What Divines Us

In this episode Rabbi Abram and Reverent Matt Shultz reflect on the vigil they organized to honor the unhoused individuals who passed away in Anchorage in 2023. Link to the vigil is here on facebook.   Abram and Matt next debate the importance of cemeteries in a community.   Then Abram and Matt revisit the conflict in the Middle East. They debate the meaning of a ceasefire. Rabbi Abram illustrates how harmful this war has been for the Jewish community. And they discuss the nuances required to understand the scope of this conflict and how it difficult it is to convey these nuances. Finally they conclude with conversation on the scourge of cicadas.  

In this Episode Pastor Matt reveals that he has a Jewish great great great grandfather. Then Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt discuss the role of advocacy among clergy. They then move the conversation about the Vigil they are planning in memoriam of the unhoused neighbors who passed away last year. They end episode with Matt unpacking the “He Gets Us” advertising campaign seen at the Super Bowl.

Hi folks,   In this episode of WDU Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt cover a lot.   Here is the short list - Matt and Abram discuss Christmas, Matt analyzes how people treat each other in pop culture and social media, Matt reveals his disdain for pickup trucks, Matt and Abram attempt to understand MAGA voters, Abram offers an update on the Israel-Hamas war, they plan a vigil for the unhoused who have died in Anchorage, and Matt offers a review from the off broadway show of Come From Away. 

In this episode Rabbi Abram opens up about the Israel - Hamas conflict and what it means for the Jewish community. Then to lighten the mood Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt talk about D&D which means Dungeons and Dragons.   These links will make more sense once you hear the podcast: Alaska Judaism Media: https://www.youtube.com/@alaskajudaismmedia7230/featured Rabbi Abram's sermon on Antisemitism: https://youtu.be/g6tqdRVmCzk?si=UdTrIBzbftCi-fel Top Alaskan Politicians support of Israel: Governor Dunleavy: https://youtu.be/lrOuHvQgM-E?si=fmhm7cXOPZ3tcK6c Senator Murkowski: https://youtu.be/2oQRbUh6xec?si=4g3Sqn3qX4ijJ6iP Senator Sullivan: https://youtu.be/61rQADzUO34?si=whgTFYkzOqVBQbiC  

Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram are back after a summer break. In this months episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram examine some local religious organizations and show they break the 10 commandments. They discuss the value of Ranked Choice Voting. They explain how religious and hateful organizations use dog whistles to convey hateful messages. They discuss why Evangelical Christian organizations support people like Donald Trump. Finally Pastor Matt would like everyone to know that he is seeing Hamilton. 

In this episode of What Divines Us Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram discuss the problems and benefits of magical thinking in religion. Rabbi Abram reports on his community hosting a Drag Story Hour. Pastor Matt offers an update on Anchorage's Homeless criss. Finally Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt discuss their frustration over Texas attempting to put the 10 commandments in every classroom.

In this Episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram discuss their sermon writing process. They talk about what it means to trust and mistrust big institutions. They argue over what should be considered sacred. They conclude by discussing state wide school legislation. 

In this episode Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt talk about the benefits and problems with branding when it comes to religion. They discuss the Asbury University Revival, church name changes, and a multibillion dollar Christian branding campaign.   Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt also share some advocacy work they have been doing in Alaska to support the LGBTQ community.

Hi Everyone, in this episode Rev. Matt Shultz and Rabbi Abram Goodstein asked social media to give them their kookiest questions on God, life, religion, and the universe. Well, questions were asked and Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram answered. 

In this episode of WDU Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt discuss how religion steers the national conversation in 4 examples. The belief of the end of time. The controversy around Hamline University. The use of the term of Indoctrination. and the controversy of Local Anchorage bar, F Street Station.

In this podcast Rev. Matt Shultz and Rabbi Abram Goodstein discuss their religion's holidays of Christmas and Chanukah. They then discuss the strange choices of Congress Elect George Santos and his use of the term Jew-ish. They bring up a dilemma of how to dispose of sacred or meaningful objects. They conclude by arguing on watching sporting events when players, employees, or even whole countries make immoral decisions. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt are all over the place on this one. First they talk about why it's a triumph that Jews celebrate Thanksgiving. Next they get into the thorny topic of religion and money. They discuss the Colorado Springs shooting and pro-LGBTQ legislation moving through the senate. They conclude by commentating on Dave Chappelle's SNL Monologue. Enjoy.

Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt are back after a brief hiatus. In this episode Matt and Abram discuss an incident that occurred in the Anchorage Assembly and Pastor Matt's church purchase of housing for homeless. They argue over the 2 minutes of silence in all Mat-Su schools just voted in by the Mat-Su school board.

In this short episode Pastor Matt offers his sermon on why Christianity is supportive of abortions and women's rights to make their own healthcare choices.

In this months episode of What Divines Us Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram discuss the controversial topics progressive clergy struggle to give in/on/from the pulpit.

In this episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram share how their faith communities approach death. They discuss their faith's rituals around death and the reasons for them.

Hello Everyone,  In this extra special episode of What Divines Us Rabbi Abram interviews Rose O'Hara-Jolley the Alaska State Director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Ashley Minaei who has years of Public Health experience. They discuss what this leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court means for the Country and Alaska.    If you would like to volunteer for Planned Parenthood you can contact Rose O'Hara-Jolley at: rose.ohara-jolley@ppallianceadvocates.org

In our shorts format Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt deliver a sermon they are particularly proud of.   This sermon that Rabbi Abram delivered is about a funny comment made by an ancient Bible scholar and how it relates to modern LGBTQ advocacy. 

In this super hero edition of WDU Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt argue about Batman, but agree that Spiderman is pretty cool. They also teach other a few things about Passover and Easter. Finally they discuss value of prayer at football games.

In this episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram begin by debating the religious implications of a Catholic priest  incorrectly baptizing parishioners by mistaking one word. Next Pastor Matt teaches Rabbi Abram what Lent means for Christians.  Rabbi Abram then explains to Pastor Matt the difference between people who are Introverts and Extroverts including how they recharge and how they process information. They conclude by discussing how they publicly respond to politicians who support hateful speech and organizations. 

In this month's episode Rabbi Abram discusses with Pastor Matt modern examples of Anti-Semitism including the events at Colleyville, Texas, the banning of Maus, and the views of a local politician. However on a lighter note Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram begin the podcast by reflecting on religion in space also called Astrotheology.

In this special Holiday Episode of What Divines Us, Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram discuss Christmas and Hanukkah and offer useful tips on spelling Hanukkah.

In this Episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram discuss what the separation of Church and State, or Faith and State as they call it, means for them. Then Pastor Matt describes what its like for a Facebook post to go viral. Also What Divines Us won an award!

In this episode Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram answer a question from Matt's mom, "How does matrilineal descent work in Judaism?" Then they have a discussion on the role science plays in religion. They conclude with a follow up of on the event they organized called  Anchorage Unites for Remembrance and Hope event which was a memorial for those who died of Covid in Alaska and a way to honor healthcare workers.

In Episode 8 of What Divines Us Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram introduce a new segment called "Questions from our moms." Matt and Abram offer directions on making an apology that offers real reconciliation in Religious Toolbox. For Pop Theology Rabbi Abram finds himself in a local and national conversation on anti-Semitism and discusses his conversation with the Anchorage Mayor.

In Episode 7 Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt are excited to invite a guest host, Pastor Joel Kiekintveld Co-Director of the Urban Training Collaborative and host of the podcast, The Anchored City. https://anchoredcity.podbean.com For Religion 101 they discuss the values of faith communities. In Religious Toolbox Pastor Matt, Pastor Joel, and Rabbi Abram discuss a topic called Epistemic Responsibility. In Pop Theology Pastor Matt, Pastor Joel, and Rabbi Abram talk about their favorite pop culture media.

In this episode of What Divines Us Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt discuss their own sermon process for Religion 101. In their Pop Theology segment they talk about Sermon Gate and "argue" over the problems of plagiarized sermons. For their final segment Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram offer some religious pointers in favor of the Equality Act in their Religious Toolbox segment. Enjoy.

In this episode of What Divines Us Rabbi Abram and Pastor Matt talk about their religion's definition of The Bible in Religion 101. In Pop Theology they argue whether the Constitution should be printed in the Bible. Finally in their new segment, Religious Toolbox, they discuss the value of Counter Speech when encountering acts of hate.

In this episode Rabbi Abram and Reverend Matt argue over the dangers and benefits of civil religion. They also add a new segment called religious toolbox where Matt offers Christian tools on why one should get vaccinated.

In this month's episode of WDU Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram look at ritual. In Religion 101 they talk about the value of ritual in their faith communities. In Stray Dogma they discuss the problematic parts of ritual. In Pop Theology Rabbi Abram shows Pastor Matt how powerful ritual can be in a non-religious context with the infertility community

In this episode Pastor Matt Shultz and Rabbi Abram Goodstein discuss what vocabulary new members of their faith community will hear in their Religion 101 segment. In Stray Dogma they talk about how clergy should not be seen as holier than thou. For Pop Theology, they discuss the results of the 2018 PEW study on religion.

This month Pastor Matt and Rabbi Abram talk about what newcomers can expect from their faith communities, what newcomers should watch out for, and Bruce Springsteen's Superbowl commercial.