Pod Only Knows

Hosted by Dr. Kelly J. Baker and John Brooks. Kelly and John invite other people from the wide and wild world of religious studies to talk to them about why and how they do what they do and why their work matters to us all. They also talk to each other about the ideas, stories, and histories that fascinate them and that they think you should know about, too.

Society & Culture
Religion & Spirituality
History
1
#024 - Simulation Theory, or Young Earth Creati...
In honor of the 25th anniversary of THE MATRIX, Kelly and John look into the theory that reality is just a computer simulation
53 min
2
#023 - Sarah Posner
Kelly and John talk to journalist and author Sarah Posner about the past, present, and future of Christian Nationalism in America.
56 min
3
#022 - God's Army with Amanda Moore
Kelly and John talk to Amanda Moore about God's Army, QAnon, and some guy named Michael Yon.
60 min
4
#021 - Dr. Nicole Symmonds
Kelly and John talk to Dr. Nicole Symmonds about her work, her journey to Black Catholicism, and working with John at Beliefnet
73 min
5
#020 - Dr. Judith Weisenfeld
Kelly and John talk to Dr. Judith Weisenfeld about her life in religious studies and her books, Hollywood Be Thy Name and New World A-Coming.
72 min
6
#019 - The Cult of Peloton?
Kelly and John make good use of Kelly's Peloton bike to explore why so many fitness crazes get accused of being cult-like.
63 min
7
#018 - David Feltmate - The Simpsons, Religion,...
Dr. David Feltmate joins Kelly and John to talk about his life in religious studies, why he loves The Simpsons, and how religion exists in a post-Simpsons America.
80 min
8
#017 - Ghosts of Christmas Past - with Sara Cle...
Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman join Kelly and John to talk about the ghosts that haunted the Victorian Christmas.0
71 min
9
#016 - A Brief History of the War on Christmas
Kelly and John check in on the latest casualties in the War on Christmas and offer a little history on Christmas past and present.
59 min
10
#015 - Unraveling the Thanksgiving Myth - with ...
Dr. David J. Silverman helps us unpack the (nonsense, ahistorical) myth that lies at the heart of Thanksgiving.
85 min
11
#014 - Mike Johnson - Christian Nationalist Wol...
This week, Kelly and John discuss exactly why Very Nice Guy (tm) Mike Johnson is a serious threat to the future of liberal democracy. Fun!
62 min
12
Halloween Special - NEVERMORE: Poe, Pain, and "...
Jenn Tisdale joins John and Kelly to talk about Edgar Allan Poe and the new Netflix series from Mike Flanagan "The Fall of the House of Usher"
73 min
13
#013 - Religion of Fear - Horror in Conservativ...
Jason Bivins on Hell Houses, Left Behind, and the role horror plays in the imagination of the modern American evangelical conservative.
73 min
14
Midnight Mass Rerelease - From Hard to Believe ...
A conversation about religion, horror, and human nature in Mike Flanagan's "Midnight Mass".
81 min
15
(Emergency Alert) Chit-Chat Episode #5 - The 5G...
In this weekend chit-chat, Kelly and John discuss the recent FEMA 5G zombie hysteria and ask what it says about the state of endtimes conspiracism.
52 min
16
#012 - The Power of Christ Compels You - Cathol...
Matthew J. Cressler joins us for a Spooky Season look at the intersection of horror and Catholicism.
70 min
17
Weekend Chit-Chat Episode #4 -The White Christi...
Religion, the KKK, the Proud Boys, Breakfast Cereals, and the weaponization of the ridiculous
48 min
18
#011 - God Has Forsaken Ashley: Chick Tracts ‐ ...
American Hysteria's Chelsey Weber-Smith joins us to talk about the life and work of Jack Chick and the horrific zealotry of his Chick Tracts.
71 min
19
#010 - Religion and The Labor Movement - with D...
Dr. Heath Carter discusses the sometimes helpful, sometimes hostile relationship between religion and the labor movement.
71 min
20
#009 - Deus Ex Machina - Jesus Chatbots and the...
Kelly texts with Jesus and John looks back on Way of the Future as we consider the relationship between religion and A.I.
68 min
21
#008 - Solomon Missouri - Twitter's Pastor
Rev. Solomon Missouri talks about life as a pastor on and offline and the future of Christianity.
69 min
22
#007 - Preparing for War - Brad Onishi on the t...
Dr. Bradley Onishi talks to Kelly and John about the threat of Christian Nationalism in America.
78 min
23
Weekend Chit-Chat Episode #3 - Your True Authen...
We talk about what we mean when we say "authentic", what is "the true self", and we are all so prone to dividing religion into "real" and "fake".
61 min
24
#006 - Dr. Shreena Gandhi - Yoga, White Suprema...
Dr, Shreena Gandhi speaks to Kelly and John about yoga and white supremacy in the the west.
76 min
25
#005 - Is July 4th a Religious Holiday?
Kelly and John look at July 4th, American civil religion, and whether there's an unproblematic way to celebrate American Independence Day in the current setting.
60 min