Category: Status

Episode 93: “All we have to do now is to take these lies and make them true (somehow)”

Thomas and Sam kick off the 2017 season of Thinking Religion.

  • New Years Resolutions
  • Try a New Years Revolution | NY Times
  • On Giving Donald Trump a Chance | Marginalia
  • Sam’s January 1 “sermon”: “I think I realize now that the author chose to include the massacre of the infants in the nativity story of Jesus to establish not only Jesus’ claims to being the Messiah or to connect Jesus with Moses and the Exodus, but also to plant the seed that Jesus was born into a broken world that has always slaughtered innocents and still does. Jesus’ challenge to the authority of his time ended with his own slaughtering.”
  • TIG Mod | ThisIsGround
  • TIG Venture Backpack | ThisIsGround

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Episode 90: No Bread, No Bag, No Money

Thomas and Sam discuss titles, office spaces, new jobs, being unplugged from the hive mind during the work day, and everyday carries (along with some deep philosophical ideas you’ll have to stick around for).

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Episode 79: Thinking Religion 89: Do You Want To Talk About Pants? – Thinking.FM

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Thomas and Sam discuss pants, button down collar dress shirts, briefcases, leather goods, and the role of religion in political rhetoric.

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Episode 78: Thinking Out Loud 121: Even Superheroes Have Flaws – Thinking.FM

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“But I thought you were a superhero?” Elisabeth and Merianna talk about that moment when someone you know discovers that you have flaws and how that impacts your relationship. This is why it is important to make sure your characters have flaws as well. Even superheroes have their kryptonite. 

Show Notes

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Episode 77: Thinking Religion 88: Snapchat is the New Oral Tradition – Thinking.FM

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Thomas and Sam, along with guest host Roshan Abraham, discuss Jonah’s presumptive bisexuality, Classics’ past present and future, Ephesus as the ancient 4chan, roles of the public intellectual, autobiographical memories, textuality, authority, and Bernie vs. Hillary sexism.

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Episode 76: Thinking Out Loud 120: What World is This? – Thinking.FM

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“But that could never happen!” Elisabeth and Merianna talk about world building, especially in regards to changing technology. What should you include? What will make your story seem outdated and irrelevant? How do some authors get away with having outdated technology, but still have avid readers?

Show Notes

What are Merianna and Elisabeth reading this week?


Rising Strong

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Episode 75: Thinking Religion: Trading Places – Thinking.FM

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Most Christians are Republicans and a few liberal ones are Democrats (or something like that). That’s been the conventional thinking for the past few decades, especially with the rise of the Moral Majority and Evangelical movement going back to the late 60’s and early 70’s. However, the election of 2016 is pointing to a possible shift in perception of this old adage. Are we seeing a role reversal where the Democratic Party becomes the party of patriotism, American Exceptionalism, and faith while the Republican Party becomes the party of angst, cynicism, and Russian influence? We discuss the last two weeks of both parties’ conventions and why that role reversal might just be the case.

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Show Notes

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Episode 74: Thinking Baptists 21: Welcoming Visitors to Your Church – Thinking.FM

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Merianna and Sam discuss the notion of hospitality and how various churches welcome (or don’t) visitors and strangers into their worship services.

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Episode 73: Thinking Out Loud 118: Words Matter – Thinking.FM

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Elisabeth and Merianna talk about moving your draft from the splatter paint on the canvas, letting the words fly off your fingertips to a manuscript with purposeful meaningful words. Words matter. Choose them carefully, especially if you are staff writer for a presidential candidate.

Show Notes

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Episode 72: Thinking Religion: Permission Slip – Thinking.FM

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This week, Thomas and Sam discuss how to use social media effectively, why you shouldn’t invoke God when comparing others to Lucifer, and ways to save money on all of your internet subscription services.

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Delivered every Friday and full of all the stuff we didn’t have time to cover on the show plus a few extra tidbits from around the web.

Show Notes

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Episode 71: Thinking Religion: Growing Up Evangelical in the 90’s – Thinking.FM

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Thomas and Sam are joined by Merianna Neely Harrelson to talk about True Love Waits, Kissing Dating Goodbye, Promise Rings, and all the interesting parts of Evangelical Christian culture of the ’90’s (and how much of that is being reexamined)… and why Sam still calls himself an Evangelical.

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Delivered every Friday and full of all the stuff we didn’t have time to cover on the show plus a few extra tidbits from around the web.

Show Notes

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Episode 70: Thinking Baptists 20: No One Gets Out Alive – Thinking.FM

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Merianna and Sam talk about how communities of faith create a sense of belonging and what happens when the community encounters a crisis of faith. Do you stay? Do you leave?

Show Notes

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Episode 69: Thinking Out Loud 117: Finding the Corners – Thinking.FM

In which Mary Hudson (8 years old) blows our minds by sharing how she published her first play, Germ Play. Elisabeth and Merianna ask Mary Hudson how the inspiration for the play came to her and inspiration in general. They also discuss the concept of finding the corners of their own manuscripts and how that provides parameters allowing them to put the rest of the pieces together. 

Show Notes

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Episode 68: Thinking Religion: Generational Eschatological Expectations – Thinking.FM

Thomas and Sam discuss their iPhone homescreens, favorite apps, the complexity of generational eschatological expectations, and Christian dating apps.

Show Notes

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Episode 67: Thinking Baptists 19: Embracing the Conflicts – Thinking.FM

The Revs Merianna Neely Harrelson and Sam Harrelson describe the benefits and challenges of congregational polity, notes, the digital dark age, and recording what matters.

Show Notes

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Episode 66: Thinking Out Loud 116: Lighting a Fire Under You – Thinking.FM

Elisabeth and Merianna talk about those moments when you meet people in real life that you’ve had social media conversations and interactions and what it feels like to be recognized. They talk about their trips and the power of belonging to a community where you can say who you are and truly be yourself. But how do you overcome conference hangover? And how do you turn a conference experience into a community of supporters?

Show Notes

What are Elisabeth and Merianna reading this week?


Rising Strong
Chemistry and Other Stories

 

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Episode 65: Thinking Baptists 18: All The Wands – Thinking.FM

The Revs. Merianna Neely Harrelson and Sam Harrelson reboot Thinking Baptists with a new episode for the first time in four years. They do a recap of Merianna’s ministerial journey as well as follow up to the last episode of the show with a discussion about women in baptist ministry in 2016. They also cover the topic of pastor search committees, and why the economy isn’t doing young ministers any favors when it comes to finding pastor positions.

Show Notes

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Episode 64: Thinking Religion: The Privilege of Knowing How to Read – Thinking.FM

Dr. Thomas J. Whitley and The Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss Sam’s use of iPad Pro as his main computer, Evernote, and the privilege of knowing how to read.

Show Notes

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Episode 63: Cast of Geeks 58: Small Wonders – Thinking.FM

Lisa Picarille, Jim Kukral, Shawn Collins, and Sam Harrelson reunite for an episode of Cast of Geeks. This month, they discuss the future(s) of affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, engagement and Facebook Pages, the rise of messaging, Amazon’s Kindle Store policies, and whether or not augmented reality will catch on with the general public.

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Episode 62: Thinking Religion: Consolation of Communication – Thinking.FM

Dr. Thomas J. Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss Big Macs, livestreaming, bastardized religion, and tiny apocalypses.

Show Notes

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Episode 61: Thinking Out Loud 115: Fighting the Imposter Monster – Thinking.FM

Elisabeth and Merianna talk about fighting the imposter monster, reader’s theaters about germs, and exciting upcoming conference. They debate how to know if you are truly doing what you should be doing. If you’re scared of it, it’s probably what you should do.

What are Elisabeth and Merianna reading this week?


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Episode 60: Thinking Religion: You Only Want a New Cultural War When You’re Losing the Last One – Thinking.FM

Dr. Thomas J. Whitley, Rev. Sam Harrelson, and Chad Gardner discuss cultural gnosticism.

Show Notes

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Episode 59: Thinking Religion: An Eclectic Text – Thinking.FM

Dr. Thomas J. Whitley and Rev. Sam Harrelson discuss the gender politics of Sam’s new personal assistant, language as a power mechanism, a listener question about Paul’s Gospel, and what in the world The Donald is thinking.

Show Notes

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