140 - What's in a Name? — Jon Shuler on Branding, the Anglican Label, and What NAMS Really Means - August 11, 2026

<p><strong>What&#39;s in a Name? — Jon Shuler on Branding, the Anglican Label, and What NAMS Really Means</strong></p><p>In episode 140, Jon Shuler dips his toes into AI for the first time and asks ChatGPT a simple question: what does &quot;NAMS&quot; mean? The answers — a Korean surname, an Indian nickname meaning &quot;to honor,&quot; and, memorably, the North American Menopause Society — launch a wide-ranging and often funny reflection on the power of branding. But underneath the humor is a serious concern: the word &quot;Anglican&quot; triggers an instant reaction in people&#39;s minds, and it&#39;s rarely the one NAMS intends. From a Frenchman toasting &quot;Jack Daniels!&quot; to a South Carolinian who thought Episcopal meant &quot;little, old, and rich,&quot; to the dozen strangers who said &quot;oh, you&#39;re the church that hates gay people,&quot; Shuler shows how a brand can mean one godly thing to us and something entirely different to everyone else. A thought-provoking episode for every Anglican, church planter, and Great Commission Christian.</p>