In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan Rittenhouse and Cameron McAllister offer a deep theological analysis of current events, using U.S. involvement in Venezuela as a springboard to explore a much larger cultural shift where efficiency, power, and results increasingly eclipse ethical reasoning and Christian moral reflection. Engaging thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Jacques Ellul, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Dallas Willard, Nathan and Cameron examine why just war theory, Christian political theology, and moral language often feel irrelevant in today’s public discourse—and what that means for Christians seeking faithfulness in a time of cultural transition. This conversation challenges believers to rethink the relationship between church and state, resist conflating Christian faith with political success, and recover a Christ-centered vision of hope, obedience, and vocation amid global instability, cultural upheaval, and moral fragmentation.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron engage in a deep theological discussion on parenting, childhood, and Christian formation in light of current cultural pressures, drawing on recent findings from Science that challenge the modern obsession with early specialization and measurable success. Through a distinctly Christian worldview, they explore how American competitiveness, metrics-driven education, and parental anxiety often crowd out moral development, spiritual maturity, and the biblical call to raise children toward wisdom, virtue, and love of neighbor rather than status or achievement. Nathan and Cameron reflect on Scripture, Christian anthropology, and lived experience to argue that letting kids be kids is not negligence but faithfulness, emphasizing that true success cannot be reduced to trophies, test scores, or bumper stickers but is found in character, humility, joy, and long-term formation under God’s providence. This episode is especially relevant for Christians seeking thoughtful theological insight on parenting, discipleship, cultural critique, and how faith shapes everyday decisions in a restless, results-obsessed age.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron engage in a deep theological discussion on the New York MAID Act (Medical Aid in Dying) and what medically assisted suicide means for Christians thinking faithfully about current events. From a Christian bioethics perspective, they explore end-of-life ethics, the sanctity and intrinsic value of human life, and how cultural ideas of autonomy, rights, happiness, and suffering are shaping moral decision-making—even within the church. Drawing on Scripture, Christian tradition, and real-world pastoral experience, Nathan and Cameron examine whether pro-life convictions can remain consistent from birth to death, why assisted suicide is gaining cultural acceptance, and how Christians can recover a robust theology of suffering, death, and hope in the resurrection. This episode is for Christians seeking serious theological reflection on medical ethics, assisted dying laws, and how to live and think Christianly in a rapidly changing society.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this Christmas episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron offer a deep theological reflection on current cultural and institutional collapse through the simple yet profound story of a 94-year-old man planting a Christmas tree he may never see fully grown, using it as a lens to explore Christian hope, generational responsibility, and the calling to build lasting institutions in an uncertain age. Drawing on Scripture, church history, N.T. Wright, cultural criticism, and lived pastoral experience, they examine pessimism, stoicism, technological modernity, and the temptation toward utopian or nationalist solutions, while arguing for a distinctly Christian vision rooted in the Incarnation, Emmanuel, and an “open” universe shaped by divine intervention. This episode challenges believers to reject despair and shallow optimism alike, encouraging faithful investment in churches, communities, and cultural foundations that may outlast us, and inviting Christians who care about theology, culture, and current events to recover a resilient, contagious hope worthy of the gospel.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron engage in a deep theological conversation on Christian hope during Advent, wrestling honestly with the widespread sense of cultural exhaustion, despair, and decline shaping current events in the modern West. Drawing on Scripture, Christian tradition, and contemporary debates involving figures like David French and broader evangelical discourse, they explore the difference between optimism and true Christian hope, asking whether Western culture is in a moral and spiritual “death spiral” or whether that diagnosis misses something essential. Nathan and Cameron argue that biblical hope is not rooted in political solutions, economic progress, or cultural victories, but in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, offering a “living hope” that can coexist with suffering, weakness, and uncertainty. This episode is especially for Christians seeking serious theological reflection on cultural decay, Advent spirituality, moral formation, and how to live faithfully and joyfully in dark times without denial, despair, or false optimism.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron offer a deep theological analysis of current events by engaging Daniel Hummel’s provocative claim that “secular Protestantism is America’s religion,” exploring why both liberal Protestantism and evangelicalism may be declining precisely because of their cultural success. Through thoughtful discussion on sociology of religion, expressive individualism, ecclesiology, and biblical anthropology, Nathan and Cameron examine how Enlightenment values, spiritual individualism, and unintended theological consequences have reshaped Christianity in America. Drawing on insights from Christian Smith, Mere Orthodoxy, and historic Christian doctrine, they contrast liberal Protestantism, evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism while asking whether churches today take themselves seriously as spiritual entities. This conversation is designed for Christians seeking rigorous theological reflection on cultural change, church decline, spiritual hunger, and the future of Christian witness in a post-Christian age.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into one of the most pressing theological questions facing today’s church: What happens when worship, sermons, and spiritual formation collide with AI and morally complicated creators? Using provocative thought experiments—like whether Christians would eat fruit from a tree planted by an immoral person—they explore how believers should think about AI-generated worship music, sermons, artistic integrity, and the character of those who shape our spiritual lives. From EDM and emotional engineering to pastoral authenticity, formation, and the “food sacrificed to idols” dilemma, Nathan and Cameron offer rich, intellectually serious Christian commentary on how technology is reshaping worship and the future of the church. Perfect for Christians hungry for deep theology, cultural discernment, and thoughtful engagement with current events.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into the rise of the so-called “ortho bros” and explore why so many young men are converting to Eastern Orthodoxy in today’s chaotic cultural moment. Drawing on history, theology, and their own pastoral experience, they analyze Ruth Graham’s New York Times article, compare the trend to the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement, and discuss the growing desire among Christians for rootedness, tradition, and doctrinal clarity. This thoughtful conversation challenges reductive explanations of hyper-masculinity and invites viewers into a richer understanding of how ancient Christian traditions speak into modern unrest. Perfect for Christians seeking deep theological reflection, cultural analysis, and Christ-centered insight on current events.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan Rittenhouse sits down in Kona, Hawaii with Lindsey from the YWAM Countercultural School of Apologetics to unpack one of the biggest questions facing the modern church: how should Christians navigate influencer culture, online discipleship, and the tension between digital convenience and real spiritual formation? Lindsey and Nathan explore the rise of untrained “Christian influencers,” the responsibility of discernment, the longing for embodied community, the need for multi-generational mentorship, and the subtle dangers of intellectual shortcuts in the age of AI and endless content. Their conversation invites believers into deeper thinking, meaningful connection, and a return to slow, faithful discipleship rooted in the local church. Perfect for Christians hungry for thoughtful apologetics, theology, and wisdom for following Jesus in a digital world.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive into a thought-provoking conversation on how modern media, Hollywood, and even the church have reshaped our attention spans, communication styles, and expectations for depth. In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, they explore why today’s films and sermons feel “dumbed down,” how smartphones have changed the way we engage with story and truth, and what Christians should recover from past eras of richer, more thoughtful communication. With cultural analysis, historical insight, and theological reflection, Nathan and Cameron challenge believers to rethink entertainment, discipleship, and the habits shaping our spiritual lives.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into the “junkification” of modern culture, using Christmas consumerism, cheap mass-produced goods, and the exhaustion of holiday commercialism as a launchpad for a thoughtful theological discussion. They explore whether our growing weariness with stuff is simply aging—or a sign of the times—while unpacking themes of relational poverty, cultural decadence, the loss of craftsmanship, and the ways economic values subtly replace biblical ones. Through humorous stories, honest cultural critique, and rich Christian reflection, Nathan and Cameron challenge believers to resist empty consumerism, rediscover meaningful presence over presents, and pursue a kingdom-shaped understanding of value, relationships, and holiday traditions.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this thought-provoking Thanksgiving episode, Nathan and Cameron dive into the surprising cultural rise of Black Friday, Green Wednesday, and the “cousin walk,” using these trends as a springboard for a deeper Christian examination of family tension, modern fragmentation, and the loss of shared spiritual continuity. Drawing on theology, literature, and pastoral experience, they unpack why holidays have become so difficult for many believers, how radical individualism fuels division, and why the historic Christian practices of feasting, gratitude, and communal life matter more than ever. Nathan and Cameron explore the difference between guilt, gloating, and true thanksgiving; the mystery of receiving God’s blessings in a suffering world; and the uniquely Christian capacity to feast with integrity while acknowledging global pain. For Christians craving rich theological discussion, cultural analysis, and practical wisdom for navigating family dynamics during the holidays, this conversation offers a grounded, hopeful vision for recovering gratitude, community, and spiritual depth in a distracted age.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into the theological roots of radical individualism in this thought-provoking episode of Thinking Out Loud, unpacking why the cultural forces shaping the trans movement are best understood through the lens of Western hyper-individualism rather than Marxism. Drawing from Scripture, church history, political philosophy, and personal stories, they challenge Christians to examine the subtle ways individualism forms all of us—and to rediscover a biblical, relational vision of identity rooted in Christ and community. This rich, accessible conversation is ideal for Christians seeking serious theological reflection on current events, cultural tensions, and the church’s witness in a fragmented age.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive into why so many believers today feel embarrassed to publicly identify as Christians, exploring how cultural polarization, political co-optation, and widespread biblical illiteracy shape modern perceptions of the church. Drawing on real experiences—from awkward airplane conversations to navigating headlines about scandals, televangelists, and politicized “Christian” figures—they unpack the tension between the beauty of the Gospel and the distorted versions of Christianity that dominate the public square. Nathan and Cameron offer thoughtful theological insight on hypocrisy, deconstruction, cultural Christianity, and what it means to articulate the way of Jesus in clear, non-insider language for a post-Christian society. This deep, compassionate conversation equips Christians who want to engage honestly, missionally, and intelligently with the world while keeping Christ—not cultural caricatures—at the center.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan Rittenhouse and Cameron McAllister tackle the phenomenon of fake outrage in Christian culture—using the reaction to Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl as a jumping-off point. With deep theological reflection and cultural insight, Nathan and Cameron explore why outrage has become a form of identity-building within the church and beyond, how scapegoating and virtue signaling distort genuine moral concern, and what it means for Christians to live wisely in a world shaped by Babylon and Vanity Fair. This thoughtful conversation challenges believers to pursue discernment, truth, and humility rather than reactionary culture wars. Perfect for Christians seeking intelligent, biblical discussions on faith, culture, and current events.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan Rittenhouse and Cameron McAllister explore whether culture has truly reached “peak trans” — or if the real issue runs much deeper. Through a thoughtful and theological lens, they examine the rise and supposed decline of gender identity politics, uncovering how the modern obsession with self-definition and hyper-individualism reflects a broader spiritual crisis in Western culture. Nathan and Cameron discuss how this cultural moment exposes our longing for meaning, community, and truth, and why followers of Jesus must think beyond headlines to engage with deep cultural currents shaping our world. Perfect for Christians seeking intelligent, biblically grounded conversations about faith, culture, and current events.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In Part 2 of Thinking Out Loud’s exploration of “crypto-religious” art, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into the complex relationship between Christianity, culture, and creativity in a post-secular age. Building on their earlier conversation, they examine how artists like David Foster Wallace, Flannery O’Connor, and Walker Percy wrestle with spiritual truth, beauty, and brokenness in ways that challenge both secular and Christian audiences. With thoughtful analysis and honest reflection, Nathan and Cameron ask whether authentic Christian art must always be explicit—or whether ambiguity can reveal deeper theological insight. Perfect for Christians seeking serious, theologically rich discussion on faith, art, and current culture.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this two-part episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan Rittenhouse and Cameron McAllister dive deep into the fascinating idea of being “crypto-religious”—a term coined by Polish poet Czesław Miłosz and revived in Paul Elie’s new book The Last Supper. Together, Nathan and Cameron explore how artists like Bob Dylan, Madonna, Prince, Bono, and Andy Warhol used religious imagery while keeping their personal beliefs ambiguous, inviting audiences to wrestle with questions of faith in a post-Christian world. Through thoughtful theological and cultural analysis, they examine whether “crypto-religiosity” can still exist today amid political polarization and spiritual confusion. This rich, intellectually honest discussion invites Christians to think deeply about hidden belief, creative expression, and how faith continues to shape modern culture.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this special Halloween episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown—exploring how wishful thinking, childlike faith, and imagination reveal profound theological truths about human desire and divine hope. Known for their thoughtful Christian analysis of culture, Nathan and Cameron unpack C.S. Lewis’s argument from desire, the role of fantasy in spiritual formation, and the controversial idea that belief in figures like Santa Claus or the Great Pumpkin can be formative tutors of faith. Drawing connections between pop culture, philosophy, and Christian theology, they invite listeners to rediscover how imagination and longing point to the ultimate fulfillment found in Christ. Perfect for Christians seeking rich theological reflection on Halloween, faith, and the deeper meaning behind our stories.DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speakerJOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.
In this episode, Nathan and Cameron dive deep into the theological and cultural earthquakes shaking the global church, beginning with the dramatic shift in the Anglican Communion as the Church of England appoints Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury—a move many global Anglicans see as proof that the English church has abandoned biblical authority. With sharp insight and theological nuance, they unpack the growing divide between progressive Western Anglicanism and the vibrant, Scripture-centered Global South, drawing powerful parallels to the recent Methodist split. The conversation explores not only gender and sexuality debates but the deeper issue of biblical authority, orthodoxy, and faithfulness to historic Christianity. Nathan and Cameron also react to Canon Press’s $10 million offer to buy Christianity Today, analyzing what these events reveal about the realignment of authority, mission, and truth in the modern church. Perfect for Christians seeking thoughtful, Reformed, and intellectually rigorous discussion on current events in theology and the church.
DONATE LINK: https://toltogether.com/donate
BOOK A SPEAKER: https://toltogether.com/book-a-speaker
JOIN TOL CONNECT: https://toltogether.com/tol-connect
TOL Connect is an online forum where TOL listeners can continue the conversation begun on the podcast.