The Priest & The Prof

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Carl Thorpe explore questions about prayer and the Bible in public schools and our experiences as educators.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe debunks the claim that America is a Christian nation and how God is embedded in our culture and politics. Transcript at https://priestandprof.org/Episode-40-The-God-Problem/

We at The Priest & The Prof took a break from production over Holy Week and the week after Easter.  We will return on April 16th with a new episode.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Producer Carl Thorpe talk about anger and argue that it isn't always wrong, harmful, or sinful. Visit https://priestandprof.org/Episode-39-Anger/ for full transcript.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Producer Carl Thorpe discuss their relationship to place and how that impacts their faith and the Church. Visit https://priestandprof.org/episode-38-place/ for transcript.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May talk about Biblical and other texts that address and represent the LGBTQ community, paying special attention to how those texts have been interpreted to express heteronormativity and "traditional" gender roles.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the origins of Christ in the Gospels of Mark and John, paying particular attention to how these narratives relate to empire.

Rev. Deborah solo-casts again, this time exploring the origins of Jesus Christ, as told in the Gospels of Mark and John, through the lens of gender.

In this solo-cast, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May explores the origins of Jesus as told in the Gospels of Mark and John, which do not have traditional birth narratives.

Merry Christmas from all of us at The Priest & The Prof.  We will return with a new episode on January 8th.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May discuss the impact of living under the oppression of the Roman Empire in the Nativity Story in this third part of our six part series on the birth of Christ.

In this second episode in our six part series about the Nativity, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss what it means to be gendered and how gender is a part of the Gospel birth narratives.

In this first of six episodes about the Nativity, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe explore the birth of Christ through the lens of class and material wealth.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the ways in which scripture has been used to oppress women.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Producer Carl Thorpe discuss the Trump administration's so-called Religious Liberty Commission and how it is actually a means to prop up a specific type of Christianity at the expense of other interpretations and faith traditions.

In this episode, Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May discuss whether Eve is hero or villain.

In this episode, Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May explore the varying manifestations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and interrogate whether the version the Church has propagated is empowering for women or oppressive.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Producer Carl Thorpe discuss the connections between literature and faith.

In this mini episode, Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discusses the nature of public vs private communication and how those differences relate to the faith.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discusses her approach to the faith and this podcast. She explores the value of rhetoric in understanding theological issues. Producer's Note: Due to some technical difficulties with our Virtual Church recording session, we are going to delay that episode until we can re-record some sections. This week, we are doing a solo episode with Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe.

In this episode, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the relationships among food, power, and labor. Rev. Deborah talks about the rise of agribusiness, and Dr. Thorpe discusses Cesar Chavez.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss Judas. They discuss both the Biblical depiction of him and the recently discovered and translated non-canonical Gospel of Judas.  

In this episode, Producer Carl Thorpe joins Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe for a discussion of Juneteenth.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the Episcopal Church's response to the US administration's demand that the Episcopal Church assist in resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa.  They discuss the history and lasting legacy of apartheid in South Africa, as well as structural racism in the United States.

In this episode, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the difference between reformation and punishment in the prison system.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May explore different perspectives on economics and their impacts.

Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe and Rev. Deborah Duguid-May discuss artificial intelligence and some of its implications in communication, ethics, and theology.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss immigration from a Biblical and legal perspective.  Rev. Deborah shares her immigrant story. Dr. Thorpe discusses her story of American roots.

Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss Mary Magdalene and how narratives about women have been decentered and obscured by those who benefit from an imbalance of power.

Content warning: Discussion of violence, murder, and sexual assualt directed at LGBTQIA+ persons. Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss events from their local community and how the responsibilities people have to each other.

In this episode, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe discuss the controversy surrounding Bishiop Mariann Budde's sermon delivered at the prayer service attended by President Donald Trump on the day after his second inauguration.

In this episode Rev. Deborah Duguid-May and Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe define Christian Nationalism. They discuss how religion has played into America’s history, both as a legal framework and a narrative. Rev. Deborah compares that to South Africa and notes how different the impact of patriotism and religion is in other parts of the world. The consider the impact of Christian Nationalism in America today.

We are taking one week off of production.  We had our church's annual meeting, other new year tasks, and the start of the college semester in short order.  We will be back next week with a new episode.

In this episode about the body, Rev. Deborah Duguid-May shares her love for the physical world, while Dr. M. Elizabeth Thorpe is a bit skeptical. They explore how their attitudes impact their relationships and their faith.

In this impassioned episode, Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth discuss their love and exploration of language. They talk about the cultural differences in how they approach language, and the challenges of translation and interpretation.

In this episode, Reverend Deborah and Elizabeth try to work through their feelings about the election and its aftermath. They discuss not just the politics of the last year, but different perspectives on parties, global and local relationships, and the media.

In this episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth talk about the relationship (and tension) between the Queer community and the Christian community. They discuss their experience with the church and how it has treated the LGBTQIA+ community and the history of the Queer movement in America, and how that has differed from the international community.

Dr. M. Eiizabeth Thorpe shares a brief note about the election.  Due to travel and work committments, our team has not yet been able to come together to record and produce episodes since the election.

In this very spirited episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth discuss their very different understandings of death. Elizabeth recounts her fearful understanding of death because of its connection to sin and damnation, while Rev. Deborah describes it as a beautiful transition into something better.

In this episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth talk about the history of the women's movement and the connections between their faith journey and feminism. They talk about their experiences as women in church, and how that has shaped them.

In this episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth talk about the miracle of creation. They discuss their very different attitudes toward time outdoors and how our conversations about nature are a problem not just for politics and science but for the faithful as well.  Find us at https://priestandprof.org.

In this episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth explore poverty and how it is a policy choice. They describe examples from South Africa and Jim Crow America as illustrations of how poverty is enshrined into the law and ask what is required of us as people of faith because of that.  Visit us at https://priestandprof.org.

In this introductory episode Rev. Deborah and Elizabeth describe their different backgrounds and how they have affected their outlooks on Christianity, and the Episcopol Church, specifically. They explore the difference between a rules based faith vs. relationship, and the different ways they connect to the Church.  Find us at https://priestandprof.org.