Church in Space

Episode 11: The Soul of a Machine

Can a machine have a soul?  The 3-Ds stay unusually focused (mostly) on whether true artificial intelligence can really exist -- and, if it does, whether it has a soul?  And if it doesn't, where do we draw the line with humans?  Just homo sapiens?  What about Neandertals -- do those of us with a lot of Neandertal DNA not have souls?  If we do, why not chimps...elephants...octopi?  For our game, we each reveal our scariest fictional AI.  Drew concludes none of that matters, because Pastor and Dan are just rebel scum.

Episode 10: From Harry Mudd to the Ferengi to Jesus - The Economics of Star Trek

In which the 3-Ds learn how the Federation's economy dovetails nicely with the Bible's (but the Ferengi...not so much), and we figure out where Jesus would boldly go in Star Trek's Federation.

Episode 9: In Space, No One Can Eat Your Casseroles

In which the 3-Ds wonder why there are no Protestant galactic empires.  Islamic, Catholic, Judaic, Mormon, Buddhist, and more...sci fi has those in our interplanetary future.  So where are the Lutherans?  Maybe they just don't have the rich collective history cum character development other faiths have, so they're too boring for a rollicking space adventure.  We're pretty certain Tron: Legacy missed out on that character development, too (although it is pretty rollicking).

Episode 8: We’re Having a Pod Luck

In which the 3-Ds look at luck tucked into science fiction -- and whether it's providence, predestiny, random chance...or just a convenient way for a writer to advance the plot.  That inevitably leads to the conclusion that from climate change to the pandemic, all bad things that happened since 2016 are the result of the Chicago Cubs winning the world series -- a statistical anomaly so great, it broke space-time.  And through a theological lens, God is constantly breaking the Prime Directive.

Episode 7: May the Force Be...Messing with Your Religion

In which the 3-Ds go heavy on Star Wars debating whether the Force is a heresy the Council of Nicea would have banned, or is it part of the Truth and the Way?  On the way, we end up figuring out what constitutes an actual religion...and discover that, by any definition, Ohio State football is indeed a full-on religion.  Oh, and we all pretty much feel that movie theaters would be great -- without the other people being there!

Episode 6: Only a (Godly) Game

In which we have no theme, as Pastor Dave posits his game questions throughout the entire episode.  To wit:

• Which Bible character would have the best Twitter account?
• What's Hollywood's worst casting in a Bible movie?
• Which Bible book would have been best told as it happened on TikTok or Vine?
• Why doesn't God pop by for a snack and chat anymore?

Oh, and on the way, we also ponder who could possibly match Ricardo Montalban as Khan...because it sure wasn't Benedict Cumberbatch!

 

Episode 5: Avatar - Not the Last Airbender. Or the First.

In which we answer our first listener question.  Which excites the 3-Ds, because it means we actually have a listener!  The question:  what do we think about James Cameron's Avatar movie? It reminded our listener of her Native American culture and spirituality.  Drew and Dan also discuss reforms for the Lutheran Church involving beer, pretzels, and fig newtons.  And Pastor Dave deeply ponders whether the Wicked Witch of the West can be baptized, since water melts her.

Episode 4: The Beskar of God

In which Mandalorians pop up in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Pastor Dave spots theological coherence in Marvel's Netflix shows, and how The Lord of the Rings is WAY more realistic than Star Wars.  Oonta goota, Faramir?

Episode 3: Holy Heroes, Batman!

In which the Three Ds ponder why Hollywood tends to demote gods on the silver screen, even though religion may be central to a hero's character in the source material; Thor's a genuine Norse god in the comics, for example, but the MCU portrays Asgardians as just another super-advanced alien species.  After examining the centrality of Catholicism for Daredevil, we somehow end the show by determining exactly how the Hutts became the dominant crime family in the Star Wars universe.  Wanta?

Episode 2: This Is the Way...Eventually

In which Drew revealing his disdain for movie trailers somehow leads to a vibrant discussion of the Apocalypse, then everyone concludes that Christians have been Mandalorians for thousands of years (but didn't realize it until now).