The Atheist Versus the Pastor

An atheist and a former devout pastor sit in a room and talk about some of religion's greatest questions. Both the former, Cory Markum, and the latter, Drew Sokol, have grappled with doubt in their Christian faith—but Markum became an atheist at a young age, while Sokol pursued a religious career long into adulthood. Eventually Sokol began to confront serious questions about organized religion, at which point he went on pastor-hiatus and started seeking out people to converse, debate, and challenge his long-held belief system. 

The podcast "Hinge" records the tough conversations between these two men, beginning with historical-theological questions: who was Jesus, really? Is there such a thing as miracles? How much of faith is "blind" and how much depends on the quest for real fact-based knowledge? Markum and Sokol are as candid as can be, and the podcast is particularly appealing because the listener never gets the sense that they are proselytizing to the audience on either side. It's an approach to civil debate seen too little in polarized times and growing fanaticism.