Nerds At Church

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for Pentecost, which falls on May 28th this year, including our deep dive into fire! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Learn more about types of fires and fire extinguishers here.  For more on the ecological benefits of wildfires, check out this National Geographic article.  Check out this picture of fire in space!  It’s always important to heed Smokey the Bear’s campfire safety rules.  Check out more on how fire color changes based on temperature and based on chemicals used.  This Old House has some good tips for leaves and fire safety.  For the top 10 firefighting-related movies, check out this article.  Check out We Need Diverse Books for some awesome new reads!  For more about the New Fire and Easter Vigils, check out last year’s Easter episode.  To dive more into the readings for the Easter Vigil, check out this year’s Easter Vigil episode.  

CN: we mention people killed by asphyxiation when discussing the John 20 reading.

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for 7th Sunday of Easter, which falls on May 21st this year, including our deep dive into ecumenism! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Check out more about the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.  Check out more about the Catholic and Coptic churches sharing saints.  We talked about this year’s Easter 5 episode on martyrdom, this year’s Ascension Day episode on UFOs, last year’s Holy Trinity episode on Woman Wisdom, and this year’s Palm Sunday episode on Judas.

For more on ecumenical justice movements, check out the Poor People’s Campaign, the movement of Christians against Christian Nationalism, and the Institute for Welcoming Resources.  For more about ecumenism, check out this article or this article.  We also talked about Star Wars, so check out Horror Nerds at Church’s announcement for their (Revenge of the) Sixth Season!

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) and special guest Rory Rohloff (he) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for Ascension Day, which falls on May 18th this year, including our deep dive into UFOs! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Rory recommended the podcast Our Strange Skies as well as The Saucer Life for those interested in more UFO podcastery. For past Ascension episodes, check out how our deep dive with Jessica Waller into how a body ascends through the atmosphere, and our deep dive with Rev. Harold Vanicek into the aerodynamics of air travel.  Emily also mentioned this year’s Lent 4 episode deep dive into eyesight.  Kay mentioned the French story of Jeanne Pouchain, who spent years trying to prove she was alive.  Find the Far Side comic Rory mentioned here.  

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) and special guest Stefanie Kaylor (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the 6th Sunday of Easter, which falls on May 14th this year, including our deep dive into polytheism! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Stefanie publishes her zines physically and online here. For some tips on how to identify red flags to avoid neo-nazi symbolism, check out this reddit thread. You can dig into the Digger webcomic here. We talked about the Pixar short, Sanjay’s Super Team. Stefanie recommended the following books: the Daevabad series by S.A. Chakraborty, The Unfortunates by J.K. Chukwu, and Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker, plus Coyote & Crow, a cool new tabletop role playing game.

CN: we talk briefly about neo-nazi imagery when discussing the deep dive.

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the 5th Sunday of Easter, which falls on May 7th this year, including our deep dive into martyrdom! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  For more about the disciples’ lives (and deaths), check out this year’s Easter 3 episode.  More on Paul can be found in last year’s Easter 3 episode.  You can explore the connection between martyrdom and sainthood in our All Saints episode from our first season and our deep dive into Oscar Romero for Lent 5 in our first season.  For more on the self-immolation of some Buddhist monks, check out this article.  Emily mentioned the movie Sunshine, which Horror Nerds At Church covered last season.

CN: we talk about martyrdom and killing when discussing the deep dive and the Acts reading.

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) and special guest Rev. Anna Blaedel (they) of enfleshed to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, which falls on April 30th this year, including our deep dive into ritual! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  We talked about the Trans Halakha Project, which Rabbi Becky mentioned during our Easter Vigil episode.  We also mentioned our Palm/Passion deep dive into Judas.  For more of a focus on sheep and shepherding, check out last year’s Good Shepherd episode with Polly Festa!  The new enfleshed podcast can be found here.

CN: we mention the KKK and talk about responding to transphobia and other violence in the deep dive.

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, which falls on April 23rd this year, including our deep dive into the disciples! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  For more about Revelation, written by John of Patmos, check out last year’s Easter 2 deep dive.  To learn more about Judas, check out this year’s Palm/Passion Sunday episode.  Kay mentioned Jesus Christ Superstar, which we did a deep dive on for last year’s Palm/Passion Sunday.  For more on the Beloved Disciple and John, check out this year’s deep dive into the Gospel of John.  For more on Paul, check out last year’s Easter 3 deep dive.  For more on the Mary and Martha conversation, check out our Lent 5 episode from this year.  Check out Brian Moller, Emily’s favorite generational differences TikToker.  For more on bread, check out our Bread of Life series from our first season.

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the second Sunday of Easter, which falls on April 16th this year, including our deep dive into biblical resurrections! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Check out the full stories in scripture for all the people we talk about who are resurrected.  For more resurrection tropes, check out this TV Tropes link.  For more on Christ’s resurrection specifically, check out our first season’s Easter Day episode.  For more on what happened to Hitler’s body to keep it from being a site of pilgrimage, check out this article. 

CN: we briefly talk about the disposal of Hitler’s body when discussing the first reading.
To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection of Our Lord, which falls on April 9th this year, including our deep dive into baby animals! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  If you want John’s Gospel account, check out this year’s Easter Vigil episode with Rabbi Becky Silverstein.  For a reminder about whether or not bunnies and Jesus can lay eggs, check out this tweet.  For more on the science of looking at baby animals, check out this Psychological Science article and this article from a neuroscience perspective.  Check out the new eagle family in Decorah on the live Eagle Cam.  Learn how chickens lay eggs in this video.  Also, this article explains the phenomenon of “fairy” eggs.  For more about the many kinds of animals that lay eggs, check out this article.  To get your fill of pictures of baby animals, check out this Photocrowd photo contest or this VIEWBUG photo contest or this Reader’s Digest collection of photos!

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!

Join Rev. Emily E. Ewing (they) and Rev. Kay Rohloff (she) and special guest Rabbi Becky Silverstein (he) to explore new and nerdy connections to the scripture for the Easter Vigil, which falls on April 8th (or 9th) this year, including our deep dive into Midrash! 

The scripture we refer to for this episode can be found here.  Make sure you check out the Trans Halakha Project that Becky mentioned from SVARA.  To learn more about Judaism, check out Sefaria for a variety of Jewish texts and My Jewish Learning for a variety of topics.  For more on Passover, check out last year’s Maundy Thursday episode with Rabbi Maurice Appelbaum.  For a great retelling of Jonah, Becky recommends The Soul of the Stranger by Joy Ladin. If you want to return to our Lenten bookend with more Trans brilliance, revisit our TRANSfiguration episode from this year with Rev. Nicole Garcia, Rev. Emerson Remy Remmers, and Rev. Mack Patrick!

To support Nerds At Church, you can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for extra perks and bonus content including uncut guest episodes, Live Q&As, merch, and more.  If becoming a paying supporter isn't possible right now, please leave us a review instead — it helps sustain the show and spread the word!  Check us out on Facebook & Twitter at @NerdsAtChurch to connect!