Roughing the Pastor

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...

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 be...

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...

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 wh...

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 (...

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...

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 differ...

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.  Alo...

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 importanc...

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...

Episode 42: The Theology of Lost Keys Wherein Them Pastors talk about the celebration of Epiphany (January 6), which is the official end of the Christmas season, and what it means to discover things that weren’t quite what you were looking for.  Along the way, there’s some recap of J’s horrible New Year’s Eve, why Pinterest and why Tik Tok are so addictive even if you don’t understand how they wor...

Episode 41: The Theology of Reboots Wherein Them Pastors close out the year (and the decade) by talking all about starting over.  They talk about the times when reboots go wrong, and when reboots can be really helpful, and how repentance is simply a call to change our hearts and minds - which everyone can use.  Along the way, there is some New Year’s Eve traditions talk, Y2K panic, Spider-man rebo...

Episode 40: The Theology of The Incarnation Wherein Them Pastors get down to the real reason for the season - God WITH us.  They unpack the idea of the incarnation, and the church’s tendency to leapfrog over that to get to the resurrection (and why we shouldn’t do that).  Along the way, there is a discourse about what makes a movie a Christmas movie, which Christmas songs are the best, J’s love of...

A SPECIAL (sort of) MINISODE FROM ROUGHING THE PASTOR Wherein Them Pastors get together mere moments after J left the theater to discuss Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Tyler & J discuss whether or not they thought it was a fitting end to the Skywalker Saga, how ghost logic works, and what this movie might have to say to us in 2019. SPOILERS ABOUND!

Episode 39: The Theology of Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy) Wherein Them Pastors conclude their trilogy of trilogies by focusing on the 2/3rds of the Star Wars Sequel trilogy. Along the way, they not only spoil the plots to The Force Awaken and The Last Jedi, but also a major plot point of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  They also ruminate on the wonder that is the midnight movie, get into the we...

Episode 38b MINISODE:  ADDENDUM TO The Theology of Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy) Wherein Tyler (sans J) is joined by Rachel Jones to get an alternate take on the Prequels and to talk about how much better things are when there is a diversity of thought and voice within the community.

Episode 38: The Theology of Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy) Wherein Them Pastors continue with part two of the “Trilogy of Trilogies” with a focus on the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.  There is more anti-praise thrown on George Lucas, talk of Obi Wan’s fake beard, dumbfounded reactions to the racist characterizations prevalent in 1999 cinema, and surfing on tick cows.  There’s also talk of J & Tyler’s fa...

Episode 37: The Theology of Star Wars (Original Trilogy) Wherein Them Pastors finally get to the long teased conversation on the original trilogy of Star Wars.  There is much talk of the right order to watch the Star Wars movies (and which ones to skip), the goodness of some of the animated Star Wars series, and why Disney+ is making the world a better place.  We also get a front row seat to Tyler...

Episode 36: The Theology of The Thanksgiving List Wherein Them Pastors get downright thankful!  J & Tyler each choose ten things from culture that they are thankful for to put in the “Thanksgiving time capsule” (you know, that old tradition…).  Along the way, they break down their favorite non-Trinity bible characters, parse out when it’s okay to listen to Christmas music, and perhaps even talk a...

Episode 35: The Theology of Theater Wherein Them Pastors welcome their very special guest, Isabel Johnson and opine on the many virtues of live theater.  Along the way, they ponder the need for Starbucks coffee to be too darn hot, whether or not they would want to end their time on earth as birds, and why Gryffindors and Slytherins are misunderstood.  They then settle in to why theater is great, n...

Episode 34: The Theology of Armistice Day Wherein Them Pastors welcome the modern day peace-maker, Rev. Matt Fricker to wrestle with the notion of armistice and what it means to make lasting peace.  Along the way they get into a heated debate about whether a hot dog is a sandwich (in which J reveals himself to be a sociopath), have the quickest run-through of the “guest questions” ever, and insult...

Episode 33: The Theology of Getting Older Wherein Them Pastors wrestle with their own mortality as, Lordy, Lordy, Tyler turns 40.  This leads to conversations about which age you would return to, runaway dogs, and the 1990 Jim Belushi movie Mr. Destiny.  They also tackle showing your work in math, hoarding memories & experiences, the development of list of things you will never do, and the importa...

Episode 32: The Theology of Reformation Day Wherein Them Pastors come at you just in time for the celebration this Thursday of everyone’s favorite holiday - Reformation Day!  Along the way, they will journey through ghost stories and spooky houses, a life threatening thunderstorm, death threats against radical monks.  They also how easy it is to be against people whom you have never met, the allur...

Episode 31: The Theology of Scary Movies (and Halloween Revisited) Wherein Them Pastors look at some of the reasons why we like scary movies (well, why Tyler likes scary movies), and what that can tell us about God.  Along the way, Bartleby shows up early to enforce a revisit and unpacking of last episode’s Halloween episode.  There’s also lots of talk about the best - and worst - Halloween candy,...

Episode 30: The Theology of Halloween Wherein Them Pastors tackle the most unlikely of Christian holidays - Halloween.  Along the way, they discuss past Halloween costumes, whether zombies are scarier when they are fast or when they are slow, sum up the book of Revelation, and they tackle the question of who is the king of all monsters. “I love Old Man Freyer!”