#49: Do Christian Have To Be Positive All The Time? | The Wonder Project Goes Behind A Pay Wall
Release Date: 07/03/2025
BONUS: Conversation with "It's Not Like That" Creators Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson
Faith and Pop Culture
“It’s Not Like That” is available on the Wonder Project subscription on Amazon with new episodes coming out every Sunday. 0:00 Introduction 0:26 What led you to wanting to create a series like this? 2:40 What were your favorite scenes to work on and later see realized? 5:07 Why do you think shows like this aren’t on TV anymore? 7:19 How has it been working with Wonder Project? 8:16 What led to the decision of having the main character be a pastor? 9:56 How did you meet and decide you wanting to keep creating with each other? 11:20 What do you hope audiences will take away from...
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The Intersections of Culture and Religion for Christmas | The Best Christmas Media | EP 69
Faith and Pop Culture
This is the final episode of the year and it is all things Christmas! How do cultural and religious traditions intertwine? How historically accurate is the traditional manger scene? Is Nyah uneducated when it comes to Christmas movies? All that and more for our farewell to 2025 episode! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 3:00 As Christians, how should we view Christmas as a cultural as well as religious event? 19:21 Is Christmas a pagan holiday and does the root of its date matter? 37:45 Our favorite Christmas songs and movies 46:06 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too Lifeway...
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BONUS: Conversation with "Seeking Beauty" Star David Henrie
Faith and Pop Culture
The first episode of Actor and Producer David Henrie’s newest series “Seeking Beauty” premieres January 19th, 2026 on EWTN+ and YouTube! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 0:55 Where did your inspiration from this project come from? 3:17 What has beauty meant in your own walk with God? How can beauty point towards God? 6:10 Why do you think our modern culture undervalues beauty? 9:07 How should the church navigate the tension of creating something different from the world yet remaining part of the conversation? 11:22 What are some lessons you learned while searching for beauty that you can...
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"Wake Up Dead Man" And It's Investigation of Faith | Netflix's Bold Acquisition
Faith and Pop Culture
In the second to last episode of the year, we talk about the implications that come with Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros., dive deep into the newest "Knives Out" film, and more! TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction, We Dropped the Ball! 2:37 Netflix’s Newest Acquisition 17:45 Discussing Knives Out 3 46:30 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too MENTIONS: Netflix Acquisition: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros Ted on Barbenheimer: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ted-sarandos-barbie-oppenheimer-netflix-streaming-1236016921/ Ted’s Saving...
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BONUS: Conversation with "Wake Up Dead Man" Writer/Director Rian Johnson
Faith and Pop Culture
Writer and Director Rian Johnson’s newest film, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” comes out on Netflix on December 12, 2025. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 0:40 What is the genesis of your creative process? 2:15 Did Chesterton’s "Father Brown" stories influence this film at all? 3:22 How did your Christian childhood influence this story? 5:50 How important to you was remaining authentic to faith while creating this film? 7:46 Why is the contrast between a warrior and a shepherd so important to the story? 10:06 Why is storytelling so important to humanity? 12:00 What...
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The Pope's Speech on Cinema | Solomon Ray Controversy | PG Movie Takeover
Faith and Pop Culture
On this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast we break down the Pope's speech on the importance of cinema and examine the appearance of a PG-movie box-office takeover. Forrest Frank is back, speaking out against AI musician Solomon Ray who's songs have recently topped Christian music charts. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 2:10 The Rise of PG Popularity 16:45 The Pope’s Cinematic Speech 30:45 The Solomon Ray Query 50:45 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too MENTIONS: Wall Street Journal Article: NPR Segment: Pope Article: Solomon Ray Article:...
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BONUS: Conversation with Joel and Luke Smallbone of For King + Country
Faith and Pop Culture
As a little bonus for this Thanksgiving, enjoy this conversation with a couple of the Smallbone brothers about life, music, and their newest documentary. FOR KING + COUNTRY: NO TURNING BACK is now available on on Prime Video in the U.S. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 3:05 What sight do you believe young people have that turn them away from God’s gaze? What do young people have their eyes fixed on instead of God? 4:42 When you look back at your footage from when you were kids, what is your biggest take away? 7:06 Was there a single moment in the season of rejections...
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BONUS: Conversation with Executive Producers Marlee and Matthew Benson
Faith and Pop Culture
To celebrate Thanksgiving week, we decided to post an extra special conversation! The Bensons' docu-series "Redemption" is now available on Wonder Project’s subscription on Prime Video. Check it out now! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:25 What made you want to make “Redemption?” And why follow Ohio State? 1:45 How did you get involved in making this doc-series? 2:33 What was it like hearing about God’s work in the community and all of a sudden being right in the middle of it? 4:00 How involved is the coaching staff in discipling their players? 5:00 What do sports, football in...
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Religion and Faith in Hollywood with Craig Detweiler
Faith and Pop Culture
Craig Detweiler is an author, cultural commentator, and dean of the College of Arts and Media at Grand Canyon University. He's part of the Faith and Media Initiative Coalition and his latest book, titled "Honest Creativity," talks about why AI will not replace human creatives. His contact and information is linked below. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro to Craig Detweiler 1:35 What is the Faith and Media Initiative and what is your role with this coalition? 4:00 What do you do to help push towards better representation of religious themes and characters? 6:25 How has working with FAMI...
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Christian Worldview vs. Imagination with Joseph Holmes | EP 65
Faith and Pop Culture
With guest Joseph Holmes, writer and director of Jim vs. the Future, his debut feature, we chat about the Christian worldview and imagination as well as how the roles Christian critics and filmmakers can come together to improve the faith-based film landscape. All that and more on episode 65 of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:15 Jim vs the Future Elevator Pitch 5:05 What was it like approaching the filmmaking process as a culture critic? 10:40 How do you see the roles of Christian critics and Christian filmmakers come together? 14:45 Does art have to...
info_outlineWe dive into why all of christian media seems to be obsessed with being 'positive' and 'uplifting' all the time and whether or not that is actually good or even biblical. Plus, the Wonder Project (House of David) is getting it's own streaming service under the Amazon umbrella so if you are planning to see season two of The House of David, you're going to have to pay for it. All that and more on this week's episode of Faith and Pop Culture.
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