Friday Recs: Pondering video pods, plus a show I've enjoyed

All about that audio—plus a little self promotion

Kyle M Oliver

01 Aug 2025 — 5 min read

First, thanks so much to those of you who engaged on social media with part 1 of my consideration of the formation v. education debate. It definitely raises the profile of the newsletter when you do so, in addition to allowing you to share your insight. (Which you can also do in the comment section that follows each post.) I so appreciate both.

It sounds like I'll have some exciting personal news to share next week, but in the meantime here are a few items that have me nodding along as I do the dishes.

Piviting to video (again)

Last time video came for the bloggers. Now it appears to be coming for the podcasters—and it could be an exhausting "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" situation.

Let me back up.

I've been reading critic Nicholas Quah since the days when he ran an independent podcast industry newsletter and I was producing The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry. He's the perfect person to write this piece about how the flagship New York Times podcasts are all video podcasts now.

Here's the bit that gets to most of why I'm queesy about this:

At the core of this push is a clear bet on star production, arguably the clearest defensive hedge a media company can make against the threats posed by AI. If ChatGPT and “Google Zero” are eroding the web’s infrastructure and redirecting audiences away from news publications by default, and if AI slop threatens to render most text-based journalism suspect, what better check is there than orienting the business around a sense of humanity … or celebrity?

It's already gotten harder for indy shows to find an audience, what with all the celebrities doing their own chat shows. If it's now going to be increasingly the case that a podcast needs to have a video feed and good-looking talent to have the best chance of growing, that's going to further limit things to well-funded and high-profile productions.

(It's also true that I just don't really want to have my face on camera while I'm trying to think through my questions or answers on a podcast, and I don't particularly care to see someone else's face while I listen to theirs. I love podcasting because it's the heir of radio—for the car! for yard work! for doing the dishes!—and I'd hate to see the medium squeezed out or swallowed up by the heir to TV.)

Anyway, the whole thing is worth a read. Would love to hear what you think of this development. Am I projecting too much of my own preferences?

Real (Relationship) Talk

Speaking of indies, wanted to put in a shout-out to a show coming out of Virginia Theological Seminary that until recently had flown under my radar. In Right Relationship with Eliza Brinkley is a show about dating and relationships, especially in the context of seminary and ministry.

I know there's a major need for this show because when I was in seminary, I needed a show like this. It is deeply weird to navigate dating, sex, marriage, etc. when you're training to be a religious leader. (To choose but one example: it was made very clear to me that I had to ask my bishop for permission to get engaged!)

All the ecclesial entanglements make it very, very difficult to get people to talk to you honestly about the ethics, theology, and practical dimensions of being in a relationship, or not being in one. Everyone is afraid they are doing (or might be perceived to be doing) or saying things that will jeopardize their ordination status or credibility with their congregation. I respect the hell out of anyone willing to take these conversations out into the open.

Liturgy Illuminated

In this new chapter of my ministry, in which I'm theoretically going to have a little more space and license to work on solo projects, I'm contemplating revisiting several new developments of my teaching cards project.

I'm not quite ready to talk about what I have in mind—trust me, y'all will be the first ones I go to publicly for feedback—but in the meantime I wanted to make sure readers of this newsletter know about the project.

Ever find yourself looking for some flexible visual aids when teaching about elements of the liturgy? Want a fun and relevant way to prep people preparing for baptism and confirmation? Liturgy Illuminated might just be for you.

From the website:

Using illustrated playing cards to teach about Christian worship has two big advantages:

You can shuffle and reorder a deck of cards, just like you can shuffle the order of a church service. Using cards to teach liturgy is a playful way to check learners’ understanding of the flow of readings, prayers, and actions—or even to plan or prepare for a particular liturgy.

Each card names and illustrates a different part of the service, using simple language whenever possible and images drawn from everyday life. By using cards to teach liturgy, words and pictures work together to evoke not just technical meaning but the spiritual and emotional connections that help faith stick.

This project has been a labor of love, and I'm excited to dive back in soon. Always happy to talk to you about ways of using the cards, group discounts, or anything else. End of commercial!