Thomas Austin is a Nashville singer-songwriter who calls his music theo-folk. A pastor's kid from Maryland, he spent years as a worship leader, and now goes to an Anglican church. His song "Normal Church" went viral on Instagram and brought a comment section full of theology arguments he'd rather not have. He and Korby talk worship music, metaphor, doubt, and whether emotion is a lesser kind of truth. Thomas plays "Just Emotion" and "Normal Church" live in the studio.
00:00 How "Normal Church" went viral
04:40 Growing up a pastor's kid: "Coldplay concert followed by TED Talk"
13:00 Korby on praise and worship music, and five years at Mass without converting
27:54 Christianity's discomfort with metaphor, and songs that write themselves
Mid-episode: "Just Emotion" (live)
39:50 The altar call, the wedding day, and Peter on the beach
47:26 Faith without feeling, and raising a daughter to know the stories
1:01:59 Pickleball as a spiritual discipline
1:15:42 Christian Wiman, Dostoevsky, and suffering without answers
Closing: "Normal Church" (live)
Mentioned: C.S. Lewis (The Great Divorce, The Silver Chair, The Problem of Pain), Christian Wiman (My Bright Abyss), Wendell Berry (Jayber Crow), Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba the Greek), Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov), G.K. Chesterton, Kierkegaard, George MacDonald, the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil," and The Rabbit Room.
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