Best Ryan Mcannally Linz Podcasts (2025)

1
Remembering Pope Francis / Nichole Flores and Ryan McAnnally-Linz 34:43

17d ago34:43

34:43

Pope Francis died on Monday April 21, 2025. And to remember and celebrate his life, we’re bringing out an episode from our archives featuring social ethicist and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, Nichole M. Flores. Ryan McAnnally-Linz interviewed her in early 2021 about Fratelli Tutti, an encyclical teaching he…

1
The Body as Sacred Offering: Ballet and Embodied Faith / New York City Ballet Dancer Silas Farley 1:02:42

11d ago1:02:42

1:02:42

Silas Farley, former New York City Ballet dancer and current Dean of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, explores the profound connections between classical ballet, Christian worship, and embodied spirituality. From his early exposure to liturgical dance in a charismatic Lutheran church to his career as a professional dancer and chor…

1
American Boy: The Opioid Crisis and the Sister Left Behind by S.C. Megale 47:28

17d ago47:28

47:28

How do we support the people we love—and speak openly about the struggles so many face in silence? In this powerful episode of Family Book Club, hosts Alex Kirby and Emily Blue sit down with sisters S.C. Megale and Kelley Megale to discuss American Boy: The Opioid Crisis and the Sister Left Behind. Told through S.C.’s perspective as the youngest si…

1
Art and Sacred Resistance: Art as Prayer, Love, Resistance and Relationship / Bruce Herman 1:01:48

24d ago1:01:48

1:01:48

“Art is a form of prayer … a way to enter into relationship.” Artist and theologian Bruce Herman reflects on the sacred vocation of making, resisting consumerism, and the divine invitation to become co-creators. From Mark Rothko to Rainer Maria Rilke, to Andres Serrano’s “Piss Christ” and T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, he comments on the holy risk of …

1
Right Place, Right Time by Ryan Frederick 50:24

2M ago50:24

50:24

How can we embrace change—and in what ways can it enrich both our lives and our family's lives? The choices we make about where we live profoundly shape our health, relationships, and overall well-being—especially as we move through different seasons of life. In this episode of Family Book Club, hosts Alex Kirby and Emily Blue sit down with Ryan Fr…

1
The Fear to Hope: Ukrainian Pastor on Democracy, Fear, and Abundant Life in the Midst of War / Fyodor Raychynets 54:20

2M ago54:20

54:20

"Do not be afraid of your fears, but cope with them—learn how to deal with them—because unless you do, you cannot live your life abundantly and fully." (Fyodor Raychynets) Evoking courage, resilience, and faith in the face of overwhelming uncertainty, Ukrainian pastor and theologian Fyodor Raychynets returns to For the Life of the World three years…

1
What the Devil: Christian Imagination, Morality, and Two-Step Devil / Jamie Quatro 59:28

2M ago59:28

59:28

Mystics and prophets have reported receiving visions from the Divine for centuries—”Thus saith the Lord…”—Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, Catherine of Siena, or Julian of Norwich. The list goes on. But what would you think if you met a seer of visions in the present day? Maybe you have. What about a prophet whose visions c…

1
The Scandal of Giving and Forgiving / Miroslav Volf 32:04

2M ago32:04

32:04

It’s easy to forget how utterly scandalous the concepts of grace and forgiveness are. Grace is an absolutely unmerited, undeserved benevolence. Forgiveness is an intentional miscarriage of retributive justice, ignoring of the wrong by a wrongdoer. In Miroslav Volf’s understanding, forgiveness “decouples the deed from the doer.” Today’s episode feat…

1
Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most by Matthew Croasmun, Miroslav Volf, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz 1:02:38

2M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

Are you ready to break free from autopilot and discover what truly makes life worthwhile? In this episode of Family Book Club, hosts Alex Kirby and Emily Blue sit down with Matthew Croasmun—co-author of Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, and the creative force behind Yale’s Life Worth Living Program. This transformative book challenge…

1
Kendrick Lamar's Political Theology / Femi Olutade 1:04:33

3M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

Super Bowl LIX was amazing, but not because of the football, or the commercials. It was the 13-minute half-time tour de force of political theology and protest art, brought to you by Kendrick Lamar. Acting like a parable to offer more to those who already get it, and to take away from those who don’t get it at all, the performance was so much more …

1
The Psychology of Disaster: The Impact of Calamity on Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health / Jamie Aten and Pam King 58:28

3M ago58:28

58:28

Disaster preparedness is sort of an oxymoron. Disaster is the kind of indiscriminate calamity that only ever finds us ill-equipped to manage. And if you are truly prepared, you’ve probably averted disaster. There’s a big difference between the impact of disaster on physical, material life—and its outsized impact on mental, emotional, and spiritual …

1
Our One and Only Earth: Environmental Ethics, Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Consumption / Ryan Darr & Ryan McAnnally-Linz 46:58

3M ago46:58

46:58

How should we treat our one and only home, Earth? What obligations do we have to other living or non-living things? How should we think about climate change and its denial? How does biodiversity and species extinction impact human beings? And how should we think about environmental justice, the rights of animals, and the ways we consume the natural…

1
Divine Hiddenness / Deborah Casewell 36:16

4M ago36:16

36:16

Are you there God? It’s me… Why is God hidden? Why is God silent? And why does that matter in light of faith, hope, and love? In this episode, philosopher Deborah Casewell joins Evan Rosa for a discussion of divine hiddenness. Together, they reflect on: Simone Weil’s distinction between abdication and abandonment Martin Luther’s theology of the cro…

1
We the (Chosen) People: Christian Nationalism Now / Eliyahu Stern & Philip Gorski 58:06

4M ago58:06

58:06

Is America a nation Chosen by God? A New Jerusalem and Shining City on a Hill? What is the shape of Christian Nationalism today? Now 4 years past Jan 6, 2021 and anticipating the next term of presidential office, Yale professors Eliyahu Stern and Philip Gorski join Evan Rosa for a conversation about religion, politics, and the shape of Christian na…

1
How to Read Simone Weil, Part 3: The Existentialist / Deborah Casewell 1:05:43

5M ago1:05:43

1:05:43

“All the natural movements of the soul are controlled by laws analogous to those of physical gravity. Grace is the only exception.” … “It is necessary to uproot oneself. To cut down the tree and make of it a cross, and then to carry it every day.” … “I have to imitate God who infinitely loves finite things in that they are finite things.” … “To kno…

1
How to Read Simone Weil, Part 2: The Activist / Cynthia Wallace 1:11:26

5M ago1:11:26

1:11:26

“What are you going through?” This was one of the central animating questions in Simone Weil’s thought that pushed her beyond philosophy into action. Weil believed that genuinely asking this question of the other, particularly the afflicted other, then truly listening and prayerfully attending, would move us toward an enactment of justice and love.…

1
How to Read Simone Weil, Part 1: The Mystic / Eric O. Springsted 59:24

5M ago59:24

59:24

This episode is the first of a short series exploring How to Read Simone Weil. The author of Gravity and Grace, The Need for Roots, and Waiting for God—among many other essays, letters, and notes, Weil has been an inspiration to philosophers, poets, priests, and politicians for the last century—almost all of it after her untimely death. She underst…

1
Open the Gates: Immigration & the Book of Revelation / Yii-Jan Lin 43:08

5M ago43:08

43:08

Why do we have countries? Why do we mark this land and these people as distinct from that land and those people? What are countries for? Yii-Jan Lin (Associate Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School) joins Matt Croasmun to discuss her new book, Immigration and Apocalypse, which traces the development of distinctly American ideas about the…

1
Letters to a Future Saint / Brad East & Drew Collins 54:00

6M ago54:00

54:00

“For those of us who are drawn into church history and church tradition and to reading theology, there is very little as transformative as realizing that history is populated by women and men like us who tried to follow Christ in their own time and place and culture and circumstances, some of whom succeeded. … Looking at the saints, they make me…

1
How to Read Henry David Thoreau / Lawrence Buell 1:00:19

6M ago1:00:19

1:00:19

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wa…

1
Cosmic Connections: Resonating with the World / Charles Taylor & Miroslav Volf 54:50

6M ago54:50

54:50

Has modern humanity lost its connection to the world outside our heads? And can our experience of art and poetry help train us for a more elevated resonance with the cosmos? In today’s episode, theologian Miroslav Volf interviews philosopher Charles Taylor about his latest book, Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment. In it he turn…

1
How to Read Teresa of Ávila / Carlos Eire 52:53

6M ago52:53

52:53

St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) was a sixteenth-century Spanish nun and one of the most influential mystics in all of Church history, writing two spiritual classics still read today: The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. Her autobiography (more accurately, a confession to Spanish Inquisitors) is The Life of St. Teresa of Avila, detailing h…

1
History Speaks the Spirit of Justice / Jemar Tisby 46:20

7M ago46:20

46:20

History reveals a lot of things about human nature: our innate drive towards progress, discovery, relationship, community. Often motivated by a drive to feel safe and flourish. But despite this instinct, history also shows that we’re prone to inflicting and being complicit to grave and violent injustices. We fail, regularly, at living well with our…

1
Unity in Diversity, Empathic Wisdom / Christy Vines 56:20

7M ago56:20

56:20

In our American quest for a more perfect union, we often mistake unity for sameness. We mistake unity for conformity. But the functional unity of a system—seems to actually require diversity, distinction, and difference. In this episode, Christy Vines (Founder/ CEO, Ideos Institute) reflects on the problem of division today; how we increasingly inv…

1
Baseball as a Road to God / John Sexton 1:17:20

7M ago1:17:20

1:17:20

To true fans, baseball is so much more than a sport. Some call it the perfect game. Some see it as a field of dreams. A portal to another dimension. Some see it as a road to God. Others—”heathen” we might call them—find the game unutterably boring. Too confusing, too long, too nit-picky about rules. In this episode, Yankee fan John Sexton (Presiden…

1
Love and Judaism / Rabbi Shai Held with Miroslav Volf 1:01:54

7M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

There’s a common misconception that Judaism is a religion of law and Christianity is a religion of love. But the very love commandments at the heart of Jesus’s teaching are direct quotes from Deuteronomy 6. Jesus, after all, was Jewish. Joining Miroslav Volf in this episode is one of the most important Jewish thinkers alive today: Rabbi Shai Held—t…

1
Love's Braided Dance / Norman Wirzba 1:04:53

8M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Problem-solving the crises of the modern world is often characterized by an economy and architecture of exploitation and instrumentalization, viewing relationships as transactional, efficient, and calculative. But this sort of thinking leaves a remainder of emptiness. Finding hope in a time of crises requires a more human work of covenant and commi…

1
Music & Joy / Daniel Chua 56:31

8M ago56:31

56:31

Can music teach us how to live? In this interview Evan Rosa invites Daniel Chua—a musicologist, composer at heart, and Professor of Music at the University of Hong Kong—to discuss his latest book, Music & Joy: Lessons on the Good Life. Together they discuss the vastly different ancient and modern approaches to music; the problem with seeing music f…

1
How to Read Genesis / Marilynne Robinson & Miroslav Volf 53:40

9M ago53:40

53:40

“The whole of human existence is like some sweet parable told in the most improbable place and circumstances. … God values our humanity. … One of the things that's fascinating about the Hebrew Bible is that it declared and was loyal to the fact that God is good and creation is good.” Novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson joins Miroslav Volf to d…

1
Poverty / Rev. William Barber & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove 40:40

9M ago40:40

40:40

Rev. William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove discuss the political, moral, and spiritual dimensions of poverty. Together, they co-authored White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy, and they’re collaborators at the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. About Rev. W…

1
How to Read Julian of Norwich / Ryan McAnnally-Linz 54:24

9M ago54:24

54:24

Julian of Norwich is known and loved for the lines revealed to her by God, “All shall be well and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” But beyond the comfort of this understandably uplifting phrase, what are theological and philosophical insights we might learn from this anonymous medieval Christian mystic and anchoress? Ryan …

1
How to Read Dallas Willard / Steve Porter 1:08:56

9M ago1:08:56

1:08:56

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) was an influential philosopher and beloved author and speaker on Christian spiritual formation. He had the unique gift of being able to speak eloquently to academic and popular audiences, and it’s fascinating to observe the ways his philosophical thought pervades and influences his spiritual writings—and vice versa. In th…

1
Fully Alive: Modern Monasticism & the Topography of the Soul / Elizabeth Oldfield 51:25

9M ago51:25

51:25

What does it mean to be fully alive and at peace with ourselves and our neighbors in the anxiety and fear of contemporary life? Joining Evan Rosa in this episode is Elizabeth Oldfield—a journalist, communicator, and podcast host of The Sacred. She’s author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. Together they discuss life in her mic…

1
Political Rage & America's Threat from Within / Elizabeth Neumann 58:06

10M ago58:06

58:06

Elizabeth Neumann served as the Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the Bush Administration, and came back to the White House again in 2017 to serve in the Trump Administration. Her job was to counter emerging right-wing extremism, fueled by long-standing anger, resentmen…

1
Learning to Disagree / John Inazu 35:46

10M ago35:46

35:46

Genuine disagreement is vanishingly rare. But to disagree with careful listening, empathy, respect, and independent thinking—it’s an essential part of life in a pluralistic democratic society. In this episode, legal scholar and author John Inazu joins Evan Rosa to talk about his new book, Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Diff…

1
The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz 35:18

11M ago35:18

35:18

Are you ready to discover the secrets to lasting happiness and deeper connections? In this episode of the Family Book Club, we explore "The Good Life" by Robert Waldinger. This book draws on the Harvard Happiness Study to reveal the profound impact of relationships on our well-being. We unveil the power of relationships with our special guest, Paul…

1
Disillusioned with Faith: Finding Hope in Our Scars / Aimee Byrd 58:56

11M ago58:56

58:56

We live in a time of disillusionment. Trust is waning in the public sphere, religious affiliation is on decline, and some feel a deep tension or ambivalence about their community—whether that’s a region, family, political party, or spiritual tradition. How should we think about the experience of disillusionment, particularly the threat of becoming …

1
Black Motherhood: Love & Resistance / Kelly Brown Douglas 27:34

11M ago27:34

27:34

“Black motherhood has consistently been a contested space. Black women have just fought for their rights to be. And so when we say Black motherhood, to me, the reality of Black motherhood itself is the resistance. And we still stand and we claim what it means to be Black mothers. We've got to consistently stand firm trying to raise healthy children…

1
Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday 39:22

11M ago39:22

39:22

Fortune Favors the Bold What if courage isn't about eliminating fear, but acting in the face of it? Join us as we unpack Ryan Holiday's "Courage is Calling" with our special guest Ryan Halls, co-founder of Hue Partners. Emily Blue and Alex Kirby invite Ryan to dive into the essence of bravery, battling inertia with thought-provoking questions like,…

1
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff 29:39

11M ago29:39

29:39

What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans Ever wondered if ancient parenting methods could bring more harmony to your home? Join us as we uncover the secrets of the Mayans, Inuit, and Hadzabe in Dr. Michaelene Ducliffe's "Hunt Gather Parent" on this week's episode of Family Book Club. Emily Blue a…

1
From Strength To Strength by Arthur C. Brooks 36:11

11M ago36:11

36:11

Helping Families Find Fulfillment: Embracing Aging, True Happiness, and Life’s Wisdom Can you imagine finding true happiness and fulfillment as you gracefully transition into retirement? Alex Kirby and Emily Blue explore Arthur C. Brooks' profound insights in "From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Hal…

1
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari 34:12

11M ago34:12

34:12

Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again Can our addiction to smartphones be stealing our focus and diminishing the quality of our lives? This episode of Family Book Club tackles Johann Hari's insightful book "Stolen Focus," as Emily Blue and Alex Kirby uncover how technology, particularly our ever-present smartphones, is reshaping…

1
Theologian of Hope: Remembering Jürgen Moltmann (1926 – 2024) / Miroslav Volf 42:54

11M ago42:54

42:54

On June 3,2024, Jürgen Moltmann died. He was one of the greatest theologians of our time. He was 98 years old. In this episode, Miroslav Volf eulogizes and remembers his mentor and friend. We then share a previously released conversation between Miroslav Volf and Jürgen Moltmann. This episode first aired in April 2021—and it includes Moltmann’s con…

1
Welcome Families 1:38

11M ago1:38

1:38

When was the last time a book brought your family closer together? Alex Kirby, Founder of Total Family Management, and Emily Blue, Founder of Hue Partners, explore this fascinating question in every episode of the Family Book Club. We explore how literature can heal frayed connections across generations and cultures, the magic of shared reading exp…

1
Mobilizing Hope in Women’s Prison: Discovering Agency, Community, and Creative Resilience / Sarah Farmer 41:42

1y ago41:42

41:42

How do you find hope when you can only see yourself and your future in light of your past mistakes? When you’re certain that everyone on the outside looking in is doing the same, punishing you, immobilizing you, invisibilizing you…? Seems the only way out of that spiral is the “God Who Sees.” Practical theologian Sarah Farmer joins Evan Rosa to dis…

1
Peaceable Assembly: Protests, Collective Belonging, and Refuge in a Forgotten Right / John Inazu 35:39

1y ago35:39

35:39

Protests dominate the news. And while we’re familiar with freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and freedom of the press—what about the freedom of assembly? The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—also contains “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” But what exactly does that secure? How does this foundational, but often forg…

1
Desire: How Avarice and Acquisition Distort Our Longing for the Sacred / Micheal O'Siadhail 53:19

1y ago53:19

53:19

"Having lost a sense of the sacred, the only thing we want is acquisitiveness—more of everything. How can we break this vicious cycle of avarice? It seems to me that the only way we can possibly reign this in on ourselves is some retrieval of the sense of the sacred, something beyond ourselves. And I think that relearning humility—realizing that a …

1
How to Read Flannery O'Connor / Jessica Hooten Wilson 57:08

1y ago57:08

57:08

Flannery O’Connor is known for her short stories in which “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” But it’s often those ugly, mean, disgusting, scandalizing, violent, weird, or downright hateful characters in Flannery O’Connor stories that become the vessels of grace delivered. So, how should we read Flannery O’Connor? Jessica Hooten Wilson (Pepperdine Univer…

1
A World Out of Joint: Pilgrimage and the Possibilities of Homemaking / Ryan McAnnally-Linz 48:06

1y ago48:06

48:06

This conversation is based on a free downloadable resource available at faith.yale.edu. Click here to get your copy today. “We may heed the call of Jesus to follow me and find him leading us right into the home we already have.” (Ryan McAnnally-Linz) What are the possibilities of homemaking in a world out of joint? What does it mean for Christians …

1
You Are A Tree: Metaphor & the Poetry of Our Humanity / Joy Marie Clarkson 48:17

1y ago48:17

48:17

Help us improve the podcast! Click here to take our listener survey—5 respondents will be randomly selected to receive a signed and personalized copy of Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most. We need the world to understand it. Human embodied experience and material life in the world has a profound effect on our thinking—not just poetry a…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Ryan Mcannally Linz Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen