Cocktail Theology

NEW EPISODE! Most Americans, when asked about their faith, say they are religiously unaffiliated. Elane and Benton chat about "the Nones," finding and nurturing awe, and how spirituality is a part of all us.

Cocktail: Glass & Bottle

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

What do you mean when you call yourself a Christian? Benton and Elane answer that question for themselves while sipping an interesting gin cocktail.

Cocktail: Three Of A Kind

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Elane and Benton welcome their good friend, Father Ricardo Avila—a gay, Latino, Episcopalian priest—to an honest conversation about what it means to be LGBTQ+ and work in ministry. They also enjoy a flight of six different rums!

Cocktail: Rum Flight

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Every November, Dia de los Muertos honors loved ones who have passed with both revelry and reverence. African-Americans talk of turning to their ancestors for wisdom and guidance. Yet death remains a difficult thing for most of us to talk about. Elane and Benton chat about death while enjoying a prickly cocktail.

Cocktail: Prickly Pear Margarita

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Benton and Elane chat about what makes someone a martyr, what doesn't, and why our culture is hung up on martyrdom.

Cocktail: Enrico Palazzo

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Cynicism is becoming more and more common among us these days. Elane and Benton discuss ideas for combatting it (hint: awe is a good place to start) while sipping a rum cocktail.

Cocktail: Bouteiller

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

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Does someone's weight have anything to do with their spirituality? Well…it depends. Benton and Elane talk about body image and how the way we see ourselves—and what we do to sustain or change that—can be a reflection of what's going on in our relationship with God, ourselves, and others.

Cocktail: Midnight Fizz

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Benton and Elane chat about what books they've ben reading, what shows they've been streaming, and what music has been bringing them life lately.

Cocktail: Rum Swizzle

Correction: The book Elane mentions should be "Accidental Tourist" by Anne Tyler.

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

Elane and Benton talk about the complicated concept of forgiveness—what it is, when to do it, and when not to.

Cocktail: Closing Argument

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.

If 'antichrist' is an adjective describing anything that is antithetical to the way Jesus lived and what he taught, then why is the term being applied to Jesus-followers who are trying to do the work of Jesus (feeding the poor, working for justice, etc)? And: who is "the Antichrist" and why are influencers, pastors, tech billionaires, and politicians on the right talking about him so much these days? Elane and Benton discuss over yummy tiki drinks.

Cocktail: Smuggler's Cove's Straits Sling

Theme song: "Moving On (Feels Pretty Good)" recorded by Benton Stokes. Find Benton's songs wherever you listen to music online.