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
Episodes
18 episodes
Danzilla's Theory of The Big Lebowski
In Season 2 (ish) Episode 6, Neil relates an encounter with an unhoused person in LA, Dan (or Danzilla), who offered a very unique take on one of our favorite films, The Big Lebowski. We then take a deep dive into what Ph...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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48:56
A Christian and an Atheist Epiphany Special
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 0
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42:26
Critical Race Theory: What it Is and (mostly) What it Isn't
We wanted to do an episode on Critical Race Theory because it’s one of those phrases that has come to mean everything except what it is. We draw a careful (and we would argue obvious) distinction between discussing the history of race re...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:07:36
The Creation Story and the Freedom to Disobey
With both the writers and now the actors who play Neil and Phil on strike, it’s taken a while to get this episode (which was recorded on Easter Sunday 2023) out. Fortunately, the episode was completed by AI and we think you’ll notice a big impr...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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48:18
Corporate Prophets and the Freedom to Disobey
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 th...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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55:52
The Dawn of Everything: Introduction to Season Two
Season 2, Episode 1 is finally here! And y’nz are not gonna believe it, but we have…A PLAN! This season we will use the amazing book by the late David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: a New History of Humanity ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:01:02
A Christian and an Atheist Christmas Special
In this bonus episode, Neil and Phil compare the story of Hannah in the book of I Samuel to the story of Mary in the gospel of Luke and draw out some themes that turn out to be important throughout the Bible. In the course of the conversation, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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38:36
Recent Supreme Court Rulings and the White Power Movement
We said Episode 10 was the season finale, but then SCOTUS unleashed a series of really stupid and damaging rulings and we needed to talk about it. One of the questions we keep hearing is, "Why do guns have more rights than women?" It seems like...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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30:23
Season Finale: Aliens!
Our Season I Finale was delayed by supply chain issues, but it's finally here! In episode 10, Phil and Neil discuss whether aliens exist, why they may or may not believe in aliens, and how belief in aliens may have more in common with belief in...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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56:00
Dismantling Dualism
In this episode we get down into the weeds discussing the philosophical problem of dualisms touching on the work of Hermann Dooyeweerd (Dutch Neo-Calvinism), Graham Harman (Object Oriented Ontology), and Emmannuel Levinas. But hang in there! We...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:02:47
Philanthrocapitalism: Why You Should Distrust It
In this episode of ACAAAWIAB, Neil and Phil discuss how plutocrats use philanthropy for image laundering as well as to protect their power, an emerging movement of entrepreneurs who have embraced the idea that treating your workers well is both...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:00:40
Holy Forking Shirt! Neil and Phil Discuss the Afterlife!
In Episode 7, Neil and Phil take a deep dive into Bart D. Ehrman's Heaven and Hell: a History of the Afterlife. They'll talk about how dualism effects both ideas of heaven and of hell, Biblical concepts of embodiment, pan-psychic notio...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:11:42
Phil and Neil Read Tolstoy's "The Gospel in Brief" So You Don't Have To
In this episode of a Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar, Phil and Neil read and discuss Leo Tolstoy's The Gospel in Brief. Much like Thomas Jefferson, Tolstoy wanted a version of the gospel that preserved the teachings...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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48:47
The Scopes Monkey Trial as Meme
In this episode of A Christian and an Atheist Walk into a Bar, Neil and Phil dig into the Scopes Trial and reassess the competing legacies of William Jennings Bryan, H.L. Mencken, and Clarence Darrow. Along the way they’ll talk about memes that...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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58:16
Freedom of Religion
In Episode 4 of ACAAAWIAB, Neil and Phil explore the meaning of freedom of religion. What is is it? What are some common ways it's misunderstood? Can real belief even exist without it? We'll discuss British theologian Leslie Newbigin's di...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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50:52
Know Your Religions
In Episode 3 of ACAAAWIAB, Neil and Phil explore how there is often a difference between what we say we believe and what we really believe. Maybe we participate in institutional religion and maybe we don’t, but either way we may find that aspec...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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1:00:30
Debt and the Biblical Jubilee
In this episode, Neil and Phil talk about the Levitical Jubilee (Leviticus 25), how the concept of Jubilee gets transformed in both Old and New Testaments, and the implications of Jubilee principles on how we think about ecology, debt, justice ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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42:36
