The Church Nerd Podcast is the collection of questions I have gathered through these many years, as well as the best answers I can cobble together through my experience, interactions with others, and the resources of a seminary library. My aim is to shed light on some of the things we do in worship, as well as promote discussion on the way the church is moving forward. This means that the podcast does not focus on one particular area (like history, liturgy, or social justice), but that it certainly can and will include all of these things in time. Likewise, I am a nerd, and want to give a church-nerd response to comics, television, movies, and other popular culture. The church lives because the people live, and does not live apart from the rest of our culture.

As stated above, I love this content. I’ve always sought to know more, and have relished in the exploration therein. That said, I want to be a “religious communicator”— by which I mean someone who advocates for and educates the broader population on the trappings of the church, its history, and how we are to respond to the world in which we live. In the same way YouTubers like Destin Sandlin (Smarter Every Day) and Emily Graslie (The Brain Scoop) present STEM and related fields to the broader population in a fun and accessible way, I want to bring the Church.

My name is Andrew. I have a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in Religious Education, and a Master of Divinity. Currently, I am a priest in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Mississippi. And while that sounds very fancy and nerdy, I’m really just an individual who has grown up in the the church and has always been fascinated by its traditions and practices. Even if I didn't go to seminary or became a priest, I would still be asking these questions, seeking these answers, and producing this podcast. I am a huge fan of this medium and I’ve always enjoyed sharing what I discover with others (even if they seem less excited about it).

I have a wife, a toddler, and an Irish Wolfhound. Seriously, my dog is huge (150lb.). She eats buckets of food. No really, we keep her food in two 5-gallon Home Depot buckets. We also just got a Rotweiller puppy. She eats much less.

I also have a great love of corned beef hash, the old and new Voltron cartoons, and Charlie Chaplin films. I will watch any comic book movie that comes out, and I still believe that Star Trek: Voyager was a good show (it’s no TNG, but what is?).