Snarky Faith

This week's episode is a call to action, as we tell the story of Muhammad Kamran. I hope that you will listen and join us to help save him and his family. Muhammad was an interpreter in Afghanistan for U.S. troops and the War on Terror for over ten years, but, now, he's been in hiding for six years in Pakistan after he and his family fled Afghanistan for their lives. They are still trying to find safe passage to America. Yet, the U.S. has denied his case repeatedly, with no reasons given publicly.  After the U.S. troops began pulling out of Afghanistan, interpreters became targets for the Taliban. More than 17,000 Afghan interpreters were left behind to face torture and death and, in 2009, the U.S. government passed an act to supposedly help with this issue.  "In 2009, Congress passed the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009. The Act provided special immigrant visas (SIVs) to Afghans who had worked for at least one year as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Afghanistan, and whose lives were threatened because of their work in support of the U.S. mission. The visas allow these wartime allies to resettle in the United States." (https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/afghan-special-immigrant-visa-program) Yet, under the Trump administration, the number of SIVs issued has significantly been reduced. Right now, they deny 90% of Iraqi and Afghani U.S. military interpreters who apply as refugees. This tragedy is an everyday reality for so many interpreters living in fear.  Thankfully, Muhammad has had an advocate in Kristy Perano and her family, who have tirelessly have spent the last several years campaigning and petitioning on his behalf to the government. Currently, Muhammad is still waiting but also pursuing immigration through Canada.  Let's help get the Kamran family to safety. For that to happen, WE NEED YOU! _____________________________________________ Here is how you can get involved and help: 1) Listen to Muhammad's story and share it on social media. We need to continue to get this message out.  2) Give to Muhammad's GoFundMe Campaign to help his family immigrate to Canada. He needs to raise $30,000.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/rescue-afghan-interpreter-and-family-from-taliban 3) Join his prayer team for updates and prayer requests. To be added to the list, please email save.aysha@gmail.com. 4) Helping SIV refugees through Keeping our Promise https://www.keepingourpromise.org/ Help new refugees in your community through organizations like World Relief and We Welcome Refugees. https://worldrelief.org/ https://www.wewelcomerefugees.com/   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the show, I spend plenty of time mocking and making fun of modern "prophets." They're typically unhinged and typically wrong. Very rarely, though, do people keep receipts on them and their past prognostications. I'm a fair person, and turnabout is fair play, so today's show will be able predictions and thoughts from back in 2015. From the Snarky Faith archives, I've dug out an old show with me and my friend, Prof. Ben. Join us in the time capsule as we talk about then-candidate-Trump and our ideas of where it could and would lead. It's a fun look in the rear mirror from a simpler time before kids in cages and white supremacy marches when Trump was a joke for just being himself and hadn't ruined the US's standing in the world. You remember, back in the good old days before pandemic and pornstars. If hindsight is 20-20, then how's our vision. Were we on the mark or far off? You be the judge. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Screw off. Piss off. This is not going to be a show about being thankful. 2020 is not the year for Thanksgiving. And even after the election, the prospect of spending time with reality-denying family members does not seem like holiday cheer. Am I wrong? After the election, I've heard the call to embrace the other side and welcome them back to reality. That's not how redemption works. While the conservative side of America still fantasizes that Trump won, the rest of the world moves on. Trump lost. That is a hard fact, and it's not your job to grapple with someone else's refusal of reality. I am here to give you the grace to not embrace crazy people, especially on Thanksgiving. Just because they're family doesn't mean that you need to open yourself up to abuse from crazy people. You don't want it. God doesn't want it either. So this is a time where I give you the freedom to not be thankful because we are living in a crazy time. Don't worry about being thankful, just worry about being present. That is far more valuable to God and his Kingdom. This season of Thanksgiving may be tainted with insanity, but we are not called to be part of it. Stay grounded. Stay sane. In some seasons and holidays, your best bet is survival. So join us today, as we look at the book of Lamentations to speak to our present reality. With those grappling with loss, they need to realize just how far they have gone from the path. Reality and sobriety are necessary at this moment. We shouldn't sugar-coat life to please the disfunction of a family during the holidays. Just because things seem nuts doesn't mean that you have to be. There are better days ahead, just don't get mired in someone else's denial of reality.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For too long have people given the so-called prophets of modern Christianity a free pass. It's far time that we look at the biblical model of prophets and call a holy bullshit on Christianity today. In the wake of the U.S. presidential election, multitudes of prophets have been proven wrong. They have only spoken nonsense and sold it as orthodoxy. I don't know about you, but selling lies as the words of God sounds like a deep offense to the faith. So let us delve into what the role of a prophet is supposed to be according to the Old and New Testaments. We'll look into how the modern prophet isn't anywhere near anything biblical. These charlatans and faux fortune-tellers have bastardized the faith and made it look foolish and absurd. If God's mouthpiece looks like a circus sideshow, what does that say of God? Is God a fool obsessed with money and private jets. Does God care about riches or influence? Is God the God of Abraham the same god that desires bling? Modern-day prophets denigrate God and make a mockery of the faith. So if they traffic in mockery, they deserve what they receive. But, that would all be too easy to dismiss. Modern-day prophets are only prophets in name alone. In reality, they are clowns who dance and speak for their coins. Biblical prophecy involves truth-telling and sacrifice. It gives God's people a vision for what matters now and where things should be headed. As people of God, it informs our values and gives us a vision of where to go, invest, and mobilize. The Kingdom of God is always moving. If you want to join the movement it only requires time and effort, but all great things in life require those too. Will you tune out the nonsense and noise and listen to what's being asked of you right now? Everything hinges upon that point. So let's hop in and see where it takes us. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we rejoice as a dark period of America is over. The orange stain on history has been vanquished, and the world is all set right again. It's time to sing kumbaya and live in a utopia! I'm only kidding. Yes, Trump has lost, and we rejoice in that, but the real work remains. How do you clean up four years of mess? Well, first, we celebrate the moment. Then, we, we look towards the future and begin to write a new tomorrow. Lofty thoughts and ambitions fuels us for sure, but they all need to begin somewhere. So today, on the show, we'll recount the prophets that were dead wrong and misleading the sheep. We'll also look at where we should be headed and how to get there. It's a long path, and it begins today. Are you ready? Do you want to do what it takes to make a difference, even if it's small and doesn't include accolades? The proposition doesn't sound sexy, but it does sound a lot like the ways and teaching of Jesus. Let's start a new tomorrow today. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Raised in a strict fundamentalist family, Marc-Henri Sandoz Paradella studied theology in Geneva and then worked as a successful pastor in an evangelical church. After 15 years of pursuing this life mission, he came to realize the narrow-mindedness of his faith and the sufferings and frailties that were hidden behind the cover of religion. Then he decided to resign. However, it was only years later, as a result of dramatic life circumstances, that he became fully aware of the hidden dynamics of toxic spirituality that were still poisoning him from the inside. Toxic Jesus is a thought-provoking book rooted in the author’s deep personal experience. It shows how religion can become toxic and promote shame, guilt, and repression. Join us today as we talk with Marc-Henri about his journey and the truths that he learned along the way. It's a hopeful story of inner healing and  a renewed spiritual experience. You can find Marc-Henri's new book, Toxic Jesus, here. You can also find out more about Marc-Henri: www.en.MarcHenriSandoz.com Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2016, 80% of white Evangelical Christians went all-in on Donald J. Trump. It's a decision that will impact the future of the American church. In the past, the church has had strange bedfellows, but this was very different. After years in the making, conservative Christianity had finally traded in evangelism for a political power move as a means to change the nation. The church had long been on a war against culture, and this was the final piece; the presidency. It seems as if Jesus couldn't change American, then it might as well be Donald Trump pushing an Evangelical wishlist forward. Their culture war had finally paid off, but it was the devil's bargain. Through their Orange Messiah, they packed the courts with conservative judges, used scripture to defend putting kids in cages, denied science during a pandemic, and were finally able to say again, "Merry Christmas." They got much of what they wanted, but at what cost? With a world watching, those that worship Jesus on Sunday spend the rest of their week being hateful and bigoted. The ways and teachings of Jesus became mere lip service to them that would prefer an angry and vengeful God. Loving neighbors became "owning the libtards." The church was already in a slow decline, but the election of 2016 and Christianity's alignment with Trump kickstarted the mass exodus. They may have felt like they gained the world, but at the expense of their witness. It doesn't have to be that way. There's always another chance to right decisions of the past. It's like they say, "fool me once, and use my faith, arrogance, and selfishness to appeal to my warped perspective of God. Shame on you. Fool me twice..." But who knows? 2020 is a crossroads for the church and the country. I hope that Evangelicals learn to make new mistakes instead of repeating the old ones. I'm sure Jesus would love to be welcome back into your churches someday. But I also think he's fine hanging out with the others outside the building and down the block. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.Snarkyfaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Snarky Faith is turning over the microphone for the Earth. Enjoy the show. We’ve caused a turning point in the Earth’s natural history. Everybody Now is a podcast about what it means to be human on the threshold of a global climate emergency, in a time of systemic injustice and runaway pandemics. Scientists, activists, farmers, poets, and theologians talk bravely and frankly about how our biosphere is changing, about grief and hope in an age of social collapse and mass extinction, and about taking action against all the odds. On 19th October 2020, Everybody Now is being released by podcasters all over the world as a collective call for awareness, grief and loving action. With contributions from: Dr. Gail Bradbrook - scientist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion Prof. Kevin Anderson - Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester Dámaris Albuquerque - works with agricultural communities in Nicaragua Dr. Rowan Williams - theologian and poet, and a former Archbishop of Canterbury Pádraig Ó Tuama - poet, theologian and conflict mediator Rachel Mander - environmental activist with Hope for the Future John Swales - priest and activist, and part of a community for marginalised people Zena Kazeme - Persian-Iraqi poet who draws on her experiences as a former refugee to create poetry that explores themes of exile, home, war and heritage Flo Brady - singer and theatre maker Hannah Malcolm - Anglican ordinand, climate writer and organiser Alastair McIntosh - writer, academic and land rights activist David Benjamin Blower - musician, poet and podcaster Funding and Production: This podcast was crowdfunded by a handful of good souls, and produced by Tim Nash and David Benjamin Blower Permissions: The song Happily by Flo Brady is used with permission. The song The Soil, from We Really Existed and We Really Did This by David Benjamin Blower, used with permission. The Poem The Tree of Knowledge by Pádraig Ó Tuama used with permission. The Poem Atlas by Zena Kazeme used with permission. The Poem What is Man? by Rowan Williams from the book The Other Mountain, used with permission from Carcanet Press. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world WWW.SNARKYFAITH.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump administration has been extremely successful in normalizing horror. We move so quickly from a dumpster fire to a dumpster fire it's easy to lose track of where we have been. We've had so much to protest and so much to grieve, but we still cannot forget. One ugly story from the Trump administration reared its ugly head again this week. With new information coming to light about the situation at our southern border that manifested itself in the form of kids in cages and families torn apart. At the time, Jeff Session lectured the religious in America about the virtues of law and order as he quoted from the oft used and abused Romans 13. I'm so tired of that chapter being used as a weapon to keep people in line. It's a proof text that the pious love to drag down to their moral high ground. So today, let's give Romans 13 another look and see if gives the "God-ordained" government a blank check to ask for our submission. That was never the point of those verses. So join me today for a rowdy talk about God, the powers that be, and why I'm not about to roll over when God calls me to act with a radical love. We're all called to be brave, compassionate, daring, and full of grace, and Romans 13 unleashes us to do that. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I speak to you, my dear audience, I speak the truth, whether it be popular or not. And as this recording is happening, the president of the United States of America has COVID-19 and is hospitalized. It would be easy to cheer or laugh at this news because it seems like he's been challenging reality for weeks. If Trump ordered COVID on Amazon Prime, it was back-ordered, but it eventually delivered.  On today's show, we'll discuss what prayer should look like in the time of autocrats, abusers, and pandemic. As Christians call for the faithful to pray for the health and restoration of the president, I call bullshit!  It is absolutely illogical and unethical to pray for the healing of an abuser to be healed and restored so they can live to abuse another day. It's antithetical to the gospel and to common sense.  If we've learned anything from Jesus, it's that binary answers are don't make sense in real life. They work in religion, but they don't work in reality. Jesus speaks of nuance and looking deeper at issues.  Take prayer for example. Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. That part is true. But, Jesus doesn't tell us how to pray for our enemies.  So I pray for a change of heart, but I do not pray for the healing of the president. My soul is okay with that.  In a time when there is so much at stake, we do need to pray focus and focus on the future with prayers that align with the kingdom of God.  Pray for justice.  Pray for mercy.  Pray for compassion.  Pray for healing.  Pray for a new day.  Pray for second chances.  Pray for a change of heart.  Pray for awakenings.  Voting is important. So go and vote on November 3rd, but also remember that prayer is also important. So dream, imagine, and pray for a new tomorrow because as we pray for it, we also walk out.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.