A Church Dismantled--A Kingdom Restored

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Welcome friends! In May of 2020 an email to our congregation where my wife Heidi and I have served in ministry for fifteen years. My email was entitled “Why the church cannot be reopened." This began a series of blog-like postings that immediately attracted an audience on Facebook. As a result, I decided to try a podcast. One of the questions that I began to raise during that time was: “Is God's Spirit dismantling the church because we have so failed God's mission?” Prophetic or not, the idea I posited fifteen years ago of a dismantled church has only gained traction since I first posed it. The response to the podcast has been quite unexpected, now with more than 35,000 episodes downloaded in 73 countries and nearly 1,300 cities. The podcast seems to particularly resonate with those on the run from the church and feel alienated or marginalized by the church. The podcast has allowed me to draw upon nearly three decades of teaching sociology, thirty-five years of sociological research, fifteen years of church and denominational consulting, twenty years of ministry, my childhood and coming of age in a conservative Mennonite/Amish community, and my diagnosis three years ago of Parkinson’s Disease. The podcast consists of five ongoing seasons: 1)A Church Dismantled, 2)Miscellaneous interviews, 3)An Advent series "The Light still Shines," 4)A Lenten series "When Night Falls," and 5)interviews from my LIVE at 345 podcast that airs twice a week and where the videos are posted to YouTube. Thank you for listening and I can be reached at conradkanagy@achurchdismantled.com. Conrad L. Kanagy, Ph.D.

Conrad L. Kanagy

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    • May 15, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
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    • 364 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from A Church Dismantled--A Kingdom Restored

    One month update of the new podcast "Walter Brueggemann: Prophetic Voice for our Time"

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 8:40


    Growing old at mid-life

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2023 7:43


    Support the show

    "I hope you keep Walter Brueggemann human" he said!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2023 6:25


    Support the show

    I Just Can't Shut Down a Church Dismantled!! So I Won't!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2023 10:22


    Despite my efforts, the Spirit just continues to keep this podcast going!Support the show

    Nick Lowe and Nicodemus--Closer to the Light than They Might Think

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2022 7:16


    You may make a donation and receive the two books that contain this Advent series at no cost. Donate at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org Would you be willing to rate this podcast?Support the show

    My Amish Grandfather's Dark Secrets Where Martyrdom was a Sign of Faithfulness

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2022 7:44


    You may make a donation and receive the two books that contain this Advent series at no cost. Donate at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org Would you be willing to rate this podcast?Support the show

    God with PTSD (Episode 5 of Advent)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 4:20


    Support the show

    The story of James Weldon Johnson: Emancipated from Shame, Oppression and Darkness (Episode 4)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 8:17


    And so God began again (Episode 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 5:53


    Support the show

    It all began in the darkness (Episode 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 3:08


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    God in the Dark (Episode I)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 2:56


     The first in a short series about darkness for this Advent.Support the show

    From Grace as "Unmerited favor" to the grace "we deserve!"

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2022 6:49


    Maybe it's time to reconsider our teaching about grace and the God of grace!Support the show

    What if Jesus came for the church too?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 2:51


    When and why did sin and hell become part of the Good News?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 3:23


    When the Gospel becomes an "instrument of oppression"

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 4:10


    Jesus came for those "with their backs against the wall" (Howard Thurman)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2022 3:24


     In the words of Howard Thurman, preacher and early civil rights activist who profoundly impacted Mennonite civil rights leader Vincent Harding, Jesus came for those "whose backs were against the wall."

    Praise and politics--rethinking Anabaptism

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2022 5:08


    Praise the Lord or congratulations? One is worship of God and the other of self!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 4:32


    Why I am not just a "red-letter" Christian and Brueggemann's God

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 8:08


    To hear four additional episodes this week subscribe for 2.99/month at Apple Podcasts or www.centerforpropheticimagination.org

    The Power of Praise, Walter Brueggemann vs. Rolf Jacobson, and the Black Church

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 7:02


    Walter Brueggemann hopes he is most remembered for his work on the psalms of lament. Why?  The episode also considers a friendly conversation between the older scholar Brueggemann and a younger theologian at the time--Rolf Jacobson of Luther Seminary. And we reflect on what the Black Church long ago taught us about the power of praise and lament. 

    "Good morning Death Row!" Another lesson from Anthony Ray Hinton

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 4:49


    Theologian Carolyn Roy Yoder: Biblical wisdom literature, injustice, and Brueggemann

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 24:27


    The Prophetic Imagination of wrongfully convicted Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 8:37


    A Mother Superior, Cancelled by Fuller Seminary, and embraced by John Goldingay

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 4:48


    Focusing on the "most engaged" in the recent MC USA survey will only retain the status quo

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 9:30


    To read more about my critique of the Mennonite Church USA 2021 Membership Survey subscribe to my daily blog and website at www.centerforpropheticimagination.org.

    The Naming of Walter Brueggemann's first biography

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 6:05


    "Ethan the Ezrahite needs a Psych Eval or a Sedative" (Meditation on Psalm 89 continued)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 5:19


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    A Leader Not "Ending Well" (Further reflections from Psalm 89)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 4:39


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Brueggemann, Sovereignty and Sainthood continued

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 4:07


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Professor Doug Meeks of Vanderbuilt University speaks about the dismantling of the United Methodist Church--Full episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 56:52


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Jim Wallis Interview--Full episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 36:42


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Brueggemann and Sovereignty--the Saints and Submission, and Our Modern Aversion to Both

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 5:36


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Buechner, Brueggemann, and the Bible continued

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 6:17


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    A funeral fit for a colonial empire

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 6:04


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Buechner, Brueggemann and Muilenburg--the common denominator

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 4:34


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Millennial Pastor Sean Muldowney shares his adult conversion story and his journey with Jesus to racial justice

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2022 45:01


    Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

    Division, Denial, Brueggemann: A Study of Mennonite Church USA

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2022 7:45


    To subscribe to the new podcast and other resources for 9.95 annually go to https://centerforpropheticimagination.org

    The Bible is for Losers--A Cross-over podcast with "Imagination Restor(i)ed"'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 8:56


    From time to time I will offer a "cross-over" podcast that lists in both A Church Dismantled as well as Imagination Restor(i)ed. I do this as a way of acknowledging all of  my listeners--both subscribed and unsubscribed--but also to let those of you who are unsubscribed to the new podcast and the Center for the Study and Practice of Prophetic Imagination aware of some of what you will find there. You can check out the new Center and subscribe for 9.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org.To subscribe to the new podcast and other resources for 9.95 annually go to https://centerforpropheticimagination.org

    Writing WB: Lessons Learned in Reading the Life of Professor Brueggemann (Episode 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 13:35


    To subscribe to all future episodes for 9.95 annually go to https://centerforpropheticimagination.orgTo subscribe to the new podcast and other resources for 9.95 annually go to https://centerforpropheticimagination.org

    "So you thought you knew Jim Wallis?" excerpt--subsribe to listen for one year

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 8:36


    Many folks assume that after 50 years at Sojourners, they know what Jim Wallis will say. In this excerpt and the full version that is part of the podcast "Imagination Restor(i)ed," you will hear Jim fully identify as an Evangelical, call this a Bonhoeffer moment for a new Confessing Church, and note that we must go "neither left nor right but deeper." For the subscription to this and one full year of podcasts  like this subscribe for 9.95 at https://poynt.godaddy.com/checkout/415bf8c0-3554-4af3-a592-a5934c760734/ImaginationRestoried.

    Excerpt of Interview with theologian Douglass Meeks about dismantling of denominations--the remainder of the interview is by subscription

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2022 11:07


    One Little Word Shall Fell Them

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2022 7:52


    fell one little word
    Demons, powers and Christian values with Ethan Shearer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 8:14


    Yet Still I Am A Pastor with guest host Ethan Shearer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2022 7:12


    Ethan Shearer has been a popular guest on this show and I have asked him to step in for me for a few weeks. Here is his first episode!

    "Its the embarrassing things about the Bible..." said Brueggemann

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 7:32


    Friends, based on your feedback which I have appreciated so much I am going to take the following steps. I will continue to share these monologue blog posts for free and perioidically bundle them in both Kindle and paper back form. The most recent of these entitled "What in God's Name is Happening to the Church" is twenty-five essays from this Spring.  I am going   to keep the Ebook price at 1.99 and just self-published the collection in paperback for 5.99 with free prime shipping through Amazon. You can order the Kindle or paperback at this tab. I am currently working on two more for this series. Order Kindle or PaperbackSecond, I will be producing a "subscription-only" series entitled "Dismantling and Restoring: 1517-2025." This series will consist of bi-weekly interviews with a theologian or historian who will address what some have called the last major dismantling that resulted in the Protestand Reformation. I am beginning with 1517 because of Luther's 95 theses and ending with 2025 when the believer's church, and particularly Anabaptists celebrate their 500th anniversary. I have become particularly interested in this period through my study of German pietism related to Walter's biography and this research has put me in touch with many scholars, pastors, and theologians in the Lutheran and Calvinist tradition. And of course, as an Anabaptist I am excited about the upcoming celebration. The focus of this series will be on the European origins but will also expand to see how these movements have impacted other parts of the world. I have been invited to a small conference of German and American pastors and scholars in July to present a paper entitled Walter Brueggemann: From the Prussian Union to Prophetic Imagination." Subscribers to this series will receive a recorded copy of that presentation as well as other related "extras"  including several live roundtable gatherings throughout the year. The series will run from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023 and may be renewed after that.  All recordings of interviews will be distrubuted on Tuesday mornings bi-weekly. Subscribers will also receive free admission to al webinars of "A Church Dismantled." All of these events will be produced as YouTube and podcast recordings for subscribers only. Cost for the year is 150.00 and those who have subscribed to the five webinars this Fall will be automatically included without further cost. The link to subscribe by July 15 is below. Thank you friends for your encouragement and support and great ideas!To register for 1517-2025 Series

    Grace to our mothers and fathers--or canceling them also?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2022 4:55


    "The Spirit, the gifts and the call will meet you there, " I said.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2022 4:41


    Breaking Up is so hard to do--bridge-building even moreso!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2022 5:45


    Anabaptists go "back to the Bible" at 500 years: Interview with project director, John Roth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2022 31:09


    In this interview, retired Professor of History from Goshen College, describes his new role as Director of the Anabaptist Bible Project of Menno Media. John describes the value of this project, how it is uniquely Anabaptist, how Anabaptist congregations can have a voice in this project, and how to support the project. This is an exciting initiative and John and I will check in several times over the next three years to catch up on how things are going!

    Amnesia is not forgetting--it is failing to remember

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2022 6:52


    I have recently created a new podcast sponsored by Mennonite Health Services, Stewardship Advisors, Landis Communities, and Garden Spot Village. The initial sessions are on storytelling as we age, and the importance of doing so. I've worked with students for thirty years on this kind of  activity, and am now in the throes of telling Walter Brueggeman's marvelous, mysterious, and divine life story.You may access the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1923064 which currently has three episodes. Over time you will begin hearing the voices of others more than mine--older folks writing and telling their stories, undergrads from Etown College relaying the stories of elderly but dearly loved grandparents, caregivers, physicians, and gerontologists. I also offer a six-week (12 hours total) workshop on storytelling that you can enroll for 100.00 at this link.  The workshop will begin toward the end of July and run through December. The sessions will be audio and video recorded so if you can't attend any or all you can still purchase the recordings. The link for registering is here https://poynt.godaddy.com/checkout/415bf8c0-3554-4af3-a592-a5934c760734/agingstories,

    The church's seeds of its own destruction--perhaps Karl Marx was right

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 5:10


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