325 episodes

Culture, religion and ideas that matter.

Virtue in the Wasteland Podcast 1517 Podcasts

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 230 Ratings

Culture, religion and ideas that matter.

    Ep 326 What We Learned: The Final Episode

    Ep 326 What We Learned: The Final Episode

    I am exhausted, emotionally and otherwise... hey all, Dan here... just posted this last episode with calls from listeners, and a song at the end with a story that wraps into ViW... So, this is it.  Thank you all.  Check out virtueinthewasteland.com for where you can find us, now that the curtain has descended on this episode of our life.  Make sure you check out Arnold Mitchem's "Drive" the song "Grace" is featured in this episode.  Jeff will live on at @Taosurfers and its internet cognates. You can find me at 1517, my name dot com, doing the Soul of Christianity podcast... it's the future... you know how to find things on the internet... EGBOK

    • 1 hr 12 min
    Ep 325 The Second to Last Show

    Ep 325 The Second to Last Show

    So, if the title of the show doesn't give it away.... surprise! After 300+ weeks, 3 continents, dozens of states and hours of conversation, we are hanging up the microphones and turning the lights out on the ViW project.  But, not without a bang. This is the second to last- we ask that you call the hotline at 844-393-0012 and leave a 60-second message as to what you learned while listening to the show. On this show we discuss the way forward, future plans and the big take away lessons for both of us, from thousands of hours of podcasting together.  Listen up, give us a call (or leave a message on FB or Twitter) and THIS Thursday, Feb 14th we will drop our final show with your calls and questions.  

    • 1 hr
    Religion, Empire, and Molech: Lessons from the Augsburg Interim

    Religion, Empire, and Molech: Lessons from the Augsburg Interim

    Giving shows their titles is a funny thing. I’ve probably done 250 or so of them, and I rarely think much about it. Also, when I myself look for podcasts, all I care about is the title of the episode. The very thing I wasn’t paying attention to! Preposition! To which, I had not paid my attention. My attention bill was late…. you get it. So this title is descriptive, very descriptive. The kids might even call it descriptive AF, which I will pretend to know nothing about if asked. So you are going to hear us talking very specifically in this show about this one thing that might not sound that exciting: an imperial peace treaty. Well, it was called the “interim” so it didn’t expect to hang around much longer. It was also pegged with the location of Augsburg, the free imperial city that Charles V (Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Spain and the Netherlands, and Austria. He was also kind of inbred, so that makes all of his stories a little weirder. Get this: his mom’s name was Juanita The Mad. Bad omen, homie. Nonetheless, Martin Luther had just died and Charles, Chucky 5, decided to put the hurt on the reeling Protestants and impose his will. And his will wasn’t that bad! He wanted to end the religious wears and call the Reformation over. A tie. We’ve got a grand idea to mix Catholics and Lutherans in a way that is sure to disappoint everyone! Today’s show is about that story, that peace treaty and goal for religious peace, and some observations on what we might have learned from this monumental historical event. Are their links? Nah, but you can always go to or or or Also, last week I wrote something at 1517 with you ViWers in mind- check it:

    • 1 hr 10 min
    Dutch Radicals, The Reformation, and Wackysoup

    Dutch Radicals, The Reformation, and Wackysoup

    I used to think it was really cool when people broke the 4th wall.  You know, like, in Fight Club or the original Pink Panther when something happened to remind you that you were indeed watching a film reel. There is nothing as clever here, but a little twist which might make you take notice.  Usually we banter for a few minutes, talk around the subject, and then dig in.  Well, it seems to be only once every twenty years the Rams make the Super Bowl, so we spent some time talking about them, the game and a myriad of other things.    But to get to those hot takes, you need to wade through the actual subject matter. I've moved that 30 minute conversation to the back of our first conversation about dutch radicals, the reformation and the enlightenment.    And it is probably more interesting than you first think.  We talk a lot about the Reformation and how it has shaped the modern world, but often we miss out on one really important link, the connection between the radical reformation, skepticism, and the modern age. We talk about the nature of radicalism, and why we all kind of gravitate towards it (and what it might teach us).  Jeff talks about the Trinity.  Dan throws out a few ideas which might lead to further questions.  That's the whole point.  Have those conversations with your friends and co-workers and family and church group.  The point isn't that we come to something like a silly podcast with two professors for all our answers, or to confirm that they have the answers in the back ofd the book too, rather, it's that we start conversations and learn to talk about weighty things that matter with a bit of grace, a sense of humor, and the reminder that everything is going to be ok.   P.s. Because of the way this show was edited, it can be the answer to a trivia question sometime in the future.  The question is: is there a time, after ep 101, that the show didn't end with someone saying EGBOK? Yes, this one.  Because I edited it, 

    • 1 hr 27 min
    The United States of America: An Experiment in Federalism

    The United States of America: An Experiment in Federalism

    Sometimes our shows start with really simple ideas.  For instance, one of us might think of something that would be relevant to the podcast and send the article, idea, etc… via text.  We do a little reading, figure out what the “bigger story” at play is, and… voila.  An hour and a half later, plus editing time (we sometimes do that!) and we’ve got another show.   Ok, now you know how the generic sausage is made.  This show, this sausage (?!) is al about the States of the Union.  Having just completed a road trip, Dan being in the middle of his own personal California Renaissance, and Jeff having wandered the earth much of his life, the guys reflect on the nature of these United States with regards to state rankings, biases, federalism, and all of this with two dogs running around the studio.   As we tell you in the beginning, this is a standard “let’s think through this together” show that involves postulating theses, changing them, rethinking them, and then coming together at the end of the show to discuss what we learned from the conversation.  We go on a few tangents, edited a few, but this is a kind of “at home with Jeff and Dan” type show where they talk about their lives, their dogs, the really big questions, and perhaps a Super Bowl prediction or two…

    • 1 hr 39 min
    Dvorak, Anti-Natalism, and Other Unrelated Issues: We Take Your Calls!

    Dvorak, Anti-Natalism, and Other Unrelated Issues: We Take Your Calls!

    Time to clear out the old phone machine and respond to some of the more common, or curious questions we received.   The first half hour of the show has us talking about 2019, Dan's favorite movies of the year, and reading a very revealing and honest email. the next hour is all your calls- a few notes: Dan says "American" when talking about a piece of music.... he misspoke, please replace that in your brain with "New World" Jeff would like you to see Dan says, "Look at " As always, this is a conversation that might resemble a late night conversation you had in college or might have with friends in a safe and welcoming environment.  Everything is penultimate, God's not angry, and everything is going to be ok. Thank you for calling, or emailing, if we haven't responded to you, it is all Dan's fault.  Some calls we edited for sound quality, or we combined two or three similar calls with one answer. We do not talk about the following, in any meaningful way: California Renaissance Mobbing A young man saying no thanks to a certain label The weird book of the Acts of the Apostles But we promise to, soon.

    • 1 hr 24 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
230 Ratings

230 Ratings

darrenkwalsh ,

Worth the ride!

First off, these guys are way smarter than me. The conversational journey that Jeff and Dan have been on these past years have challenged, provoked, amused, angered, confused, and evoked empathy from me....sometimes all in one show! Any podcast that can do that is definetly worth a listen! Here's to many more years of Virtue in the Wasteland!

camart73 ,

The thinking man's Car Talk

A must-listen. Do you think you know all about truth, goodness, and beauty? These guys will make you reconsider.

mccallgirl ,

Diverse and Tolerant

Love this podcast! I feel like I’m taking a college course taught by two amazing professors...and the best part is there is no homework!! Just started listening, so can’t wait to get caught up!

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