Podcast #40: Kids: Love Them Enough to Kill Them!

So this is 40, meaning Drunk Ex-Pastors is now officially old (like a 40 year-old man or a 27 year-old woman [hey, don’t shoot the cultural messenger]). In this episode, Jason and Christian celebrate their geriatric status by swapping stories about shaving and unwanted body hair. We then bicker about whether Christian’s constant interrupting of Jason is due to the latter’s verbosity or the former’s impatience, both of which we trust are incredibly endearing. We then consider an alternative voting system that makes enough sense to never be implemented in a million years, after which we tackle the issue of money in politics. A listener’s question about the so-called “age of accountability” opens up a massive can of worms, leaving Jason … [Read more...]

Podcast #39: Leave the Driving to Us

In this episode, the Drunk Ex-Pastors do their best to live up to their names (Christian introduces a new cocktail to the arsenal, while Jason does his part by drinking several margaritas before show time). After briefly revisiting the issue of police brutality, we let our inner Californians show by divulging some of our driving habits, including the theory that driving twice the speed limit reduces one’s chances of getting a speeding ticket by half (math is hard). The DXPs then share some tips for avoiding traffic fines and ignoring overly-inquisitive borders patrol guards, as well as give a bit of insight into why we ignore all of your Facebook friend-requests. We take a listener call about whether we are prejudiced against Islam, that … [Read more...]

Podcast #38: Police Brutality, Jesus’ Identity, and Faith vs. Science

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, Jason and Christian discuss the various forms of police brutality that have been making headlines of late (yeah, yeah, we know: Not all cops are bad cops. But the way things are going, the po-po’s gotta earn the benefit of the doubt rather than being given it). We then discuss C.S. Lewis’s argument that Christ is either “a liar, a lunatic, or Lord,” and even listen to Bono’s version of the trilemma, and yet Christian still manages to harden his heart and resist the holy and inspired Word of Bono. And God. We take a listener call about the relation of faith to science and, much to Christian’s annoyance, Jason takes a completely reasonable and intellectually respectable position that refuses to see any … [Read more...]

Podcast #37: Heartsickness, Respect, and Divine Fatherhood

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, we witness a stunning turning-of-the-tables as Jason (the happy one) seeks to cheer up his pal Christian (the sad one). Once “Let Go, Let God” has done its job, the DXPs offer their condolences to a heartbroken caller, reflecting on the fact that, deep down, we’re all still lovesick teenagers. Christian then begins a drunken retraction of last week’s intolerance, only to change his mind and dig his heels, insisting that it’s human nature to blur the line between respecting a person and respecting his ideas (Jason reluctantly kind of agrees, but is mostly just amused at his BFF’s drunken demeanor). Christian reads a selection from Jason’s forthcoming book in which he argues that God’s archetypal … [Read more...]

Podcast #36: Safe Sex, Solo Sex, and a Bunch of Other Kinds of Sex

So this is the episode where we talk about sex (and true to form, the DXPs leave no stone unturned. Perhaps we should call ourselves the DXXXPs?). We tackle extramarital relations, masturbation, contraception, Onanism, homosexuality, and whether sex-for-pleasure is actually more human than animalistic (with Christian giving a rousing defense of his views and Jason giving a half-hearted one of his). This leads into a debate about whether a family should adjust the amount of children they have to their desired lifestyle, or the other way around. We take a caller’s question about fraternities, which springboards into a discussion about the racism and misogyny not only of SAE but of the Greek system as a whole. Christian’s bieber shows him … [Read more...]

Podcast #35: Humorless Apologists, Genocide vs. Foreskins, and the Myth of Monogamy

In episode #35 of Drunk Ex-Pastors, Jason and Christian address one of the former’s most well-known detractors (a man who is far more concerned about Jason’s Catholicism than he is about Christian’s “agnosticism, or atheism, or whatever”). We then tackle some listener questions about which religions tend to be most progressive, as well as about how to question your faith without rocking the boat (something Jason knows absolutely nothing about). Another voicemail leads to a discussion about whether business owners whose religious convictions preclude them from serving gays are douches, or morally principled douches. Since we wouldn’t be DXPs without veering into theological topics, we then discuss which command is harder for God to get his … [Read more...]

Podcast #34: Occultism, Religious Persecution, and Rock & Roll

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, our correction of a misstatement about the occult leads to a discussion about whether religious rationalism spelled the triumph of Muggles over Magic. We then revisit our favorite Monster Energy Drink conspiracy theorist and watch in horror as she blows her shot at web redemption (and perhaps divine redemption as well), and then wind up agreeing with an online Christian pundit who bemoans the rabid persecution of American believers (don’t worry, there is irony involved). We turn our attention to the issue of capital punishment, agreeing on our conclusion while differing on how we each arrived at it (Jason’s position is bound up in the dignity of the human person, while Christian’s just comes down to … [Read more...]

Podcast #33: Cults, Shrinking Christianity, and Emotional Atheism

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors one of your hosts, due to an impromptu get-together that was completely outside his control, may have prefunked just a tad more than usual (but he holds it together quite well, really, despite imbibing something like five drinks beforehand). We consider ten characteristics of a cult and seek to determine whether our old megachurch, Calvary Chapel, fits the bill, and then launch into a discussion of whether Christianity is shrinking and why. Jason answers one listener’s question about crazy preaching stories with a tale involving the New York Yankees and the Albanian mob, and Christian agrees with another caller’s comparison of theism to belief in the Tooth Fairy who, apparently, isn’t real either. This … [Read more...]

Podcast #32: Bondage, Christian Privilege, and the Divine Lisp

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors Christian, despite his best efforts, continues to be used by God, an arrow in the quiver of the Almighty if you will (this goes for Jason as well, but unlike his agnostic co-host, he is merely indifferent about this rather than annoyed). The DXPs then discuss the film Fifty Shades of Grey and try to determine whether to dislike it because it’s so rapey, or simply because it sucks. Their attention then turns, as it should, to the power of the Big Paleo lobby whose “scientific research” into the “existence” of “dinosaurs” makes them the single greatest threat to our way of life since The Pentavaret itself. The issue of Christian privilege is then discussed (as well as the Fundamentalist martyr complex … [Read more...]

Podcast #31: Nihilism, Dinosaurs, and Church Dress Codes

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, Jason renounces Christianity and decides to try nihilism on for size (God, he has learned, is only worth worshiping if he makes our lives easy and comfortable and gives us everything we want). But don’t worry, we’re sure he’ll return to the fold. Christian then recounts a harrowing tale from Vegas involving a Scandinavian snowman on the attack, and the DXPs delve into the thorny issue of whether believers should be “against” dinosaurs, or just ignore them altogether. The discussion turns to gambling and whether it’s really as sinful as religion has portrayed it over the years. Speaking of religion, we learn in this episode what’s really behind Christian’s utter disdain for Jesus (hint: it involves … [Read more...]