Podcast Summary: The Tim & April Show

Episode 78: “Accidental Christian Smut? When Sermon Illustrations Go Too Far”
Host: Tim Whitaker & April Ajoy
Date: January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this standout (and slightly unhinged) episode, Tim and April revisit one of their wildest and most awkward moments from the previous year: dissecting some unintentionally suggestive language in evangelical worship culture and sermons, particularly relating to purity culture, “dating Jesus,” and a famously cringeworthy Gospel Coalition article by Josh Butler. What starts as light banter evolves into a deep (and sometimes hilarious) exploration of the blurred lines between spiritual intimacy and unintended eroticism in modern Christian culture. The duo offers real talk, relatable stories, memorable quotes, and pointed commentary—while keeping things fun and honest.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

The “Romance with Jesus” Trope in Evangelical Culture

[03:12] – [06:10]

• Testimony parody: A listener "testifies" to her romantic relationship with Jesus (“The Lord has pursued me so passionately and so intimately this week…”).
• April and Tim discuss how common it is in evangelical spaces to hear worship songs and testimonies with language that blurs spiritual and romantic lines.
  • Memorable “intimate” song lyrics from Christian worship music (e.g., “your love is extravagant… your friendship is intimate… your fragrance is intoxicating…”)
  • April: “I think she’s dating Jesus.” [03:46]
  • Tim admits: “Even back then, I was kind of like, I don’t know if we’re dating or if I’m talking about God.” [05:39]
• Both hosts point out how easy it is to take secular love songs and “turn them into worship,” further blurring boundaries.

Purity Culture’s Impact and “Dating Jesus”

[06:47] – [07:51]

• April and Tim recall evangelical lessons warning teens not to date, framing breakups as “training for divorce,” with the suggested alternative being “dating Jesus.”
  • April: “That was an actual phrase that was told to me.” [06:51]
  • She confesses having broken up with someone in high school using the excuse that “God is jealous of the time I’m spending with you.” [06:59]
• The pair laughs at how normalized it was to frame singleness as time for “romance with God,” and how self-serious (and odd) this rhetoric ended up sounding.

Critique of “Christ Pursuing Me” Narrative

[07:54] – [08:34]

• Tim (reading a Sienna quote): “I would create the entire world over again just to look at you.”
• Tim notes the narcissism in this narrative:
  • “The supreme leader of the universe wants a relationship with me personally. That’s pretty egomaniacal.” [07:36]
  • “At its best, this type of belief lets you be seen and loved… At its worst, it’s like, ‘look how important I am.’” [08:00]

The Josh Butler / Gospel Coalition “Beautiful Union” Article

[09:18] – [33:42]

• April recalls the internet uproar over Josh Butler’s Gospel Coalition article, which used explicit sexual imagery to make spiritual analogies about marriage, salvation, and sex.
  • “It was something like, ‘the Holy Spirit pours out his seed on the church’...” [09:37]
• Both hosts search for the article in real-time, commenting on its content and public response.
  • April: “Oh, gosh… He was comparing that to God’s relationship with the church.” [10:50]

Live Reading and Color Commentary: “Sexual Union Pictures the Gospel”

[13:04] – [32:55]

• April gamely reads lengthy passages from the infamous article, frequently pausing for Tim’s interjections and their mutual cringing.
  • Butler’s metaphors include extended references to generosity, hospitality (“the wife welcomes her husband into the sanctuary of her very self”), “pouring out his presence,” “altar within her most holy place,” and the “generative seed of his word.”
  • Tim: “Oh my God.” [21:00]
    April: “You just can’t pass over that, April. You just can’t keep moving on. Did you just hear what you read?” [21:04]
• Both call out the gender imbalance and problematic logic.
  • Tim: “This is Christian smut… That was a much more fancy way of Mark Driscoll calling women penis homes.” [22:43]
  • April: “That poor girl earlier was like, ‘I just want to thank the romance of God.’” [30:15]

Peak Awkwardness and Satire

[28:49] – [31:05]

• April: “Christ penetrates his church with the generative seed of his word and the life-giving presence of his spirit, which takes root within her and grows to bring new life into the world.” [28:49]
  • Tim: “I might really pass out. I don’t know what to do.” [29:08]
  • April: “This really brings a whole new meaning to that scripture that says, ‘Behold, I come quickly.’”
• The hosts openly acknowledge that this language is both (unintentionally?) erotic and deeply embedded in some Christian teaching:
  • April: “He just said the quiet parts out loud. The language of Jesus being a lover is in the rhetoric… He just said it very explicitly.” [34:07]

Real-life Purity Culture Tales

[15:32] – [16:58]

• April recounts a “sex blanket” tradition where women knit special blankets, prayed over by the family, to be used on their wedding night.
  • “It was almost like a worship night… supposed to have your first time on the blanket.” [15:35]
  • Tim’s genuine horror: “No. And that your mother also sat on at one point?” [16:15]
• Tim references “Pamela’s Prayer,” a Christian movie about extreme purity teachings, as another bizarre cultural artifact. [17:38]

Closing Thoughts

[33:05] – End

• Tim: “It’s all about the guy. This is so misogynistic… as if it’s all about the woman preparing herself for the man’s gratification.” [33:05]
• April points out that the sexualized, romantic rhetoric toward God is widespread, not an outlier.
  • “The language of Jesus being a lover and… a romance with Christ… is in the rhetoric.” [34:07]
• Humorously, both admit that this unplanned, digressive segment became some of their most memorable, hilarious content.

Notable Quotes

• April (sarcastically on worship lyrics):
  “Spread wide in the arms of Christ… We used to sing that.” [04:47]
• Tim (on the dating Jesus trend):
  “Even back then, I was kind of like, I don’t know if we’re dating, if we’re talking about God, or if I’m singing this to the girl in the front I have a crush on.” [05:39]
• April:
  “That was an actual phrase that was told to me… You really shouldn’t be dating anybody because you’re training to get divorced if you break up. So that we should focus on dating Jesus.” [06:51]
• Tim (on the Butler article):
  “This is Christian smut. That was a much more fancy way of Mark Driscoll calling women penis homes.” [22:43]
• April (reading Butler):
  “Christ penetrates his church with the generative seed of his word and the life giving presence of his spirit which takes root within her and grows to bring new life into the world.” [28:49]
• Tim:
  “I might really pass out. I don’t know what to do.” [29:08]
• April:
  “He just said the quiet parts out loud. But the language of Jesus being a lover… is in the rhetoric.” [34:07]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:12] — Sienna’s testimony & the “dating Jesus” language.
• [04:03-05:38] — Discussion of worship lyrics and thin line between romance/love songs and worship.
• [06:51] — April on “dating Jesus” instead of people.
• [09:29 – 10:50] — Introduction to the Josh Butler / Gospel Coalition controversy.
• [13:02 – 32:55] — Live dramatic reading and critique of the Josh Butler article.
• [15:32 – 16:58] — The “sex blanket” purity ritual story.
• [17:38 – 18:15] — “Pamela’s Prayer” reference.
• [28:49 – 29:57] — Climax of Butler excerpt: “Christ penetrates his church...” and hosts’ reactions.
• [31:05 – 31:52] — Discussion on the assumed self-sacrifice of men and women’s experiences in purity culture.
• [34:07] — April on why Butler’s language isn’t as outlandish as it seems.
• [35:05] — Light-hearted wrap-up and exit puns.

Tone & Language

• Casual, semi-sarcastic, sometimes irreverent, but ultimately caring and honest
• Both hosts approach sensitive topics with both humor and genuine critique—interjecting lived experience and cultural commentary with improv-like banter

Summary Takeaway

This episode stands out for its unfiltered, funny, and incisive dissection of evangelical Christianity’s sometimes awkward conflation of sex and spirituality. Tim and April deftly expose how purity culture, worship language, and even “sermon illustrations” can veer into territory that’s awkward, exclusionary, or even accidentally explicit—all while inviting both laughter and honest conversation about theological, relational, and gendered implications. Whether you grew up with “dating Jesus,” puzzled over worship song lyrics, or just want solidarity in calling Christian cringe what it is, this episode delivers.