Tuesday, November 1, 2022

My Favorite Podcasts

I love learning and understanding, so the podcast tsunami of recent years has given me a lot to drink from. I listen to podcasts while emptying the dishwasher, riding down the road, weeding the garden, or working out. I gravitate toward info about the Bible, farming, business, science, and culture. So here are some podcasts I enjoy. Let me know your favorites, too!

Radio Lab

I like science, and these hosts playfully engage with fun questions about science.

 

The History of Rome

Host Mike Duncan takes you through the story of Rome, from the myths and legends to the fall of Rome in the fifth century. This is an old podcast, with a whopping 179 episodes, but it was good. I was so ignorant about Rome, this filled in lots of gaps for me.

 

Freakonomics

As an econ major in college, I like economists’ objective analysis of data. Not all economists are boring.

 

Gospel in Life with Tim Keller

In his sermons, Pastor Tim Keller digs into the scripture, often sharing deep insights that I have never heard.

 

Word of Life Church with Pastor Brian Zahnd

In his sermons Brian gives deep insights with his study of history and early church fathers. He gives me more appreciation for the church calendar.

 

Stetzer Church Leader podcast

Ed Stetzer interviews guests, often authors of recent books, and finds ways to apply new ideas to church life.

 

Carey Nieuwhof Leadership podcast

Carey interviews guests and brings guiding insights for leaders, including church leaders.

 

Bear Grease

Clay Newcomb digs into fascinating history about hunting and pioneers. While his episodes about straight-up hunting don’t interest me, I loved his biographies of Daniel Boone and Holt Collier.

 

Another Name for Everything with Richard Rohr

Two of Rohr’s disciples pick Fr. Richard’s brain about his ideas of the Universal Christ. I don’t always agree with Fr. Richard, but I respect his sincere love for Jesus.

 

The Bible Project

Yeah, this is probably my favorite podcast. I found it early in 2022 and I have listened to hundreds of episodes. Dr. Tim Mackie, a Bible scholar, and Jon Collins, a curios Bible student dig into the Bible as literature. “We believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.”

 

Exploring My Strange Bible with Tim Mackie

Mackie served as a teaching pastor for a number of years, and this is a catalog of his sermons.

 

Thriving Farmer podcast

Sometimes there is good stuff on this podcast, and I really need to learn more about farming. It often digs into topics that are not relevant to me, but I like their bias against using chemicals.

 

Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm tells good stories and always includes some unexpected angles. I like his books, too.

 

Hidden Brain

Shankar Vedantam interviews authors of books about the mind. Seems like humanity is just beginning to understand how we tick.  I have learned a lot about how my own brain works.

 

Norsworthy

Luke Norsworthy playfully engages his guests about deep topics. Some weeks he gives his own “rants,” some weeks he talks to old friends, and he often interviews authors. He has a gift for putting his guests at ease and asking them challenging questions.

 

This American Life

I haven’t quite figured out the vibe of this podcast, but it is one of the most well-established shows available. Some weeks the stories are great, sometimes I skip them.

 

On Script

This is a very Bible-nerdy podcast, and sometimes it has great content. It doesn’t always have the energetic tone that grips the listener, but it has some good stuff.