Episode 82: The Theology of Tattoos Wherein Them Pastors are joined by tattooer Stacy Fevinger to talk about the art and meaning behind tattooing and the connection and intimacy that’s involved in the process.  Along the way, there’s talk of the B-52’s being the right kind of weird, the best two film versions of Beauty and the Beast, and grandmothers that cheat at cards.   Originally recorded using wax cylinders and period technology from the Edison Laboratory in New Jersey, this episode was thought to be lost to the ether due to a corrupted file, but was reconstructed with great care by Bartleby the House Elf over the course of several months.  Please excuse the audio quality.  Bartleby did his best.   “Don’t let anyone lie to you - every tattoo hurts.”

Roughing the Pastor

The Theology of Tattoos

Episode 81: The Theology of Sad Songs Wherein Them Pastors are kick off Season 3 of the podcast with a long gestating episode about sad songs (and why they are so good).  Along the way, there’s talk about personal tragedy, record buying as a coping strategy, the healing that singing a song together can do when nothing else makes sense, why it’s okay to be sad, and why “Hey Ya” is one of the saddest songs ever written.   Also worth noting (per our fact checking House Elf Bartleby) virtually every date Tyler cites in this episode is wrong - e.g. Automatic for the People was actually released in 1991, etc. - so take note of that oversight.   “Get your eyeliner ready - it’s about to run on this one.”

The Theology of Sad Songs

Episode 80: The Theology of How The Sausage Gets Made Wherein Them Pastors are joined by Dr. Carl Anderson once again to talk about that age old question - What do pastors DO all day?  The trio talk about the process of writing and preparing a sermon, some different approaches to longer themes they are trying draw out, and the hope for how the congregation will respond.  Along the way, there’s some Tom Hanks movie talk, J’s disdain for the word “pedigree,” and Tyler’s recurring issue with pastors who cry on cue.   “Jesus says ‘Shut up, you idiot.’ - that’s a paraphrase.”

The Theology of How The Sausage Gets Made

Episode 79: The Theology of Lenten Practice Wherein Them Pastors ruminate on the season we are entering into, what it means to practice, and why we are even doing it.  Along the way, there’s talk of harrowing drives in the snow, skipping the Super Bowl, fancy boxes that watches come in, and why the church should never be the same after this.   “In Lent, we wear ties.”

The Theology of Lenten Practice

Episode 78: The Theology of 2020 Wherein Them Pastors look back at the year that was, and particularly on the value in separating the good from the bad in a year that was more than what any of us expected.  Along the way there is talk of Tyler’s calendar hack, J’s love for a good pep talk, why Cancel Culture isn’t quite the answer, and how time in quarantine can yield its own hidden blessings.  There’s also some brief Wonder Woman 1984 reflections and Tyler’s TV comfort food that is the show Night Court.  We also begin #FalconWatch2021.   “Pampers Diapers wants you to know that ‘Black Lives Matter.’”

The Theology of 2020

Episode 77: The Theology of Insurrection Wherein Them Pastors return to unpack the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and the place (or lack thereof) for insurrection from the church.  Along the way, there is some important discussion about the Kool-Aid Man, J’s realization that his office is sound proof, potential time travel, questions about the 2nd Amendment, and visits by Creative Writing Tyler, Historian Tyler, and Devil’s Advocate Tyler.   “When you start to put clothes on the Kool Aid Man, it makes me question, ‘was he naked up to this point’??”

The Theology of Insurrection

Episode 76: The Theology of Thanksgiving 2020 Wherein Them Pastors create their second annual Thanksgiving time capsule, giving thanks for all the things that they appreciated in the culture throughout the year that was 2020.  Along the way, there some talk of food temperature preferences, the dual roles of pastor and movie producer, and a subtle reminder that J likes Superman more than Batman.   “Outside of jokes about butts and smooches, it never really gets that crass.”

The Theology of Thanksgiving 2020

Episode 75: The Theology of The 2020 Election Wherein Them Pastors sift through the rubble of the presidential election and try to make sense of it all, focusing on themes of patience, civility, truth, and trust.  Along the way, there’s talk of what what we love best about being pastors, some Historian Tyler talk about the electoral college, and the three things that need to change in this country in the next decade or so to make things run better (but probably aren’t going to happen).  “Most voters are holding their nose when they are voting - in every election.”

The Theology of The 2020 Election

Episode 74: The Theology of Christian Music with Carl Anderson Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by the indefatigable Carl Anderson to talk about the oft maligned world of Christian music.  The break down the good,  the bad, and the ska of it all.  Along the way, there’s talk of the perfect walk up song to the pulpit, what it’s like to where a clergy collar, and why Carl has gotten next level with his “dad joke” abilities.   “That should be on your business card - ‘Rev. Dr. Carl Anderson: Loud and Jesusy’.”

The Theology of Christian Music

Episode 73: The Theology of Reboots 2: The New BatchWherein Them Pastors are back from an unscheduled month and a half off to reboot the podcast and fire things back up!  They talk about storytelling and why it can be important to have different voices tell us the same story in new ways.  Along the way, there some room for talk of pandemic fatigue, losing track of time, the perks of being old, and Tyler’s general distrust of coaches. “The power of grace is at any point along the way looking at life and saying this isn’t the story I wanted to tell - and to take it in a different direction.”

The Theology of Reboots 2: The New Batch

Episode 72: The Theology of Black Panther Wherein Them Pastors have returned and are joined by the brilliant Ralph Lowe to discuss the loss of Chadwick Boseman and the modern day classic Black Panther.  Along the way, they discuss a new development in J’s personal grooming, the importance of T’Challa’s accent, and why having why having Bilbo Baggins as a pointless character in Black Panther is so important.   “It’s an affirmation of black beauty, black presence, and black power - in a way that is affirming, not diminishing any other power.”

The Theology of Black Panther

Episode 71: The Theology of Back to the Future Wherein Them Pastors are again joined by Rachel Jones to talk about the 1985 classic Back to the Future.  Along the way, there is taxonomy talk, a brief detour about how believable Superman’s disguise as Clark Kent really is, and a cat throws up.  Plus talk about fate, destiny, and why none of them would change the bad tragedies of the past. “I probably would not be doing what I’m doing right now if I hadn’t done what felt like a huge, monumental mess up at the time.”

The Theology of Back to the Future

Episode 70: The Theology of Animal Crossing Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by pre-Dr. Rachel Jones to talk about the joyous phenomenon that is Animal Crossing.  Along the way, they talk about weird names of animal groupings, playing NHL on easy, the beheading of John the Baptist, and trying to find the rails. “It feels like the game points out what our natural instincts are, and we keep running away from that in our regular life.”

The Theology of Animal Crossing

Episode 69: The Theology of Newspapers Wherein Them Pastors are do an impromptu guest-less episode due to some technical difficulties with the episodes they thought they had all lined up.  Instead, they discuss the value of physical newspapers and the overall concept of presence - particularly in the midst of social distancing.  Along the way, there’s talk about the best game plan for outsmarting a genie, the cosplay genius of John Lewis, the best sign at J’s going away party, and the proper way to hold the New York Times.   “You can maybe eat a donut the next day, but if you try to eat a donut like five days later it’s actual garbage.”

The Theology of Newspapers

Episode 68: The Theology of LGBTQI+   Wherein Them Pastors are joined by the inimitably helpful and knowledgeable Sierra Van Dijk to talk about all things LGBTQI+!  Along the way, they talk about what they’d like to do TEDx talks on, representation on television, why ABBA is a really great band, and Tyler gets to tell his favorite joke about Engineers.   “The church doesn’t understand much outside of traditional, straight marriage.”

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Roughing the Pastor

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