Twenty-First Century Jesus

Latest Episodes:

Hollywood, Elf, and Screenwriting with Todd Komarnicki Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

Todd Komarnicki is an author, playwright, a Hollywood screenwriter and a producer. He’s responsible for such movies as the modern Christmas classic Elf (starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Faverau) and Sully, the story about the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane landing (starring Tom Hanks and directed by Clint Eastwood). He’s also a committed Christian who has lost out on projects because of his faith. Todd explains the process of how films go from script-to-screen, dealing with difficult personalities, and how he ultimately defines success, both on screen and off.

Guns, The Death Penalty, and Living Like Mother Teresa with Shane Claiborne Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, Christian activist, and best-selling author. 25 years ago he served alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India and upon returning to the States, founded a New Monastic community in Philadelphia called The Simple Way. Shane heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of people committed to living as if Jesus meant the things he said. He calls himself “a champion for grace” which has led him to jail while advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. His current passions include working to end the death penalty and helping stop gun violence, all of which we discuss with him during this week’s episode.

Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Executing Grace, and his newest book, Beating Guns.

Brian Dawkins on Life and Struggles in the NFL Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Former Philadelphia Eagles football player Brian Dawkins is widely regarded as one of the hardest hitting defensive players in NFL history. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Dawkins started off as a not-so-heralded second round draft pick, and went on to become a legendary all-time great. Known for his aggressive play, Brian shares how he fell in love with the game as a teenager, his struggles with depression early in his career, the pain of being traded toward the end of his time in the NFL, and the role that his faith played in his life and career. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Royersford, PA.

Embracing Minimalism with Colin Wright Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Colin Wright seemed to have it all. A successful, multi-millionaire by the age of 24, he realized there was way more he wanted to accomplish in life than just making as much money as possible. In 2009, he sold everything he owned that wouldn’t fit into a carry-on suitcase (EVERYTHING!), scaled his business down, and started a blog called Exile Lifestyle where he would ask his readers to vote on what country he should move to and live in every four months. Over the next 10 years, Colin lived in Argentina, New Zealand, Thailand, Iceland, India, Romania, the Czech Republic, and the Philippines. He visited 60 other countries as well all 48 contiguous states (twice), road tripped through South America, explored Europe by train – he kept his promise to himself to live as simply as possible so he could focus on the things that mattered most. Colin has written multiple books including How To Travel Full-Timeand hosts his own podcast called Let’s Know Things.

Confronting Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Steve Drain Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

Steve Drain is a member of Westboro Baptist Church, a small group of extreme protestors based out of Topeka, Kansas. Founded in 1955, WBC considers itself an “Old School Primitive Baptist Church,” but has no official affiliation with any mainstream Baptist organizations, which have all publicly distanced themselves from the group. Known for their “picketing ministry,” we attempted to have a conversation with Mr. Drain about the motivation behind their demonstrations. As you’ll hear in this episode, things didn’t quite go the way we had planned.

Overcome Anxiety with Dr. Matthew Stanford Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Matthew Stanford is the CEO of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute in Houston, Texas, and serves as an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. He’s an expert on the interplay between psychology and issues of faith, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, as well as many news websites including Fox, MSNBC, Yahoo, and US News & World Report. Dr. Stanford is the author of two books, Grace for the Afflicted and also The Biology of Sin: Grace, Hope, and Healing for Those Who Feel Trapped. Additional resources for this episode can be found online at https://mentalhealthgateway.org/.

Is Islam a Religion of Peace? with Dr. Shabir Ally Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Shabir Ally is a Muslim Imam and serves as the President of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre in Toronto, Canada. He teaches courses on Arabic, the Quran, and Islam at the University of Toronto, and is known around the world as an expert in Islamic debate and interfaith dialogue. Recorded in front of a live audience, Dr. Ally explains how Muslims view Jesus vs. Mohammed, discusses the problem of Islamic extremism and whether the Quran advocates violence, and details instances of prejudice he’s faced as a Muslim living in North America post-9/11.

Wait…You Saw Bigfoot?! with Tom Fodi Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

Tom Fodi is a pastor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s a former Air Force Chaplain, has a Masters of Divinity degree, he’s a family man – the kind of person you would want in your corner if you ever needed a credible witness to vouch for you. He also claims to be an eyewitness to Bigfoot (a claim that he says included multiple other witnesses). Whether you believe in Bigfoot, aliens, the Loch Ness Monster, or you’re 100% convinced that none of these things are real, listen as Tom shares the first-person account of his encounter with the unknown on this episode of the Twenty-First Century Jesus Podcast.

“Coming Out” As Christian to Gay Parents with Caleb Kaltenbach Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian, and later a pastor. As Caleb sees it, Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”— or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find hard to relate to. Hear Him explain Jesus’ example for how to love people and yet still hold on to your beliefs, even when things get messy.

Second Chances with baseball legend Pete Rose Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

“No one in the clubhouse knew I was betting on games.” – Pete Rose

Should Pete Rose be allowed into the Hall of Fame?

Rose, recognized as one of Major League Baseball’s all-time greatest players, holds the league’s records for most hits (4,256), most games played (3,562) and most career at-bats (14,053). In 1989, he was permanently banned from baseball (including the Hall of Fame) as a result of allegations that he bet on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds, a clear violation of Major League Baseball’s rules. In 2004, Rose admitted these charges were true in his autobiography, My Prison Without Bars. To this day, he remains banished from the game he once dominated.

Recorded in front of a live audience, Pete sits down and discusses his childhood, his relationship with his father, his march toward baseball immortality, and his desire for a second chance. 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of Rose’s banishment from the game as well as the fifteen years since his admission of guilt. Yet, while players who took performance-enhancing drugs have been welcomed back to the game, Pete still remains an outcast.

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