Roughing the Pastor

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 Writin...

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.  ...

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...

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 l...

Episode 73: The Theology of Reboots 2: The New Batch Wherein 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, an...

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...

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 probab...

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 kee...

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...

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...

Episode 67: The Theology of Hamilton Wherein Them Pastors are joined by the wonderful Sofia Na to talk about a little musical called “Hamilton.”  Along the way, we hear Sofia’s spot on impersonation of an unsung Muppet, recount the tale of the Singing Bee Duel from 2016 that shocked the world, and puzzle over some interpretations of the father mesmerizing final  five seconds of the musical.    “Th...

Episode 66: The Theology of Transition Wherein Them Pastors are back together again to bring you some big news of J’s new job.  Along the way, we hear a bit about Tyler’s trip out west, living in between the end of one thing and the start of another, and what church you should go to if you need to use the bathroom.   “Did you pass them a note during study hall saying ‘Yes, I will go out with you’?...

Episode 65: The Theology of the Best of the 1980s Wherein Them Pastors (or half of Them Pastors) are joined by chronic guest Jimmy Dykstra to discuss the best movies of the culture saturated decade that was the 1980s.  J was called out on a secret mission, but Jimmy brings the heat with a list of 30 great movies from the last decade that he never lived in. “At a certain point, movies and art are r...

Episode 64: The Theology of Black Lives Matter Wherein Them Pastors welcome the brilliant Ralph Lowe, Director of Justice Ministries at Pittsburgh Presbytery, to talk about why black lives matter, the trouble with anytime we reframe away from that message, and why relationship is the key toward systematic change.  We have a full fledged conversation about the value of the time we are in right now,...

Episode 63: The Theology of Why We Love The Church Wherein Them Pastors welcome the Rev. Charissa Howe to the show to talk about the church - not just what’s wrong with it, but why we still love it.  Along the way, there is talk of the cultural value of Walt Disney and William Shakespeare, why Fozzie Bear is the Ringo of the Muppets, and whether or not CrossFit is a sport.   “I don’t want to live...

Episode 62: The Theology of Mover Scott Wherein Them Pastors are joined by super special guest, Scott Durbin of the Imagination Movers!  We talk with Scott about what it’s like to start up a children’s show and band and how that became a true calling to teach kindness and curiosity to young people.  Along the way, we talk about Scott’s experience growing up as the son of a pastor who was a hospita...

Episode 61: The Theology of Finding Yourself Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by friend of the show Jimmy Dykstra to talk about Jimmy’s two month road trip, and why the mystique of going on a journey to find yourself resonates so much.  Along the way there’s talk of who Jimmy is really named after (hint, it’s a pirate and a boss), what Jesus was actually writing in the sand, and the powe...

Episode 60: The Theology of Sentimentality Wherein Them Pastors are joined by the Rev. Dr. Carl Anderson to talk about the trials and travails of sentimentality in the church.  Along the way there’s talk of Michael Jordan, milk in paper bags, J’s fateful meetings with Mario Lemieux, Tyler’s brain rebooting because he can’t remember a movie, youth group games named after Carl, and marathoning as a...

Episode 59: The Theology of Heaven & Hell (Two Perspectives)   Wherein Them Pastors go into a vacuum to each give you their perspectives on heaven and hell.  Along the way, they talk about the best movie trailers to the worst movies, the best sport to watch (that isn’t one of the big five), and how J is reverting back to his IUP days in the midst of this quarantine.   “God doesn’t send people to H...

Episode 58: The Theology of Vinyl Records   Wherein Them Pastors dive into their record collections to opine on the experience that vinyl brings that requires slowing down and being present in a way that we don’t often make space for.  Along the way there’s talk of Tyler getting sick in the midst of the quarantine, getting stuck in elevators with a whole pot of coffee, and why driving a van filled...

Episode 57: The Theology of Prayer Wherein Them Pastors talk about the beautiful,  confusing, and often difficult practice of prayer.  Along the way, they talk about how the Imagination Movers and The Leftovers are getting us through the quarantine, the dream of owning a dolphin or a polar bear, what the TikTok algorithm tells you about yourself, and the guilt of non-essential Amazon purchases. “…...

Episode 56: The Theology of Knives Out Wherein Them Pastors split up and Tyler is joined by Pre-Dr. Rachel Jones to have a spoiler talk on the movie brilliant 2019 movie Knives Out.  But first, J & Tyler have a robust conversation about movies they saw that they were too young for at the time, and try on a few new rapid fire questions for future guests.  There’s also some residual enneagram talk,...

Episode 55: The Theology of The Enneagram Wherein Them Pastors are finally joined by the Rev. Brian Wallace, Enneagramist extraordinaire for a full fledged breakdown of the Enneagram.  Along the way, you get a robust dissection of what makes good hot wings, Tyler’s refusal to accept that Toy Story could be considered a Disney movie, and a thorough bonus break down of the Myers-Briggs.  84 minutes...

Episode 54: The Theology of Twins Wherein Them Pastors are joined by two separate guests.  First, Jay Peffer joins them to talk about high school band, theater kids’ traditions, and how the Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Disney World marks one of the last gasps of rock and roll.  Then, Justin Manon sneaks in through the air ducts to talk with J about fostering, adoption, and what it’s like to be a pare...

Episode 53: The Theology of Social Distancing Wherein Them Pastors kick off season 2 of the podcast in the midst of a global pandemic and sheltering at home.  They look at what Social Distancing means for us, as well talking about shameful eating, the weirdness of doing church remotely, emulating Ben Gibbard, cheating at NBA 2K20, and why living in the exile isn’t aways such a bad thing.  The epis...