Drunk Ex-Pastors

In our Religion Block we hear from a caller who asks why God can denounce empty and pious platitudes from Christians who refuse to actually help the needy, while he himself rarely seems to show up in times of trouble. In response we suggest that perhaps God only helps the poor by means of his people, and that he neither afflicts nor heals anyone directly (which is why Dietrich Bonhoeffer insisted...

In this week's Politics Block we discuss Elon Musk's claim that President Trump's name is in the infamous Epstein files. Springboarding from there, we discuss the various blackmail operations that intelligence agencies such as the Mossad and C.I.A. regularly engage in, suggesting that the Diddy case may be such an example.

In this week's Culture Block we talk about AI and its potential effects on Hollywood and the film industry, as well as the number of erstwhile human jobs it will make redundant. We then discuss a recent reel about The Wonder Years and whether something like that could be made today.

In our Religion Block we share a new "Pastor Jack's Off" segment, this time hearing Jack Hibbs insist that all non-believers share a vehement hatred of evangelical Christians, but that the latter must endure that hatred out of love for God. Unfortunately for Pastor Jack, if he is in fact "hated," it has absolutely nothing to do with his so-called faithfulness to Christ and everything to do with hi...

In this week's Politics Block we discuss a new proposal by the San Francisco School District to drastically lower academic standards in an effort to create equity. We share our frustration with the school system as it currently stands, as well as highlight the systemic challenges that educators today face.

In this week's Culture Block we consider Scott Galloway's take on current dating statistics, particularly women's standards for prospective male partners, as well as precisely how ideal a possible partner has to be in order to continue the relationship.    

In our Religion Block we talk about the propriety of the Christian waiting for a "Superbeing" to save him, and apply Bonhoeffer's "Religionless Christianity" to this issue. We then hear from a caller asking for clarification on what "dogma" is and what it means to say that it cannot be changed.

In this week's Politics Block we take a call from a listener asking about the Save Act and what, if any, restrictions should be placed on potential voters' rights. We then discuss Trump's "Big Beautiful Tax Bill," seeking to determine just how progressive or regressive it actually is. We close with a brief teaser about the effect Modern Monetary Theory might have on the tax issue.

In this week's Culture Block we hear from a listener expressing some doubts about the legitimacy of Deadbots, which springboards into a conversation regarding just how helpful AI really is. We discuss the potentially dangerous ramifications of outsourcing our mental skills to computers, and where this could potentially leave us if continued unchecked.  

In our Religion Block we hear from Pastor Jack Hibbs about how horrible it is for Muslims to create their own cultural and religious ghettos (even though when Christians and Jews do it it's perfectly fine). We springboard to immigration and discuss the proper relationship of the one to the many.  

In this week's Politics Block we engage with Bill Maher's latest "New Rule" on the topic of liberals insisting on purity tests to judge how enlightened and woke their fellow Democrats are. We also apply this to the dating world, where a similar dynamic exists.

In this week's Culture Block we discuss the latest AI marvel: "Deadbots," which enable grieving people to continue "talking" with their deceased loved ones. We weigh in on whether this is a good or bad thing, as well as its potential abuses.

In our Religion Block we talk about Bishop Robert Prevost's election to the papacy as Pope Leo XIV, addressing the question of to what degree, if any, the conservative trajectory among American Catholics informed or influenced the Vatican's decision to choose him to fill the office.

In this week's Politics Block we share some firsthand experience of how broken our health care system is in this country, and then we hear from a listener with some push-back against our coverage of Bill Maher's experience having dinner with Trump at the White House.

In this week's Culture Block we continue our discussion about the five albums that have had the greatest personal impact on our lives, albums that we have listened to from start to finish more often than any others.

In our Religion Block we address a question from a patron about balancing an admiration of the Catholic Church with a healthy and Exilic suspicion of Empire. We then launch into another segment of "Pastor Jack's Off," during which we laugh at Pastor Jack Hibbs's attempt at explaining Good Friday. 

In DXP's Politics Block we discuss the historic polling about Trump's performance after his first 100 days in office, as well as how trustworthy and helpful polling such as this is.

In this week's Culture Block we discuss the five albums that have had the greatest personal impact on our lives, albums that we have listened to from start to finish more often than any others.

In this week's Religion Block we listen to Pastor Jack Hibbs's report of the death of Pope Francis, discussing the former's insistence on the pope being born again as well as the connection between the papacy and the Exile/Empire paradigm outlined in our last Religion Block. Jason then addresses some questions from our patrons about the issue of Sola Scriptura.

In this week's DXP Politics Block we discuss Bill Maher's recounting of his visit to the White House and spending a few hours with his mortal enemy, Donald Trump. We reflect on Maher's surprising (even to him) account of Trump's behavior and overall demeanor, as well as the question of whether he should have accepted the invitation in the first place.

In this week's DXP Culture Block we discuss the new film, The Sinner, which made Christian frustrated (not because he didn't like it, but because he didn't like it as much as the glowing reviews made him expect to). Then we turn our attention to the heroic, unprecedented, and death-defying trip that some celebrities took to space for eleven minutes or something.

In this week's Religion block of Drunk Ex-Pastors Jason sets forth a broad paradigm for looking at religion and Christian themes: Exile/Empire. We unpack the meanings of these categories and see how they apply to common themes found in evangelicalism such as dogma, canon, and essentials/non-essentials.

In this episode of DXP we dive into the tariffs discussion, pointing out their usefulness within the context of a fully-orbed commitment to American workers, while doubting their utility in isolation from such a plan. We also highlight the irony of so-called Leftists praising free trade agreements. 

With this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we are trying out a new format! In this first of three weekly blocks we focus on culture, and specifically the sexual assault and rape case against English comedian and political commentator Russell Brand. We reflect on the odd nature of the timeline of events leading to the charges being filed, as well as the challenging nature of these types of cases (especi...

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we continue our trip down memory lane, highlighting the movies we have seen that have had a big impact on our lives. We focus on the years 2007 to the present day, chatting about Interstellar, Whiplash, About Time, Midnight in Paris, and lots of others.