Method(ist) to the Madness

After a long (and deeply spiritual) hiatus, Methodist to the Madness returns with an episode on one of church history’s most intense figures: Catherine of Siena.She wrote scathing letters to popes, fasted herself into visions, and once drank pus out of a bowl—voluntarily.In this episode, we explore Catherine’s mystical life, her radical acts of service, and the thin line between holy devotion and spiritual burnout.It’s a story of sacred intensity, unsettling choices, and what it really means to serve.

Description: Hello, theologians! Happy Thanksgiving week! We hope you enjoy time around the table with loved ones, discussing today’s topic: the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Enjoy some more (poorly researched) historical content on us! Highlights include: historical context for the lost colonists, three ships: the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, the Lost Colony TexMex restaurant, and a solid Gilbert & Sullivan goof courtesy of Andy.

What’s up Theologians! We really enjoyed recording this latest episode on this fine, fun Tuesday morn! (We’re sorry to all the Calvinists we’ll inevitably offend — we really are just poking fun.) Talking points: differences between Calvinistic theology and Wesleyan theology, Darth Tater, black and white thinking, and not gambling

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus, Theologians, but we’re glad to be back on schedule! Episode highlights include defining complementarianism vs egalitarianism, The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, MB briefly dunking on John Piper, and resources for egalitarians!

Welcome Theologians to our 10th episode, Halloween spooktacular featuring our first ever guest, Bailey May. Full disclosur: this is the most chaotic episode we’ve ever recorded, which means it was lots of fun. Highlights include: casket girls, vampire nuns?, and Bailey telling us about the raccoon he ate. 

Ok, we’re actually going to talk about the stigmata now! Highlights include: Did you know St. Francis is the first recorded stigmatic?, St. Padre Pio, and MB goes on a feminist rant about female stigmatics. 

Hey theologians! This week we were planning on talking about the stigmata buuuut… we ended up talking about suffering instead. So less funny and more fruitful content this week! C’est la vie. Talking points include: suffering as blessing, why we don’t value suffering the same way folks did in the 13th century, and Brian not knowing why he’s here. 

Welcome back, Theologians! This week, we’re talking St. Francis — an ex-party animal soldier who renounced his wealth, lived his new life in radical poverty, went on daring missions to hostile lands, and experienced mystical ecstasy.  Oh, and Brian makes a pun about emails. 

Get your whips and fedoras or your chain mail and coconuts ready  because we’re talking Holy Grail today! Highlights include how the grail could be a dish or bowl or whatever at this point, Andy quietly going “ni,” and us figuring out which holy grail is the true one! 

Round 2 of our snake handling discussion! (Do you guys know any good snake puns? Because we serpently don’t.) Episode highlights include: snake handling from the early 1900s until now, Andy helpfully pointing out when MB isn’t funny, manslaughter and murder via snake handling, and all this “with signs following.” 

Episode highlights include: lots of snake puns, a breakdown of Gnosticism, a look at the OG snake handlers, the Ophites, Judas and his motives and, cringe, “the moist essence.”

Episode highlights include - a very funny goof about a small medium at large, stylites (pillar saints) like Simeon, and running away from it all  

It’s Episode 1 of the show, gang, and you’re going to want shaver every minute of it. Highlights include the folk saint of bearded ladies, a brief summation on women’s purity/expectations in the dark ages, the Volto Santo, and loving folks who live outside the box.