The Average Episcopalian

The title says it all. While prayer might seem simple on the surface, it sometimes feels impossible to execute in our daily lives. In today's episode, we dive deep into the wisdom of the catechism to try and get over our struggles with prayer. Is prayer a means to a solution? Does yoga class count as prayer? What about the infuriating "thoughts & prayers" culture? Why should we thank God for our suffering? We do our best to discuss these questions and more.

The Pharisees: the ultimate New Testament "bad guys" and a cautionary tale for those of us pursuing ethical lives. In this episode, Annie & Kate pontificate on 4 "Pharisee Behaviors" and how easy it is to fall into each of them. What do lemons, donkeys, Star Wars and donuts teach us about leadership? You'll have to listen to find out.

In this episode, we're discussing the easy breezy topic of Incarnational Theology, inspired by a sermon by Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews. The incarnation is a central component of Christianity, and to Episcopalians it means something extra special. Annie & Kate attempt to define this mystical concept, involving rants and tangents on heaven, baptism, and Harry Potter. If you've ever heard Episcopalians described as "a Christmas people", this episode will explain why.

Annie & Kate dissect and debate modern day spiritual-ish TikTok wisdom. Is the idea of main character energy ruining our society? (Most likely not.) Do we owe our neighbors explanations for our behavior or emotions? (Maybe.) Does exercising self-love make me selfish? (It's complicated.) Join us for an honest spar/reflection on the pros and cons of trendy spirituality.

In Part 1, the focus was on reconciling with God (confession). In Part 2, the focus is on how to ask for forgiveness (repentance), how to forgive others (reconciliation), and how to forgive yourself (self love). Forgiveness is not a very popular value in our culture today, but Annie and Kate are here to sing its praises, bemoan its difficulties, and discuss practical ways to exercise forgiveness-- even when it's really hard. Buckle up; we're giggly in this episode. Forgive us!!

CONFESSION: the word has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different kinds of Christians. In Episode 4, Annie and Kate dive headfirst into the concept of "forgive us our trespasses." Why is confession of sins important for Christians? Why do Episcopalians say their confessional prayer out loud as a congregation? And what on earth can Miley Cyrus's 2013 hardcore party album "Bangerz" teach us about confessing our sins?

So what's the deal with all of the kneeling and standing? Why do our services have recited prayer? Why are we such stans of the Book of Common Prayer? In this episode, we're tackling all things liturgy. We answer questions from liturgy-haters who think structure makes church boring. And at the end of the episode, we do our best to break down an Episcopal service structure and why each component is meaningful-- or dare we say "lit".

Many of the reasons people are turned off by Christianity can be boiled down to one thing: self-righteousness. In this episode Annie and Kate admit to our own self-righteousness, debate the role that "the self" plays in our modern-day culture of self-love, and outline our 5 red flags of self-righteousness in Christianity. Follow us on Instagram: @average.episcopalian

In our inaugural episode, we are taking on a very easy topic: the future of Christianity itself, and specifically the future of the Episcopal church. We dive deep into our own journeys of leaving and coming back to the church, talk about what Episcopalianism brings to the table in the modern age, and explore the "all organized religion is toxic" argument. Follow us on Instagram: @average.episcopalian