Stories Are Soul Food

Latest Episodes:

Taylor Swift and Playlist Trouble May 13, 2024

Show notes

Nate claims that talking about music is boring, but in this episode you're going to find out he has written lyrics to more than twenty (!) songs (as yet unscored). You're even going to get one scandalous title. Then Brian ambushes Nate by reading a stanza of Taylor Swift's new lyrics, and the guys discuss all the questions that come along with music. What if you're a mom who sings secular jazz to her kids at bedtime? ("You are all I long for / all I worship and adore.") More power to you! What if you're a high school girl who bops to TSwift in her car all the time? Be careful you're not using your playlist as an aid to personal fantasy. Nate makes the point that it's just as easy to fantasize while reading Bronte, but your parents may not think to object to the classics. What about young guys whose workout tracks are a solid mass of E (for Explicit)? Masculine version of personal fantasy. How do you immunize yourself to music's pop culture? Well, that's the question. To conclude, Brian laments the decline of story-telling ballads into pop music -- and Nate says they're not even on the same tree: a Taylor Swift song is more of Starbucks frappe. What is the modern ballad? THE MOVIE.

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Jazz #Country #playlist #TaylorSwift #TorturedPoetsDepartment #Swifties #ballads

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

The Great Debate: Art vs Morality and Money (feat. Doug TenNapel) May 06, 2024

Show notes

Can you name a successful Christian artist living today? Right now, to be a Christian artist means to be not a very good Christian and not a very good artist. Nate and Brian welcome the larger-than-life figure of Doug TenNapel to the SASF show to discuss this problem. Doug T. is a comic artist and video game maker who has pivoted with the times and is now reaching a monthly audience of 17 million+ via his YouTube show, Doug in Exile, where he is known for political noticing. But the guys aren't here to talk about politics -- they want to debate art and Christianity and why so many artists are deviants. Doug tells awful stories about furries: Doug's been calling out perverts in Hollywood since the late 80s, and the furries who just recently started biting kids in public schools are just one more thing that Doug T. foretold. Since artists are the canaries in the world's coal mines, we know things are bad when our artists are crazy. Nate asks Doug to name one successful artist who isn't screwed up. Doug brings up the cave art in Lascaux, and hypothesizes that this early artist might be the only one who didn't sell out. Nate says he tells young Christian kids NOT to join the art world -- books, movies, paintings-- because it's corrupt and will try to chew them up and spit them out. Doug agrees, and then offers his own solution to the twin problems of art vs morality and commerce. Nate wants the Christian artist to know the industry's demands, Doug wants the Christian artist to never think once about what his audience wants. But both of them want to protect young artists from being ramrodded into the machine, and both of them are very indie in their efforts, and so Brian asks Nate and Doug why they have moved on from the publishing world, and the guys argue about whether the goal of art is to innovate. They argue about fine art being experiential or a tradesman-like craft. The crux of the show comes when Nate tells Doug he has a little bit of "follow your heart-ness" in him. Doug objects -- sort of. You'll also hear a bit about Doug's dreams for a cardboard movie, what Nate would work on if he had ten million dollars, how Doug had to give himself grace to make art. And of course you'll hear a bunch of great one lines: "Bulk is still a quality", "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly... so that you can learn to do it goodly," "I can't think of successful Christian artists who didn't sell out," and much more...

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #DougTenNapel #Cardboard #EarthwormJim #BigfootBill #Nnewts #DougInExile #NDWilson #CanonPress #Publishing #Art #DeviantArt #ArtDebate #ChristianArt #ChristianArtists #CavesofLascaux

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_q52fDE2Wc

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Two Students Defy Columbia Mob Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

Breaking news: Nate's son Rory is a senior at Columbia University where, late last night (Monday April 29th), a mob of professional protestors advocating intifada and abolition of Israel climbed through dorms and tried take possession of a university building. Only Rory and his friend Charles stood up to bullies at the door of Hamilton Hall, defying hundreds of protestors, some professional antifa types, slinging threats and trying to pull them away with human chains and the crush of the crowd. Nate calls this moment of bravery Rory's "true graduation", and describes how he and his wife couldn't be prouder as parents. When campus security and actual police failed to respond, other Christian friends pulled the students away and the Hall was taken, windows smashed, and the protestors barricaded themselves inside. But the moment -- two calm students facing a mob of masked protestors in shemaghs -- was a perfect example of flipping the script and making a lie of the pro-Palestinian bullies' claim to be the oppressed. Nate and Brian break down the whole event, including how Christians can learn from radicals like Saul Alinsky by applying Doug Wilson's Rules for Reformers. When you see a bully, you shouldn't be doing "wuss calculus" about whether you will win. That kind of math can happen later. To quote Nate's novel Dandelion Fire, "Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heroes stand because it is right to do so, not because they believe they will walk away with their lives. Such selfless courage is a victory in itself." Congratulations on your graduation, Rory!

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #BreakingNews #ColumbiaUniveristy #ProPalestine #Intifada #NDWilson #DouglasWilson #TuckerCarlson #ProudParents

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf7Nb0klzuI

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Demon Possession Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

FACE YOUR FEARS: If this week's "Soul Food" discussion is a sandwich, the first slice of bread is advice for helping your children face their fears, the other slice of bread is how moms and dads fail to face their fears as adults, and the mystery meat in the middle is delightful discussion on demon possession, Jesus and Legion and the pigs, why demons seem to hate water, and why exorcisms happen more in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communities than, say, Presbyterian ones. There's some speculation in that middle section -- but also a dose of biblical interpretation about Jesus as the strong man in Mark 5, and how he fulfils David's story in his rescuing of the demons. You'll also hear why most horror movies are dumb and why it's more helpful to look for scary stuff in Flannery O'Connor's short stories of hypocritical, self-obsessed grownups.

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #demons #exorcism #FaceYourFears #FlanneryOConnor

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWbsI5n5KN8

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Doug on Tucker, Weak Big Eva Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Nate and Brian discuss Doug Wilson's gospel-filled appearance on the Tucker Carlson Network. Turns out, this isn't Doug's first big media rodeo, and it makes perfect SASF fodder to discuss the different characters that come out of the woodwork after such an event. The guys discuss the "I don't agree with Doug on everything, but" guy, the "criticize you publicly and beg for private favors" guy, and of course the outright haters vs. the tough-minded allies (we know who you are, SASF kingdom). Oh, and of course the Big Eva folks -- who are actually Tiny Eva -- who are unwilling to mention Doug's name for fear they might get cooties. But we don't care about their tiny walled commune -- because the Gospel is so much bigger. As many a SASF episode does, the conversation launches into a discussion of how not to be a terrible dad who, for example, abdicates on his kids' homeschooling and then blames his wife for the bad result. The episode ends with a classic sign-out: "Go hard, suffer, keep the Sabbath. This has been Stories Are Soul Food."
If you want to listen to the audio of the Doug / Tucker episode, check it out on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HYgx4GuY9Z8J7o6VKIp0l?si=FM_HhemDRniSQ-WmvE89tw

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #TuckerCarlsonNetwork #TuckerCarlson #DougWilson #BigEva #BadDads

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Worldview of Stories Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

This episode starts with a discussion of woke adaptations and ends with a discussion of the unavoidability of fiction in shaping your life. Would Nate be fine with having "woke" elements in a major adaptation of his films? His answer might surprise you. You'll hear war stories about ancestor worship in Hello Ninja (the show), the importance of a team with different strengths, and more war stories from the movie industry. Then they turn their attention to a claim from a pastor that "No work of fiction should ever change our worldview. As a Christian, my worldview is shaped by Scripture alone." Turns out, the Bible is full of stories, and (cue the Grey Havens opening music) -- STORIES ARE SOUL FOOD. How you handle the stories of the Bible will determine how you handle your own life stories. Try to get away from modernist thinking and start thinking like Solomon: add instead of remove. The episode ends with a strong endorsement of a life of imagination.
#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #HelloNinja #Netflix #imagination #metaphors #ScriptureAlone #WorldviewOfStories

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Shawshank Revisited (SASF LAMP Club) Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Would you say Shawshank Redemption is "a movie with a happy ending"? Years ago as a young husband, that's what Brian picked to watch when his wife made a request for just such a film with a happy ending. (Spoiler: Shawshank Redemption was not the kind of movie she had meant.) For this momentous 145th episode, and the first ever LAMPC pick WITH CLIPS FROM THE MOVIE INCLUDED IN THE EPISODE (go watch it on Canon+, people), the guys discuss a movie this film that was a box-office failure upon release, and has since climbed into the upper echelons of film conversations. Brian asks Nate about its popular appeal. Nate surmises why it flopped upon release, and makes suggestions for improving that release (if given a time machine). Brian fails at describing Andy Dufresne's character flaw. Nate avoids talking about Stephen King, who wrote the original story. They discuss how Christians interpret movies wrong (Andy giving the 12 prisoners beer on the roof is the Last Supper) and how atheists do the same thing (Zihuatanejo is a Nietzschean paradise beyond guilt and innocence!). Enjoy!

#LAMPC #LookAtMovingPicturesClub #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #ShawshankRedemption

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Dune 2: Making Chani Great Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Prepare yourself for the Dune-versation! (Sorry.) The guys liked Dune 2 and Denis Villeneuve proved that he "got" what made Dune great. But of course, the fun of a movie discussion is often in what you hate: Brian really disliked pouty Zendaya and the northern "modernist" Fremen. But Nate says there was nothing wrong with Chani's character that couldn't be fixed (and in fact, an amazing character might exist on the cutting room floor). If only Paul had chosen to implicate Chani in his decision to become Lisan al-Gaib, instead of relying on the deus ex machina of her saving him! They discuss scenes that were great (opening scene), scenes that fell flat (Feyd Ratha fight), prophecies, and everything in between (Frank Herbert's obsession with peyote and Lawrence of Arabia). The guys also announce the next LAMPC (Shawshank Redemption), how the Boys in a Boat movie was fine on its own but really disappointing if you had read the book, and how we live in a place where airplanes have their wheels fall off mid-flight.

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Dune #Dune2 #Zendaya #Chani #FrankHerbert #LisanAlGaib #Stilgar

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFvor9MZFA

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Harold's Conversion in Chariots of Fire (SASF LAMP Club) Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

In this episode you'll get to hear Nate sing (!) the unofficial English national anthem "Jerusalem"... but there's lots more: In England 1924, the sport of "sprinting" is in tension between faith and secularism, amateurism and the pros, and the nation versus world. Chariots of Fire is a tale of two athletes making their mark in this moment, and the SASF guys discuss this classic sports film. First thing to note is that Eric Liddell is actually not fulfilling the role of the protagonist in this story. It's Harold Abrahams's character arc that resolves -- putting Liddell in the role of "side" character. Second thing to note is that Harold's conversion is what allows his character to resolve -- although Brian brings up a rabbit who views Harold as a villain for just that reason. The guys discuss the iconic music, adaptations that aren't strictly accurate, Scipio Africanus Mussabini, what an emotionally sabotaging villain Eric Liddell's sister was and how he didn't respond to her correctly, Eric's faithfulness up to his death in a Japanese internment camp, and much more.

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #LAMPC #LookAtMovingPicturesClub #ChariotsOfFire #EricLiddell #HaroldAbrahams #England #Blake

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

Real Life Comedy Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

As regular listeners know, Nate is a high school basketball coach, and for the first half of this episode he updates the SASF crowd with all travail his team has gone through -- the worst having to do with lies being told about his guys. This leads to valuable lessons for these young men, and has amply demonstrated their theme for the season, which Nate has taken from Romans 5: Hardship is not glory in itself, but great glory only comes through hardship. After this the guys move on to a discussion of comedy. Brian suggests Nate doesn't use humor in his fiction-- Nate is very displeased. An enjoyable discussion follows as the guys move on to critiquing Marvel.

#SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Comedy #Basketball #Coaching

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.

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