Roughing the Pastor

Episode 29: The Theology of Fear Wherein Them Pastors are back to discuss what Fear says about us and about God.  They get into some of their fears of horses and geese, and how scary a garage can be at night.  Along the way there’s some talk of songs we are scared to admit we like, how fear is a sign of something else, and how Tyler will likely die one day from falling off of a roller coaster.   “...

This week's regular episode is going to be delayed by a few days, so in the meantime, here is a special MINISODE, featuring Tyler and a very special guest talking about the creativity that comes from Minecraft and how that can help us see the world a little differently! This week's full episode will be here soon!

Episode 28: The Theology of The Best of the 2010s Wherein Them Pastors are joined again by friend of the show Jimmy Bruce Dykstra and go an epic journey through the cinematic landscape of the last decade to pick out the ten best (or rather, two variations on the ten best).  Along the way, they discover the MacGyver like ingenuity of bringing a straw to your popcorn party, Jimmy’s hatred of all thi...

Episode 27: The Theology of Being Late Wherein Them Pastors go on the road for a recording at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary to discuss a very persistent issue: being late.  Along the way, we hear tales of Tyler’s favorite Batmobile toy (which was lost too soon), J’s uncanny ability to be Clark Kent, the middle school axiom that has guided J’s life of punctuality, and the struggle with trying...

Episode 26: The Theology of Mixtapes Wherein Them Pastors finally talk about the lost art of making mixtapes.  They break down the science, particularly how a band like 311 can really foul up a tape and how the act of creating something for someone else is an important act of community even if you do it alone.  Along the way, they’ll be some talk about life without cell phones, the toxic way to do...

Episode 25: The Theology of Stranger Things Wherein Them Pastors dig into the a discussion about the Netflix show Stranger Things (with some spoilers, but as they mention in the episode, it’s hard to spoil this show so listen on even if you haven’t watched the show).  They get there by way of tales of shameful eating, and they welcome Bartleby back from his vacation up north, and see how the theme...

Episode 24: The Theology of Blowing It Wherein Them Pastors talk about screwing up, and why that’s okay.  Along the way, you’ll get an extended conversation about the best and worst months of the year, the importance of forgiveness, and Tyler sings ‘Jesus Loves Me’ in Swahili.   “Shut up everybody!  I’m trying to be positive!

Episode 23: The Theology of Marching Band Wherein Them Pastors talk about the all encompassing community that is high school marching band.  Along the way, you hear a bit about Tyler’s job protecting a giant baseball shaped golf cart for the Atlanta Braves, what J is willing to do for free pizza, tips on beating the summer heat, and bring it back to the heretic Rob Bell.  “I was so cool for a day...

Episode 22: The Theology of TMBG Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by nearly-Dr. Rachel Jones to talk about all things They Might Be Giants - the band you both know about and know nothing about.  Along the way, we get into some conversation about desert island discs, the joy in not being desperate, the appeal of genuine community (and how the church often fails to demonstrate that).  We a...

Episode 21: The Theology of Writing Fanfic Wherein Them Pastors are joined by Pre-hd Musicologist Rachel Jones to talk about the wonders of fandom and the thriving world of fanfic.  We get there by way of discussing our favorite Beatle, some discussion on intersectionality, and enter into the fandom conversation by way of Harry Potter.  We also get in a little Doctor Who talk and some niche nerd-d...

Episode 20: The Theology of What’s In My Bag Wherein Them Pastors are flying without a guest for the first time in two months, so they decided to have a show and tell episode about what is in their bags.  Along the way, there is a bit talk about Howard the Duck, some Stranger Things talk, anecdotal discussion of Thomas Edison’s hiring processes, broach the mystery that is Heathcliff comics,  and w...

Episode 19: The Theology of Dogs   Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by the ever excitable Gill Lawhead to talk all things dogs (and why they are certainly in heaven).  Along the way, they discuss what extended universe would be the best to live in, why Air Bud is the best dog ever, who’s life we’d like to swap with, what the perfect size of dog is, and which is the best birthday song.  ...

Episode 18: The Theology of Mission Trips LIVE on July 24th, 2019 at the New Wilmington Mission Conference on the Westminster College campus. Wherein Them Pastors speak to a room of people about all things mission - the good, the bad, and the colonial.  Apologies for the quality of the audio.  The board wasn’t set up correctly thanks to the local house elves who we weren’t familiar with…   “Jesus...

Episode 17: The Theology of Mental Health Wherein Them Pastors are by the effervescent Gill Lawhead!  We talk about how cool snowboarders look, the inequality of men’s bathrooms vs. women’s bathrooms, and  .  Gill walks us through her story of seeking who she is and discovering that she was suffering from depression - which eventually became her superpower.  We talk about the importance of mental...

Episode 16: The Theology of Slight of Hand Wherein Them Pastors are joined once again by Jimmy Bruce Dykstra to talk about seeing the “tricks” of church and how it makes you see the rest of the world.  We also explore J’s passionate dislike of DC Talk which leads us into another minisode of “Good Christian Stuff” which leads us into a history of the band Gungor.  They also visit the brilliant Inst...

Episode 15: The Theology of Tom Cruise Wherein Them Pastors are joined by the one and only Jimmy Dykstra, who is desperate to talk about the one and only Tom Cruise.  In a journey that leads through some very strong feelings about dodgeball, the sordid tale of wallet bean toss, the brilliant premise for Groundhog Day 2, the correct way to say “GIF,” Mariah Carey’s irresistible “All I Want For Chri...

Episode 14: The Theology of Doubt Night   Wherein Them Pastors are once again joined by the brilliant Rev. Laura Bentley as they dig into the topic of doubt.  Along the way, they offer up some unused baby names, discover how Bentley came to be known as “Bentley” vs. “Laura”, and hear the tale of the most important rock-paper-scissors game.  J tells how youth pastor laziness led to the genius of “D...

Episode 13: The Theology of the 2019 World Cup Wherein Them Pastors are joined by their first actual guest:  the very awesome and very Rev. Laura Bentley!  We talk about how Bentley and J met (it involved J’s Carter Beauford-like drumming prowess), how Bentley and Tyler met (involving how they were fast friends before they ever actually met), and all sorts of other bric a brac and rare knick-knack...

Episode 12: The Theology of Han Shooting First (or Biblical Inerrancy) Wherein Them Pastors use the infamous deviation from Star Wars orthodoxy as a jumping off point for a robust conversation about how literally we are supposed to read the Bible.  Along the way, they take some trips into who the coolest letter is, why worship is set up the way that it is, whether or not there is water in space, a...

Episode 11: The Theology of Napping Wherein Them Pastors take things a bit less controversial by talking about naps.  Seriously.  They also breakdown what the best song is to walk into a room, mercifully sidestep a lengthy conversation about Dave Matthews Band, the confusing myth of the “coffee nap,” and highlight how hard it is to say “yes” to anything without saying “no” to something else. “I’ve...

Episode 10: The Theology of Ice Cream & Cow Manure, Part 2 Wherein Them Pastors CONTINUE to play with fire!  POLITICS!  They journey through the J’s regular subtweeting of a certain president, why the US economy isn’t really a capitalist system, the dangers of autofill, and the necessity of the separation of church and state.  This episode is PART 2 of the discussion from earlier this week, so lis...

Episode 9: The Theology of Ice Cream & Cow Manure, Part 1 Wherein Them Pastors play with fire!  POLITICS!  OH NO!  This is such a big topic that there will be TWO episodes this week: Part 1 on Monday, and Part 2 on Thursday.  Part 1 has J & Tyler walking through their political biographies, trying to figure out whether Tyler’s parents would vote for Pat Robertson or Jesse Jackson, how much SNL imp...

Episode 8: The Theology of Children’s Television Wherein Them Pastors break down J’s master plan on how to defend against bullies when he was a kid, explain why Elmo is the ruination of most everything, and prove that they are smarter than those fools on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  They also break myths about Mister Rogers and perpetuate ones about Bob Ross.  And, they tie kids’ shows back to Gam...

Episode 7: The Theology of Being at the Game Wherein Them Pastors save the world with impressions, discuss Jason’s true religion, how Tyler knows that there are three periods in hockey (and that’s about it), and living in a world of over abundance.  They also start a new limited segment called “Good Christian Things” (with actual recommendations of “Christian” things) and deal with how Netflix kee...

Episode 6: The Theology of Weezer Wherein Them Pastors take a deep dive into the music of Weezer and what a band that seems to have simultaneously stopped caring a long time ago and yet still cares way too much can tell us about the church.  Join us for an exploration of what it means to find music, to love music, to feel let down by music, and then to recapture what about music made you feel grea...