Podcast List — THE UNCENSORED UNPROFESSOR

Sep 9

Sep 9 433 Will the Earth Last Forever?

Will the Earth last forever? It's an interesting question that goes into several areas: worldview (bible and theology vs. science), what it means to be human, what the Eschaton (resurrection life) will be like, biblical prophecies, the nature of Jesus' own resurrection, the doctrine of creation, God's nature, and the power of God. With my friend, Mark, I discuss pertinent biblical passages, formative biblical teachings, the reality of continuity and discontinuity in Jesus' resurrection. Mark has a minor degree in horticulture, so I ask him what would planet Earth be like if all the plants were finally burned up? So many Christians today look at the earth and think, "oh well, it's all going to burn anyway!" But really, is it? Is that the biblical portrayal? Let's build our hope together as we think about the future of our planet.

Sep 3

Sep 3 432 Does God Change? Immutability & Dynamism

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Does God change? If we answer yes how can we know whether our salvation is certain? And here, 2000 years into the fray, the question is more pertinent than ever. We have, what, half?!, the Church that thinks God has changed his mind about several critical matters: the mode of salvation, morality, truth, and even whether male and female are essential human qualities. But then if we answer no, God cannot change does that mean God is frozen inside his own self? Is he unmoved by what happens in time, on the earth? With my friend Mark I explore these questions with regard to pertinent Bible passages, theological formulation, philosophical infiltration, and the issue of Christian mission. Just how do we partner with God? With which God are we partnering? Is following Christ a matter of divine fatalism? Is God really causing every single thing that happens in life? Come think and laugh with us! We mean to help you hone your faith.

Aug 27

Aug 27 431 Truth Telling vs. Lying; Conversing w/Mark

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Why should Christians tell the truth? Is doing so narrowly a matter of being like Christ? If not, what other considerations and dynamics come into play? Should Christians ever tell a lie? Or, could Christians tell a lie if it was for the sake of love? What Scripture verses come into play on the matter of truth telling and lying? What kind of ethical schools of thought come into play as we work through speaking the truth? Why were so many Christians deceived by the media and politicians over the last 5 years? Come join me and my long-time friend, Mark, as we think aloud together about the importance of truth telling.

Aug 20

Aug 20 430 God's Love for the World vs Worldly Love

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Christians are called to love the world as God did. But believers are also called to forsake worldliness. So, what 's the difference between love for the world and forsaking the love of worldliness? In this, third, conversational episode with my friend Mark we discuss that tension and go on to variously discuss: the definition of love, pertinent Bible verses about love, the arc of one's life, and life's true North star for Christians. Just what does it mean to go against the tide? How did Mark go against the tide at his job? How has Ed resisted worldliness across 8 years of producing his show? How does the world "turn on the spigot" for us so that we conceded much of what it means to follow Christ? After all, there are openly wicked temptations but then there are ways of just going along with the tide; both sides can be equally destructive. Come laugh and think with the two of us!

Aug 13

Aug 13 429 Killing vs Murder; Conversing w/Mark

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What should be a Christian's position on murder and its punishment? In this second episode where I converse with my old friend Mark, we work through the biblical framing on killing vs murder. Is the New Testament full of mercy whereas the Old Testament was full of vengeance? Were there two different Gods, and Jesus brought with him news of a loving God? Do most people live according to love or fear? Why? Why is an appropriate level of fear not only helpful but necessary for society to flourish? Or, here's a hard question: is the anti-capital-punishment church of today more wise and/or virtuous than the church of seventeen hundred years? More locally, how did the recent plea bargain deal offered to the Moscow murderer play here in Idaho? How'd that plea bargain play with some of the family members of the murdered? Let's think through this difficult topic from a biblical angle. Come laugh and think with myself and Mark.

Aug 6

Aug 6 428 Being Blessable vs. Earning God's Favor (Conversing w/Mark)

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First episode in a new series! Conversations with my friend Mark, "Blessable vs. Earning God's Favor." Psalms 1:1 reads, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers." This verse echoes the whole Bible which teaches that God wants to bless, but that He especially wants to bless a certain kind of person. In this rolling mutual talk Mark and I work through the (apparent) tension of being a person God wants to bless versus thinking one has earned God's blessing by being virtuous (or any other number of means). Is it wrong, selfish even, to want to be blessed? Should we entirely eliminate personal desires when it comes to seeking God's blessings? Come and think with the two of us!

Jul 30

Jul 30 427 Historic Scandal; Christian Positions on Politics

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On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Director of Nat'l Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard gave a Whitehouse Press Briefing. She explained her office now has documents that prove the highest level scandal in American history. This is no longer a conspiracy. Who was involved? For how long? What did they do to promote their narrative? I explain why this scandal is a nuclear water cannon compared to the squirt gun pee that was Watergate back in 1972. Unlike Watergate this more-recent scandal cost people friendships, wrecked extended families, divided churches, cost people jobs and potential jobs, and even infected how people view international relations. How can the country recover? How will trust ever be rebuilt? In the show's second half I work through various traditional positions of Christian on political engagement. What are the dominant "no" and "yes" models? In the show's opening I talk about why Boiseland has such a tiny homeless problem. Come and turn on your beautiful God-given brains with me.

Jul 23

Jul 23 426 American Christian Worldview—State by State

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From 2020 to 2025 the Barna Polling Agency conducted 15 minute polls on nearly 18,000 Americans and their worldview. Recently Barna published the results of that poll and displayed the percentages of population that embraces a Christian worldview. The results are both shocking and fascinating. I work through all 50 states and humorously muse aloud on the results. Which region is the most Christian? Least? What are some of the surprises? In the show's cultural-assessment opening I discuss the election campaign of Zohran Mamdani, a young Muslim running for mayor in NYC. As it turns out, Mamdani's strategy has been both employed and successful in Europe. It also reveals what the Progressive movement will be attempting for many years to come here in America. Come think and laugh with me!

Jul 16

Jul 16 425 The Lord's Prayer—My Spiritual Scaffold

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Many Christians feel lost when it comes to prayer. How should one go about praying? Other believers feel aimless, "how can I come up with a novel & unique prayer every single day?!" In this episode I explain how the Lord's Prayer (Our Father, Pater Noster) serves as a scaffold for my own praying. Or, perhaps better, how the Lord's Prayer serves as a targeting system for my praying. Jesus' prayer is a prayer for soldiers. We were born into a war when we exited our mother's placenta and we were born into a war when we confessed Christ and became new creations. So I name each phrase of the established prayer and then theologically unpack what it means, peel back some layers, and even clarify how I pray with regard to that phrase. In the show's cultural-examination opening I variously discuss: the attacks on ICE agents, the rioting in Portland and Dallas and California, the ongoing opaque nature of the Epstein files, and what I want to happen with regard to what went on at Epstein's sex island. Come laugh and think with me!

Jul 9

Jul 9 424 Quick Hitter—Caitlyn Clark

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In this quick hitter (21:10 mins) I variously discuss: why I prefer Christ to Messiah; the Crusades e-booklet I will give to $10+ Patreon pledges; the two sermons I recently preached; the value of asking questions in a Post-Christian culture; our recent trip to the Oregon coast (all the animals I saw, all the brokenness I witnessed); my son's experience of coaching tee-ball here in Spudlandia; our culture of non-participation with continued expectation; and the WNBA phenom, Caitlyn Clark. There is a new biography out about Caitlyn as a person. She keeps it classy when questioned about how the majority of the WNBA players resent her, take cheap shots at her. What do I admire about Caitlyn? How much is she helping the WNBA tv ratings increase? Come laugh and think with me!

Jul 2

Jul 2 423 Crusades (15) Siege of Vienna; My Challenges for Islam & Christianity

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The siege of Vienna (1683) was an epic history-making event. Sultan Mohammed II and his Grand Vizier, Kara Mustafa, eyed the "Golden Apple" of Vienna with great hunger. If Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire fell, the spoils of Poland, Germany, France, and Italy lay ripe for the picking! At first two hundred thousand Muslim soldiers fought against twelve thousand Austrians at the Vienna city walls. Weeks later sixty-five thousand Poles and Germans arrived and fought the Muslims out on the battle field. In this last episode in my Crusades series I narrate the heart-stopping battle. What finally woke Western Europe from its long-standing languor, its sleep? What kind of ostentatious things did Kara Mustafa keep at his war camp? In the show's opening I raise two challenges each for Christianity and Muslim. No, my questions are not theological. They are more simple: what will each religion do in order to safeguard the future of humanity's existence? Come and think deeply with me about our lives in Christ.

Jun 25

Jun 25 422 Crusades (14) Dhimmitude: Life Under Muslim Rule; 1453 Sack of Constantinople

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Crusades

What was it like, if you were not a Muslim, to live under Muslim rule? Even though the Koran calls for religious freedom why did that not, in fact, ever serve as the way of life? How would the Muslims carry out forced religious conversions? What kind of daily realities did the Dhimmi (subjugated, humiliated) live with? How were Jews treated? Then, in the show's second half, I describe the siege, battle, and 1453 fall of Constantinople. Byzantium, later Constantinople, successfully withstood 2110 years of siege attempts. So, how did Sultan Mohammed II finally enter and capture the city, "the giant thorn" in the side of Islam? Why did the Muslims practice pederasty? Who, when a city was siezed, would be ganged raped? (Warning: graphic execution practices are described in detail.)

Jun 18

Jun 18 421 Crusades (13) 7th Crusade (Israel boms Iran; The Bible on Nat'l Boundaries)

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Crusades

France's King Louis IX led the 7th Crusade. But he broke with established crusader order by starting first in Tunis instead of Cyprus. Why? And what happened in Tunis? I peel back the layers of the seventh Crusade. We explore the great battle between the Mongols and the Muslims, show why Sultan Baybars earned the nickname "the merciless," and talk about the profound political spin that contemporary authors have put upon the Crusades. In the show's opening reflection I recount some of the details of Israel's bombing (and assassinations) of Iran. Why I reject the dominant interpretive Neo-Marxist frame for understanding the Middle East. Then I work through questions like: How do the people of Iran feel about the bombings? Whom did Israel specifically target? We also examine the recent peaceful riots occurring in America's major cities. Is Thailand racist to require immigration visas? Why don't they allow Cambodians and Malaysians to wander across the Thai border? To set up the immigration question I note a FB post I read from one of my former students. And then, to establish a biblical perspective, I note what the Bible has to say about national boundaries and borders. Come think and laugh with me!

Jun 11

Jun 11 420 Crusades (12) Sixth Crusade (Teachers are Quitting?)

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Crusades

The sixth Crusade is famous for the involvement of France's King Louis IX. What was he like? Why was he so beloved? What decision did he make that led to the disastrous end of the sixth Crusade? I also clarify what I admire about Medieval Crusaders. They had something that I see nowhere in the contemporary American Church. In the show's news-review I variously comment on: the Deconversion trend at work; the number of NFL teams no longer celebrating Pride month; the unprecedented number of universal injunctions being used against Donald Trump and what it says about the Democrat party; young Americans are having more strokes than at any time in history, what's going on?; an extended reflection about a video on X.com where a 26 year old brand-new teacher explained why she's quitting; a narration of the pizza-pie-chart I made 8 years ago when I myself quit teaching college. Come laugh and think with me!

Jun 4

Jun 4 419 Crusades (11) Fifth Crusade (What about Harvard?)

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Crusades

A short 9 years after the fourth Crusade ended the Pope called for a fifth. And the aim still was? Taking back Jerusalem. But the Crusaders—again!—made bad strategic decisions. And then, of all weird things, in the middle of the Crusade the Sultan was visited by Francis of Assisi. I recount the exchange between those two men and reflect on the spirit of Crusading. When King Frederick of Germany, and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire finally arrived he finally regained Jerusalem. All that, and Frederick wasn’t even a Christian. In the show’s opening cultural reflection I work through the recent conflagration concerning Harvard and higher education. What is going on there that provoked Trump’s ire? Why am I a bit conflicted? Why am I enjoying no small amount of Schadenfreude? I also tell homefront tales about catching a big black spider and a conversation with a single-dad Robin I had last week. Come laugh and think with me!

May 28

May 28 418 Crusades (10) 4th Crusade (What about Christian De-Converters?)

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Crusades

The Fourth Crusade was arguably the most disastrous of them all. In the year 1204 Catholics betrayed Catholics, Catholics and Byzantines betrayed one another, and Byzantine royal family members betrayed and murdered one another. What could go wrong?! I narrate the role and place of Venice in the fourth Crusade. Across the episode I also ruminate about all the Christian De-Converters we are reading about today (how to assess what they are doing), what is the difference between Islam and Christianity on the topics of being inside and outside the religious community?, and describe a recent extraordinarly beautiful trip to Northern Idaho. Come think carefully and laugh with me!

May 21

May 21 417 Crusades (9) 3rd Crusade (My Framework Re. Bible & Violence)

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Crusades

The Crusaders held Jerusalem and the Holy Land for a short 88 years (1099-1187). But when Caliph Saladin (a Sunni Kurd) recaptured both the relic of the "True Cross" and Jerusalem itself a third Crusade was called for by Pope Urban III. Among those who answered that call was Richard the Lionheart, the King of England who carried King Arthur's famed sword "Excalibur." In this episode I recount what preceded Saladin's re-conquest of Jerusalem, the challenges of staying hydrated for the Crusaders, the ongoing suspicions and betrayals between Byzantine and Holy Roman Empire Christians, everyday life on the Crusader march, and how Richard and Saladin finally ended their warring. In the show's opening I reflect on American students' deliquencies on their school loans. I also explain still more about the Bible and violence, delineating how I frame the question of violence and/or pacifism from Old Testament to New Testament. Come and enjoy some intellectually fresh Wagyu beef with me!

May 14

May 14 416 Why Christian Colleges Always Veer Left; American Pope!

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I'm interrupting my series on the Medieval Crusades to think with you about the question, why do Christian Colleges always slide to the Theological (and with that, Cultural) Left? I listened to a recent Theology Pugcasters podcast episode and they really got me to thinking. I add my own reflections and experiences to their insightful analysis. Then, because the Roman Catholic Church has elected a new Pope I reflect on the prospects of a Pope Leo XIV papacy. Who is he? He's from America but how American is he really? Why did the Cardinals vote him in after only 3 votes? Why do I—yes and amen—want him to be an advocate for the planet's disenfranchised populations?! Along the way I also reflect on a recent vivid X.com picture I saw and tie that into a reflection about Elon Musk now having sired 12 children. What is unique about that? What does it say about where society is headed? Come think and laugh with me.

May 7

May 7 415 Crusades (8) Second Crusade (Turn the Other Cheek)

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Crusades

What happened in the Mid-East that motivated the second Catholic Crusade? Why did a monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, preach the Crusade? What happened to the armies of King Conrad and King Louis VII along the way over and down to Constantinople and Cappadocia? How did the centuries-old suspicion between Orthodox and Catholic Christians play out during the second Crusade? I examine and answer all those questions in this episode. I also offer an extended reflection on Jesus' famous words, "turn the other cheek." What did he really mean in his first-century context? I also offer an extended thought-piece on why I do not believe either the Bible or Jesus himself were against the godly use of violence and/or war. Oh, and I wonder, what is the etymology of whore? Is it possible the Arabic houris—sexified concubines waiting in the afterlife—played into the history of the word whore? Come laugh and think with me about our faith in Christ.

Apr 30

Apr 30 414 Crusades (7) Jerusalem Kingdom (Pacifism & Capitalism)

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Crusades

Truth is? I hadn't planned on producing this episode. But way back when I was working on my PhD I learned that one has to go where the historical record takes one. So in this episode I narrate details about the Jerusalem Kingdom (the 600 square mile empire) that arose after the First Crusade. Led by different orders of Knights, the Jerusalem Kingdom became the locale for the fantastic accumulation and management of wealth all over Europe. How did that happen? What was so amazing about the Knights Hospitaller? Why did the Knights Templar explode in growth and influence? I also address an important question, why didn't the Medieval Christians practice corporate pacifism? Concerning that very question what specific factors and decisions were thrust upon them all? In the show's cultural reflection I talk about the legacy of Pope Francis and explain why I believe another Pope like Francis will follow in his wake. Come laugh and think with me.