No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

This is our unabridged interview with Alexandra Solomon.

 Is your love life in need of a tune-up?  Just in time for Valentine's Day, renowned relationship expert Dr. Alexandra Solomon joins us to share powerful insights from her book, "Loving Bravely."  Discover how self-awareness and understanding your past can dramatically improve your present relationships.  Dr. Solomon unpacks the secrets to thriving intimacy, from mastering the art of apology to staying truly present with your partner.  Plus, get practical tools for navigating the inevitable challenges of long-term love.  Tune in for this insightful conversation that will empower you to build stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Show Notes, Resources and Transcript⁠⁠ for abridged episode with Alexandra Solomon

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No Small Endeavor: An award-winning podcast that asks what it means to live a good life. Through conversations with leading thinkers across theology, philosophy, psychology, politics, and the social sciences, we explore human flourishing, meaning and purpose, faith and culture, science and religion, virtue and character, community, and the practices that help shape a good life grounded in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@nosmallendeavor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Host Lee C. Camp: Lee has worked as a professor of theology & ethics for more than 25 years, teaching and writing on topics of faith & politics, inter-religious dialog, and human flourishing at the intersection of theology, moral philosophy, and social sciences. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leeccamp ⁠⁠⁠
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When the artists, authors, and celebrities we admire disappoint us, where’s the line between appreciating their work and endorsing their behavior?

After the Grammys reignited the “stay in your lane” debate, we revisit the question: Do we tell celebrities to be quiet because we don’t want to wrestle with what they believe? A listener email pushes us deeper, prompting us to ask what we do when artists we admire act immorally or hold views we reject. From Philip Yancey’s recent confession to pop culture figures like Andrew Huberman and Brad Pitt, we explore whether moral failure cancels insight, whether grace eliminates consequences, and how social media tribalism intensifies the dilemma. Can we separate art from the artist? Or are we always participating in what we platform?

Things we mentioned in this episode:

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Hunter Biden on the Shawn Ryan Show

You've Got Mail

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This week, we’re sharing a conversation originally recorded for Preston Sprinkle’s podcast, Theology in the Raw. It’s a wide-ranging, thoughtful dialogue that digs into political theology, Christian nationalism, just war theory, technology, and the deeper question underneath it all:

What kind of people are we becoming?

Lee joins Preston for an honest and at times searching conversation about the pressures facing the church in our current political and technological moment.

Key Themes:

Christian Nationalism — Then and Now


Why Christian nationalism is not just a “right-wing” problem


The surprising history of progressive Christian nationalism (Woodrow Wilson and World War I)


How allegiance to a nation can distort allegiance to Christ


The church’s temptation to baptize political power

Recovering Forgotten Christian Traditions


The pacifist roots of the Stone-Campbell movement


How World War I reshaped American Christianity


Why most Christians have never actually been taught the Just War tradition


The difference between claiming Just War and being morally formed by it

Violence, War, and Christian Witness


Why the Just War tradition is far more rigorous than most assume


The danger of defaulting to state power without serious moral discernment


What it might mean to “bear witness to the way of Christ” in a violent world


Why the church’s formation matters more than hypothetical “what would you do?” scenarios

Social Media, Anger, and the Business Model of Outrage


How the ad-revenue model rewards anger


Why social platforms amplify division by design


The spiritual consequences of living online


Why disengaging can sometimes be an act of wisdom

Technology, AI, and Moral Formation


Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s concept of “technique”


Why the real question isn’t whether technology is a tool


The deeper question: What kind of character is being formed in us?


Why Christians need to think more seriously about AI and moral responsibility

A Life Without a Cell Phone


Why Lee hasn’t owned a cell phone in eight years


The “serenity tax” of opting out


Anxiety, distraction, and what it means to be present


The difference between using technology and being shaped by it

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Do we have to change something fundamental in ourselves to make a marriage work? In this Valentine's Day special episode of The Subtext, Savannah and Lee discuss the show Couples’ Therapy and the balance between self-betrayal and people-pleasing. And as Stanley Hauerwas says, “Love is not all you need.” 

Things we mentioned in this episode:

Curt Thompson: The Work Beneath Lasting Love on No Small Endeavor

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This is our unabridged interview with Curt Thompson.

What if the deepest work of love isn’t finding the right person, but becoming someone who can truly be known?

Psychiatrist and author Dr. Curt Thompson joins Lee C. Camp for a Valentine’s Day conversation about desire, shame, and suffering, and how each shapes our capacity for authentic relationships. Drawing from neuroscience, theology, and lived experience, Dr. Curt Thompson invites us to consider not just what we want, but who we are becoming as we pursue it. This episode explores how being seen, staying present, and walking together through pain can open the way to healing, beauty, and human flourishing.

Key Ideas:


Desire Shapes Us Our longings are not just about what we want, but about the kind of people we become in the pursuit of those wants.


Learn to Be Seen The human need to be known and soothed never disappears, and our healing begins when we risk letting others see the parts we try hardest to hide.


Name Shame Honestly Shame thrives in secrecy, but loses its power when the truth of our lives is spoken and met with presence rather than abandonment.


Heal in Community Transformation happens when others see the worst of us, and remain, helping us reconnect to ourselves and one another.


Suffering with Meaning Pain does not have the final word. When shared and honored, suffering can become a crucible that forms wisdom, compassion, and courage.

⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Show Notes, Resources and Transcript⁠⁠ for abridged episode with Curt Thompson⁠

Thank you to our sponsors:

Boll and Branch: Get 20% off plus free shipping by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BollAndBranch.com/NSE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join NSE+⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — our subscriber-only community — for ad-free listening, member-only bonus content, and early access to live show tickets. Your membership helps make No Small Endeavor sustainable.

No Small Endeavor: An award-winning podcast that asks what it means to live a good life. Through conversations with leading thinkers across theology, philosophy, psychology, politics, and the social sciences, we explore human flourishing, meaning and purpose, faith and culture, science and religion, virtue and character, community, and the practices that help shape a good life grounded in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@nosmallendeavor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Host Lee C. Camp: Lee has worked as a professor of theology & ethics for more than 25 years, teaching and writing on topics of faith & politics, inter-religious dialog, and human flourishing at the intersection of theology, moral philosophy, and social sciences. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leeccamp ⁠⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices