Prophets, Politicians, and Partisans with Ryan Self | Episode 283

Why Don't Bad Things Happen to Bad People? with Jared Dodson | Episode 290

Why bad things happen to good people has always been the classic question of faith. But Gen Z is asking something different: why don't bad things happen to bad people? Jared Dodson — a Gen Z Bible professor at Bushnell University — joins Dennis to unpack the perspective he's seeing in his students and peers, one where anger at injustice, exposure to political violence, and a deep desire for God's judgment are reshaping how a generation reads scripture. They talk about the imprecatory Psalms, the story of David, the temptation to dehumanize the very people we call unjust, and why nonviolence still matters even when the old approaches feel like they've failed. The conversation moves through lament, mental health, the book of Job, and how Revelation offers a vision of reconciliation rather than just judgment. It's a generational conversation about anger, justice, and what it might take for older and younger Christians to understand each other. Shownotes: GenZ Isn't Asking Why Bad Things Happen to Good People [https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/05/gen-z-why-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-theodicy-evil-suffering/] Walking Alongside Scripture (Jared's Substack) [https://jndodson.substack.com/]       Donate to Church and Main [https://buymeacoffee.com/dennislsanders] Church and Main Substack [https://churchandmain.substack.com/] Join the Church and Main Email List [https://mailchi.mp/fbfac340e2ea/churchandmain] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod] | Twitter [https://x.com/churchandmain] | Website [https://churchandmain.org/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast]

Stubbornly Choosing Hope in a Hopeless World with Jake Doberenz | Episode 289

There's a lot of despair in the world right now, and it seems especially pronounced among Generation Z. Writer, speaker, and podcaster Jake Doberins joins the show to talk about his recent essay "Having Hope in a Hopeless World," exploring why hope feels so scarce for his generation and what makes Christian hope different from mere optimism. Jake shares his own journey from a fundamentalist, know-it-all faith to something fuller and more honest, and unpacks why institutions, including the church, have lost people's trust. He and Dennis talk about loneliness, the risk built into hope, and why modeling a hopeful life matters more than teaching it. As Jake puts it, hope is "this stubborn belief that says, yeah, things are bad... but they're not always going to be bad." Shownotes: Having Hope in a Hopeless World [https://jakedoberenz.substack.com/p/having-hope-in-a-hopeless-world] Christianity without Compromise Podcast [https://jakedoberenz.substack.com/s/podcast] Heavy Lies the Stole [https://churchandmain.substack.com/p/heavy-lies-the-stole]     Donate to Church and Main [https://buymeacoffee.com/dennislsanders] Church and Main Substack [https://churchandmain.substack.com/] Join the Church and Main Email List [https://mailchi.mp/fbfac340e2ea/churchandmain] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod] | Twitter [https://x.com/churchandmain] | Website [https://churchandmain.org/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast]

There's Never A Good Time to Have Kids. Have them Anyway. with Griffin Gooch | Episode 288

Is now a good time to have kids? For many younger people, the answer is a firm no — climate change, political chaos, economic uncertainty, and a general sense of doom have made the idea of bringing a child into the world feel irresponsible. But theologian and expectant father Griffin Gooch sees it differently. In this episode, Dennis talks with Griffin about why the fears surrounding having children — and getting married — say more about our cultural moment than they do about the actual goodness of family life. They explore how negativity bias and the constant flood of bad news shape our sense of the future, what social science actually tells us about what makes for a good life, and why the Christian tradition has always understood children as a profound blessing rather than a burden.  It's a conversation about hope, friction, flourishing, and why bringing something good into a broken world isn't naive — it might be exactly what the world needs. Shownotes: Having Kids When There's Never a Good Time to Have Kids [https://griffingooch.substack.com/p/having-kids-when-theres-never-a-good]     Donate to Church and Main [https://buymeacoffee.com/dennislsanders] Church and Main Substack [https://churchandmain.substack.com/] Join the Church and Main Email List [https://mailchi.mp/fbfac340e2ea/churchandmain] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod] | Twitter [https://x.com/churchandmain] | Website [https://churchandmain.org/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast]

Is AI A Tool For Love? with Cathie Caimano | Episode 287

Is artificial intelligence a threat — or a tool for love? Episcopal priest Cathie Caimano thinks it's the latter, and she joins Dennis in making the case that most church conversations about AI are missing the point entirely. Drawing from Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Cathie argues the question isn't whether AI is good or bad, but how each of us chooses to use it. While headlines focused on the Pope's warnings about AI's dangers, Cathie found something different at the heart of the encyclical — a call to examine our own values and ask how we are using these powerful new tools to love God and love our neighbor. Shownotes: The Pope said Use AI for Love' [https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/the-pope-said-use-ai-for-love] Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned in using AI. [https://churchandmain.substack.com/p/bless-me-father-for-i-have-sinned] Related Episodes: Navigating the AI Apocalypse with Michael DeLashmutt | Episode 284 [https://churchandmain.org/episode/navigating-the-ai-apocalypse-with-michael-delashmutt-episode-284] Can AI Help or Hinder Human Flourishing? with Paul Hoffman | Episode 266 [https://churchandmain.org/episode/can-ai-help-or-hinder-human-flourishing-with-paul-hoffman-episode-266] Pastoral Leadership and ChatGPT with Jeremy Wilhelmi | Episode 178 [https://churchandmain.org/episode/pastoral-leadership-and-chatgpt-with-jeremy-wilhelmi-episode-178]   Donate to Church and Main [https://buymeacoffee.com/dennislsanders] Church and Main Substack [https://churchandmain.substack.com/] Join the Church and Main Email List [https://mailchi.mp/fbfac340e2ea/churchandmain] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod] | Twitter [https://x.com/churchandmain] | Website [https://churchandmain.org/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast]

The Local Church and the Grammar of Grace with Trygve Johnson | Episode 286

What happens when a local church closes? More than a building goes dark — something essential to the fabric of community disappears with it. Trygve Johnson, executive director of the Preach For Foundation, joins Dennis to talk about why the local church matters more than most people realize and what is lost when congregations vanish from our neighborhoods. Drawing from his three-part Substack series When the Lights Go Out, Trygve introduces the idea of the "grammar of grace" — the underlying cadence of forgiveness, belonging, and second chances that the church offers to the broader culture. When that grammar goes silent, we are left with little more than meritocracy, isolation, and the exhausting pressure to perform our way into being loved. The conversation moves from the social utility of the church to something deeper — the sacramental and theological vision of a community that does not need to earn its place at the table because, as Trig puts it, the church is the table. Along the way, Dennis and Trig talk about recruiting the next generation of pastors, the importance of Wednesday potlucks, why Jesus apparently refused to serve bad wine, and what it means to practice resurrection in a season of anxiety and decline. Shownotes: When the Lights Go Out Part One [https://trygvejohnson.substack.com/p/when-the-lights-go-out-part-1-the] When the Lights Go Out, Part Two [https://trygvejohnson.substack.com/p/when-the-lights-go-out-ee6] When the Lights Go Out, Part Three [https://trygvejohnson.substack.com/p/when-the-lights-go-out-77e] Preach For website [https://www.preachfor.org/]     Donate to Church and Main [https://buymeacoffee.com/dennislsanders] Church and Main Substack [https://churchandmain.substack.com/] Join the Church and Main Email List [https://mailchi.mp/fbfac340e2ea/churchandmain] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/] | Threads [https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod] | Twitter [https://x.com/churchandmain] | Website [https://churchandmain.org/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast]