Accidental Tomatoes

Is advent just the pregame warmup for Christmas, or is there a more meaningful way to experience it? And what happens once you start deconstructing the season itself? In this episode Joe talks about his own deconstruction journey with Advent and how a faith community for spiritual misfits is giving it a whole new life.

We talk a lot about deconstruction on the personal/individual level, but does the Church itself need to deconstruct in order to evolve into something better? In this episode, Joe talks about how decolonizing, declassifying, and decentralizing could hold the keys for a more just, equitable, and liberationist future for the institutional church.

Joe, Heather, Jenny, and Brad kick off our 4th season with a conversation about favorite moments from our first 3 seasons and a look ahead with our friend Royce Lyden to our partnership with Justice & Jubilee.  

How can decolonizing the music education classroom lead to a broader perspective on justice movements in general? In this episode, Joe and Jenny Williams chat with musicologist Natalie Shaffer about creating equity in educational environments and how a holistic approach can elevate performances from entertainment to transformation. BONUS: Stick around for the whole episode to hear a preview of Jen...

Amy Jo Hutchinson makes a repeat appearance on this episode as she talks with Joe about the Rattle the Windows movement, the work of centering the stories of people who experience poverty, and advocating for child care and paid leave. She also tells her own story about spiritual trauma and how she finds her faith in helping people improve the conditions of their lives. Learn more about Amy Jo's wo...

Of all the needs of people experiencing recovery from substance use disorder, safe housing may be among the most critical. In this episode, Rev. Dr. Matt Johnson of The Fletcher Group talks with Joe about his work creating faith-based recovery housing, how faith communities can get involved, the importance of the language we use about recovery, and the ways stigma can become a barrier not only to...

How does a trauma-informed view of atonement affect the way we see Jesus' life, death, and resurrection? In this episode, Red Letter Christians UK co-director Faith Van Horne talks about her doctoral work of integrating Pentecostal and Feminist theologies to understand atonement doctrine through the lens of sexual abuse survivors and the communities that support them.

A lot of us have a complicated relationship with prayer. In this episode Joe talks about how prayer fits into his deconstruction journey.

Deconstruction is all about asking questions. In this episode, Joe asks whether the biblical story of the "fall" from which the doctrine of original sin emerges should be considered less about disobedience than about exploitation.

What does an online church for nerds, geeks, and gamers look like? Rev. Nathan Webb of Checkpoint Church talks with Joe about digital community built around YouTube, Twitch, and Discord in a context often shunned by traditional religious institutions. Visit Checkpoint's website for links to everything they're up to.

The colonization of the central Appalachian coalfields by extractive industries left scars on both the land and the people of the region, but it also left a rich heritage of resistance and perseverance. In this episode, Kenzie Walker of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum talks with Joe and Brad about the importance of preserving that heritage, its impacts on the broader American labor movement, an...

In this Pride Month 2022 episode, Joe and co-host Jenny Williams chat with West Virginia University Social Work professor Dr. Megan Gandy about LGBTQ+ people and faith communities, her own experience with religious trauma, and the importance of belonging and community beyond dogma and doctrine. You can read about Megan's research on the topic at this link: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2021/07/...

We've all heard that laughter is the best medicine, but what if there are elements from comedy that can actually help us navigate everything from business relationships to recovery and even the way we encounter faith and spirituality? In this special Pride Month episode, Marcy Bain, Lisa Bany, and Brian Reed from Improv Therapy Group bring their experiences from the famed Second City school of imp...

A theology of place is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, yet modern Christians have largely compartmentalized it away from their primary spiritual theology. In this episode, Rev. Zac Morton talks with Joe and Brad about what an Appalachian-specific EcoTheology looks like in a holistic sense, including food & housing justice. View Zac's sermon from May 22, 2022 here (sermon starts at 11:15)

Navigating the tension between knowing that the pursuit of justice and liberation is a long game and actively working toward them can be overwhelming. In this episode, Joe talks about how a largely overlooked line from a widely misused passage from the book of Jeremiah elevates the sacred work of nonviolent resistance.

Singer-songwriter Jonathon Dewveall returns to talk with Joe about his new song and video, "Slave Owner's Gospel" and the work of anti-racism that it grew out of. Listen all the way to the end for an extended clip of the song, and check out the following places to hear the full version, view the video, and connect with Jonathon: Website: https://jdewveall.com/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/gXCpX1AzB0k...

As we've just completed the Christian season of Lent, hosts Joe Webb and Brad Davis look back on the drama of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter and discuss how it plays out as liberationist political subversion beyond being merely a series of spiritual stories.

Out MOV is a non-profit organization that serves the social needs of and advocates politically for the LGBTQIA+ community of the Mid Ohio Valley in Wood County, WV and Washington County, OH. Jeanne Peters, a founding member and current vice president, joins Joe for this episode to talk about why events and activities are critical to community building, the importance of intersectionality in advoca...

It's pretty clear that most churches and church leaders really don't understand spiritual and religious deconstruction. They tend to either vilify it on the one hand or try to co-opt and mollycoddle it on the other. In this episode, Joe lists the top 5 things he (as a pastor) wishes the church understood about deconstruction and how embracing deconstruction would be good for the church.

Is there an intersection between the Enneagram and spiritual deconstruction? In this episode Joe talks with Enneagram coach Sarah Farish (Instagram: @enneagal ) about how using the Enneagram as a tool for self-discovery helps us understand not only ourselves better, but others...and helps us contextualize our individual and communal spiritual journeys.

What is Progressive Christianity? There's probably more to it than you think! In this episode Joe and guest co-host Brad Davis talk with Josh Scott of Gracepointe Church in Nashville, TN, about the deep theology that informs the Progressive Christian movement and explore the concept of Jesus as not only a spiritual leader, but a true first-century organizer.

The cost of wheelchair adaptations for vehicles can often be prohibitive for people who need them. That's why Rev. Chris Wylie produced his album under the name DJ Pastor Rock, "Rolling Nation," to raise money to help people purchase the equipment they need to make transportation more accessible. Learn more at RollingNation.net

Is science the next religion? Retired United Methodist pastor Jim Norton thinks the answer is yes, and it can have a massive influence on the world of faith and spirituality. In this episode, Jim talks with Joe and Brandon about how discoveries in the realms of quantum physics dovetail with the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh to teach us how all things are both unified and eternal.

Everyone loves Christmas, right? Except there are always those things that get under our skin during the holidays. In this episode, the Accidental Tomatoes content team takes a very tounge-in-cheek look at the things we hate about Christmas. Please don't take us too seriously...we certainly don't!

The women of Appalachia have something to say, and our guest for this episode is giving them a place to say it! Alicia Matheney Beeson of the Wild & Wonderful Women of West Virginia Podcast joins Joe and Brandon to talk about why it's so important for the world to listen to the women leading new generations of Appalachians.