What is the longest you've gone without food or water? The Bible says Moses went forty days and forty nights without either. We discuss that as well as the spiritual practice of fasting. And: could AI help us in our everyday lives, and should a public school religion teacher should be able to proselytize his students? Finally, yes, Bryan is obnoxiously elated about his football team.

Rev. Dr. Melissa Allison joins Shannon and Ogun to discuss Christmas carols, Christmas theology, purity culture and the pagan celebration of Yule. Why has the obsession with sexual purity persisted in some forms of Christianity, a faith that celebrates an unwed teenage mother? Tune in for this special holiday episode!

If someone said to you, "We need to keep Christ in Christmas" - how would you respond? We discuss that, plus a Pew survey that finds 7 in 10 Americans describe themselves as spiritual, while 10% say they are 'religious but not spiritual.' What does that mean? We also discuss the limits of free speech in the case of three university presidents, as Bryan and Ogun catch Shannon up on the news.

Ogun breaks out the rum as Derrick Weston joins the show to talk about the idea of a cloud of witnesses as referenced in Scripture, and whether that applies to folks living or dead. Is it creepy or encouraging to imagine there are folks looking on? We also discuss the concept of hope and whether it is something that can inspire us to or deter us from taking action in the world. We also get into workplace Christmas trees, Christian privilege and more!

A lively episode this week as we talk about armed church members, rules and TikTok Jesus! Should churches have an active shooter response plan? Should that plan involve guns? Would you follow a TikTok Jesus for inspiration and potential blessings? And are people more important than rules? We discuss it all over beverages. Tune in!

Notably in the Gospel records, there are several times where Jesus admonishes his disciples saying, "Are you still so dull?" What do you imagine would prompt Jesus to say that to his followers today? We discuss that, plus imagination, the usefulness of thumbs, and Diwali.

Shannon reveals that in her house growing up, there were basically three books: an encyclopedia set, War and Peace, and Bo Knows. Nietzsche says "Fear someone who has only one book." We discuss the idea of reading widely, of being told not to read certain books, and whether the idea of a 'biblical worldview' has merit. Plus: can we just not have to decide what's for dinner anymore??

Recording on Halloween, Bryan tries on a few different masks as we discuss favorite scary movies, ghosts, dealing with criticism, and the journey. Plus Ogun has one more show to tell us about, and we decide all problems can be solved with a high enough ABV.

This week we discuss celebrating Halloween as an adult, what humans can learn from dogs in the realm of love and joy, and whether God loves us each uniquely. We also solve the Middle East peace crisis with two simple things: Dogs and butter! Tune in! It's the latest rendition of Pub Theology Live.

Shannon and Bryan are joined by special guests Derrick Weston and Anna Woofenden! We discuss their new book: The Just Kitchen: Invitations to Sustainability, Cooking, Connection, and Celebration. Show highlights: seeing the kitchen as a sacred space, discovering that small acts can make a real difference, sharing our favorite dishes to make, and oh yeah, that time Derrick poured boiling water on his foot. Tune in!