Bryne and JR. welcome author and professor Tripp York to discuss the recent death of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo. Bringing insights from his book THE END OF CAPTIVITY to bear, Tripp invites us to consider the very nature of zoos -

The Zika Virus and the Problem of Human Existence - Origami Elephants Season 3

May 30th, 2016

Origami Elephants returns after an extended hiatus! Maybe it's Bryne's new baby, but we've been thinking about Zika, and the implications the virus has for questions of human existence. Listen up as we debate life, death and everything in betwe

The Problem with the Virtuous Hero - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jan 9th, 2016

Bryne and JR. recap some of our favorite films of a very good year, then dive into a couple that signal a shift in how we are telling stories as a culture. The Big Short, Sicario and Netflix' Making a Murderer demonstrate an important shift awa

Making the Invisible Visible - Origami Elephants Season 2

Nov 13th, 2015

In the wake of protests at Mizzou and Yale, Bryne and JR. investigate how protests make invisible persons visible, and explore how those in power ought to respond.

Privilege, Playboy and Prostitutes - Origami Elephants Season 2

Oct 31st, 2015

Bryne walks JR. through her recent lessons on privilege. They discuss Playboy's surprising announcement and then move into a conversation about Amnesty: International's controversial decision to support decriminalized prostitution worldwide.

Post-modern Evangelism - Origami Elephants Season 2

Aug 7th, 2015

Bryne and JR. wonder whether Evangelicals can proselytize in ways that respect the Other. Along we way, we investigate why we often struggle with the silence of God.

Supreme Courts, Gay Weddings and 10 Commandments - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jul 17th, 2015

Bryne and JR. welcome Clay Morgan of the StoryMen podcast to help us sift through the legal ramifications of some recent Supreme Court cases. We investigate the federal ruling on same sex marriage as well as the Oklahoma ruling to remove the 1

Race and American Identity - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jun 20th, 2015

Bryne and JR. welcome blogger and activist Grace Sandra to reflect on the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and the strange case of Rachel Dolezal pretending to be black. We investigate what race is, how it's similar to and diffe

Who's to Blame? - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jun 5th, 2015

Bryne and JR. investigate the recent spate of scandals in the Evangelical world concerning sexual abuse. From the Duggars to Tony Jones to the Village Church, we ask why religions tend to blame victims and what our response should look like.

Comics and Gender - Origami Elephants Season 2

May 15th, 2015

Bryne and JR. welcome Rachel Stine and Evie Allport to discuss gender issues in recent comic works. We focus specifically on AGE OF ULTRON's Black Widow problem and the criticisms of MARVEL's new A-Force comic.

Consciousness and Our Robot Overlords - Origami Elephants Season 2

May 4th, 2015

Given the glut of new films about Artificial Intelligence, Bryne and JR. ask what counts as consciousness. We revisit Chappie, dive deeply into Ex Machina, and touch on Age of Ultron, Terminator: Genesys, Her, Avatar and Stephen King's The Jaun

It Follows - Origami Elephants Season 2

Apr 10th, 2015

Bryne and JR. catch up after a very busy season. They discuss Bryne's conference on Marion and JR.'s Easter celebration. Then they discuss the sensational new horror film It Follows.

Islam and the Public Square - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jan 30th, 2015

Bryne and JR. investigate three recent instances of conflicts involving Islam and outside cultures and religions. From Charlie Hebdo to the Duke University Chapel to Oxford University Press, we wonder what is at stake in each circumstance and h

What Makes a Marriage? - Origami Elephants Season 2

Jan 11th, 2015

Bryne and JR. catch up in the New Year. They review the best films of 2014 and spend some specific time praising the Babadook. They then use Allan Edwards' interview with NPR to examine what makes a marriage.

What's Gotten Into Us? The Baylor Panel Audio - Origami Elephants Season 1

Nov 7th, 2014

Bryne and JR. are joined by Clay Morgan of the StoryMen and Mikey Fissel of Reel World Theology to conduct a panel at the Baylor IFL Conference on Faith and Film. We explore the nature of possession films, and what they say about the Church and

Demons are the New Zombies - Origami Elephants Season 1

Oct 17th, 2014 1h 16m

Just in time for Halloween (and the Baylor Film & Faith Symposium!), Bryne and JR. investigate the new "it" monster: Demons. From possession in popular culture to exorcising pastors, we ask how demons function in our world, and how we can respo

What to Do about those New Neighbors? - Origami Elephants Season 1

Oct 3rd, 2014 1h 18m

After a tangent on horror films, Bryne and JR. discuss getting settled in their new homes. Both find themselves in communities divided by religious controversy - from gay marriage to atheist invocations. They consider what neighborliness looks

An Ecclesiastes Model for Change - Origami Elephants Season 1

Sep 5th, 2014 1h 20m

Bryne and JR. are going through some big transitions. After they process the last couple of big episodes, they explore the nature of change. How do we change well? What's at stake if we refuse to change? As a bonus, we add 20 minutes of off-the

#Ferguson - Origami Elephants Season 1

Aug 22nd, 2014 1h 18m

Bryne and JR. welcome two pastors - Josh Butler and Eric Knox - to discuss the mess that is Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown. We examine how the media shapes the story, how the militarization of police feeds the c

Israel, Gaza and Just War - Origami Elephants Season 1

Aug 8th, 2014 1h 4m

Bryne and JR. return from busy summers to dive into the conflict between Israel and Gaza. We explore the history of the region, what's at stake for both sides and land on a discussion of Just War. Is violence ever morally permissible? Is Pacifi

Religious Freedom isn't a Hobby - Origami Elephants Season 1

Jul 4th, 2014 1h 1m

Bryne and JR. discuss HBO's THE LEFTOVERS, and then dive into a conversation on Religious Liberty, using anti-vaccine parenting and the Supreme Court's decision on Hobby Lobby.