THIS WEEK... Hey...remember when everyone "stopped dating" and tried out "courtship?" Joshua Harris, the author of the infamous book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" made a public statement on his website apologizing and seemingly owning up to the mistakes he made with his book. Harris's book was released 20 years ago, and since then it has come under a massive barrage of scrutiny, especially after many relationships modeled after the ideals espoused in the book have come undone. So of course, in true ...
Dec 18, 2018•41 min
THIS WEEK... Hey folks, sorry for the long wait! But we're back! And yeah, yeah, I know, it's nowhere near Thanksgiving, but we couldn't just go a year without our second annual Treksgiving! This week Matt tells Father Chuck and JP all about Star Trek Discovery since he's the only one of the Masters of Divinity brave enough to give it a shot, and they have a good ol' time discussing that. There's also some talk about The Orville and Galaxy Quest. Trek with us! If you'd like to support the show, ...
Dec 11, 2018•45 min
THIS WEEK... In a special spooky edition of The Masters of Divinity, Father Chuck, Matt and your moderator JP all watched the Christploitation rapture classic, A THIEF IN THE NIGHT. If you were raised in a Christian home in America, you're probably very familiar with the Kirk Cameron classic, LEFT BEHIND, a film that's an adaptation of the popular book series about a band of characters left on Earth after the rapture, and must endure hellish apocalyptic events, including the reign of the anti-ch...
Oct 30, 2018•1 hr 7 min
THIS WEEK... Halloween is fast approaching! In this week's episode, JP, Father Chuck and Matt (!) return to talk about their plans for the holiday and how each of them are getting into the spirit of the season. With the new Halloween movie arriving, they of course talk about that period of cinema that most effected them: the 90s cycle of slasher films that were inspired by Scream. The guys are here to riff this week, and it ends with a special announcement about next week's episode that you don'...
Oct 23, 2018•56 min
THIS WEEK... A recently released study from USC took a close and calculated look at the seemingly endless backlash that Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been receiving on social media. For the past year The Last Jedi has been perceived as a divisive film, but what if that divisiveness was engineered by trolls, political activists and even...Russian bots? JP and Father Chuck take a close look at the study and share their thoughts. Article Source: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi backlash fueled by bots, tro...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 29 min
THIS WEEK... You've heard the saying, "The 80s was the best time to be a kid," well, we regret to inform you that we've discovered why, and it's actually kind of sad and scary. JP and Father Chuck learn about how in the 80s Ronald Reagan used the FCC to lift regulations on advertising toward children via children's programming, and how that may have had a hand in shaping the attitudes of Generation X, Millennials, and more generations to come. They also go in-depth on how shows and toys like Tra...
Oct 10, 2018•1 hr 20 min
THIS WEEK... JP and Father Chuck discuss the phenomenon of parasocial relationships, and how potent they have become since the advent of the internet personality. Father Chuck tries extremely hard, with much difficulty, to identify with those who find themselves in a parasocial relationship, while JP fully admits that, yeah, he's totally in more than a few. We also learn the tragic tale of the Parasocial Penguin, Grape-kun, and a brief rundown on our fascination with the Milkshake Duck (the duck...
Oct 02, 2018•1 hr 22 min
THIS WEEK... JP and Father Chuck are back again to talk about THANOS, from the hit summer blockbuster and latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War. The discussion is mostly focused on Thanos and whether or not he works as a character and a protagonist. There's also some lovely chatting on emotional labor, brief mention of parasocial relationships, and JP's harrowing tale of being stung by a yellowjacket wasp. It hurt, guys. If you'd like to support the show, become a...
Sep 27, 2018•1 hr 11 min
THIS WEEK... Gondor calls for aid! But Rohan doesn't answer... Father Chuck and Father Fun have a nice chat about rewatching the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even dip their toes into some Star Trek related talk. Listen, if you're a fan of Thor: The Dark World, you better turn away right now, it gets absolutely zero love in this episode, and goes completely undervalued. Also, both Fathers mention Iron Man 2 and how it might be somewhat underrated, but completely fail to mention tha...
Sep 11, 2018•29 min
THIS WEEK... 100 EPISODES!!!!! We did it, Internet! We made it to 100 and we're still friends! You've probably wondering since we hit Episode 90 just what exactly the Masters of Divinity have in store for their 100th episode. A a star-studded look back at our most memorable moments? An airing of Grievances? A musical?! None of those! We spend a good portion reflecting on our journey as Masters of Divinity and how much it's meant to us, referring to our favorite episodes and moments. And then we ...
Aug 29, 2018•1 hr 14 min
THIS WEEK... Our trio of Divine Masters return to discuss the rise and popularity of the prosperity gospel, and the tastemakers aka "hypepriests" who are making super kewl, you guys. We talk about the origins of prosperity gospel, the Catholic church's thoughts, tithing, and so much more that it would be a shame to give it all away in this little description box. Do people even read this thing? I've been typing in here for years and no one has ever mentioned it. I'm starting to think that I'm al...
Aug 22, 2018•1 hr 31 min
THIS WEEK... Father Chuck and Father Fun talk about their experience in Austin while attending the Episcopal General Convention. They talk about experiencing Austin's weirdness, visiting an Alamo Drafthouse, and we also talk about the latest Marvel film, Ant-Man and The Wasp. Catch up with your friends! If you'd like to support the show, become a patron by visit our patreon! https://www.patreon.com/MastersOfDivinity Follow us on social media: http://instagram.com/mastersofdivinity https://twitte...
Aug 01, 2018•1 hr
Surprise! We're BACK! THIS WEEK... JP, Matt and Father Chuck are back with a riff-tastic episode, and this time with special guest Amy, Matt's cousin! We spend a few minutes talking about the Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot that was recently announced, a parody of Jaws that Matt found on Amazon Prime, and of course we get acquainted with our special guest, as Amy inspires us all to take a deep dive into spirituality. It's a fascinating episode and we loved having Amy on. You'll have to listen fo...
Jul 25, 2018•1 hr 21 min
THIS WEEK... Whoa, have we got a doozy of an episode for you, MoD Squad. In our final installment of this year's Music Mayhem, JP has brought us The Colour and the Shape, Foo Fighters' second album that featured such timeless alt. rock hits like Monkey Wrench, My Hero and Everlong. JP has been in love with the album for quite some time and Matt has a fondness for Foo Fighters...but when Father Chuck and Guest Moderator Father Fun listen to the album, they're not as impressed. Mutiny! Civil war! ...
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 56 min
THIS WEEK... Father Fun is back, baby! And he's brought us a big, juicy piece of music for us to dig our fangs into - the smash broadway hit HAMILTON, by Lin-Manuel Miranda. We know that this is a pretty unconventional choice as it's not technically an album, but we've decided that in an attempt to not homogenize Music Mayhem, we want to use the month to explore as much of the landscape of music as possible -- so what better way to do that than to listen to a hit musical play? Hamilton is a pop ...
May 29, 2018•1 hr 8 min
THIS WEEK... Oh boy. This installment of Music Mayhem is unprecedented, as Matt brings us Supernatural by DC Talk. Why so unprecedented? Is it because it's the first CCM album we've discussed? Or is it because it's...not...great? You could say both! DC Talk's Supernatural was the follow-up to Jesus Freak, which was the band's most acclaimed and most remembered album. Even though Supernatural found a lot of success financially, the album didn't produce anything particularly special or memorable. ...
May 22, 2018•1 hr 37 min
THIS WEEK... Music MAY-hem returns! This week, The Masters of Divinity convene to discuss at length the legendary Fleetwood Mac album, RUMOURS, as chosen by Father Chuck! Chuck tells us all about growing up with the oldies and learning to love Fleetwood Mac in his later years, and the gang is mystified by the intense behind-the-scenes drama that resulted in one of the greatest albums of all time. Find out which songs were the best, and which songs were dedicated to which band member, and we must...
May 15, 2018•1 hr 32 min
THIS WEEK... Marvel's The Avengers: Infinty War has finally hit theaters, raking in all the money at the box office and leaving hardcore fans of the Marvel franchise breathless with an unexpected ending. MoD is here to talk about the good, the bad, and the Thanos. Does it live up to the hype? Listen and find out! We also kick off Music Mayhem by announcing next week's album! If you'd like to support the show, become a patron by visit our patreon! https://www.patreon.com/MastersOfDivinity Follow ...
May 08, 2018•1 hr 21 min
THIS WEEK... The gang answers some unexpected fan mail and discuss Father Chuck's journey from the Evangelical scene to the Episcopal Church, as well as his decision to become a Priest. It's an origin story, but not quite. Less Batman, more Rocketeer. Also, as a bonus, Matt talks about his decision for he and his family to move to another church, after leaving the one he's been going to his whole life. We also talk about Sliders and Quantum Leap and stuff. It's a good episode! If you'd like to s...
Apr 18, 2018•1 hr 15 min
THIS WEEK... As our trio approaches 2 years and a month as a podcast, they decide to relive the old days by being unprepared to cover a topic! Matt listened to an episode of the podcast Harmontown and was struck by what Rick and Morty co-creator said about God. A discussion about the sovereignty of God without dunkning on Calvinists ensues. With an appearance by Buffalo Bill. Thank you MoD Squad for 2 wonderful years! We've had a blast, and we'll continue to bring you the good stuff. Stay tuned ...
Mar 27, 2018•58 min
THIS WEEK... JP and Father Chuck are here to assure the MoD Squad that the Masters of Divinity are still alive and kicking by giving commentary to some of the more interesting things happening in the latest movie news. We talk about the possibility of Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle taking on the James Bond franchise, SNL's Kristin Wiig playing Wonder Woman's nemesis Cheetah in the much anticipated sequel, Jon Favreau taking on Disney's Star Wars live-action TV series, and so much more,...
Mar 14, 2018•1 hr 15 min
THIS WEEK... The trio is back once again! And this week they've got a super stellar riff-tastic episode just for you. They talk about Netflix releases in January (it's not looking good, Bob), Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon Heavy test flight, JP tries to articulate the badness of Bright, and a host of other topics that may or may not include Jill Stein, so hold on to your butts! Thanks so much for listening, and we do apologize for not updating as much as we used to, but rest assured we are trying to ...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 14 min
THIS WEEK...The Masters of Divinity have returned! JP and Moderator Father Charles recount what it was like to grow up in sheltered households while watching TV that served as a window into the evil outside WOOORRRLLLDDD. Don't get us wrong, we weren't raised in compounds in Waco or anything, but the evangelical church did do their fair share of media-shunning that lead to a lot of blocked channels and clandestine viewings of Beavis & Butthead. But despite everything, we turned out pretty go...
Jan 27, 2018•1 hr 10 min
THIS WEEK...SPOILERS AHEAD... Father Chuck moderates as he and Matt are joined by Father Fun to discuss the new Star Wars movie, THE LAST JEDI! Of course, in true Masters of Divinity fashion, the gang discusses the mysterious nature of The Force, the conflict and relationship between The Dark Side and The Light, and the spiritual journeys of Luke Skywalker, Rey, and Kylo Ren. There's also some talk about things that might not have worked in the film, Rian Johnson's direction and writing, and por...
Dec 19, 2017•1 hr 23 min
THIS WEEK... Father Chuck and Matt run into JP in the food court (or is he stalking them?), and the trio talks about the similiarities in Father Chuck's and Matt's vocations. If you're a regular follower of the podcast you'll know that Matt is a police officer, and as he's progressed in his career as an officer of the law, both he and and Chuck have noticed some striking similarities when it comes to serving the community. Listen to them compare and contrast their vocations, in the 85th edition ...
Nov 28, 2017•43 min
THIS WEEK... We forgot to plan a Thanksgiving episode (whoops!), and after JP, Matt, and Father Chuck wrapped up an episode (which will go live next week), JP and Father Chuck suddenly started to geek out over Star Trek. They went so long that it warranted an actual episode! And thus, a new tradition was born: TREKSGIVING. Because Star Trek has once again made its way into the public consciousness thanks to Stark Trek Discovery and The Orville, JP decided to go on a massive Star Trek: The Next G...
Nov 21, 2017•49 min
THIS WEEK... Hiatus, shmiatus! JP The Moderator is here! This week the gang reflects on the *interesting* week Disney is having, what with banning LA Times reporters from official screenings of Thor: Ragnarok, and beginning the early phase of taking over the world by announcing their talks to buy 20th Century Fox. We're Disney fans here at Masters of Divinity, and one thing we've never addressed are some of the shady aspects of how Disney conducts itself as a major conglomerate. Whether it's rip...
Nov 14, 2017•1 hr 10 min
THIS WEEK... Father Chuck and Officer Matt briefly touch on the comparisons between being an officer of the law and a man of the cloth, until the brilliant idea emerges that they should just drop everything and go see MARVEL'S THOR: RAGNAROK. Although the brilliantly cinema-savvy JP is on a hiatus, Chuck and Matt escape to see Neon Thor and give their in-depth analysis of the film afterwards! If you'd like to support the show, become a patron by visit our patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Masters...
Nov 07, 2017•38 min
THIS WEEK... Happy Halloween! JP and Father Chuck are here for a special Halloween edition of Christian Curiosities. As some of you may know, we have a fascination with some of the more odd, mystifying aspects of the Christian subculture, especially those that have come out of the modern evangelical movement. Today on All Hallow's Eve, If you look hard enough in every city and town in America, you'll find that someone, somewhere has constructed a haunted house to scare the bejeezus out kids with...
Oct 31, 2017•1 hr 3 min
THIS WEEK... Father Chuck and JP get nostalgic as they reminisce about Halloween in their youth, reflecting on their favorite costumes, favorite scary movies to watch, and more! If you've ever wondered how much two grown men can talk about candy, wonder no more! Also, JP asks Father Chuck why God hates Halloween...the answer may shock you (or not). If you'd like to support the show, become a patron by visit our patreon! https://www.patreon.com/MastersOfDivinity Follow us on social media: http://...
Oct 24, 2017•1 hr 4 min
