No-Prize From God with Ryan J. Downey https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/ Conversations with creative people about belief, unbelief, and everything between. Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:18:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Slash Singer Myles Kennedy Talks Death, Depression, God https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2018/08/myles-kennedy-talks-god-death-depression/ Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:08:16 +0000 http://admin.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=309 Myles Kennedy was just four years old when his father passed away from appendicitis, a treatable ailment that went undiagnosed. A devout Christian Scientist, Kennedy’s father had refused medical care, in accordance with his religious beliefs. Kennedy’s father died in 1974, the Year of the Tiger, which is the third year in the 12-year cycle […]

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]]> Hip-Hop Helped Shape KILLSWITCH ENGAGE https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2018/04/hip-hop-helped-shape-killswitch-engage/ Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:00:25 +0000 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=227 Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach and I spoke about how the “conscious” era of ’90s hip-hop helped broaden our respective worlds. (Listen to that conversation in full here.) What follows is a sampling (by no means thorough but certainly representative and fun) of some of the groups we spoke about. This music speaks in soulful, forceful, […]

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]]> Jesse Leach of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on His Evolving Faith https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2018/04/youre-going-to-burn-for-all-eternity-jesse-leach-of-killswitch-engage-on-his-evolving-faith/ Thu, 19 Apr 2018 08:19:50 +0000 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=170 “A God of forgiveness and you’re going to burn for all eternity?” – Jesse Leach The evolving spiritual philosophy of Jesse Leach is all over his lyrics. The Killswitch Engage vocalist is someone who, in a genre sometimes defined by its fantastical imagery, looks inward to the larger mystery of the esoteric and the spiritual. […]

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]]> Matty Mullins Opens Up About Mental Health And Jesus https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2018/04/matty-mullins-mental-health-jesus/ Tue, 17 Apr 2018 05:19:01 +0000 http://admin.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=68 ‘I remember looking at myself in the mirror and hearing a voice say: You’re worthless. End it.’ – Matty Mullins When talking about anxiety and suicidal thoughts, Matty Mullins doesn’t mince words. The Memphis May Fire singer gets to play music for a living. He’s married to his high school sweetheart. He has tons of […]

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]]> The Knights of Wren Day https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2017/12/the-knights-of-wren-day/ Tue, 26 Dec 2017 21:39:20 +0000 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=57 It’s Wren Day today! Wren Day is a fascinating Irish tradition with pre-Christian roots. There’s no connection to Star Wars. I’m just calling them the Knights of Wren (Day) because I love Star Wars. And puns. The Latin Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Stephen, named for the first Christian martyr, on December 26. (The […]

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]]> How ‘LAST JEDI’ Echoes Corinthians https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2017/12/how-star-wars-the-last-jedi-echoes-corinthians/ Thu, 21 Dec 2017 04:48:01 +0000 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=42 Some of the fans freaking out about The Last Jedi should be mindful of Master Yoda. Picture this. Not that long from now, in this very galaxy, Christ the Messiah returns to Earth. Taking on physical form, this time as a female, Christ stands atop a river of molten lava. There, the Sermon on the Mount […]

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]]> SOLDIERS FOR JESUS Are Bikers With Bibles https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2017/12/christian-bikers-soliders-jesus-mc/ Thu, 21 Dec 2017 02:06:29 +0000 http://admin.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=23   Bikers and Bibles aren’t generally thought about in the same sentence. But guys like Slo-Roll are changing that. Patrick “Slo-Roll” McKinney joined a recent episode of No-Prize From God. Slo-Roll is a National Officer with the Soldiers for Jesus MC. He preaches at a small biker church in North Carolina and is a retired […]

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]]> Welcome to No-Prize from God https://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/2017/10/hello-world/ Tue, 31 Oct 2017 12:30:45 +0000 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/noprizefromgod/?p=1 No-Prize from God. Conversations about belief, unbelief, and everything between. My name is Ryan J. Downey. I’ve worked for MTV News, MSBNC, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard, as reporter, writer, and producer. I’ve contributed to Huffington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. My writing and production credits include work with Marvel Entertainment, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner […]

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