This week, the boys continue their October books series. Greg dives into the world of John Steinbeck, focusing on East of Eden and its timeless exploration of good, evil, family, and the power of human choice. Meanwhile, Nathan turns to the life of John Adams through his biography, exploring the man behind the American Revolution and the principles, convictions, and struggles that shaped a founding father. From the moral complexities of Steinbeck’s characters to the political and personal challenges of Adams, Greg and Nathan discuss what great books can teach us about human nature, faith, and the choices that define our lives.

What if one of the twentieth century’s most influential Christian writers was a reluctant convert who came to faith almost against his will? In Week 1 of our October books series, Greg leads the conversation as Nathan asks the questions about C.S. Lewis. From atheist to Christian apologist, Oxford professor, and beloved author of The Chronicles of Narnia. They explore Lewis’s friendships, imagination, writings on temptation and suffering, his honest wrestling with grief, and what his idea of “joy” can teach us about everyday faith.

Last week, Greg and Nathan explored how C.S. Lewis used imagination to illuminate the Christian faith. This week, Nathan leads Greg into the darker world of Cormac McCarthy, the reclusive novelist behind The Road, No Country for Old Men, and Blood Meridian. Together, they wrestle with the nature of evil, the possibility of grace, and what it means to “carry the fire” when the world seems to have burned away. Can Christians find value in dark literature, and what can McCarthy’s unsettling stories teach us about faith, hope, and human nature? Content advisory: McCarthy’s work often contains graphic violence and disturbing themes.

Five hundred episodes! Greg and Nathan celebrate a huge milestone for These Go To 11 by looking back at the journey so far. They revisit favorite moments, share a few of their least favorite experiences, reflect on what they’ve learned along the way, and look ahead to what’s coming next. From memorable conversations to unexpected challenges, it’s a chance to celebrate the people, ideas, and faith that have shaped the podcast. Join Greg and Nathan for a special anniversary episode as they reflect on 500 episodes, and get ready to turn it up to 11 for the next chapter!

Nathan is back behind the microphone, solo again, as he re-records Week 2 of Why Are Christians Weird? Don’t worry, Greg will be back in October! In this episode, Nathan tackles a question Christians have probably heard more than once: Can’t Christians just shut up about Jesus?

Looking at the Great Commission, Paul’s example in Athens, and the call to have gracious, wise speech, Nathan explores the difference between boldness and obnoxiousness, evangelism and harassment, and conviction and arrogance. Christians are called to speak about Jesus, but we’re also called to love the people we’re speaking to.

So how do we faithfully proclaim the gospel without becoming the kind of Christians everyone wants to avoid? Maybe the goal isn’t to win every argument, but to love people enough to tell them about Jesus well.

Nathan wraps up the four-week These Go To 11 series “Why Are Christians So Weird?”, still flying solo.

After spending the series talking about being different, sharing Jesus, and how Christians treat one another, Nathan asks a different question: What does it actually look like to simply follow Jesus faithfully?

Drawing from Matthew 5–7, Micah 6:8, Galatians 5, 1 Thessalonians 4, and Colossians 3, Nathan explores the beauty of ordinary faithfulness—loving your family, serving your neighbors, keeping your word, forgiving others, admitting when you're wrong, and following Jesus when nobody is watching.

Maybe Christianity isn't about trying to look weird or impressive. Maybe it's about becoming more like Jesus, and faithfully living that out one ordinary day at a time.

Nathan continues his solo run on These Go To 11 as he tackles one of the more uncomfortable questions in the Christian life: Why are we so concerned with what other Christians are doing?

Looking at Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8, Matthew 7, Galatians 5, and Colossians 2, Nathan explores the difference between biblical discernment and judgmentalism, conviction and legalism, and Christian freedom and selfishness. Why do we so often turn personal preferences into biblical commandments, and why can being “right” sometimes become more important than being loving?

The goal isn't to care less about truth or holiness. It's to learn how to pursue both while remembering that the Christian sitting next to us belongs to Christ, not to us.

And Nathan leaves us with a question worth wrestling with: What if one of the greatest threats to Christian unity isn't disagreement—but our inability to allow faithful Christians to disagree?

Nathan goes solo for the first time in a long time after a recording mishap leaves Greg’s voice mysteriously missing from the episode. But maybe that’s fitting, because this week’s question is one every Christian has to wrestle with personally: Why are Christians so weird?

Looking at 1 Peter 2:9–17 and 1 Corinthians 9, Nathan explores the difference between being genuinely countercultural because of Jesus and simply being strange, obnoxious, or contrarian. If Christians are called to be different, what should that difference actually look like? And could the kind of “weirdness” Jesus calls us to, generosity, humility, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love, be the very thing that makes Christianity compelling?

Because maybe the goal isn’t to be weird for weirdness’ sake. Maybe it’s to become so different because of Jesus that the difference actually points people toward Him.