An unarmed black person is shot in the United states by an armed officer on average every 28 hours. It happens so often we can’t even keep up with the growing list of names. More often, we recall the victims by where they were killed rather than who was killed. The viral videos of grave injustice emerge and we’re shocked, outraged. Sometimes we speak out. But then it fades in many of our memories. We get busy. The issue becomes... Read more
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has been known in recent years for his bombastic statements as he’s made the shift from relatively soft-spoken state politician and preacher to TV and Radio show pundit and talking head. But his most recent statement as part of his critique of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran may be the most shocking yet, of all the candidates in contention. It’s no news that most Republican politicians oppose the loosening of economic sanctions against Iran in... Read more
Live shows are always a blast, but the LIVE CultureCast at Wild Goose festival was a new kinda awesome. First, we chatted with Lisa Gungor about everything from their new three-album project to being judged by fundie fans and the challenge that was 2014 (hint: album one in the three-album set, “This Wild Life,” was inspired by that rather hellacious year). Then her husband, Michael Gungor, jumped on stage with his guitar and they shared two pretty incredible songs from the yet-to-be released album. And... Read more
*For those not familiar with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we have a General Assembly every two years where all Disciples are invited for a multi-day gathering. While some value the current model greatly and want to ensure it keeps going, some prefer to see it change radically. Still others simply don’t participate at all, not seeing a space or voice for themselves within it. Currently, there is a bit of a financial crisis regarding its sustainability, which has... Read more
To be honest, I don’t care if you go to church or not. From my experience, going to church doesn’t necessarily make people kinder, more generous or even more Christ-like. It’s like the old saying goes: going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. So why bother? I addressed this question on my book, postChristian: What’s Left? Can We Fix It? Do We Care?. Everyone knows, Christian or not,... Read more
We’re witnessing what I see as the beginning of a feminine revolution in the United States. And it could change everything. There are some more obvious indicators of strength, like the fact that one of the strongest contenders in the 2016 presidential race is Hillary Clinton. But there’s much more going on than that if we look just a little bit deeper. In the political realm, we also have Elizabeth Warren, who recently made the cover of TIME Magazine for her... Read more
Hey, wait a minute. This podcast has always been a low-rent, seat-of-the-pants kinda thing. And now it’s getting all fancy and crap. Guess all the monumental fame and fortune of podcasting (ahem) is going to their heads. Actually, it’s just what happens when you bring on someone like John, a former podcast producer for CNN and current radio producer, comes in and shows the CultureCast crew how’s it’s done. So for all of you who like your audio content mediocre,... Read more
“I believe Jesus would. I don’t have any verse in scripture. … I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that’s just my own personal belief. I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else…” -Jimmy Carter, from his interview with Huffington Post Live I grew up in Texas as a churchgoing Baptist. I memorized Bible verses as... Read more
CultureCast cohost Christian Piatt is a geek when it comes to tech stuff. From gadgets to all things virtual, he’ll talk himself some ones and zeroes until the Minecraft cows come home. This week, our guest is professional hacker Mike Collins, who explains everything from Cyberterrorism to Silk Road, the Dark Web and why your car/phone/blender(?) are your worst enemies. It’s all we could do to get Christian to stop asking questions, but if you’re a fellow tech-head, you’ll be... Read more
I had a text discussion this morning with two of my theological colleagues, and one asked if we felt the “cosmic Christ,” was necessarily male or female. This also led to our understanding of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately to how we understood God. And it was then that I came to a realization about my theology: God is Transgender. One common assertion is that God is male, for several reasons. For one, how else would God impregnate Mary, right?... Read more
Christian Piatt
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