The Surprising Rebirth Of Belief In God

I love the show, but hoping season 2 can transition off of the conservative analysis soon. I appreciate it, but I think 2 episodes on that topic would have been fine, instead it’s been the whole second season thus far

I loved the first season of The Surprising Rebirth…, in spite of its clunky title. I waited expectantly and impatiently for season two, only to find it has gone down a rabbit hole of obsession with the ARC and other far-right elements and personalities. Alarm bells went off when, during the first, ARC broadcast of season two, Ayaan Hirsi Ali equated progressives with treachery and spoke about her approval of Donald Trump’s agenda in the U.S. Then the podcast just couldn’t let it go, and the first several episodes of season two lovingly massaged every possible angle of revived masculine participation in church — which, although to be celebrated if it isn’t just a mask for Christian nationalism, is very different from hearing individual stories of newfound faith from people who once had none. Why the myopic, minute-by-minute focus on the state of Jordan Peterson’s faith life? Do we care more about Peterson, the pied piper of bro culture, than anyone else? Clearly (and surprisingly!) the Surprising Rebirth producers do. The rest of us may not. Unless the show returns to individual in-studio interviews, and balances conservative voices with more center and progressive ones, its focus has drifted regrettably from its inception. I’m very sad, as we in the U.S. need desperately to hear from less politically strident followers of Jesus, and many of us rely on the U.K. for the sanity that much of the evangelical church here is lacking.

This podcast is my current favorite (just finished episode 7). I find it fascinating. The host covers the stories of those disillusioned by secularism and atheism, those who have come to confess the human desire for purpose in life, those who could no longer deny the existence of the transcendent, and those who changed their mind about religion in general being harmful to society--acknowledging that when people give up one god, they'll make something else god (like politics, social justice, sex, feminism, or academics) and those gods are arguably proving to have a more harmful affect on society. If you're interested in critical thinking and stories, this podcast beautifully weaves them together. If you're feeling doubt, disillusionment, or curiosity, you'll likely find food for thought in this podcast. Bonus: bountiful British accents 😆

I’m terribly disappointed that Justin Brierley decided to characterize Darryl Cooper as anti-semetic far right in this episode. I can only conclude that he’s never actually listened to Darryl Cooper. Darryl Cooper does a fantastic job of being empathetic to all sides of a story. His take on history encourages people to be introspective and consider their own participation in terrible events as well as to be repentant. Darryl Cooper’s Martyrmade podcast is what led me to Christianity. I would encourage Justin Brierley to actually talk with Darryl Cooper and or listen to the Martyrmade podcast before disparaging Darryl Cooper as he did in this episode.