As a full-time seminary student, I have to work part-time jobs in order to help support my family. One of the jobs that I have is delivering flowers. A perk of floral delivery, besides periodically taking home free flowers to my wife, is being able to listen to a large amount of audio content while I’m driving.
Since most radio stations play the same 20–30 songs over and over again, I have to find other material to fill the hours I’m driving around town. This caused me to start listening to podcasts.
I’m going to share with you five of my favorite podcasts. These range from sports to theology. Some are Christian. Some aren’t. If you’re looking for a good way to spend your thirty minute commute, you should check out these podcasts.
(These are in no particular order.)
1. Men in Blazers– Men in Blazers is a weekly soccer podcast that I discovered about ten months ago. It is produced by two British guys that love American soccer. The hosts, Michael Davies and Roger Bennett, bring a great mixture of humor and insight to the podcast. They primarily focus on the English Premier League and the US Men’s National Team, but I think they’ll start focusing more on Major League Soccer in the near future.
2. Christ the Center– This is a weekly podcast for the theology nerd. Christ the Center is typically a well-informed group discussion regarding some theological issue or book. Since most of the regular contributors are in some way connected to Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, the program comes from a Reformed and Presbyterian angle. Their theological insight and solid grasp of church history, particularly Reformation history, is a helpful tool for pastors and serious students of the Bible.
3. This American Life– This American Life, a weekly show hosted by Ira Glass, is the most popular podcast in the country. Their site reports that each show is downloaded by about one million listeners. This podcast is not Christian, and you may hear a rare profanity in some episodes, but the content is excellent. Typically, each show has three stories, ranging from some global epidemic ravaging another country to a piece on the importance of mosquitoes. I love this podcast because their ability to report a story is captivating, and I am almost always left chewing on some piece from the show. Rarely does a week go by that I don’t mention a fascinating portion of the show to a friend or family member.
4. Mortification of Spin– The producers of Mortification of Spin describe it as a “bi-weekly causal conversation about things that count.” This podcast, which is also hosted by Presbyterians, discusses theology and Christian living issues facing the modern church. It is more informal than Christ the Center, and the hosts are engaging, even for those who wouldn’t self-identify as theology nerds. Their shows come in two varieties. Normal episodes are around thirty minutes long, and they are more in-depth in their content, while “Bully Pulpit” episodes are typically shorter and focused more on practical issues of Christianity. These “Bully Pulpit” episodes also have a little more sarcasm and humor, so you may not want to listen to them if you’re thin-skinned.
5. Radiolab– This podcast covers everything from science to philosophy to the nitty-gritty of human life. It’s great for the generally curious person. Radiolab is not a Christian podcast, so you may encounter some profane language, though it will be rare. This is another show that will leave you wanting to discuss the material with others, which shows how great of a podcast it is.
Well, there are my five favorite podcasts. I’m always looking for new podcasts, so feel free to share your own favorites.
Cody A. Cunningham 