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Spirituality for Sinners (w/ Nadia Bolz-Weber) | How to Be a Better Human, a TED Podcast

Nadia Bolz-Weber believes the good and bad in all of us is what makes us human. She has built a career talking about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith and really “whatever the hell else she wants to.” She’s a bestselling author, a former stand-up comic, and now an ordained Lutheran Pastor. Bolz-Weber joins host Chris…

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Nadia Bolz-Weber believes the good and bad in all of us is what makes us human. She has built a career talking about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith and really “whatever the hell else she wants to.” She’s a bestselling author, a former stand-up comic, and now an ordained Lutheran Pastor. Bolz-Weber joins host Chris Duffy to discuss her journey with religion, leadership and community. They explore questions around the definition of faith, whether spirituality is innate to us and the beauty of low expectations.

This is an episode of TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast. Listen on your favorite podcast app:

For the full text transcript, visit

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43 Comments

  1. @canberradogfarts

    February 12, 2025 at 11:28 am

    I’ll be interested to see if he actually gets the distinction of “what is A religion” correct.

    (Think Atomists, and work forwards.)

    • @canberradogfarts

      February 12, 2025 at 11:35 am

      ed…. “I’d his guest gets it right.”

    • @canberradogfarts

      February 12, 2025 at 11:40 am

      Connection between Standup and Pastoralising?

      Bloody easy!

      Core competencies, excellency in:
      Cold reading your audience.
      Extemporizing to fit your audience.
      Performative artistic expression.

      The “material” is irrelevant, in the extreme.

      This skill set also applies to Door to Door Shoes Salesmen, Carnival Barkers, Game Show Hosts, and now, apparently, president of the United States of “uh….Murica.”

  2. @M_SC

    February 12, 2025 at 11:29 am

    Sin is a false concept. The only crimes are crimes against real things.
    This is primitive

  3. @alieli7429

    February 12, 2025 at 11:33 am

    Tattoo mass speak your head

  4. @canberradogfarts

    February 12, 2025 at 11:34 am

    Semiotics :=> Semantics
    “Kinda discovered Lutheranism…..”
    “You can do the funeral, right?!”
    “…call to be a pastor for MY people….”

    “Bless the bicycles”

    Liturgical liberties aside………nah

  5. @sooma-ai

    February 12, 2025 at 11:37 am

    Nadia Bolz-Weber discusses her journey with religion, founding an unconventional church, and her views on faith, spirituality, and human nature. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, compassion, and embracing both the good and bad in ourselves and others.

  6. @canberradogfarts

    February 12, 2025 at 11:41 am

    7:18 Connection between Standup and Pastoralising?

    Bloody easy!

    Core competencies, excellency in:
    Cold reading your audience.
    Extemporizing to fit your audience.
    Performative artistic expression.

    The “material” is irrelevant, in the extreme.

    This skill set also applies to Door to Door Shoes Salesmen, Carnival Barkers, Game Show Hosts, and now, apparently, president of the United States of “uh….Murica.”

    • @pw.70

      February 13, 2025 at 1:53 pm

      Spot on!

  7. @canberradogfarts

    February 12, 2025 at 11:44 am

    Gonna give this a pass. NPR has nackslid so far in the past 20 years. This smacks of “pandering to the base.” Mixed in with platform karma harvesting for the algorithm reward bucks.”

    I eant my seven min eightten seconds refunded.

    • @jonathans.9488

      February 12, 2025 at 4:56 pm

      Wrong channel friend.

  8. @scottm85

    February 12, 2025 at 11:56 am

    Nope nope nope. Hard pass on this bull… Wtf ted?

    • @AlexC-yg9ib

      February 12, 2025 at 1:31 pm

      😂

  9. @heatherhellickson9166

    February 12, 2025 at 12:00 pm

    Love, Love, Love Nadia!!! Follow her on Substack but knew about her way before that. Saw her in Colorado Springs and she was beyond amazing! She had just gotten a huge tattoo and was feeling it!!! I brought my father in hope he would have a death bed conversion, not. I really love the free song! Jesus came for the sinners! My seeking journey entails the Jesus freaks, baptized into church of Christ at 14. Adult catechism into the Missouri synod Lutheran Church in order to get married to an elder in the church who turned out not to be a decent person. Adult catechism in the Anglican Church, therapy, and AA got me through a nasty divorce and custody battle. Checked out Buddhism, Hindu, pagan and Catholicism.
    I have a huge appreciation for AA, however I feel abandoned by scientific community. They just discount addiction and AA can only go so far.

  10. @heatherhellickson9166

    February 12, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    God is too great to be put in a box or a book. The possibilities in God’s world are infinite. Amen.

    • @remyllebeau77

      February 12, 2025 at 4:50 pm

      Excuses made so you don’t have to put yourself under the authority of the true and real God of the Bible. Your false god won’t save you from anything.

    • @FixableHQ

      February 12, 2025 at 7:56 pm

      If all possibilities are true then if I say God is only one way .. that is also true. The logic falls apart. Religious pluralism has no weight

  11. @FirstnameLastname-nx1oh

    February 12, 2025 at 12:22 pm

    No

  12. @SomG-d9e

    February 12, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    i thought i had read every manifestation book out there, but Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane hits different. it’s damn near impossible to find, but after reading it, i see why. it doesn’t just talk about manifesting, it explains how to shift energy in a way that actually works. took me forever to track it down, but it was worth every second

  13. @subratokonai407

    February 12, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    i kept seeing people talk about this book Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, but when i tried to find it, it was nearly impossible. took me days to track it down, but once i read it, i got why. the stuff in here isn’t just theory—it actually works. made a few small changes, and opportunities started showing up like clockwork. if you can get your hands on it, don’t hesitate.

  14. @praptimhatre5852

    February 12, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    i don’t know why this book is so hard to find, but after finally getting Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, i get why they don’t want this out there. it breaks down exactly why most people stay stuck, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. since reading it, my whole life has shifted. the secrets inside are worth the effort.

  15. @a.kd.jraghopurkumar8884

    February 12, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    spent way too long searching for Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane, and now i know why it keeps disappearing. this isn’t some basic “think positive” book—it actually explains why some people attract everything while others stay stuck. applied just one thing from it, and my results changed fast. if you can find it, don’t sleep on it.

  16. @gudiyarajput9224

    February 12, 2025 at 1:04 pm

    ever notice how some books just disappear? Vibrations of Manifestation by Alex Lane isn’t easy to find, and now i understand why. the things it reveals about energy and attraction? insane. i thought i was just “unlucky” until i applied what it teaches. within weeks, my finances flipped, and i stopped chasing things—now they come to me

  17. @ElmarBischof

    February 12, 2025 at 1:09 pm

    I thought Ted is about seriouse topics.

  18. @pw.70

    February 12, 2025 at 2:16 pm

    Ermm. Nope. Same sheep different clothing. No wolf in sight.

  19. @swissarmyknight4306

    February 12, 2025 at 3:38 pm

    Primitive superstition should be left in the dustbin of history. Remember when Ted talks were about serious topics?

    • @Clipzilla42

      February 13, 2025 at 3:40 pm

      I lack a belief that God doesn’t exist. Care to provide some evidence or arguments to convince me?

  20. @trtoer

    February 12, 2025 at 3:40 pm

    18:00 such a good tool to use in all kinds of situations.

    • @storyspeak888

      February 12, 2025 at 8:14 pm

      The world is getting more and more developed and I like it too.

    • @FutureMoneyx

      February 12, 2025 at 8:14 pm

      The world is getting more and more developed and I like it too.

  21. @remyllebeau77

    February 12, 2025 at 4:46 pm

    If your faith isn’t based on the Bible, it is heresy and self-delusion.

  22. @eleycki

    February 12, 2025 at 6:08 pm

    It really isn’t for everyone!!! Religion is a disaster all round.

  23. @storyspeak888

    February 12, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    you look so stylish

  24. @FutureMoneyx

    February 12, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    you look so stylish

  25. @55TeleMark

    February 12, 2025 at 11:03 pm

    Have you ever noticed that statements against religion always have a bit of venom in them?

  26. @mr.c2485

    February 12, 2025 at 11:23 pm

    The human animal is not difficult nor complicated. She’s giving us way to much credit…
    Fact is…we’re an ego driven animal that desires to have a mind that is “sound”. Since there is no resolution for either, ours is destined to destroy everything in its path in our search for something greater than our minds.
    Again….no resolution. So, we become disillusioned storytellers with nothing to edit our disillusionment. Catch 22
    Fact….our species offers the planet absolutely nothing! Our elimination would be a net positive for this vulnerable and unsuspecting planet. Put that in your philosophical pipe and smoke it! 😊

  27. @lameckondieki4756

    February 13, 2025 at 4:06 am

    Spiritual reality is fucked up. No heaven guys. Timori kogenda.

  28. @stanislavpalchyk8924

    February 13, 2025 at 6:20 am

    Jesus loves you!

  29. @jaqbp6243

    February 13, 2025 at 6:43 am

    TED, I’ve always appreciated Your efforts to educate, hilight important issues, explain the world around us. It was almost always done in a rational, logical manner, based on scientific, empirical evidence in the topic. I hope that this video is an outlier, and such videos won’t appear on TED again.

    I want people to be free, and believe what they want. But the subjective language, title, selective reasoning in this video make me think it is not made to give an outlook on a very subjective idea, but to get more people hooked on it.

    Mrs. Bolz-Weber shared some wise pieces of advice, but overall, the subjective and selective character of this video harms the credibility of the whole channel.

    • @pw.70

      February 13, 2025 at 1:51 pm

      Yep – clickbait.

  30. @maryfeldman7282

    February 13, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    Thank you Nadia Bolz-Weber, for this video. It came to me this morning as I was truly struggling. For all the haters, there are some of us were touched by this.

  31. @HakuCell

    February 13, 2025 at 3:11 pm

    no evidence in support of christianity, it’s just an old story. however, if one believes in the existence of some god (whoever or whatever it might be) or some divinity or divine energy behind this universe or throughout this universe, or a designer behind the laws of physics for example, while recognizing that the guesses of current religions are most likely and most definitely wrong (because how could they know?), then that is a reasonable position; it is in fact my current position; it’s called agnostic theism. i do recognize that some things about religious practices are good, for example social aspects like community and singing together, but we could do those things without pretending that we know who god is.

  32. @torterrapin4719

    February 14, 2025 at 10:44 am

    Isn’t this kind of unitarian universalist? Surprised it’s not mentioned

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