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Podcast #520, Religion: Exile & Empire

Drunk Ex-Pastors

Release Date: 04/18/2025

Podcast #542: Sports, the Pope, and Artificial Intelligence  show art Podcast #542: Sports, the Pope, and Artificial Intelligence

Drunk Ex-Pastors

This week we revert to our old format and tackle politics, culture, and religion in a single episode. We briefly touch upon various rule-changes we’d like to see in professional sports, and then give an update about the soon-to-be-released DXP Summer Playlist. We discuss celebrities, and Brad Pitt in particular, and then weigh in on Pope Leo’s recent thoughts on the pros and cons of A.I.

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Podcast #541, Religion: There is No God, and We are His Disciples show art Podcast #541, Religion: There is No God, and We are His Disciples

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).

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Podcast #540, Politics: Trump, Elon, and the Epstein Files show art Podcast #540, Politics: Trump, Elon, and the Epstein Files

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.

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Podcast #539, Culture: AI, Movies, and The Wonder Years  show art Podcast #539, Culture: AI, Movies, and The Wonder Years

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.

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Podcast #538, Religion: No One Hates Christians for their Christ-likeness  show art Podcast #538, Religion: No One Hates Christians for their Christ-likeness

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.   

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Podcast #537, Politics: Why We’re Dumb and How to Fix It show art Podcast #537, Politics: Why We’re Dumb and How to Fix It

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.

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Podcast #536, Culture: Relationships and “Settling”  show art Podcast #536, Culture: Relationships and “Settling”

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.   

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Podcast #535, Religion: On Superbeings and Dogma show art Podcast #535, Religion: On Superbeings and Dogma

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.

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Podcast #534, Politics: Voting Rights and the “Big Beautiful Tax Bill” show art Podcast #534, Politics: Voting Rights and the “Big Beautiful Tax Bill”

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.

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Podcast #533, Culture: Is Artificial Intelligence Replacing Intelligence? show art Podcast #533, Culture: Is Artificial Intelligence Replacing Intelligence?

Drunk Ex-Pastors

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.  

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More Episodes

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.