59 episodes

Welcome to The Simpleton Podcast with Clark Massey and Laura Hehman!

Clark is the founder of A Simple House of Sts. Francis and Alphonsus, a Catholic inner-city outreach ministry in Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Laura was one of the first missionaries to join the ministry, and is still involved today.

The vision of The Simpleton Podcast is to talk about cultural events and issues through the lens of the Catholic laity.

New episodes release every Thursday!

To learn more about A Simple House, visit asimplehouse.org.

The Simpleton Podcast A Simple House of Sts. Francis and Alphonsus

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 5.0 • 10 Ratings

Welcome to The Simpleton Podcast with Clark Massey and Laura Hehman!

Clark is the founder of A Simple House of Sts. Francis and Alphonsus, a Catholic inner-city outreach ministry in Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Laura was one of the first missionaries to join the ministry, and is still involved today.

The vision of The Simpleton Podcast is to talk about cultural events and issues through the lens of the Catholic laity.

New episodes release every Thursday!

To learn more about A Simple House, visit asimplehouse.org.

    Ted Lasso Reaction, Reform & Realism, Ron DeSantis, Theodrama, Catholic | The Simpleton Podcast

    Ted Lasso Reaction, Reform & Realism, Ron DeSantis, Theodrama, Catholic | The Simpleton Podcast

    Also in this episode:



    • Friends, Seinfeld, and what's real

    • Catholic university problems

    • Gen Z trusts the government?

    • Via Negativa and Via Positiva

    • "Dustbowl Diatribes"



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    1:12 Laura's Mother's Day surprise

    3:26 Reforming institutions: the problem, why people wanted to

    10:28 The issue of Catholic universities

    16:46 How to reform an institution

    20:20 Ron DeSantis's reform of schools in Florida

    28:45 Failure of public schools

    33:21 Feedback from a listener: Gen Z's trust in government

    43:16 Blocking industry progress, hurting the masses

    46:25 Emminent domain

    49:46 Ted Lasso is Jesus Christ? "Theodrama" explained

    57:44 "Friends", "Seinfeld", and reality vs. fiction

    1:00:02 Via negativa/via positiva in pursuing holiness

    1:05:19 "Dustbowl Diatribes": Laura's recommendation (link in description)

    1:07:58 Outro



    ---



    Links:



    Dustbowl Diatribes with Dr. Laurie Johnson & Spencer Hess:

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsLkfggTCOx_cZ2WLSL-mRfrizC89Ln4k



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on YouTube, Rumble, and Odysee.



    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYeARFv4OvQ&list=PL6J5x7lptOXsnTAQRah4MhOOZwuttVNtb

    (or simply search "The Simpleton Podcast")

    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    ---



    Send us feedback! Email: asimplehouse@gmail.com



    A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor while living a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.



    Visit asimplehouse.org to learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast.



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Facebook: @asimplehouse



    Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic



    ---



    Thank you to Ben Friedman from Totus Media for editing and producing The Simpleton Podcast. Totus Media is a digital media production company based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Totus Media is an Iowa video production company, social media management firm, wedding videography business, and digital marketing agency. Visit totusmedia.co to learn more.



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    #catholic #tedlasso #podcast

    • 1 hr 8 min
    Should Catholics Trust the Government? 85,000 Lost Kids at US Border | The Simpleton Podcast

    Should Catholics Trust the Government? 85,000 Lost Kids at US Border | The Simpleton Podcast

    This one's jam-packed!



    Also in this episode:

    • Critique from a listener

    • Purpose of The Simpleton Podcast

    • Baltimore Abuse Report

    • Don't control the world

    • Public school crisis



    ---



    Links:



    DEI spending at Michigan:

    https://news.yahoo.com/university-michigan-spends-more-18-174253474.html



    Community colleges are a waste of time?:

    https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/may/02/waste-of-time-community-college-transfers-derail-students/



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    0:26 Signpost: a MASSIVE episode ahead!

    2:25 ASH's 20th Anniversary Party in KC recap!

    3:10 What's the purpose of The Simpleton Podcast?

    10:28 How liberals and conservatives approach big problems

    11:42 Why Catholics (or anyone) shouldn't try to control the world

    14:35 Update on the Baltimore Abuse Report (Statute of Limitations)

    15:31 Critique from a listener about TSP's take on public schools and abuse

    25:08 The public schools crisis

    27:10 The cost of diversity and inclusion: U of Michigan case study

    29:08 Community colleges are a waste of time?

    30:03 The importance of state government...

    30:31 ...gender ideology, Montana and their gender-affirming care bill...

    34:06 ...and the case of Zooey Zephyr

    39:08 Laura's experience working in the state legislature

    40:36 Catholic immigration stance? And accusations of the US's trafficking

    48:31 Clark's crazy story about being encouraged to traffic immigrants

    50:27 The 0% Conspiracy Analysis of Jeffrey Epstein

    53:49 The secrecy and dangers of the US Intelligence Community and CIA

    57:08 How to fix said secrecy problem & should we trust the government?

    58:57 Kids being skeptical of government; the right to privacy

    1:02:34 Concerning lack of regulation, especially with AI, social media

    1:07:38 Summarizing our thoughts on oversight, failures, and cultural confusion

    1:09:26 Outro



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on YouTube, Rumble, and Odysee. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast" or go to:



    YouTube (this specific episode): https://youtu.be/grLtoCqQVXo

    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    ---



    Send us feedback! Email: asimplehouse@gmail.com



    A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor while living a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.



    To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org.



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Facebook: @asimplehouse



    Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic



    ---



    #catholic #politics #podcast

    • 1 hr 10 min
    From Presbyterian Pastor to Catholic Convert: INTERVIEW w/ Chad Pirotte | The Simpleton Podcast

    From Presbyterian Pastor to Catholic Convert: INTERVIEW w/ Chad Pirotte | The Simpleton Podcast

    Chad Pirotte is a theologian, full-time carpenter, public speaker, writer, and avid pipe smoker. Chad was a Presbyterian pastor for 10 years before becoming Catholic. Clark sits down with Chad for a discussion on conversion, theology, and why Catholicism drew him in.



    Also in this episode:

    • Pipe smoking

    • The significance of suffering

    • "Hot rod" Evangelicalism

    • Reformed theology & Presbyterianism

    • "Being a Chad"


    Find more of Chad's work at groundedcatholic.com.



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    0:24 Smoking pipes and crying

    1:25 Introducing: Chad Pirotte

    3:10 Chad and Clark's pipe smoking evangelization

    9:02 Chad's (triple) conversion story

    14:07 Reformed theology, Protestantism, and philosophy

    19:10 What does a "deeper conversion" mean?

    20:52 Life in Protestant seminary & getting involved with a Korean-American church

    23:57 A brief tangent on Taiwanese culture and heritage

    25:19 How did Chad become Catholic? And the role of suffering

    27:42 Do evangelicals neglect the reality of suffering?

    29:40 What authors, works, or ideas (infused theology) helped Chad in his conversion?

    33:27 How Chad's church's stance on homosexuality affected his pastorship

    34:34 What does an ordination mean in the Presbyterian church?

    36:34 All the factors that led to Chad's first big step toward Catholicism

    39:04 RCIA: how Chad became a present-day Catechist

    45:11 Chad's ministry "Grounded Catholic"

    50:00 How Chad's wife Carrie led him toward Catholicism

    52:38 The "hot rod" origins of Evangelical Protestantism?...

    57:33 ...and how it relates to Catholicism's "approach"

    58:39 Was Vatican II good for the Church?

    1:00:09 The Church fathers and the speed of culture now

    1:02:05 "Being a Chad"

    1:04:21 The Church's care for the poor

    1:05:11 groundedcatholic.com!

    1:05:51 Outro



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on Rumble and Odysee! You can watch the latest episodes of The Simpleton Podcast by going to:



    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    You can also find this episode on YouTube. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast" or head to https://youtu.be/83WQYjiy8_Y.



    ---



    Like, subscribe, share the podcast, and most of all, send us your feedback! We want to hear from you about what you loved, what you didn't, where you want to see the podcast go, and any other thoughts you have. Send us an email at asimplehouse@gmail.com with the subject line "The Simpleton Podcast Feedback".



    A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Our Catholic missionary work involves meeting people in their neighborhoods and in their homes. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor. While missionaries serve at A Simple House, they live a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.



    To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org. You can also follow us on these platforms:



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Facebook: @asimplehouse



    Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic



    ---



    #catholic #convert

    • 1 hr 6 min
    Should You Give Money to the Homeless?, Tucker Carlson, Catholic Star Wars | The Simpleton Podcast

    Should You Give Money to the Homeless?, Tucker Carlson, Catholic Star Wars | The Simpleton Podcast

    Also in this episode:

    • Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson

    • Star Wars Catholicism

    • ASH's 20th anniversary!

    • How to TRULY help the homeless

    • So you want to start a ministry?



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    1:42 Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, and the Catholicism of Star Wars

    5:21 A Simple House Anniversary Party! And the NFL Draft

    5:55 ASH Updates: finding love, St. Andrew Kim devotion

    9:58 Lucky Charms, candy, and sugar crises

    12:32 So you want to start a ministry? 3 things you need to consider

    16:21 How to approach giving

    22:27 Solidarity and its massive importance

    25:28 What is subsidiarity? And why does it tie into solidarity?

    30:32 Mental illness, addiction, "grifters": homelessness in the big picture

    34:00 How to REALLY serve someone experiencing homelessness

    37:01 Should you give $5 to the guy on the side of the road?

    37:38 A "shazam" of an outro!



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on Rumble and Odysee! You can watch the latest episodes of The Simpleton Podcast by going to:



    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    You can also find this episode on YouTube. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast", or go to https://youtu.be/2Q_rzJtxYe4.



    ---



    Like, subscribe, share the podcast, and most of all, send us your feedback! We want to hear from you about what you loved, what you didn't, where you want to see the podcast go, and any other thoughts you have. Send us an email at asimplehouse@gmail.com with the subject line "The Simpleton Podcast Feedback".



    A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Our Catholic missionary work involves meeting people in their neighborhoods and in their homes. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor. While missionaries serve at A Simple House, they live a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.



    To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org. You can also follow us on these platforms:



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Facebook: @asimplehouse



    Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic



    ---



    #homeless #starwars #catholic

    • 38 min
    Are Floozies Taking Over? Bad News for Holy Week, Seth Rogen & Public Policy | The Simpleton Podcast

    Are Floozies Taking Over? Bad News for Holy Week, Seth Rogen & Public Policy | The Simpleton Podcast

    Episode #56!



    Also in this episode:

    • Clark reaches cyborg status

    • Maryland abuse report & analysis

    • Commercializing spirituality

    • Urban decay

    • China’s awfulness



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    1:34 Clark's new arm! Cyborg status unlocked!

    2:58 The Catholic sex abuse scandal, the Pennsylvania Report...

    4:58 ...and the new Baltimore/Maryland Report

    8:31 Shocking facts about the acknowledgement and legality of abuse (until the 1970s)

    13:54 The problem with lifting the statute of limitations

    16:44 The problem of abuse BEYOND the Church, in schools

    21:05 Walter Reed Hospital's interesting Catholic clergy situation

    24:02 The commercialization of spirituality and persecution of religion

    32:14 Statistics, narratives, and what you hear vs. reality

    35:18 Mass shootings vs. school shootings

    37:11 The statistical problem of denying rights to improve life for others

    40:22 Urban decay and blind eyes for violence

    41:20 The Kansas City shooting and stand-your-ground laws

    44:32 Why are we afraid of each other? And the Buffalo Blizzard story

    45:43 Urban decay in the past; the persuasiveness of statistics and anecdotes

    48:57 The horrors of China and how other nations should interact with them

    51:53 A Catholic (maybe?) social policy for China (and beyond)

    57:17 "Coming out as a Republican" from "Long Shot" (2019)

    1:02:30 Outro



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on Rumble and Odysee! You can watch the latest episodes of The Simpleton Podcast by going to:



    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU

    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    You can also find this episode on YouTube. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast", or go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGtaVKhobYc.



    ---



    Like, subscribe, share the podcast, and most of all, send us your feedback! We want to hear from you about what you loved, what you didn't, where you want to see the podcast go, and any other thoughts you have. Send us an email at asimplehouse@gmail.com with the subject line "The Simpleton Podcast Feedback".



    A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Our Catholic missionary work involves meeting people in their neighborhoods and in their homes. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor. While missionaries serve at A Simple House, they live a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study.



    To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org. You can also follow us on these platforms:



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Facebook: @asimplehouse



    Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic



    ---



    #cyborg #maryland #catholicchurch #catholicteaching #china #politics #urbandecay #sethrogan #catholic #christian #catholicpodcast #christianpodcast #catholicism #podcast #catholicmissionary #catholicmission #catholicinstagram #catholicministry #catholicevangelization #catholicvolunteer #catholiccharity #catholicvolunteer #catholicvolunteernetwork #yearofservice #ministry #mission #missionary #evangelization #charity #volunteer

    • 1 hr 3 min
    Afroman's Revenge, AI Shutdown?, Jazz Jennings, & Norm Macdonald | The Simpleton Podcast

    Afroman's Revenge, AI Shutdown?, Jazz Jennings, & Norm Macdonald | The Simpleton Podcast

    Clark and Laura discuss Afroman's insane legal battle (and how to effectively embarrass the police), the moratorium on AI, and more on this episode of The Simpleton Podcast.



    Also in this episode:

    • Why is Clark in a cast and sling?

    • Can we make AI safe?; The lockdown on AI

    • What does AGI and "alignment" mean?

    • Jazz Jennings, "I am Jazz", and understanding transgender transitions

    • Norm Macdonald and the Christian idea of self-knowledge



    ---



    NOTE:



    Below are the links for the statistics and studies that Clark and Laura mention. One slight clarification: in the podcast, it is stated that when comparing the mental health profiles of TIY (transgender-identifying youth) and non-TIY, the statistics of s*icidal behavior are "the same". The line from the second article below provides clarification: "[when comparing the mental health profiles of TIY and non-TIY,] the disparities in s*icidal behavior reduced considerably, suggesting that it is not the lack of gender affirmation that seems to be driving s*icidal behavior." Key emphasis on "disparities" and "reduced considerably", as opposed to "[are] the same".



    Links:



    Suicidality Among Transgender Youth: Elucidating the Role of Interpersonal Risk Factors: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32345113/



    Pediatric Gender Medicine and the Moral Panic Over Suicide: https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/pediatric-gender-medicine-and-the?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email



    ---



    Chapters:

    0:00 Start

    0:46 Clark's bionic arm

    1:21 *MEDICAL TRIGGER WARNING*

    2:01 Recovering from an injury

    2:38 *MEDICAL TRIGGER WARNING PT. 2*

    3:49 Afroman returns! He's getting SUED for his song?

    7:47 Embarrassing and speaking out against the government

    10:09 Can we make AI safe?; The moratorium on AI

    12:11 WHY AI is so powerful

    14:18 What is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)?

    15:18 AGI's threats (as expressed by AGI's creators) and what is "alignment"?

    18:52 Why AGI is hard to control

    20:13 Guardrails are needed (pt.1): what are they and where do they go?

    20:33 Laura asks Bing AI about itself

    21:24 Guardrails are needed (pt.2): "it's a race to the bottom"

    24:02 What we can do to protect ourselves

    26:17 We need guiding, universal rules for AI

    29:33 We need good, well-intentioned people for AI

    31:24 AI, transhumanism, eugenics, and human potential

    33:49 What does TLC stand for?? (as in, the TLC Channel)

    35:14 Jazz Jennings, "I am Jazz", and a story of transgender transition

    38:02 Understanding the situation, exploitation, child abuse, e etc.

    40:47 The epidemic of transgender transitions

    41:42 The complexity of transgenderism, gender dysphoria, body dysmorphic disorder, child abuse

    46:08 (SEE NOTE IN DESCRIPTION) S*icide and transgender identifying youth

    48:10 The Christian idea of self-knowledge

    49:49 How self-knowledge relates to transgenderism (pt. 1)

    50:13 Norm Macdonald and the intuition for God

    52:11 How self-knowledge relates to transgenderism (pt. 2)

    54:37 Outro



    ---



    The Simpleton Podcast is also on Rumble and Odysee! You can watch the latest episodes of The Simpleton Podcast by going to:



    Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU



    Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU



    You can also find the video version of this episode on YouTube. Just search "The Simpleton Podcast", or go to https://youtu.be/hmg1IJsv5GU.



    ---



    Like, subscribe, share the podcast, and most of all, send us your feedback! We want to hear from you about what you loved, what you didn't, where you want to see the podcast go, and any other thoughts you have. Send us an email at asimplehouse@gmail.com with the subject line "The Simpleton Podcast Feedback".



    To learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast, visit asimplehouse.org. You can also follow us on these platforms:



    YouTube - A Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic



    YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): https://youtube.com/@asimplehouseu_2023



    Faceboo

    • 55 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
10 Ratings

10 Ratings

pkMikeyT ,

On fire for for Christ!

Their enthusiasm for living and spreading the gospel is contagious.

Maiteressa ,

Great job!

Love listening to the podcast! Keep it up!

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