Send us a text

CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.

---

This wasn’t the episode we planned—but it was the episode we needed.

In this very special edition of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by our resident comic theologians, Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), for an unfiltered conversation shaped by the moment we’re living in.

We begin with the national situation weighing heavily on all of us—grief, anger, analysis, prophecy, and gallows humor all sharing the same table—and wrestle with what it means to live faithfully when normal life continues alongside violence, impunity, and fear. Along the way, we talk about the “dual state,” the misuse of law, and why pretending everything is fine is not a moral option.

Then we turn to the Gospel reading—Jesus’ words about salt and light, the law and its purpose—and ask what they sound like in a world that feels increasingly on fire. What does it mean to fulfill the law? What is its telos—its true aim? And how do we keep preaching, laughing, and telling the truth without hardening our hearts or numbing our souls?

This episode is heavier than usual. It’s also honest, pastoral, and still very much CPTB: scripture read seriously, humor used carefully, and faith held without outrage or certainty-for-show.

It really is a very special episode.

---

Matthew 5:13–20 (NRSVue)

[13] “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. [14] “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. [15] People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. [17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.

---

What does Jesus actually mean when he says “blessed”? And why does it sound so different from the way we usually use the word?

In this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by comedians Johnny Traficante (@johnnytraficante) and Seth Queen (@sethqueen_comedy) to dig into the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount—those famous blessings that seem to land on the wrong people: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the persecuted.

Along the way, we talk about doubt, agnosticism, nihilism, moral risk, and why real blessing has very little to do with luck, success, or being “hashtag blessed.” Johnny and Seth reflect honestly on where they’ve encountered God (and where they weren’t sure God was anywhere to be found), while Bob and Eric explore why Jesus’ blessings are descriptive, not prescriptive—and why that matters for people who are suffering and for people who think they’re doing just fine.

Funny, reflective, and quietly challenging, this conversation is good news for anyone who has ever felt stuck in between, at the bottom of the barrel, or unsure what “blessed” is supposed to mean in real life.

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.

---

What do you do when Jesus walks up and offers you something that isn’t fishing?

In this Short Take episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we turn to Matthew’s call story and sit with how strange it really is. Jesus starts his ministry in the wrong place, calls people with a wildly unclear job description, and somehow convinces fishermen to drop their nets and follow him immediately.

Joined by our resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), we talk about bad neighborhoods, worse recruiting pitches, Zebedee left in the boat, and why discipleship has always been more weird than heroic. Along the way, we stumble into some surprisingly serious theology about calling, cost, baptism, and what actually makes ordinary things matter.

Funny, thoughtful, and a little sideways—this one’s for preachers, deconstructors, and anyone who’s ever wondered why that pitch worked.

---

Matthew 4:12–23 (NRSVue)

[12] Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. [13] He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, [14] so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: [15] “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles— [16] the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” [17] From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [18] As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. [19] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” [20] Immediately they left their nets and followed him. [21] As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. [22] Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. [23] Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.

--

This week we’re in John 1:29–42 (Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year C), where John the Baptist does the one job nobody wants: he points away from himself. “Look—here is the Lamb of God.” And somehow, that strange little sentence opens up a whole universe of meaning: sacrifice and innocence, Passover and mercy, and the unsettling idea that God’s power doesn’t show up as a flex.

Joining us are comedians Johnny Trafficante (@johnnytrafficante) and Seth Queen (@sethqueen_comedy), and we talk Catholic “smells and bells,” the way liturgy gets into your bones, why Bible branding and grift feels so spiritually corrosive, and what it might mean to recover a model of strength that looks more like vulnerability than domination. Along the way, Jesus casually renames Simon to Cephas (because apparently that’s what you do when you’re the Messiah), and we find ourselves circling a paradox the church desperately needs right now: the Lion of Judah is also the Lamb—and the Lamb is how the Lion wins.

As always: we’re pastors in the ELCA, we take scripture seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we’re glad you’re here. Like, subscribe, share with a friend (or an enemy—if you must), and may the Holy Spirit do her thing in your life.

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

CPTB is a conversational, funny, and thoughtful take on this week’s Bible readings - for preachers, church leaders, deconstructors, and curious listeners who still love scripture, even when they’re not sure what to do with it. We explore the text with humor and theological depth, without certainty, outrage, or easy answers.

--

In this Short Take episode, we turn to the Gospel reading for the Baptism of Our Lord (Year A) and ask a surprisingly human question: what if Jesus didn’t actually hear the voice from heaven?

As we dig into Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism, we talk about humility, doubt, belonging, and what it means to trust grace that sometimes comes to us through other people rather than directly from God. Along the way, we imagine Jesus with water in his ears, wrestle with John the Baptist as a “good doubter,” and reflect on baptism not just as a private spiritual moment, but as entry into a community that speaks love when we can’t hear it ourselves.

Joining us are our resident comic theologians Abby Evans (@itsabbye) and Erick Williams (@comicaledubs), bringing performer instincts, cultural riffs, and just enough chaos to keep things honest.

Whether you’re preaching this text, deconstructing inherited faith, or just wondering why this story still matters, you’re welcome here.

If you enjoy the conversation, like, subscribe, and share CPTB with someone you think might actually enjoy it.

--

Matthew 3:13–17 (NRSVue)

[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

What do you do with a gospel that doesn’t tell the Christmas story, starts before time, and keeps circling back on itself like it’s thinking out loud? In this episode of Comedians with Pastors Talking Bible, we dive into the opening of Gospel of John—a text that is beautiful, frustrating, poetic, and dense all at once.

Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by Pittsburgh comedians John Bankart and Roy Gackle for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from Catholic choreography and church anxiety to mushrooms (the metaphorical kind), soundboards, and the long, strange history of Christian disagreement. Along the way, we wrestle with what John means when he calls Jesus “the Word,” why light and darkness still matter, and how words—holy ones included—can heal or harm.

The conversation eventually lands where John does: grace and truth. What does it mean to speak faithfully in a world where scripture has been used both to liberate and to wound? How do we hold onto the beauty of these ancient words while being honest about the damage they’ve sometimes carried? And what does it look like to trust that the light still shines, even when understanding feels elusive?

As always, there are laughs, detours, pastoral honesty, and moments of real vulnerability. If you’ve ever loved the Gospel of John, struggled with it, or just wondered why it feels so different from the rest—this one’s for you.

May the Holy Spirit do her thing in your life.

John 1:1–18 (NRSVue)

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being [4] in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. [6] There was a man sent from God whose name was John. [7] He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. [8] He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. [9] The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. [11] He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. [12] But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, [13] who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. [15] (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) [16] From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. [17] The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God,

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

The First Sunday of Christmas isn’t all angels, carols, and gentle joy. In this Short Take, pastors and comedians Erick Williams (@comicaledubs) and Abby Evans (@itsabbye) join the conversation as we sit with one of the hardest gospel readings of the season — the flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents. It’s a text many preachers quietly dread, because it refuses to offer easy comfort or tidy resolutions.

What do you preach when grief can’t be explained away, when joy feels premature, and when the Bible itself won’t let you rush past suffering? Together, we wrestle honestly with faith that doesn’t flinch, humor that knows when to step aside, and why sometimes the most faithful response isn’t to fix the pain, but to tell the truth and stay with it.

Matthew 2:13–23 (NRSVue)

[13] Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” [14] Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt [15] and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” [16] When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. [17] Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: [18] “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” [19] When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, [20] “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” [21] Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. [22] But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. [23] There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Send us a text

What does it mean to say yes when the cost is public scandal?

In this Advent 4 episode, Pastors Bob Schaefer and Eric Damon are joined by comedians John Benkart (@johnbenkartcomedy) and Roy Gloeckle (@royjay.comedy) to wrestle with Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth—the version that centers not on Mary’s announcement, but on Joseph’s quiet, risky obedience.

Along the way, the conversation wanders (as it always does) through Catholic school memories, youth group survival strategies, church as therapy, bad choirs (said with love), ancient gossip, and whether the Bible ever allows God to act like Zeus (spoiler: no). Beneath the jokes, though, is a serious question Advent won’t let us dodge: Where is the good news in a story shaped by power, consent, and trust?

We talk about:

• Joseph as a model of righteousness that protects rather than punishes
• Why it matters that Jesus’ conception is not coercive
• Free will, foreknowledge, and whether God waits for consent
• What it means when men step back and women speak
• And why God provides not just a Savior—but a family strong enough to hold scandal and tenderness at the same time

As always, the Bible is taken seriously (but not literally in every word), Jesus is centered, and humor is treated as a legitimate theological tool.

If you’re looking for Advent hope that doesn’t skip the hard parts—or if church language has ever made you flinch—you’re welcome here.

Matthew 1:18–25 (NRSVue)

[18] Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. [19] Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. [20] But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: [23] “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” [24] When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife [25] but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.

Hosted by Pastor Eric Damon and Pastor Bob Schaefer.

Join the community!
Email us at cptbpod@gmail.com.
Find us at @cptbpod on most social media platforms.
More at linktr.ee/cptbpod

Music: Trickster by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10864-trickster
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.