About Lead Balloons: The Alchemy of Unpopular Opinions
Exploring religious and cultural topics from the vantage point of insider and outsider. Joel and Trent have extensive theological training and have experienced life inside and outside the Church. Lead Balloons conversations seek to amuse, provoke, delight, and unsettle. Joel and Trent may be right, they may be wrong, and they like their opinions like they like their whiskey: hot to the taste, yet earthy - rooted like an oak.
Trent and Joel are closing a chapter. Maybe the Leadiest of Lead Balloons. The poet William Blake inspires their conversation with the Proverbs of Hell. They discuss Blake's challenge to conventional morality and religious dogma. They revel in the repression of desire. And they glory in the distinction between wisdom and folly. What a bang to go out on!?
4 Jun 2025
Is Theology Even Possible?
Trent and Joel discuss the difficulties of doing theology. Joel gives an important backdrop of the transmission of the biblical text through the centuries and its relative reliability; Trent shows how systematic theology often fails to read biblical texts within their contexts. They also discuss why great literature, the Bible included, tends to invite further debate while repelling clarity and closure. Finally, Joel dishes on his experiences in presenting biblical ambiguities to his parishioners.
21 May 2025
Censorship & Free Thought in Academia
This episode features an interview with Miriam Thompson, Ph.D. Miriam is Assistant Teaching Professor at UCSB in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. She wrote an essay titled “The Courage to Disagree in Academia”, published in Journal of Free Black Thought. This essay grabbed Trent and Joel’s attention.In this discussion, Miriam argues for the need for free expression and facing disagreement in academic settings. She talks about why she disagrees with the claim that impact matters more than intent. She also discusses why tenure matters for professors and how she guides her students practically towards challenging their own belief systems. Joel and Trent ask her about her background, what led her to her perspectives on free speech, and where things are headed in the future with respect to free speech in academia.Join us for this riveting interview that will make you consider the importance of confronting new ideas in one’s education.
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Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
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