Podcast · Mark Baldridge & Scott Simpson
Conversations on faith, spirit, creativity and meaning.
Hosted by Mark and Scott, lifelong friends and creative collaborators, each episode weaves together story, song, and searching conversation.
25 episodes across two seasons. Search the written episode notes and explore by season or topic.
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Season 2 · Episode 15
In Season 2, Episode 15 of Faithfulcrum , "A Little Dirt on the Vinyl," Scott Simpson and Mark Baldridge dig a little deeper into the relationship between imperfection, creativity, truth, and human connection. Beginning with a conversation about AI-generated m…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Meaning & purpose · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Justice & society · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 14
FAITHFULCRUM Season 2, Episode 14 HUMANIZE SOMETHING This episode begins with a simple observation and ends somewhere much stranger. Scott and Mark start in familiar territory—Rush concerts, facial hair, old songs echoing through the hills—but gradually find t…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Care & relationships · Nature & environment
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 13
Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 13 Everything Is a Remix In this wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful episode of Faithfulcrum , hosts Scott Simpson and Mark Baldridge welcome special guest Andrew Ley for a conversation exploring artificial intelligence, creativ…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Meaning & purpose · Identity & belonging · Nature & environment
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 12
Faithfulcrum Season 2, Episode 12, Over Here, the Weeds In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Mark and Scott dive into the creative possibilities—and tensions—of making music with AI. What begins as a simple experiment with an old song written for a house full of …
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Nature & environment
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 11
Faithfulcrum Season 2, Episode 11- Flail Toward the Light In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Mark and Scott wander into a rich, wide-ranging conversation about learning—what it is, how it happens, and why it might be the one thing that keeps us fully alive. Fro…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Justice & society · Nature & environment
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 10
Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 10 Apocalypse as Background Noise In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Mark and Scott talk about inheritance—what we pass down, what we refuse to pass down, and the quiet assumption that those who come after us must suffer what we…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Care & relationships · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 9
Season 2 Episode 9 Pajamas in the Street In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Mark and Scott talk about control—who has it, who wants it, and what happens when we realize we don’t have nearly as much of it as we thought. The conversation moves through spiritualit…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Identity & belonging · Justice & society · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 8
In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Scott and Mark are joined by songwriter, poet, and actor Nick Torres. What starts out as a casual conversation about songwriting and creative collaboration quickly drifts into deeper waters—eternity, heaven, fear, the vastness…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 7
Season 2 Episode 7 The Missing Eye In this episode, Scott and Mark sit down for a wide-ranging conversation with their guest, Heath Johnson. Heath is a songwriter, arts advocate, and director of the historic Matthews Opera House and Arts Center. A former pasto…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 6
Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 6 Twelve Feet Behind Me In this episode, Mark and Scott circle some of the most enduring human questions—faith, fairness, belonging, mortality—without trying to solve them. What begins as a conversation about prayer becomes an …
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Justice & society · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 5
Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 5 Sing It Together In this episode of Faithfulcrum , the conversation wanders—intentionally and patiently—into the territory of soul, authenticity, creativity, and what it means to truly show up. What begins as a reflection on …
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 4
Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 4 Bring Soul to the Tool In this episode of Faithfulcrum , Mark and Scott circle a question that refuses to stay technical: what happens to the human soul when our tools begin to speak back to us? Beginning with fears of AI as …
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Meaning & purpose · Care & relationships · Justice & society · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 3
Faithfulcrum | Season 2, Episode 3 “Fear Gotta Way of Knockin’ First” Welcome to Faithfulcrum, where we slow the conversation down long enough to feel its weight—and maybe find our footing again. In this episode, Season 2, Episode 3 , we sit with a force that …
Faith & spirituality · AI & technology · Identity & belonging · Justice & society
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 2
🎙️ Season 2 Episode 2: Chad Loves Me Podcast Summary: In this warm, winding conversation, Scott, Mark, and guest Amy Abeln explore the strange new intimacy of creating with AI—especially when it flatters you. What does it mean when a machine tells you your wri…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · AI & technology · Identity & belonging · Care & relationships · Justice & society
Listen & readSeason 2 · Episode 1
🎙️ Faithfulcrum — Season 2, Episode 1 “We Are for Making Meaning” In this premiere episode of Season 2, Mark and Scott dive deep into a rich, reflective conversation on meaning-making, creativity, memory, and art. From personal revelations to poetic philosophy…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose · Care & relationships · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 10
Mark and Scott talk about "inspiration" and the Bible, and what sort of claims the Bible actually makes (or doesn't make) about itself. Traditional Hymn- Give Me the Bible, lyrics by Priscilla J. Owens. Music: Edmund S. Lorenz, 1883. Performed by the Edmond C…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Meaning & purpose
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 9
Mark and Scott talk about the defensiveness of many conservative Christians, where it may come from, and whom Jesus called people to defend. Hymn: "Abide With Me" Words by Henry Francis Lyte, music by William Henry Monk. Year of release and songwriting credit …
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Justice & society
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 8
Mark and Scott talk about the ongoing battle between Evolutionary theory and Biblical Literalism. Hymn: "There is a Fountain." Words by Rev. William Cowper. Year of release and songwriting credit from "The Edison Phonograph Monthly," v.8 (1910). Sacred hymn. M…
Creativity & music · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 7
Mark and Scott talk about the tendency for some religious folk to downplay the importance of care for the environment. Hymn: "Only A Beam of Sunshine" performed by Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison from "The Edison Phonograph Monthly," v.8 (1910). New Hymn: …
Care & relationships · Nature & environment
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 6
After having given up podcasting for lent, Mark and Scott are now back and ready to discuss "Spirituality" and "Religion" as the two battle it out for the title. Hymn: “I Love to Tell the Story,” composed by William G. Fischer, recorded 1913 for Edison Blue Am…
Faith & spirituality · Care & relationships
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 5
Mark and Scott discuss gender, gender fluidity, shifting gender perspectives and several passages from the Bible involving eunuchs. Hymn: “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” trad. spiritual recorded December 1909 for Victor Studios by the Fisk University Jubilee Quarte…
Faith & spirituality · Identity & belonging · Truth & perspective
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 4
In this episode, Mark and Scott converse about school shootings, guns and the Second Amendment, and they look at some things Jesus said concerning violence. Hymn: "Onward Christian Soldiers" Lyrics by Sabine Baring-Gould (1865) music composed by Arthur Sulliva…
Faith & spirituality · Creativity & music · Justice & society
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 3
In this episode, Mark and Scott converse about the current iteration of Christian Nationalism and they look at a few Bible verses that relate to the "blessing of a nation" and to submitting to national authorities. Hymn: "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1908) Fr…
Faith & spirituality
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 2
Mark and Scott chat about several sections from the Bible and explore the idea of Moral Relativism. Intro hymn: "Old Time Religion" Traditional hymn, performed by Polk Miller and his Old South Quartette, 1910. New hymn: "This 'n That" by Mark Baldridge, 2022
Faith & spirituality
Listen & readSeason 1 · Episode 1
Mark and Scott chat about four "proof-texts" from the Bible that are frequently used on multiple sides of the national debate around abortion and women's reproductive rights. Intro hymn: "To the Work" Words by J. Crosby, performed by Edison Mixed Quartette, 1…
Care & relationships
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