Accidental Tomatoes

With tensions regarding police violence on the rise, we’ve seen lots of conversation about how to reform policing or even redistribute funding from certain areas of police activity to other types of support agencies. But former police officer Dr. Jim Nolan, professor of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University and author of two in-depth books on police reform, says the real solution goes beyond catch phrases and hashtags to a fundamental re-thinking of what police departments should—and should not—actually be about. In this episode Jim talks with Joe and Brandon about how a fundamental shift from a strict focus on law enforcement to one built on social contexts could really make our communities safer and even improve both mental and physical health for people.

Pride Month continues at Accidental Tomatoes as Queer clergyperson Sam Blewis talks with Joe about "The Sacred Act of Neighboring," a way of building community around authentic friendships and deep vulnerability.

Our Pride Month celebration continues with a fascinating interview with Isaac Simmons, whose drag persona, Ms. Penny Cost, is bringing an unexpected encounter with the divine to LGBTQ folks and allies across the country. In this episode Isaac talks to Joe and Brandon about how the art form of drag can reclaim religious language within queer spaces and how he's able to redirect negative criticism into life-giving experiences of grace.

In this episode, Joe and Brandon talk to Amy Jo Hutchinson and Sr. Quincy Howard of Faithful Democracy about the For The People Act, a massive piece of voting rights and election reform legislation now before Congress, and why it’s important for communities and people of all kinds of faith expressions to know about and support it. You can sign on to a letter in support of the act to West Virginia’s Senators at this link.

Beer and Hymns may not exactly go together like peanut butter and jelly, but for people seeking spiritual community outside the confines of institutional religion, it's a way to come together for an experience unlike any other! In this episode Joe and Brandon talk with Rich and Alise Chaffins, organizers of Beer and Hymns in Morgantown, WV, about how and why these gatherings are so meaningful for spiritual exiles of all sorts.

In this episode Joe welcomes new podcast co-host Brandon Wood (Hey Mom Everything's Alright) and content creators Jenny Williams (Episodes 24 & 25), Brad Davis (Episode 27), and Heather Moore (Episode 36) for a conversation about how deconstruction and justice-seeking go together and our plans for new material on the blog side of the Accidental Tomatoes content site.

Environmental justice is more than just environmentalism...it sits at the intersection of ecological concerns, culture, race, gender & sexuality, economics, politics, faith, and societal norms. In this episode, environmental justice activist Chett Pritchett joins Joe for a wide-ranging conversation about the complexities and nuances of the environmental justice movement.

Is "Weird Church" really weird? Or is it just a more authentic way of building community around friendships and vulnerability? Pastor and gamer nerd Heather Moore joins Joe for a conversation about how the metaphorical kids' table of the church is quickly becoming the main seating area.

Rabbi Victor Urecki returns to the Accidental Tomatoes Podcast in this episode for a conversation about how the Passover and Easter narratives gain deeper meaning when viewed through an interfaith lens with the Jewish and Christian traditions in dialogue with one another...PLUS, a bonus conversation on the theology of WandaVision!

In this episode Joe welcomes Ginny McKinney of Marshmallow Ranch for a conversation about how loss and grief inspired her to start a new kind of online community, how her faith experience informs her work, and the importance of building relationships through common context.