***This episode includes discussion of nihilism, meaninglessness, and suicide. If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. Please listen with care.*** Josh wonders if we ever escape nihilism. Stephen is ready to embrace the existential mea…

When does honest and earnest transparency tip into oversharing and misplaced attention seeking? (the podcasters ask, fully acknowledging what irony this invites...) What is gossip actually? How can information shared amongst a community be helpful for reinforcing good boundaries and expectations without tipping into harmful rumor-mongering? Mention…

Really though? When it's essentially the only human experience that is truly universal, that we all will die, why do we have such a bad relationship with it? Stephen wonders if the fear of death is something religion does to inspire fear to win converts. "Oh death, where is your sting?" Perhaps we got it all wrong and what we thought was a sting wa…

It's about time we check in on our thoughts on money, huh? A lot has changes since the teen episodes of our podcast and Josh is wondering "does it matter where money comes from?" Unsurprisingly, we talk about the implications of philanthropy, giving vs tithing mindset, the churches that are greasy and gross about money, and the ones who could be do…

Why don't more people wonder about what Jesus himself thought the church would be? Would Jesus like what we've done with the place? Or would he think we completely missed the mark from what he had in mind when he told Peter "upon this rock I will build my church"? These questions and more as we grapple with the greek ecclesia and play a wild hypoth…

Stephen has officially entered his atheist Philosophy Era (think Taylor Swift's Reputation Era with equal amounts of confidence with a dash of ennui-bordering-on-nihilism) and wants to play with the classic thought experiment presented by Blaise Pascal: the famous "wager." We discuss the misconceptions and misapplications as used by evangelical Chr…

We at the pod are using the classic New Year energy to reevaluate priorities and goals and have come to a decision to dial back the pod to an every-other-week release schedule. We have additionally decided to retire our social media presence as @ravelpod. Stay subscribed and look forward to a new episode next week! Support us: Join our Patreon comm…

We're starting the year off right by talking about the cRiNgE thrown around by Christians and atheists alike. What's at the root of the cringe response? Why do we hate it? What do we love to hate it? Mentioned in the episode: Matthew 18:15-20 Support us: Join our Patreon community and buy us a drink at patreon.com/ravelpod for as little as $3/mo! S…

ROB BELL pulls up a stool to the Ravel table! We're overjoyed to bring you one final audio offering in the year of our Lord, 2023, where Stephen and Emily get to spend a whole 90 minutes with the singular Robell (with one B) in the great living room in the sky. Stephen guides our time together as he deep dives into Rob's newest NOVEL entitled Where…

Emily is feeling reflective this year about where we've had the comforts come and go from our lives. But Stephen is feeling silly and derails the episode almost immediately by insisting the LOTR quote Emily brought to share was actually from the blockbuster film masterpiece, The Chicken Run. But then, of course, we get back on track as we talk abou…

We're doing some soul care today while Stephen struggles with what Josh affectionately coins as "the downward dog-ness of the soul." Experiencing a darkness and a weight on the soul, we discuss the feelings of being in exile and discuss Emily's life-giving definition of self care: creating a life that you do not want to escape. Mentioned in the epi…

What has us coming back, again and again, to the Bible? Josh thinks it has something to do with the nature of the written word in general, that we bias writings as more "truthy" because they are written. We discuss how we encounter writing differently over time, even when the writing isn't changing. And we ponder what Christianity would look like i…

Taking a suggestion from the voicemail box today, we consider the role of negative emotions in our lives and in our church and wonder why we're all so bent on stuffing them down and moving on. We discuss the embodiment of such emotions as what is actually called positive or negative, instead of the emotions themselves. As river water flowing throug…

You'd think, with an American faith-based podcast releasing an episode so close to the holiday of Thanksgiving, that we'd enjoy a lighthearted meditation on what we're grateful for in our lives and the nature of gratitude in general... BUT NO! Instead, we dive headfirst into the harm perpetuated around the world by Eurocentric Christianity, wieldin…

What begins as an exercise in classifying religion ends in a deeply personal conversation about the impacts of eschatological theology. We adopt a comparative lens to view modern Christianity against its ancient expression, asking questions like "Is it a failed apocalyptic project?" and "As such, was it inevitable that it became a dominant-state re…

We suppose it's about time we reflect and ask, "has this just been idle talk?" After all, it seems like everyone has a podcast these days! Are we guilty of the same old theobro energy that we find so problematic or are we part of a reclamation of normal people doing theology? We'll let you come to your own conclusions. Mentioned in the episode: Mat…

Think of all the thoughts that haven't been thought. Or the writings that haven't been written. Where do they come from and how do they visit us in our minds? We take a voicemail today from a listener who is wondering what we mean when we say something is "inspired"? Does it necessarily have to be divine intervention? What is that creative spark th…

If you have a moment, would you consider listening to our humble podcast? We know you have finite time and attention, but we'd be honored to welcome you at the table. Today, we peer curiously at the ticking clock of the universe and share our experiences of time, how we try to stop it, and how present actions can not only write futures but also rew…

We're really leaning into the spooky season and discussing the reality of ghosts! Contemplating the mysteries of space, time, and consciousness, we think maybe one day even science could reasonably explain ghostly experiences. On a spiritual level, we think maybe they are folks who refuse to move on, spirits in limbo with unfinished business. We, o…

Like, seriously, could you tell us without listening to the episode first? It seems as though "gnosticism" is a Christian boogeyman term used to slander anyone thinking outside of orthodoxy! It's been used to denigrate other denominations, deconstruction, mysticism, other religions. Can we please define our terms?! And once we do so, can we spot it…

STARTER PACK: We Clearly Disagree Have you ever wondered if life is somewhere out there among the stars? Maybe even looking back at us? How would your theology change? Emily brings us many questions about alien life and the impacts to our structures of belief. Mentioned in the episode: Josh's TikTok YHP to Consider Quakerism and Panentheism (God = …

The Patreon group spoke and got us to consider biblical marriage in all it's forms. What does the bible describe about marriage versus prescribe? Was Paul potentially a marriage abolitionist at the end of the day? And why does it make us uncomfortable to consider the (likely) possibility of Jesus of Nazareth being married? Mentioned in the episode:…

How do you deal with change? Do you consider it inevitable? Do you not like change because a pocket full of coins is annoying? Jokes aside, Emily is asking today why it's so hard to affect change in certain church communities and why some changes in personal beliefs come with such high contrast. And Stephen goes on a fiery rant against "thoughts an…

A grandmother is sitting with her grandson and says, "In life, there are two wolves inside of you that are constantly in battle. The good wolf represents things like kindness, love, and joy while the bad wolf represents things like greed, hatred and fear." The grandson thinks about it for a moment then looks up at his grandmother and asks, "But gra…

Let's dive into some psychoanalysis and "get heady" with our good friend Lacan. Josh offers a new angle on the ravel metaphor by introducing us to the "quilting point", all leading to the question: how do we avoid the Arrival Fallacy? Be sure to play along and tap through the links here in the show notes! Mentioned in the episode: What Is The Quilt…

We're asked to interrogate the sentiment behind "I don't know, I'm not God" when a listen calls in (601-557-2835) with a bit of feedback from our recent episode on the Trinity. So we dig into the limits of human knowledge, where we believe there may be true unknowables, and discuss the implications of the first story of sin in the bible being human…

So you may have seen this making the TikTok rounds in recent weeks... The "Sparkle Creed" is a radical take on Christian inclusivity that got some folks fired up! Emily has spent some time dwelling on it's contents and it's message and has some thoughts. We ravel through the language of the Sparkle Creed, comparing and contrasting to the Creeds of …

Who belongs at the table that is called Christianity? Stephen feels like the vast majority of Christianity today and through the ages would say he does not any longer. Emily and Josh have different convictions. We wrestle with God and our fellow men today as we enter this dialogue. Mentioned in the episode: 109. Who Is A Christian? Ravel Episode Yo…

Hard to know where to even start with this one, to be honest. The Trinity is one of the most paradoxical, "accept on faith" concepts in all of Christianity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All-in-All, Three-In-One nature. While being careful not to slip in modalism or tritheism, we attempt to work on this theological idea that has stumped Christians …

We're thinking about the good ol' days of summer camp while Emily is actually at church summer camp this week, so we're throwing it back in the time machine! (We know we said last time was the last time this year, but stuff is going on, ya know?) Have you ever been to Christian conferences like Acquire The Fire or Dare2Share? Or do you often relive…

Living in the world can be challenging, especially when there are just some things you don't want to talk about with certain people. So we mask, or as today's question submitted puts it, we "code switch" in order to avoid rocking the boat. What does this look like for us? Language modification, conversational abstinence, or some secret third thing?…

How did we observe our American Independence Day? And why did Emily's church disappoint by not singing patriotic songs in worship that weekend? We interrogate the beliefs and theologies that intertwine Christian faith with superpower's might and wonder what idols are really at those roots. Mentioned in the episode: Straight, White, American Jesus o…

Patience is a virtue. At least that's what we're told. But what about it's biblical cousin, long-suffering? What's the difference and how do we cultivate it or discover it within ourselves? These questions are tackled today, plus Stephen offers his best Smeagol impression from The Lord of the Rings. Mentioned in the episode: propheticimaginationsta…

Revival and Renaissance and Resurrection, oh my! Today we follow standard Stephen practice by talking about something long after it's out of the news cycle when Josh brings up the Asbury Revival to discuss whether the concept is viable at all. Is there a problem with an emotionally driven peak experience? What's next for the church if not revival? …

CW: This episode contains conversation about disordered eating, body shame, and bullying. Please listen with care and be well, friends. Our culture and the church have both contributed to unhealthy, disordered ways of thinking about our bodies and the love we should show them. Some of us grew up thinking we needed to hate our bodies or discipline o…

We're back with fresh new stuff and Emily is just bubbling over with joy! We talk about the meaning of joy, the free access to joy, and what we find joy in. Mentioned in the episode: Matthew 5:11-12 - Count It Joy Brethren Nehemiah 8:10 - The Joy of The Lord Is My Strength Matthew 9:16-17 - New Wineskins Dacher Keltner - The Thrilling New Science o…

Welcome back, just one more time, to the Time Machine! Stephen's crazy work schedule at his day job is finally over, but between some much needed rest on Stephen's part and the summer already well under way, we needed a bit of a gap in the recording schedule. So we're bringing you an incredibly poignant rebroadcast in light of last week's revelatio…

Season 2 of Ravel begins today as one of our hosts realizes that they are no longer Christian. Mentioned in the episode: 23. Dissecting Conferences, Camps, and Mannequins Ravel Episode Atheism For Lent Excerpt from Ludwig Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity entitled, "Religion As Projection" (10 page reading) 52. Shrugging Off Christianity Rave…

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. What would you call someone who quit church, yet still holds a deep love …

Are you pro-argument or anti-argument? Josh is wondering if using the Horseshoe Theory in psychology is a useful tool for us to consider seemingly oppositional theological views. We grapple with "the binary" rather awkwardly as we wonder why centrism is viewed so negatively and if it's possible to hold a third way open. Mentioned in the episode: Th…

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Sarah! Change your mind, for th…

We play a voicemail from a beloved friend of the pod and past guest, Alex, who asks us the question, "how have you been experiencing God lately, in terms of feeling?" Josh shares about how caring for the sick has been a spiritual experience. Emily shares about her life in church, in her family, and at home. And Stephen is starting to worry that his…

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Chad Eichorn! It took us almost…

Why is it so easy to cherry-pick the verses we want out of the Bible to support our positions? Is it ignorance, malevolence, or some secret third thing? Josh thinks it may be due to a bias of the written word. Emily tries to explain the Bible like we're 5 years old. And Stephen goes on a rant only to end up saying cherry-picking is okay and in fact…

Welcome back to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Courtney Clark! The idea of def…

What do you picture in your mind when we ask you what the God shaped hole in your heart looks like? Are we dealing with a two-dimensional jigsaw puzzle piece? Or a three-dimensional hole like a punctured ball? Or are we talking about the hole in the top of every glass? (Or the hole in every drinking straw?) We're here to grapple with this concept t…

Welcome to the Time Machine! Stephen's work schedule at his day job will be insane until the end of May, so we decided to take some editing burden off of him and re-share some favorite episodes from the archive, specifically suggested by members of our Patreon community. Today's nomination comes from our friend, Zach Sharp! (Forgive the "new podcas…

Today, we go meta. Again. Josh is curious to know if the burden of proof lies on the disbeliever as much as it does on the believer. In what ways should we prepared to answer the question, "why don't you believe 'xyz' anymore? We also take our first clarifying voicemail today from friend of the show, Nathan! So be sure to not skip over the break! M…

We're answering TWO voicemails today on the topic of boundaries! The first is a question of romantic relationships that are scripted by Christianity. The second is a question of familial and relational boundaries around the holidays! And listen, we know it's March, but Stephen likes to keep a tradition of discussing big topics in their off-season. …

Emily continues the discussion around pastors and their roles in the church and society. She asks us to contemplate the ideal ingredients that might make up a person qualified to stand out from amongst the "priesthood of all believers" to take on a more dedicated role. So we head to the mall and Build-A-Bear style consider what it could look like! …