Bill Mallonee & The Empty Hands

Erik November 7th, 2007

Bill Mallonee [formerly of Vigilantes of Love (and more notably The Cone Ponies)] joined me, Sharon, Mr. Wood, and Mark to talk about his music, life on the road, tough breaks, therapy, being a whore (my input of course), the music industry, starving artists, the Church, and your chance to book a Bill Mallonee Christmas house concert.

Take a listen to the conversation and the music we played on the show. I think you'll agree that it was a great time.

Then, if you're interested in bo … (Read More)

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Church 'R' Us (Part 2)

Steve Brown October 29th, 2007

When we last talked, I told you about the strange concurrence of some experiences and the Holy Spirit…maybe. I promised to tell you what I said in the "Women in Ministry" gathering at the seminary where I teach. But before I tell you that, I want to tell you something else.

The next morning in the office, I told Erik Guzman–our audio/video/Internet/talk show/blog guy–what happened the previous night. I thought Erik would think I was out of my mind. He listened an … (Read More)

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The Church is Not Cool

Erik October 26th, 2007

Joel Osteen, Pat Robertson, Ted Haggard, and Jerry Falwell are not cool (although Falwell is cooler now than he was before May 15, 2007).

We here at Steve Brown Etc. aren't cool either, but we do like to interview the hip in the body of Christ. (Get it? Hip? In the body? Yeah…I'm definitely not cool.)

Anyway, what is cool? Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? If you're one of the bad guys, does that mean you're not part of the true Church? Where do y … (Read More)

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Church 'R' Us (Part 1)

Steve Brown October 25th, 2007

You know something I discovered last week? It kind of sneaked up on me and, frankly, I was quite surprised. I think it was connected to three things and they may have been connected to the Holy Spirit.

I'm not sure of the last part, but maybe.

It started with a great interview for our talk show with Rick McKinley about his book, This Beautiful Mess. And then it continued in an interview with Gabe Lyons, founder of the Fermi Project and co-author of the book, unChristian: What a New Ge … (Read More)

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The House of Smite

Erik October 9th, 2007

Halloween is almost here. All the pagan kids are working on their costumes, decorating their houses, and dreaming of huge bags of candy.

Many Christians would urge them not to participate in the holiday, referencing its dark overtones and history. I say these children might as well enjoy themselves now, because they sure won't be having any fun when they're roasting in Hell for worshiping Satan.

If you're less calloused than I am, you may want to provide an alternative for the kid … (Read More)

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The Failure We Foster

Erik October 8th, 2007

Many Christians live in a prison of failure. They aren't free and they don't succeed because they don't think they deserve it.

A misunderstanding of success, humility, and the law mixed up with bad psychology and worse theology have produced churches full of guilty people with a guilty preacher standing in the pulpit, telling the guilty people that they should feel guiltier. Can you think of a better recipe for failure?

Join Steve Brown for the Scandalous Freedom Podcast #24 a … (Read More)

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