Superheroes Unmasked

In the final podcast of the season, the Kindlings Muse Canada West explores the appeal of comic book caped-crusaders. Do the myth and mystery of superhero stories parallel the salvation narrative that C.S. Lewis called “the one true myth”? Host Bill Hogg anchors mainstay panelists Dr. Allyson Jule, Peter T. Chattaway, and Kevin Miller and they unpack superhero stereotypes and the messages the offer about salvation and society.

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TV Talk

The archetypal Leave it to Beaver family is absent from prime time programming; instead, nontraditional families have made their way to the forefront of our televisions.  As HBO’s polygamist family of Big Love wraps up its 5-season run, TLC offers us the Brown family, practicing polygamists of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints faith. The Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy follow young professionals who form community in the absence of loving family. Modern Family, portrays traditional, blended, and homosexual families, all of which grapple with the question, “What does it mean to be a family today?” We’ll pose the same question to our panel as we explore the messages of prime time’s most popular shows. 

Kindlings mainstays Kevin Miller and Peter T. Chattaway join host Bill Hogg in welcoming Dr. Myron Penner, PhD., to the panel. Myron is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Trinity Western University and an avid follower of Modern Family and college sports. You won't want to miss the wit and wisdom of our panel as they dive into this issue.

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Compassionate Consumerism?

In the shadow of a strained world economy, savvy organizations are shifting from the non-profit sector into for-profit ventures. These emerging initiatives are shaking off donation dependency to create self-sustaining programs. In this rousing episode of The Kindlings Muse Canada West we look at microcredit enterprises for women in Rwanda and companies like TOMS Shoes, whose one-for-one program provides a child in the developing world with a pair of shoes whenever a pair of the shoes is purchased. Special guest Andy Harrington, Director of Greater Vancouver YFC, joins the panel, along with renowned film critic and cultural gadfly Peter Chattaway, and entrepreneur and Knowledge Management guru David Brett, President and CEO of a uranium exploration company. Can consumerism be compassionate? Is capitalism an appropriate means to reach the developing world? How should thoughtful Christians engage with these matters? Listen as our panelists wax eloquent with wit and wisdom.

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Faith and Film: the 2011 Oscars

In the afterglow of the Oscars, Bill and our cadre of gadflies, professor and sociologist Dr. Allyson Jule, film critic Peter T. Chattaway, and filmmaker Kevin Miller, add their wit and wisdom to our discussion of the best (and worst) films of 2010. Listen in as the panel explores the meanings and messages behind Oscar night's big winners and draws insight from what these films tell us about living life well.

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Hipster Christianity

In our premier Kindlings Muse Canada West broadcast of 2011, we will discuss Brett McCracken’s Hipster Christianity. Hipster Christianity, McCracken’s debut book, deconstructs evangelicalism’s quest for cool and considers the trends the church openly embraces. McCracken alleges that we are, "turning Christianity into a shape-shifting chameleon with ever-diminishing ecclesiological confidence and cultural legitimacy." In an increasingly post-modern society, how should a thoughtful Christian respond? Can church be cool? Should church be cool? Bill and our cadre of gadflies, film critic Peter T. Chattaway, and filmmaker Kevin Miller, add their wit and wisdom to the discussion.

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To Tweet or Not To Tweet?

Panelists Dr. Allyson Jule, filmmaker Kevin Miller, and writer Peter T. Chattaway join host Bill Hogg for 2010's final installment of The Kindlings Muse Canada West. In this November edition of our podcast, our cadre of gadflies considers the conundrum of connectedness in the digital age. Drawing from William Power's book Hamlet's Blackberry, they chew over Power's practical philosophy for surviving our smartphone-saturated society. Is our drive to converse through texting, facebook, and twitter a reflection of our human need for connection? Listen as the panel weighs in.

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Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll

Author Joel Heng Hartse visits The Kindlings Muse Canada West to share wit and wisdom from his book, Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll: My Life on Record, his memoirs and critiques of growing up in the Christian music subculture. Regular panelist Kevin Miller pinch-hits as host and leads the panel's discussion of music and it's influence on our developing identities and outlooks.

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Are Christians Hate-filled Hypocrites?

Join our cadre of gadflies, regulars Kevin Miller and Peter T. Chattaway, newcomer Mike Sherbino, and host Bill Hogg, as they unpack sociologist Bradley R.E. Wright’s provocative new book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… And Other Lies You’ve Been Told. In the book, Wright challenges the statistics used to paint Christians as hypocrites and offers research to the contrary. Listen to the disputation as our panel suggests that, perhaps, it doesn’t really matter whether the Church is considered a hot-spot of hypocrisy. After all, the church has never been in the public relations business…

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The Good Man Jesus & The Scoundrel Christ: The Gospel According to Philip Pullman

Avowed atheist and best-selling author Philip Pullman is known for writing Northern Lights, which was adapted for the silver screen and rebranded The Golden Compass. The atheist undertones in the story sent evangelicals into a frenzy. Pullman’s latest book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, has been shrouded in far more controversy. This fictionalized retelling of the gospels is the tale of twin brothers, Jesus and Christ, the latter of which is cold, calculating, and manipulative. Pullman uses the charismatic Jesus character to deal the church low blows and criticism.

Host Bill Hogg is joined by regular panelist Peter T. Chattaway and newcomer Michael Horner for this rousing edition of The Kindlings.

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Is There Life After Fundamentalism?

Inter-galactic evangelist Bill Hogg often jokes that Fundamentalism is, "no fun, too much damn, and not enough mental." But what does it truly mean to be a fundamentalist? Regular gadflies Kevin Miller and Peter T. Chattaway join Bill and new panelist Ward Gasque to explore North American Fundamentalism.

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