The Magnificast
A weekly podcast about Christianity and leftist politics. The Magnificast is hosted by Dean Dettloff and Matt Bernico. Each week's episode focuses on a unique or under-realized aspect of territory between Christianity and politics that no one taught you about in sunday school.
The final pablo
We've done it folks, We've finished Pablo Richard's book on Revelation. Tune in this week and listen to the exciting conclusion of Revelation!
Here's the book about Zapatista women we mention: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Compa%C3%B1eras.html?id=1gcDBAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
Or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
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The Lamb and his smoking hot wife (the church)
We're back with that revelation's content that you crave! This week, we're talking about beasts, harlots, and more
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
Or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
Pre-order our book
https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/pre-order-now-enough-is-enough-degrowth-capitalism-and-liberation-theology/
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
Beastie boyz
This week we've got a war in heaven, the angel being defeated, beasts rising from the earth and the sea! You're not going to want to miss all of these biblical cryptids! In this episode, we're talking about Revelation 12:1-15:4, idolatry, and imperialism. Listen before the world ends!
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
Or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
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https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/pre-order-now-enough-is-enough-degrowth-capitalism-and-liberation-theology/
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The Angelic End-times Ska Band
This week we're talking about Revelation 8:2-11:19; 15:5-16:21 and exploring the trumpets and bowls of God's wrath. In the episode, we talk about symbolism, political pessimism, left behind, and resentment.
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
Or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
Pre-order our book
https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/pre-order-now-enough-is-enough-degrowth-capitalism-and-liberation-theology/
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
It's all horses
We're finally to the weird stuff in Revelation! This week, we've got creatures with weird faces, horsemen, cataclysms, and more!
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
Or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
Pre-order our book
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
Becoming a spicy Christian
This week on the pod, we're reading Pablo Richard's commentary on John of Patmos' letters to the churches in revelation. We talk about symbolism, anti-semitism, the phrase "Luke-warm christian," and the anti-imperialist nature of within Revelation.
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
Pre-order our book
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...
The Beginning and End of Revelation
Folks, we're back this week reading the second chapter of Pablo Richard's book Apocalypse: A People's Commentary on the book of Revelation. In this episode, we talk about the verses the frame the book.
You can read the Richard's book yourself here: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
Magnificast Classic: Toward a Philosophy of Photography
Hey Folks, we've got a classic episode for you this week, but next week we'll be back with some apocalyptic podcasting!
Something cool about having a podcast is that you can talk about whatever you'd like and no one can stop you. This week, we're doing just that. We've both gotten really interested in photography as a hobby and practice, so we're talking about Vilém Flusser's Toward a Philosophy of Photography and also some ideas about how it relates to the photographs of Mev Puleo, a photographer who was involved in liberation theology.
You ca...
The imaginary apocalypse
This week, Dean's back from Assisi and has a bone update, we talk about the devil's super powers, and the imaginary geography of the apocalypse.
Read the articles we talked about in this episode:
https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for
https://contendingmodernities.nd.edu/theorizing-modernities/christian-zionism-apocalyptic-gaza/
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
Magnificast classic: The Dialogue between the Popes and Cuba
Hey folks, Dean is traveling for work this week and is going to see St. Francis' bones on display in Italy (this is not a joke), so this week we're reposting some classic Cuba content from 2022!
It's the last week of Advent! We made it. We're rounding out our series on Cuba with some extremely niche content about Papal visits and Cuba. This is some really in the weeds content, but it shows a real interesting interchange between the Cuban revolution and religion. There's a dialectic at play here that is worth paying attention to!
He...
Electricity and Cuba
This week on the show, we're talking about the ongoing crisis the United States is imposing on Cuba. The US has threatened tariffs on any country supplying Cuba with Oil. Listen in to our ep about the situation, electricity in Cuba, and Christian solidarity.
Get The Low-Carbon Contradiction here: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-low-carbon-contradiction/paper
Get our zine about Christian solidarity with Cuba here: https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/christian-solidarity-with-cuba.pdf
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Apocalypse now
Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about Revelation and it's apocalypticism. But what is apocalypticism? In this episode we read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse and learn all about it!
Read Pablo Richard's Apocalypse on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/apocalypsepeople0000rich
or get it from wipf and stock: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606081594/apocalypse/
Pre-order our book
https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/pre-order-now-enough-is-enough-degrowth-capitalism-and-liberation-theology/
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https://themagnificast.wordpress.com/zines/
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon<...
Revelation: justice and judgement
This week we read Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza's book Revelation: Justice and Judgement. Throughout the episode, we talk about liberation theology and the book of Revelation, exegesis, and ways of reading Revelation.
Also, please note that we recorded this via zoom and it gets crunchy sometimes. Sorry in advance.
Read the book we talked about here: https://archive.org/details/bookofrevelation0000schu
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Nothing Will Save Us w/ David C. L. Driedger
This week on the show we're joined by Mennonite pastor David C. L. Driedger to talk about his new book Nothing Will Save Us: A Theology of Immeasurable Life. We talk 2010s theology blogs, Canada, Thomas Muntzer, and how to deal with Christianity being so complicated.#
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Music by Amaryah Armstrong and theillalogicalspoon
Locked in for the end of the world
This week, we're locked in and taking some hot reddit questions about revelation. We also talk about The Traitors and the highland clearances, Venezuela, Baudrillardian imperialism, and more!
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The World is Always Ending
It's 2026 and if you're watching the news, you can see that the United States is doing an apocalypse speedrun. Our new years resolution is to get really into the book of Revelation and maybe learn something about it. We'll get to the liberation theology contetn on Revelation later, but for now we're easing our way in.
Here's Timothy Beal's The Book of Revelation: a Biography: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691145839/the-book-of-revelation
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J...
Magnificast Classic: Chavismo, Venezuela, and Building Dual Power w/ George Ciccariello-Maher
The new year is off to a rough start! Check out this extremely old, ancient even, episode we did George Ciccariello-Maher. We'll be back next week with new content!
In this episode, Dean and Matt interview George Ciccariello-Maher about Chavismo, Venezuela, dual power, the communes, Maduro and the ways Christianity might have informed Hugo Chavez' political imagination.
Magnificast Classic: Understanding Venezuela w/ Jim Hodgson
Need some context for the ongoing situation in Venezuela? listen to this episode with Jim Hodgson when the US staged a coup back in 2019
In light of the ongoing coup in Venezuela, this week Matt and Dean talk with Jim Hodgson. Hodgson is the Program Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the United Church of Canada and was an observer of the recent elections in Venezuela.
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro Music by theillogicalspoon
Christianity on the spectrum
This week, on the pod, we have Jon from the Christianity on the Spectrum podcast to talk about his research on ASD and Christianity, deconstruction, RFK Jr and the autism wars. Lots of great stuff in this episode!
You can find Jon's podcast here: https://christianityonthespectrum.podbean.com/
Get Jon's substack here: https://dispatchesfromtheautismwars.substack.com/
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St. Michael's special stuff
It's almost Christmas. Deck the halls, ask Mary if she knew, and get ready to drink the water from Santa's bones! We're still deep in the Christmas spirit. In this episdoe, we're answering reddit questions and talking about relics. We'll be back with your normal Magnificast content next week.
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St. Nick's leaky bones
It's the advent season, but we're ready for Christmas! In this episode, we talk through some reddit questions, theorize heaven, talk about unions, and dive into the Santa lore.
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Baptisms to cool down from the climate emergency
We're back with a lock-in episode where we're answering reddit questions and talking about current events!
Here are the links we talked about on the pod
Boff blog - https://leonardoboff.org/2025/12/06/cose-e-cosa-non-e-lamazzonia/
SATAN - https://srm360.org/outdoor-experiments/satan/
I was arrested outside of an ICE facility we need to close - https://sojo.net/articles/opinion/i-was-arrested-outside-ice-facility-we-need-shut-down
Vatican commission on women deacons - https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-commission-votes-against-ordaining-female-deacons
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COP30 report back
Dean is back from COP30 and he's going to tell you all about it. Learn what was accomplished, what wasn't, and what Christians were doing down in Brazil!
Read the Boff blog on COP30: https://aterraeredonda.com.br/o-sonho-de-chico-mendes/
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The World Communion of Reformed Churches w/ William Gibson
Dean's away at COP, so it's time to talk about protestantism. This week, on the pod, we've got William Gibson to talk about the the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Christian unity, union organizing, anti-fascism, and more!
Follow William on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@williamgibsongla
Subscribe to William's sub stack: https://substack.com/@williamgibsongla
Check out Shibboleth Magazine: http://shibbolethmag.com
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Magnificast classic: Laudate Deum, Daniel, the Pope is back with a new apostolic exhortation.
Dean is away at COP, so you're getting a classic ep this week. But, don't worry! we'll have something new next week.
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Folks, we’re back at it. Last week, we refreshed our memories about the Pope’s climate encyclical Laudato Si and how it connected with things like degrowth and dependency theory. But this week, we’re back with some breaking news. The Vatican has released Francis’ most recent apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, and we will talk through it.
Last time, we pulled out some of Francis’ thoughts around dependency and the economy, and in this...
COP of Capitulation
It's that time of the year again, folks. Halloween is over, Christmas hasn't yet begun, it's time for COP. The 30th conference of parties is about to kick off in Brazil. Dean is heading down there to check it out, but for now, we're going to talk about what to expect.
Read the Michael Löwy blog: https://leonardoboff.org/2025/10/28/cop30-adaptacao-ou-prevencao/
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The Triumph of Liberation Theology
There's a new papal exhortation out there folks: Dilexi Te or "I have loved you" and you better believe we're talking about it! In this episode, we talk about the big ideas behind Pope Leo's first exhortation and how it relates to liberation theology.
Read Dilexi Te here: http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html
See the coverage of Dilexi Te here: https://newrepublic.com/article/201602/pope-leo-apostolic-exhortation-dilexi-te-jd-vance
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Why is no one talking about how dark Frightfest at 6 Flags has become?
Folks, we're locked in, answering the internet's most pressing Christian questions and talking about GAFCON and Canadian politics.
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast classic: Peace on the Korean Peninsula w/ Patti Talbot
Life has once again gotten in the way of the pod, but we've got a good classic episode for you!
Some of our best episodes have been talking about solidarity with Jim Hodgson, well this time around we've got one of Jim's incredible colleagues, Patti Talbot, to talk about peace and solidarity movements that focus on the Korean Peninsula. Northeast Asia is a complicated place, but this interview gives some good handles for thinking about a very complex situation!
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hood...
Heavenly middle managers
This week we've got reddit questions, new events, and old events.
Here are the things we talked about in this episode!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/05/archbishop-of-canterbury-sarah-mullally-change
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Geddes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianfranco_Sanguinetti
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Plastic bones
Bad news folks, just like Jimmy Kimmel and Steven Colbert, the president has cancelled us, but not to worry, we're coming at you from the depths of the magnificent family life center with all of the reddit questions you can handle and some takes about current events.
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Socialism and Communes
We were chatting last week about monasticism and the commons, this week, we're diving into a bit about communes and socialism guided by a recent issue of the Monthly Review.
Read the articles from Chris Gilbert here: https://monthlyreview.org/articles/socialist-communes-and-anti-imperialism-the-marxist-approach/
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Commons and monasticism
Capitalism: we hate it. It's taking over every section of life and commodifying the things we need to live. A lot of socialists talk about reviving and reclaiming the commons, and that sounds good to us, but what kind of institutions would we need to manage those commons?
Don't worry, some economists have some ideas: monasticism.
Read the article we're talking about in the show: https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/HistoriaIndustrial/article/view/40930/40628
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
...
Slow Down or Die
This week on the podcast, we're talking about Timothée Parrique's new book Slow Down Or Die: the economics of degrowth. Specifically, we're talking about the third chapter on social reproduction and the ways capitalism commodifies everything dissolving social bonds and what churches look in the wake of that dissolution.
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast Classic: The Socialist Jesuit One W/ David Inczauskis SJ
This week, we're bringing you back to 2021, to a conversation we had with David Inczauskis SJ.
Have you heard about the cool new Liberation Theology podcast on the block? No? Well, let us tell you! This week, we're joined by David Inczauskis SJ, the host of The Liberation Theology Podcast. Give David a follow on twitter @LibTheoJesuit and check out his pod!
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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ChatBCP
We're wrapping up our book on degrowth and liberation theology this week, so we're just doing a fun one. This week on the pod, we're locking-in, answering some reddit questions, talking about current events, and complaining about AI.
Here's the episcopal chatbot article we mentioned on the show: https://www.christiancentury.org/features/priesthood-all-chatbots
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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The Theology of Relinquishment
Last week, we talked about dependency theory and trash. This week on the pod, we're talking about how some theologians from the Global North responded to liberation theology and dependency theory at its height in the 1970's and 80's. You'll also hear two grandpas talking about a long gone Christian band called The Psalters.
Listen to the Psalters: https://psalters.bandcamp.com/album/the-divine-liturgy-of-the-wretched-exiles
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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Magnificast Classic: Joe Wallace, the Greatest Canadian Communist Christian Poet in the Soviet Union
Ernesto Cardenal is great, right? He is, but have you ever wondered who the Greatest Canadian Communist Christian Poet in the Soviet Union was? Well, it was Joe Wallace.
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
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Riding spaceship earth
This week on the pod, we're talking trash! This week we get into dependency theory, Leonardo Boff, and coffee
Here's the study we mentioned about sustainable coffee brewing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352550921001160
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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The Liberation from Trash
Lately, we've been talking about the resonance between regrowth and liberation theology when it comes to talking about consumption patterns in the Global North. This week, we're taking a look at the result of all that consumption: trash. Trash plays an essential economic role in capitalism in the way it creates growth. Want to know how? Then listen to this episode!
Intro Music by Amaryah Armstrong
Outro music by theillogicalspoon
https://theillalogicalspoon.bandcamp.com/track/hoods-up-the-low-down-technified-blues
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