What have I gotten myself into?


I’ve been agreeing to interviews right and left lately — go ahead, try me, I am so easy — and I just agreed to appear on a show called Issues, Etc., Wednesday morning at 10:30 Central.

It’s Lutheran Public Radio (I didn’t know there was such a thing!).

The show is subtitled “Christ-Centered Cross-Focused Talk Radio”.

This could be really interesting. You’ll have to tune in; I have no idea what direction the interview could take, and I love the uncertainty.

Comments

  1. petermountain says

    Issues; ect. is produced by the conservative branch of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
    If you’re interested in learning what issues float their boat check out
    Brothers of John the Steadfast
    Their cult is built around the Augsburg Confessions which they equate with the Christian Bible.

  2. beelzebubba says

    I was going to say that Lutherans are usually pretty nice and relatively not crazy. But then you mentioned that it’s Missouri Synod…

  3. petermountain says

    Yeah, it really doesn’t make any sense that they would invite PZ. Confessional Lutherans never discuss science. They’re way more interested in the “How many angels dance on the head of pin” variety of theology. In fact here’s a link to the Presiden of the Missouri Synod answering a question about evolution: http://youtu.be/VEnV0QR0kz4. Notice he doesn’t even try to parrot AIG’s fan fiction.

  4. doublereed says

    I think we should place bets on the possible turns of conversation.

    My bet is on a more innocent and welcoming “wait wait wait…. you’re an atheist and happy? Why? How? I don’t understand!” Not confrontational or anything, just interested in a different point of view.

  5. Alverant says

    I hope the interview is over the phone and not in person. As a Star Wars admiral once said, “It’s a trap!”

  6. mothra says

    Don’t worry, stay happy [and yes I bought and read my ‘nook’ copy of The Happy Atheist over the weekend].

  7. says

    I dunno, “John the Steadfast” sounds like a storybook character [e.g., stolid peasant who never gives up] or one of the nicer sorts of pirate [aye, cap’n, I’ll take the midnight watch again…here, take the rest of me grog].

  8. terrellk70 says

    I went to The Brothers of John the Steadfast web site and picked one blog post at random. Below was the first paragraph.

    “Martin Luther teaches, as Jesus teaches in the Holy Scriptures, that the Lord’s Supper is “the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, given to us Christians to eat and to drink.”

    Yea….if they know or find out about the cracker incident…you might want to hunt the back door. Good Luck!!

  9. Ray, rude-ass yankee says

    Quodlibet@13, I love the pirate concept, I think PZ should do the whole interview with a pirate accent. Yarrr!

    Well… it’s funny in my head

  10. Winters says

    I grew up Missouri Synod. Went to their schools for 15 years. It’s the worst of both worlds. The weirdness of Catholic rites and the anti-science of megachurchish evangelicalism.

  11. graham says

    “Christ-Centered Cross-Focused”

    How spirit-crushing and [if you’ll allow the metaphor] soul deadening that sounds.

  12. Sven says

    Beware of traps! #16 Winters is right: the Missouri Synod is fairly extreme. Very sexist too: women are not allowed to vote OR SPEAK in any meeting on the subject of how to run the church.

  13. gregpeterson says

    Yeah, these are not the easy-going, universalist, “gay is OK” brand of Lutherans here. These are the horrifying kind. I was initially hoping that you’d play nice, because…Lutherans. But now that I see the brand, I say release the kraken.

  14. PDX_Greg says

    Live streaming? Sweet! It’s on the calendar in deep fundie red. I’ll bring my digital LFCC (logical fallacy classification counter) and a fresh battery for my mouse, and I’ll warm up my clicker finger for 15 minutes prior. Here’s hoping I don’t suffer repetitive stress injuries before the interview in over.

  15. nancymartin says

    You have to know what kind of Lutherans. My family was apparently Missouri Synod (we where twice a year attendees – Xmas and easter). When I was in may teens (prepping for communion), the minister asked what the youth ministry could do to have some kind of bonding experience for the youth. I suggested a dance and was meet with blank looks. I didn’t know that particular flavor of Lutheran frowned on dancing

  16. nancymartin says

    opps didn’t read the previous comments about Missouri Synod. I don’t my dad was an atheist or agnostic. My mom who converted from Catholicism (and caught real shit for it from my dad’s catholic relatives – kind of interesting in that he was raised lutheran) was the driving force in the who church, communion stuff.

  17. nancymartin says

    I grew up Missouri Synod. Went to their schools for 15 years. It’s the worst of both worlds. The weirdness of Catholic rites and the anti-science of megachurchish evangelicalism. my once evangelic xstian and now I don’t know out gay man brother once disparaged the church we attended as kids once made a snide remark about how the services were practically were catholic

  18. Suido says

    @Nancymartin: As a fellow engineer, I must ask that you don’t use our profession as an excuse for bad writing. Clear writing is evidence of clear thinking, and I’d expect most engineers to be able to martial a clear thought or two in logical order. I’m not sure what grammar ever did to you, but your treatment of it in #23 was appalling. I appreciate the self-awareness evident in #25 :-)

    @PZ: Maybe they’re punning on ‘cross-focused’, and wanted to include cranky old men with conflicting view points?

  19. Tony! The Immorally Inferior Queer Shoop! says

    Christ Centered, Human Sacrifice Focused seems more appropos…

  20. rnilsson says

    Cross focused sounds a little bit Freudian? Christ purposed? Cracker centered? Radio out of order talk?
    Maybe too much Hoc-s-Corpus.
    Good luck, PZ!