing of books. So we want to try and whittle down the question: why do people leave thus church? And we want to be sympathetic and open to correction. George Barna and others have spent the past decade telling us about the Millennials and Gen-Z, so what do we do about it?
The Poor You Will Always Have With You
March 30, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBOn today's show we start by discussing a tent city for the homeless in Dan's hometown. We move on to discuss the centrality of the poor throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. What are the "options" in how we might think about the poor and poverty? What does the Reformation tradition show us? Listen up, we get deep and challenge ourselves on this episode.
Is It Getting Worse? On Cultural Decline and the Church
March 23, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 90.3 MBOn today's show we examine the idea of a "narrative of decline" and how it might impact how we view the church. This show is a thought experiment that began when Dan had an idea he wanted to work through. This show is an exercise in thinking, looking at optimism and pessimism, and learning to understand how the gospel of hope fits in.
We Take Your Calls- Questions about Jordan Peterson, Guns, Jesus and more...
March 16, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBOn today's episode we play actual calls from actual listeners who bring up topics from gun control, the popularity of Jordan Peterson and our religious convictions. Check it out, and call us at 844-393-0012 to leave your question as a message
Stickin' to Our Guns- the Gun Control Show
March 09, 2018 01:00 - 2 hours - 141 MBOn today's episode we dig into the national conversation on gun control after the recent tragedy in Parkland, FLA. But don't expect the kind of conversation you might be used to. The guys talk about the history and the constitution but then press on to a deeper answer (if it exists).