Crackers and Grape Juice

Drew Colby is a UMC elder, pastor, and one of the podcast's biggest fans. He joined Teer & Jason to talk about racism from his white-liberal perspective.

Kenneth Tanner and Morgan Guyton checked in with podcast favorite Scot McKnight. Topics covered include a little ribbing on Jason, politics, and Scot's latest books, "Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science" and "The Hum of Angels: Listening for the Messengers of God Around Us".

When the other guys on the podcast posse found out Jason's guest, Melissa Febos, had written a memoir about her time as a dominatrix in NYC, they all got gun shy. Their loss. I'm grateful to consider Melissa an (e) friend now. Not gonna lie- and you can give us your feedback- but I think this conversation with Melissa is the best we've had yet on the podcast, ranging from writing, bodies as objects and bodies as sacraments, Woody Allen, grace, shame, mercy, and the eucharist as an erotic act. Melissa Febos is the author of the acclaimed Whip Smart and the new memoir Abandon Me. Her work has been widely anthologized and appears in publications including Tin House, Granta, The Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Glamour, Guernica, Post Road, Salon, The New York Times, Hunger Mountain, Portland Review, Dissent, The Chronicle of Higher Education Review, Bitch Magazine, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Drunken Boat, and Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York.She has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN, Anderson Cooper Live, and elsewhere. Her essays have twice received special mention from the Best American Essays anthology and have won prizes from Prairie Schooner, Story Quarterly, and The Center for Women Writers. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, The Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and The MacDowell Colony.The recipient of an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, she is currently Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Monmouth University.

Alternate Title: "Beard Envy"Jason enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with Addison Hodges Hart, the elder brother of David Bentley Hart- who was his student- and the author of the great books Strangers and Pilgrims and Taking Jesus at his Word. Not only does Addison sound just like DBH, he speaks at length of the contemplative life, how to rethink the faith in a post-Christian culture, and the ins and outs of how he leads bible study for the curious and unchurched. Takeaway from this episode: Addison thinks Christians need to learn how to become winsome to the world again.

Daniel Kirk is a Ph.d., author, and host of the LectioCast podcast. His book, "A Man Attested by God: The Human Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels", argues that we should read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as stories about Jesus as an idealized human figure.

Morgan interviews Ched Myers to discuss what solidarity and resistance look like in the age of Trump and social media.Ched is an activist theologian, biblical scholar, popular educator, author, organizer and advocate who has for 35 years been challenging and supporting Christians to engage in peace and justice work and radical discipleship.

As the appointment season continues, here is part 2 of the conversation we had with the best bishop anyone could ask for! Bishop Sharma Lewis, resident bishop of the Richmond episcopal area, became the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church in 2016.A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988) and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Bishop Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to surrendering to God’s call upon her life.

At a time when our communities are more connected than ever, why is it that faith communities feel disconnected from one another and their larger community? Rabbi Hayim Herring, co-author of "Leading Congregations and Non-Profits in a Connected World", tells us why this is happening and offers ways faith communities can reconnect.Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D. is CEO of HayimHerring.com, whose mission is “preparing today’s leaders for tomorrow’s organizations.” He is an organizational futurist, presenter and author. Herring collaborated with Dr. Terri Elton, associate professor of leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, on his recently released book, Leading Congregations and Nonprofit Organizations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose (Rowman and Littlefield, November 2016). Together, they provide story, theory and practice on how clergy and volunteer leaders of both established and startup congregations and nonprofits in the Jewish and Protestant communities are leading their communities through disruptive times.

What better way to suck up at the beginning of the appointment season than with a conversation we had with the best bishop anyone could ask for! Bishop Sharma Lewis, resident bishop of the Richmond episcopal area, became the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church in 2016.A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988) and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Bishop Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to surrendering to God’s call upon her life.

Taylor talks with his youngest sister, Laura Paige Mertins, about her works as a ceramicist, what it means to be a faithful millennial, and how art can help the church.You can find LP's work here - https://www.etsy.com/shop/LPMpottery and connect with her on Instagram at @lpmpottery