
Jonathan Tepper on Grief, Addiction, Empathy, and Growing Up Missionary
From In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer by Frank Schaeffer
May 22, 2026 · 57 min · Season 6 · Episode 21
About this episode
Jonathan Tepper discusses his memoir and explores themes of grief, addiction, and empathy with Frank Schaeffer.
Jonathan Tepper joins Frank Schaeffer to discuss his memoir Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Addiction. The conversation explores growing up in Madrid during the AIDS crisis, missionary life among heroin addicts, the loss of Jonathan’s younger brother, literature, homeschooling, faith, suffering, and the role empathy plays in shaping human life. Frank and Jonathan also reflect on Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, prayer, grief, and the troubling loss of compassion inside modern American evangeli...
People in this episode
Host: Frank Schaeffer
Guest: Jonathan Tepper
Topics covered
- grief
- addiction
- empathy
- missionary life
- literature
- faith
- loss
Keywords
- grief
- addiction
- empathy
- missionary
- AIDS crisis
- literature
- homeschooling
- faith
- loss of compassion
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Addiction
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