Accidental Tomatoes

While the institutional church struggles to adapt its content to an increasingly online audience, new forms of community are emerging that start from the digital space and grow into all new paradigms of how experience can be shared in virtual spaces. In this episode, innovator James Kang of Pastoria.co talks with Joe and Brandon about how asynchronous content can form the basis for experiential co...

If the #hollergospel is about bringing people up from the low places in the world, Brad Davis knows it well because he's been there. In this episode, Brad talks openly and frankly about his time as a drug dealer in the Southern West Virginia coalfields, the almost inescapable spiral of fear and hopelessness of the drug culture, and what motivates him to be part of the solution in a region that see...

Joe and Brandon preview Season 3 of the podcast, discussing upcoming guests, plans for new features on the accidentaltomatoes.com website, as well as their favorite Halloween costumes and their aversion to horror movies.

As we continue to prepare for our upcoming third season, we revisit one of our favorite episodes from Season 1 where Joe interviewed social justice activist and author Shane Claiborne in a wide-ranging conversation covering issues from the Sermon on the Mount to gun violence and the death penalty to the Christian response to injustice in the world.

In this re-airing from Season 1 Episode 21, Joe talks with public advocacy specialist Dr. Tomeka Robinson of Hofstra University about why it’s important to center the voices of the marginalized in conversations around justice and equality and the role intersectionality plays in our exercise of privilege.

While we take a short hiatus from new episodes before launching Season 3, we revisit our most-downloaded episode from our first two seasons: Spiritual Trauma with Emily (Stuart) Davey. If you or someone you know has been shamed or ostracized by a religious community or institution, or if you feel like you just don’t fit in those places anymore, this episode is for you.

What if a faith community could see all of its resources—money, time, or access to services—as equal and valid? What if churches asked their neighbors what they need before presuming how to help them? In this episode, Rev. Wendy Hudson of Two Rivers Church in Charleston, SC talks about mutual aid, decolonizing mission, and how her community compensates people from historically marginalized groups...

You've seen his cartoons. You've admired his paintings. You've read his books. Now, hear his story! "Naked Pastor" David Hayward sits down with Brandon and Joe to talk about deconstruction, reconstruction, faith development, and how community is at the center of it all. Check out all of David's work at nakedpastor.com

Do all faith traditions lead to the same destination? Or is the idea that all spiritual roads lead to the same place itself insufficient? In this episode we welcome back West Virginia University Sociology Professor Jim Nolan to talk about his concept of the “Temple of Truth” and how different perspectives and entry points lead not to the same place, but deeply into each other. BONUS: Jim shares hi...

We all like to talk about music and our favorite bands and artists. But what if experiencing music in an intimate setting could be the launchpad for meaningful conversations about life, faith, justice, and everything in between? In this episode, singer-songwriter Jonathon Dewveall talks about how music has the freedom to ask questions without requiring answers and how his “In The Corner” virtual h...

With tensions regarding police violence on the rise, we’ve seen lots of conversation about how to reform policing or even redistribute funding from certain areas of police activity to other types of support agencies. But former police officer Dr. Jim Nolan , professor of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University and author of two in-depth books on police reform, says the real solution...

Pride Month continues at Accidental Tomatoes as Queer clergyperson Sam Blewis talks with Joe about "The Sacred Act of Neighboring," a way of building community around authentic friendships and deep vulnerability.

Our Pride Month celebration continues with a fascinating interview with Isaac Simmons, whose drag persona, Ms. Penny Cost, is bringing an unexpected encounter with the divine to LGBTQ folks and allies across the country. In this episode Isaac talks to Joe and Brandon about how the art form of drag can reclaim religious language within queer spaces and how he's able to redirect negative criticism i...

In this episode, Joe and Brandon talk to Amy Jo Hutchinson and Sr. Quincy Howard of Faithful Democracy about the For The People Act, a massive piece of voting rights and election reform legislation now before Congress, and why it’s important for communities and people of all kinds of faith expressions to know about and support it. You can sign on to a letter in support of the act to West Virginia’...

Beer and Hymns may not exactly go together like peanut butter and jelly, but for people seeking spiritual community outside the confines of institutional religion, it's a way to come together for an experience unlike any other! In this episode Joe and Brandon talk with Rich and Alise Chaffins, organizers of Beer and Hymns in Morgantown, WV, about how and why these gatherings are so meaningful for...

In this episode Joe welcomes new podcast co-host Brandon Wood ( Hey Mom Everything's Alright ) and content creators Jenny Williams (Episodes 24 & 25 ), Brad Davis ( Episode 27 ), and Heather Moore ( Episode 36 ) for a conversation about how deconstruction and justice-seeking go together and our plans for new material on the blog side of the Accidental Tomatoes content site.

Environmental justice is more than just environmentalism...it sits at the intersection of ecological concerns, culture, race, gender & sexuality, economics, politics, faith, and societal norms. In this episode, environmental justice activist Chett Pritchett joins Joe for a wide-ranging conversation about the complexities and nuances of the environmental justice movement.

Is "Weird Church" really weird? Or is it just a more authentic way of building community around friendships and vulnerability? Pastor and gamer nerd Heather Moore joins Joe for a conversation about how the metaphorical kids' table of the church is quickly becoming the main seating area.

Rabbi Victor Urecki returns to the Accidental Tomatoes Podcast in this episode for a conversation about how the Passover and Easter narratives gain deeper meaning when viewed through an interfaith lens with the Jewish and Christian traditions in dialogue with one another...PLUS, a bonus conversation on the theology of WandaVision!

In this episode Joe welcomes Ginny McKinney of Marshmallow Ranch for a conversation about how loss and grief inspired her to start a new kind of online community, how her faith experience informs her work, and the importance of building relationships through common context.

Musician and podcaster Brandon Wood ( Hey Mom, Everything's Alright , brandonwoodmusic.com ) sits down with Joe to talk about surviving spiritual abuse, thriving and creating through deconstruction, and making music in all kinds of places. Hear the world premier of Brandon's new single "Not My Home Anymore" and stick around for a special announcement at the end of the episode!

In this episode, Joe talks with disability advocate Rev. Chris Wylie about his experiences with ableism and how disability narratives in scripture can change our individual and cultural perspectives.

Rublev's Trinity is one of the, well, most iconic of Russian Orthodox icons. In this episode Joe talks with Rev. Dr. John Smith about his book on Rublev's Trinity, his work with Orphan's Tree in Russia, and how iconography can help people in spiritual deconstruction rediscover an experience of the divine.

In this episode cross-posted from Social Thread , we invite you to drop in on a conversation between Accidental Tomatoes host Joe Webb and Social Thread hosts Rob Rynders and Robert Payne about the new, non-traditional types of faith communities they're imagining and creating and Rob's research into what motivates people in various religious contexts. (This episode was originally aired on the Soci...

In this episode Joe has a conversation with Charleston WV Rabbi Victor Urecki about the importance of interfaith dialogue and how it can help people of all faith backgrounds better understand their own traditions and sacred texts, and how a robust interfaith conversation can benefit the common good for our society.