Misfit Faith

In this episode I continue our series on what the church needs to do in order to be able to speak meaningfully into the lives of people in a post-Christian culture. I address the problem of evil and the oft-cavalier Christian response to it. I chat with fellow ex-pastor Jonathan Hays about his experience navigating this issue, and then answer a caller’s question about why Jesus’ death was considered a sacrifice. The episode ends with the admission that Intelligent Design might be BS after all.

Episode #21 of the Misfit Faith Podcast continues our series on how the church can survive in a post-Christian culture. I address the issue of power, showing how American Christianity is just the latest expression of humanity’s age-old principle of “might makes right.” I suggest a better way forward, and then share a clip from Drunk Ex-Pastors in which Christian and I seek to comfort a caller who is stuck in a cycle of guilt and shame. I end the show with a rant against Family Ties. Yeah, the TV show.

Episode #20 of Misfit Faith begins a new series on how Christianity can survive in our twenty-first century postmodern culture. I address the various ways we might respond to this challenge, and then chat with Seth Taylor about the church's fear of the body and of the material world. I answer a listener's questions about priestly celibacy and the threat of hell, and end the episode with some straight-talk about how damn old we all are.

In this episode of Misfit Faith I offer a brief reflection on the degree to which many tend to understand the Christian life according to an “economic model” (which basically means it’s all one big eternal quid pro quo where we scratch God’s back by being good and he scratches ours by admitting us into heaven). I chat with author and historian Diana Butler Bass about her new book, Grateful, after which I get a call from a U2 fan. I end the episode by pointing out how lame kids are these days.

In episode #18 of the Misfit Faith podcast I suggest a couple distinct approaches to the issue of resurrection (one I hope is right and the other I expect probably is). I then speak at length with world renowned Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan about his new book, Resurrecting Easter, discussing whether the western Church’s art depicting Easter morning betrays a subtle but important mistake that the Church in the East avoided. Also, suburban churches suck.

In this episode of Misfit Faith I share a few suggestions for how to read the Bible without expecting it to play by the rules of a game it has no stake in (as in, it’s not a history book as we understand that term). I chat with author Derek Flood about his book, Disarming Scripture, and then take a call about why I don’t play my Catholic Card more often. I end the show with a challenge to Hollywood to do a better job mocking us.

Episode #16 of Misfit Faith tackles the issue of the New Testament canon — what good are concepts like biblical inspiration and inerrancy when we can’t even be sure which books to apply them to? I am joined by Mark Shea, who walks us through this thorny issue. I take a call about whether we should be open to including newly-unearthed texts in our existing Bibles (should they be discovered), and end the episode by insisting that I’m not a racist or misogynist, I swear.

In this episode we continue our series on the Bible, exploring issues such as whether God is in the business of mauling little children with bears or murdering innocent people because his prophet lost a bet. We are joined by Jared Byas, who shares his insight into how to tackle some of these Old Testament accounts that depict God as an unhinged maniac. With the help of a caller I rediscover my true pastoral calling, and end the episode with a rant about that thing of when showers just get way too fancy.

Episode #14 of Misfit Faith begins a short series on the Bible in which we will tackle questions like, “How do we know that Scripture’s Table of Contents is accurate?”; “Why doesn’t the New Testament condemn slavery?”; and in this episode, “Why does the God of the Hebrews seem so pissed off most of the time?” I speak with writer and scholar Brad Jersak about this issue, and then answer a listener’s question about Fake News. Lastly, I end the episode by politely declining your request for m

Episode #13 of the Misfit Faith podcast addresses the dangers of the evangelical obsession with high-octane spirituality and in its place suggests pursuing a form of life that is a bit more mundane and earthy. I chat with Matt Polley (1/3 of the Inglorious Pasterds) about the divinity of tobacco and Scotch, after which I answer a listener’s question about Process Theology. Lastly, our “Jason Needs a Minute” segment coins the terms “shell shards” and “nut dust.”

In episode #12 of Misfit Faith we turn our attention to the "new sexual revolution" and the hookup culture it generates. I chat with actor and writer Donna Provencher about her perspective on masculinity, femininity, and whether random relationship-less sex is really satisfying for those who engage in it. I answer a listener's call about how sexual Jesus actually was, and then end the episode with my "Jason Needs a Minute" segment in which I address the recent school shooting in Florida.

Episode #11 begins with a continuation my reflection on what spirituality would look like if built from the ground up, this time applying the thought-experiment to Catholicism in particular. I chat with pastor and free-thinker Bryan Stupar about which theological ideas have helped him dignify, rather than vilify, the other, and then take question about social justice in Scripture. Lastly, my “Jason Needs a Minute” segment addresses how hard some Christians make it not to drop dead of a massive stroke.

In episode #10 of the Misfit Faith podcast I suggest a thought experiment according to which we build our theology from the ground up rather than it being imposed from the top down. I chat with my Drunk Ex-Pastors co-host, Christian Kingery, and then take a call from a listener about the hypocrisy of the so-called Pro-Life movement. Finally, in my "Jason Needs a Minute" segment I call for a uniform definition of what "bite-sized" actually means, because this is getting ridiculous.

In episode #9 of Misfit Faith I address the topic of a supposedly all-powerful God and the existence of suffering and evil in the world. I chat with the infamous pastor of Eastlake Church, Ryan Meeks, about this issue (and what he has to say may surprise you). I answer a listener's call about Pope Francis's recent remarks about the victims of sexual abuse, and our "Jason Needs a Minute" segment laments how damn old I am getting.

In episode #8 of Misfit Faith I tackle the issue of what happens when American Christianity screws the pooch, craps the bed, jumps the shark, or whatever other colorful metaphor you want for losing its credibility and moral authority. I chat with long-time friend John Terranova about his own loss of faith, and then answer a question about so-called divine guidance. Lastly, our “Jason Needs a Minute” segment highlights the plight of the modern day cigar smoker.