The Magnificast

Magnificast lock in: Gaseous Jesus Feb 25, 2025

This week, we're locking in and answering all of the hottest questions from the internet about Christianity. In this episode, we talk about walking into a Catholic Church, gaseous Jesus, Nudist Episcopalianism, Scotland, and chicken fossils.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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The Structural Problems of Green Growth Feb 18, 2025

When it comes to climate change and mitigation, some have suggested that we harness the power of capitalist growth and use it for something useful like green energy. But, there are some problems baked into capitalism about why that won't work. Listen in and learn all about why.

Here are the books we mentioned in the ep.

Brett Christophers - The Price is Wrong - https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3069-the-price-is-wrong?srsltid=AfmBOoq28BkqbNEqmZ1FJ1zTK0jnuVuJ5aYkb54H9xr2EaBfuU-Uph2E

Andreas Malm and Wim Carton - Overshoot - https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3131-overshoot?_pos=1&_psq=Overshoot&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Zip lines, the opiate of the masses Feb 12, 2025

Over the past few weeks, Trump's mass deportations have started and everyone's least favorite Catholic convert, JD Vance, has tried to add the intellectual weight of Catholic social teaching to defend it. In response, Pope Francis wrote a subtle reply to Vance. Tune in this week and learn more!

Also, read Jim Hodgson's blog on USAID here: https://unwrappingdevelopment.ca/2025/02/09/dismantling-usaid-yes-no-maybe/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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Magnificast classic: Friends of Sabeel North America W/ Jonathan Kuttab Feb 05, 2025

With Trump back in the White House, Threatening to ramp up the genocide against Palestinian people, it's a good time to revisit the conversation we had with Jonathan Kuttab.

To talk about solidarity with Palestine we brought on Jonathan Kuttab, the director of Friends of Sabeel North America, to tell us about Palestinian Liberation Theology, the horrors of Israel's apartheid, and what the good news of Christianity is in light of that apartheid.

Find out more about Friends of Sabeel North America here: https://www.fosna.org

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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Magnificast Classic: Sandino's Nation w/ Stephen Henighan Jan 29, 2025

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we're bringing you an episode from the archive!

We're always talking up a storm about Ernesto Cardenal, but this time around we're talking with Stephen Henighan, a real scholar on Latin American literature! In this episode, we learn more about Cardenal's background, influences, and his lasting impact on the politics of Nicaragua.

Cuba update w/ Jim Hodgson Jan 21, 2025

This week, we chatted with a friend of the show, Jim Hodgson, about Biden removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Unfortunately, since we recorded this Trump has rescinded that decision and we're right back where we started. It's still a worthwhile conversation!

Get more from Jim at his blog: https://unwrappingdevelopment.ca/

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Spongebob Economics Jan 14, 2025

Last week we talked about the GDP and growth and that was fun. But, this week, we're taking things a bit further by talking about monopoly capitalism, monopsony, and the financialization of capitalism.

If you want to learn more about finance then look no further:
https://monthlyreview.org/2010/10/01/the-financialization-of-accumulation/

https://monthlyreview.org/2010/10/01/the-great-financial-crisis-three-years-on/

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GDeanP Jan 07, 2025

Capitalism can't work unless it's growing. How do economists measure capitalist growth? Through the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is a magical number that goes up and down, but do you know how it's calculated? Well, tune in and learn all about the GDP and why it sucks!

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Liminal lockin Dec 31, 2024

In the weird liminal space between Christmas and New Year's, your favorite leftist youth pastors are locking you in to talk about feeling bad for the devil, dinosaurs, bones, magic portals, and AI.

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Magic doors and debt forgiveness Dec 24, 2024

The Pope is opening the magic doors for the year of Jubilee! In this episode, we're talking about the 2025 year of Jubilee in the Catholic church. Of course, we're talking about the weird Catholic stuff in this episode, but we're also talking about the material side of the Jubilee and the campaign to forgive and restructure debt throughout the world.

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Josiah Daniels in Palestine Dec 17, 2024

This week, we chat with, friend of the pod and Sojourners editor, Josiah Daniels about his recent trip to Palestine with Sabeel. Listen in as we talk about Palestinian resistance, liberation theology, and what it's like to be an American in Palestine at this moment in history.

Read Josiah's piece about his trip in Sojourners.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Social Murder Dec 10, 2024

The last few weeks have been an advent calendar of wild stuff happening. This week, we're reflecting on the latest bit of news and discourse about the murder of the United Healthcare CEO and talking about how liberation theology helps us orient ourselves stopping and organizing against social murder.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Multilateralism from below Dec 03, 2024

The rules-based international order is rigged in favor or the United States and other global north countries and it's only going to get worse. In this episode, we talk about the failures of liberalism and multilateralism during the Biden presidency and talk about the future of what solidarity looks like under new right-wing governments.

In this episode, we reference Pope Francis' Laudate Deum (https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html) and Jon Sobrino's Theology of Christian Solidarity (https://archive.org/details/theologyofchrist0000sobr)

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What do liberals even want? Nov 27, 2024

Folks, we're back. As a disclaimer, the first 6 or so minutes of the podcast is Dean giving an update on his second trip to the bone church in Rome. So, if you're not an enjoyer of bones and crypts smash that fast forward button! After that we talk about John Pavlovitz, Christianity, liberalism, and what it is liberals even want out of their politics.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Magnificast classic: Powers of the Other Shore Nov 20, 2024

While Dean is traveling, enjoy this episode from 2021!

When it comes to Christianity and politics everyone loves to talk about the "political imaginary." This week we're going to talk through the political imaginary and what it's all about! To do that, we read a really fascinating article called Bhima Koregaon and the “Powers of the Other Shore by Saroj Giri you can read the article here: https://monthlyreview.org/2021/10/01/bhima-koregaon-and-the-powers-of-the-other-shore/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Four more years of crab season Nov 12, 2024

Folks, the US election just wrapped and we're here to report that we've got four more years of crab season. There's no escaping it! In this episode, we snap our claws, blow some bubbles, and scuttle around while we chat about the election results and all of the stuff we're not looking forward to.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Magnificast Classic: Sergio Arce and the Church in Cuba Nov 05, 2024

It's Election Day, so we're giving you an old episode. We hope everyone has fun out there.

Liberation theology is cool! But, what about theology done from inside revolutionary contexts like Cuba? This week we're discussing Cuban theologian Sergio Arce Martinez and his book The Church and Socialism. You can check out his book here on archive.org. What's interesting about Arce's work is that rather than theology as a critique of capitalism, you get theology as a constructive project of what Christians should do in a socialist society.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
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Remembering Gustavo Gutiérrez Oct 29, 2024

This week on the pod, we're remembering Liberation Theologian, Gustavo Gutiérrez, by chatting about his life and his work. In the episode, we talk about his impact on Catholicism and just why he was controversial. Then, we talk about Gutiérrez' thoughts on poverty and solidarity

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The Magnificast travelogue: The Bone Church Oct 22, 2024

Matt and Dean spent some time in Rome last week and this week we're reflecting on our trip to the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Capuchins, a church with a crypt full of the skeletons of 3,000+ Capuchin monks in it. In the episode we reflect on the bones, death, Jean Bone-drillard, how weird tourism is, and what's going on in the gift shop.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Magnificast classic: Merton, Monaticism, And Marxism, Oh My! W/ Greg Hillis Oct 15, 2024

This past week, friend of the pod, Greg Hillis passed away. Greg was a great scholar and wrote a fantastic book on Thomas Merton called Man of Dialogue: Thomas Merton's Catholic Vision. Back in 2019 we talked with him about his book. Tune in and celebrate Greg with us.

You can get Greg's book here: https://litpress.org/Products/8460/Man-of-Dialogue?srsltid=AfmBOopqHnBJy3UDYkI9esGMSr8Wp5uait3kASHrrUddqZT2S-RtmPJF

Read America's obituary of Greg here: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/10/10/tribute-greg-hillis-249015

Give to his family's go fund me here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fc7rs-gregs-cancer-battle

Magnificast lock in: In heaven, we're all pizza Oct 08, 2024

This week, Matt and Dean are geographically together in Scotland. To mark the occasion, they finally get to the bottom of what happens to your body when you're resurrected. Get excited to find out what happens.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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How to rebuke your cell leader Sep 24, 2024

This week, Dean is preparing for his big European adventure, so we're taking it easy with another episode of the Magnificast Lockin. If you don't know, the magnificast lockin takes place in an alternate reality, where we're your youth pastors and we're answering pressing spiritual questions. We also talk a bit about climate change and the ghosts of popes past.

Crab Season Sep 17, 2024

It's crab season, folks. We're here giving your our crabbiest takes about Christians for Kamala and the ways evangelicals and mainline Christians are engaging with the presidential election.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
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Magnificast Classic: Communist Morality w/ Taylor Genovese Sep 10, 2024

Dean is traveling this week, so here's one more from the archive. Dean should be back next week and we'll get things back on track.

Since we talked with Richard Gilman-Opalsky a few weeks ago, we've focused a bit on the idea of morality and communism as a relationship between people. To keep riding that theme, we talked with Taylor Genovese about his essay The Necessity of Communist Morality!

You can find Taylor's article here: https://www.peacelandbread.com/post/the-necessity-of-communist-morality

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
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Magnificast classic: Monopoly Capital 2: Two Paul Too Furious Sep 06, 2024

Matt and Dean are traveling this week, so here's another one from the archives!

It's time for the second installment of our Monopoly Capital series. In this episode, we talk about the ways monopoly capital reabsorbs all of the surplus it produces in some incredibly frustrating ways!
Here's the MR article we mentioned in the show: https://monthlyreview.org/2016/07/01/surplus-absorption-and-waste-in-neoliberal-monopoly-capitalism/

Magnificast classic: Monopoly Capital Part 1 Sep 03, 2024

Dean and Matt are traveling this week, so in lieu of a new episode, here's an older episode where we, once again, learn basic economics.

Karl Marx is great, but a few things have changed since he wrote capital. Instead of corporations competing against one another, global corporations have gained monopoly power and are able to set prices with little to no competition. In this episode, we're jumping into Paul Baran & Paul Sweezy's Monopoly Capital!

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Capitalist growth Aug 27, 2024

In this episode, we're talking about capitalist growth again and why it's fundamental to capitalism and why it doesn't help anyone but the moth wealthy!

Here's the book we were talking about throughout the episode:What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism: A Citizen’s Guide to Capitalism and the Environment by Fred Magdoff and John Bellamy Foster https://monthlyreview.org/product/what_every_environmentalist_needs_to_know_about_capitalism/

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Magnificast Classic: The Fearless Benjamin Lay w/ Marcus Rediker Aug 20, 2024

Do you like stories about people who fearlessly speak truth to power? Of course you do. This week, Matt and Dean talk to Marcus Rediker about his book The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist. You can get the book here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-the-quaker-dwarf-who-became-the-first-revolutionary-abolitionist-with-a-new-preface/9780807060988

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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The Future of Denial w/ Tad Delay Aug 13, 2024

This week we're joined by Tad Delay to talk about his new book The Future of Denial: The Ideologies of Climate Change. In the episode, we talk with Tad about climate denial, liberalism, psychoanalysis, and why there's still hope!

You can find Tad's book on Verso.

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White Property, Black Trespass Aug 06, 2024

This week we're joined by Andrew Krinks to talk about his new book White Property, Black Tresspass: Racial Capitalism and the Religious Function of Mass Criminalization. It's a really cool book that explores the links between a carceral society, religion, and capitalism.

You can preorder Andrew's book from NYU Press. Use NYUAU30 at checkout for 30% off.

Find more from Andrew at andrewkrinks.com, on X @andrewkrinks and BlueSky @andrewkrinks.bsky.social.

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Magnificast classic: Development & Liberation Aug 01, 2024

Welcome to Magnificast classic™ where we give you an old episode because we were traveling or something. Last week we chatted about the IMF and development. Here's an older episode where we discuss something similar.

Within the orbit of liberation, there's a closely related term that we've never really talked about on the podcast before: development. What does it mean to be a "developing country?" What is that development toward? To get to the bottom of it, we read a chapter from Gustavo Gutiérrez's A Theology of Liberation to understand why we need liberation, not development.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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How does the IMF and World Bank work? Jul 23, 2024

We all know the IMF and the World Bank are evil and stupid organizations, but have you ever wondered how they work? In this episode, we get into the weeds about the IMF and World Bank with the help of Éric Toussaint's book, Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers.

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Do not match my Jesus freak Jul 16, 2024

This week on the show, we're talking about recent political turmoil, psychoanalysis, and why evangelicals do the things they do.

Support Jeremy, from theillogicalspoon: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jeremys-journey-to-recovery?attribution_id=sl:c5d42218-652b-43c2-9e7b-8138f758f1bb&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook

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This Sweet Earth w/ Lydia Wylie-Kellermann Jul 09, 2024

This week we're joined by Lydia Wylie-Kellermann, author of the recently published book: This Sweet Earth: Walking with Our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse. It's a great book about climate change, kids, and community. Get it now at the link below!

https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506495125/This-Sweet-Earth

Magnificast Crossover: Christian leftist politics on the SCM podcast Jul 03, 2024

Folks, this week we got a chance to chat with William Gibson on the Student Christian Movement UK podcast. In the episode, we chat about solidarity, faith and action, and voting.

Find more from the SCM podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5K5WY43VsMDucQPJftwZVA?si=5a09edf02d78410e

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Magnificast Classic: Sergio Arce and the Church in Cuba Jul 02, 2024

Liberation theology is cool! But, what about theology done from inside revolutionary contexts like Cuba? This week we're discussing Cuban theologian Sergio Arce Martinez and his book The Church and Socialism. You can check out his book here on archive.org. What's interesting about Arce's work is that rather than theology as a critique of capitalism, you get theology as a constructive project of what Christians should do in a socialist society.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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The ideological college apparatus Jun 25, 2024

This week, we're talking about the recent news about Cornerstone University's decision to shutter all of their humanities departments and Christian higher education as a site of ideological reproduction.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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Religion, revolution, and the future - remembering Jürgen Moltmann Jun 17, 2024

With the recent passing of Jürgen Moltmann, we thought it would be worth chatting about some of his thoughts about the Christian-Marxist dialogue. In this episode, we talk about Jürgen Moltmann, Christian freedom, and what freedom movements have to say to one another.
Check out the book here:
https://archive.org/details/religionrevoluti0000molt/mode/1up

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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Magnificast classics: Revolutionary Forgiveness Jun 10, 2024

This week on the show, we're talking about a really neat book called Revolutionary Forgiveness: Feminist Reflections on Nicaragua by the Amanecida Collective. The book is a reflection on 13 theologians who took a number of trips to Nicaragua in the early 80's. The book highlights a lot of interesting interactions between Christianity and politics during the Nicaraguan Revolution.

Find the book here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666719802/revolutionary-forgiveness/

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Have you prayed about this? Jun 03, 2024

Folks, The new Magnificast late night talk show is back with another round of headlines, current events, and rambling takes about democracy. This week we're talking about the conviction of Donald Trump, Global Elections, What's happening in the UK Labour party, and Cuba news. Tune in!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

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A composted church May 28, 2024

This week, we're coming up for air and talking about some of the big trends in Christianity with regards to its declining membership and closing churches. Listen in and hear our takes on what it all means for Christians on the left.

Here are the links we mentioned in the show
https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/transgender-people-are-loved-by-god-and-welcome-in-the-church
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/21/majority-of-people-in-scotland-do-not-believe-in-any-religion-census-shows
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/94218-has-the-growth-in-nones-stalled.html#:~:text=After%20rising%20steadily%20since%202007,Article%20continues%20below
https://news.gallup.com/poll/507692/church-attendance-lower-pre-pandemic.aspx#:~:text=Church%20Attendance%2C%20Past%20Seven%20Days%2C%20Historical%20Trend&text=Church%20attendance%20in%20past%20seven,in%20most%20years%20before%202013.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Magnificast classic: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church w/ Olga Segura May 18, 2024

We've got another cool interview from the archive this week!

This week the Magnifiboys are joined by journalist Olga Segura (@OlgaMSegura) a reporter at The National Catholic Reporter and author of the forthcoming book The Birth of A Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church. In this episode, we talk about the silence and sometimes antagonism of the Catholic Hierarchy with regards to Black Lives Matter and how Black Catholic Lay people have responded to the movement.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Ireland and Liberation Theology May 14, 2024

Folks, we're Ireland pilled. This week we dive into Ireland and how liberation theology shows up in the 20th century struggles. As it turns out, it's complicated! Throughout the episode we talk about the history of Ireland, the troubles, Liberation theology and reconciliation.

Here are the books we talk about in this episode.
https://archive.org/details/bwb_T2-DWJ-929
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-ecclesiastical-history/article/abs/catholic-church-and-the-northern-ireland-troubles-19681998-by-margaret-m-scull-pp-xii-236-incl-4-figs-1-map-and-1-table-oxfordnew-york-oxford-university-press-2019-65-978-0-19-884321-4/1C08A60FE0E7227967428983925EB301

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Campus Protest Wave May 07, 2024

Students have been organizing campus protests at universities across the world, so we're going to have a chat about it. This week, we talk about the campus protests from the level of strategy and pull together a few narrative threads about the faith angle to these protests.

These are the articles we talked about in this episode
https://sojo.net/articles/student-encampments-echo-jesus-parable-annoying-powerful
https://religionnews.com/2024/04/30/how-showing-up-for-student-protesters-may-teach-them-more-than-shouting-them-down/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Toward a Philosophy of Photography Apr 29, 2024

Something cool about having a podcast is that you can talk about whatever you'd like and no one can stop you. This week, we're doing just that. We've both gotten really interested in photography as a hobby and practice, so we're talking about Vilém Flusser's Toward a Philosophy of Photography and also some ideas about how it relates to the photographs of Mev Puleo, a photographer who was involved in liberation theology.

You can find Mev Puleo's book The Struggle is one here: https://archive.org/details/struggleisonevoi0000pule/mode/2up

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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The Gauntlet of Goofs Apr 22, 2024

This week, we're easing back into podcasting after taking a bit of a hiatus. So, we're getting back into the swing of things with some of our favorite goofs. Don't worry; next week, we'll be back with something a bit more substantive. Also, Dean's audio sounds bad...Sorry.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Magnificast Classic: James Connolly w/ Brett O'Shea Apr 15, 2024

Podcasts are hard for busy and successful people like us. We're away travelling this week and next. But, we'll be back with fresh content later this month.

This time, Brett O'Shea from Rev Left Radio is joining us to talk about everyone's fav Irish revolutionary, James Connolly! If you're following along at home, you can check out the writings by Connolly that we read for this ep here:
“Socialism and Religion” - 1899
“The Connolly-DeLeon Controversy” - 1904
“Labour, Nationality and Religion” - 1910
“An Exchange on Rome and Irish Catholics” - 1912
“Catholicism, Protestantism and Politics” - 1913

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast Classic: God Isn't an Investment Capitalist (that's right it's parable of the talents time) Apr 09, 2024

Podcasts are hard for busy and successful people like us. We're away travelling this week and next. But, we'll be back with fresh content later this month.

We're still out here doing this Bible study, and this time we're doing a classic, the parable of the talents! You might think God wants you to invest the gifts he's given you so you can grow his kingdom, but guess what, if you knew a ton of extremely niche information about the first century you'd find out you're wrong!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast classic: The CIA & Liberation Theology Apr 01, 2024

This week, Matt is away travelling, so we're giving you a spicy episode from the vault!

Theology? Yeah, it's boring. Liberation theology? It's DANGEROUS--well, at least according to the CIA! This week we take a look at a few right wing documents from the 1980's that recognize that liberation theology was a possible threat to US hegemony.

Paul and Economics Mar 25, 2024

Last week, we hit you with the first half of Richard Horsley's book, You Shall Not Bow Down and Serve Them, and this week, we have part two on Paul and his economic message.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Jesus and economics Mar 19, 2024

This week, we're back to reading books! We've got some hot takes about the economic message of the Gospels that you didn't learn about in church from Richard Horsley's book You Shall Not Bow Down and Serve Them. We'll be back with the second part of the book next week.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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2Joe2Biden Mar 12, 2024

It's an election year, which means that every person you know will tell you what they think about voting. We're no different. In this episode, we're talking about Joe Biden, the SOTU, Palestine, and the uncommitted vote.

Intro: Amaryah Armstrong

Outro: theillalogicalspoon

Katmandean Mar 04, 2024

You might have noticed that the podcast feed has been empty for a few weeks. Dean has been travelling the world and went all the way to Nepal to the World Social Forum to rub elbows with liberation theologians and activists. This week, Dean is back and ready to tell us all about it.

Learn more about the World Social Forum here: https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization/activity/59

Magnificast Classic: Love and Communism w/ Richard Gilman Opalsky Feb 14, 2024

Happy Valentines Day/Ash Wednesday. Here's a classic ep to help us think about love.

"Love is a power, and for that reason we cannot sequester it from all politics or keep it trapped in theological and mystical privacy. Love is not a neutral power that agrees with everything. But love lives precariously in a world that vacillates between not knowing what it is and subjecting it to the values of capital."

This week, Matt and Dean talk with Richard Gilman-Opalsky about his new book The Communism of Love
An Inquiry into the Poverty of Exchange Value (https://www.akpress.org/communismoflove.html.)

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast Classic: He Gets Us w/ Josiah Daniels Feb 12, 2024

Dean is halfway around the world at the World Social Forum talking liberation theology, so this week we're bringing you one from the archives. This conversation still seems timely given the new round of He Gets Us ads at the super bowl.

This week, Josiah Daniels has joined us from the frontlines of the culture war, where he's been reporting on the He Gets Us campaign for Sojourners. In this episode, we talk about the "elite capture" of Jesus, dark money, and the conservative Christian PR machine.

Follow Josiah here: @josiah_Rdaniels
Read Josiah's piece here: https://sojo.net/articles/what-he-gets-us-ads-get-wrong-about-jesus
Listen to Josiah talk about this on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/11/1156344092/behind-the-he-gets-us-ads-for-jesus-airing-during-the-super-bowl

Thinking with animals Feb 06, 2024

This week on the podcast we're thinking about the way St Francis approached animals in his life. To take the idea of animals a bit more seriously we read the book Animalia: An Anti-Imperial Bestiary for Our Times. In the episode, we talk about the imperial history of apes, dogs, cattle, whales, foxes and even unicorns!

Check out the book here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/animalia#:~:text=The%20contributors%20to%20Animalia%20analyze,the%20history%20of%20Western%20imperialism.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Between two Francis' Jan 30, 2024

This week, we're taking a look at Leonardo Boff's 2014 book Francis of Rome, Francis of Assisi and talking through Boff's thoughts on reforming the Catholic church, how Pope Francis might do that, and what it means for Pope Francis to take up the project of St. Francis.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Unlearning White Supremacy w/ Alex Mikulich Jan 22, 2024

This week we're chatting with Alex Mikulich about his book Unlearning White Supremacy: A Spirituality for Racial Liberation. In the pod we talk about the importance of understanding the colonialist roots of Christianity, how white people can practice anti-racism, and what ecology and degrowth have to do with white supremacy.

Check out the book here---> https://orbisbooks.com/products/unlearning-white-supremacy-a-spirituality-for-racial-liberation

The Magnificast Reads The Book of Genesis Jan 15, 2024

You might have heard that this year we're making a big effort to read the Bible. In our reading plan, we just finished up reading Genesis, so in this week's episode, we're going to talk about our experience reading the first book of the bible.

If you want to join the community of Magnificasters reading the bibe, then joins us over at patreon.com/themagnificast.

Theology for the End of the World w/ Marika Rose Jan 08, 2024

That's right folks, Marika is back to talk about her new book out with SCM Press, Theology for the End of the World! Find Marika's other writing at the AUFS blog: https://itself.blog/author/cmarikarose

New year, same atrocities Jan 01, 2024

Today on the pod, we're taking a moment to think through the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Munther Isaac's Christmas sermon Christ in the Rubble.

Palestine Resources
https://www.movement.org.uk/blog/palestine-resource-pack
https://www.redletterchristians.org/christ-in-the-rubble-a-liturgy-of-lament/

Magnificast Classic: The Public Work of Christmas w/ Pamela Klassen Dec 25, 2023

We're taking some time off for Christmas, so here's one from the archives!

Ho Ho Ho, we're back with more Christmas content for all you Whos down in Whoville. This week, we talked with Pamela Klassen, a professor in the study of religion at the University of Toronto. She edited a rad collection of essays called The Public Work of Christmas and we're excited to talk with her and figure out what Christmas is all about! You can check out a preview of her book here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Public_Work_of_Christmas/7FWXDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Music from NAVIDAD EN LIBERTAD ~ Carlos Mejia Godoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DGwBQzsW4Q
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Christian Solidarity with Cuba W/ Erin, Emily, and Claire from WSCF Dec 18, 2023

We're always talking about the importance of Christian solidarity with Cuba, but this week we're talking with some folks who recently went on a trip to build that solidarity! Listen in and hear about their experience, reflections, and thoughts about solidarity with Cuba and why it's important. You can also donate some money to cover the cost of their trip here: bit.ly/SCMCuba

The true meaning of Christmas Dec 11, 2023

What's Christmas really about anyway? Is it about getting presents? Peace on earth? Or the liberation of the poor and exploited? This week on the podcast we read a bit of Richard Horsley's The Liberation of Christmas, talk about biblical hermeneutics, and talk about the true meaning of Christmas.

get the book here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781597525756/the-liberation-of-christmas/

A government for the people, pets, and all the other wild animals too. Dec 04, 2023

COP 28 just got off the ground in the UAE, and we want to tell you about it. There's so much stuff going on in the world, but it's all happening against the background of climate change and the world's politicians and bureaucracies who are failing to take adequate action. In this episode, we talk about what COP 28 is, the loss and damage fund, and Pope Francis' intervention.

Magnificast Classic: Zapatista Women's Stories w/ Hilary Klein Nov 28, 2023

Magnificast Classic: The Rich Man and Lazarus Nov 20, 2023

This week, Dean is down in Cuba, building Christian solidarity with the Student Christian Movement. So, enjoy this classic episode about the rich man and Lazarus.

Folks, on this podcast, we love the parables. This week we're talking about Luke 16:19 the Rich man and Lazarus. In the conversation, we talk about the historical context of the parable, the trope of class inversion, and just why the rich man was hell in the first place.

In this episode, here are the books we talk about

William Herzog - Parables as Subversive Speech
Ernesto Cardenal - The Gospel in Solentiame

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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First Light w/ Marc H. Ellis Nov 13, 2023

This week on the podcast, we're talking to Jewish liberation theologian Marc H. Ellis, about his new book First Light: Encountering Edward Said and the Late-Style Jewish Prophetic in the New Diaspora. Throughout the conversation, we chat with Marc about Edward Said, what it means to be a person of conscience, liberation theology and even his encounters with Dorothy Day!

Get Marc's book First Light here: https://www.fulcrum.org/concern/monographs/73666732n

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Magnificast Classic: The Assassination of a Saint with Matt Eisenbrandt Nov 06, 2023

This week, we're giving you one of the episodes from the archive while we do some prep work for future episodes!

In 2018, Óscar Romero was canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. His life and faith have been an important example to Christians on the left ever since his martyrdom. In this episode, we talk about the life and martyrdom of Saint Óscar Romero with Matt Eisenbrandt, author of The Assassination of a Saint. You can find his book here: http://www.assassinationofasaint.com/2017/01/02/247/

A Palestinian Theology of Liberation Oct 30, 2023

Last week, we chatted with Jonathan Kuttab of FOSNA and heard about how to be in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This week, we're digging in further by talking about Naim Ateek's A Palestinian Theology of Liberation.

Find out more about Friends of Sabeel North America here: https://www.fosna.org

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Friends of Sabeel North America W/ Jonathan Kuttab Oct 19, 2023

For the past 2 weeks, all eyes have been on Palestine. To talk about solidarity with Palestine we brought on Jonathan Kuttab, the director of Friends of Sabeel North America, to tell us about Palestinian Liberation Theology, the horrors of Israel's apartheid, and what the good news of Christianity is in light of that apartheid.

Find out more about Friends of Sabeel North America here: https://www.fosna.org

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Magnificast Classic: Quirked Up White Boys Reading the Parables Oct 16, 2023

With all that's going on this week, we Matt and Dean needed to take a minute, so this week we've got some classic content for you. Tune in next week for something new and interesting!

We've spent more time than usual reading the Bible lately, but, as you might know, reading the Bible can be complicated. To get into how difficult it is, we read William Herzog's Parables as Subversive Speech and talk about the big history behind the context of the parables.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by theillogicalspoon

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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Laudate Deum, Daniel, the Pope is back with a new apostolic exhortation. Oct 09, 2023

Folks, we’re back at it. Last week, we refreshed our memories about the Pope’s climate encyclical Laudato Si and how it connected with things like degrowth and dependency theory. But this week, we’re back with some breaking news. The Vatican has released Francis’ most recent apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, and we will talk through it.

Last time, we pulled out some of Francis’ thoughts around dependency and the economy, and in this Laudate Deum, he’s back with a lot of similar themes, but this time, he’s way more cranky about it all––which makes sense given that Laudato Si came out eight years ago and things have only gotten worse.

So, in this episode, we will talk through Laudate Deum and see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same in those eight years.

Laudato See You Next Time Oct 02, 2023

Folk's we're on high alert here at the magnificast, because we are just DAYS away from Pope Francis dropping his follow up to Laudato Si, Laudate Deum. To get ourselves in the right headspace for this big moment, we're revisiting some of the big themes in Laudato Si. Everyone talks about the environmental themes, but we're really interested in the Pope's use of dependency theory.

Put on your studying hat and let's get down to business preparing for the hottest Papal document of 2023!

Rethinking the Manifesto Sep 25, 2023

In China Mieville’s book A Spectre Haunting, he notes that the communist manifesto has an almost religious function. Mieville says it’s a type of catechesis and confession that the world does not have to be as it is. The Manifesto calls people to a type of “committed fidelity” to a world where a small group of people do not disadvantage the many for the sake of profits.

In that spirit of committed fidelity not only to the Christian faith but also a communist faith, we thought we’d make some space to chat about one of the classics, the communist manifesto. We’ve done explainer episodes on the manifesto before, but we’re not doing a 101 today; we’re going to think through the question that Mieville asks: what does it mean to be a person in 2023 and be committed to the vision of the world, for better and worse, presented in the manifesto?

DSEI Protest W/ William Gibson Sep 18, 2023

This week on the show, we're joined by William Gibson, from SCM Britain, who recently attended a protest against the DSEI arms fair in London. Throughout the episode, we talk about the DSEI protest, theology, labor, and solidarity.

You can follow William Here (https://twitter.com/willgibsongla) and find all of William's other projects here: https://www.liinks.co/william.gibson

Also, find out more about the Kirkridge Retreat Center here: kirkridge.org

More Planetary Theology Sep 11, 2023

Folks, we're back with more Planetary Theology. In this episode, we're going to tackle what Tissa Balasuriya thinks about ecumenicism and pluralistic worship and then we'll talk about his spirituality of justice. It's cool!

Check out Planetary Theology by Tissa Balasuriya here https://archive.org/details/planetarytheolog0000bala/page/224/mode/2up?view=theater

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Planetary Theology Sep 04, 2023

On this podcast, we’ve talked about radical theologians from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, The US, and China, but this week we’re bringing in the voice of Tissa Balasuriya, a Catholic theologian from Sri Lanka. This week, we’re talking about some pieces of his Book Planetary Theology, Published in English in 1984 by Orbis Press.

There’s a lot going on in Balasuriya’s work, but it’s a really interesting example of a theologian creating the groundwork for a contextual liberation theology that runs counter to the capitalist world system. Balasuriya sees that the Christianity of the west leaves out a lot of voices and experiences, especially those in Asian contexts.

Check out Planetary Theology by Tissa Balasuriya here https://archive.org/details/planetarytheolog0000bala/page/224/mode/2up?view=theater

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Christian Nonviolent Direct Action Aug 29, 2023

Nonviolent direct action has been a part of faithful expressions of the Christian left for a long time, and this week, we're talking about it!

Here are the articles we talked about
https://sojo.net/articles/dutch-military-arrest-25-nonviolent-anti-nuke-protesters
https://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/eucharist-at-gunpoint
http://supportjessicareznicek.com/about

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Sergio Arce and the Church in Cuba Aug 21, 2023

Liberation theology is cool! But, what about theology done from inside revolutionary contexts like Cuba? This week we're discussing Cuban theologian Sergio Arce Martinez and his book The Church and Socialism. You can check out his book here on archive.org. What's interesting about Arce's work is that rather than theology as a critique of capitalism, you get theology as a constructive project of what Christians should do in a socialist society.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast Classic: Free Jessica Reznicek Aug 12, 2023

Hey Folks, Dean is away on holiday, so we're giving you an episode from the archives this week. This episode about Jessica Reznicek is once again timely as the two year anniversary of Jessica's incarceration has just past. Listen in and sign her petition if you haven't! http://supportjessicareznicek.com/

Jessica Reznicek is a Catholic Worker and water defender who sabotaged the Dakota Access Pipeline and was sentenced to prison time for in 2019. Jessica's story is really fascinating, and her sentencing is strikingly unjust! Listen in as Alex from the Support Jessica Reznicek campaign tells us Jessica's story and explains its significance!

Find out more here: http://supportjessicareznicek.com/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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2 Hink 2 Furious Aug 05, 2023

Folks, we're not done with Franz Hinkelammert. This week we're back with an essay from Hink called Liberation Theology in the Economic and Social Context of Latin America. Broadly, this essay is about liberation theology and its discontents. But, there's a really interesting piece about the IMF's anti-liberation theology that you're not going to want to miss. Also, this is our first transatlantic episode of the pod!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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HINK Jul 29, 2023

It's Matt's last episode in the USA, and we're talking about one of its greatest critics among liberation theologians, Franz Hinkelammert! Tune in to hear why even leftists can have a little idolatry critique, as a treat.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Nothing Heretical About Kissing Jul 22, 2023

Hey Folks, this is (hopefully) our last transitory episode, and we'll be back after this. But, for this week, we're bringing back reddit questions and current events. Vibe with us as we consider how demons influence the world if there are dinosaurs in heaven, and what current events there are this week.

The Perverts Guide to Evangelical Documentaries Jul 17, 2023

The docuseries The Secrets of Hillsong recently dropped, and evangelical megachurch Hillsong is back in the discourse of Christianity. In this episode, we talk about why these documentaries are popular, the perverse draw of these stories, and what's missing from the conversation.

Magnificast Classic: Revolutionary Forgiveness Jul 14, 2023

Ya boys are in a bit of a transition period, so episodes have been a bit slow to produce. We'll have a new one up shortly, but until then, here's some of that good classic content!

This week on the show, we're talking about a really neat book called Revolutionary Forgiveness: Feminist Reflections on Nicaragua by the Amanecida Collective. The book is a reflection on 13 theologians who took a number of trips to Nicaragua in the early 80's. The book highlights a lot of interesting interactions between Christianity and politics during the Nicaraguan Revolution.

Find the book here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666719802/revolutionary-forgiveness/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Subversive Habits with Shannen Dee Williams Jul 10, 2023

This week we welcome Dr. Shannen Dee Williams to the show to talk about her book Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle. Tune in to find out how religious sisters went to Black Panther meetings, how Black sisters and the Civil Rights Movement called out segregation and racism in the Catholic Church, what US sisters were doing with Julius Nyerere in Tanzania, and more!

Pick up Dr. Williams' book here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/subversive-habits
Follow her on twitter at: @BlkNunHistorian
And check out her website for more here: https://www.shannendeewilliamsphd.com/
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues*Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.coy

Cultural Christianity Jul 01, 2023

Evangelicals are always paranoid about a type of Christianity that follows cultural norms more than "Biblical" norms, but what if evangelicals are doing the same thing without knowing it? In this episode, we're vibing about cultural Christianity, how it works and just goofin.

Decoupling & Degrowth Jun 24, 2023

Climate change seems bad, right? But won't some genius entrepreneur come along and just invent some kind of more efficient energy source? No probably not. In this episode, we're talking about the idea that you can decouple growth from environmental factors.

Here's Timothee Parrique's study on Decoupling we talked about: https://eeb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Decoupling-Debunked.pdf
Here's a link to the Future is Degrowth: https://bit.ly/3Nl8z6l

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Angels, Cyborgs, or Just Guys? W/ Marika Rose Jun 17, 2023

You might remember a few weeks back we talked about Angels from the perspective of a weird book by Michel Serres. Well, we decided we couldn't leave the conversation there. We needed an angel expert. So, this week, we're joined by Marika Rose to talk about angels, cyborgs, and her new book, Theology for the End of the World.

If you're in the UK, you can preorder Marika's book here:
https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780334060666/theology-for-the-end-of-the-world

You can get it in late July if you're not in the UK.

Also, in the episode, Marika talks about she and her colleagues taking industrial action at the University of Winchester. Support them here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/fightingfund

Pat Facts Jun 11, 2023

Pat Robertson is dead and we've got some things to tell you about him. You've probably already heard about all of the goofy stuff he's said on the 700 Club. You also probably know about his short-lived political career, but do you know he supported genocidal Guatemalan dictator, General Efrain Rios Montt? Tune in and get straight on some PAT FACTS.

Here are the articles we talked about
https://www.counterpunch.org/2005/09/17/rev-pat-robertson-and-gen-rios-montt/
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/pat-robertson-obituary/

Angels Jun 03, 2023

Ok, folks, don't get too excited--we are talking about angels, just in the weirdest way possible. This week on the podcast, we're indulging our most basest desires to talk about French philosophy. We're reading through Michel Serres' book Angels: A Modern Myth. Throughout the episode, we talk about metaphysics, messages, the angelic, and the problems of defying humans.

St Francis & Liberation May 27, 2023

A few weeks back we talked about St Francis and what some Marxists thought of him. But this time, we're bringing you Leonardo Boff's thoughts on St Francis and how Boff thinks Francis relates to liberation theology. Go to Archive.org and read it for yourself! https://archive.org/details/francisofassisim0000boff

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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A Secret Third Type of Surplus Value May 20, 2023

Exploitation? Yeah, it's bad. But, superexploitation? It's super bad. In this episode, we talk about Ruy Mauro Marini's theory of dependency and superexploitation. As it turns out, the exploitation of workers in the global south is just the way capitalism works.

Read the article about Marini in the Monthly Review here: https://monthlyreview.org/2023/04/01/superexploitation-and-the-imperialist-drive-of-capitalism-how-marinis-dialectics-of-dependency-goes-beyond-marxs-capital/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Socialism, Democracy, and Christianity May 13, 2023

This week we're talking about Leonardo Boff's brother, Clodovis Boff, and a letter he wrote parsing out the connections between socialism and democracy and the nod he makes toward Christianity and socialism. In the episode, we talk about the ways Boff thinks socialism and democracy go together and whether or not Christianity is rediscovering its socialist roots.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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St. Francis and Left and Postmodern Philosophy May 07, 2023

Christians get a lot out of engaging the left, but like we're always saying on this show, it's harder to see what people on the left get out of engaging Christianity as a tradition. But one guy keeps showing up in left literature and weird postmodern philosophy, everyone's favorite silly saint, Francis of Assisi! In this one we chat through how Francis shows up in Karl Kautsky, W. E. B. DuBois, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Peter Sloterdijk, Vilem Flusser, and others, including a wild petition to Pope Francis abolish hell. (And before you ask, no, we didn't talk about Agamben, but we'll get around to it one day.)

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Religious Fundamentalism in Latin America Apr 29, 2023

This week we're back to talk through another of Tricontinental's dossiers. This time we're talking about fundamentalism and evangelicalism and how those theologies are connected to imperialism in Latin America.

Read the dossier here: https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-59-religious-fundamentalism-and-imperialism-in-latin-america/

The Principality of the IMF Apr 23, 2023

Buckle up because we've got a big chat about everyone's favorite finance villain, the International Monetary Fund! Liberation theologians are always talking about the IMF, but a lot of us in the Global North have either neglected to keep up with it or haven't gotten around to understanding it. Thanks to a dossier on the IMF, debt, and Africa from the Tricontinental Institute, we've got some explaining to do. Bonus: how Keynes engineered a famine in India...

The dossier: https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-63-african-debt-crisis/

*Also, yuan, not yen at 42.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Degrowth and Catholic Social Teaching Apr 15, 2023

Degrowth is becoming an important framework for thinking through capitalist production and consumption for the left, but what if Catholic social movements were already ahead of the curve on this one? The moral, economic, and internationalist thinking in the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching has predispositioned Catholic Social Movements toward degrowth as a paradigm.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Hope, Utopia, and Resurrection Apr 08, 2023

On this podcast, we talk a lot about the crucifixion but not much about resurrection. Since it's easter, we're changing that! This week we're discussing João Batista Libânio's essay Hope, Utopia, and Resurrection and how resurrection is a political idea!

The Right to be Lazy Apr 02, 2023

In the immortal words of Blink 182, "Work Sucks, I know." This week we're talking about Paul Lafargue's book The Right To Be Lazy and working through the mythology and moralism of labor!

The Productivity Pay Gap: https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/

Saint Oscar Romero and the Option for the Poor Mar 26, 2023

March 24th was the feast day for Saint Oscar Romero and we're celebrating! This week we're talking about Romero's address, "The Political Dimension of Faith from the Perspective of the Option for the Poor." In the episode, we talk about Oscar Romero in relation to liberation theology, the relationship between faith and politics, and what it means for the Church to throw in with the poor.

Read Romero's address here: http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/1980-02-02%20Louvain.pdf
Listen to our episode about the assassination of Romero here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Uv9pWFBAeas4KhYgJC3CW?si=ede502ef7db84b15

Pope News: Pope Francis at 10 Years Mar 19, 2023

This week we're diving into the discourse around Pope Francis' papacy at 10 years. Some people like him, some people don't like him. but the question that no one is asking is what do we think? Listen in as we talk about the good takes, the bad takes, and most importantly our takes on Pope Francis's papacy at 10 years!

Here's the bad Ross Douthat article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/15/opinion/pope-francis-catholic-church.html
Here's the good NCR Article: https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/injustice-and-crime-reviewing-pope-francis-apologies-churchs-role-colonialism

Chat G-O-D Mar 11, 2023

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says that "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." There's a time to talk about Marxism and a time to talk about queer theology. A time to talk about Paul Virilio and a time to talk about communist Saint Francis. But, this week we're entering a new season: getting goofy. This week we're bringing our Patreon only podcast The Lock In out from behind the paywall and giving it to you all for free!

If you're into this goofy content, then subscribe to our patreon and get it! Or don't!

Queer Theology w/ Shannon Kearns & Brian Murphy Mar 04, 2023

We've talked about Queer Theology a handful of times on the pod, but in this episode, we go a bit deeper with Shannon Kearns and Brian Murphy, two folks who are building and encouraging others to build queer theology through storytelling and community. Listen in to hear about sacred storytelling, the all-out assault on trans people in this country, and Matt & Dean have their Cishet horizons widened!

You can learn more about Shannon and Brian's work at QueerTheology.com. And you can follow them basically everywhere at @shannontlkearns, @ThisIsBGM, @QTheology.

Give Up the Blockade for Lent Feb 25, 2023

You might have caught it on social media, but we're starting a letter-writing campaign for lent that calls on President Biden and Congressional representatives to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and to end the US Blockade on Cuba. In this episode, we talk through the lenten practice we're suggesting and giving you the facts about the blockade, the nuts bolts of the legislation that make up the blockade, and what we can do!

You can find out letter-writing guide here: https://bit.ly/3YW1bTn
“A Sanctioned Crisis” by Joy Gordon at Commonweal- https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/sanctioned-crisis
Biden Should Reverse Trump’s Designation of Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism ” - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/cuba-state-sponsor-terrorism/
Here's the Presbyterian Church's policy on Cuba: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/New-Hopes-and-Realities-in-Cuban-American-Relations-2016-ACSWP.pdf

He Gets Us w/ Josiah Daniels Feb 18, 2023

This week, Josiah Daniels has joined us from the frontlines of the culture war, where he's been reporting on the He Gets Us campaign for Sojourners. In this episode, we talk about the "elite capture" of Jesus, dark money, and the conservative Christian PR machine.

Read Josiah's piece here: https://sojo.net/articles/what-he-gets-us-ads-get-wrong-about-jesus
Listen to Josiah talk about this on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/11/1156344092/behind-the-he-gets-us-ads-for-jesus-airing-during-the-super-bowl

Praying the Psalms Feb 12, 2023

Dealing with your evangelical past means that sometimes you have to work really hard to recover particular spiritual practices, like praying. In this episode, we talk about learning to pray again through the Psalms. In this conversation, we learn from Ernesto Cardenal's appropriations of the Psalms from his book, Psalms.

In this episode, we talked about:
Psalms - Ernesto Cardenal
Our May 2021 episode Sandino's Nation w/ Stephen Henighan
Flights of Victroy - Ernesto Cardinal

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Dependency Theory Feb 04, 2023

Last week we chatted about development and liberation, this week we're introducing another big idea in that conversation: dependency theory. Dependency theory has fallen out of style lately, but it's still a useful idea for thinking about the relationships between so-called "developing" countries and the imperial core. Get into it with us! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Development & Liberation Jan 28, 2023

Within the orbit of liberation, there's a closely related term that we've never really talked about on the podcast before: development. What does it mean to be a "developing country?" What is that development toward? To get to the bottom of it, we read a chapter from Gustavo Gutiérrez's A Theology of Liberation to understand why we need liberation, not development. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Monopoly Capital 2: Two Paul Too Furious Jan 21, 2023

It's time for the second installment of our Monopoly Capital series. In this episode, we talk about the ways monopoly capital reabsorbs all of the surplus it produces in some incredibly frustrating ways! Here's the MR article we mentioned in the show: https://monthlyreview.org/2016/07/01/surplus-absorption-and-waste-in-neoliberal-monopoly-capitalism/

Monopoly Capital Part 1 Jan 13, 2023

Karl Marx is great, but a few things have changed since he wrote capital. Instead of corporations competing against one another, global corporations have gained monopoly power and are able to set prices with little to no competition. In this episode, we're jumping into Paul Baran & Paul Sweezy's Monopoly Capital! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Special Guest Star Dean Dettloff Jan 07, 2023

Folks, we're bringing 2023 in with a bang. Dean Dettloff, the cohost isn't with us for this one, but don't worry, Dean Dettloff the guest star, is! Tune in (is that what you do with podcasts?) and listen to us chat about Dean's trip to Cuba and what it means for us as Christians in the United States. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Magnificast Classic: An Uneasy Solidarity Dec 31, 2022

Folks, the holidays wiped us out! We'll be back in the new year with the hot content you crave. Until then, check out this classic episode about David Roediger's essay Making Solidarity Uneasy. ------ One of the big motivating ideas on the left is solidarity. But, what does that really mean? In this episode, Matt and Dean talk through David Roediger's essay Making Solidarity Uneasy: Cautions on a Keyword from Black Lives Matter to the Past. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Magnificast Classic: Christmas media w/ Brent Plate Dec 23, 2022

Back in 2019, we recorded this episode with the incredible Brent Plate about Christmas and media. Don't sleep on it! We're still on this Christmas kick. This week we talk with Brent Plate about Christmas films, the history of Christmas and a lot more! Check out Brent's articles here: https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/christmas-movies-brent-rodriguez-plate https://religionnews.com/2018/12/07/technology-tradition-and-the-invention-of-christmas-in-19th-century-new-york/

Magnificast Classic: The Public Work of Christmas w/ Pamela Klassen Dec 23, 2022

Back in 2019, we published this episode with Pamela Klassen about her book: The Public Work of Christmas. It's still a banger! Listen in! Ho Ho Ho, we're back with more Christmas content for all you Whos down in Whoville. This week, we talked with Pamela Klassen, a professor in the study of religion at the University of Toronto. She edited a rad collection of essays called The Public Work of Christmas and we're excited to talk with her and figure out what Christmas is all about! You can check out a preview of her book here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Public_Work_of_Christmas/7FWXDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Music from NAVIDAD EN LIBERTAD ~ Carlos Mejia Godoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DGwBQzsW4Q *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Magnificast Classic: Mary Knew W/ Hannah Shanks Dec 23, 2022

Back in 2018, we made this special episode with Hannah Shanks about Mary, materiality and bodies. It's a rad episode! To celebrate Christmas we're bumping this classic episode to the top of the list! Mary did you know that your baby boy would be the king of kings? Yeah, she knew. In this extra credit episode of the Magnificast, Matt talks with Hannah Shanks author of This Is My Body: Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood (https://www.amazon.com/This-Body-Embracing-Messiness-Motherhood/dp/1935205285)about Mary, The Magnificat, Advent and revolution!

The Dialogue between the Popes and Cuba Dec 17, 2022

It's the last week of Advent! We made it. We're rounding out our series on Cuba with some extremely niche content about Papal visits and Cuba. This is some really in the weeds content, but it shows a real interesting interchange between the Cuban revolution and religion. There's a dialectic at play here that is worth paying attention to! Here was the book we mentioned from Fidel on the podcast: https://archive.org/details/capitalismincris00cast/page/36/mode/2up You can find all of JPII's addresses in Cuba here: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/1998/travels/documents/trav_cuba-1998.html Get our Cuba Zine 👉 bit.ly/cubazine Support us on patreon 👉 www.patreon.com/themagnificast

Exporting the Revolution Dec 10, 2022

We've spent a lot of time talking about all of the ways the US is bad, but in this episode, we're going to stop and talk about all the ways the Cuban revolution is good. Literacy, healthcare, global solidarity, and more! Cuba has it all folks. Tune in and listen along with us about the ways we talk about Cuba and what it would mean to be in solidarity with the Cuban people. Here are the books we talked about: https://www.dukeupress.edu/exporting-revolution Also, Get the new Magnificast Cuba Zine at 👉 bit.ly/cubazine 👈 ALSO, get Geez magazine here: geezmagazine.org

Top 5 U.S. Covert Ops in Cuba Dec 03, 2022

The United States has meddled in Cuba through clandestine and covert ops for years. They've carried out so many wild missions it's hard to even talk about them all in an hour-long podcast, so we made a list of the 5 wildest covert ops the US has carried out in Cuba. These ops range from goofy to downright evil. But, these stories are important because the main conceit of the US blockade on Cuba is that they're a state sponsor of terrorism. But, these stories show the opposite. It's the US who uses the tools of terrorism to harass and destabilize Cuba. Here are the books we talked about in this episode https://www.plutobooks.com/9781783710942/voices-from-the-other-side/ https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745340265/manufacturing-the-enemy/ Also, Get the new Magnificast Cuba Zine at 👉 bit.ly/cubazine 👈

All I Want For Christmas is For Cuba to be Free Nov 26, 2022

It's advent season, but how can we feel excited about the coming birth of Jesus when the United States continues to carry out sanctions and an illegal blockade against the Cuban people? So, throughout this advent season, we're going to focus on stories about Cuba. We're kicking the series off with an episode about the weird narrative about religious freedom that the US pushes. The big weird document we keep talking about in this episode is called Constitutional Reform and Religious Freedom in Cuba written by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. You can find it here 👇 https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/2022%20Constitutional%20Reform%20and%20Religious%20Freedom%20in%20Cuba.pdf ALSO, Get the new Magnificast Cuba Zine at 👉 bit.ly/cubazine 👈

Primitive Accumulation Nov 19, 2022

Ok, so we know that rich people get rich by exploiting workers, but how does this whole capitalist system get kicked off in the first place? How did the commons become privately owned? In this episode, we answer all o these questions and more! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Molecular Revolution Nov 12, 2022

Big revolutions? In this economy? How about a lot of very small revolutions? This week on the 'cast we read Antonio Negri & Felix Guattari's Communists Like Us: New Lines of Alliance, New Spaces of Liberty and talk a little bit about left-communism, post-Marxism and molecular revolutions! Read the book for free here: https://www.minorcompositions.info/?p=45 Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

The Lula Election Round-Up Nov 06, 2022

This past week, Lula won a historic victory for the left and for Brazil when he defeated Bolsonaro! In light of the big victory, we decided to do a round-up of articles about the victory and reflect on what it all means. We also pay some special attention to Lula's thoughts on religion and, because this is The Magnificast, we throw a weird French philosopher in the mix too. Here are the articles we talked about 📕Lula’s Victory Is a Testament to Solidarity - Jeremy Corban https://jacobin.com/2022/11/lula-brazil-president-victory-solidarity-left-workers-party 📕Earth’s future depends on the Amazon. This month, it’s up for a vote. https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2022/9/29/23373427/amazon-rainforest-brazil-jair-bolsonaro-lula-deforestation 📕Haitian peasants declare support for Lula’s candidacy for president of Brazil - Jackson Jean Peoples dispatch https://mst.org.br/2022/10/28/haitian-peasants-declare-support-for-lulas-candidacy-for-president-of-brazil/ 📕LULA AND THE HUNGER FOR BEAUTY: FREI BETTO https://leonardoboff.org/2022/11/01/lula-e-a-fome-de-belezafrei-betto/ 📕LULA’S VICTORY SPEECH https://www.brasilwire.com/lulas-victory-speech-30-10-2022/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Hallowage Labor and Capital Oct 30, 2022

It's important to analyze the story we tell about capitalism. In light of Halloween, it's important to recognize the story of capitalism as a horror story. So, in this episode, we talk through the specifics of how wage labor works and how capitalism is a vampire. Here's what we read in this episode Wage Labor and Capital - https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/ Capital Vol 1. Ch 10 The Woking Day - https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch10.htm Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Magnificast Classic: The Religious Exemption Accountability Project W/ Erin Green Oct 24, 2022

Hey Folks, we've both been pretty busy this week and we need a minute to catch our breath! Here's a Magnificast Classic episode with Erin Green about her work with REAP. It's a really cool episode and unique project, so give it a listen if you haven't already! Christian universities have a long history of creating the institutional levers and buttons by which they can harass and discriminate against their LGBTQ+ students. But, that's not the end of the story! A new project is engaging with these universities and organizing LGBTQ+ students on their campuses to start fighting back! This week, we talked with Erin Green, an organizer, with REAP (Religious Exemption Accountability Project) about how they're pushing back against discriminatory practices within Christian higher ed. Find out more about REAP here: www.thereap.org Follow Erin on twitter here: twitter.com/ErinGreenbean Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Base Communities in El Salvador Oct 15, 2022

This week on the pod we've got Laurel Marshall Potter, a PhD student from Boston College who is currently living in El Salvador, to research the current status of Ecclesial Base Communities (or CEBs). You can read Laurel's work on CEBs here: https://brill.com/view/journals/ecso/18/2/article-p198_005.xml Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

The Imperial Mode of Living Oct 08, 2022

A lot of moral questions revolve around doing or not doing something, but what if the biggest moral problems were actually about the very way we live our lives? Driving, smartphones, food production, etc. are all far more political than most people realize. In this episode, we talk through the book The Imperial Mode of Living by Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen. Get the book here if you want: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3691-the-imperial-mode-of-living Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Cuba's Family Code w/ Jim Hodgson Sep 29, 2022

This week, we're joined by Jim Hodgson, the Magnificast correspondent on Latin America. Jim has a long history of working with Christian solidarity organizations, like the United Church of Canada, on projects around building Christian solidarity in Latin America. This week, he's back with us to talk about the recent referendum in Cuba on the Family Code. Throughout the conversation, Jim gives us lots of helpful context on the referendum itself, the ways Christians were involved in promoting the referendum, and on the movement for LGBTQ rights in Latin America. You can find more from Jim here: https://unwrappingdevelopment.ca/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Climate, Colonialism, and Solidarity Sep 24, 2022

We all know that humans are causing climate change, but in this episode, we're talking about which humans are responsible specifically! throughout this episode, we talk about climate change, colonialism, and solidarity.

Here are some articles we referenced in the episode!
Jason Hickel - Quantifying national responsibility for climate breakdown
Will the People with Guns Allow Our Planet to Breathe
Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
China’s Emissions Are Made in America

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The God Who Riots w/ Damon Garcia Sep 17, 2022

Jesus is a lot of things to a lot of people, but if you take the gospel seriously, you've got to admit that, if nothing else, Jesus is radical. He's flipping tables, sending the rich away empty, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and casting out demons! Jesus is as radical as it gets. Yet, a lot of Christians don't see it that way. To get to the bottom of it, this week, we talked with Damon Garcia about his new book, The God Who Riots.

Get the book here: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/productgroup/2050/The-God-Who-Riots

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The Rich Man and Lazarus Sep 10, 2022

Folks, on this podcast, we love the parables. This week we're talking about Luke 16:19 the Rich man and Lazarus. In the conversation, we talk about the historical context of the parable, the trope of class inversion, and just why the rich man was hell in the first place. In this episode, here are the books we talk about William Herzog - Parables as Subversive Speech Ernesto Cardenal - The Gospel in Solentiame Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Free Jessica Reznicek Sep 03, 2022

Jessica Reznicek is a Catholic Worker and water defender who sabotaged the Dakota Access Pipeline and was sentenced to prison time for in 2019. Jessica's story is really fascinating, and her sentencing is strikingly unjust! Listen in as Alex from the Support Jessica Reznicek campaign tells us Jessica's story and explains its significance! Find out more here: http://supportjessicareznicek.com/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Student Debt Jubilee Aug 27, 2022

This week Joe Biden enacted a pretty significant policy around forgiving student debt. You know we love talking about debt on this show, so this week we're getting into it about the weird rhetoric around debt and why Christians ought to be on the side of jubilee! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Bringing Degrowth to Church Part 2 Aug 20, 2022

Last week we got really hung up talking about the specifics of growth that we didn't have much time to get into more of the specifics about degrowth. This week we're back with some more about defining degrowth and what degrowth means for anti-imperialism. You can check out the book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3989-the-future-is-degrowth Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Taking Degrowth to Church Aug 13, 2022

We've already talked about degrowth a bit on the podcast, but why not talk about it some more. In this episode we talk about the book The Future is Degrowth, discuss what growth is and why it's bad, what degrowth is, and how you can bring some of these ideas to church.

You can find the Future is Degrowth here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3989-the-future-is-degrowth

You can read Matt's article about degrowth here: https://sojo.net/articles/creation-care-isn-t-enough-we-need-degrowth

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African Cry Aug 06, 2022

In this episode, we get back into the conversation about African Liberation Theology by reading Jean-Marc Ela's book African Cry. We meant to talk about an essay he wrote about the Eucharist and the Exodus story, but we got kind of stuck on the Eucharist. We'll be back with more from Ela in the coming weeks!

Read along with us here: https://archive.org/details/africancry0000elaj/page/n3/mode/2up

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The US is a Christian Nation, But That's Bad! Jul 31, 2022

Recently everyone's been talking about Christian nationalism. This week we're offering a definitive take that the US is a Christian nation and that's really bad! Christianity isn't our best hopes we have for it, but instead, what it does and produces!

Here's the article by Diana Butler Bass we mention. https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/christian-nationalism-everywhere?r=45vbf&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct

Here's the article from CNN we talk about.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/27/opinions/christian-nationalism-marjorie-taylor-greene-tyler

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Liberation Theology in South Africa Jul 23, 2022

You know us; we love learning things about liberation theology. We've talked a lot about liberation theology in the context of Latin America, but we're completely clueless about liberation theology in Africa. In this episode, we read a bit of Emmanuel Martey's African theology: inculturation and liberation to learn something about what liberation theology looks like in South Africa.
You can read the book along with us here: https://archive.org/details/africantheologyi0000mart/page/130/mode/2up

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Rules-Based International Order Jul 16, 2022

We love to talk about imperialism on this show and what better time to rehash imperialism in light of John Bolton's admission to planning Coups on TV! This week we talk about John Bolton, coups, imperialism, and the farce of rules-based international order.

Here's the essay from the Monthly Review we mention in the ep - https://monthlyreview.org/2021/07/01/the-new-cold-war-on-china/

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Reality Can Be Worse Than We Think Jul 10, 2022

This week we talk about the EPA decision passed down by SCOTUS and the larger context of ecological guidance in the IPCC report. It all seems pretty hopeless, but Leonardo Boff once again tells us what to do! Tune in and find out!

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The Jubilee House Update w/ Ryan Cagle Jul 02, 2022

Ryan Cagle is back on the show to give us an update about Jubilee House, organizing, spiritual direction, and RPGs! Put on your robe and wizard hat and get ready for this banger of an episode.

Check out Ryan's project at jubileehouse.co

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Hope In Colombia with Hector Acero Ferrer Jun 26, 2022

After an extremely long break, we've got a guest! This week, we're talking with Hector Acero Ferrer to talk about the recent election of Gustavo Petro & Francia Marquez in Colombia, liberation theology, democracy, and hope!

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The Vacation Lock-in Jun 19, 2022

Well, folks, we're just getting back to it after a long vacation, so we're taking it easy on ourselves and doing a prolonged lock-in episode full of reddit goofs and news updates. We'll be back next week with a more substantive episode!

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God Isn't an Investment Capitalist (that's right it's parable of the talents time) Jun 06, 2022

We're still out here doing this Bible study, and this time we're doing a classic, the parable of the talents! You might think God wants you to invest the gifts he's given you so you can grow his kingdom, but guess what, if you knew a ton of extremely niche information about the first century you'd find out you're wrong!

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Faith & Capital X The Magnificast talk about The Christians For National Liberation May 27, 2022

Hey Gang, this week we've got a special episode where we chat with our friend Chase from Faith & Capital about a neat book called A Commentary on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church by the Christians for National Liberation. It's a neat conversation where we just walk through some of the interesting beats within in the book. Check it out!

You can find Chase's podcast here and you can find the book here.

Another Parable May 21, 2022

Last week we got into William Herzog's Parables as Subversive Speech to talk about parables and historical readings. This week, we're talking about Matthew 18 and the unmerciful servant.

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Quirked Up White Boys Reading the Parables May 15, 2022

We've spent more time than usual reading the Bible lately, but, as you might know, reading the Bible can be complicated. To get into how difficult it is, we read William Herzog's Parables as Subversive Speech and talk about the big history behind the context of the parables.

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Organize The Church May 08, 2022

After a kind of long series of goofs, this episode gets into some brief ideas about organizing your faith community.

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Magnificast Classic: A Very Moody May Day May 02, 2022

Are you still in the May Day mood? Then take a trip back in time with us to last year when we talked about the Haymarket Riot and Dwight L. Moody!

--------
In past eps, we've talked about a lot of the cool leftist Christians involved in the Haymarket riot and the gilded age labor movement, but what about the shitty Christians? This week, we're bringing you a wild story about how Dwight L Moody massively profited from the Harmarket riot!

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Degrowth and Ecosocialism Apr 30, 2022

There's so much scary and bad news about climate change and its effects. It sucks big time. Though, so as not to just curse the darkness, in this episode we talk about a recent piece in the Monthly Review about points of unity between degrowth activists and ecosocialism.

Read the article here: https://monthlyreview.org/2022/04/01/for-an-ecosocialist-degrowth/

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Kerala Apr 25, 2022

Listen folks, we've been hitting the bible and theology pretty hard over the last few weeks. But, now that Lent is over we're taking a breather and talking about some a little less biblical. Dean and Matt have been reading Kerala: Another World is Possible by T.M. Thomas Isaac and they're pretty excited to talk about it. So, in this episode, you'll hear all about Kerala, India, Participatory democracy, and liberation theology in India.

You can find the book here: https://mayday.leftword.com/kerala.html

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Last Supper Leftovers Apr 15, 2022

We've been making our way through lent and talking about all of the themes along the way. This week we're talking about the last supper and the betrayal of Jesus.

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Palm Sunday Apr 09, 2022

We're getting close to the end of Lent and heading into Holy Week, so we're going to talk about Palm Sunday! A lot of Christians on the left have made a lot out of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem as a countercultural event. In this episode, we talk about it from the perspective of street theatre and social movements.

In the ep, we talked about the Documentary "What would Jesus Buy" you should watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAxuNdtZt7c

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Penance & Reconciliation Apr 02, 2022

We're still chugging on through this big lenten situation. We've been talking through all of the big lenten themes and this week we're reaching harder than ever by talking about penance and reconciliation!

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Crucified People Mar 26, 2022

In this episode, we're talking about the shortcomings of substitutionary atonement and Ignacio Ellacuria's The Crucified People.
Substitutionary Atonement is a weird idea that gets Christians into all kinds of problems, but what if there's actually an interesting and helpful way to think about soteriology that isn't just making God an angry computer.

Get the essay here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yaSdCWCjqsqofnwEimWOHHOGJnXK6B7O/view?usp=sharing

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Big Structural Almsgiving Mar 20, 2022

Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about the big themes of lent. So far, we've talked about fasting & temptation. This time, however, we're talking about almsgiving and charity. You're going to love it.

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Jesus in the Desert Mar 12, 2022

We're into week 2 of our Lent theme and this time we're talking about temptation! We're reading Luke 4:1-13 and talking through the three temptations the devil brings to Jesus in the desert. To back us up, we bring in some ideas around political power and temptation from liberation theology.

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Lent, Fasting, & Degrowth Mar 04, 2022

Lent is a time of fasting that gets co-opted by capitalism in all kinds of very gross ways and that sucks. But, what might fasting look like as a political idea? We might work this out by thinking about fasting in terms of degrowth in the face of climate change!

Here are some of the books we talked about in this episode

Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World - Jason Hickel
Inventing the future - Alex Williams and Nick Srnicek
Freedom Church of the Poor - Colleen Wessel-McCoy

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War: What If We Just Didn't? Feb 26, 2022

This week, we have no choice, but to weigh in on what's happening with Russia and Ukraine. A lot of people have particularly hot takes about this chapter in geopolitics, and so do we: war is bad, actually and we have the moral imperative to build a peace movement.

Here are the statements we talked about on the show
Pax Christi - https://paxchristiusa.org/2022/02/24/pax-christi-usas-statement-on-russians-invasion-of-ukraine/
Poor People's Campaign - https://kairoscenter.org/press-releases/statement-on-russias-attack-on-ukraine/

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Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor Feb 18, 2022

You know we love books, so this week we're reading Leonardo Boff's Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor and talking about liberation theology, ecology, the poor as a protagonist class, and more!

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This is what Jubilee looks like Feb 13, 2022

This week on the podcast we're continuing our theme of talking about money and economics in the context of the Bible. This time, we're talking about Jubilee and what it means to do that work in 2022! We mentioned a lot of cool stuff in the podcast, so here are some links!

Get the Geez Magazine Jubilee issue here: https://geezmagazine.org/magazine/issue/geez-63
Find out more about the Committee for the abolition of illegitimate debts: https://www.cadtm.org/English
Find out more about the Jubilee USA Network: https://www.jubileeusa.org/
Find out more about Development and Peace: https://www.devp.org/en/

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Magnificast Classic: Damn Daniel, back at it with a fresh essay on commodity fetishism. Feb 11, 2022

Hey folks, our episode for this week is a bit late, so we're one from the archives that we know you'll like! In this episode, we talk with Daniel Saunders about his new essay on commodity fetishism and Christianity. You can find his essay here: https://danielsaunders.blog/2021/04/16/ideology-fetishism-apophaticism-marxist-criticism-and-christianity/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Revolutionary Forgiveness Feb 04, 2022

This week on the show, we're talking about a really neat book called Revolutionary Forgiveness: Feminist Reflections on Nicaragua by the Amanecida Collective. The book is a reflection on 13 theologians who took a number of trips to Nicaragua in the early 80's. The book highlights a lot of interesting interactions between Christianity and politics during the Nicaraguan Revolution.

Find the book here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666719802/revolutionary-forgiveness/

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The Hermeneutics of Missing the Point. Jan 29, 2022

Last week, we talked about the Beatitudes and how to take them seriously means you can't really be a capitalist. Yet, many right-wing Christians do read the Beatitudes and other admonitions of wealth and still find ways to be capitalists. In this episode, we talk about the hermeneutic process of ignoring wealth as a problem in the bible.

Here are the articles we dunked on:
https://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty/volume-20-number-34/views-wealth-bible-ancient-world
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/luke-evangelist-rich/
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-loves-rich-people/

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More like the Be-rad-itudes Jan 21, 2022

Have you ever read the bible? Dang, there's a lot of stuff in there. But, in the gospels, we get some really good words straight from Jesus that people call the "Beatitudes." The beatitudes are a sermon the Jesus preaches that tells you exactly where and with who God's priority lay. This week we talk about the Beatitudes and some of the things liberation theologians have said about them.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Morality & The Market Jan 14, 2022

Earlier this week, Dave Ramsey and many other right-wing Christians were musing about whether the markets were moral. Don't listen to them! Listen to us. We unpack Dave Ramsey's bad takes about being a landlord and the economy and give our own good take.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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The CIA & Liberation Theology Jan 07, 2022

Theology? Yeah, it's boring. Liberation theology? It's DANGEROUS--well, at least according to the CIA! This week we take a look at a few right wing documents from the 1980's that recognize that liberation theology was a possible threat to US hegemony.

The Magnificast Christmas Party Dec 24, 2021

Ho ho ho, it's Christmas time! This week, we're taking it a little bit easy with a Christmas party. In this episode, we dial it back and answer some hot reddit questions and we talk about current events! We hope you have a good Christmas!

Love Dec 22, 2021

The final week of advent is all about love! As we're heading into Christmas, we talk through Christian love as a political idea. Let's go!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Joy Dec 17, 2021

We've got the joy joy joy joy down in our hearts...Well, we're trying our best. It's the Joy week of advent and we're talking through how to be joyful at the end of the world.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Peace Dec 10, 2021

Alright folks, it's the second week of advent and now we're thinking about peace. In this episode, we consider peace as a political idea and talk through some of the big picture stuff about pacifism and violence.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Hope Dec 04, 2021

It's not Christmas yet! It's Advent! Advent is the time where we're getting in the spirit of Christmas and getting our brains right before the birth of Jesus. Advent is 4 weeks long and traditionally has weekly themes (Hope–Peace–Joy–Love.). For this Advent, we're just following along with the themes of the liturgical calendar and talking about hope!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Getting Right with Rights Nov 26, 2021

When it comes to activism, people are always talking about human rights, but what are these things anyway? In this episode, we get into the political philosophy discourse around rights. In the episode, we talk about What's Wrong with Rights? Social Movements, Law and Liberal Imaginations by Radha D'Souza (https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745335414/whats-wrong-with-rights/), Marx's Critique of the Gotha Program, and some stuff about rights from Alasdair Macintyre

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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More Than Creation Care Nov 21, 2021

Yesterday, we went to a solidarity protest downtown Toronto to show solidarity with the land defenders in Wet'suwet'en territory. There’s a lot going on in that situation, but the gist of it is that Coastal Gas Link is trying to run a pipeline through their territory without the consent of the indigenous people there. This past week, the people resisting the pipeline evicted Coastal Gas Link and gave their workers several hours to leave, before they blockaded a major road used by the company. Canada deployed federal police, the RCMP, arresting and assaulting land defenders to end the blockade. The action in Toronto was powerful, starting outside the bank RBC, which is invested in the pipeline, and ending in a building with Coastal Gas Link offices. All that got our wheels turning more about all kinds of things like Christianity, colonization, climate change, ecosocialism, and the recent COP26 conference.

So, in this episode, we’re going to make some connections about what happened in COP26 and something that the decolonial theorist Walter Mignolo called the Christian afterworld.

Here's the statement from Development and Peace we referenced in the ep: https://www.kairoscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Wetsuweten-Ecumenical-Solidarity-Nov17.pdf

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Powers of the Other Shore Nov 12, 2021

When it comes to Christianity and politics everyone loves to talk about the "political imaginary." This week we're going to talk through the political imaginary and what it's all about! To do that, we read a really fascinating article called Bhima Koregaon and the “Powers of the Other Shore by Saroj Giri you can read the article here: https://monthlyreview.org/2021/10/01/bhima-koregaon-and-the-powers-of-the-other-shore/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Qanon and Christianity Nov 06, 2021

This past week, Qanon believers from across the US gathered in Dallas TX to witness the return of JFK Jr. That's wild, right? But what's even wilder is that Qanon is a thoroughly Christian movement! Last week we talked a bit about the Christian right rehabilitating itself, but this week we're talking about what they're trying to rehabilitate themselves from.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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The Culture War Oct 30, 2021

Woke culture, critical race theory, postmodernism, Christians have a history of locating struggles in culture rather than politics! In this episode, we talk through the culture war as it's presented in Peter Wehner's The Evangelical Church is Beaking Apart. ( https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/evangelical-trump-christians-politics/620469/)

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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The Pope is Back at It Oct 22, 2021

In this episode, we talk through Pope Francis' recent address to popular movements. As it turns out, the Pope is good and we're here to tell you about it. Also, it's really hard to make sense of anything of this without socialist politics. Read the Pope's address here: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2021/documents/20211016-videomessaggio-movimentipopolari.html

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Getting Cranky about Liberation Theology Oct 15, 2021

Liberation theology isn't just a thing that happened in the 60's and 70's. Many of the folks involved in liberation theology are still around and publishing, but their voices are strangely missing from contemporary conversations around Latin American politics. In this episode, we get a little cranky about the lack of coverage around liberation theology and talk about why it matters.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Spooky Saints Oct 08, 2021

It's the spookiest time of the year! So, we're going to put a pause on all of the politics talk and direct our attention toward some fun and spooky stories about saintly apparitions and think a little bit about death!

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Deanconstruction Oct 01, 2021

We've spent a lot of time trying to figure out some of the politics around evangelicalism, but we've never really talked through the exvangelical response to evangelicalism. In this episode, we work through deconstruction, evangelicalism, and some of the weird cultural artifacts that emerge around it.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Get Feucht Sep 24, 2021

Just a week ago, we passed the 20th anniversary of 9/11. To mark the occasion the worship leader and failed Republican politician Sean Feucht, of Bethel Church fame, held an event at the national mall in DC. The event was part of his “let us worship” tour that has been taking place around the country to protest COVID restrictions on churches. Notably, Donald Trump joined the rally through a pretty bizarre pre-recorded speech. You might be wondering, “who cares?” Good question. As people who are now very outside evangelicalism, it’s easy to just ignore these folks, yet I think there are some reasons to pay attention despite how cringy it all is.

Feucht is probably one of the more visible figures in evangelicalism and is clearly interested in conservative politics. He had a failed congressional run in California. He even took a trip to the White House to lay hands on and pray for Donald Trump before his first impeachment. Given all of that, we thought it’d be good to spend the episode talking about Feucht and the current state of Christofascism.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Jesus of Navient Sep 17, 2021

Hey, isn't debt as an idea and as an economic reality pretty messed up? It is. In this episode, we talk about debt in Christianity and economics and how both ideas intersect and break our brains.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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The Religious Exemption Accountability Project W/ Erin Green Sep 10, 2021

Christian universities have a long history of creating the institutional levers and buttons by which they can harass and discriminate against their LGBTQ+ students. But, that's not the end of the story! A new project is engaging with these universities and organizing LGBTQ+ students on their campuses to start fighting back! This week, we talked with Erin Green, an organizer, with REAP (Religious Exemption Accountability Project) about how they're pushing back against discriminatory practices within Christian higher ed.

Find out more about REAP here: www.thereap.org
Follow Erin on twitter here: twitter.com/ErinGreenbean

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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The Capitalinian Sep 05, 2021

The last time we talked about climate change we were kind of doomers about it, but so we're back to complicate the whole notion a bit more with some tools from the monthly review. In this episode, we investigate the term "Anthropocene" from a Marxist perspective and consider just how capitalism fits into it all.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Real Anglo-Catholic Hours w/ Tony Hunt & Caleb Roberts of The Hour Magazine Aug 28, 2021

On this podcast, it's always Catholic church this and the Pope that, but this week we're talking about anglo-Catholicism. That's right, folks we're talking about the tradition of socialism in the Episcopal church with Tony Hunt & Caleb Roberts of The Hour Magazine. The Hour is a magazine that explores the often forgotten and even more often unexplored history of socialism within the anglo-Catholic tradition.

Read The Hour here: https://www.thehourmag.com/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by Paul Robeson
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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St Francis, The Communist Aug 23, 2021

We all love St Francis, but did you know he was a communist? Well, according to Karl Kautsky he was. There are a lot of wild medieval Christians who, for theological reasons, didn't believe in private property and Francis was one of them! However, unlike the Waldensians or the Brethren of the Free Spirit, Francis' movement was assimilated into the Catholic Church. Listen in and hear all about how this works out.

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by Paul Robeson
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Climate Catastrophe Aug 13, 2021

You might have heard all of the bad news about the state of the climate in the recent IPCC report. In this episode, we talk through what it means and try to parse out what it is that Christians and the left should think about it. Honestly, it's a tough one!

Feed drop: The Lock In Aug 13, 2021

Did you know that we have a whole second podcast behind our patreon paywall? Dang, well now you do. This weeks episode was kind of a downer, so we decided to drop our patreon-only podcast out here in the open in case you need something to distract you from all the bad news.

Christianity is Complicated Aug 06, 2021

We're taking a break from all of our Cuba conversations to talk about Christianity in an expansive sense and think through claims that people on the left and the right make about what counts as "true Christianity."

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by Paul Robeson

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Pastors for Peace w/ Rev Elice Higginbotham Jul 30, 2021

Over the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about Cuba. We decided to keep the Cuba train running with an interview with Rev. Elice Higginbotham, who formerly worked with IFCO/Pastors with Peace. In this conversation, we talk about Pastors with Peace, their history of sending aid to Cuba, Christians in Cuba, and a lot more!

Learn more about IFCO here: https://ifconews.org

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong

Outro music by Paul Robeson

https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues

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What's going on in Cuba w/ Jim Hodgson Jul 24, 2021

Due to capitalist media and deeply seated ideological positions, it's hard to get real information about what's happening in places like Cuba. As usual, we invited Jim Hodgson on, an individual with a history with and good relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout the episode, Jim tells us what's been happening on the ground with the recent wave of protests in Cuba, gives some good context for protest and expression in Cuba, and tells us where all of the churches are at in this particular moment.

Check out Jim's blog here: unwrappingdevelopment.ca

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by Paul Robeson
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Fist bumping Maduro w/ Austin González Jul 16, 2021

This week on the Magnificast, we chatted with Austin González who recently went to Venezuela with a delegation from the DSA International committee. In this interview, we hear a bit about Austin's time in Venezuela, his visit with the communes, Nicolas Maduro, and just what the DSA international committee is up to!

Follow Austin on twitter: twitter.com/Gaius_Gracchus_
Check out Austin's podcast: https://twitter.com/MacheteyMate
Learn more about the DSA International Committee: https://international.dsausa.org/

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by Paul Robeson
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Jubilee House w/ Ryan Cagle Jul 09, 2021

Sometimes, on the pod, we focus a lot on what's wrong in Christianity and its kind of a bummer. So, what if we talked with someone who is doing something good with Christianity? This week we're talking with Ryan Cagle about his new project at Jubilee House in Alabama. Listen in and soak up this good stuff.

Check out Ryan's project at jubileehouse.co

Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by Paul Robeson
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Queering Wesley W/ Keegan Osinski Jul 02, 2021

We're always going on and on about Catholicism on this podcast, so why don't we give it a break and talk to someone about...uhhh...I don't know...a queer reading of John Wesley's sermons. This week, we're bringing you an interview with Keegan Osinski, the author of the forthcoming book "Queering Wesley, Queering the Church." You're not going to want to miss Keegan's takes on doing theology, queer theory, and John Wesley! Buy Keegan's book: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725254039/queering-wesley-queering-the-church/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

The Secular Jun 25, 2021

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about atheism, Marxism, and how revolutionary kinds of Christianity challenge some of the assumptions on the left. This week we thought we’d take a look at conversations around the secular, secularism, and secularization, which actually have a lot of complicated things to say about both Christianity and Marxism. This might get a little grad schooly, but stick with us, we’ll try to figure it out together. In this episode, we talk about Charles Tayor, Saba Mahmood, secularism, and more! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Pope News Jun 19, 2021

In this episode, we’ll take a look at the ways the claim to “common good” from Catholic Social Teaching can be deployed from the right and why Catholic Social Teaching alone doesn’t go far enough to resolve the tensions of capitalism.

The Desacralization of Marxism Jun 12, 2021

We've been struggling to answer the question: What does Christianity contribute to Marxism or socialism? This week, we read The Desacralization of Marxism within Latin American Liberation Theology by Otto Axel Maduro Lang to get another perspective. Liberation Theology, as Maduro argues, takes the best of Marxism while rejecting what doesn't make sense in the given context. Read the essay here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYCba-ltq8ZP6RRW8DbN3TSBEmtNxQfk/view?usp=sharing Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

An Episode for your Atheist Communist Mom Jun 04, 2021

Not too long ago, we made the case for why Christians should be socialists. This time, we're looking at the question from another angle and making the case why Socialists should make room for Christians in socialist movements. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

James 5 Christianity May 28, 2021

Everyone's been talking about wages and the labor shortage and we know you've been wondering what we think. So, in this episode, we're embracing James 5 and illuminating the ongoing conversation about wages and why Christians need to be advocates for workers. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by St. Lenox https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Colombia, Liberation Theology, and Memory W/ Héctor Acero Ferrer May 22, 2021

Héctor Acero Ferrer is back to talk to us about the ongoing wave of protests and Colombia and to tell us about his work on memory and liberation theology. This is an episode you don't want to miss! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by St. Lenox https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Nicaragua and Cuba w/ Margaret Randall May 14, 2021

This week on the show, we talk with Margaret Randall. Margaret Randall is a legendary poet, activist, and many other things! In addition to plenty of poems, she’s written a ton of books, including Christians in the Nicaraguan Revolution, which is a series of interviews she did with Christian Sandinistas, and Exporting Revolution (just to name a few). She spent her life in revolutionary moments, from Mexico in 1968 to Cuba’s most prosperous period to working in the Sandinista government. She even knew Ernesto Cardenal before he was a priest! In the interview, we get to hear about her relationship to liberation theology, her life in Cuba, and her experience making socialist media in Nicaragua. You can find more of her work at margaretrandall.org, which we’ll link in the show notes. And you should, because she’s written a ton of great stuff! You can find the poetry archives El Corno Emplumado that we talk about briefly here: http://opendoor.northwestern.edu/archive/ Also, be sure to take a look at Margaret's personal website here: http://www.margaretrandall.org/

Sandino's Nation w/ Stephen Henighan May 07, 2021

We're always talking up a storm about Ernesto Cardenal, but this time around we're talking with Stephen Henighan, a real scholar on Latin American literature! In this episode, we learn more about Cardenal's background, influences, and his lasting impact on the politics of Nicaragua.

The real miracles are the friends we made along the way w/ Andrew Choi from St. Lenox Apr 30, 2021

When people think of religion, they think of miracles. A bush miraculously burning, a baby being born to a virgin, someone rising from the dead, etc. But sometimes seem miraculous without being quite so fantastic. We get into all of this and more with a conversation with Andrew Choi, from the band St. Lenox. You can find all of Andrew's music here: https://stlenox.bandcamp.com/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by St. Lenox https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Damn, Daniel. Back at it with a fresh essay on commodity fetishism Apr 23, 2021

In this episode, we talk with Daniel Saunders about his new essay on commodity fetishism and Christianity. You can find his essay here: https://danielsaunders.blog/2021/04/16/ideology-fetishism-apophaticism-marxist-criticism-and-christianity/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Crucifixion and Resurrection Apr 16, 2021

A thought we've been sitting with a lot recently is "Where do we see crucifixion in the world today?" Though with Easter in the rearview mirror, we thought it might be helpful to think about a related question "Where do we see resurrection in the world today?" In this episode, we think through resurrection as a political idea. You can read the article from Lydia Wylie-Kellerman that we mentioned in the episode here: http://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/do-i-believe-in-the-resurrection Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by Paul Robeson https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Amazon, Alabama, and Miners w/ Jacob Morrison Apr 09, 2021

Everyone's talking about the Amazon union drive, so we decided to talk about it to. This week, we're giving you the scoop on what's going on where things stand at the Amazon union in Bessemer, Alabama from Jacob Morrison, the co-host of The Valley Labor report. We also get into the recent Mineworkers strike, and even some very on-brand religious content. Find more from The Valley Labor Report here: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheValleyLaborReport/about Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Peace on the Korean Peninsula w/ Patti Talbot Apr 02, 2021

Some of our best episodes have been talking about solidarity with Jim Hodgson, well this time around we've got one of Jim's incredible colleagues, Patti Talbot, to talk about peace and solidarity movements that focus on the Korean Peninsula. Northeast Asia is a complicated place, but this interview gives some good handles for thinking about a very complex situation! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Commodity Fetishism and Idolatry Mar 26, 2021

How does money work? If you tithe, will you get more money? What's a commodity? Why is a holographic Charizard worth so much? These questions and more will be answered in this week's episode of The Magnificast. This week, we're tackling the political economy of money and the Christian criticism of money as idolatrous. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

The Sandbox Revolution w/ Lydia Wylie-Kellerman Mar 19, 2021

This week on the show, we're talking with Lydia Wylie-Kellerman about her new book The Sandbox Revolution: Raising Kids For A Just World. Maybe you have kids, maybe you don't, maybe you just know some kids––either way this episode is for you. Lydia has so much wisdom and powerful intuitions about family and community life and you need to hear them. Pick up Lydia's book here: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506466446/The-Sandbox-Revolution Pick up a subscription to Geez Magazine here: https://geezmagazine.org/store/subscribe Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Solidarity with Haiti w/ Jim Hodgson Mar 12, 2021

Things happen so much. Too much some might say. Just the same, it's important to know what's happening outside of the US and Canada. To help us learn more about the world and what solidarity looks like, we brought back Jim Hodgson to talk about the ongoing wave of protests in Haiti with a special eye toward the historical context behind it all. You can find Jim's recent writing here: https://unwrappingdevelopment.ca Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Solidarity with the Philippines w/ Ariel and Pastor Jeanelle Ablola Mar 05, 2021

We've mentioned the Christians for National Liberation and the ongoing struggle in the Philippines before on the podcast, but this time we've got some great guests who actually know what they're talking about. This week we're talking with Ariel, a doctoral student from the University of Toronto, studying the Christians for National Liberation and also Pastor Jeanelle Ablola, a United Methodist pastor who does a lot of solidarity work with Filipino people in the US and in the Philippines. It's a very good episode you will not want to miss. Jeanelle and Ariel mentioned a handful of orgs in the episode, here are some links for you to follow along. www.nafconusa.org nccphilippines.org bayanusa.org Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Why Christianity and Socialism? Feb 26, 2021

LITERALLY* millions of emails have been pouring in with listeners asking, "Matt and Dean, what episode of your podcast should I have my very conservative Christian Uncle Jerry listen to?" Well, dear listener, here it is. This is the intro episode to why Christianity and socialism make a whole heck of a lot of sense together that even your Uncle Jerry can listen to. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com *not literally

Left-Wing Nationalism Feb 19, 2021

In the past month or so, we've talked a lot about nationalism and Christianity, but what if there's actually a nationalism that is good? It's hard to believe, but in this episode, we turn to leftist Christian movements that grappled with nationalism and patriotism in ways that will probably make Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

The Socialist Jesuit One W/ David Inczauskis SJ Feb 12, 2021

Have you heard about the cool new Liberation Theology podcast on the block? No? Well, let us tell you! This week, we're joined by David Inczauskis SJ, the host of The Liberation Theology Podcast. Give David a follow on twitter @LibTheoJesuit and check out his pod! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com

Guns and Trauma with Josiah Daniels Feb 05, 2021

This week, Matt and Dean talk with Josiah Daniels about his essay Because we Dared to Exist: After Generations of Racist Trauma Black Gun Ownership is on the Rise. In the episode, we talk through Josiah's work and zero in on some big distinctions about violence, pacifism, sexy pacifism, and why violence is bad. Read Josiah's article here: https://religiondispatches.org/because-we-dared-to-exist-after-generations-of-racist-trauma-black-gun-ownership-is-on-the-rise/ Follow Josiah on Twitter! https://twitter.com/josiah_Rdaniels Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Good, The Bad, The Biden Jan 29, 2021

Before the election, we talked a lot about how to think about electoral politics, but just because the election is over doesn't mean we should stop thinking about it. In this episode, we're talking about liberal Christian nationalism and adding some nuance to the advantages and disadvantages of a Biden presidency. Also, here's the article about the PRO act we mentioned on the show https://brandonmagner.substack.com/p/breaking-down-the-pro-act Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Hanging Ten with Strikewave w/ C.M. Lewis Jan 22, 2021

This week on The Magnificast we've got Connor Lewis, one of the Strikewave crew to talk to us about labor, unions, politics, and Catholocism. You're not going to want to miss this good union content! Also, check out the links below to check out the books and articles we mentioned in the show. thestrikewave.com Mindy Isser - The Union Members Who Voted for Trump Have to Be Organized—Not Ignored https://inthesetimes.com/article/trump-voters-labor-unions-election-2020 Sarah Jaffe - Work Won't Love You Back https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/sarah-jaffe/work-wont-love-you-back/9781568589398 Brendan O'Connor - Blood Red Lines https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1519-blood-red-lines Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Communist Morality w/ Taylor Genovese Jan 16, 2021

Since we talked with Richard Gilman-Opalsky a few weeks ago, we've focused a bit on the idea of morality and communism as a relationship between people. To keep riding that theme, we talked with Taylor Genovese about his essay The Necessity of Communist Morality!

You can find Taylor's article here: https://www.peacelandbread.com/post/the-necessity-of-communist-morality

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Christofascism Jan 08, 2021

When there's an attempted coup, what can you do but make a podcast about it? This week, we're bringing you some takes on the religious angles on this week's insurrection at the US Capitol. We give some special attention to Dorothee Sölle's framework of Christofascism You can find the articles we talked about here: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/01/06/us-capitol-trump-riot-racist-239662 https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/capitol-trump-insurrection-explosions/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

A Just Recovery Jan 01, 2021

We all know and hate the COVID-19 pandemic, but what do we do about it? There's a vaccine on the horizon, but what kind of systemic steps might we take to write the massive inequalities that COVID has revealed? This week, we take a look at some of the platforms and campaigns that advocate for a "Just recovery" from our own Christian-Marxist perspective. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Magnifichristmas Special w/ Damon Garcia Dec 24, 2020

The most famous Christian leftist podcast meets the most famous Christian leftist youtube: Damon Garcia. Damon has been making rad Christian leftist content on youtube for a long time and we finally have him on the podcast! In this episode, we talk with Damon about Christmas, Christianity and the left, and youtube. Don't sleep on this episode! You can find all of Damon's stuff here youtube.com/DamonGarcia twitch.tv/whoisdamon twitter.com/whoisdamon Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/ https://www.youtube.com/damongarcia

The Magnificast Classic: Mary Knew W/ Hannah Shanks Dec 24, 2020

Back in 2018, we made this special episode with Hannah Shanks about Mary, materiality and bodies. It's a rad episode! To celebrate Christmas we're bumping this classic episode to the top of the list! Mary did you know that your baby boy would be the king of kings? Yeah, she knew. In this extra credit episode of the Magnificast, Matt talks with Hannah Shanks author of This Is My Body: Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood (https://www.amazon.com/This-Body-Embracing-Messiness-Motherhood/dp/1935205285)about Mary, The Magnificat, Advent and revolution!

Love and Communism w/ Richard Gilman-Opalsky Dec 18, 2020

"Love is a power, and for that reason we cannot sequester it from all politics or keep it trapped in theological and mystical privacy. Love is not a neutral power that agrees with everything. But love lives precariously in a world that vacillates between not knowing what it is and subjecting it to the values of capital." This week, Matt and Dean talk with Richard Gilman-Opalsky about his new book The Communism of Love An Inquiry into the Poverty of Exchange Value (https://www.akpress.org/communismoflove.html.) Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Venezuelan Elections w/ Jim Hodgson Dec 11, 2020

Our official Latin America correspondent, Jim Hodgson, is back to talk with us about the recent elections in Venezuela, what they mean, and anti-imperialism. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

What's up with Church w/ Sarah Ngu Dec 04, 2020

Sarah Ngu is back! 🎉🎉🎉 It's been a while, but we've got Sarah back on the show to talk about some of her recent articles, Forefront Church in Brooklyn and the DSA's Religious Socialism Committee. Here are all of the things we referenced with Sarah in the episode: https://therevealer.org/the-secret-life-of-my-communist-great-aunt-a-hagiography/ https://faithandleadership.com/sarah-ngu-why-pastors-should-support-labor-organizing https://www.forefrontnyc.com/ https://www.religioussocialism.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------- Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Class Reduction is Bad Nov 27, 2020

Last week on the show, we talked a lot about class and why we need to know about it. This week, we're talking about the shortcomings of ONLY talking about class. We're bringing you an episode full of ideas to complicate vulgar marxism and class reduction. If you want to know how capitalism works you also need some way of understanding intersection modes of oppression. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

🎶We're coming back to the heart of class struggle🎶 Nov 21, 2020

The bourgeoisie, the proletariat, the lumpen, what does all of this mean!? This week we're getting into it and talking about class and the problems that Christians have with thinking about class. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Psalty about voting Nov 13, 2020

Dean and Matt were formed in the crucible of the evangelical counterculture of the Bush years and this has broken their brains significantly. In this episode, they talk through some of the radical Christian takes on voting from Christian anarchism and then see where those takes are at in 2020. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Making Sense of the Catastrophe : An Election Episode w/ Tad Delay Nov 06, 2020

This election season has been particularly terrible, so we brought in Tad Delay to explain why it's so awful. In this episode, we talk about Tad's work on psychoanalysis, Marxism, and fascism as it relates to the 2020 election. Get Tad's book here: https://wipfandstock.com/against.html Find Tad's podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tad-delay/id1472068137 Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Colombia & Liberation Theology w/ Héctor Acero Ferrer Oct 30, 2020

Over the past few weeks, we've been talking a lot about liberation theology and Latin America. So, this week, we decided to keep that theme rolling by talking to our friend Héctor Acero Ferrer about liberation theology, his experience growing up in Colombia, and the ongoing Minga Indígena movement in Colombia. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

MAS is back! w/ Jim Hodgson Oct 23, 2020

As you might remember, late in 2019 there was a monumentally terrible coup against Bolivia's extremely good president Evo Morales. Despite the coup conspirator's best efforts, elections were held and the Bolivian people re-instated MAS through the election of Luis Arceo. To help us learn more about the situation, we've got Jim Hodgson the official Magnificast Latin America correspondent back on to tell us what's going on in Bolivia in light of these recent elections. You can find the previous episodes we've done with him here Bolivia 👉 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4c61c8d2 Venezuela 👉 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7708c3b9 Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The RevLefticast: Liberation Theology: Jesus Christ and the Fight for Human Emancipation Oct 15, 2020

This is an episode we did with Revolutionary Left Radio, but we figured it was worth sharing here too! In this episode Matt Bernico and Dean Dettloff from The Magnificast podcast join Breht to discuss the history and ideology of Liberation Theology. Check out Dean's course that he is currently teaching on liberation theology HERE Follow The Magnificast on Twitter HERE Please Support Rev Left Radio HERE Outro Music: 'John My Beloved' by Sufjan Stevens LEARN MORE ABOUT REV LEFT RADIO: www.revolutionaryleftradio.com

🎶Fratelli Tutti, what a wonderful phrase🎶 Oct 09, 2020

You know we've got to talk about Pope Francis' new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti! This week, we talk through some of the themes of the encyclica like fraternity, immigration, neoliberalism, populism, and more. Get at this good pope news. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Socialist Ideal Oct 04, 2020

It's time to get back to the heart of socialism. This week we're having a socialist revival by reading John Bellamy Foster's essay The Socialist Ideal from the Monthly Review (read it here! https://monthlyreview.org/2020/09/01/the-renewal-of-the-socialist-ideal/) We also get into what Pope Francis has to say about People's movements! It's a good one, folks! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

On Strike With Dan Walden Sep 25, 2020

Dan Walden is a damn treasure, so we're bringing you an interview with him this week! In this episode, we talk with Dan about his writing for the Bias and Current Affairs as well as his participation in the recent strike at the University of Michigan. You can check out Dan's writing here https://www.currentaffairs.org/author/daniel-walden, https://christiansocialism.com/catholic-socialism-capitalism-horn-pakaluk/ and follow him on twitter: https://twitter.com/thauma_idesthai

Qanon w/ Hollis Phelps Sep 18, 2020

Have you been wondering what's been going on with all these spooky conspiracy theories that your parents have been posting about on facebook? This week we're bringing you the scoop on Qanon and its connections to evangelicalism through an interview with Hollis Phelps! Check out Hollis' article on Q here: https://christiansocialism.com/qanon-trump-conspiracy-capitalism/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Doing the work w/ Pastor Jonah and Cameron Sep 13, 2020

We've done a handful of episodes where we've talked about "the Christian left" as it exists according to the twitter dialogue, but what does it look like on the ground? As a special episode, we're dipping into how one church, Zao MKE Church in Milwaukee, has been engaging with and aiding ongoing struggles and protests in their communities. Learn more about the Zao community here https://www.facebook.com/zaomke/

Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church w/ Olga Segura Sep 11, 2020

This week the Magnifiboys are joined by journalist Olga Segura (@OlgaMSegura) a reporter at The National Catholic Reporter and author of the forthcoming book The Birth of A Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church. In this episode, we talk about the silence and sometimes antagonism of the Catholic Hierarchy with regards to Black Lives Matter and how Black Catholic Lay people have responded to the movement. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

But, what if we, Christians, are the imperialists? Sep 05, 2020

Last week we made the case for Christian anti-imperialism, but maybe we're getting too far ahead of ourselves! Christians can and have been anti-imperialists, but for most of history Christianity has been an imperializing force. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Christian Anti-Imperialism Aug 28, 2020

Welcome to the Magnificast National Convention! In this episode, we elect a new presidential nominee for The Magnificast Party, we talk about anti-imperialism, colonialism, structural adjustment programs, and more! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

21st Century Socialism Aug 21, 2020

We've all heard about 20th century socialism, but how about 21st century socialism? This week, Matt and Dean read Marta Harnecker's essay 21st Century Socialism from the Monthly Review. Harnecker was a Chilean political theorist and advisor to Hugo Chávez, the former president of Venezuela. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Abolition Apostles Aug 14, 2020

This week, Matt and Dean talk with David Brazil and Sarah Pritchard from Abolition Apostles. David and Sarah share about their faith as well as their activism. You can get involved by following them on social media @AbolitionChurch. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

What comes first? Politics or religion? Aug 07, 2020

What should come first for Christians? Politics or religion? Is there a truly biblical politics out there that transcends all politics? Or do we have to craft our politics and religion together? To get into these big questions, Matt and Dean read Juan Segundo's The Liberation of Theology. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Ammon Hennacy: The One Man Revolution Jul 31, 2020

Ammon Hennacy was *the* American Christian anarchist. He was a draft dodger, tax resister, vegetarian, Catholic, anarchist, wobbly, who did what he could to resist the US empire and care for the homeless. Recently, it was Hennacy's birthday, so we thought we'd pause and take a look at his life and testimony.

Uneasy Solidarity Jul 24, 2020

One of the big motivating ideas on the left is solidarity. But, what does that really mean? In this episode, Matt and Dean talk through David Roediger's essay Making Solidarity Uneasy: Cautions on a Keyword from Black Lives Matter to the Past. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Should we Participate in Bourgeois Elections? Jul 17, 2020

This past week, Angela Davis expressed the strategic importance of voting for Joe Biden in the upcoming election. Obviously, no one is super excited about that prospect, but she's not wrong. In this week's episode, Matt and Dean take a look at Lenin, The Black Panther Party, and the CPUSA's approach to voting. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Libruhl Freedom Jul 10, 2020

WHAT DOES JK ROWLING HAVE IN COMMON WITH THE IWW? Well, basically nothing, but they both were really invested in the fight for free speech, though for wildly different reasons. In this week's episode we're talking about the illiberal left, cancel culture, and how leftists have dealt with the freedom of speech. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Saintly Statues and Marxist History Jul 03, 2020

Over the past few weeks, we've seen activists tear down statues of confederate statues, that's pretty cool. But, they've also torn down a statue of a saint, is that cool? It is! In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about the current discourse around statues, Saints, Benjamin's philosophy of history and Marika Rose's Theology of Failure. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Abolition & Marxism Jun 26, 2020

This week on The Magnificast, Matt & Dean talk about Alex Vitale's book The End of Police and talk about why Christians on the left should care about police abolition. They also discuss Jamal Rich's take on abolition and communism. You can find the article here: https://www.cpusa.org/article/prison-and-police-abolition-reimagining-public-safety-and-liberation/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

[BONUS EPISODE] The Lock In Jun 19, 2020

For the last few weeks, Matt and Dean have been making a bit o' patreon only content called The Lock In. Much like the classic church lock in, the Magnifiboys play some goofy games and then have a real "Come to Jesus" moment by talking about the current events of the past week. If you're into this content and want to get it weekly, then support to The Magnificast on patreon (patreon.com/themagnificast for $2+!

#8toAbolition w/ Micah Herskind Jun 19, 2020

Even a few weeks ago, it would have been hard to imagine that everyone would be talking about police abolition, but here we are! You've read about it in the NYT, you've seen it hotly debated on twitter, and you've read the worst opinions about it on your mom's facebook page, but this week, Matt and Dean have got the real scoop on police abolition! Speaking with Micah Herskin, one of the co-creators of #8toAbolition, we get into the big ideas behind abolition and why Christians should care about it. You can learn more about #8toAbolition here: https://www.8toabolition.com/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Christian Order and Racial Order w/ Amaryah Shaye Armstrong Jun 12, 2020

This week on The Magnificast, Matt and Dean talk with Amaryah Shaye Armstrong about her new piece in The Bias (read it here: https://christiansocialism.com/cedric-robinson-racial-order-christianity-socialism/). In this episode, Amaryah helps us apply Cedric Robinson's ideas regarding racial capitalism and order to our current moment with regards to the Black Lives Matter protests. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Fearless Benjamin Lay w/ Marcus Rediker Jun 05, 2020

Do you like stories about people who fearlessly speak truth to power? Of course you do. This week, Matt and Dean talk to Marcus Rediker about his book The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist. You can get the book here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-the-quaker-dwarf-who-became-the-first-revolutionary-abolitionist-with-a-new-preface/9780807060988 Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Gospel Coalition Labor Round up May 29, 2020

It seems like everyone is a labor reporter these days, even folks at the Gospel Coalition. Though, rather than talking about strikes and wages, they're talking about how to fire someone like Jesus would. In this episode, Matt and Dean investigate the ways Christians talk and think about labor and then bring in that hot Marxist analysis. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Political Economy and Christian Rhetoric May 22, 2020

Christians have a peculiar way of talking about politics--liberal evangelicals especially! In this episode, we take a closer look at the vague political rhetoric of the evangelical left and talk about the ways Marxist political analysis functions as a tool box for people who care about justice. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Stop talking about the religious left May 15, 2020

I regret to inform you, the religious left discourse is back. Does the religious left exist? Yes, but it's different than the hot takes the religious left journalists have been giving on twitter. Listen to our own hot takes! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Big Structural Violence May 08, 2020

This week we did a round-up of some recent articles on racism and COVID19. These articles help us think through the big structural violence and class struggle embedded within capitalism. It's a bleak topic, but an important one! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

A Very Moody May Day May 01, 2020

In past eps, we've talked about a lot of the cool leftist Christians involved in the Haymarket riot and the gilded age labor movement, but what about the shitty Christians? This week, we're bringing you a wild story about how Dwight L Moody massively profited from the Harmarket riot! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The Soul of the Wobblies Apr 24, 2020

"The working class and the employing class have no God in common" - Walker P. Smith Have you heard those wild old labor songs? Dump the bosses of your back, The Lumberjack's prayer, and Casey Jones? Ever wonder why they sound like hymns? In this episode, Matt and Dean read Donald Winter's book The Soul of the Wobblies and get to the bottom of the IWW and the way they appropriated religious themes. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

James Connolly w/ Brett O'Shea Apr 17, 2020

This week, Brett O'Shea from Rev Left Radio is joining us to talk about everyone's fav Irish revolutionary, James Connolly! If you're following along at home, you can check out the writings by Connolly that we read for this ep here: “Socialism and Religion” - 1899 “The Connolly-DeLeon Controversy” - 1904 “Labour, Nationality and Religion” - 1910 “An Exchange on Rome and Irish Catholics” - 1912 “Catholicism, Protestantism and Politics” - 1913 Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Civil Disobedience w/ Lydia Wylie-Kellermann Apr 10, 2020

Wow, there are a lot of magazines out there, but the best and most important is Geez Magazine. This week, we're talking about the new Disobedience issue of Geez Magazine with their editor, Lydia Wylie-Kellerman. In this ep, we discuss, Christianity and the left, disobedience, efficacy, parenting and more! You can subscribe to Geez at geezmagazine.org Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

The COVID19 Strikewave🌊🌊🌊 Apr 03, 2020

This week were rounding up some stories about the wave of strikes coming out of the COVID19 pandemic. The labor struggles currently going on over PPE, paid sick leave, and other important things are monumental. So, we're going to take some time and pay attention to these struggles. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Rejoicing! Mar 27, 2020

This week on The Magnificast we're getting back to our roots by reading a big philosophy book. We read Bruno Latour's book Rejoicing: The Torment of Religious Speech. It's a neat book that elaborates on the difficulty of expressing authentic religious belief. We also, as always, talk about socialism. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/

Pandemics & Socialism Mar 20, 2020

This week on The Magnificast Matt and Dean talk about Mike Davis' book The Monster at our Door and do a bit of a round up regarding what's going on with regard to the COVID19 pandemic. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

St. Oscar Romero, Unions, and Politics Mar 13, 2020

This week on the show, Matt and Dean read Oscar Romero's Voice of the Voiceless and talk about some of his big ideas regarding unions and political parties. You can get the book here: https://www.orbisbooks.com/voice-of-the-voiceless.html Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Farewell, Ernesto. Mar 06, 2020

This past week we learned that Ernesto Cardenal, one of the big heroes of The Magnificast had passed away. While we had just done an episode on some of his poetry, we thought it's a good time to celebrate his life. In this episode, we talk a bit about Ernesto Cardenal based off of Margaret Randall's book "Christians in the Nicaraguan Revolution." Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

The Fidepisode Feb 28, 2020

Alright gang, you've seen the news and you know that the libs are being weird about Fidel Castro, so we've got to do another episode on Fidel. In this episode, we talk about education and literacy in Cuba and then round out the conversation with some big ideas about Cuban socialism as a spiritual exercise from Frei Betto. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Dorothee Sölle's Shrek Feb 21, 2020

We're rounding out our big poetry arc with Dorothee Sölle's book Of War and Love. Sölle's book is rad as hell and you're going to be way into it after this episode. We also take a test drive on a new opening bit and do a big Veggietales-esque what did we learn wrap up on poetry. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Communism and Poetry w/ Dominick Knowles Feb 14, 2020

This week we're back with another real life poet! Dominick Knowles joins us to talk about his essay A Spectre in Every Street: George Oppen and the Poetics of Communism (https://www.viewpointmag.com/2018/08/15/a-spectre-in-every-street-george-oppen-and-the-poetics-of-communism/) and also some of his own work. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Apost(le)ate w/ Teagan Steele-Fisher Feb 07, 2020

We've spent the last few weeks reading poetry, but what if we talked to an actual poet? This week, we interviewed Teagen Steele-Fisher (@barnonepoems) about her new book of poetr, Apost(le)ate. Her work is informed by Marxism, Feminism, Queer studies, black liberation, and dealing with the trauma of evangelicalism. Overall, it's some really incredible work! You can buy her book here: https://gumroad.com/l/qbDRz Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Joe Wallace, the Greatest Canadian Communist Christian Poet in the Soviet Union Jan 31, 2020

Ernesto Cardenal is great, right? He is, but have you ever wondered who the Greatest Canadian Communist Christian Poet in the Soviet Union was? Well, it was Joe Wallace. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

The Poetry of Ernesto Cardenal Jan 24, 2020

We're starting a brand new arc! Over the next few weeks, we'll be cultivating our literary sensibilities and talking about poetry and politics. We're kicking the arc off with one of our all-time faves Ernesto Cardenal! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Jesus and the Politics of Mammon w/ Hollis Phelps Jan 17, 2020

In this week's episode, learning about Jesus from Hollis Phelps. Hollis just wrote a cool new book called Jesus and the Politics of Mammon. You can find it here: https://wipfandstock.com/jesus-and-the-politics-of-mammon.html You should also check out Hollis' article on the religious left here: https://religiondispatches.org/the-problem-with-the-latest-predictions-for-the-rise-of-the-religious-left/ Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

The Idolatry of War Jan 10, 2020

We're back with the first new episode of 2020! In case you didn't hear, the imperialists are doing what imperialists do and starting up the war machine in Iran. In this episode, we explore some of the things that our fav Christian leftists have said about war and we also offer some socialist interventions to those Christian ideas. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Yuletide in Dixie w/ Robert May Jan 03, 2020

According to the church calendar, it's still Christmas. Sorry Scrooges, it's Christmas and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is listen to Professor Robert May talk about his book, Yuletide in Dixie: Slavery, Christmas, and Southern Memory. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5317.

Christmas media w/ Brent Plate Dec 27, 2019

Santa has come and gone, but we're still on this Christmas kick. This week we talk with Brent Plate about Christmas films, the history of Christmas and a lot more! Check out Brent's articles here: https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/christmas-movies-brent-rodriguez-plate https://religionnews.com/2018/12/07/technology-tradition-and-the-invention-of-christmas-in-19th-century-new-york/

The Public Work of Christmas w/ Pamela Klassen Dec 20, 2019

Ho Ho Ho, we're back with more Christmas content for all you Whos down in Whoville. This week, we talked with Pamela Klassen, a professor in the study of religion at the University of Toronto. She edited a rad collection of essays called The Public Work of Christmas and we're excited to talk with her and figure out what Christmas is all about! You can check out a preview of her book here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Public_Work_of_Christmas/7FWXDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Music from NAVIDAD EN LIBERTAD ~ Carlos Mejia Godoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DGwBQzsW4Q *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Don Feliciano is Coming to Town Dec 13, 2019

🎶He sees you when you're working, he knows when you're organizing, he knows if you've been a comrade or scab so be a comrade for goodness sake, Don Feliciano is coming to town🎶 It's almost Christmas folks! So, this week we're kicking off our Christmas arc about the time Fidal Castro canceled Christmas! Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

John Thornton Jr Will Be The Jerry Falwell Of the Left Dec 06, 2019

We spend a lot of time criticizing churches and for good reason––they can be pretty bad. But this week, we've got John Thornton Jr on the show to give us an update about Jubilee Baptist Church, a Church that's actually good. In the episode, Matt, Dean, and John talk about Debt Forgiveness as a church ministry, what it means to have a labor church in 2019, and some analysis of Charlie Kirk and Jerry Falwell's new initiative The Falkirk Center. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues *Support The Magnificast on Patreon* http://patreon.com/themagnificast *Get Magnificast Merch* https://www.redbubble.com/people/themagnificast/og-shop?asc=u

Mayor Pete, The Religious Left, and Electoralism Nov 29, 2019

We've done a few episodes in the past where we talked a bit about the "religious left" and we're back with more on the religious left discourse as it relates to Mayor Pete and his weird Christian Left brand.

The Winnipeg General Strike Nov 22, 2019

This week, Matt and Dean are coming at you live from the middle of a cornfield in Illinois. This week's episode gets into some of the cool history surrounding the Winnipeg General Strike, Labor Churches, and the Methodist pastors who just can't help but be arrested. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Bolivia Solidarity w/ Jim Hodgson Nov 15, 2019

In case you haven't heard, there was a coup in Bolivia this past Monday. Figuring out what's going on and how to show solidarity is hard, so we dropped out plans and talked to our friend Jim Hodgson who works in Latin America on the behalf of the United Church of Canada. You might remember that we talked to Jim back in episode 98 on his experience in Venezuela. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Deconstructing Hospitality Nov 07, 2019

After goofing around with spooky stuff in October, the Magnifiboys are back with their new arc on Postmodernism. In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about the rhetoric around Chritianity's impulse toward hospitality and also how John Caputo and Jacques Derrida complicate that idea. intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

The Marxist Monster Mash Nov 01, 2019

Halloween is done, but spooky capitalism is never done with you! This week, we're doing that big Marxist monster mash by looking at all of Marx's spooky metaphors for capitalism. This episode is full of Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Ghosts, and even a Frankenstein or two.

Left Behind II: Teen Edition Oct 25, 2019

So, once Jesus comes back and takes all the Christians to heaven? The Tribulation! Check out Matt and Dean while they discuss the end times as it is presented in Kirk Cameron's Left Behind II: Tribulation Force.

A Thief in the Night Oct 18, 2019

Last week we said we were done with evangelicalism but is evangelicalism ever really done with you? This week the Magnifiboys watch that classic Christian horror film, A Thief in the Night and talk about the rapture.

So, What's the Deal with Evangelicalism? w/ Heath Carter Oct 11, 2019

We've come a long way in this arc! We've done some rhetorical analyses of conservative and progressive evangelicals and we've learned about the overlapping histories of big business and Christianity. Though, to wrap all of this up, we thought we'd ask our friend Heath Carter, who is an expert on Christianity and social movements in the US, just what is evangelicalism? Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Jim Bakker's Bunker w/ Martyn Wendell Jones Oct 04, 2019

American Christianity is full of characters that are really larger than life--one of the biggest, however, is Jim Bakker. Jim Bakker was a hugely popular and successful televangelist, Christian theme park creator, and apocalypticist. In this episode, we get to know Jim Bakker through Martyn Wendell Jones, a Toronto based writer who covers religion. You can find more of Martyn's work here: https://martynwendelljones.contently.com Also, If you want to learn more about the Bakkers check out John Wigger's book "PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Evangelical Empire" (https://www.amazon.com/PTL-Tammy-Bakkers-Evangelical-Empire/dp/0199379718)

Anointed with Oil with Darren Dochuk Sep 27, 2019

Based on our conversation last week, you might think that Wal-Mart is the big force behind evangelicalism in the world--and you're right. But, there are even more ways capitalists have come to shape evangelicalism! To tell us about that, this week we're joined by Darren Dochuk, Professor of History at Notre Dame and author of Anointed With Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America. Check out his book here:https://www.amazon.com/Anointed-Oil-Christianity-Modern-America/dp/0465060862

You Can't Serve God and Wal-Mart Sep 20, 2019

Mapping out how evangelicalism and capitalism work together is pretty difficult and abstract, so in this week's episode we picked up Bethany Moreton's case study To Serve God and Walmart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise. Moreton's book gives a solid example of how Wal-Mart has adopted Evangelical culture and political networks to reproduce the material conditions that make them successful and powerful. Into music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Owning the Libs to Own the Libs Sep 13, 2019

Last week we did some introductory investigation into conservative evangelicalism, but since we're fair and balanced journalists we're back this week to talk about progressive evangelicalism and its political shortcomings! While conservative evangelicals are happy to use political power to achieve their religious goals, some progressive Christians are happy to reject political power and just embrace being politically ineffective. into music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

The Evangelicals Sep 06, 2019

Alright, we're done talking about unions for a bit and we're on to our next big arc. Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be digging into just what is going on with the evangelicals! In this first episode, we introduce the topic and work out some of the big questions we want to answer.

One Big Union w/ the IWWFJU Sep 04, 2019

We just finished up our arc on labor and organizing, but we've heard your resounding shouts, "Give us another one!" So here it is! Here's a special episode of The Magnificast with the IWW Freelance Journalist Union. We've talked about unions in more straightforward contexts, but this episode is especially cool because it shows the way the IWW is filling a gap in organizing when it comes to freelance workers. Check it out! Check out the IWWFJU here! https://freelancejournalistsunion.org/join/

ep 128 - Big Christ Energy Aug 31, 2019

We've made it to the end of our arc on labor and unions! We've learned so much and we hope that you have too! In this episode, Matt and Dean do a big historical round-up of what Marxists have said about unions. Then based on these insights they make some connections as to why Christians ought to get invested in unions and labor organizing. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

ep 127 - Virtue at Vice Canada with Tannara Yelland Aug 23, 2019

Choo Choo! Do you hear that? It's the union train barreling toward your workplace! We're still on that union vibe and this week we're talking with Tannara Yelland, a historian and journalist who started the union drive at Vice Canada. In this episode, we get to some more of the mechanics of how you start a union if you don't already have one. If you're craving more of that Tannara content you can check out her podcast Big Rings https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-rings/id1473204677

Ep 126 - Lobbying for Labor w/ Dri Alexander Aug 16, 2019

Unions are great, right? Are you in one? Most people aren't and that's a bummer. In this episode, Matt and Dean talk to Dri Alexander, a Policy expert at AFSCME to talk about Unions and what they do.

Ep 125 - Unions & Higher Ed Aug 09, 2019

The summer is almost over so, The Magnificast is hitting you with a back to school special! In this episode, Matt investigates the struggle for teachers and grad workers at Jesuit schools to unionize.

Ep 124 - The Magnificast Reads the Bible! W/ Chase Tibbs Aug 02, 2019

For years now, You all have been asking us to be better at reading the Bible and doing exegesis. Well, You're finally getting it. For this episode of The Magnificast, Matt and Dean team up with Chase Tibbs from the Faith and Capital podcast to talk about how to be a good bible reader! Then, using Chase's Bible life hacks, we read Matthew 20 with him and talk about what it all means. intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

ep 123 - Against with Tad Delay Jul 26, 2019

Every day you turn on the news, check out your twitter feed, or talk to your weird republican uncle and think to yourself, why are white evangelicals like this? We thought it was a good question, so we asked Tad Delay, author of the upcoming book Against: What Does the White Evangelical Want? what's going on with evangelicals. Delay gives us a lot of good insight into the interworking of Evangelical logics with his psychoanalytic takes! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

ep 122 - Yep, Mike Pence is a Christian. Jul 19, 2019

In this episode, Matt and Dean get into the discourse about Mike Pence and his enactment of Christianity. Using Marika Rose and Amaryah Armstrong's work we get to the bottom of this whole thing. SPOILER ALERT: Mike Pence is a Christian and he's also a turd.

Ep 121 - Catholic Action in Spain 1968 Jul 12, 2019

On this episode of The Magnificast Matt and Dean answer more pressing questions from reddit and talk about the history of radical Catholic activism in Spain around 1968. intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 120 - The Catholic Worker and the CPUSA Jul 05, 2019

In this episode, we read Tom Cornell's article The Catholic Worker, Communism, and the Communist Party from American Catholic Studies. In the conversation, Matt and Dean do some big goofs about heaven, cussing, and talk about some niche history about the relationship between the Catholic Worker and the Communist Party USA. As it turns out, they're both good. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 119 - Brave Commons w/ Erin Green Jun 28, 2019

This week's episode is another edition of Magnificast Extra Credit. The idea with these episodes is that they're a bit more produced and usually highlight a particular political or cultural movement. This episode features Erin Green talking about her work at Brave Commons and tries to get to the bottom of just what's up with LGBTQ students on Christian college campuses. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 118: A Theology of Failure w/ Marika Rose Jun 21, 2019

In this episode of The Magnificast, Matt and Dean talk with Marika Rose about her new book A Theology of Failure: Zizek Against Christian Innocence.(http://www.fordhampress.com/9780823284085/a-theology-of-failure) Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

EP 117 - Barth Facts: the Marxist-Christian Dialogue in Germany Jun 14, 2019

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about James Bentley's book Between Marx and Christ. The book has a lot going on, but the conversation focuses on Christoph Blumhardt, Karl Barth, and Dorothee Sölle. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 116 - What in Damnation with Tony Tost Jun 07, 2019

Over the last few weeks, the Magnificast boys have been pumping out a side podcast on Patreon called "The Damnificast." The Damnificast is a podcast where Matt and Dean watch the show Damnation and talk about it. If you look back through the feed, you'll find the first episode. In this Episode, Matt and Dean talk with the Creator of Damnation, Tony Tost, and get into the background of the show and how some of the big ideas surrounding it. If you're not really into Damnation, then that's cool. We'll be back with the Christian Communist content you crave next week!

Ep 115 - Liberation Theology and Marxism May 31, 2019

When the Berlin Wall fell and the USSR came to an end, many thought that was it for Communism and in turn liberation theology. Well, what did Liberation Theologians actually think about the fall of the Berlin Wall or the end of the Soviet Union? In this episode, Matt and Dean figure it out!

Ep 114 - The Damnificast May 24, 2019

This week we're launching our patreon only podcast, The Damnificast! A podcast where we watch the TV show Damnation and talk about it! If you're into this podcast, you can subscribe to our patreon (patreon.com/themagnificast) at any level to get future episodes. New Episodes of the Damnificast will be posted on fridays on patreon only!

Ep 113 - The Assassination of a Saint with Matt Eisenbrandt May 17, 2019

Earlier this year, Óscar Romero was canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. His life and faith have been an important example to Christians on the left ever since his martyrdom. In this episode, we talk about the life and martyrdom of Saint Óscar Romero with Matt Eisenbrandt, author of The Assassination of a Saint. You can find his book here: http://www.assassinationofasaint.com/2017/01/02/247/

ep 112 - Fr. Thomas Hagerty and the IWW May 11, 2019

Dean wrote a neat essay for Commonweal magazine, so we made a special podcast about it. Check out the essay here: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/may-day-saint

Ep 111 - Peasant Socialism, Tolstoy, And Lenin May 03, 2019

In this episode we take a look at a chapter from Roland Boer's new book "Red Theology" that deals with Russian peasant socialism, Tolstoy, and everybody's favorite Bolshevik Boi V. I. Lenin himself! Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 110 - The Christian Right Roundup (Cow Heaven) Apr 26, 2019

A few weeks back we did a big roundup of articles about the Christian left, but because we believe in fair and balanced journalism, this week we're bringing you articles from the Christian right!

109 - K. H. Ting And Christianity In Communist China Apr 20, 2019

We've made it over 100 episodes without ever talking about China, but today's the day folks. We're talking about K. H. Ting, an incredible leader in China's Three-Self Patriotic Movement, a group of Protestants determined to figure out how help build socialism in China and disentangle Christianity from Western capitalism. Warning: we might appeal to much to your carnality in the beginning. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 108 - The Christian Left Round Up Apr 12, 2019

Isn't it weird that our podcast is about Christianity and the left, but it looks and sounds so different than the Christian left you might read about it major journalistic publications? We think so too! In this episode, we round up a few articles about the Christian left and try to get to the bottom of it. We also talk about the Justice League getting saved. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 107 - Merton, Monaticism, And Marxism, Oh My! W Greg Hillis Apr 05, 2019

On this week's episode, we talk with Greg Hillis about Thomas Merton! You might know him as a best seller in the Christian life section at your local book store, but, as it turns out, he's good!

106 - A Matter Of Fact, The Althusser Study Bible Mar 30, 2019

Just try to fail to see how great this episode is! This week, we're talking about what Althusser thinks about church! Spoiler: if you want to help the church then you'd better help the working class. We were inspired by the description of an upcoming retreat whose theme is "Another church is possible," organized by Friendly Fire, Christians for Socialism, and the Minneapolis Catholic Worker (https://friendlyfireretreat.herokuapp.com/index.html)! Speaking of, you should try to go, and if you can't, you should toss some cash toward the organizers to sponsor those who need assistance: https://chuffed.org/project/friendlyfire Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 105 - Christians For The Abolition Of Prisons W Hannah Bowman Mar 21, 2019

Love Jesus? Hate prisons? Do we have a website for you! This week we're joined by Hannah Bowman, organizer of Christians for the Abolition of Prisons (https://christiansforabolition.org)! Hannah has been working with and for prisoners for years, and she thinks Christians should be on the front line of abolishing a system that Christians created. Also she's good at theology! If you didn't get enough of Hannah here, you can check out her interview on Theology and Socialism too: http://theologyandsocialism.libsyn.com/theology-and-prison-abolition-interview-with-hannah-bowman Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 104 - Think Like a Rich Person w/ Dave Mar 15, 2019

This week Matt and Dean come to you live (pre-recorded) from Toronto! This episode is another socialism 101 episode that focuses on primitive accumulation and Dave Ramsey's financial advice.

Ep 103 - Capitalism, Socialism, And Communism 101! Mar 09, 2019

What's the deal with capitalism? And socialism...and communism... These are big terms that mean a lot of different things. We can't nail down every definition, but we try our best to sort these terms through with good old-fashioned Magnificast rambling. Also we brought some leftover Hundo reddit Qs. Is this witchraft, or sorcery, or whatever? Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 102 - Reforging A Forgotten History W Sargon Donabed Mar 01, 2019

This week, we talk with Sargon Donabed, author of the book "Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century." Sargon tells us some of the history of the Assyrian people, an indigenous people to West Asia/North Africa who are often overlooked and misunderstood. We also talk about how the Assyrians do and don't show up in the academy and in public discourse, what role media plays in shaping our understanding of the WANA region, and how non-Assyrians can do better when it comes to showing solidarity. There's also some bonus stuff on "panenhistoricism," which is the coolest methodology word you'll learn this week for sure. The suggestion for this episode and for reading Sargon's book came from our new friend Meia, who blogs at ninwa.home.blog. Meia is an Assyrian who spent a lot of time helping us put this episode together. In her blog "WANA Christianity and Western Leftism," she explains the left's general ignorance and failure to acknowledge the persecution of minority Christian groups like Assyrians. We encourage you to read Meia's post in full, and also to check out her patreon for more! https://ninwa.home.blog/2018/12/22/wana-christianity-and-western-leftism/ https://www.patreon.com/ninwa Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 101 - Ernesto Cardenal and the Power of Veto Feb 22, 2019

This week on The Magnificast we celebrate Dean's birthday and talk about Ernesto Cardenal's recent rehabilitation. We get into what this means and learn some cool stuff about Cardenal's life and Solentiname! intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 100 - The Big Hundo Feb 15, 2019

We did it everyone. We made it to ~The Big Hundo~, 100 straight weeks in a row and the Magnificast train is still a-rollin'! To celebrate, we start by going back to reddit where we met and tackle some of the most pressing theology questions we could find. Then we think through some of the theology questions sent in by listeners and prove once and for all that we're no good at theology. Thanks for coming along on this bizarre podcast adventure! Intro music by Amaryah Shaye Armstrong. Outro by theillalogicalspoon.

ep 99 - Dorothy Day's Cuba Blog Feb 08, 2019

Infighting on the left is a huge problem. Marxists hate anarchists, anarchists hate Marxists, everyone hates primitivists, etc. In this episode, we'll take a look at a leftist who can add some nuance to all this infighting: Dorothy Day! In this episode, we'll listen to Dorothy Day's (of the Catholic Worker Movement) reflection on a trip she took to Cuba in 1962. Following her reflections, we'll see how an anarchist, Catholic, pacifist finds a way to support the revolution in Cuba.

Ep 98 - Understanding Venezuela w/ Jim Hodgson Feb 01, 2019

In light of the ongoing coup in Venezuela, this week Matt and Dean talk with Jim Hodgson. Hodgson is the Program Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the United Church of Canada and was an observer of the recent elections in Venezuela. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 97 - Neoliberalism's Demons W Adam Kotsko Jan 25, 2019

Ever feel like you're working harder than ever and not really getting anywhere? Do you find it weird that people blame you and other folks for being poor when 26 people own as much wealth as half the planet? It might be because you've been demonized. This week we talk with Adam Kotsko, author of Neoliberalism's Demons, to find out all about the political theology behind this very messed up society. Be sure to also check out Adam's other books (there are a lot of 'em), his twitter feed [@]adamkotsko, and all the very hot takes at itself.blog, written by Adam and plenty of others! Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

96 - Socialist Party Theology Jan 18, 2019

Last week we talked about Christians and communist parties. This week we decided to take a look at how Christians related to the Socialist Party of America in the early 20th century. We read Dan McKanan's article "The Implicit Religion of Radicalism: Socialist Party Theology, 1900–1934" to get an idea of what kind of theology emerged from the Socialist Party. We also descended into the bunker of Christian Preppers. Please send us your iTunes reviews. Please. Oh, and episode 100 is coming up! Send us all your Big Theology Questions at themagnificast [at] gmail [dot] com. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

95 - Christians and Communist Parties Jan 11, 2019

We talk a lot about Christian communist and communists who like Christians, but we never really got around to talking about communist parties themselves! In this episode we get a little help from some Very Good books by Jodi Dean to think about the communist party, and then we reach through the archives to see if some of the people and movements we've talked about in the past might help us think through how Christians have related to communist parties. Oh hey we also got a new iTunes review, and we forgot how fun they are, so why don't you drop us another one? Also! Don't forget to check out Amaryah's new EP and kick some cash her way. https://amaryahshaye.bandcamp.com/album/my-mothers-house-ep Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 94 - 20 John-Teen: Really Did It Jan 04, 2019

It's 2019 and we're back on our bullshit. Joining us for the New Year is John Thornton Jr! In this ep, Matt and Dean talk with John about the political theology of debt and decide on the theme for this year. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 93 - The World Come of Age w/ Lilian Calles Barger Dec 28, 2018

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk with Lilian Calles Barger about her new book: The World Come of Age: An Intellectual History of Liberation Theology. You can check out Lilian's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-world-come-of-age-9780190695392?cc=us&lang=en& Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 92 - The True Meaning of Christmas Dec 21, 2018

Do you feel like everything about Christmas is too commercial? Are you wondering what the real reason for the season is? Well, it's capitalism. This week we talk about Jean Baudrillard's The Consumer Society and whether or not Tim Allen wore Santa's underwear. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Magnificast Extra Credit: Mary Knew Dec 21, 2018

Mary did you know that your baby boy would be the king of kings? Yeah, she knew. In this extra credit episode of the Magnificast, Matt talks with Hannah Shanks author of This Is My Body: Embracing the Messiness of Faith and Motherhood (https://www.amazon.com/This-Body-Embracing-Messiness-Motherhood/dp/1935205285)about Mary, The Magnificat, Advent and revolution!

Episode 91 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide Dec 14, 2018

This week on the Magnificast we talk about President, Priest, and liberation theologian Jean-Bertrand Aristide. We also get philanthropic with the Matt & Dean Memorial Scholarship. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 90 The Great Moral Adventure of Grace Hutchins Dec 07, 2018

This week we talk about Grace Hutchins journey from missionary to Bolshevik! We also do a segment about Comrade School Bus a great communist spin on the magic school bus. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

ep 89 - Keep That Friendly Fire Burning Dec 01, 2018

We talk about a lot of cool historical Christian leftists on this podcast, but this week we're talking with some cool contemporary Christian leftists: The Friendly Fire Collective! Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 88 - From Kuyper to Communism w Ember Kelly Nov 23, 2018

This week we talk with Ember Kelly (https://twitter.com/CommieTheology)about her experience as trans, a Christian, and a Communist. Ember is currently living with her family abroad and doing work with the Center for Communist Studies (https://www.communiststudies.org). Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 87 - Still Figuring out Violence Nov 16, 2018

This week on The Magnificast we revisit the topic of violence! In this episode, you can hear us talk about Christian hang ups about violence, pacifism, we say "nuance" like a million times, Deans cat being noisy in the background, and Matt keep bringing up The Americans. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 86 - All Saints Day Nov 10, 2018

This week on the Magnificast we celebrate All Saints Day and talk about some of the leftist Christians who give us permission to be both committed to leftists struggles and faithful Christians. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 85 - Queerly Beloved w Blaire Bohlen Nov 04, 2018

If you’ve been paying attention to the news cycle over the past few weeks, you know that there’s been a lot happening. Fascism in Brazil, anti-semitism, bombs in the mail and the US Army coming to the border to confront refugees. In all of that, there was also some important and troubling stuff from the Prez about possible changes to Title IX that would narrowly define an individual’s gender. While all of this stuff is important, we don’t want the impending danger for transpeople to get lost in the mix. So, in light of all that, this week we’re talking with Blaire Bohlen, a talented artist and all around great person who identifies as trans non-binary. Blaire has had a pretty wild journey through Christianity, especially after being fired from the campus ministry organization InterVarsity for being bi in 2015, leading them to have some really interesting and helpful insights on the damaging pathologies within Christianity and evangelicalism especially. Blaire is also involved in a neat thing called the Reformation Project, which according to its website "is a Bible-based, Christian grassroots organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. Our vision is of a global church that fully affirms LGBTQ people.” They do grassroots organizing and education and have a ton of great resources. Check out Blaire's artwork and other shenanigans at blarecreative.info. For real, check it out. It's Very Good. Also find Blaire on twitter @blaire_bohlen. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 84 - Kim Il-Sung and Christianity Oct 27, 2018

Hey did you know Kim Il-Sung taught Sunday School at a Methodist church once? Or that his parents were Christians? Or that his uncle was a Presbyterian pastor who served in the revolutionary government? Well thanks to a new article by Dae Young Ryu called "Kim Il-Sung and Christianity in North Korea," now you can learn all about that and the changing shape of Christianity in the DPRK. The article appears in the Journal of Church and State, and was just published this month! Also in this episode: Matt remembers smuggling Bibles into North Korea at church camp, and it turns out American imperialism is still Very Bad. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

ep 83 - The Artistic Universe of Jon McNaughton Oct 19, 2018

ok, so I can't promise that this episode is as fun to listen to as it was to record, but we're allowed a bad ep every once and while right? In this episode of The Magnificast Matt and Dean talk about socialist realism, kitsch, and the aestheticization of politics in the work of Jon Mcnaughton.

Ep 82 - The Earth Will Defeat Capitalism (but maybe socialists can help) Oct 13, 2018

The big news lately is that we're still ecologically doomed by capitalism. We got bummed about that so we decided to read Michael Löwy's book Ecosocialism to get some ideas about how to comport ourselves. We also looked to Leonardo Boff for a little inspiration and get a little theological (sorry) at the end. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 81 - RIP Virilio Oct 05, 2018

Paul Virilio, a Christian anarchist, architect, urbanist, philosopher, and peace activist, died this year on September 10th. We're both really influenced by Virilio, and we've talked about him in the past on the show, so we thought we'd do a retrospective on some of his major themes to say goodbye to a radical Christian comrade. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 80 - Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism w Damian Costello Sep 29, 2018

Last week we heard an interview with Damian Costello and Basil Brave Heart on Nicholas Black Elk. This week we're talking to Damian himself about his book Black Elk: Colonialism And Lakota Catholicism. We talk through some of the finer points of Damian's book, discuss colonialism, post-colonialism, and the agency of the colonized. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 79 - Black Elk & Catholicism pt. 1 Sep 21, 2018

Damian Costello, author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism, has gifted us with a neat interview with Lakota elder Basil Brave Heart. This episode features an interview with Basil over the Catholocism of Nicholas Black Elk. You can get Damien's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Elk-Colonialism-Catholicism-Culture/dp/1570755809/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537551433&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Damien+Costello+black+elk You can get Basil Brave Heart's book here: https://birchbarkbooks.com/all-online-titles/the-spiritual-journey-of-a-brave-heart intro music: Amaryah Armstrong outro music: theillogicalspoon

Magnificast Extra Credit - Prison Chaplains Sep 21, 2018

this week you get two episodes! we put in a little bit of extra work to give you a double episode! A few episodes back, we talked with Jared Ware about Christians involved in prison abolition--we specifically we wondering about any hot takes from prison chaplains, but that was something he was aware of. We went down to the hot take mine and talked with an actual prison chaplain and got her opinion on incarceration. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 78 - Pedagogy of the Oppressed Sep 14, 2018

Do you like learning? Of course, you do! In this episode we talk through Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In this episode we get into some big ideas like pedagogy, revolutionary leadership, matt gets cranky about some stuff, and we learn the true name of Ty Pennington! Move that bus! It's the Magnificast! Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 77 - No Gods, Some Bedtimes Sep 07, 2018

The usual deal on The Magnificast is to read a leftist Christian or a leftist who has something constructive to say about Christianity. This week, however, we're reading something really critical of Christianity. This week we're reading Mikhail Bakunin's God and the State! intro music by Amaryah Armstrong outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 76 - #PrisonStrike2018 w Jared Ware Aug 31, 2018

Following up on last week's episode about Angela Davis's book "Are Prisons Obsolete?" we decided to talk to Jared Ware, a freelance journalist and prison abolitionist covering the prison strike going on right now. Jared is also co-host of the podcast Millennials Are Killing Capitalism (there's a great episode there on the prison strike as well) and a producer for the Beyond Prisons podcast. You can follow him @jaybeware on twitter. For more information and updates on the strike, visit https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018. Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 75 - Are Prisons Obsolete (Yes) Aug 24, 2018

In case you haven't heard, there's a massive prison strike going on in the US and in Canada from August 21 to September 9. Prisoners are striking with a list of ten demands (those demands and more info are available here: https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018). This week we decided to look at prison abolition with the help of Angela Davis, a former prisoner herself. Her book "Are Prisons Obsolete" is a really accessible and forceful presentation of the history of prisons and their internal conditions, as well as what it would mean to think about alternatives. Solidarity to prisoners! Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 74 - The Critique of the Gotha Program Aug 17, 2018

Greetings from the past! Dean's on vacation this week, so here's an episode we recorded a few weeks ago. In this episode, Matt and Dean read through Marx's The Critique of the Gotha Program. Hold on to your butts for some more Marxism 101! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 73 - The Communist Manifesto! Aug 10, 2018

We did it folks, we finally talked about that good good book, that fifth gospel, the Communist Manifesto! Buckle up because this conversation is a meandering series of gushing comments about how good communism and how weird the bourgeoisie is! Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 72 - A Biography of A.E. Smith Aug 03, 2018

On this episode, Matt and Dean talk about the fine art of Jon McNaughton's "Crossing the Swamp" and the fine Christianity influenced communism of A.E. Smith. This episode highlights the biography of Smith and talks about what his example means for Christian Leftists. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 71 - Marxism is back baby. It's good again. Awoouu (wolf Howl) Jul 27, 2018

Over the past few weeks, we've been getting into that good pre-Marxist communism. This week, Matt and Dean take a look into what makes Marx so special in the first place! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 70 - Communism in The Bible Jul 20, 2018

Have you ever asked yourself, "is there communism in the bible?" If so, do we have a podcast for you! In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about Communism in the Bible by José Porfirio Miranda. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 69 - Biblical Porn (aka some stuff about Mark Driscoll) w Jessica Johnson Jul 14, 2018

We almost skipped from episode 68 to 70, but we thought our listeners deserved an extremely mature episode 69. Thankfully we found someone who can actually help us do that--Jessica Johnson, an anthropologist at the University of Washington who did an ethnographic study of Mark Driscoll's Mars Hill church in Seattle. Her findings and reflections are published in "Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire" (Duke, 2018). It's probably the only book that ever cites Guattari and Driscoll's book "Real Marriage," so you know it's a good one. You can find Jessica's book here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/biblical-porn Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 68 - Christians in the DPRK w Derek Ford Jul 06, 2018

Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, was once called the "Jerusalem of the East" because there were so many Christians there. After a brutal war with the US left the country in rubble, however, things changed--but how? We talked to Derek Ford, member of the PSL and organizer of a recent delegation to the DPRK, to find out what the country is like. We also read two articles by Korean scholar Dae Young Ryu, one from 2006 called “Fresh Wineskins for New Wine: A New Perspective on North Korean Christianity” published in the Journal of Church and State and another one from 2007 called “Religion, Politics, and Church Construction in North Korea” published in Theology Today, which we recommend for lots more great reading. Also we mentioned you should also listen to the episode Tyler Hill did with Derek on the podcast Gods and Ghosts, "It's Fun to Stay at the DPRK!" (https://soundcloud.com/critmedia/its-fun-to-stay-at-the-dprk?in=critmedia/sets/gods-ghosts) (also yes we did almost name this episode "It's Fun to Pray at the DPRK" but we don't want to be too derivative) Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon

Ep 66 - The Church Offensive w Darrel Wanzer-Serrano Jun 22, 2018

God is not dead. God is bread. The bread is rising! Bread means revolution. —New York Young Lords, “Celebration for a People’s Church” This week, Matt and Dean talk with Darrel Wanzer-Serrano about his book "The New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation." In this episode, we hear about The Young Lords, their 13 point platform, and the church offensive. You can find Wanzer-Serrano's book here: https://www.amazon.com/York-Young-Lords-Struggle-Liberation/dp/1439912033/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 65 - Sermon to the Princes Jun 15, 2018

Continuing our historical tour through the medieval European radical Christians, this week we focus in on what Thomas Müntzer is all about by reading "Sermon to the Princes" and his confessions. In this episode, Matt and Dean connect Müntzer's radical message with the contemporary political situation and get to the bottom of just how many horses Counts and other noblemen should use. Intro Music by Amaryah Armstong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 64 - Getting Diggy With It Jun 08, 2018

We know how much you love our episodes on the intertwined history of Christianity and leftist movements, so we dug up some hot takes on Gerrard Winstanley and The Diggers! Check out this episode for that good historical leftist Christianity and a new segment called "Answers from a Pastor" Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by Chumbawamba

Ep 63 - Friendly Fire Retreat Jun 01, 2018

In the past few months, we've been talking up the May Day Retreat the Friendly Fire Collective was putting on. Well, it happened! In this episode, we talk with Hye Sung Gehring from the Friendly Fire Collective about the retreat and just what happened! Donate to the Friendly Fire Collective here: https://www.gofundme.com/friendly-fire-retreat Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 62 - Vaticanomics May 26, 2018

The Vatican released a document about economics and dang are the commenters upset! This week we talk about what the document does and doesn't do for Christians on the left, how the Vatican needs a better PR game, and what Christians can say about systemic capitalist problems. You can read along with us for the Magnificast home game here: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/05/17/180517a.html Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 61 - Remembering James Cone w Amaryah Armstrong May 19, 2018

This week we remember the life of James Cone, who sparked black liberation theology in the United States. He died on April 28th this year. To think about his work, influence, and future, we talk with Amaryah Armstrong about how Cone has played a role in her own work and in public theology. We also talk about Cone's essay "The Black Church and Marxism: What Do They Have To Say To Each Other?" Also, we give you an update from the Benedict Basement. Spoiler: Marxism is scary, folks! Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 60 - The Communist Driven Guide to Evangelism May 11, 2018

Every Christian think piece since 2012 has basically been asking the same question: Why are young people leaving the church? In this episode, Matt and Dean (along with their good friend Rosa Luxemburg) offer a definitive answer to that question: churches just aren't communist enough! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon.

Ep 59 - The Pew and the Picket Line w Heath Carter May 04, 2018

Happy May Day, Happy Birthday Karl Marx! This week is full of leftist celebrations! To help us think more about the historical connections about Christianity and the US Labor movement, we've got Heath Carter back for another discussion about the ways Christianity has informed class struggle! Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by Woodie Guthrie

Ep 58 - Christian Reflections on Locke Street Anarchism w Kiegan Irish Apr 28, 2018

This week we sat down with Kiegan Irish, MA student at the Institute for Christian Studies and part of Christians for Socialism Toronto, to talk about his recent essay "Christian Reflections on Locke Street Anarchism." We think through what direct action says about society, why Christians have a hard time not siding with capital, and how you don't even have to be an anarchist to dig what anarchists are trying to tell you. Kiegan's essay is available here: http://www.groundmotive.net/2018/04/christian-reflections-on-locke-street_20.html Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong. Outro music by theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 57 - Zapatista Women's Stories w/ Hilary Klein Apr 20, 2018

We all know that the Zapatistas are the coolest and most inspiring political movement, so this week we decided to learn more about them! In this episode, we talked with author, Hilary Klein, about her incredible book Compañeras: Zapatista Women's Stories. You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Compa%C3%B1eras-Zapatista-Stories-Hilary-Klein/dp/1609805879 Intro music: Amaryah Armstrong Outro music: theillogicalspoon

Ep 56 - Grillin' up a Theology of Violence Apr 13, 2018

After last week's discussion with Greg Daly about the Easter Rising, we decided to track down how the Irish Christian Left emerged later in the 20th century. Unsurprisingly, our search brought us to 1968, when a radical Christian collective were in the news for demonstrations and publications. We rounded up a magazine called "Grille," published by some of those Irish Christian lefties, and decided to talk about the article "Theology of Violence" by journalist John Feeney. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong. Outro by theillalogicalspoon.

Ep 55 - The Church and the Rising w Greg Daly Apr 06, 2018

On last week's episode, Travis McMaken commented that it's important to find other examples of Christianity that diverge from the usual right-wing path. This episode, we're investigating the faithful revolutionaries from the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. This episode features a brilliant interview with Greg Daly, the author of 1916: The Church and the Rising. Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 54 - Our God Loves Justice w/ W. Travis McMaken Mar 30, 2018

The Christian political imagination is often limited to a brutal and ignorant capitalism or a stuffy and naive liberalism. Finding other examples of Christianity that counter both of these logics are essential projects for the Christian Left. In this episode, we interviewed W. Travis McMaken about one of those characters that express a faithful and socialist Christianity: Helmut Gollwitzer. You can find a link to "Our God Loves Justice" here: http://fortresspress.com/product/our-god-loves-justice-introduction-helmut-gollwitzer Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong. Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 53 - Gettin Friendly w Friendly Anarchism and Hye Sung Francis Mar 23, 2018

Last week we talked about Jacques Ellul's weird anarchism, so this week we're talking with Katherine and Hye Sung from the Friendly Fire Collective about cool anarchism! We talk about how Quakerism and pentecostalism feed into anarchism, why anarchists and Marxists can be buds, and hear about an upcoming retreat in Philadelphia--which you can register for until March 29 (https://friendlyfirecollective.wordpress.com/retreat/). You might remember Katherine from the episode we did together with her podcast Friendly Anarchism (Ep 39), and you can here both of them chat more in Friendly Anarchism episode 29! You can read more about the arrest of one of their comrades at a protest against Richard Spencer at Michigan State, and contribute to the bail fund, here: https://friendlyfirecollective.wordpress.com/2018/03/07/our-quaker-comrades-are-in-jail/ *EDIT* In the episode, we briefly talked about Blair's (of the Friendly Fire Collective mentioned in the episode) pending multiple convictions. However, we've been updated that he is now only facing one! Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong. Outro by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 52 - Anarchy and Christianity Redux Mar 17, 2018

True basement dwellers will remember our totally unlistenable first episode where we tried to talk about Jacques Ellul's book "Anarchy and Christianity." A year later, we revisited the book together in Toronto. Highlights include Ellul's weird anarchism, some more of that Very Good reflection on violence, and a reminder that there are cooler Christian anarchists out there! Intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 51 - Philosophy and Revolt by Richard Gilman-Opalsky Mar 09, 2018

Usually, on The Magnificast, we bring on a guest and talk about their work. However, in this episode, we're bringing you an amazing lecture by one of our favorite theorists: Richard Gilman-Opalsky. In this episode, you'll hear Dr. Gilman-Opalsky give a lecture he delivered at Greenville University in the fall of 2017 about incarceration, policing, and revolt. You can find Gilman-Opalsky's newest book here: http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2405_reg.html Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 50 - Over The Hill Mar 09, 2018

We did it! We made it to ep 50! We couldn't have done it without all of you good good comrades listening and responding! To celebrate this occasion, we took some of your voicemails and emails and reflected on the past magnificent magnificast year. Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 49 - Gettin' Charismatic w Vincent Lloyd Mar 02, 2018

Matt and Dean hung out with Vincent Lloyd in real life, so we decided to bring him back on the show to talk about his forthcoming book, In Defense of Charisma (Columbia University Press)! We talk about why people are suspicious of charisma, what's good about charisma, how charisma functions in organizing contexts, and more! Also, next week is our 50th episode, and we need your help! Send us your questions, comments, favorite episodes, favorite guests, reflections on the show, etc., and we might read your response! Our email is themagnificast@gmail.com. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even give us a call at leave a voicemail that we might play on air by calling 815-408-0745! Intro/transition music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 48 - Church Stuff, Jesus Stuff, and Huey P. Newton Feb 23, 2018

Everybody's talking about Black Panther, so we decided to talk about the Black Panthers! Specifically, we looked at two essays by Huey P. Newton, the Minister of Defense for the Black Panther Party, one called "On the Relevance of the Church" and another called "The Son of Man." We talk about how leftists can help Christians see the contradictions in our communities, Huey's mystical theology, and Jesus's popular movement in Judea! Very Good intro music by Amaryah Armstrong. Very Good outro music by theillalogicalspoon

Ep 47 - Popesplaining w Kaya Oakes Feb 16, 2018

This week we talked with Kaya Oakes (of America Magazine, Religion Dispatches, Killing the Buddha) about the Pope, women's ordination, and the religious left! Dope into by Amaryah Armstrong Dope outro by theillogicalspoon

Ep 46 - Remembering Lived Lives w Michael Jimenez Feb 09, 2018

In the past weeks, we've been focusing on conversations about the extremely bad history embedded in Christianity and how to wrestle with Christian complicity. This week, we continue that theme with Michael Jimenez, author of Remembering Lived Lives(https://wipfandstock.com/remembering-lived-lives.html). In this episode we talk about history, theology, decolonial theory, and we even get back around to Zizek through a patented Magnificast transition! Dope intro by Amaryah Armstrong Dope Outro by theillogicalspoon

Ep 45 - Catholic Workin' It w Brenna Cussen and Joe Kruse Feb 02, 2018

"The biggest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution that has to start with each one of us." - Dorothy Day There is no history of the Christian Left in the United States that can be complete without a discussion of the Catholic Worker. Staring in 1933, the Catholic Worker was a network of Catholics, Anarchists, and other Leftists who helped establish newspapers, communal farms, and houses of hospitality. In this Episode, Matt and Dean talk with two Catholic Workers: Brenna Cussen and Joe Kruse. Dope intro beats by Amarya Armstrong Dope Outro by theillogicalspoon

Ep 44 - Christian Complicity (and some Zizek) w Marika Rose Jan 26, 2018

In the first half of the show, we talk with Marika Rose about her essay "For Our Sins: Christianity, Complicity and the Racialized Construction of Innocence," which looks at the ways Christian appeals to universality troublingly license Christian colonialism and white supremacy. We talk about Christian complicity in domination, whether there's a future for Christianity, how Trump is innocent, and more! On the second half of the show, we talk about Marika's work on Slovenian Marxist Slavoj Zizek, including how he carries on some of the same pathologies in European Christianity that created white supremacy. As always, the episode is Very Good.

Ep 43: New Year New Left Jan 19, 2018

Talk about a "religious left" has been swirling in the media ever since Donald Trump was elected. Was it a force to be reckoned with in 2017? Will it be a force in 2018? We take a look at some popular representations of the "religious left," and think through the new Christians for Socialism manifesto as one way of responding to the problem of organizing Christian folks struggling to make sense of their moral injunction to capitalism and Trump's presidency. (Bonus Tradinista content. May God have mercy on our menchies.)

Ep 42: 20IMAGIN18: Really Doin' It w John Thornton Jr. Jan 12, 2018

Pastor and socialist John Thornton Jr. is the first Magnifiguest of 2018! We talk about slogans for the new year, being a socialist in church, debt, pastoral work, and how if folks want to get young people back in the church they should try socialism!

Ep 41 - The Opium of the People Jan 05, 2018

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about Cornel West's essay Religion and the Left and figure out if religious is too idealistic for Marxist Materialism.

Ep 40 - The Gospel in Solentiname Dec 29, 2017

Ho ho ho, it's The Magnificast Christmas special! in this episode, Matt and Dean discuss Christmas presents, Nicaragua, Ernesto Cardenal, reading the gospel alongside peasants and why it's important that Jesus was poor. incredibly dope intro music by Amaryah Armstrong Exquisite outro music by theillogicalspoon

ep 39 - The Direct Action Study Bible Featuring - Friendly Anarchism Dec 22, 2017

For weeks, Matt and Dean have been promising an episode on anarchism and now, with the help of Katherine, from Friendly Anarchism, we're delivering! In this episode, we discuss Anarchism, Democracy, Direct Action, Violence, Pacifism, Revolution, and Jesus! Very dope Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon (theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/album/theillalogicalspoon-sings-the-last-breath-of-the-luna-moth-under-the-morel-moon)

Ep 38 - Species-Being is a Sandwich Dec 15, 2017

Human Nature, Dignity, Freedom: these are all right wing buzzwords, but what do they actually mean? In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about these ideas from a Marxist and Christian perspective Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong Outro Music by theillogicalspoon

Ep 37 - Brett Neutrality w Brett O'Shea of Revolutionary Left Radio Dec 08, 2017

You know what sucks? Corporate media and the suppression of leftist ideas. You know what's awesome? Brett O'Shea from The Revolutionary Left Radio (@revleftradio). In this episode, we talk with Brett about the upcoming Net Neutrality vote and a Marxist analysis of media. Check out Brett's podcast out here: https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/ Intro music by Amarya Armstrong Outro music by theillogicalspoon (https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/album/theillalogicalspoon-sings-the-last-breath-of-the-luna-moth-under-the-morel-moon)

Ep 36 - Combat Liberalism Dec 01, 2017

If you're tired of hearing us talk about Christians for Socialism then sorry we're not sorry that we're still on it this week. We're working on getting the rights to digitize and distribute some of the old resources, but in the meantime we looked at a study guide put out by the Inter-Religious Task Force for Social Analysis called "Which Side Are We On? Christian Commitment for the '80s." Specifically, we did an exercise where the guide asks the reader to look at Mao's essay "Combat Liberalism" alongside some biblical texts! Intro music: Amaryah Shaye Armstrong Outro music: theillalogicalspoon

Ep 35 - Church Clarity w Sarah Ngu Nov 22, 2017

Churches are supposed to be places of community, hospitality, and refuge, but what about when they're not? Many denominations and congregations routinely exclude LGBTQ people and that totally sucks. In this episode, Matt and Dean talk with Sarah Ngu, a comrade who works with Religious Socialism as well as with an organization called Church Clarity. Sarah explains possible ways to sort out the sheep from the goats of affirming churches and possible solutions to the vague statements concerning the openness and acceptance of LGBTQ people.

Episode 34 - Christians for Socialism Pt. 2 Nov 17, 2017

Last week we talked about Christians for Socialism, a radical revolutionary contingent of Christians that started in response to the Allende election in Chile. We ended that episode noting that the organization had to disband in Chile after a US-backed coup deposed Allende. But the end of Christians for Socialism in Chile wasn't the end of the organization itself. It was exported to North America, connecting with other Christian groups that were organizing for socialism there. To get a sense of that transmission and how Christians for Socialism operated in the United States and Canada, we talked with Kathleen Schultz, who was the Executive Secretary of the organization for about a decade. We end with some speculations about what Christians for Socialism might look like in the twenty-first century.

Ep 33 - Christians for Socialism pt 1 Nov 10, 2017

It's no secret that we think Christianity and socialism are Very Good. Over the course of the podcast we've tried to find some ideas and movements that help illuminate the relationship between Christians and socialism. But we're hardly the first to think about that. In Chile in the early 70s, a group of 80 priests founded Christians for Socialism, a contingent of Christians who wanted not just political change, but revolutionary change, supporting the energy behind the Allende government. The group famously hosted Fidel Castro, which kicked off an amazing few decades of dialogue between Marxists and Christians in Latin America, and they had rigorous disciplinary measures to ensure the movement stayed radical. This week on The Magnificast we decided to get some encouragement from this incendiary movement of radical Christians, witnesses of a radical faith and a radical political vision. We look at an oral history of the movement and reflections by Marxist economist and Jesuit priest Gonzolo Arroyo. The research was wild, the discoveries were exciting, and the conversation was encouraging. And just wait--there's more around the corner!

Ep 32 - Fidel and Religion Nov 03, 2017

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about Frei Betto's book "Fidel and Religion," Religion in Cuba, Communism, and Revolution. They also desperately try not to cough into their microphones.

Episode 31 - Chavismo, Venezuela, and Building Dual Power w/ George Ciccariello-Maher Oct 27, 2017

In this episode, Dean and Matt interview George Ciccariello-Maher about Chavismo, Venezuela, dual power, the communes, Maduro and the ways Christianity might have informed Hugo Chavez' political imagination.

Episode 30 Still Partying w/ Dave McKee Oct 20, 2017

When Dean met Dave McKee at a karaoke night hosted by the Communist Party of Canada, he wasn't expecting to find out the provincial leader of the party in Ontario had once studied theology and even spent time with Nicaraguan Christians in base communities. Needless to say, we had to have him on the podcast, and we finally did! We talk about Marxism-Leninism in Canada, how violence and nonviolence factor into the CPC's goals as a revolutionary party, and a bunch of other things we keep circling around on this podcast. We also talk about Dave's history with Christian base communities, materialism and faith, and what Christians can contribute to leftist struggles in North America. If you're a Christian and you're afraid of getting out and organizing, hopefully this conversation gives you a reason to take a leap! And if you're a materialist cranky about Christians, maybe Dave's experiences will help you see another angle on the need for coalitions across theological lines.

Ep 29 - An Unorthodox History of Orthodoxy w Jonathan Murden Oct 13, 2017

Different Christian traditions have different potentials for leftist thought. Throughout The Magnificast, we've talked about a number of different Christian and Leftist perspectives, but we've never quite made it to the Orthodox Church. That all changed this week when Matt and Dean talked with Jonathan Murden about the history of the Orthodox Church and its interaction with the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution!

Ep 28: Party Congress of Resistance w Derek Ford Oct 06, 2017

Derek Ford is back on the 'cast to defend his title as Most Faithful Guest with a whopping three visits. After talking with Jodi Dean in episode 24 about the People's Congress of Resistance, we wanted to follow up and hear how it went. Derek gives us a full report of some of the most exciting parts of the project, talks about what it might mean for future organizing, and gives a few suggestions about how Christians might get involved! **SPOILER** The Juggalo March makes an appearance.

Ep 27 - Identity Politics & Christianity Sep 29, 2017

It's time for another user created episode of the Magnificast! This episode is brought to you by all of you nice folks who send us your questions! Also, later in the episode Matt and Dean dunk on Joe Carter and the Acton Institute and talk a little bit about identity politics.

Ep 26 Union Made w Heath Carter Sep 22, 2017

The late 19th and early 20th century saw an immense struggle between labor and capital in the United States. From the Haymarket Massacre to the Pullman Strike, Chicago was the site of many significant victories and defeats for the labor movement. There are loads of great histories attending to the burgeoning socialist movements in the midst of those struggles, but what were the Christians up to in Chicago, especially following revivals rolling across the country and a strong Catholic presence there? That's what Heath Carter asks in his book Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago. Unsurprisingly, the establishment Christian community is often on the side of capital. But the workers movement had an interesting strategy for dealing with this problem--identify Jesus as what he was, a worker. We talk to Heath about some of the interesting characters he discovered, how he pulled his research together, and what strategies Christians might find today to evangelize the churches for the sake of justice for working people. It's a mission that's increasingly important, and one that Christians slowly came around to in the last century in an effort to meet the demands in their pews for a pro-labor faith.

Ep 24 - The Peoples Congress of Resistance w/ Jodi Dean Sep 08, 2017

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk about The People's Congress of Resistance with Jodi Dean. The People's Congress of Resistance is an upcoming event (sept 16-17) in Washington D.C. In this episode, the three discuss what the People's Congress is about, what its demands entail, the importance of organization in politics, and what Christians can contribute to leftist struggle. You can learn more about the People's Congress of Resistance here:http://www.congressofresistance.org/

Ep 23 - Private Property Is Bad! Sep 01, 2017

Christians on the Left are pretty good at being suspicious of things like the state or big business. After all, Jesus got killed by an empire and big businesses aren't exactly known for their sacrificial values. In this suspicion though, a lot of Christians (and even a lot of newly minted Leftists in the wake of Bernie Sanders) don't think very much about the problem of private property itself, which has been one of the grounding problems for radical leftists since Marx, Proudhon, Bakunin, and other Lefty saints. In this episode Matt and Dean give some quick overviews of anarchist and Marxist problems with private property and try to offer examples of where those problems have manifested today. But it's not just Lefty saints that have a problem with private property--the Christian tradition, too, was around before capitalism, and with its own suspicion of private property it can help build a world after capitalism, too.

Ep 22 User Created Revolution Aug 25, 2017

This week, Dean and Matt circle back to review some user created content that all of you good Magnificasters have sent in over the past few weeks! Also, this episode launches a new segment (#theorytime) featuring The Lit Crit Guy, Jon Greenaway, that gives a 101 level introduction to Marx's theory of revolution!

Ep 21 - Nazis Are Bad Aug 18, 2017

The face of white supremacy is a manifestation of evil that Christians and leftists should categorically oppose without qualifications. That might seem like an obvious point, but Christians seemed to have trouble responding in a timely way to the Charlottesville tragedy, taken in by the liberal temptation to condemn violence "on all sides." That temptation creates a false equivalence between the systemic violence expressing itself through white supremacy, whether they throw blows or not, and the liberating actions of resistance, and it relies on a kind of moral posturing that assumes it's above the fray precisely because it misunderstands the fray in the first place. In the episode, we try to think through problems of violence and nonviolence, making an appeal for a more differentiated understanding of violence that we think helps parse out some of these problems. To help us out, Amaryah Armstrong offered some thoughts to get us going, and we interact with Dr. Cornel West's reflections on the presence of antifa and anarchists at the event. If you're still not convinced, we try to throw pacifists a bone by considering how John Howard Yoder, the arch-pacifist Mennonite theologian, looked at revolutionary theologies form his own perspective. At the end, we suggest Christians need to be more creative in their responses to white supremacy, whether pacifist or not--if nothing else, the Charlottesville rally should be a wake up call for a church that can't seem to make sense of the unadulterated and obvious oppressive form of violence that is white supremacy.

Ep 20 -- Christian Leftist Theory Time with The Lit Crit Guy Aug 11, 2017

We got a chance to get some of our own #TheoryTime in with The Lit Crit Guy himself, talking about Roland Boer's book Criticism of Heaven, and specifically a chapter Boer wrote on the French communist Louis Althusser's Catholic undercurrents. (You might remember Derek Ford gesturing toward Althusser's Catholicism way back in episode 3.) We try to sort out some different relationships between religion and Marxism as articulated by Boer, and see if we can extend his taxonomy to Christian anarchists, too. We then chat a little about Althusser's "Catholic Marxism" (as Boer calls it) and how Christianity really does seem to lead down the path of communism (surprise!).

Ep 19 - Universally Bad with Amaryah Shaye Armstrong Aug 04, 2017

Matt and Dean are joined by Amaryah Shaye Armstrong to talk about her article "Of Flesh and Spirit: Race, Reproduction, and Sexual Difference in the Turn to Paul." The three talk about the failures of universalism, reconciliation, Rod Dreher and Pizza.

Ep 18 - Morality And Politics W/ Matt Sitman Jul 28, 2017

In this episode, Matt and Dean talk with Matt Sitman of Commonweal Magazine about his recent essay "Against Moral Austerity: On the Need for a Christian Left." The conversation outlines the failure of the Democratic party to engage politics morally and what the left could gain from using moral language.

Ep 17 - #CHRISTIANITY2017 W/ Daniel Camacho Jul 21, 2017

Matt and Dean talk with Daniel Camacho about evangelicalism and the legacy of the Christian left.

Ep 16 - #SOCIALISM2017 w Drew Van't Land Jul 14, 2017

Dean is back! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJtx9xQQEx4) In this episode, Matt and Dean talk with Drew Van't Land about his trip to the Socialism 2017 conference in Chicago. The three discuss Christianity, socialism, race, class and socializing daycare.

Ep 15 - Wrestling With Boff Jul 07, 2017

Dean is still on vacation, so Zach Dimiele steps in as a guest co-host. Matt and Zach discuss Leonardo Boff's Ecclesiogenesis and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's integral role in the history of the church.

Ep 14 Camping Out With John Brittingham Jun 30, 2017

Dean's away on vacation, so John Brittingham is filling in as a co-host. Matt and John have a very Foucaultian conversation about the disciplinary structures of Christian summer camps.

Ep 13 - Christianity And Socialism Jun 23, 2017

In this episode, Matt and Dean do some 101 level socialism and Christianity talk. There is a history of folks on the left and right that assume Christianity and socialism are antithetical, but in this episode Matt and Dean disprove this garbage take through the immortal science of historical materialism.

Ep 12 - Party On w Derek Ford Jun 16, 2017

We regret to inform you Matt and Dean are at it again! In this episode of The Magnificast, Derek Ford joins the discussion again and they explore Lenin's essays on the communist party and religion alongside Herbert McCabe's essay on Christian Love and Class Struggle.

Ep 11: Theology of Struggle Jun 09, 2017

In this episode, we talk about the participation of Christians in the Communist Party of the Philippines and chat about revolutionary violence.

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