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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 episode, Pastors Eric Damon and Bob Schaefer are joined by comedians Lizzie Martin (@lizziemartin) and Harriet Riley (@harrietrileycomedy) for Transfiguration Sunday (Matthew 17:1–9). We start with civics, citizenship, and the weird emotional texture of living in anxious times — plus a little love for “spooky” church, ritual, and the kind of wonder that modern life keeps trying to sand down.

Then we head up the mountain with Peter, James, and John, where Jesus goes full radiant glory, Moses and Elijah drop in like it’s a dream, and Peter tries to build… something. We talk about fear, mystery, the “messianic secret,” and why the good news might not be the spectacle at all — but Jesus coming close, touching his friends, and saying: “Get up. Do not be afraid.”

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Matthew 17:1–9 (NRSVue)

[1] Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. [2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. [3] Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. [4] Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [5] While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” [6] When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. [7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” [8] And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. [9] As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.