Episode 52: The Theology of the Podcast

Wherein Them Pastors wrap up Season 1 of RTP by looking back at a year of podcasting.  They walk through some of their favorite moments in the podcast so far, why Tyler is still drinking out of a water bottle he bought ten years ago at a gas station, and how the podcast has helped them get to know people better who they always wanted to know.

“It says on it ‘Light My Fire,’ which I just noticed.  So that’s exciting.”

[Don't worry, Season 2 starts next week!]

Episode 51: The Theology of the Background

Wherein Them Pastors discuss the importance of bine in the background (especially for leaders).  Along the way, there’s a debate about Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, behind the scenes tales of Tom Hanks’ Mister Rogers movie and of some potentially dumb Kristin Stewart movie, and discuss the heretic Rob Bell.

“Being a leader is not being a shepherd - it’s being a sheep that knows the voice of the shepherd.”

Episode 50: The Theology of the Rewatch

Wherein Them Pastors here for their 50th episode to talk about why it is that we rewatch movies and tv that we love, and what that might help us understand about God.

Along the way, they talk about dial-up internet memories, accidentally watching things on TV, comfort in familiar media, how much more emotional it is to see comedians in dramatic roles, lament the overwrought nature of latter day Scrubs, and Arnold Schwarzenegger stops buy to yell.

“Fiction helps us get past the sleepy dragons of our logic.”

Episode 49: The Theology of Bullet Journaling

Wherein Them Pastors are back in the studio to talk about presence and intentionality in the form of a bullet journal, and how practice can lead us to growth and change.  Along the way, they talk about the upcoming thrill of Leap Day, swimming with dolphins, say no to CrossFit, and take on the #NoPlasticForLent challenge.

“If your process overwhelms what your purpose is, that’s a problem.”

Episode 48: The Theology of White Supremacy

Wherein Them Pastors come to you again from Studio West in Seattle, Washington with special guests Rob Bradford and Jimmy Dykstra to talk about white supremacy and white privilege.  Class is in session as Rob breaks down the systemic problems of privilege and supremacy in our culture and then they all try to figure out what the church can do about this (and what God is calling us to do about it).  Everything is 100% resolved and solved by the end.  Before the heavy lifting, they discuss what modern day item that could be sent back into the past to most affect the future, they are joined by some hot mics that pick up all the noises of life, and J gets an early visit from the Sandman.

“The church is dying…but what if racial reconciliation was the thing that ‘saved’ the mainline denominations?”

Episode 47: The Theology of Anger

Wherein Them Pastors venture out to Seattle, Washington to join Rob Bradford (as well as good old Jimmy Dykstra) for a discussion on anger.  Along the way, there’s plenty of Enneagram talk, talks of doing embarrassing things in the White House, and Rob picks a fight with all the Slytherins.  They also break down what makes them angry, whether anger is a good thing or not, and how Jesus used anger.

“I guess when you put it like that, that’s exactly what happened.’”

Episode 46: The Theology of The F-Word

Wherein Them Pastors are joined by pal Liam O’Donnell coming to you from the illustrious Phoenix Hotel in the heart of San Francisco, Coolifornia to talk to you about swears.  They break down why pastors tend to swear more when they get together in groups, how Tyler got his mouth washed out with actual soap after swearing on the bus, and break down the difference between “offensive” words and words associated with violence and power.  Along the way, we talk about living in movie universes and concerts, and and yet still keep it all PG so you can still listen with reckless abandon.

“This is ‘Roughing the Pastor: After Dark!’”

Episode 45: The Theology of Movies on Airplanes

Wherein Them Pastors come to you live from the San Francisco International Airport. We hear about the flight with over 100 streaming movies, which set forth a challenge between the pastors to serve up hand selected movies to each other, and they reflect on the experience, as well as putting it into perspective with their trip into San Francisco.  Along the way, they discuss airport rituals, whether having an airport terminal named after you is really that much of an honor, and favorite airport snacks.

“What is happening in this movie??”

Episode 44: The Theology of Beyoncé

Wherein Them Pastors discuss the Queen Bey with guest Isabel Johnson.  Along the way, there is talk of time travel, space travel, and why there is a generational gap between the desire to go to space and go back in time.  They then walk through a feast of Beyoncé tracks, breaking down why she is an important artist (even if she’s not your jam), and the importance of confidence, representation, and controlling the narrative.  There’s also a visit or two from the Context Robot to set things right.  We also planted a game in this episode: How many times do our hosts (and guest) say the phrase “100%”?  If you want to go advanced, tell us exactly how many times each person said it in this hour long episode.

The person who tells us the right numbers just might get a fancy prize…

(also, see the corresponding Spotify playlist for this episode on the RTP Twitter page).

“100%.”

Episode 43: The Theology of Garbage

Wherein Them Pastors talk about how hard it can be to let go of things, even when we know that we need to.  Along the way, they clean out the basement, spend time in downtown Los Angeles, and J finds a wallet.  They also extol the virtues of the iPhone, muse on the penny farthing bicycle, and an update on J’s bullet journaling progress.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.  You only know the words when you are inebriated.”