BSE: Once An Addict, Always An Addict & J-O-Y

The Fallacies of Christian Zionism w Elli Reynolds

What happens when nationalism, empire, and religion become so deeply intertwined that violence begins to look holy? In this episode, we examine the relationship between anti-imperialism, immigration enforcement, colonial power structures, and the political machinery that sustains them. From conversations surrounding ICE and state violence to the global consequences of militarized nationalism, we explore how fear and power are often packaged as morality, security, or even divine obligation. A major focus of this discussion is the ideology of Christian Zionism and the ways it has been weaponized to support imperialism, colonial expansion, and endless political conflict while simultaneously reinforcing harmful antisemitic narratives beneath the surface. Together, we unpack how theology can be manipulated into a political tool, why criticism of empire is often reframed as disloyalty or heresy, and how systems of domination rely on religious certainty to justify oppression. This episode challenges simplistic narratives and asks difficult questions about faith, power, nationalism, and what solidarity looks like in a world shaped by occupation, fear, and control. Elli Reynolds is an aspiring journalist, documenting power, protest, & occupation. You can find them on Instagram @elli_documents or on TikTok @elli_documents. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life w Billie & Paul Hoard

Why do humans recoil so strongly from things we perceive as “unclean,” immoral, or socially contaminating — even when those reactions make absolutely no logical sense? In this episode, we dive into the psychology of disgust, moral contamination, and the invisible boundaries humans obsessively create between pure and impure, acceptable and unacceptable, “us” and “them.” From religion and purity culture to gender norms and social stigma, we explore how fear and shame are often used to police behavior and maintain control. But disgust isn’t always destructive. Sometimes the very things that unsettle us force us to confront deeper truths about identity, morality, vulnerability, and what it means to be human. This conversation examines why people cling so tightly to moral superiority, how cultures weaponize disgust to create outsiders, and whether the things that make us uncomfortable might also be the things capable of transforming us. Billie Hoard is a trans woman, a high school history teacher, an author, and something of an Anabaptist radical. A consummate generalist, she holds an MA in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and she writes on topics ranging from fairy tales and C. S. Lewis to theology and philosophy. She and her brother, Paul Hoard, are the authors of Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. billieiswriting.substack.com [http://billieiswriting.substack.com] Paul Hoard, PhD, LMHC, is a licensed counselor, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and associate professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, as well as a board member for the Center for Christianity and Psychoanalysis. His scholarship focuses on Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, sexuality, white-body supremacy, perpetration-induced traumatic stress, and the theological logic of disgust. He has spoken and published internationally on topics including purity culture, trauma, eucontamination, and the intersections of theology and psychoanalysis. In addition to his academic and clinical work, Dr. Hoard is a co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Praxplay, an AI-powered training platform designed to help counseling students develop clinical skill through simulated client interactions. He is the co-author, with his sister Billie Hoard, of the book Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. https://paulhoard.substack.com/ [https://paulhoard.substack.com/] ; Praxplay [https://praxplay.com/] startup for counselor training; Center for Christianity and Psychoanalysis [https://centerforchristianityandpsychoanalysis.org/] Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Your Matter Matters w Will Rose

In a world flooded with information, distractions, and algorithm-driven certainty, how do we genuinely pursue truth without getting lost in the noise? This episode explores the interconnectedness of science, faith, ethics, technology, history, and spirituality, challenging the idea that these worlds must exist in opposition to one another. Instead of settling for simplistic binaries, we lean into curiosity, nuance, and the uncomfortable reality that truth is often far more complex than we’d like it to be. Can faith and science coexist, or have we been conditioned to see them as enemies? From questions about meaning and morality to the ways identity shapes our understanding of reality, this conversation examines why humans cling so tightly to certainty in an increasingly fragmented world. Think of it like an endless debate between Star Wars and Star Trek fans—except the stakes are existential, and nobody gets a lightsaber. We are joined today by pastor Will Rose; a Lutheran pastor, Theology Beer Camp enthusiast, and one of the hosts of Systematic Geekology and Across the Bifrost, the Mighty Thor Podcast. He is a co-host on the new podcast limited series Your Matter Matters with Thomas Johnston. You can also find him on Instagram @willnrose. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Cultural Gaslighting of American Mothers w Sandra Maurer

Motherhood in America is often sold as a beautiful, fulfilling dream wrapped in matching family photos and inspirational coffee mugs. The reality, however, tends to involve exhaustion, impossible expectations, political whiplash, and a society that insists everything is “fine” while mothers quietly drown beneath the weight of it all. In this episode of the G&G Podcast, we unpack the cultural gaslighting surrounding American motherhood — the constant messaging that women should feel grateful, fulfilled, and supported despite systems that often leave them isolated, overworked, and blamed for struggling. From reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy to economic instability, immigrant family fears, childcare costs, and the emotional labor mothers are expected to absorb without complaint, this conversation examines the widening gap between public narratives and lived reality. Why are mothers expected to function as emotional shock absorbers for society while receiving so little structural support in return? And what does that disconnect do to a person psychologically over time? Joining the conversation is Sandra Maurer, a licensed professional clinical counselor and reproductive mental health specialist from Minnesota, who helps explore the mental and emotional toll these contradictions create. Together, we discuss chronic stress, anxiety, societal conditioning, maternal identity, and the impossible balancing act many women are pressured to perform every day. If you’ve ever felt like the messaging around motherhood sounds suspiciously different from what mothers are actually experiencing, this episode is for you. Because sometimes the most destabilizing part of dysfunction is being told you’re overreacting to it. American Mother-load is Sandra Maurer's future book that she is hoping to get out later in 2026. IG: @mn_therapist TT: @mn_therapist Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Doubting Faithfully w Keith Long

In this episode, we sit down with the ideas from Doubting Faithfully by Keith Long to explore what it means to deconstruct faith without abandoning it entirely. Instead of treating doubt as failure, we examine how it can be a sign of growth—a willingness to move beyond inherited certainty and into something more honest, even if it’s less comfortable. We also dig into the unsettling pull sometimes felt within high-control religious spaces—the sense that questioning could cost you everything, yet not questioning might cost you yourself. From there, we wrestle with what it means to hold tension: to entertain difficult ideas without immediately accepting or rejecting them. Why is that so hard? What systems, fears, or social pressures keep people from engaging deeply with their own beliefs? And how might learning to sit with uncertainty actually reflect a deeper kind of spiritual maturity? Ultimately, this conversation invites us to loosen our grip on needing to be right. What if being wrong isn’t something to fear, but something to learn from? What if faith isn’t about certainty, but about curiosity, humility, and the courage to keep going anyway? Pull up a chair—this is a space where doubt isn’t the end of faith, but part of how it becomes something real. Keith Long has been a Lutheran pastor for 14 years and is the author of three books, Doubting Faithfully: Confessions of a Skeptical Pastor, Growing Spirit Wise: A Heretic’s Guide to Resurrection and Eternal Life, and Moviemakers, a novella. Keith has also written for New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman's blog, studies expanded consciousness in his free time, and loves his home state of Minnesota where he resides with his family. His website is www.authorkeithlong.com [http://www.authorkeithlong.com] and is currently developing a Lecture Series entitled "Jesus Beyond Christianity" 7 in-person and online presentations exploring pre-Christian culture and the future of religion. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS