What the Hell is a Pastor?

In which Ethan and Jo catch up and begin to analyze the potential of one of Jo's congregations. Curious about the analysis? A great place to start is with the Good Friday Collaborative's blog post, "Is Your Congregation Spiritually and Emotionally Strong?" Looking for that interview with Diane Kenaston, one of the Good Friday Collaborative's collaborators? It's called Com...

In which Ethan and Jo discuss a classic Batman movie. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com

In which Rev. Dr. Alina Gayeuski joins Jo to discuss her ministry journey, feminism, and her upcoming book, Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling . Read a sample of the book or preorder it directly here . Join in on the book launch festivities! Details shared here: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthestainedglassceiling Here's that video of male clergy reading things folks have said to female clergy...

In which Ethan and Jo discuss preparing for ICE actions in your community and whether clergy should be martyrs. The Patheos article we discuss is https://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2026/01/clergy-prepare-for-ice-guidance-from-minnesota-pastors/ The reporting we used for about the Episcopal bishops is https://religionnews.com/2026/01/15/two-episcopal-bishops-say-clergy-may-have-to-put-bodies...

In which Spanks and the Dude discuss AI.

In which Ethan and Jo discuss William James and American Pragmatism. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Jo and Pamela discuss the Hands Off protests, protest safety, intersectionality, and the roles clergy can play in protests. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo discuss what to do when ministries become too precious, folks become too unreliable, and your leadership style needs an overhaul. Want the full episode? Head to patreon.com/wthiap and sign up for just $5 a month! Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com

In which Spanks Rebok and the Dude discuss art, theology, and how we cannot separate ourselves from the things that have made us. The podcast Jo talks about is Weird Little Guys : https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-weird-little-guys-201395214/ Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo reflect on Jo's ordination for the inaugural episode of season 7. Want to read the service liturgy? You can do that here: https://www.ajschonewolf.com/home/ordination-service-outline Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Spanks and the Dude reach across time and space to discuss an experience the Dude had while reading scripture on Maundy Thursday. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo discuss what qualifies as systematic theology and discuss how to make your own theology more systematic. Want more? The full version of this episode is packed with theological nerdy goodness and is available on the patreon for only five dollars a month! https://www.patreon.com/posts/systematic-part-136240803 Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Deep Mac and the Dude discuss theological questions like, "How do we practice acceptance when the world needs to change?", "How does someone with a Messiah complex fit into a spiritual care group?", and most importantly, "How can anyone defend total depravity?" Find Miriam's book, Sacred Balance , wherever fine publications are sold. Find all things WTHIA...

In which Rev. Miriam Diephouse-McMillan joins Jo to discuss her ministry journey, her work as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital, and her new book, Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds , available where books are sold! Learn more about Miriam here: https://www.miriamdiephousemcmillan.com/ Get Sacred Balance here: https://chalicepress.com/products/sacred-balance-how-anci...

In which Caroline O'Neal, CEO of Reading Assist in Wilmington, DE, joins Jo to talk about service, community partnerships, and the crucial and solvable problem of literacy access in the US. Learn more about Reading Assist at https://readingassist.org/. Want to protect AmeriCorps? Tell your member of Congress about it here: https://voicesforservice.org/take-action/contact-congress/ Find all thi...

In which Dr. J. joins Spanks and the Dude to have the world's shortest fight about Methodism's newest denomination. Find all things WTHIAP at wthaip.com.

In which Jo and Ethan are joined by Dr. Jonathan LeMaster-Smith to talk about his call, his journey, Kairos University, disaster response, and being a Certified Lay Minister. You can find Dr. J on socials under his name or the handle rural_professor. Learn more about Kairos at https://kairos.edu/. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

Yes, it's longer than the regular episode. Yes, I could have cut it in half. Just pause it around 45 minutes and go for a walk and it'll feel the same. In which Spanks Rebok and the Dude discuss how to teach congregations about pain and God, based on the work of Japanese theologian Kazoh Kitamori, along with the pitfalls of love monism. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo discuss again the work of Japanese theologian Kazoh Kitamori and the connection between Mary the mother of Jesus's pain and loss and the experience of the Trinity. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Spanks and the Dude reflect on the early days of the MCU and why Kingpin makes such a good villain. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Spanks and the Dude continue their conversation about believing in the Risen Christ in an inter-religious world. Want 20 more minutes of content, plus some real great pastoral insights? Join us at patreon.com/wthiap and get access to the bonus episode, "Taking Up Space/The Klan." Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo reflect on the past couple of episodes and how Christianity interacts with the world. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Spanks Rebok and the Dude discuss the hallowing of God's name in Michalson and Forsyth. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Ethan and Jo discuss this clip from the Daily Show back in March , pastoral prayers, being magic, politics in the pulpit, and how good it is to see the Rock working again. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In which Pinball Wizard joins Spanks and the Dude to discuss his new book, ⁠ Life Among the Powers: A Political Spirituality of Resistance ⁠ , and the role the Gospel plays how we live out the ideas of his book. Want to get a sense of the book before diving into this episode? Read Rick's essay on the Wipf and Stock Publishers blog: ⁠https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2025/02/13/rick-elgendy-a-polit...