Faithful Dissent

Send us Fan MailAfter several months away, we're back. And apparently, while we were gone, American politics decided to get interesting again.The 2026 midterms delivered a stunning Democratic victory, with results that have James wondering whether we've finally reached the end of 2016, a year that somehow managed to last an entire decade. Brian is cautiously hopeful, but considerably less convinced that an electoral landslide means the country is about to turn a corner.We dig into what the election might mean for the future of American politics, including:The future of MAGA: Has Trump's political dominance finally begun to crack, or are we in for another two years of chaos?The limits of political victory: Can Democrats actually deliver on affordability and reform, or will voters discover that winning elections is easier than fixing problems?The evangelical divide: While much of the country moved away from Republicans, white evangelicals largely stayed put. For Brian, after forty years in ministry, the results raise some painful questions about the American church and its moral witness.The gerrymandering gamble: Did Republicans get a little too clever with their district maps, only to discover that political waves can sweep away even carefully engineered advantages?Reasons for hope: From a more diverse Congress to the possibility of a healthier political realignment, is there reason to believe the next decade might be better than the last?James finds himself surprisingly optimistic. Brian isn't quite ready to join the celebration. But beneath their disagreements lies a shared hope for a country where political power is held accountable, the church remembers what it means to love its neighbors, and people can disagree without treating each other as enemies.We also briefly consider whether humanity will finally overcome its tribal divisions when aliens arrive. It seems as plausible a solution as some of the others we've tried.It's good to be back.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian talk through the strange and revealing reaction to a simple John Piper tweet about loving the foreigner and what it says about the state of American evangelicalism. What should have been an unremarkable citation of scripture instead became a flashpoint, exposing just how deeply politics and ideology now shape what many Christians are willing to hear from the Bible. From there, the conversation widens. They look at the backlash to Kirk Cameron for questioning eternal conscious torment, the fallout from another pastor scandal closer to home, and the larger pattern underneath it all: a version of evangelicalism that has traded theological depth for tribal certainty, spiritual maturity for celebrity, and faith for ideology. Together, they explore: Why John Piper’s tweet provoked such a strong reaction from MAGA evangelicalsWhat the Kirk Cameron controversy reveals about theological rigidity and fearHow celebrity pastor culture creates unhealthy systems and protects strongman leadershipWhy church planting movements can drift into cults of personalityThe difference between conviction and ideological captureWhether the current evangelical crisis might also become a moment of reckoning and renewalThis is a conversation about power, theology, personality, and the kind of church America has built and whether something more honest and more faithful might still emerge from the wreckage. 

Send us Fan Mail After a brief hiatus and a new baby in the house, Brian and James return to tackle a big question: Is Hollywood dying? From the golden age of the studio system to the Marvel era, the American film industry has shaped global culture for more than a century. Movies didn’t just entertain us — they exported American imagination around the world. But between streaming, shrinking theater audiences, corporate risk-aversion, and the rise of AI-generated visual production, something feels different. In this episode, Brian and James explore: How COVID and streaming permanently altered movie-going habitsWhether AI will democratize filmmaking — or cheapen itThe decline of scarcity and what that means for artistic valueWhy superhero fatigue might be more than just franchise burnoutWhether this is technological evolution — or cultural decayIs this just another industry shift, like silent films giving way to talkies? Or are we witnessing the collapse of something irreplaceable — a form of art that once commanded global attention? And deeper still: is the real problem technology… or us? A conversation about spectacle, virtue, attention spans, and whether we still know how to value what is good. 

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of Faithful Dissent, we run through the crazy start to 2026. We talk through the ICE shooting in Minnesota, Gunboat diplomacy in Latin America and its broader implications, and a larger pattern we keep bumping up against: how Christian leaders across contexts sometimes fall short of the moral clarity they’re called to embody. It's not been an easy start to the New Year, but we're here to talk it out with each other and we're glad you're hanging out with us on the ride. 

Send us Fan Mail In this New Year’s grab bag episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian look back on 2025 and talk through the moments that shaped it—personally, politically, and spiritually. From dogs at Barnes & Noble and surfing lessons to sports rivalries, holiday traditions, AI anxiety, and the ongoing unraveling of American evangelical politics, this conversation moves where real life tends to move: between the meaningful and the mundane. Along the way, they reflect on: What brought joy and surprise this year—and what simply helped them survive itWhy politics feels exhausting, confusing, and unavoidableHow AI is reshaping truth, trust, and daily life (for better and worse)What faith looks like in a culture obsessed with success, wealth, and certaintyWhy slow practices, embodied life, and attention to what really matters still matterThis episode isn’t a manifesto or a hot take—it’s a year-end table conversation about what we’re carrying with us into the new year, what we’re trying to let go of, and why hope still feels possible. 

Send us Fan Mail What do people actually mean when they talk about “deconstruction”? In this laid-back, unscripted conversation, James and Brian sit down to talk honestly about doubt, faith, abuse, certainty, and why so many people feel like the version of Christianity they inherited no longer works. They trace how “deconstruction” has shifted over time—from backsliding, to honest questioning, to full-blown internet industry—and ask what healthy deconstruction might actually look like. Along the way, they wrestle with church hurt, certainty culture, conspiracy thinking, power, leadership failure, and why Christianity keeps confusing confidence with faith. This isn’t a takedown and it isn’t a defense. It’s a conversation about staying honest, staying human, and figuring out what faith looks like when easy answers stop working. 

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian talk with pastor and theologian Gino Curcuruto—co-founder of The Table Philly, prison theology instructor, doctoral student, and co-owner of Habitat Coffee Roasters. Gino shares his journey through suburban evangelicalism, church-plant trauma, and the slow, relational, deeply human work of rebuilding Christian community from the ground up. Together, we explore: Why speed, scale, and performance shape most American churches—and how that harms real relationshipsThe Table’s commitment to slow presence, neighborhood rootedness, and meaningful boundariesThe emotional and spiritual cost of open-door ministry models, especially for families and kidsWhy megachurches thrive in American suburbia—and why they often form us away from the way of JesusHow Christian nationalism has reshaped public perceptions of the churchWhat gives Gino hope: small, faithful, unseen communities living out the kingdom in ordinary lifeFull of honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom, this conversation offers a fresh imagination for what church can be after Christendom—a community rooted in place, moving at the speed of love, and shaped by the presence of God rather than the pressure of success. Links to Gino:https://thetablephilly.org/Substack https://t.co/g5Ei3FwTyhX: https://x.com/ginoc

Send us Fan Mailhttps://buymeacoffee.com/faithfuldissent?new=1 In this off-the-cuff episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian take a break from theology to talk about the strange, collapsing circus of American politics. From Tucker Carlson’s platforming of white nationalists to the generational weirdness fueling Gen-Z extremism, they walk through the coalitions, catastrophes, and casual bigotry shaping the moment we’re all stuck in. This is not a formal analysis — it’s two friends thinking out loud about the unraveling of the American Right and why the “big tent” that Trump held together with spite and entertainment value was always destined to fall apart. Together, they get into: Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, and the GOP’s increasingly porous boundariesWhy Gen-Z racism and antisemitism are both baffling and deeply predictableThe internal contradictions of a coalition united only by its enemiesWhy no future Republican can replicate Trump’s insult-comic superpowerWhether Democrats’ greatest strength is simply not being in chargeHow economics, identity, and media chaos warp political loyaltyAnd whether any of this gives us reason for hopeFunny, bleak, curious, and surprisingly thoughtful — this is a politics episode for anyone trying to make sense of a political moment that feels genuinely unhinged. Check out this article from Rod Dreher's substack for useful background. Note: (we DO NOT endorse Dreher's opinions or support for various politicians, in the US or outside) 

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian sit down with author and scholar Karen Swallow Prior to trace the story of American evangelicalism—from its idealistic roots to its current identity crisis. Drawing on her own journey through fundamentalism, academia, and activism, Karen reflects on how the movement that once shaped her faith has fractured under the weight of politics, celebrity, and cultural power. Together, they explore: Karen’s early life in New England and her path into evangelicalism.The legacy of missions, activism, and moral reform in the evangelical imagination.How movements like the Moral Majority and the “evangelical industrial complex” reshaped the church.What the Trump era revealed about faith, power, and the limits of charity.Why literature, beauty, and truth still matter for spiritual renewal.How believers might reclaim calling and culture without losing the gospel in the process.This conversation is part memoir, part cultural history, and part theological reflection—an honest look at what evangelicals built, what broke, and what might come next.Here are some LINKS to Karen's Substack, and her books on Amazon. 

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Faithful Dissent, James and Brian explore what it really takes to build peace after violence. Drawing from Brian’s recent study trip to Northern Ireland and Scotland, they revisit the story of The Troubles—a decades-long conflict marked by division, loss, and fragile hope—and ask what the church can learn from those who chose reconciliation over revenge. Together, they discuss: The hidden costs of peace and why reconciliation always begins at the ground level.How storytelling and listening can dismantle generations of hatred.The emotional and spiritual weight of forgiveness after violence.Why violence is easy—and peace demands faith, patience, and sacrifice.What it means to be a prophetic community in a world that profits from division.Through stories of loss, courage, and the slow work of rebuilding trust, this conversation reminds us that peace is not a moment—it’s a discipline, and often, a cross to carry.