Best relchilliard Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 44: The Jedi - Religion, Cult, or Parlor Trick? 38:39

5M ago38:39

38:39

In which the 3-Ds finally realize that a podcast about science fiction and religion should talk about the Jedi in Star Wars. Is following the Force a religion? A cult? Or just magic tricksters? And how would that answer apply to the Sith? Is the Force a farce? From Shaolin monks to Medieval battle bishops, human history has plenty of priestly warri…

1
Episode 43: Ethical Dilemmas in Sci Fi 43:32

6M ago43:32

43:32

In which the 3-Ds make their brains hurt pondering some of the unponderable ethical issues in popular science fiction. Star Trek, of course, did this almost weekly -- especially on Voyager with such memorable examples as the Tuvix conundrum, or the right to suicide for Quinn. (Trigger Warning: Quinn's example leads to an extended discussion on the …

1
Episode 42: Conference Realignment - A Sci-Fi & Religion Huddle 35:21

7M ago35:21

35:21

In honor of college football championship week, the 3-Ds honor the untimely demise of the PAC 12 by talking about conference realignment. Not the football kind, though; that would totally confuse Dan. Instead, it’s all about realigning sci-fi franchises and religion: which Biblical characters could combine with aliens and modern humans to make even…

1
Episode 41: An Old Hope - Optimism in Sci Fi 39:20

8M ago39:20

39:20

In which hope springs Eternals as the 3-Ds discuss their reasons for optimism, in real life and in sci fi. It's a counter to today's popular doomsday attitude of "Everything is awful; we're all going to die." Even when it's overtly pessimistic and dystopian, sci fi still maintains an undercurrent of optimism. But Pastor Dave is hopeful humanity wil…

1
Episode 40: When SciFi Gets Religion Wrong 31:12

9M ago31:12

31:12

In which the 3-Ds discuss the times science fiction gets the portrayal of religion wrong. From H.P. Lovecraft to Doctor Who, even the most legendary sci-fi sometimes stumbles when it comes to the faith journey. And what would an episode be without Dan doing a diatribe dissing poor world-building? It'd be about 15 minutes shorter, that's what. -----…

1
Episode 37: Is God a Dragon? 31:55

10M ago31:55

31:55

In which 2-Ds try to convince 1-D that the Bible hints God is a dragon. While Pastor Dave admits no one knows God's true form, his skepticism over Drew and Dan's thesis is unwavering. Kind of like the unwavering stubbornness of a...dragon? ------------- For more of our shenanigans, be sure to follow us on Twitter! We're @churchnspace. -------------…

1
Episode 36: The Big Apple-calypse 21:40

11M ago21:40

21:40

In which the 3Ds are in a New York state of mind. They wax romantic about the end of humanity, and realize most sci-fi movies and fire-and-brimstone preachers have it wrong when they portray the Apocalypse. History has proven that most people will simply go about their business as usual. New York City proved it earlier this summer; as the thick haz…

1
Episode 35: Get Thee Back, DCEU -- New Franchises from Old SciFi 29:14

1y ago29:14

29:14

In which the 3Ds hold The New Cinematic Universe Draft. As DC continues struggling to create a viable movie franchise, and Marvel's formula grows tiresome, we dive into past sci fi to find fertile ground for new franchises. Amongst the many possibilities, Dave, Drew, & Dan discuss resurrecting Alien, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Futurama, Kings, Lost i…

1
Episode 34: The Half-Baked Show 27:42

1y ago27:42

27:42

In which the 3-Ds come up with half-baked ideas for both science fiction and religion -- ideas which it's very clear neither Dave, Drew, nor Dan have thought through. In other words, you hear them in their natural state. Their ideas are all over the map: from a Star Trek series about the Earth-Romulan War (okay; that one's pretty decent) to a hard-…

1
Episode 33: When Good AI Goes Bad 29:51

1y ago29:51

29:51

Politicians and pundits paint Artificial Intelligence as an existential threat to humans. It's just a bunch of sophisticated code right now: programmed to seem intelligent, but what happens when the programmed fakeness becomes genuinely sentient? At what point should AI have rights? The 3-Ds debate. Along the way, they discover the ethical flaw in …

1
Episode 32: Are You Certain? 36:36

1y ago36:36

36:36

Pastor Dave has one question for the 3-Ds: are you certain? Each D must answer twice -- once asking if they're certain about something in the Bible, and once about something in science fiction. Unless the two overlap, like when the ending of Lost revealed that everyone on the island was actually in Purgatory the whole time. Like the final episode o…

1
Episode 31: Space Whales and Pedro Passion 34:23

1y ago34:23

34:23

Fresh from the Red Planet, we are greeted by our first ever guests. Julia & Kate add their distinctiveness to our own as we are driven to answer the question: Could you survive Order 66? As usual, our drive wanders down several off-ramps, including multiple manifestations of space whales, and a fleeting flirting with the populace's passion for Pedr…

1
Episode 30: Lutherans Invade Mars - Winter 32:04

1y ago32:04

32:04

Winter is coming. And so is the final episode of our game of A Quiet Year. So much is unresolved. How can our hardy band of Lutherans survive with the rutabaga crop devastated, and only a box of lowing Twinkies to eat? Is the only way to solve thefts on the Martian railroad to build more suspension bridges? And which Hollywood producer will green l…

1
Episode 29: Lutherans Invade Mars - Autumn 54:52

1+ y ago54:52

54:52

"We struck oxygen, boys!" All seems well in the Lutheran colony in our third installment of A Quiet Year. Indeed, the game play goes well enough that our spacey Lutherans decide to build a brewery, and the Pope sends a Catholic contingent. Pastor Dave and Dan rejoice, but Drew has perfidy on his mind: there's a predator on the prowl, and the excomm…

1
Episode 28: Lutherans Invade Mars - Summer 54:18

1+ y ago54:18

54:18

Murder. Mystery. Mayhem. And suspension bridges! The tension and drama Lutherans face as they colonize Mars reaches a fever pitch in Part 2 as we play The Quiet Year. In this episode, the domed city of New Augustana must repel an invading army from the dome next door. Will the Methodists cooperate? Why is the corpse of Martin glowing, even as Frasi…

1
Episode 27: Lutherans Invade Mars - Spring 54:04

1+ y ago54:04

54:04

We're back! Season 2 finally launches after a long hiatus: going underground to escape the Shadow Bishop, Drew and Dan performing with Figrin D'an on his intergalactic concert tour as a covert cover, and rescuing Pastor Dave from the Spa of Innumerable Unpleasures. (Drew and Dan will post recovered audio from their SighOps debriefs as the season go…

1
Episode -1: ANNOUNCING OUR RETURN! 1:07

1+ y ago1:07

1:07

After a long hiatus due to the rigors and chaos of our modern lives -- and not at all due to a massive theological conspiracy to silence those who question religious dogma within the framework of deeply informed speculative fiction, nor who believe The Rings of Power IS canon -- Church in Space will return in a few days. Listen to the announcement …

1
Episode 26: Dan Strikes Out (The Baseball Show) 35:22

2y ago35:22

35:22

In which Pastor Dave and Drew desperately try to make Dan an acolyte of baseball. They try pointing out that it's a Calvinist game, that you can be really out of shape to play (even professionally), and that there's a whole lot of physics and math involved. Will Dan be drawn in to this Cult of Sport? Or is he simply too far down the path of Nerdom …

1
Episode 25 - Angels...or Ancient Aliens? 24:33

2y ago24:33

24:33

In which the 3Ds ponder the presence of aliens influencing human development in ancient times. Does the Bible document ETs amongst the prophets? On the way, we learn that Pastor Dave would make the universe's absolute worst Starfleet officer, who even now would feel much more comfortable in the Dark Ages. Meanwhile, Drew and Dan shudder at the poss…

1
Episode 24 - Getting Hardcore (or WWJR: What Would Jesus Read?) 33:09

2y ago33:09

33:09

In which the 3Ds debate the merits of hard versus soft science fiction -- and wonder which type each of the Gospel writers would be fan boys of. Along the way, we learn that whoever wrote Matthew really didn't understand the point of poetry; the need for Bryce Dallas Howard and Leah Thompson to direct more sci fi (a lot more, please!); Alan Tudyk i…

1
Episode 23 - The CiS Taxonomy of Villains 48:31

2y ago48:31

48:31

In which Pastor Dave does for evildoers what Carl Linnaeus did for life: creates a classification system useful in wretched hives of scum and villainy everywhere. The 3Ds promptly debate which villains -- one each from pop culture and the Bible -- fit into which categories. Thanos and Paul fit in the same phylum; Khan and Cain; Loki and Pilate; Pal…

1
Episode 22 - Space Monks 41:32

2y ago41:32

41:32

In which the 3Ds contemplate the role of monastics in space. From Dr. Who to Stargate, monk variants are almost ubiquitous in sci-fi -- usually resembling Catholic or Eastern Mystic traditions. And they almost always gain special powers through their faith. Of course, we talk Jedi, too; they're the low-hanging fruit, which doesn't stop us from figu…

1
Episode 21 - Dancing to the Apocalypso 27:02

2y ago27:02

27:02

In which the 3-Ds contemplate Mad Max, and why the Southern Hemisphere's apocalyptic movies are so distinctly different from the Northern Hemisphere's apocalyptic movies. Australians, in particular, seem to enjoy their post-apocalyptic lives! Then it's on to Samuel L. Jackson's next role: the Punisher? Gandalf? Khan? You be the judge. It's the end …

1
Episode 20: The Heat Made Us Do It 44:03

2y ago44:03

44:03

In which the 3-Ds return after an unplanned hiatus (due to unannounced "rolling blackouts," storms, and unseasonal high heat), we discuss the portrayal of climate change in science fiction. Because reality. On the way, we discover that Dan is the world's most dangerous lab partner...Drew is hip on hops as we plan the official church brewery...and P…

1
Episode 19 - Identify Yourself (’Cause We Sure Can’t) 37:48

2y ago37:48

37:48

In which the 3-Ds build on a question from our last episode: who are you, really? It's all about identity this time around. We must be having an identity crisis, because all three of us are unusually serious in this show. "To thine own self be true," quoth Shakespeare...but who be thee? Does your identity change depending on the situation, or are y…

1
Episode 18: Imminent Immortality 35:50

2y ago35:50

35:50

In which the 3-Ds discuss immortality in sci fi, and as it gets closer in real science, would we really want it? After all, why be immortal if you don't like change...or have a sucky personality you're not willing to change? And if immortality means transferring your personality and memories into a computer, is that really you? What makes you...you…

1
Episode 17: The Cosmos Always Liked You Better 35:04

2y ago35:04

35:04

In which the 3-Ds contemplate what makes humans so special. In so much sci fi (and religion), humanity is something very special or unusually dangerous. What's behind this human hubris? Lazy writing, an author's low self-esteem, or simple human bias? And does this all mean that the Bible has it backwards: God didn't create man in His image, but we …

1
Episode 16: Good Bad Guys Are the Best 41:32

2y ago41:32

41:32

In which the 3-Ds ponder whether the emperor and the Galactic Empire in Star Wars were actually the good guys; that naturally leads to a discussion of what makes really good evil in fiction...and whether a Force ghost is trapped between Heaven and Hell. Dave laments the difficulty in writing a good short sermon, while Dan & Drew riff on Who (and Th…

1
Episode 15: Gamey Pizza 44:13

2y ago44:13

44:13

In which, for the first time, the 3-Ds never get to the planned topic; they started chatting about video games and never actually got around to starting the show. In this randomly overheard conversation they ask (and Drew answers) why there are no full-on religious video games, discuss the changing definition of God, and debate the best style of th…

1
Episode 14: Free Will Isn’t Free, But the Borg Can Purge It for You Wholesale 34:26

2y ago34:26

34:26

In which the 3-Ds ponder whether the Borg have the right idea, and if religion is really about assimilation. We also learn of The Sermon on the Bridge while reflecting on William Shatner as a Lutheran pastor, hear Luther's opinion about free will, and come up with the concept of Quantum Sin. And we decide which other sci fi forces could handily bea…

1
Episode13: What a Disaster! 27:30

2y ago27:30

27:30

In which the 3-Ds decide there's nothing quite so fun as a good disaster movie. Like religion, hope is a major component to the success of a disaster movie. Hope, and having a villain with a British accent -- that's critical. Just as critical as making sure the end of the world begins in either London or Cardiff if it's a Doctor Who disaster...whic…

1
Episode 12: Bible Zombies 34:16

2y ago34:16

34:16

In which the 3-Ds find the Easter resurrection reminiscent of reanimated remains: zombies! Is there a biblical basis for the undead? We examine the many lives of Lazarus, humanity's Zombie Prime...and wonder if the Resurrection really means we'll all technically be zombies in paradise (hmmm...Zombies in Paradise sounds like a long-lost George Romer…

1
Episode 11: The Soul of a Machine 35:51

2y ago35:51

35:51

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 c…

1
Episode 10: From Harry Mudd to the Ferengi to Jesus - The Economics of Star Trek 36:09

2+ y ago36:09

36:09

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.By relchilliard

1
Episode 9: In Space, No One Can Eat Your Casseroles 28:31

2+ y ago28:31

28:31

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 adv…

1
Episode 8: We’re Having a Pod Luck 35:40

2+ y ago35:40

35:40

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 wor…

1
Episode 7: May the Force Be...Messing with Your Religion 32:59

2+ y ago32:59

32:59

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 fee…

1
Episode 6: Only a (Godly) Game 41:33

2+ y ago41:33

41:33

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,…

1
Episode 5: Avatar - Not the Last Airbender. Or the First. 38:39

2+ y ago38:39

38:39

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…

1
Episode 4: The Beskar of God 33:44

2+ y ago33:44

33:44

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?By relchilliard

1
Episode 3: Holy Heroes, Batman! 46:52

2+ y ago46:52

46:52

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…

1
Episode 2: This Is the Way...Eventually 44:24

2+ y ago44:24

44:24

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).By relchilliard

1
Episode 1: Nerd Cred & Dunesday 46:33

2+ y ago46:33

46:33

In which the 3-Ds introduce themselves, establish their nerd credentials -- then promptly demonstrate the difficulty of deep dives about Dune, as Pastor Dave desperately desires to discuss the book's (and movie's) reliance on religion, but Drew and Dan's dialogue dances and drifts everywhere but. Dave is in for a very long season...…

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