Fire On Your Head

The picture used for this episode's publicity image or cover, depending on where you're seeing it, comes from an attempt to use AI to generate an image for me. Using a photograph of a matapalo, or strangler fig in English, known for its distinctive characteristic of enveloping and ultimately overpowering its host, as a metaphorical foundation, I asked DALL-E 3 to craft an image with the following prompt: Create an image of a strangler fig where the main tree is depicted by or symbolic of the church, being constricted by representations of entertainment, stardom, money, and fame chocking it out. The result is compelling visual metaphor—a tree at once vibrant yet ensnared by the very elements meant to augment its growth. Incidentally, that's also the main theme of today's episode, but let's back up. Does entertainment even belong in the church? In this episode of the podcast, I share some of the deep sense of disillusionment that arises when respected spiritual leaders fall from grace, citing example