Ascending Podcast

Tucker Shannon
  • 5.0 (1)
  • RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Ascending Podcast is a space for the honest and diligent pursuit of truth. I hope you find something meaningful, enlightening, and challenging here.

Episodes

  1. 08/22/2024

    S2E6 - Kurt Birky - From Universal Studios To Church Ministry

    Kurt Birky is a pastor and a creative.  In the modern era, narrative story dominates almost all facets of our entertainment life in the forms of TikTok, YouTube, TV shows, movies, and more. Though the Bible is largely a collection of narratives, it can be hard to appreciate and enjoy those narratives similarly. In this episode, you can expect to learn about how Kurt ended up in ministry after working at Universal Studios, how we can see Hollywood story structure in the Bible, why we can better understand and enjoy the Bible because of this, the best books to read if you’re just getting started with the Bible, how our modern love of narrative story change allow us to engage with the Bible, differently, and much more!

    32 min

  2. 08/15/2024

    S2E5 - Dr. Scott Smith - You Can’t Separate Science & Religion

    Dr. Scott Smith is an apologist, philosopher, and professor.  In the post-enlightenment era, it can be hard to see the world as anything other than what is physically around us. Furthermore, why should we even bother with old schools of thought like philosophy when we now have the concreteness of science?  In this episode you can expect to learn why you probably think like a naturalist (and what’s dangerous about that), how to demonstrate the existence of a world beyond the physical, the way in which philosophy is essential to science, some of Dr. Smith’s book recommendations, and much more!

    32 min

  3. 08/01/2024

    S2E4 - Lily Journey - Writing Habits, Self-Revelation, & Fear Of Judgement

    Lily Journey is a freelance writer and storyteller.  The art of self-expression and self-revelation through any medium, especially writing, is a long and winding road. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to know where to start.  In this episode, expect to learn Lily’s advice for building writing habits, authors that inspire her, why she thinks people should share their writing, how her faith influences her work, what she’s learned about herself since starting a Substack, how to get over the fear of judgment, and much more!

    31 min

  4. 07/18/2024

    S2E3 - Jace Hardwick - Hollywood, Christianity, and Good Stories

    Jace Hardwick is a CEO, filmmaker, and content creator. Though Christians believe in a creator God, there can be an internal schism that occurs when a Christian pursues the life of an artist. Integrating these two things is not usually easy or intuitive, especially for young artists. This episode should help. In this episode, expect to learn how Jace has learned to be a better storyteller because of the Bible, how writing has made him appreciate the Bible more, how he got started as an artist, advice he’d give to young creatives, if it’s difficult to work in LA as a Christian, how he combines his faith with his art, and much more!

    33 min

  5. 07/11/2024

    S2E2 - R. Mark Reasoner Jr. - You Should Read Leviticus

    R. Mark Reasoner Jr. is a published author, bible scholar, and biblical languages major at Biola University! Notorious for having ended many “read the Bible in a year” attempts, the book of Leviticus can be extraordinarily challenging! Beyond that, it can also seem like one of the most boring books of the Bible. On today’s episode, expect to learn why Leviticus is essential to understanding the story of the Bible, why it is at the center of the Torah, how to make your read-through of Leviticus easier, what animal sacrifice was really for, the difference between ritual and moral impurity, how the “gods” of ancient nations are real, and much more!

    51 min

  6. 07/04/2024

    S2E1 - Hannah Fodera - Overcoming Anxiety, God’s Beauty, & Salvation

    Hannah Fodera is a writer, speaker, and theology grad student.  Just because someone is a Christian, it does not mean that their life will be a cakewalk. Christians, just like everyone else, will still struggle with anxiety, fear, and loneliness. That difficulty, at times, can make us want to forget about God. Or, it can drive us closer to him.  Expect to learn how Hannah’s anxiety brought her into a closer relationship with God, the advice she’d give to those who are bitter about their anxiety, what Hannah thinks of the “I never knew you” verse, if she believes God is a romantic, why God cares about the details of our life, how to recognize God’s goodness in the world around us, why people sometimes say “God is my boyfriend,” and much more!

    31 min

  7. 06/02/2024

    S1E6 - Dr. Sean McDowell - Why Does God Seem Hidden?

    Dr. Sean McDowell is an apologist, professor, and YouTuber. Today Dr. McDowell speaks to the perennial question: Why does God seem hidden? The presence of God in the world is a lifelong struggle for every Christian and Athiest, and the answer is neither obvious nor intuitive.  Expect to learn why you have bad expectations for interacting with God, ways God makes himself known, if God can be seen in the natural world, whether he is hidden, why Christianity is not purely intellectual, the dangers of over-valuing a relational experience with God, and more!

    27 min

  8. 05/26/2024

    S1E5 - Dr. Adam Johnson - Why You Don't Understand Atonement

    Dr. Adam Johnson is a theologian, professor, and writer.  Trying to delve deeply into areas of Christian doctrine can be frustrating, difficult, and confusing. The Doctrine of Atonement, while essential to Christian belief, is one of these challenging areas. This episode should be a good start to clear up confusion and remove some of that frustration. You can expect to learn what the word “atonement” means, what the Doctrine of Atonement is meant to help you understand, why many Christians have a destructively narrow view of atonement, the reason Dr. Johnson is apprehensive of broad claims about evangelicals, why it’s important to embrace life’s complexity, and why you should read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

    32 min

  9. 05/19/2024

    S1E4 - Dr. Janelle Aijian - How To Use Your Doubt To Your Advantage

    Dr. Janelle Aijian is a philosopher, professor, and writer. It is not uncommon for people to fear allowing doubt about their worldviews to creep into their lives as they fear how it may upend their world, destroy stability, and change relationships. In religious circles, doubt can even be demonized. Expect to learn about how personal problems manifest as doubts, how intellectual doubt is used as a defense mechanism, whether you should read people who disagree with you, if doubt is the origin of wisdom, why doubt can be dangerous, how imagination can be more important than intellect, how your imagination can be developed or destroyed, and more!

    27 min

  10. 05/12/2024

    S1E3 - Dr. Greg Peters - How To Develop Spiritual Discipline

    Dr. Greg Peters is a professor, theologian, and Anglican priest. While we can have a solid understanding of the theology of the Bible, it's not always as easy to translate how we are meant to live biblically in day-to-day life. In this episode, expect to learn about the biblical practice of asceticism, how to grow in spiritual disciplines, whether Christians should wear hair shirts, how to glorify God just by eating ice cream, why it's important to keep certain spiritual practices private, and more!

    30 min

  11. 05/05/2024

    S1E2 - Dr. Jonathan Lunde - Why Human Suffering Matters

    Dr. Jonathan Lunde is a theologian and professor. "Why do we suffer?" This is the perennial question of the human experience, tackled repeatedly in various ways from generation to generation. One of the most permanent and unchanging answers to this question comes from the Christian Bible. Dr. Lunde covers topics such as the purpose of human suffering, how Jesus is a role model, what it means to be a living martyr, why God doesn't just save us all now, how we can see Yahweh's benevolence amidst suffering, and more!

    31 min

  12. 04/28/2024

    S1E1 - Dr. Carmen Imes - Does the Bible Endorse Slavery?

    Dr. Carmen Imes is a professor, writer, and biblical scholar. The biblical Old Testament, one of the oldest surviving texts in human history, is a difficult book to understand. As it tackles difficult topics such as gender and slavery, there is no wonder there are such divisive views on the book. Dr. Imes covers topics such as whether the bible allows slavery, if God's character changes between testaments, how Jesus is often misunderstood, if Christians can get tattoos, Friedrich Nietzsche's opinion of the Bible, and more!

    34 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

The Ascending Podcast is a space for the honest and diligent pursuit of truth. I hope you find something meaningful, enlightening, and challenging here.

Information

  • Creator
    Tucker Shannon
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tucker Shannon
  • Show Website
    Ascending Podcast