For The Rest Of Us with the Reverend Canon Megan Castellan

What exactly are the 39 Articles—and how much are Episcopalians actually supposed to care about them?

Megan takes Adam on a trip through one of the most historically complicated documents in the back of the Episcopal prayer book. From Henry VIII and the English Reformation to Thomas Cranmer, Queen Elizabeth, Protestantism, Catholicism, and a whole lot of theological back-and-forth, we explore how the 39 Articles came to be and what they were actually trying to accomplish.

Along the way, we tackle baptism, the sacraments, faith and works, predestination, purgatory, saints, Scripture, clergy marriage, worship in the “vulgar tongue,” and why the 39 Articles are probably better understood as guardrails than a theological checklist.

We also talk about why the Episcopal Church has never treated the Articles as a confessional litmus test, why trying to force them into one rigid interpretation misses some of their history, and how Anglicanism’s long tradition of diversity is actually reflected in the Articles themselves.

And, naturally, we discuss the legendary Episcopal clergy tradition of leaving buttons undone on your cassock for the Articles you don't agree with—and decide which movie from our favorite franchises deserves to lose a button of its own.

Come for the history. Stay for the theology, the passive-aggressive Britishness, and the question every Episcopalian eventually has to ask: How many of these things do I actually have to agree with?

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What happens when you go looking for Jesus in the Holy Land and find layers of archaeology, centuries of Christian history, competing denominations, a mysterious ladder, Christian graffiti, monks fighting over who gets to sweep, and a whole lot of pita?

After a summer pilgrimage to Israel-Palestine, Megan takes us inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the fascinating history surrounding one of Christianity’s holiest—and most chaotic—places. Along the way, she explains how early Christians remembered and marked sacred places, what archaeology can tell us about the sites associated with Jesus, and how centuries of rebuilding, destruction, disagreement, and devotion have shaped the Holy Land we see today.

We talk about the competing Christian traditions that share the Holy Sepulchre, the Muslim families who have held its keys for centuries, the Ethiopian Orthodox monastery on the roof, the mysterious immovable ladder, and why the church’s very messiness might actually tell us something profound about Christianity.

Plus: a chapel dedicated to Adam (not our Adam), millions of carved crosses, Christian graffiti, the Garden Tomb, mint lemonade, and the eternal struggle of coming home from the Middle East and discovering that American pita just isn't the same.

Come along for a pilgrimage through history, faith, archaeology, and all the wonderfully weird ways human beings try to make a home for God.

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Mary. Mary. Mary. Mary. Wait... which Mary are we talking about?

If you've ever gotten lost trying to keep all the Marys in the New Testament straight, you're definitely not alone. This week, Megan and Adam untangle some often confusing knows in the New Testament: the women named Mary, what we actually know about them (and what we only think we know), and why centuries of tradition have sometimes blurred them all together.

Along the way we'll talk apostles, disciples, grieving mothers, faithful witnesses, and a few cases of mistaken identity. Plus, as always, there are a few non sequiturs, rabbit holes, and the kind of delightfully nerdy conversation that somehow makes biblical scholarship genuinely fun.

Because sometimes the hardest part of reading the Gospels isn't the theology—it's figuring out which Mary just walked into the scene.

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What exactly is a deacon—and why does the Episcopal Church have them?

This week, Megan and Adam are joined by special guest the Rev. Canon Deacon David Stickley (what a fancy title!) to unpack one of the most misunderstood ministries in the Church: the vocational diaconate. Together they explore what deacons actually do, why they're called to serve at the intersection of the Church and the world, and how their ministry challenges all of us to see Christ in our neighbors.

Along the way, they tackle common misconceptions, explain why deacons aren't simply "priests in training," share stories from David's own vocation, and discover that sometimes the most important ministry happens outside the walls of the church.

Whether you've always wondered what that diagonal stole is about or you've never given deacons a second thought, this conversation offers a thoughtful—and occasionally delightfully nerdy—look at a ministry centered on service, compassion, and helping the whole Church become more fully the Body of Christ.

Make sure to leave us a rating and a review, and don't forget to share the show with a friend… or an enemy! (They should listen too!

This episode of For the Rest of Us, Megan introduces us to one of the most important—and too often overlooked—saints in the Episcopal Church: Absalom Jones.

Born into slavery, Jones fought for his freedom, became the first Black priest ordained in the Episcopal Church, helped found the first Black Episcopal parish, cared for the sick during Philadelphia's devastating yellow fever epidemic, and never stopped calling the Church to become more faithful to the Gospel it proclaimed.

Along the way, Adam learns why so many Christians (especially those from other traditions) have never heard his story, why Absalom's famous Thanksgiving Sermon still speaks powerfully today, and why telling the truth about our history—both the inspiring parts and the painful ones—is an act of faith.

It's a conversation about saints, freedom, grace that wasn't deserved, and what it means to keep showing up for a Church that still has room to grow.

Plus: Confessions on the Broadway hit "Hamilton", and the very serious debate over how many hot dogs is too many hot dogs on the Fourth of July .

Make sure to leave us a rating and a review, and don't forget to share the show with a friend… or an enemy, they should listen to!

This episode, Megan takes Adam on a whirlwind tour through the wonderfully weird world of Christian denominations, church friendships, and why Episcopalians seem determined to be friends with absolutely everyone. From the origins of the YMCA and “muscular Christianity” to World Wars, councils, cookies, and conversations that span centuries, they unpack what ecumenism actually is—and why it matters.

Some of the things they talk about:

• Why church relationships sometimes resemble World Cup alliances.
• How Moravian cookies became an ecumenical success story.
• Why angry Russian faxes once landed on Megan’s desk.
• Why showing up and staying in relationship matters, even when churches disagree.
• And why Episcopalians may simply have denominational FOMO.

Plus: Pope Leo shows back up and they talk about him, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullaly, the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, and the surprising realization that sometimes the most Christian thing we can do is keep talking to one another.

Whether you're here for church history, Anglican nerdery, or just wondering what the YMCA has to do with theology, this episode proves that faith can be complicated, friendships can be messy, and there might be cookies if you show up.

Make sure to leave us a rating and a review, and don't forget to share the show with a friend… or an enemy, they should listen to!

What happens when a newly elected pope drops an encyclical on AI, human dignity, war, economics, and the future of technology—and then casually quotes Gandalf?

This week, Megan and Adam dive into Pope Leo XIV’s first major teaching document and unpack why it’s making waves far beyond the Roman Catholic Church. Together they explore the ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, the responsibility of governments and corporations, the hidden human costs behind our technology, and why the pope insists that AI is not something we should simply accept as inevitable.

Along the way, they discuss papal encyclicals, democracy, social justice, the future of human creativity, and what it means to remain moral agents in an increasingly automated world.

Plus: Pope Leo quotes Gandalf, Megan desperately wants a Stephen Colbert reaction, and Megan and Adam officially invite the pope to become the podcast’s first celebrity guest.

Whether you're excited about AI, skeptical of it, or just here for the Tolkien references, this episode asks an important question: How do we talk faithfully and ethically about technology before it outruns us?

This episode kicks off a new series on one of the hardest questions in faith and life: What does forgiveness actually mean—and what does it not mean?

Megan and Adam dive into the messy intersection of forgiveness, repentance, accountability, confession, and repair, challenging some of the most common (and often harmful) ideas we carry about apologizing and “moving on.”

A few of the things covered this episode:

• Why “that’s not who I am” may not be the apology people think it is
• The problem with “God forgives me, so why can’t you?"
• Why time alone doesn’t equal growth, healing, or repairWhat repentance means beyond simply saying “I’m sorry”
• How Anglican theology connects forgiveness to community, accountability, and changed lives

Along the way, the conversation explores confession, amendment of life, 12-step wisdom, the difference between guilt and transformation, and why forgiveness is never meant to be coerced.

And because this is For the Rest of Us, things also take a wonderfully unexpected detour into Muppet theology: Muppet Christmas Carol vs. Muppet Treasure Island, Michael Caine acting at maximum intensity among felt puppets, and the urgent theological question:

What movie should be remade with one human actor and everyone else played by Muppets?

This is Part 1 of a multi-episode exploration, so consider this your cliffhanger before we get into the mechanics of forgiveness and repair next time.

(A note: apologies for the dogs barking in the background.)

Sometimes the Church celebrates some weird things on the liturgical calendar. This episode of For the Rest of Us, Canon Megan and Adam tackle one of those: the Feast of the Ascension (the day Jesus basically pulls a superhero exit off the Mount of Olives and the disciples stand there staring at the sky like confused extras in a Marvel movie).

Along the way, the conversation spirals into:

• Why Ascension Day keeps getting moved around the church calendar
• The “Jesus launchpad” footprints in Jerusalem
• Why the angels basically tell the disciples to stop standing around and get to work
• What it means for the Church to become the Body of Christ
• Time, space, theology, and “wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff”
• C.S. Lewis, sci-fi theology, and the possibility of “Space Jesus”
• Why the Ascension reminds us that God is much bigger than our tiny boxes

It’s theology, science fiction, church history, quantum mechanics, and passive-aggressive Episcopalianism — all in one episode.

So whether you’re a liturgy nerd, a recovering church kid, a curious skeptic, or just wondering why Christians celebrate Jesus floating into the sky, this episode is for you.

As always, thanks for listening to For The Rest Of Us! Make sure to leave us a rating and review, and share with someone you know.

What does it mean to be a Palestinian Christian in the Holy Land right now?

On this episode of For the Rest of Us, Canon Megan and Adam welcome Fr. Nael Rahmoun, Anglican priest in Nazareth and honorary canon at St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem, for a powerful conversation about faith, identity, war, hope, and the living Christian presence in Palestine.

Fr. Nael shares what life is like for Palestinian Christians amid ongoing violence in Gaza, conflict throughout the region, and growing global tensions. He reflects on his layered identity as an Arab, Palestinian, Christian, and Israeli citizen, while offering a moving reminder that Christianity did not begin in America or Europe—it began in the Holy Land, and Christians are still there.

Together, they discuss:

• What it means to be a Palestinian Christian today
• The importance of remembering the “living stones” of the Holy Land
• Christian Zionism and the dangers of using scripture to justify war
• Why the global church must remain connected across borders
• Hope, peace, justice, and the call to reconciliation
• How family and community help sustain joy during difficult times

This conversation is a deeply human and deeply faithful invitation to listen, learn, pray, and remember that the Church is bigger than any one nation.