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. … [Read more...]
Podcast #521, Culture: On Sinners and “Astronauts”
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. … [Read more...]
Podcast #520, Religion: Exile & Empire
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. … [Read more...]
Podcast #519, Politics: What Do Tariffs Alone Accomplish?
In this episode we dive into the tariffs discussion, pointing out their usefulness in the context of a true commitment to the American worker as well as their problems when isolated from such a plan. We also highlight the irony of so-called Leftists praising free trade agreements. … [Read more...]
Podcast #518, Culture: The Case against Russell Brand
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 (especially when focused on events from several decades ago. … [Read more...]
Unity is Overrated
The 2020 election has been called today for Joe Biden, and already we are hearing Trump supporters and other Republicans lecturing us about unity. John Kasich is warning us about whom the president-elect must consider (and must not consider) for his cabinet, The Independent is urging Biden to pardon his predecessor "for the good of us all," and Rick Santorum is on CNN insisting that we all need to give Republicans and Trump sufficient time to "sort through their feelings" about having lost the election. To quote, oh I don't know, every single MAGA person for the last four years, "Fuck Your Feelings." Sorry, but unity is not on the table. It's not about being sore winners, it's just that a lot of Americans are busy mourning the deaths … [Read more...]
Game of Thrones, Collapse of Empire
Since Game of Thrones officially ended a year ago I have read or watched countless reviews of the series as a whole, most of which followed a similar trajectory: “It started out great and stayed good for four or five seasons, but then it jumped the shark, and the end was so bad that it ruined the entire show.” Well, I just finished rewatching all eight seasons of the series for the first time after knowing how it all ends, and I would like to offer a bit of push-back on all the melancholy and lamentation. Before I jump in let me just get this out of the way: Yes, the last couple seasons were incredibly rushed, and a lot of the plot- and character development suffered for it. The defeat of the Night King and his Army of the … [Read more...]
Don’t Love God, Love the World Instead
I have given little hints here and there to the fact that my experience with God is largely characterized by divine absence, the “real absence of Christ” (to subvert a well-known theological formula). In short, the “every hair of your head” and “not a sparrow falls” passages resonated very little with me, if at all, while the one about his giving sunrise and rainfall indiscriminately to all made more sense. Shit happens, is what I’m saying. And it’s all pretty random, so don’t try to interpret Providence or expect God to be overly doting or attentive. (Read More) … [Read more...]
Scientists and Superstitious Simpletons
I am sick and tired of hearing about the supposed “objectivity” of science and scientific inquiry. The claim goes like this: Belief systems, whether religious or secular, deal in supernatural issues like the afterlife, morality, and the state of the soul. Science, on the other hand, deals in brute facts, and therefore needs to be taken seriously. It’s an incredibly modern kind of claim, if you think about it. And I am just postmodern enough to be suspicious of it. (Read More) … [Read more...]
Podcast #54: Nouveau Bros, Neo, and Islamic Extremists
In this episode, the DXPs try to determine whether they are a part of a new-fangled cultural demographic that they eventually conclude is mostly BS (but at times eerily specific and correct in its description of them). We then spend some time on the long past-due topic of Keanu Reeves (you’re welcome), after which we take listener voicemails about agnosticism and whether Cherokees and Catholics can date. We then turn our attention to the deaths of the four U.S. Marines killed by Islamic extremists (or were they just everyday, garden-variety Muslims?), discussing: (1) whether America should retaliate for this attack; (2) whether this attack was retaliation for some other attack we already did; (3) whether that previous attack, for which this … [Read more...]