Corporate Prophets and the Freedom to Disobey Artwork

A Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar

Neil Newton and Phil Thompson have been talking about religion, philosophy, politics, music, sports, and pretty much anything they felt like talking about every since they became friends while working together at the University of Pittsburgh in the 20-teens. Though Neil is an Atheist and Phil is a Christian, they found that they agreed on more things than not, especially the evils of instant replay! ACAAAWIAB will explore topics like debt, heaven and hell, the Biblical Jubilee, philanthrocapitalism, and many others. Neil and Phil enjoy these conversations, so they figured there's a chance you will too. Original theme music written, performed, and produced by Neil Newton and Phil Thompson. christianathiest.pod@gmail.com

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A Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar

Corporate Prophets and the Freedom to Disobey

March 26, 2023 • Neil Newton and Philip Thompson • Season 2 • Episode 2

Humans don’t like being told what to do. Shocking, we know!

In Episode 2 we explore one of the three freedoms David Graeber and David Wengrow postulate in The Dawn of Everything, the freedom to disobey. We start with how the freedom to disobey is expressed in the Old Testament prophets' relationship to the priesthood and the monarchy, and do a deep dive into I Kings 22 where Ahab and Jehoshaphat plan a battle with Aram. Only one prophet, Micaiah, is willing to say anything contrary to what Ahab wants to hear. (It’s a wild passage and Phil has never heard anyone preach on it in a lifetime of church attendance.)

We then explore how the freedom to disobey applies to contemporary issues like voting rights and in particular, the many problems with taking away the franchise of convicted criminals—even after they have completed their sentences.

No beers for this episode. Neither of us were in the mood to drink, which is a shame really.