Listening

Making sense of things

I was hoping the winter weather was over, but living in Michigan, I knew better than to take those snow tires off. Despite swinging in the hammock yesterday afternoon while listening to big sister read Harry Potter to little sister, I’m getting ready to drive through snow and slush to Notre Dame. (I’ll be speaking tomorrow at Notre Dame’s 2025 Catholic Social Tradition Conferences “Signs of the Times: Interdisciplinary Responses to Religious Nationalism.”)

I’ve never been much of a podcast listener, but now that I’m commuting between Grand Rapids and Notre Dame, I’ve got four hours each week on the road, by myself. I’ve found that podcasts are the perfect way to pass the time, and I think I’m hooked.

Before I head out, I wanted to share with you two new podcasts I’ve been listening to this week. Both are really, really good. If you’re a podcast listener—even if you’re not—I recommend checking these out.

The first is in honor of Beth Allison Barr Week.

Several months ago, Savannah Locke, a producer at The Bible for Normal People, saw a post by Beth that she was in the SBC archives and had discovered something interesting. Savannah reached out with a plan. The result was All the Buried Women. It’s an incredible podcast about what Beth found in the archives: “uncovering stories of women buried by their own denomination.”

Since it released just a couple weeks ago, the podcast has been climbing the charts and is now one of the most popular religion podcasts.

Over the weekend, I started listening while painting the beams in my kitchen. Not a fun job, but I completely lost myself in the podcast and the project was done in no time.

This podcast is expertly produced. It teaches so much history along the way without feeling like you’re in a history class. Like any good history, it’s just a really gripping story. You discover documents along with Beth, and with those documents, the lives of women, and the story of a denomination. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

(Also, the podcast has a special deal with Baker: Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor’s Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group’s Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910)

My other favorite new podcast is When the Wolves Came. I shared the trailer to this a couple weeks back, but just started listening this week. It’s also really, really good.

The podcast follows the ministry of Caleb Campbell in Phoenix. Pastor of an evangelical church, Caleb struggled to resist the MAGA pull simply by staying the course. The podcast tells his church’s story, and it brings in a number of us to narrate the bigger picture. I’m on some episodes, and episode 2 shares some of my own story.

Like All the Buried Women, When the Wolves Came is expertly produced. If you’re trying to wrap your head around what happend inside evangelical churches, this really is the place to go. It profiles the voices of several insiders, as well as scholars weighing in from outside these spaces. It’s hosted by Dr. Ruth Braunstein, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut who leads the Meanings of Democracy Lab.

Here’s the first episode:

Both of these are podcasts you could share with friends or family who may be open to learning more about evangelicalism and MAGA politics, or who are becoming uncomfortable with some of the things they’re seeing.

Such as this photo, featuring some of our leading Christian nationalists praying over their deliverer.

If you’ll listen to All the Buried Women and When the Wolves Came, this picture will make much more sense.

So as not to leave you with that image seared in your mind, let me leave you with this one. Before the snow started to fall, I grabbed a picture of our first crocus.

Before I go, a quick reminder that I’ll be doing this virtual event later today:

And then I’m excited about two public events coming up. At both, I’ll be speaking not just about my historical research but also discussing where we are now and making sense of what lies ahead.

Next week (March 28-29), I’ll be at Raleigh’s First Baptist Church. Friday evening will start off with a 6pm dinner and then I’ll speak at 7pm, and Saturday morning includes breakfast followed by a 10am talk.

And on April 3, I’ll be giving an evening lecture at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. It’s at 7pm, Madeleva Hall, Carroll Auditorium, free and open to the public.

I’d love to meet some of you in person!