Life After God

This week speak with documentary filmmaker, Zeke Piestrup. His 2014 film following the last days of earth's history—at least according to fundamentalist Christian, radio personality, and serial apocalypse predictor, Harold Camping. In 2011, Zeke was hired by Mr. Camping to create daily videos, chronicling the countdown to Armageddon. When the end of the world didn't come, Zeke turned these videos, and interview with scholars of religion and Biblical Studies, into a feature documentary.RECOMMENDED LINKSWatch the trailer for "Apocalypse Later: Harold Camping vs. the End of the World”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-_iUWLcwV8Watch “Apocalypse Later: Harold Camping vs. the End of the World” on...Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Apocalypse_Later_Harold_Camping_vs_The_End_of_the?id=t6TnNGXUHgYiTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/apocalypse-later-harold-camping/id845689011Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Later-Harold-Camping-World/dp/B00K2PLJ4Y/ Facebook page for Apocalypse L

On this inaugural episode of The Ex-Files I speak with Tim Richardson about his experiences of Pentecostal Christian faith, the doubts that gradually undermined that faith, and the lessons he's learned along the way about love, marriage, wonder, and the important of thinking for himself.Music provided by Ian Gordon. Learn more about Ian and his music at www.iangordon.bandcamp.com.To be considered as a guest for a future episode of Ex-Files, click here and fill out the form: www.lifeaftergod.org/exfilesBecome a partner in the work of Life After God. Learn more at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod

This week I speak with Dr. Marlene Winell about the trauma many people experience in their religious experience and what it takes to heal from those wounds.Visit Marlene's website, Journey Free, at www.journeyfree.orgAlso, a teaser for the inaugural Ex-Files show and ways you can help us at at Life After God.The transition music for the Ex-Files segment is gracious provided by Ian Gordon. The song is called, "The Truth is Out There." Learn more about Ian and his music at iangordon.bandcamp.com.Visit the Life After God website at www.lifeaftergod.org.Become a support of the show at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod

This week I speak with documentary film producer, science enthusiast, and friend, Brandon Fibbs. Brandon was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home but as he entered adulthood, questions haunted him. We talk about his friendship with Neil deGrasse Tyson, his deconversion, his sense of wonder at his place in the universe and how awe replaced faith in his life. We also talk about his work on the 2014 reboot of Cosmos and the brand new 6-part series, "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman," which airs on Sunday, April 3.Learn about "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/Visit Brandon's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Fibbs1701/featuredRead Brandon's article, "Carl Sagan Took My Faith — and Gave Me Awe," at http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/03/10/carl-sagan-took-my-faith-and-gave-me-awe/31220Learn more about Life After God at www.lifeaftergod.org

This week I speak with renown Biblical scholar, Bart D. Ehrman, about his new book, "Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior." We talk about his research into memory and how the stories about Jesus were passed along orally in the 6+ decades before they were written down. We also talk about the role the Bible plays in American public discourse and what can be done about it.I also check in with Gretta Vosper and Helen Stringer about some new developments at the West Hill congregation.*LINKS*West Hill United Church | www.westhill.netOasis Network | www.peoplearemoreimportant.orgMICAH Project Recovering from Religion Conference | http://www.micahprays.org/events/conferences.htmTo learn more about Life After God, visit www.lifeaftergod.org.Please support this show by visiting www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod

This week I speak to Mandisa Thomas, founder and President of Black Nonbelievers. Based in Atlanta, Mandisa works to create communities that welcome nonbelievers from the black community—a demographic dominated by Christianity. We talk about race, religion, and the way the black atheist experience often differs from that of the majority white population.Mandisa also shares why Black Nonbelievers was founded, what they've accomplished in the past 5 years and how she's seen the secular landscape change in that amount of time.*LINKS*Black Nonbelievers, Inc | https://blacknonbelievers.wordpress.comBlack Nonbelievers YouTube channel | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1mxD1utNjQd2-Ia_bWdDwACBS Special featuring Mandisa Thomas |http://www.cbsnews.com/news/atheists-in-godlessness-we-trust/"Contradiction" film, by Jeremiah Camarahttp://www.jeremiahcamara.comTo learn more about Life After God, visit www.lifeaftergod.org

This week I speak with popular blogger and philosopher, Daniel Fincke. Daniel received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University in 2010 and currently teaches classes online to anyone who is interested in expanding their critical thinking skills as well as their knowledge of philosophy. In this episode Dan and I talk about the origins of human ethics and morality, the question of whether a divine being is required as a basis for right and wrong, what constitutes a life well lived, and how we know. We even touch on some contemporary issues of social justice.Check out Dan's popular blog, Camels with Hammers at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/Dan is preparing to teach some new classes in the coming weeks. To learn more about Dan's classes and how to join them, visit http://danielfincke.com/dr-daniel-finckes-philosophy-classes-welcome-page-a/Specific classes include:Virtue, Value, and Meaning in Life | http://danielfincke.com/virtues-values-and-meaning-in-life-a/Philosophy for Atheists | http

In this special LIVE broadcast, I speak to Bea Esperanza Fonseca and Geri-Lynn Ceasr about the confluence of gender, sexuality, and belief. Bea is a community organizer for economic and trans* justice and Geri-Lynn works at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. We discussed their very unique spiritual and religious journeys, their activism, and their experience of being a gender-queer couple (Geri-Lynn identifies as bisexual and Bea as a trans Latina woman). Don’t miss this important conversation!Special thanks to Level Ground for hosting the live podcast event. For more about Level Ground please visit, www.onlevelground.org.

This week I speak with author and public intellectual, Susan Jacoby, about her new book, "Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion." Jacoby explains how stories of famous conversions throughout history are almost always accompanied significant social turmoil and compulsion of one kind or another. Even today, religious conversion is often heavily influenced by socio-political factors.We talk about how the experience of "deconversion" is similar and different from what we usually mean by conversion and whether that is the right word to describe the process.Buy "Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion" here: http://amzn.to/1T5CY8w

This week I speak with Sir Lloyd Geering, New Zealand theologian and pioneering Christian post-theist. In 1967, Geering was charged with heresy by the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. He successfully withstood this challenge and has continued writing and speaking about religion and holy texts as a human constructions and words like "God" and "faith" as referents of human self-understanding and growth. He is the author of many books and articles, a few of which can be found in the links below.Lloyd Geering: God and Me (ABC Radio, transcript)http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s1333339.htmReimagining God: The Faith Journey of a Modern Heretichttp://amzn.to/216Ke54From the Big Bang to God: Our Awe-Inspiring Journey of Evolutionhttp://amzn.to/1SvoApCChristianity Without Godhttp://amzn.to/1LrJJcN

This week Ryan shares personally about how the Christian practice of Lent can have meaning, even for atheists and secular humanists and announces an upcoming new segment on the show called, "Ex-Files: Stories of Life After God."Read Ryan's article, "You are stardust and to stardust you will return: Lent for atheists" | http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yearwithoutgod/2014/03/05/you-are-stardust-and-to-stardust-you-will-return-lent-for-atheists/Read "A Religious Ritual Attracts Even Nonbelievers" (New York Times, March 15, 2013) | http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/us/a-ritual-of-lent-attracts-nonbelievers.htmlNominate yourself or someone else to be a guest on "Ex-Files" >> http://www.lifeaftergod.org/exfiles

This week I speak with Dr. Anthony Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of the Humanities at Rice University. I ask Dr. Pinn about his religious autobiography and his take on humanist and atheist movements vis a vis racial and economic justice. We also discuss the current efforts to create humanist rituals and communities and what, in his view, is still needed. Learn more about Anthony Pinn at his website, www.anthonypinn.comCheck out his books:Writing God's Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Better Atheist (http://amzn.to/23JsFdE)Humanism: Essays on Race, Religion, and Popular Culture (http://amzn.to/23JsJdj)The End of God-Talk: An African-American Humanist Theology (http://amzn.to/1nO0gTg)

This week I speak with psychologist and podcaster, John Dehlin. For the past 10 years John has been hosting the very popular show, Mormon Stories. In 2015 he was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for heresy. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on the intersection of religion and mental health.Check out Mormon Stories at www.mormonstories.orgTo learn more about John's research as well as his faith crisis and religious transitions coaching practice, visit www.johndehlin.com.Watch John's TEDx talk on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MxCXjfAunk

This week I speak with author and professor of Philosophy, Philip Kitcher, about his new book, Life After Faith. Professor Kitcher is the John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University where he has taught since 1998. In this conversation we discuss his religious journey, the philosophical basis of humanism and the challenges facing the development of a strong secular humanist community.Buy Philip's book, Life After Faith >> http://amzn.to/1UaAouSVisit the Life After God website >> www.lifeaftergod.orgSupport the podcast!www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod

This week I welcome back to the show, professor of theology and philosophy at the University of Agder, Norway, LeRon Shults. In this conversation we discuss an email he recently received from a concerned former student about Shults' recent deconversion and his new book, Theology After the Birth of God. We also discuss a new paper penned by Shults entitled, "How to Survive the Anthropocene: Adaptive Atheism and the Evolution of Homo deiparensis" about the role of religious biases in preventing people from accepting and acting upon the scientific consensus regarding climate change and it's remedies.LINKS:"How to Survive the Anthropocene: Adaptive Atheism and the Evolution of Homo deiparensis" | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/2/724Theology After the Birth of God | http://amzn.to/1SNYtZYLeRon Shults' website | www.leronshults.comFor information about Celebration of Life, by Muslims for Progressive Values, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebration-of-life-tickets-19459380531To make a financial contribution t

This week I speak with Humanist Chaplain, Bart Campolo. I first encountered Bart in the late 1990s when he was speaking on campuses around the United States creating authentic community and spurring young people on to good works. That hasn't changed for him, though he is no longer a supernaturalist, as he calls it. He gradually left his religious faith behind and has become a secular humanist.Today he works with students at USC in Los Angeles, helping them develop meaningful relationships and habits of goodness and justice. He is a loyal friend, loving husband and father, and all-around fantastic human being. To learn more about Bart and his work, visit his website, bartcampolo.org.

This week I speak with artist and filmmaker, Leslie Foster, about his upbringing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, his current religious and spiritual views, and his new project, Ritual Cycle, co-created with Scott Arany and Heather Dappolonia. Leslie is a long-time personal friend, so it was an honor to catch up with him and share a bit of his life with you.Watch a trailer, see the gorgeous images, donate to support the project, and learn more about Ritual Cycle at www.ritualcycle.com. In this episode I also share my recap of 2015 with several "top" lists, including top podcasts, top books, and top experiences of the year.To see the entire archive of podcasts, visit www.spreaker.com/lifeaftergodMy top 5 books this year(You can support this podcast by buying these books using the links provided below)5. Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates (http://amzn.to/1ZANyVb) 4. Theology After the Birth of God, by LeRon Shults (http://amzn.to/1SlNZAF) 3. Islam and the Future of Tolerance, by Sam Harris &

This week I speak with Raymond Arnold, singer/songwriter and author of the popular Winter Solstice service being used around the country. You'll also hear one of his songs, "Brighter Than Today," and comments from listeners about how they're celebrating the holidays "after God."To learn more about Ray's work with the Winter Solstice serve and to hear his music, visit www.humanistculture.com.To learn more about Life After God, visit www.lifeaftergod.org

This week I speak with Diana Butler Bass about her new book, "Grounded: Finding God in the World, a Spiritual Revolution," and the gradual evolution of her religious and spiritual convictions. We discuss her current mysticism, panentheism, and why she still finds value in theism and the Christian faith.You can buy her book here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062328549/Learn more about Diana Butler Bass at her website, www.dianabutlerbass.com.Learn more about Life after God at www.lifeaftergod.org.

This week I talk with Sincere Kirabo about the challenges of pursuing social justice in our divided society, the progress that is still needed in the secular and freethought community, and false dichotomy between safe spaces and freedom of speech.Visit Sincere Kirabo's blog at www.patheos.com/blogs/notesfromanapostate/Read Sincere's recent article at The Humanist at www.thehumanist.com/commentary/more-than-words-humanists-should-stand-for-secular-social-justiceLearn more about the Secular Social Justice Conference at www.secularsocialjustice.com