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 that the best thing for a Christian to do is to live as though God does not exist).

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 his politics.   

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 (especially when focused on events from several decades ago.  

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.  

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 1998 – 2007, chatting about the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Notebook, Garden State, and lots of others.

We begin this episode with some banter about the Lakers game that Jason took his dad to, and then we continue our respite from all things political and divisive by discussing the movies that most impacted us. This week we go from 1987-1997, talking about such films as Say Anything, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, and Good Will Hunting — sharing what we were going through at the time we saw them, how they affected us, and how we feel about them so many years later.

In this episode we take a much-needed break from politics and dedicate the majority of the episode to taking a walk down Movie-Memory Lane. We begin the year we each saw our very first movie in a theater (1977), and then list the films we remember seeing, why we enjoyed them, and how they impacted us. We make it to 1987, and will pick up from there in our next episode.

In this episode of DXP we hear from Christian about his latest visit to the ER, and Jason shares his final update on his mom. We discuss the Oscars and the issue of celebrity culture more broadly, wondering if the time of rich entertainers lecturing the public is finally over. We discuss the show Severance, and then hear from a caller about whether Trump dehumanizes immigrants.

We begin this episode of DXP by discussing Taylor Sheridan, and his shows Yellowstone and Land Man in particular. Christian shares what he has learned from Ancestry.com, and then gives us an Oscar update. We talk about the book Blind Spots, and then hear from a caller asking for clarity on our segment about Jon Stewart and the so-called fascism that so many are worried about.

We begin this episode with a discussion about various Oscar-nominated films, hardly any of which Jason has heard of. We briefly discuss the drama surrounding Blake Lively and the side effects of Ozempic, and then turn our attention to whether or not people on the right regret their vote for Trump. We touch on DOGE, Gaza, and USAID, and then hear from Jon Stewart about the dangers of perpetual overreaction and outrage.

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we talk about the fact that “fundamentalist” is not an inherently religious posture, but can be applied to politics as well. We discuss the film Emilia Perez, which critics love but audiences don't (presumably because every single one of them is a transphobe). We hear from a caller about his frustration over the mispronunciation of words, and play another voicemail about whether it is closedminded to refuse to listen to Jack Hibbs.

We begin this episode in the middle of a conversation about the blockbuster trade that the Lakers just pulled off, and quickly pivot to Elon Musk's “Nazi salute” during the presidential inauguration party, discussing whether or not Musk is actually a Nazi or just thinks they're cool. We listen to Bishop Budde's exhortation to Trump about being merciful to the downtrodden, and then springboard to the issue of immigration more broadly. Lastly, we hear from a caller about the proposed use of Guantanamo Bay to house immigrant criminals.

We spend most of this episode discussing the recent (but temporarily suspended) TikTok ban. We lay out why TikTok is unique and important and what might be the impetus behind the government's desire to ban TikTok. We discuss the "TikTok refugees" fleeing to RedNote, another social media platform actually owned by China, and the unfettered access it gives Americans into daily Chinese life and culture. We talk about how this is backfiring against the American government as Americans are beginning to realize that much of the government's concern over Chinese propaganda may actually be American propaganda.

We kick off this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors with an update about the health of Jason's mom (or lack thereof), which springboards into a discussion of death and how we cope with it. We talk about the Los Angeles fires and the public's reaction to wealthy people losing their homes, and then discuss the current state of political discourse and its partisan, tribal character. We conclude by reading the manifesto of the CEO shooter Luigi Mangione.

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we catch up on some listeners' voicemails. We discuss the issue of campaign promises and whether they reveal candidates' actual intentions, or if they're only generic indicators of their ideology. We talk about the intertwining of democracy and violence, expressing serious suspicion about whether the former is ever possible without the latter. Lastly we explore the relationship of wealth and power (as in, why do the obscenely rich continue to accumulate more and more?).

In this episode of DXP Christian forces Jason to take an online test without knowing what exactly is being tested. We discuss the recent extradition of folk hero (*I meant for folk hero to have a strikethrough*) vigilante Luigi Mangione, and wonder aloud whether his “manifesto” will ever be made public, as well as the disproportionate response to his actions compared to those whose crimes do not strike at the core of capitalist power. We talk about the media's feigned hand-wringing over the incoming administration being “the wealthiest in history,” and the conclude with a brief discussion about the coming TikTok ban.

In this episode of DXP we discuss the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione, as well as the latter's new status as an internet folk hero. We talk about the anniversary re-release of the film Interstellar, which leads to the recent appearance of mysterious drones over New Jersey and other cities. We address Trump's joke about Canada becoming our 51st state, and then weigh in on the Hunter Biden pardon.

In this episode we wrap up our post-election thoughts and discuss the fallout of our daring and unprecedented suggestion that we listen to our opponents with an open mind (gasp!). We address some of our listeners' concerns and pushback, offering some pushback of our own, ultimately concluding that charitable discourse begins with letting those across the aisle tell us what they're about rather than taking the word of those who hate them.

Drunk Ex-Pastors returns! In this episode we give a few teasers about what the show will look like going forward (greater focus on concrete segments, more frequent but shorter episodes, and so on). We then engage in some post-election analysis as well as personal introspection concerning how best to navigate the next four years (and step one will involve forming opinions about politicians based on how they describe themselves rather than how their enemies do).

In this 500th episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we hear from a listener who suggests that the two reasons someone might leave Christianity are either doctrinal or interpersonal. We then spend the bulk of the show discussing our political differences, including third-party voting, idealism vs. pragmatism, the value of campaign promises, and whether a Harris victory is a true victory for women. Biebers involve unnecessarily over-complicating tech that used to be simple, and scrubber brushes.

In this episode of DXP we address Jerry Seinfeld's recent retraction of his earlier insistence that wokeness makes comedy impossible. We hear from a listener asking about Neil deGrasse Tyson's formulation of the problem of evil, and then talk about Noah Yuval Harari's new book, Nexus, and what it has to say about the dangers of AI. Biebers involve thumbnails and spines.

In this episode of DXP we hear an update about Christian's hip surgery, which leads into the discussion about the potentially endless spiral of doctor's appointments that people often get sucked into. We discuss a few new films and TV shows, including The Substance, which Jason will never see. We discuss the current limits on free speech as well as whether there should be more, and then wonder aloud if Trump will free the country if he loses. Biebers involve Wordle and MacBooks.

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we sit down once again with author and journalist Katherine Stewart (with whom we also spoke just before the 2020 election). Katherine is an expert on the issue of Christian Nationalism, and our conversation touched upon topics such as the relationship of religion to power, Christian Nationalism vs. Islamic Extremism, and naturally, Jack Hibbs. Biebers involve logging in to apps and YouTube

We begin this episode of DXP hearing from Christian about his (alleged) epidural, which leads us down a rabbit trail about science fiction and the mystery of the human brain. We briefly discuss just how young the United States is (three people old to be exact). We discuss the theory of Panspermia (which is not as exciting as it sounds), and then launch into “Pastor Jack's Off.” Biebers focus upon pain pills and mouse skills.

We begin this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors with a recap of Christian's recent vacay to Asia, from which we springboard to whether it's okay to eat our pets. We discuss the new Max documentary, Wise Guy, about David Chase and The Sopranos, which leads into one of Jason's theories involving Goodfellas and The Godfather. “Pastor Jack's Off” returns, which involves a discussion about whether we're constantly overreacting to 9/11. Biebers involves restaurant tables and electric bills.

In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors we talk a bit about corporate sponsorship of literally everything, and then spend a fair bit of time dissecting the music and mythology of the band Twenty One Pilots, springboarding into issues surrounding power and the resistance to it. We listen to Pastor Jack being off (again), and then share biebers involving Facebook Pages and email responses.

We begin this episode with a brief rant about Amazon Alexa and how she's a useless horrible person who deserves to die. We then hear from a caller insisting that Jason should watch that new Godzilla movie. We take a call from another listener who is going through a divorce, so we share some of the ups and downs from our own lives. Another caller seeks to set the record straight about “Tampon Tim,” which leads to a short political rabbit trail. “Pastor Jack's Off” returns, and biebers involve throwing rocks and MS Outlook.

We begin this episode with a discussion of the new Beverly Hills Cop movie, springboarding to the issue of whether comics lose their edge as they get older. We revisit Brats, the recent documentary about Hollywood's “Brat Pack,” and then hear from a TikTokker about just how monumental the Trump assassination would have been had it succeeded. We discuss VP candidate Tim Walz, and then move on to “Pastor Jack's Off.” Biebers involve T-boning and police interrogations.   

Episode #491 starts with a discussion of the new show Dark Matter, and how it may just be a retelling of an old classic. We discuss the connection between music and nostalgia, and then debate the results of a new study that suggests that people's faces grow into their names over time. “Pastor Jack's Off” returns, demonstrating just how much evangelicals long for power, or proximity to it. Biebers involve farts and buttons.