Accidental Tomatoes

For this episode we literally go outside the walls as Joe and Brad chat with Rev. Corey Turnpenny, pastor of Church In The Wild in Windsor, NY. Corey talks about how Church in the Wild came to be, how their nontraditional worship services emerge out of their very specific context, and how they view themselves as a community dedicated to helping other people in their neighborhoods thrive.

Are you tired of the kind of bumper sticker theology where people throw random Bible verses out in almost every conversation? In this episode, Joe takes on a few of his favorite decontextualized passages and offers a more holistic way to look at them.

What kinds of things are innovative United Methodist leaders doing to create more inclusive, justice-oriented, liberation-minded spaces? Joe and Brad discuss their impressions from the recent UMC LEAD Conference in Asheville, NC, in this special Road Show Edition of the podcast. From becoming better neighbors to dismantling racist systems to learning from the natural world, our intrepid co-hosts explore a range of ideas sparked by the annual conference of progressive UMC leaders.

AUDIO QUALITY WARNING: This episode is a recorded conversation from the road with no studio equipment or sound filters, so the audio quality is sometimes inconsistent. We make no apologies...we are road warriors! 

Singer-songwriter and high school English teacher Daniel Couper joins Joe and Jenny for a conversation about helping high school students record and produce their own album, the joys of creative collaboration, and the deconstruction journey that serves as the backdrop for his art. Learn more about Daniel at http://www.danielcoupermusic.com/ and check out his students' Red Gold Collective project on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/3yUxT4ndrvN4rM6bmdzQ5L 

The Accidental Tomatoes content team revisits one of our favorite episodes from season 3 with an all-new list of grievances about the holiday season. From Hallmark Christmas movies to light displays to the so-called "war on Christmas," our creators take a tounge-in-cheek look at all the things that get under our skins during the holidays. Please don't take us too seriously...we certainly don't!

Theologian, author, and speaker Dr. Tom Oord joins Joe for a conversation about Open and Relational Theology, why it's attractive to people experiencing spiritual and religious deconstruction, and what it means to say "God can't"...and what the movie The Princess Bride has to do with it all. Learn more at https://c4ort.com/ 

Is advent just the pregame warmup for Christmas, or is there a more meaningful way to experience it? And what happens once you start deconstructing the season itself? In this episode Joe talks about his own deconstruction journey with Advent and how a faith community for spiritual misfits is giving it a whole new life.

We talk a lot about deconstruction on the personal/individual level, but does the Church itself need to deconstruct in order to evolve into something better? In this episode, Joe talks about how decolonizing, declassifying, and decentralizing could hold the keys for a more just, equitable, and liberationist future for the institutional church.

Joe, Heather, Jenny, and Brad kick off our 4th season with a conversation about favorite moments from our first 3 seasons and a look ahead with our friend Royce Lyden to our partnership with Justice & Jubilee.

How can decolonizing the music education classroom lead to a broader perspective on justice movements in general? In this episode, Joe and Jenny Williams chat with musicologist Natalie Shaffer about creating equity in educational environments and how a holistic approach can elevate performances from entertainment to transformation. BONUS: Stick around for the whole episode to hear a preview of Jenny's new project, "Justice & Jubilee."