A Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar

A Christian and an Atheist Epiphany Special

February 11, 2024 Neil Newton and Philip Thompson Season 2 Episode 0
A Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar
A Christian and an Atheist Epiphany Special
Show Notes Chapter Markers

We were determined to do another holiday special and this year we wanted it to be about the Magi/astrologers in Matthew 2, which is technically not Christmas but Epiphany. The season of Epiphany begins on January 6 and runs all the way to Ash Wednesday (which this year is also Valentine's Day, so Ash Valentine's Day!) so we are getting this baby in right under the wire!

In this Epiphany special we discuss the wise astrologers from the East, Herod and other tinpot despots, and weird divination practices that hang around in the Bible even though they're not strictly sanctioned. We'll also discuss the meaning of tarot cards, modern day astrology, and a little quantum mechanics and chaos theory.

What we're drinking in this episode
Neil: Los Angeles tap water (!)
Phil: Lemon Zinger

A miserable bar!
Why an Epiphany special?
Outsiders in Matthew's narrative of the birth of Christ
The Astrologers and Herod
Why this story resonates (and boy, does it!)
Divination, casting lots, and urim and thummim oh my!
Tarot cards and randomness
Exploring chaos, chaos theory, and quantum mechanics
Chaos and Epiphany