Facing Anxious Times Together, Part 5 (#393)

Facing Anxious Times Together, Part 5 (#393)

Author: Dan Koch April 9, 2026 Duration: 44:34
This is the fifth and final installment of the Anxious Times series, and we're bringing it home by exploring what existential psychology has to say about community, belonging, and civic engagement. I’m joined by returning guest Kristen Tideman and Brian Adoff, founder of Join Philly, a directory and events platform helping Philadelphians connect with each other.  In the Patreon-only second half, we dig into how Kristen's own anxiety triple crown — MS, new motherhood, and ongoing religious change — has been shaped by her distance from the Philly community she helped build, and what it looks like to find connection in a new chapter of life. Join or Die Film Anxious Times Episode Part 1⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Anxious Times Episode Part 2⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Anxious Times Episode Part 3 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Anxious Times Episode Part 4 Highlights: Collective effervescence, good and bad  Bowling alone and belonging  Tech, phones, and the dopamine trap  Participation gaps and on-ramps ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/dancoke/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/DanKoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Faith deconstruction resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soyouredeconstructing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/dankoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHP Patron-only FB group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join Dan's email list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.dankochwords.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nickryanluevano.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Dan Koch, Religion on the Mind digs into the messy, fascinating, and deeply personal space where our inner lives meet our search for meaning. This isn't a sermon or a debate; it's a series of conversations that feel more like late-night talks with curious friends. Each episode brings in a different voice-psychologists, scholars, writers, and other experts-to explore how our beliefs, doubts, rituals, and spiritual yearnings are intertwined with the workings of the human mind. We get into the psychology behind religious experience, the spirituality that emerges outside traditional structures, and the very real ways these forces shape identity, community, and coping. The tone is thoughtful but unvarnished, embracing complexity without pretension. You'll hear genuine curiosity, nuanced perspectives, and, yes, the occasional bit of cussing when the topic calls for it. The goal is to offer a space for reflection on how these fundamental aspects of being human collide and coexist. If you've ever wondered about the psychological roots of faith, the spirituality of non-belief, or just how our brains make sense of the profound, this podcast provides a grounded, accessible entry point to those questions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Religion on the Mind
Podcast Episodes
C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 3) (#379) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 2) (#377) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Kristen Tideman is back for Part 2 of our conversation about C.S. Lewis's 'The Great Divorce,' and we get right into discussing some of the uncomfortable questions Chapter 5 brings up (am I just deceiving myself?). We al…
C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 1) (#376) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:39
In this episode, recurring guest Kristen Tideman and I discuss C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, examining how its exploration of hell, isolation, and human flaws speaks to modern issues like political polarization. We als…
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Duration: 1:16:05
In this episode of "Religion on the Mind," Mason Mennenga joins me to discuss what it’s like to be in Minneapolis right now, amid intense immigration enforcement and community responses. He shares the emotional toll of l…
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Duration: 1:00:59
I sit down with returning guest Bonnie Kristian, deputy editor at Christianity Today, to examine tensions in contemporary evangelicalism in light of her upcoming book, In Defense of Evangelicalism. First up, we look at J…
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Duration: 37:18
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Duration: 1:34:24
These are the notes I just worked on: I sit down with our friend Kristen Tideman for one of those conversations that starts heavy and somehow leaves you feeling more alive. Kristen recently received a complicated diagnos…
Trusting Yourself After Religious Change (#370) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:14
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