Pastor With No Answers

Host Joey Svendsen was on the BlackSheep Podcast to talk about himself for an hour.  Hosts of BlackSheep, Mason and Cullen, ask Joey what he believes and what music he’s listening to and they were wonderful in allowing us to release this on our channel as well.  Joey goes into the history of Pastor With No Answers and how it represents a biographical synopsis of all the ways he’s changed in his faith.  And God forbid any one admit he is a Christian mainly due to spiritual experiences/encounters.  Joey is a true music snob (so he’s told) and shares his 10 favorite Christmas songs, what five albums influenced his musical tastes, why Emery stood out to him during pop-screamo’s heyday, and how Underoath’s freshman release album was the only UO material he listened to.  Make sure you stick around for the outtakes of the Mars Hill spoof.  The BlackSheep PodcastMars Hill Sketch contributors: Justina Sparling, Jason Farr, Grayson LIttle, Jed Payne, Hayne Griffen.  Join us as a Patron!Join our mailing list to keep up

How do you ever have a "normal feeling Christmas" again when on that one Christmas morning, you woke up to the news Rian Fuller woke up to.  On Christmas of 2015, Rian lost her best friend Karen Bessinger, who just happened to be the one who gave her birth.  Here we discuss whether or not Christmas is "redeemable" for Rian again; and we wonder why the hell couldn't God have just picked a different day to take her mom home?   Maybe September 14th?  Or how about January 14th?   Christmas is expected  to be -- and treated by the masses -- as the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year," but for those who suffered great loss in recent prior years, this is impossible.  And this tension between "happy holidays" and grief, is utterly painful, so I'm told.  The pain of this world, the untimely loss of one you call mother and friend, in this episode we reflect on life, loss, and eternal perspective.  There's also some mysterious "post death interactions" that w

Subscribe here to keep up with all things "Pastor With No Answers" as well as a new digital family we'd love to have you a part of.  You don't have to be alone in your spiritual questions  and you don't have to play by society's "new standard" of taking sides and being polarized.  Join us!At top of episode, Joey proposes some double-standards to co-hosts Matt Oxley and Ellen Mauro, in how male "body-part slang," like the word "d*ck" is acceptable for casual use while the female "body-part slang word" "p***y," isn't. Brian Allain has partnered with the likes of Diana Butler Bass, Brian McLaren and Shane Claiborne to actually try and bring Christians from all spectrums (fundamentalists and progressives) together, aligned in love.  They (plus others) all compiled some essays on how we can do it in How to Heal Our Divides: a Practical Guide.  Brian and I discuss with special guest-host, Andy Squyres, the reasons for division, we

With eight hundred staff members, 1000 students, Bethel Church / Music (based out of Redding California) is a household name in the evangelical church world.  Jenn just wrote a book, “All Things Lovely: Inspiring Health and Wholeness in Your Home, Heart, and Community.” In the context of this book, we talk supernatural healings, antidepressants, importance of church community, and holistic health.  Joey also asks her questions about eternal punishment, “grave soaking,” and the celebrity culture that is so common in today’s church world.  At top of episode, Matt Oxley and Ellen Mauro discuss a major problem in today's youth and Ellen challenges Joey's negative use of the word "woke."  If being "woke" is awakening to social injustices, that's never a bad thing.  Right? Jenn Johnson / Instagram / Website / Bethel Church Podcast Hosts:  Ellen Mauro Instagram / Matt Oxley Join us as a Patron!Join our mailing list to keep up with everything.Tip any amount $ to Venmo for a PWNA Sti

From the ages of six to 26, Ashley Broderick has persevered through chronic panic disorder without the guidance of any healthcare professional or the assistance of antidepressants.  Now the mother of two (one high schooler) with more knowledge and coping skills,  and now also incorporating the help of the mental health profession, she has acquired great strength and made great strides of health.  Without an act of God, however, this will always be a part of her battle.  We’ll call it “Ashley’s Thorn” (cool band name, you’re welcome). Panic attacks are brutal, but listeners may not know the extent of how intense they can be, how long the effects can be intrusive, and how violent the anxiety can become.  During the pandemic, Ashley witnessed the many anxiety flare ups in others, due to all the employment/economy and health uncertainties; and realized they were all  experiencing [in 2020] what her day to day feels like all the time.  From thinking her baby is being kidnapped in the room next door to turning the

James Wellman with us today to talk about his newest book, High on God: How Mega Churches Have Won the Heart of America.  Most would have Wellman in the "progressive Christian" camp, he began his research assuming his cynicism about Mega Churches would be vindicated and that he'd find that these things should go away for good.  Instead, he discovered that Mega Churches generally provide a healthy sense of belonging to its members and typically contribute a lot of good into their surrounding communities.  Do these churches help meet emotional needs?  Are evangelicals a more generous bunch than their progressive counterparts?  Here’s a very practical and simple explanation for keeping Mega Churches around.  At the top of the episode, Matt Oxley, Ellen Mauro and Joey Svendsen discuss their former fundamentalism, why Matt’s not a Christian anymore and why a "universalistic salvation" evangelistic message would be the most effective gospel message, even if it wasn’t true.   Pastor WIth No

New York Times best-selling author, Kristin Kobes Du Mez wrote Jesus and John Wayne which is   "a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism and reveals how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism―or in the words of one modern chaplain, with a 'spiritual badass.’”  She claims the key to understanding this transformation is recognizing the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a professor of history at Calvin University and the author of A New Gospel for Women. She has written for the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, and Religion & Politics, among other publications.  Recently she's been a major contributing voice on Christianity Today's The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast.  Here we talk about the historical timeline of how culture has viewed gender, how these views have changed thro

We all know people can survive to the next day, without having sex of any kind.  But in a romantic relationship, is sex an integral part of getting close?  What if sex is physically impossible?  The good stuff people are looking for in "sexual intimacy,"  can it also be found in non-sexual acts that are exclusive to our partner?  Ellen doesn’t really care about having sex.  Joey likes sex but he is getting old, so he likes it less.  Hayne likes sex, but his lovely wife is going through chemo treatments, so it’s been a bit bare.  Hayne passes along some wisdom from his grandma and rocks Joey and Ellen’s world.  In the words of Ellen Mauro, “this was the most epic sex conversation she’s ever had.” Hopefully it's helpful to others too.  Thanks, Hayne!Join us as a Patron!Join our mailing list to keep up with everything.Send $ to Venmo for a PWNA Sticker. Ellen Mauro InstagramJoey/PWNA Instagram and TwitterCurrent DonorSee giving opportunityJoin the PWNA Discussion Facebook [email protected]

Michael S. Heiser, a biblical scholar, author (“The Unseen Realm”) and podcaster, (“The Naked Bible Podcast)  just released his newest non-fiction book, “Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness.”  In this conversation (and in his new book), he  debunks popular presuppositions, myths and traditions about these real powers of darkness.  So Satan was NOT the worship leader of heaven?Here we talk about three distinct demonic rebellions and their significances and ponder on why God didn't just smoke the demons in the first place.  We learn the difference between principalities and demons and whether or not Joey’s great-grandfather saw these little bastards, nearing the end of his life.  We also manage to fit in some dialogue about after-life theories, foreknowledge and predestination, free will,  open theology and whether the sex between the "sons of god demons" and human women was consensual.  Michael Heiser /  Podcast / Non-profitJoin us as a Patron! Join our mailing list t

Real people, real friends, real stories.  Was it supernatural?  You get to make the call.  Did Pastor Chip Judd stop a demon from bullying his wife?  Did Joey and his brother call a spirit out of the supernatural realm when they were teens? Did God send a little girl’s father back for last good-byes?  Did God interact with a missions team in Haiti, through flood lights and a shooting star?  Did Ellen have a demon in her room as a little girl?  Did our other two guests witness demon possession or a severe mental episode?  What’s the relation (if any) between the two?Guests in order of appearance: Chip Judd, Ellen Mauro, Liz Miller, Tyler and Kayla Thompson, Jason Lott, Tommy Hall, Fr. Vincent Lampert, Jared Svendsen ([email protected]  for info on correspondence): Join us as a Patron!Join our mailing list to keep up with everything.Send $ to Venmo for a PWNA Sticker. Joey/PWNA Instagram and TwitterCurrent DonorSee giving opportunityJoin the PWNA Discussion Facebook [email protected]  for correspon

Joey is feeling like an out of touch, inappropriate at times, old grandpa.  Talking it over with co-hosts Ellen Mauro and Jed Payne, the question at hand is:  does the woke culture need to wake up and stop some of its irrational shananigans or does Joey just need to catch up and grow up? Throughout this episode, Joey also makes a rare "be a Patron of the podcast" pitch and let's you in on various new perks of the new giving tier, The Collection Plate.  You'll hear some examples of patron-only perks, including two  "PWNA Style" devotions and clips from a patron-exclusive Q/A with the 1946 Movie Team to discuss a biblically-affirming view on the LGBTQ+ community (with special contributions from Pricilla Svendsen and Pastor Chip).   You'll also hear clips from an unreleased "Podcumentary" telling the story of a "community experiment" Joey conducted in 2019 that is birthing a new online community.   Join us as a Patron!Join our mailing list to keep up with ev

All hell is breaking loose now  in "Evangelical-Land" as more women speak out authoritatively and aren't taking huge strides to be nice about it.   Does Jesus call us to more than niceness? Author, Pastor and full of that Ph to the D, Sharon Hodde Miller has navigated the treacherous waters of being a woman and a pastor, while living in the south.   We discuss  her book "Nice: Why We Love to be Liked and How God Calls us to More," as she lays out how christian women, especially leaders and those with influence, have been rewarded and lauded over the years for their "niceness."  It's even been the most lucrative posture for a woman to take in the Christian market of speaking gigs and book sales. Sharon has a knack for being patient and gracious to those with different backgrounds with varying theological views; and highlights the importance of unity, despite differing opinions on important theological matters.  In other words, she fits right in with the PWNA fam.  "

Author (“Women Rising”) and Podcaster, (Faith and Feminism Podcast) Meghan Tschanz, was fully invested in ministry work when she found herself no longer able to go with the “evangelical flow" of how women were treated and how their role in this world was characterized "biblically."  And once she saw the connection between traditional church views on female roles and the violence and trafficking of women in general, it couldn't be unseen; now she feels compelled once and for all, to live a life of speaking out, putting her convictions over “keeping the peace” with evangelicalism.  During this conversation, Meghan talks about the damage women have sustained over the years by traditional patriarchal translations of scripture. Through many current views of scripture, women are pressured to take responsibility for the sexual attention (even unwanted advances) their bodies attract instead of teaching men to have self-control.  Men are taught that “power over women” is good and admirable.  It sho

Welcoming back a PWNA regular, [Subscribe here to keep up with all things "Pastor With No Answers" as well as a new digital family we'd love to have you a part of.  Click here to lock yourself in as a $5 patron in an $8 Patreon giving tier.  You don't have to be alone in your spiritual questions  and you don't have to play by society's "new standard" of taking sides and being polarized.  Join us!]Joey, in this brand new episode fresh after reading Faith After Doubt, probes many topics including the uneasiness Christians have when people find some truth in other religions, whether Christian leaders use fear to control "flocks," and how our beliefs about God will most certainly affect how we represent God and God’s kingdom. Brian McLaren is committed to Jesus now more than ever, but equally more than ever, is staunchly opposed to Christianity being supreme over all over religions. Brian also updates us on the upcoming follow up to “Faith After Doubt,” “Do I Stay

Subscribe here to keep up with all things "Pastor With No Answers" as well as a new digital family we'd love to have you a part of.  You don't have to be alone in your spiritual questions  and you don't have to play by society's "new standard" of taking sides and being polarized.  Join us!Ellen, Jack and Joey kick things off talking about that eternal place of torment, Joey making a case for the "obvious and logical unfairness" of any one being eternally separated from God.  The mere thought of this doctrine seems to make a mockery out of passages that claim God’s mercy  to be everlasting.Dr. John Dickson, scholar, author, documentarian, and podcaster from Australia just released his newest book,  "Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History” and believes we may be living in the darkest age of Christianity ever.  At the end of our conversation, he explains why. During  this conversation, Dr. John walks us through a histori

Subscribe here to keep up with all things "Pastor With No Answers" as well as a new digital family we'd love to have you a part of.  You don't have to be alone in your spiritual questions  and you don't have to play by society's "new standard" of taking sides and being polarized.  Join us!Ellen, Jack and Joey kick things off with a conversation about speaking in tongues.  Joey thinks he speaks in tongues and is just fine with not being sure.   Derek Webb has raised the eyebrows of many Evangelical Christians through the years, many of them huge fans of his prolific (former) Christian band, “Caedmon’s Call.”   We’ve seen this a hundred times.  One of our “Christian heroes” starts to express doubt and maybe makes a controversial statement every now and then; next thing we know, our hero has deconstructed his faith, gotten a divorce and probably behind the scenes, tortures little kittens.  Only Derek knows the ends and outs of his story, but on this episode, he invites us

Subscribe here to keep up with all things "Pastor With No Answers" as well as a new digital family we'd love to have you a part of.  You don't have to be alone in your spiritual questions  and you don't have to play by society's "new standard" of taking sides and being polarized.  Join us! The story of my depressive disorder in 2019 is profoundly incomplete without including a narrative of my departure from the BadChristian Podcast and community.  On this episode, I include insight from friends and family, recounting a story of great loss as well as my journey from brokenness to health.  Or let’s just say healthIER.  – Joey BadChristian Podcast and community was started in 2013 by Matt Carter, Toby Morrell (of the band Emery) and friend, Joey Svendsen (pastor of a church in South Carolina).  Brutally honest and often irreverent Christian podcasts like this are now a dime a dozen but at the time, “BC POD” occupied a unique space, and as a result of its quick rise in popu

Jason Petty (known as Propaganda) joins Joey and his friend Robbie Madison who are fresh off of reading Prop’s new book, "Terraforming.”  With this book as the backdrop, the three discuss why people do evil and ponder if humans can actually be evil.  Prop describes how culture is made and how we, the Earthlings, can turn the tide and go in a better direction.  He maintains an intriguing vibe of optimism (that Joey is jealous of) with his belief in the possibility of making a better world.  The three also discuss how the "Gen Z kids" are bringing in a new wave of love and acceptance, and they reflect on September 11th 2001. Propaganda:https://www.prophiphop.com/https://twitter.com/prophiphopRobbie Madison:https://www.instagram.com/robbiemadisonmusic/http://robbiemadison.com/category/music/Joey/PWNA Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/joeysvendsenCurrent DonorSee giving opportunity: https://donorsee.com/pwnahelpsSupport Us:Join us as a patron! https://www.patreon.com/pwnapodor leave a Venmo tip

Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and laugh at how silly we all can be.  From church conferences to pastors’ smoking hot wives, from “prom songs for Jesus” worship songs and ridiculous pastor jokes to every church wanting a black worship leader, comedian Shama4realz and Joey poke fun of, laugh at and lament about church culture.   Shama4realzCheck out https://www.instagram.com/shama4realz on Instagram for more making fun of Christians.  You’ll be happy you did.  Unless you are a real stick in the mud.  Church Stories Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/churchstoriesJoey/PWNA Instagram:  www.instagram.com/joeysvendsenCurrent DonorSee giving opportunity: https://donorsee.com/pwnahelpsSupport Us:Join us as a patron! https://www.patreon.com/pwnapodor leave a Venmo tip right @  https://venmo.com/joey-svendsenJoin the discussion:https://www.facebook.com/groups/PWNAtalkSocials:https://twitter.com/joeysvendsenhttps://www.facebook.com/PWNApodE-mail [email protected] for correspondence.Music on this episode co

Pastor, author and bartender, Abby Norman, shares Joey’s zeal for loving people right where they're at, both seeing the Christian faith through more progressive lenses and are in fellowship with (and in shepherding roles with) those who are more conservative. Abby shares some of her experiences in life, including the story that led to her writing, “You Can Talk to God Like That: The Power of Lament to Save Your Faith.”   She shares the time when she grasped God's acceptance of the emotion of anger, even when directed at Him; and how this realization sealed the deal  in her being a Christian from that point on.  Joey shares how his current positioning in ministry is a more unique space than what his involvement was in the BadChristian Podcast. At top of episode, Jack, Ellen and Joey talk deconstruction.  Jack used to be a Calvinist and Ellen is in an uncomfortable season of rethinking the bible.  Joey wonders if the influx of progressive Christian faith may be the beginning of a new reformation.  Jac