A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar

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What does it mean to be "saved"? We talk with Megan Westra about her book Born Again and Again, which offers a compelling reframing of the typical white American evangelical concept of salvation. We touch on everything from the role of racism in how churches present this concept, to her experience growing up as a southern fundamentalist, to the importance of dialogue with people who disagree, to financial stewardship, and more. It's a rich conversation.

The books Megan mentions are Religious Resistance to Neoliberalism: Womanist and Black Feminist Perspectives by Keri Day and After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging by Willie Jennings.

The beer featured in this episode is Shelter in Case by 1840 Brewing Company.

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In this episode, we talk with Dr. Shaun Blanchard. Shaun is a Catholic scholar and our conversation ranges from clerical celibacy, ordaining women, the LGBTQ community and Catholicism, abuse scandals, papal authority, and how Catholic and Protestant Christians can understand and love one another well. It's a fun one. You can find some of Shaun's work here.

We sampled Noteworthy Sherry Stave Aged Bourbon from the good people at Noteworthy Spirits. Thanks to our friends at Story Hill BKC.

The photo for this episode (taken by Kyle) is from under the dome in the St. Josaphat Basilica in Milwaukee.

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of clergy sexual abuse and some mild profanity.

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Dr. Nicholas Oschman joins us for a free-flowing and almost totally unscripted conversation about certainty, deception, whether religious people really believe what they say, orthodoxy, cynicism, charismatic experience, Islamic philosophy, and more. The conversation is raw, honest, and iconoclastic, but also gentle, humble, and hilarious. Whoever you are, we guarantee there's something to challenge you here.

The whiskey featured in this episode is Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition.

If you're local to Milwaukee, check out our friends at Story Hill BKC.

Content note: this episode contains some mild profanity.

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Does the idea, or the very phrase, "Biblical Womanhood" make you shudder a bit? Us too.

In this episode, we interviewed Beth Allison Barr about her book The Making of Biblical Womanhood. Beth is a Historian at Baylor University, and her book makes a brilliant case that the idea of "Biblical Womanhood" is more of a product of the patriarchal world that the Bible was written in than it is a product of the Bible itself, much less God. Dr. Barr shares from her perspective as a historian, and as a woman who's been marginalized by the church herself in painful ways.

This is an important book that needs to be featured in the Church as we journey towards equality and the empowerment of women.

The scotch we sample in this episode is Oban Distillers Edition. It's a delightful treat.

As usual, if you share us on social media and/or leave a review, we'll love you forever.

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In this episode, Kyle and Randy geek out a little bit about truth.

Truth is a tricky term these days, with everyone believing their own "facts" or having their own truths and alternative facts. How does a philosopher see and pursue truth? What is a healthy pastoral way to approach and pursue truth? Is there such a thing as truth at all, let alone absolute truth, as so many Christians attest to?

Our resident pastor and philosopher dive in and bring us into a really fun and healthy conversation about truth that our society would do well to engage in.

The whiskey we sample in this episode is Four Roses Small Batch Select from the always stellar Four Roses Bourbon. 

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In this episode, we chat with the one and only Brian McLaren. Brian has given his adult life to the Church in many ways and has created space for followers of Christ who feel like they exist on the margins of faith and Christianity. Brian has written many influential and important books, and in this episode we chat about his newest book: Faith After Doubt. This is a beautiful and brilliant book that will give you all sorts of space and permission to let your doubts come into the light and let them mature and grow your faith (even if that sounds really crazy right now). This was a truly delightful conversation that we're excited to share with you.

Brian speaks to a number of different prayers, books, and resources in the episode. Here are all the things that were mentioned during the conversation:

Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic: Prayer Regarding Critics and Enemies
Miguel de Unamuno: San Manuel Bueno, Martir
Mary Doria Russell: The Sparrow
Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible
John Westerhoff: WIll Our Children Have Faith?

The two whiskeys featured in this episode are Snake River Stampede Small Batch and their 100th Anniversary Limited Release from Snake River Stampede Ale and Whiskey.

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In this episode, we speak with Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns about what it means (and what it's like) to be a feminist Pentecostal, the interplay between reason and mystery, the relationship between virtue and spiritual formation, hermeneutics and ontology, the divine feminine, and even the gift of menopause. It's a rich conversation, and Cheryl's is an important voice within progressive Christianity.

Check out some of Cheryl's work mentioned in the episode:

• Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause
• "Grieving, Brooding, and Transforming: The Spirit, the Bible, and Gender"

Also look out for her book Re-Enchanting the Text: The Bible for a New Generation.

The beverage featured in this episode is Michter's US1 Unblended American Whiskey. Thanks to our friends at Story Hill BKC.

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In this episode, we chat with Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer about their new book that's making waves called A Church Called Tov. This book is extremely important and is a prophetic call to the Church to form a goodness culture that resists abuses of power and promotes healing. We chat about recent scandals of abuse and coverup in the modern church, why we've created toxic church cultures and how we can move toward more beautiful cultures of goodness (Tov) in our churches.

Also, we get some dirt on Scot from Laura about some fun and mildly embarrassing stories from growing up with a biblical scholar. Fun times!

The whiskey featured in this episode is Belle Meade Bourbon from Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, TN.

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In this bonus episode, we share an Ash Wednesday gift with you. Mark Werner is Randy's Spiritual Director, and is well acquainted with contemplative spirituality and is a bit of an expert in the ways of the Enneagram. In this episode, Mark shares about his "dark night of the soul" and having a faith crisis while in pastoral ministry, and the more ancient practices that brought him into a more spacious and centered faith journey.

Also, we finish our time together by having Mark lead us in some contemplative and centering prayer. You're welcome.

The beer featured in this episode is the Tropical Slush by the always fantastic Eagle Park Brewing Company.

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Cheers!

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Ever had an issue with violence in the Bible? How about the many inconsistencies in the Scriptures? What about the rampant patriarchy, sexism, and misogyny? There are all sorts of issues and problems within Christianity's sacred text, but does that mean that we have to choose between believing that everything is prescriptive and inspired or walking away from the Bible altogether? In this episode, we offer a different, more nuanced way of approaching and engaging with the Bible.

In a portion of the episode that got edited out, Kyle and Randy give some recommended reading for those wanting to go deeper. Here are the books they recommend:

Kyle:

• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth - Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart
• Whose Community, Which Interpretation? - Merold Westphal
• Womanist Midrash - Wilda Gafney

Randy:

• The New Testament in Its World - NT Wright
• Paul: A Biography - NT Wright
• The For Everyone series - NT Wright
• The Bible Tells Me So - Peter Enns
• How the Bible Actually Works - Peter Enns
• An Introduction to the Old Testament - Walter Brueggemann & Tod Linafelt
• The Prophetic Imagination - Walter Brueggemann
• The Prophets - Abraham Joshua Heschel

The beverage featured in this episode is Wollersheim's Press House Brandy.

Catch Part 1 here.

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The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.

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Cheers!