A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar

Text us your questions!Austen Hartke is a transgender Christian man who wrote the book Transforming: the Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians. The book is a gift to the trans Christian community, as well as to parents, church leaders, and the church in general. While the church and politicians debate and degrade transgender people's existence, they are trying to live lives without loneliness, isolation, and self-hatred. Austen's book does an incredible job of sharing the stories of real life trans and non-binary people who grew up in the church. He frames the conversation Biblically and theologically and shares his own story. We're excited to share Austen's voice and perspective, and to do something that far too few people are doing today--actually listening to the perspective and story of trans people who are trying to love themselves and love Jesus.The resources Austen mentions in the interview are:Transmission Ministry CollectiveTransfaith: A Transgender Pastoral Resource - Christina Beardsley & Chris DowdThe beverage we sample in the episode is Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Rye from our friends at Story Hill BKC.The beverage tasting is at 2:20. To skip to the main segment, go to 5:50.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains discussion of suicide that may not be suitable for younger listeners.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Sometimes it's appropriate to carefully weigh all sides of an issue, patiently sorting through reasons, listening to perspectives, and respectfully dialoging with people who believe differently. We spend most of our time on this podcast trying to commend and practice that sort of thing. On the other hand, sometimes ideas are just bad, and it's appropriate to say when something is dumb or harmful and move on. As Qohelet of Ecclesiastes might say, there's a time for argument, and a time for derision. You're gonna get a little more of the second thing in this episode.We tackle the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, the 20th century invention of white American evangelical men, which holds that the Bible is without error in the original manuscripts. We discuss where the view comes from, what seems to motivate it, the most prominent version of it accepted by contemporary evangelicals (the "Chicago Statement"), the influence it's had, and why we think it's hopelessly misguided. Towards the end we also discuss the similarities between inerrancy and originalism about the American constitution. Just to make sure we piss off as many people as possible.Some of the resources mentioned or discussed in the conversation are:The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy"How the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy became a litmus test"Five Views on Biblical InerrancyPete Enns on his panel discussion on inerrancy at the 2013 ETS meetingThe beverage featured in the episode is Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch.The beverage tasting is at 2:26. To skip to the main segment, go to 6:00.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains profanity. We couldn't help it.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!This one is for the whiskey geeks. In this special bonus episode, we join our friends TJ, Chuck, and Brian at the Power of Bourbon YouTube channel for a blind-tasting of six exquisite whiskies. Along the way, we also find time to chat a bit about our podcast and introduce ourselves to their subscribers. And now we're sharing the experience with you, so you can get to know them! What you hear here is a slightly condensed version of the livestream we did on their channel. You can find the full unedited video version here.If you're not into bourbon, we won't be offended at all if you skip ahead to the next episode. Teaser: we have some thoughts about biblical inerrancy.SPOILER: We reveal what bourbons we taste as we're tasting them, but if you want to know ahead of time, or want to learn more about them after you listen, here they are:Old Forester 117 Whiskey Row Fire EditionBardstown Discovery Series #6Hardin's Creek Jacob's Well4 Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength OESVLux Row 12 Year Double BarrelWoodford Reserve Master's Collection Oat GrainProduction note: this was a YouTube livestream with six people in different locations, so the quality is what it is.Content note: this episode is entirely about bourbon, drinking bourbon, guessing what bourbon we're drinking, loving bourbon, paying too much money for bourbon, etc. So, you know, 21+.You can find the transcript for this episode here.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!We speak with philosopher James (Jamie) K.A. Smith about his new book How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now. It's a contemplative exploration of what it means to be a temporal creature, a being constituted by a past and oriented toward a future. If that sounds heady, it's honestly one of the most spiritual and restful books we've featured on the show, and it's also philosophically informed and beautifully written. Jamie also loves music, and certain songs are featured prominently in the book, and there's a Spotify playlist that accompanies it which you can find here. The books, articles, songs, and films mentioned in the conversation are:Gilead - Marilynne RobinsonImage JournalThe Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor DostoevskyLetter from Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King, Jr.The Maternal Eye of Sally Mann - Sarah BoxerEvery Time I Hear That Song - Brandi CarlileWe Americans - The Avett BrothersIf We Were Vampires - Jason IsbellI'm Not My Season - Fleet FoxesWading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet FoxesAbout Time (movie)The beverage we tasted is Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel bourbon.The beverage tasting is at 4:10. To skip to the interview, go to 7:10.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains some mild profanity.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Stanley Hauerwas. Do we need to say more? The man is the preeminent living American theologian and has formed and shaped Christian thought and practice for decades. Stanley is a gift to the Church, and we loved chatting with him. We talked about sola scriptura, Kierkegaard, pacifism, how to be a Christian in America today, and much more. The audio for this episode is not to our regular standard. We apologize for that, and hope you can hang in there. It's worth it when we're talking to a treasure like Stanley.The books mentioned in this episode are:Hannah's Child - Stanley HauerwasPrayers Plainly Spoken - Stanley Hauerwas Unleashing the Scripture: Freeing the Bible from Captivity to America - Stanley HauerwasThe Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson - Stanley HauerwasBeginnings: Interrogating Hauerwas - Stanley Hauerwas and Brian BrockWar and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity - Stanley HauerwasThe Politics of Jesus - John Howard YoderWe tasted the incredible 12 Year Glenfarclas. Don't pass it by if you find some.The beverage tasting is at 4:45. To skip to the interview, go to 7:52.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains some mild profanity.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!In this episode, we chat with John Walton, one of the foremost evangelical Old Testament scholars alive. Dr. Walton teaches Old Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois. John has also written groundbreaking books about Genesis 1 and 2, commentaries on Genesis and Job and many more books. We chat about creation, ancient people groups and cultures that the Bible was written in, inspiration and much more.We sampled Toast by the always delicious Basil Hayden. Cheers!The beverage tasting is at 6:01. To skip to the interview, go to 9:20.You can find the transcript for this episode here.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Why is "bar" part of the theme of our show (besides the obvious joke)? Kyle and Randy break this down with the help of an excellent article by Rich Manning called "The Complicated Journey from Holy Studies to Hospitality," which interviews various bartenders about their experiences in the seemingly contrasting spaces of the hospitality industry and the church.The article gives us occasion to discuss why we do adult beverage tastings, why people are often more comfortable in bars than churches, Randy's time in the hospitality industry, what we think about the risk of alcoholism, and more. It also gives us an opportunity to tease our Patreon in our regular episode feed. If you're already a subscriber, catch the full conversation over at our Patreon page. If you're not, enjoy this teaser and consider subscribing at www.patreon.com/apastorandaphilosopher. Thanks for your support!The bourbon featured in this episode is Noteworthy (Randy) and Bardstown Discovery Series (Kyle).You can find the transcript for this episode here.Production note: we don't typically use our usual fancy setup for bonus content, so apologies that the audio quality is a bit lower than our regular episodes.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Deconstruction. What is it, why are so many doing it, and why are so many others apparently so threatened by it? We've said a few times on the show that we don't want to be just another deconstruction podcast, but we've never quite fully explained what we mean. So we sat down to work through our own experiences with deconstruction and what we've heard from others, to try to put our finger on what it is about it that leaves us wanting more, and to think together about what might be a richer alternative. Along the way, we try to be as respectful as we can to those going through it--which includes all of us in one way or another--and we also describe the weaknesses of some prominent critiques of it that we've heard. We hope this conversation will be beneficial to you if, like us, you've had reason to question the faith that you were given.The book Randy mentions in the conversation is Radical Amazement by Judy Cannato.The beverage we taste in this episode is Elliot's Revenge from the always stellar Manic Meadery.The beverage tasting is at 8:25. To skip to the main segment, go to 10:50.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains some mild profanity, mention of abuse, and some adult language.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Brian McLaren is at it again, writing a book for people on the edge of Christianity, just barely holding on. Do I Stay Christian? is a brilliant book that takes a very honest look at Christianity, ponders reasons to go, and reasons to stay, while presenting us with a new kind of Christianity...one that's more Christ-like and rooted in this moment and on this earth we find ourselves on. I know...weird, right?In this episode, we tasted both the spectacular Wild Turkey Father and Son 13 Year and a select offering from New Riff Distilling.The beverage tasting is at 3:18. To skip to the interview, go to 8:26.You can find the transcript for this episode here.Content note: this episode contains some mild profanity and mention of (biblical) sexual assault and murder.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!

Text us your questions!Our first discussion with Beth Allison Barr and Scot McKnight at the end of Season 1 was so popular and helpful that they wanted to come back a second time to answer more questions about biblical translations, gender, and bias. We cover the editing process, translation committees, trusting the right experts, different translation styles, why translations aren't more diverse, what Beth and Scot are up to next, and more. These two obviously enjoy one another and have a great time talking through the complexities of how translations come together, what purposes they serve, and what makes a good one. Hint: the ESV isn't their favorite.Some of the works mentioned in the conversation are:"The Desire of the Woman: A Response to Susan Foh's Interpretation" - Rachel Green Miller"Losing Our (Medieval) Religion? The Cost of Not Teaching History…" - Beth Allison Barr"A Pastor’s Quick Guide to Reliable Historical Research" - Beth Allison Barr"Ideas about Women Matter: A Resource List for Women in Church History" - Beth Allison BarrStony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical InterpretationAbuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength - Kat ArmasWomanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne - Wilda C. GafneyThe Blue Parakeet - Scot McKnightThe whiskey we sample in this episode is Hibiki Japanese Harmony. It's delightful.The beverage tasting is at 1:26. To skip to the interview, go to 5:19.You can find the transcript for this episode here.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal. Other important info: Rate & review us on Apple & Spotify Follow us on social media at @PPWBPodcast Watch & comment on YouTube Email us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.com Cheers!