Best AY BIG DOG MEDIA Podcasts (2025)

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The Reign of Constantine: "You Get a Church, and You Get a Church!" 1:10:17

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2h ago1:10:17

1:10:17

"Nice pagan temple. Be a shame if someone...Christianized it." -Constantine, probably The conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity was one of the most groundbreaking events to occur in the history of Rome. The single most influential political figure in the world had official changed divine allegiances. But as we'll talk about today, the i…

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5. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Kelly Fremon Craig 1:07:46

6d ago1:07:46

1:07:46

We must, we must, we must talk about this movie. Wow. Not a lot of stories capture so well the weight of a religious existential crisis AND the crushing desire to make googly eyes at a teenage boy named Moose. It's like this movie was made for us. Join the gang as we (okay, really just Danielle and Annie) explore the familiar woes of growing up as …

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The Scandal of the African American Church (with Dr. Walter Strickland) 54:30

7d ago54:30

54:30

The scandal of Christianity is that the Church is seldom greatest amongst the rich and powerful. Often, those rich in spirit are poor in worldly treasure. The "abundant life" promised in the Gospels is nearest to those who share in Christ's sufferings. History often shows how the power of the Spirit is felt in the quiet, overlooked spaces of the po…

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Tertullian: The Church's OG Battle Rapper 1:03:45

14d ago1:03:45

1:03:45

Tertullian always had a dragon's tongue. After his conversion and baptism, he would unleash his fiery rhetoric on heretics, pagan emperors, and persecuting powers. In the process, he would pen some of the finest Latin theology of the early 3rd century. But over time, this dragon would lose its wits. If you've ever wondered why, of the many early ch…

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4. Spotlight by Tom McCarthy 1:11:49

20d ago1:11:49

1:11:49

If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to abuse one. And, ya know, it takes a village to...make a podcast? I don't know. I'm sorry. This isn't a very laugh-y movie. Join the gang as we dive into the 2015 investigative drama Spotlight, which chronicles a team of Boston journalists as they uncover the rampant abuse cover-ups …

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The Silly Circumcellions: What Makes a Martyr? 56:48

21d ago56:48

56:48

Imagine you're a 4th century Roman soldier on assignment in North Africa. Among the theological tension of this region, strange rumors begin to circulate. That within the region of Carthage, there are a peculiarly zealous sect of young men who, well...you'll see soon enough. Join Jonathan Taylor Thomas as we discuss this strange phenomena in church…

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The Council of Constantinople: Wait, Arianism is Still a Thing? 1:03:50

28d ago1:03:50

1:03:50

Every story needs a good villain. Thanos. The Joker. Tom Brady. In the late 4th Century, the Church had a villain by the name of Arianism. After the Council of Nicaea, the post-persecution church had united under the banner of Nicene theology, girded by the writings of Athanasius. Under this creed, they affirmed the humanity and divinity of Jesus C…

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3. O Brother, Where Art Thou? by Joel and Ethan Coen 1:08:51

1M ago1:08:51

1:08:51

Well I'll be a sonofagun. Join the gang as we travel back to 1930's Mississippi for the Coen Brothers' most bona fide film in their catalogue, O Brother Where Art Thou? Does the music in this movie stand the test of time? Was there any redemption for Baby Face George Nelson? Did Tommy Johnson ever get his soul back? We'll answer these questions and…

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Ambrose of Milan: A Bishop with a Shepherd's Heart 54:12

1M ago54:12

54:12

Have you ever been 'volun-told' to do something? Maybe volunteer for setup at your church, or work the sound board? Imagine being 'volun-told' to lead one of the most influential dioceses in the nation, when you're not even a baptized Christian yet. That would be the story of Ambrose of Milan, a kind-hearted young man with a soft spot for diplomacy…

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The Conversion of Constantine: Faithful or Fraud? 1:09:23

1M ago1:09:23

1:09:23

"I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious." -Constantine, probably The 4th century has begun to dawn. The Christian church is in hot water. The new system of tetrarchy established by Diocletian has already started to teeter, and Rome looks to fall back into the chaos of the prior century. But in the West, stands a man. A man who, unknown t…

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2. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino 1:22:00

2M ago1:22:00

1:22:00

Grab your flamethrowers, space cadets. Join the team (with special guest, our producer Ray!) as we discuss Quentin Tarantino's love letter to the golden age of cinema, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Is this Tarantino's best work? Does Rick Dalton deserve a friend as good as Cliff? Are there enough feet??? We'll answer these questions and more. Than…

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The Council of Nicaea: The Greatest Church Business Meeting Ever 1:06:15

2M ago1:06:15

1:06:15

"Conference room, five minutes!" -Emperor Constantine, probably 325 AD was a year of rebirth. The Church was recovering from the Diocletianic Persecution, the worst wave of violence and discrimination faced thus far. Theologians and clergy were also battling the schism of the Donatists and the heresy of the Arians, both of which brought division to…

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The Great Persecution: The Empire Strikes Back! 55:01

2M ago55:01

55:01

"Y'all gon' make me lose my mind up in here." -Emperor Diocletian, probably The third century wasn't a great time to be a Roman. But believe it or not, it was a great time to be a Christian! Churches were built, the faith was spread, and the influence and witness of Christ's followers flowed far and wide. But that would soon come to an end. I mean,…

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1. Barbie by Greta Gerwig 1:11:13

2M ago1:11:13

1:11:13

Dismantling the patriarchy has never been so…pastel! The world was a simpler place when we were all sitting around, wondering what to wear to our Barbenheimer themed parties. Come take a trip with the John, Jarrad, Danielle, and Annie back to 2023, to the cultural explosion of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and listen along as we explore the facets of this …

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Catechism in the Early Church: Becoming a Citizen of God's Kingdom 1:10:08

2M ago1:10:08

1:10:08

Imagine you had a friend who was, I dunno, an alien. They have no grasp of life on earth, no understanding of human customs, minimal grasp of the language, culture, music, anything like that. And so for years, they undergo a process of both learning and un-learning. Gradually detaching from their weird Martian ways (no disrespect to our Martian lis…

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Athanasius of Alexandria: The Five-Time Exile Champion 51:04

2M ago51:04

51:04

Have you ever had to move across the country? It's a life-changing experience. Disrupting your regular routines and rhythms, adjusting to a totally foreign environment, learning new regional customs. Now imagine being forced to move, against your wishes. Five different times, after being welcomed back home. That sounds pretty rough, huh? Welcome ou…

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Saint Patrick: Pirates, Snakes, Barbarians, Oh My! 45:19

3M ago45:19

45:19

Did you know that Saint Patrick was the first Christian clergyman to ever don a priestly robe in green? No? That's because it's not true! There's a lot of mythology around our boy, Paddy. But that just makes his story that much more interesting. Thanks for tuning in! Don't forget to leave us a cool review and tell a friend about us. Or an enemy. IG…

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Augustine of Hippo: Your Pastor's Favorite Theologian 53:58

3M ago53:58

53:58

Every sport has a Wayne Gretzky. A Hank Aaron. A Michael Jordan. The 4th Century didn't have Michael Jordan, though. It had Augustine of Hippo. And maybe Augustine didn't drop 30 points against the Jazz with a flu (or whatever), but Michael Jordan never took down Pelagianism without breaking a sweat. Wayne Gretzky never wrote Confessions, bro. Hank…

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King Charles I: The War Among Protestants 1:24:12

3M ago1:24:12

1:24:12

When most Christians (okay, all Christians that aren't Catholic) look back on the Reformation, we typically do it with a little twinkle in our eyes. It feels like a time of triumph, of sticking it to the man once and for all. In reality, the Reformation, for all its successes, was often a mess. And nowhere was that mess more evident than in 17th ce…

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Anthony the Great: The First Desert Father 49:57

3M ago49:57

49:57

Imagine that you're a teenager. You live in one of the biggest cities in the world, and your parents have just died, leaving behind a Bruce Wayne-esque amount of wealth and land. This is any kid's dream come true. The world is your oyster. Unless your name is Anthony the Great. Then you decide to sell all your stuff, give it to the poor, and then g…

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Third Century Persecution: An Empire in Crisis 35:57

4M ago35:57

35:57

"Awwww here it goes." --Kel Mitchell, Kenan and Kel We're back in the early church again, which means we're into the story of Christian persecution in the Roman Empire. The 3rd Century was no pleasant time for the Romans, Christian or not. Through a series of civil wars, external threats, and economic woes, the Empire was closer to collapse than ev…

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John Brown: Martyr...or Murderer? 59:15

4M ago59:15

59:15

John Brown was a man on a mission from God. Or so he thought. Less than a decade before the Civil War began, John Brown would attempt to lead a slave rebellion by taking over a military armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Although unsuccessful, he would solidify his actions as a villain of the proslavery south and a hero of the antislavery north. Br…

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Breaking Bread, Not Bridges 1:01:29

4M ago1:01:29

1:01:29

Is our nation more divided than ever? Are we losing the ability to respectfully disagree with each other? Welcome to our first ever bonus episode: Chump Talk. In these episodes, we'll tackle larger ideas and themes in the culture and talk to even cooler guests. (Don't worry though, we'll be right back with your church history fix next week) This we…

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Justin Martyr: The First Christian Philosopher 1:02:37

4M ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Have you ever heard someone say that Christianity is anti-intellectual? Well, you should send them this episode. And have them 'like' and 'subscribe' too, that would help us a lot. But anyways. Justin Martyr was a 2nd-century Greek man with a love for philosophy, who found the fullness of all love of wisdom in Christ. We think he's a pretty cool gu…

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The Birth of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church 32:37

4M ago32:37

32:37

As you guys know, we love presenting church history as a beautiful anthology of the story of God's people. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the vastness of that story when we don't venture out of our own contexts. So today, we're going to peer to the far outside branches of our Christian family tree, and discuss the origin of one of the most lo…

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Second Century Persecution: Romans Just Don't Understand 38:03

5M ago38:03

38:03

"Why are you booing me? I'm right!" - the early church, probably The first century was a funky time to be a Christian, but persecution as we know it was pretty scattered and sporadic. In the second century though, things are starting to ramp up. Join us for another episode from our "The Early Church Gets the Worm" series, and listen to us forget to…

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Perpetua and Felicity: Sisters of Suffering Sainthood 46:16

5M ago46:16

46:16

In our newest piece in our series of Early Church lore, we discuss another tale of martyrdom, that of Perpetua and Felicity. The early third Century was not an easy time for Christians in Northern Africa. But as so many tales of martyrs go, their story was one of both tragedy and triumph, as they took up the cross of Christ in the truest way. Thank…

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First Century Persecution: From Zero to Nero 47:44

5M ago47:44

47:44

"It's hard out here for a pimp." -the early church, probably As we continue our aptly named series, "The Early Church Gets the Worm," we discuss one of the most pressing topics for early Christians: persecution in the Roman Empire. Happy New Year, friends. Text Us! Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/chumphistory…

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Sergius and Bacchus: Best Bros in Life and Martyrdom 58:06

5M ago58:06

58:06

GUESS WHO'S BACK Man, it's been a minute you guys. I don't know if you missed us, but we definitely missed you. This kicks off our new season, "The Early Church Gets the Worm." We'll be focusing on, you guessed it, stories from the early church era. The story of Sergius and Bacchus is a tale of brotherhood, friendship, and the lasting legacy of the…

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The Troubles: Religious (well, kinda religious) Turmoil in Northern Ireland 1:11:40

1y ago1:11:40

1:11:40

In many parts of the world, the question of whether you're a Catholic or Protestant means a lot more than if you submit to the Pope, or how you feel about Martin Luther. One such place is Northern Ireland. For generations, the people of Ireland and the United Kingdom have been steeped in a conflict about religious freedom, civil rights, and discrim…

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Thomas Bramwell Welch: Why Do Some Churches Use Grape Juice? 41:52

1y ago41:52

41:52

Have you ever wondered why some churches use grape juice for communion, while others insist on using wine instead? The answer is more complicated than you think. Or it might be less complicated, I don't know, I feel like you're probably pretty smart. Either way, join us as we discuss Thomas Welch, the Prohibition Era, and the impact still felt by c…

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Saint Dymphna & the Town that Welcomes Outsiders 28:42

1y ago28:42

28:42

Church history isn't always as, well, historically reliable as we wish it was. Sometimes the stories of saints and heroes tend to blur the lines between fact and fiction. That would be the case of Saint Dymphna, an Irish-Catholic runaway who sought refuge from her violent father in a small town in Belgium. What's interesting though, is that whether…

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The Magdeburg Confession: Defending the Church from Tyranny 57:24

1y ago57:24

57:24

It's 1550. A generation has passed since the Reformation swept across Europe like a wildfire. The Catholic Church has launched the Counter-Reformation, a multi-layered initiative to restore the continent to its former Roman glory. One step of this plan in Germany is to recognize the cities that have fallen into the clutches of Lutheranism and coerc…

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Leo the Great VS. Attila the Hun: At the Mercy of Giants 29:17

1y ago29:17

29:17

In the 5th Century, the Western Roman Empire is on its last leg. Riddled with internal conflict, external threats, and even theological disputes tearing at the fabric of the Church, Rome has seen better days. And the great shadow of the Huns looms larger and larger as days go by. This leads to one of the most engaging (and unexpected) encounters in…

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The History of Paedocommunion: Should Baptized Children Receive Communion? 51:33

1y ago51:33

51:33

If you're not a Baptist (and we still love you even if you are), you're probably no stranger to the idea of infant baptism. The doctrine of paedobaptism is saturated with the idea that the children of believers are heirs of the covenant of grace, and through baptism are welcomed into God's family. But did you know that for several centuries of chur…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Serpent Seed Doctrine: Did Eve Sleep with the Serpent?? 35:25

1y ago35:25

35:25

Beginning as a fringe interpretation of the creation story in Genesis, the Serpent Seed Doctrine asks a question that no one really seems to be asking: what if Satan and Eve had a little...fling? It's a wild doctrine with even more of a wild history. So let's talk about it! Also, we're not gonna be too crude this episode, but given the nature of th…

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The 26 Martyrs of Japan: A Pilgrimage to the Cross 46:10

1y ago46:10

46:10

The 16th Century was a rollercoaster for Japanese Christians. The first half was amazing-- the first Portuguese missionaries broke ground and people were getting saved by the thousands. Churches were built, clergy established, things were looking great. The second half was...well, pretty bad. A combination of suspicious Japanese leaders and the sha…

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Bartolomé de las Casas: A Voice in the Wilderness of the New World 48:04

1y ago48:04

48:04

The discovery (well, sort of discovery) of the New World was one of the most groundbreaking events in world history. The decades that followed however, would be marked by widespread violence and abuse of power as the colonizing Europeans came to settle in a foreign new land. In the midst of this broken system, there were several voices who were cri…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Gnosticism: Is Creation EVIL? 42:29

1y ago42:29

42:29

Well folks, we've danced around this topic for long enough. It's time to unpack the grand-daddy of all heresies (most heresies), the second-century slammer, the demiurge devastator...Gnosticism. Unlike many of the heresies we've discussed so far this season, Gnosticism is a tricky one to pin down. There is no singular, authoritative Gnostic worldvi…

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On the Pascha by Melito of Sardis: Let's Talk about Easter! 40:27

1y ago40:27

40:27

In the second century, it's safe to say that Christians were still kind of figuring things out. One of those things for example, was the celebration of Easter. There was a heated disagreement in the church about whether Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday (the Lord's Day) or whether it should stay on the day of the Jewish Passover. What came of…

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Ask Us Anything...Again! 46:23

1y ago46:23

46:23

Well gang-- our Instagram followers supplied the questions, and here we are with the answers. What heresy do we find most dangerous to the church? How do we feel about nondenominational churches? How has our study of church history affected our work as pastors? WILL WE EVER DO AN EPISODE ON THE CRUSADES??? All of these questions (and a lot more) wi…

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Indigenous Boarding Schools: "Kill the Indian, Save the Man" 1:18:24

1+ y ago1:18:24

1:18:24

Manifest Destiny is a heck of a drug. In the 1800's, American and Canadian settlers were faced with a problem: what should be done about all these Native/Indigenous people? The result was a pretty gross blemish on the face of North American Christianity: the adoption of Indigenous Boarding Schools. The story behind this episode isn't a fun one, but…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Montanism: The (sorta) Original Doomsday Cult 45:54

1+ y ago45:54

45:54

Okay fine, "original doomsday cult" is a little on the dramatic side. But come on, Montanism is like the perfect Frankenstein's monster of heresies. You've got a dash of modalism, a sprinkle of hyper-pentacostalism, and a healthy splash of end times panic. And all before the 3rd Century! Montanism was a strange movement in the early days of Christi…

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Anabaptism: The Radical Reformers 51:15

1+ y ago51:15

51:15

The Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century wasn't just a movement. It was a million dominoes falling to trigger a BUNCH of movements all across Europe. One of the most unique of these movements was that of the Anabaptists. While Lutherans and Calvinists fought about whether justification or predestination were cooler sounding words, Anabaptists…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Marcionism- Is the God from the Old Testament Evil? 39:38

1+ y ago39:38

39:38

Have you ever read through the Old Testament and thought, "Geez, God seems a little harsh compared to that Jesus guy"? Well, Marcion of Sinope had that thought as well. In fact, he would have argued that they were completely different gods. Join Thomas and John as they explore Marcionism, a 2nd century heresy with lots and lots of fun heretical ide…

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David Brainerd: Missionary to the Mohicans 40:05

1+ y ago40:05

40:05

David Brainerd was an 18th century colonial man for the people. We also have it on good authority that his pals called him 'Davey the Brain.' After running into obstacles on his path into pastoral leadership, David opted for a different calling: mission work to the Native Americans. Although his life would be cut short by illness, Brainerd's legacy…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Pelagianism- What If Humans Were Born Good? 55:43

1+ y ago55:43

55:43

Historically, Christians have believed that when the first humans sinned, it introduced corruption into everything. Human hearts turned away from God, nature began to decay, and all creation groaned for its Redeemer. But what if that wasn't the case? What if humans weren't born bad at all? In fact, what if humans could be perfect? Join John and Tom…

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John Williamson Nevin: Re-learning the Sacraments 1:14:03

1+ y ago1:14:03

1:14:03

Have you ever wondered why Protestants don't have a richer view of the sacraments (a fancy word for 'visible means of grace,' like baptism if you're a Protestant, or confession if you're a Catholic)? Or ever wondered why most Protestant churches tend to be so "dressed down" and casual, compared to high-church settings? Well then you're in good comp…

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HEFTY HERESIES: Eutychianism- Does Jesus Have Only One Nature? 1:12:18

1+ y ago1:12:18

1:12:18

At this point, people really should have learned to stop making up new ideas about Jesus' nature. But some people never learn. This week, we end up with Eutychianism, an overcorrection of the heresy of Nestorianism. This one suggested, "What if Jesus' two natures were just kind of, like, blended together into one?" We'll break down why that's probl…

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Exposing Myths about the Council of Nicaea (with Ben Lansing) 1:00:06

1+ y ago1:00:06

1:00:06

The Council of Nicea might be one of the most commonly misunderstood events in church history. Everyone from TikTok influencers, Joe Rogan, and that one guy who wrote the Da Vinci Code, have different opinions on what went down on that fateful day in 325 AD. So hey, let's uh, break up some myths! Also, our wonderfully fun guest Ben Lansing (of Our …