An outspoken baptist pastor and an activist for atheism went head-to-head over the issue of public prayer on a radio show Wednesday.

The result was not what most Americans would expect from talk radio.

The two men gently and respectfully explained their positions to each other. There was no righteous anger or sarcasm, just good humor and intelligent conversation.

It was a perfect example of what WhidbeyAIR is aiming for, volunteer producer Gwen Samelson said afterward.

“You guys were amazing. I got choked up a couple of times because it was so respectful,” she said. “It’s important work that you did here.”

WhidbeyAIR, which stands for All Internet Radio, is an all-volunteer, public radio station online at kwparadio.org. The purpose of the station, Samelson said, is to provide Whidbey-related programming that’s thoughtful and adds to the community dialogue; she’s not looking for politics as usual.

The station, formerly KWPA, gave up its spot on the FM spectrum last year to broadcast solely on the internet.