Episode Archive

70 episodes of Following the Fire since the first episode, which aired on February 24th, 2021.

  • 21: Good Tomatoes: When taking things seriously just means “Love”

    July 14th, 2021  |  1 hr 20 mins

    On today’s podcast we’re discussing a variety of topics including how our deconstruction’s going, what relationships look like when they’re not connected to a church, the Bible and being “right” and, unsurprisingly, it all ends up pointing to love.

  • 20: Book Club: "Jesus & John Wayne" by Kristen Kobes Du Mez

    July 7th, 2021  |  1 hr 33 mins

    We've invited Valerie Quirey (American, Canadian, former Brazilian, & church planter) to discuss possibly the most unsettling (yet important!) book any of us have read this year.

  • 19: Affirming: LGBTQ+ acceptance & the church - a conversation with Sally Gary

    June 30th, 2021  |  1 hr 4 mins

    Today we’re going to be discussing the book Affirming: A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality, and Staying in the Church by Sally Gary. This is Sally’s second memoir, and it’s about her journey from her youth growing up in the church of Christ, coming to terms with her sexuality as a gay woman, and moving from a stance of not approving of same sex marriage herself to marrying her wife Karen just this past year — all while remaining devoted to God. It’s a deeply touching story, and I believe a very important one that all Christians should check out.

  • 18: Science & Faith 01: Handling the Conflict of Science & Faith

    June 23rd, 2021  |  25 mins 17 secs

    The first in a mini-series on science and the Bible, we go deeper in to the idea that God wrote 2 books: the Word and the World. And what does Aristotle and a fixed-earth cosmology have to do with it all?

  • 17: It’s Complicated: Taking a new look at the Trinity

    June 16th, 2021  |  1 hr 27 mins

    Today we dive in to a deep and mysterious and complicated and confusing topic. We tend to just say this word and accept it and move on, but we're going to take some time to discuss the doctrine of the Trinity. The idea that 3 is 1 and 1 is 3. And we dive in to whether or not that's what we believe, and what does that mean for our lives, and what does it mean for how I treat my neighbor, or what I should do today?

  • 16: Aftershocks: Reactions to breaking up with your church

    June 9th, 2021  |  1 hr 27 mins

    Today we have a little bit of fun with a denomination personality quiz, then stick around until the end to hear Steve’s breakup letter to our congregation. And in the meantime, we talk about the emotions of this in-between space, community and lack thereof, and Nathan discovers #WeirdChristianTwitter

  • 15: Book Club: "Why We Can't Wait" by Martin Luther King, Jr.

    June 2nd, 2021  |  1 hr 27 mins

    We're joined by Nicole Magliore to discuss the book "Why We Can't Wait" by Martin Luther King, Jr. – Not only do we discuss the book, but what white Christians can do to make a difference in a country that is still so stuck in white supremacy and systemic racism. This, my friends, is a fantastic episode.

  • 14: Accidental Selection: Thoughts on finding a new church

    May 26th, 2021  |  1 hr 20 mins

    Today we’re talking about our personal criteria for what we’re looking for in a church. We’re both in this awkward stage of looking and it’s a bit like dating, except you only get to have a little bit of cracker and a little bit of juice. We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Email us at followingthefirepodcast@gmail.com

  • 13: Flip-Floppers: Engaging in politics and keeping your soul

    May 19th, 2021  |  1 hr 43 mins

    Today we’re discussing everyone’s favorite topic: Politics. We’ll be talking about how and why and if we should involve ourselves in politics, whether or not we all have to agree, and where our focus through it all needs to be.

  • 12: Don't Give Moses Horns: Are science & faith friends or foes?

    May 12th, 2021  |  1 hr 19 mins

    Today we're going to talk about science and religion. Big, big topics that have influenced our faiths for our whole lives. Studies show that Christians everywhere experience the tension between the two things. But is there really a conflict? Do we have to make a choice? Or can there be a harmony when these two ways of looking at the world align?

  • 11: Grieving Leaving: How to leave a church

    May 5th, 2021  |  1 hr 31 mins

    For better or worse, one thing that comes with all the faith deconstruction going on these days is that a lot of people are leaving or changing the church they attend. Nathan has some great advice for those leaving, those who are left, and the leaders of churches. Wherever you fall on that list, this episode is for you.

  • 10: Book Club: "With" by Skye Jethani

    April 28th, 2021  |  1 hr 20 mins

    On this episode of the Following the Fire Book Club we discuss the book "With" by Skye Jethani. Special guest: Heather Meyer!

  • 9: Huge Black Eye: Modern idolatry and the image of God

    April 21st, 2021  |  1 hr 31 mins

    Today Nathan’s return to a short story about Jesus healing 10 lepers leads us into the 10 commandments, idolatry, can we safely say “OMG”, then to masks, vaccines, the mark of the beast. We talk about being the image of God in this messed up spiritual desert, and we wish for brave leadership through it.

  • 8: Deconstructing Deconstruction: What it is and why it's happening

    April 14th, 2021  |  1 hr 53 mins

    In this episode Nathan learns what the word ‘heuristic’ means, and we talk a lot about ‘deconstruction’ — what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and what the process might be like for people like us who are going through it.

  • Bonus Episode: The Leaven of Nathan

    April 10th, 2021  |  14 mins 45 secs

    The Problem: Nathan is judgmental and gets it wrong about music

  • 7: Bowling Without Bumpers: Rethinking the Restoration movement

    April 7th, 2021  |  1 hr 22 mins

    Is restoration of the first century church REALLY what we should be focusing on? Is there a danger in trying to do the right thing all the time? Is faith supposed to be scary? Should we all give dancing naked a try? These and other questions, if not answered, will at least be asked on this week's episode.