Crucible of Thought

Brandon Munday
  • 3.4 (5)
  • Christianity

An exploration of current affairs - refining my mind, burning away impurities, in the forge of truth. Find me on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/crucibleofthght/

  1. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

    6d ago

    O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

    What happens when you've spent decades being shaped by God - and you finally feel ready to pour into others - but you have no one to pour into, and you're running out of time?In this episode, Brandon wrestles with a growing sense of uselessness: the institutional church isn't making disciples the way it should, he can't return to it in good conscience, and community outside its walls is nearly impossible to build. The rubber just isn't meeting the road.But then something broke open.If Christian universalism is true - if resurrection means an embodied, eternal life on a restored earth - then death doesn't end the call. It doesn't end the purpose. It doesn't even end the discipleship. The grave has no hold on what God is building in you."O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" This episode is about why that passage hits completely differently when you take eternity seriously.Topics covered:- Why the institutional church is failing at discipleship (and the numbers to prove it)- Organic church and the problem of community outside the institution- Christian universalism and the sweep of scripture toward universal reconciliation- Embodied resurrection and the renewed earth in Isaiah, Romans, and Revelation 21- Why your usefulness to the Kingdom does NOT end when you dieScripture referenced: Matthew 28:19, Romans 5:18, 2 Peter 3:9, Ephesians 1:3-2:10, 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, Isaiah 65:17-25, Romans 8:19-23, Revelation 21Crucible of Thought is Brandon's podcast exploring theological deconstruction, progressive Christianity, and what faithful living looks like after you've left easy answers behind.Subscribe and leave a comment - they all get read!

    21 min
  2. God Didn't Answer the Prayer of Jesus Either

    Jun 14

    God Didn't Answer the Prayer of Jesus Either

    If you grew up in evangelical Christianity, you probably learned a version of prayer that treats God like a cosmic vending machine - put in the right coin, get out the answer you want. But what if that's not how prayer works at all? This episode explores two very different theologies of what Jesus came to do, and how each one shapes what we expect when we pray. If you're deconstructing your faith but want to stay Christian, this might reframe the question in a way that actually helps. You can watch this in video form at https://youtu.be/WLdsuszojtU

    8 min
  3. Tokenizing God

    Apr 25

    Tokenizing God

    Your brain is lying to you about God - and the consequences are devastating. In this episode, we explore the deeply human psychological habit of “tokenizing” - reducing complex realities to simple mental shortcuts - and reveals how we inevitably do this with God, collapsing the infinite Divine into a neat little package of doctrine, denomination, and politics that fits comfortably in our minds. But that comfort comes at a terrible cost: it locks us into a distorted, shrunken picture of God, turns us against anyone whose “tokens” differ from ours, and has even been used to justify violence, oppression, and the idolization of political figures. Drawing on Scripture, psychology, and his own journey of deconstruction, we make a compelling case that God has always resisted being boxed in - and invites us to the terrifying, exhilarating freedom of encountering a God too wild and vast to be contained by any label. This is also posted in video format at https://youtu.be/8DPVnnOcqJ0

    33 min
  4. It's the Heart that Counts

    Apr 4

    It's the Heart that Counts

    Did you grow up feeling really squeamish about Jesus' assertion from the Sermon on the Mount that if our eye offends us, we are supposed to gouge it out? I sure did. It seems particularly over the top, even for a radical like Jesus, and I reckon that we'd assume the only people to follow that teaching are probably mentally disturbed. But I think there's something really deep and really valuable that is hiding in that brief teaching, and I'd love to open it up for our thinking today. You can also watch this at https://youtu.be/RvBd1BnG0lo

    23 min
  5. Kissing the Ring

    Mar 28

    Kissing the Ring

    I've been so deeply disappointed in watching famous preachers and worship leaders kissing the ring of this antichrist administration. The Pentagon worship services established by Pete Hegseth are not in keeping with the founding and the character of the United States of America, and the preachers and worship leaders supporting them have abandoned any pretense of serving the church universal, and have taken sides with the empire that stands opposed to righteousness. You can watch this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I8EcxK6ENM

    23 min
  6. Turning My Back On Armageddon

    Mar 8

    Turning My Back On Armageddon

    Some things are Truth, but not true. What if everything most Christians have assumed about Armageddon is wrong, and if our holy calling is to love our enemies and lay down our lives in peace, not to march out in war against them? You can view this as a video at https://youtu.be/3CEtxslXvhE

    22 min
  7. Why Many Evangelicals Misunderstand Universal Reconciliation

    Feb 23

    Why Many Evangelicals Misunderstand Universal Reconciliation

    Most of the time that conservative Christians encounter the doctrine of universal reconciliation, they usually describe it with a bunch of caricatures, and I thought it would be useful to discuss those caricatures and contrast them to the truth about this doctrine. You can also read this in blog form at https://crucibleofthought.com/why-many-evangelicals-misunderstand-universal-reconciliation/ A video version can be found at https://youtu.be/PYjql3T3VQA

    50 min
  8. What Can a Follower of Jesus Do When America is Failing?

    Feb 1

    What Can a Follower of Jesus Do When America is Failing?

    What do we do when our government becomes untrustworthy? I've been wrestling with this question for a while now. And everything I see coming convinces me that we're in for a REALLY rough ride in the near future. So what do we do about it? I have some ideas that won't fix any of our nation's problems - but they will give us a roadmap for bringing the love of God to those around us, even as the darkness grows. You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IXpfeZ-wnE

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.4
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

An exploration of current affairs - refining my mind, burning away impurities, in the forge of truth. Find me on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/crucibleofthght/

Information

  • Creator
    Brandon Munday
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    166
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Brandon Munday
  • Show Website
    Crucible of Thought

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