Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible

Send us Fan Mail CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers. -- This week we’re in John 1:29–42 (Second Sunday after E...

Send us Fan Mail CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers. -- In this Short Take episode, we turn to the Gospel read...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do with a gospel that doesn’t tell the Christmas story, starts before time , and keeps circling back on itself like it’s thinking out loud? In this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible , we dive into the opening of Gospel of John—a text that is beautiful, frustrating, poetic, and dense all at once. Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by Pittsburgh...

Send us Fan Mail The First Sunday of Christmas isn’t all angels, carols, and gentle joy. In this Short Take, pastors and comedians Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) join the conversation as we sit with one of the hardest gospel readings of the season — the flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents. It’s a text many preachers quietly dread, because it refuses to o...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to say yes when the cost is public scandal? In this Advent 4 episode, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by comedians John Benkart (@johnbenkartcomedy) and Roy Gloeckle (@royjay.comedy) to wrestle with Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth—the version that centers not on Mary’s announcement, but on Joseph’s quiet, risky obedience . Along the way, the conv...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 kicks off with the return of our Resident Comic Theologians, Abby Evans and Erick Williams, as we dive straight into Matthew 11—the part where John the Baptist is in prison, Jesus sounds like Columbo, and nobody can agree how many Highlander films are canon. Along the way we cover: Advent, aka the spiciest, wokest liturgical calendar season Why some churches still have a...

Send us Fan Mail In the Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible Season 2 finale, we start with bidets and end with Bob in wedge heels. In between, comedians Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) and Cassi Bruno (@cassi_dicci) bring stories of improv, sarcasm, and church-gone-sideways as we dive into Luke 13 and a Jesus who heals on the Sabbath like a first-century chiropractor. Eric insults the guests...

Send us Fan Mail It’s our last Short Take of the season, and Luke 12:49–56 is bringing the heat — literally. Jesus says he came to bring fire to the earth and division to households, not peace. We unpack what that means without sliding into persecution cosplay, and why this isn’t just a “Buddy Jesus” moment but a glimpse of a stressed-out, fully human Messiah. Along the way, the conversation zigs:...

Send us Fan Mail This week, our sacred text is drawn from Luke’s Gospel—an invitation to stay awake, gird one's loins, sell one’s possessions, and fear not. But when Bob insists on reading it in the King James Version, all theological decorum unravels. Eric breaks. Cassi drowns in a sea of “comeths.” Harriet, ever the Anglican, remains composed for nearly three verses. What follows is an hour...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible: Short Take , our resident comic theologians Abby Evans and Erick Williams join Bob and Eric to face down one of Jesus’ sharpest parables—and things get weird fast. We’re talking Luke 12, where a man tries to rope Jesus into a family inheritance dispute and instead gets a barn-burning sermon on greed, mortality, and the dangers of...

Send us Fan Mail This week on CPTB, we're joined once again by chaos chemists Tim Ross and Alex Stypula —because once clearly wasn’t enough. We talk Lego addiction, the linguistic challenges of translating the Bible into Klingon, and what prayer is actually for (besides soothing Tim’s persecution complex). Plus: Alex dreams of a Catholic Dune reboot, Eric accidentally makes a serious theologi...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus stops by for dinner, and suddenly everyone’s got opinions. This week, Bob, Eric, Abby, and Erick dive into Luke 10:38–42 (the classic Mary and Martha showdown) and explore what hospitality really means—spiritually, socially, and awkwardly. Expect: A spicy takedown (and redemption) of performative hosting A surprising theological defense of love languages Jazz riffs on Jesus,...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we welcome Alex Stypula and Tim Ross , the chaos chemists behind the Milks of the World podcast, for an episode that may or may not be sanctioned by NATO. Come for the theological hot takes, stay for the GI Joe lore, Gettysburg hippies, and Tim’s relentless persecution complex. We dig into Luke 10:25–37 (The Good Samaritan)—a parable so familiar it’s practically a bumpe...

Send us Fan Mail In this Fourth of July weekend Short Take, Bob, Eric, Abby, and Erick dig into Luke 10 and the radical, communal vision of mission Jesus lays out—no purses, no sandals, just go and be present. Along the way, the crew explores what the lectionary conveniently skips (spoiler: fire and brimstone), the heresy of Americanism, and the difference between John Wayne Jesus and real-deal di...

Send us Fan Mail Comics Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) are back to discuss the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Topics include: Baby baptisms Cosplay crucifixions The calls of Peter and Paul This Week's Gospel: John 21:15–19 (NRSV) [15] When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to h...

Send us Fan Mail Resident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point! This Week's Reading: Luke 8:26–39 (NRSV) [26] Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. [27] As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the t...

Send us Fan Mail Comics Lou Pastorius (@notorious_pastorius) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) join us just in time. Topics include: New people in church. God's praise kink. The mystery of the Trinity. This Week's Gospel: John 16:12–15 (NRSV) [12] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for...

Send us Fan Mail Resident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point! This Week's Reading: Acts 2:1–21 (NRSV) [1] When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] Divided tongues, as of...

Send us Fan Mail Comics Vinny Palatucci (@vinnypalatucci) and Logan Gatensby are back for another round. Topics include: Running "the light" in comedy and preaching. The sexiness of Catholic worship. Jesus praying for his disciples. This Week's Gospel: John 17:20–26 (NRSV) [20] [Jesus prayed,] “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me thr...

Send us Fan Mail Resident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point! This Week's Gospel: John 14:23–29 (NRSV) [23] Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. [24] Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine,...

Send us Fan Mail Comics Vinny Palatucci (@vinnypalatucci) and Logan Gatensby join us on the pod. Topics include: Aristocratic animism. Heresies of heaven and hell. The pros and cons of being sheep. This Week's Gospel: John 13:31–35 (NRSV) [31] When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. [32] If God has been glorified in him, God...

Send us Fan Mail Bob is at the Festival of Homiletics this week. Too bad his gear (and the recording of this week's episode) is back home in Pittsburgh! We'll get the episode published by Friday morning. In the meanwhile, here's a little sample to tide you over. Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer. Join the community! Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com . Find us at @cptbp...

Send us Fan Mail Resident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point! This Week's Gospel: John 10:22–30 (NRSV) [22] At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, [23] and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. [24] So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us i...

Send us Fan Mail Comics Amanda Averell (@ amandaaverell ) and Zach Funk (@ zfunkyeah ) are back for another round! Topics include: Consensual hugs. The Veggie tales to Doctor Who pipeline. The roles of accountability and forgiveness in reconciliation. This Week's Gospel:  John 21:1–19 (NRSV) [1] After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he show...

Send us Fan Mail Resident comic theologians Erick and Abby join us for a short take. Let's get to the point! This Week's Gospel: John 20:19–31 (NRSV)  19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he...