What the Hell is a Pastor?

In which Ethan and Jo round out their conversation about the Bible by discussing how Christians can remain faithful to their convictions in an interfaith world. 

Have thoughts about what we said or want to send us a reading list? Email us at [email protected].  

In which Ian joins Ethan and Jo to discuss what the General Conference might do now that they've had to delay this year's General Conference, which had been scheduled for May, and then laugh a lot together. 

Have thoughts about what we said or want to send us a reading list? Email us at [email protected].  

In this episode, you will hear the voices of people who lived in another time, a distant time, a quainter time: last Thursday.  Think of it as a time capsule. Ethan and Jo share their thoughts, frustrations, and aspirations for life in the time of COVID-19. 

Have thoughts about what we said or want to send us a reading list? Email us at [email protected].  

In which Ethan and Jo continue their discussion about the Bible, wrestle with truth claims, and breathe a sigh of relief (which is only momentary-- there's another minisode to come out of this conversation). 

Have thoughts about what we said or want to send us a reading list? Email us at [email protected].

In which Jo and Ethan talk through their weeks and cover some difficult ground about oppression, harm, and safety in churches. 

Have thoughts about what we said or want to send us a reading list? Email us at [email protected].  

In which Ethan and Jo begin a multi-part mini about the Bible and its implications. 

In which Jo and Ethan discuss the difficulties of being pastors who fuck up, like, a lot. Or at least, so their brains tell them. 

The piece of writing that Jo was stretching for that inspired John Wesley's strangely warmed heart is the Preface to Romans by Martin Luther. You can read it for yourself and see if it sparks a fire in your heart: https://ccel.org/l/luther/romans/pref_romans.html

In which Ethan and Jo talk about all the nuanced problems with Christianity and money. The books Ethan and Jo recommend are Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism by Kathyrn Tanner, Being Consumed by William Cavanaugh, and On Social Justice: St. Basil the Great from the Popular Patristics series. 

In which Ethan and Jo, after some substantial internet difficulties, settle in to talk about their weeks, about Wesley's three simple rules, and the practicality of transcendentals. 

In which we include a discussion that didn't make it into the full episode on purity culture, plus some post-recording discussion. Content warning: we joke a lot about sex but also have a serious discussion about masturbation, porn, and what it means to view yourself as a person worthy of good sexual attention. If those topics don't put you in a healthy headspace, feel free to skip. You are a beautiful, valuable, worthy person who is loved and capable of loving. 

As always, The Liturgists have had a longer and better produced episode on porn, which is worth a listen: https://theliturgists.com/podcast/2019/10/3/porn

And for a good deep dive into a modern Christian sexual ethic that first does no harm, check out Just Love by Margaret Farley: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/623342.Just_Love