Podcast
Thinking Out Loud
Hosted by Nathan Rittenhouse & Cameron McAllister · EN
For those interested in thoughtful cultural analysis without all the apocalyptic forecasts, Thinking Out Loud is a podcast about current events and Christian hope. Hosted by Nathan Rittenhouse and Cameron McAllister, co-founders of Thinking Out Loud, a ministry that seeks to bridge the gap between discipleship and apologetics, this is a show that seeks to connect the dots on the subject of Christian realism.
56episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Autonomy Is Backfiring: Late-Stage Individualism and the Crisis of Meaning
Feb 900:37:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron engage in a deep theological discussion on late stage individualism, a term popularized by Ezra Klein, and examine why radical individualism is failing in modern Western culture. Speaking from a Christian worldview, they explore rising loneliness, loss of meaning, and social fragmentation through the lens of Scripture, church history, and contemporary cultural analysis. Nathan and Cameron argue that the biblical vision of community offers a compelling alternative, presenting the church as a village designed to form identity, cultivate responsibility, and restore purpose. Drawing on philosophy, current events, and lived experience, this conversation challenges Christians to rethink freedom, sacrifice, and belonging in an age of isolation, and to consider how faithful Christian community can respond to the cultural moment with hope and depth.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.
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Why Evangelicalism Didn’t See Its Moral Collapse Coming
Feb 200:43:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron offer a deeply theological analysis of current events, examining the moral, political, and spiritual turbulence shaping Christianity in North America today. Engaging Tripp Fuller’s essay “Bonhoeffer’s Warning Unheeded”, they explore the moral collapse of white evangelicalism, the “frog in the boiling water” metaphor, and the rapid shift in Christian attitudes toward character, power, and politics. Drawing on Scripture, church history, Bonhoeffer, and the witness of the early church, Nathan and Cameron challenge individualism, political idolatry, and the temptation to use worldly means to achieve Christian ends, ultimately arguing that the local church—not political power—is God’s primary antidote to cultural chaos. This conversation is for Christians seeking thoughtful, historically grounded, and biblically faithful theological discussion on faith, culture, discipleship, and Christian hope in a fractured age.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.
Transcribe →Why Hope Feels Boring Today—and Why Christianity Says It Isn’t
Jan 3000:37:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Nathan and Cameron engage in a deep theological discussion on Christian hope in the midst of cultural chaos, political polarization, and a media landscape driven by fear, anger, and spectacle. Drawing on Scripture, church history, Aristotle, C.S. Lewis, and contemporary examples, they challenge the modern tendency to reduce hope to mere optimism and instead recover the biblical vision of hope as a hard, muscular virtue—formed through suffering, discipline, and faithfulness to Christ. As they reflect on current events, true crime culture, discipleship, and virtue formation, Nathan and Cameron argue that Christian hope is not sentimental or naïve, but grounded in the resurrection of Jesus and expressed through perseverance, moral courage, and responsibility in everyday life. This episode is for Christians seeking thoughtful, intellectually serious theology that speaks honestly to the realities of the modern world.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.
Transcribe →Happy Holidays, You’re Going to Die
Dec 26, 202400:37:57Tap to summarizeWhile the TOL take on the Christmas holidays might sound like a bit of a bummer, it’s actually more lighthearted than it sounds.
Transcribe →Is Christian Civilization a Mistake?
Dec 23, 202400:46:17Tap to summarizeIn a provocative lecture for First Things, poet and novelist Paul Kingsnorth argues against Christian civilization, making the case that Christ’s teachings confound our civilizational efforts. The talk has since been expanded into an article if you’d prefer to read it. We do recommend you read the piece as it’s as thought-provoking as it is challenging. Join us as we discuss it.
Transcribe →Paying for Other People’s Crimes?
Dec 17, 202400:36:57Tap to summarizeA string of carjackings linked to a TikTok challenge have raised a number of ethical challenges. Is the manufacturer in any way responsible for the thefts and damages? Is it right to benefit from a class action suite that isn’t necessarily fair? We’re grateful to one of our thoughtful listeners for sending in this question. Join us as we consider what it means to do the right thing in the face of an increasingly complex legal system.
Transcribe →On Luigi Mangione
Dec 13, 202400:38:52Tap to summarizeWith his elite background and dashing looks, the man behind the murder of UnitedHealth C.E.O., Brian Thompson, has become a viral superstar. The public reception of Mangione’s actions paints a chilling picture of our nation. In this episode, we explore some of the implications of lionizing a murderer.
Transcribe →A Grand Theory of Wokeness
Dec 10, 202400:41:55Tap to summarizeIn a provocative new book, sociologist Musa al-Gharbi offers a sweeping theory of wokeness as a recurring social phenomenon—that’s right, we’ve been here before, says al-Gharbi—tied to “elite overproduction.” The book is understandably making waves and we decided to enter the fray of the conversation.
Transcribe →Disagreeing with Dallas Willard
Dec 6, 202400:33:57Tap to summarizeWe often talk about the importance of civil disagreement on TOL. In this episode, we do our best to model what it looks like as we both explore a major disagreement with a thinker we deeply admire. We hope it’s helpful to you.
Transcribe →Hope Is Not Optimism
Dec 3, 202400:41:34Tap to summarizeAdvent is upon us. For Christians, this is a season centered on Christian hope. But in a world that’s increasingly filled with despair, what does Christian hope actually look like? Though there’s nothing wrong with optimism, it’s a good deal less durable than hope. This becomes especially obvious when the world is falling apart. In this episode, we consider the shape of Christian hope today and we draw generously from Scripture to put flesh and blood on our statements.
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