A rabbi and a preacher walk into a radio station.

They talk. They argue. They take a few phone calls. They laugh.

It’s no joke.

It’s what Rabbi David Cantor and the Rev. Allen Gregory, billed as the “God Squad,” do most Friday mornings on WVOM-FM 103.9, a talk radio station owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting Inc.

The two sit together in a Bangor studio shortly after 8 a.m. Fridays with “Maine in the Morning” co-hosts George Hale and Ric Tyler.

What follows is about 20 minutes of philosophical and spiritual banter.

No matter how serious the topic, however, Cantor and Gregory always learn a little bit more about each other’s spiritual traditions.

Since December, Cantor, rabbi of Bangor’s Conservative synagogue, Beth Israel, and Gregory, outreach minister for Bangor Baptist Church, an independent congregation, have been on the air as the God Squad.

Their first topic: the controversy over whether clerks at major retail stores should greet customers with “merry Christmas” or “happy holidays.”

They’ve also discussed publication of controversial images of Muhammad in European newspaper cartoons and Wal-Mart pharmacies’ stocking of emergency contraception.

The clergymen’s appearances on the show have sparked phone calls and e-mails from listeners, according to Tyler.

“We’re breaking two rules here: Never talk politics and never talk religion,” he said. “They do very well. We bring ’em in and can’t shut ’em up.”

Gregory added, “I’m amazed at how many people listen.”

Cantor agreed.

“Members of my congregation do listen to the show, especially the ones that never come to shul,” or the synagogue, he said. “Everyone’s been very positive.”

Cantor and Allen were brought together on the air by Larry Julius, market manager for Clear Channel, which owns eight radio stations in the Bangor market. Both clergymen serve on the Clear Channel community advisory board.

After seeing how well the rabbi and the minister did together in committee meetings, Julius last year asked them to appear on the morning show. “Their chemistry was apparent that first day,” he said. “What they do is talk about the news of the day from a spiritual perspective.”

Cantor and Gregory are not the only so-called “God Squad.” A Christian motorcycle club in Australia uses the moniker, and an animated DVD features a team of young skateboarders who call themselves the God Squad.

The best-known clerical God Squad may be one based in New York. Monsignor Thomas Hartman and Rabbi Thomas Gellman have a cable television program and write a syndicated newspaper column. The two also work as religious consultants for ABC’s “Good Morning America” and make regular appearances on MSNBC “Imus in the Morning” talk program.

Gregory said that unlike some radio clergy who may be interested in emphasizing what divides people of faith, he is more interested in highlighting how much Christianity and Judaism have in common than in debating their differences.

The rabbi agreed. He said that he’s delighted to be able to talk about religion and how faith intersects with the news of the day.

“This country is so hung up on the separation of church and state,” Cantor said, “that it’s frozen out religion from the public discourse. Being Christian or Jewish is not a part-time job, it’s 24-7.

“The Founding Fathers believed people had to have a sense of the divine,” he said, “but also believed it was important that the state not dictate what that is. We’ve taken a protection and turned it into a prevention.”

In a way, Gregory’s radio appearance is an extension of his job as outreach minister.

“Being on the radio lets people know that we clergy deal with real issues in a real way,” he said.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Give me an answer.’ They don’t want a Christian verse. They want me to help solve their problem. My job is to look at that problem through a spiritual lens.”

Both men said they enjoy the spontaneity of doing live radio and truly appreciate the other’s sense of humor.

“He thinks differently, but the same as I do,” Gregory said. “When the show’s over, we both can say, ‘Yeah. Go, God!’ You don’t get that with just anybody.”