Freedom Road Podcast

In this episode we are joined by Rev. Julio Hernandez, Executive Director of the Congregation Action Network, based in DC and serving the DC, Maryland, Virginia area (aka the DMV). We invited Julio to talk with us on Freedom Road about the nearly invisible struggle taking place in the immigrant community in the U.S.. They are receiving the tip of the spear in the current administration's policy of mass deportation and authoritarian rule. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa ⁠@lisasharper⁠ or to Freedom Road ⁠@freedomroad.us⁠. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to ⁠freedomroad.substack.com⁠. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! ⁠www.threads.net/@lisasharper⁠ ⁠www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us⁠ ⁠freedomroad.substack.com www.congregationactionnetwork.org

This episode we are joined by Rev. Dr. Charles Lattimore Howard, the University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. Rev. Dr. Lattimore Howard is also the author of several books, including: The Souls of Poor Folk, The Awe and The Awful, Black Theology as Mass Movement, and Pond River Ocean Rain, a small book about going deeper with a big God. His newest work is Uncovering Your Path: Spiritual Reflections for Finding Your Purpose. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.churchpublishing.org/uncoveringyourpath

This episode we are joined by, Rich Logis, former MAGA podcaster who is now the founding executive director of Leaving MAGA and author of the short e-book, My MAGA Odyssey, available at LeavingMaga.com. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com leavingmaga.org

This episode we are joined by Isaac Samuel Villegas, author of the new book, MIGRANT GOD: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com

This episode, we are joined by Rev. Dr. Muther Isaac, Director of the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice—a project of the Bethlehem Bible College—and Pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Rev. Dr. Munther is the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope and his new book, Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza (available now). We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com

In this episode, we are joined by documentary filmmaker, Ilana Thrachtman, director of several films, most recently, “Ain't No Back on a Merry-Go-Round” about the 1960 Civil Rights Movement in Washington DC that you never heard of. This is a powerful film that resonates with us today. It reminds us of where we've been in a not-too-distant America and how we overcame. Ilana was invited to talk with us on Freedom Road about the insights she gleaned from this little-known corner of the Southern Freedom Struggle. In these days when many of our national leaders seem hell-bent on taking us back to the pre-Civil Rights Movement era, we need to be reminded how far we've come. And we need to be equipped with the wisdom they gained in their struggle.  We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://www.aintnoback.com/

In this episode, we are joined by the Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, III. Dr. Moss is senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He is a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker with an eye toward justice and equality, as evidenced through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, III was invited to be in conversation because we are entering into a new phase of our world. It's called a non-democratic phase of life in America. One can see it just by the the nominations for the next administration's cabinet. One can see these are anti-democratic people. Their goal is to actually tear apart the institutions that make democracy possible. And we also are in a time when the "Middle East" (and that is put in quotes because of what is discussed in this episode) where that region is now on fire. And it's dangerous as in what happens there can affect everybody. So this conversation is ultimately about how to pastor the church through all this. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.trinitychicago.org

In this episode we are joined by womanist theologian and author, Rev. Dr. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas, an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, and interim president of Episcopal Divinity School. She was previously the inaugural Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. She also serves as Canon Theologian of the Washington National Cathedral. She has written seven books, including The Black Christ (1994), Black Bodies and Black Church: A Blues Slant (2012), Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (2015), and Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter (2021). Rev. Dr. Canon Douglas was invited to join us on Freedom Road to help us understand the repercussions of the results of election 2024 and the recent study published by The House of Bishops Theology Committee of The Episcopal Church, titled, “The Crisis of Christian Nationalism”. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com

In this episode we are joined by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author, Eliza Griswold, author of the book, Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church. In Circle of Hope Griswold explores how conflict around anti-LGBTQ inclusion, white supremacy and roots in the church growth movement eventually led the network of congregations to dissolve in January 2024. Eliza was invited to talk with us on Freedom Road to give us a window into the most consequential struggle within the church today. The struggle to love everyone. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com us.macmillan.com/books/9780374601683/circleofhope

This month we are joined by Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons! Basketball icon, Maya is a two-time NCAA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, four-time WNBA champion, and WNBA MVP. In February of 2019, Maya revealed that she would miss the upcoming season to focus on family and ministry dreams. Later that year, in a New York Times feature, Maya first went into detail about Jonathan Irons and his wrongful imprisonment and later opted to miss the 2020 season to continue focusing on Jonathan's case and was ultimately successful when his conviction was vacated in March 2020, and he walked free that July. Maya has since come to be recognized as one of sport and culture's most important social justice icons. Jonathan Irons was only eighteen-years-old when he was wrongly convicted by an all-white jury for a crime that occurred when he was sixteen. With no physical evidence tying him to the crime, Jonathan was handed a fifty-year prison sentence, of which he served twenty-three years. After a twenty year long effort by Jonathan, Maya, her family, and other supporters, Jonathan was finally released in July of 2020. The next day, Jonathan proposed to Maya, and weeks later, they were married. Despite over two decades of unjust incarceration, Irons turned his cell into a classroom, pursuing legal studies and advocacy. His fight for exoneration highlighted systemic flaws and inspired a movement for change. He mentored fellow inmates, advocating for rehabilitation and societal reintegration. Upon release, he became a leader in criminal justice reform, advocating for the rights of marginalized groups and offering insights into reentry challenges. Additionally, he mentors disadvantaged youth, demonstrating the transformative power of resilience and determination. Jonathan's story is a call to action for justice, equity, and compassion, inspiring him to change and hope for a better world. Maya and Jonathan were invited to talk with us about their new book, Love and Justice: A Story of Triumph on Two Different Courts. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://books.disney.com/book/love-and-justice/

In this episode we are joined by Corey Nathan, host of Talkin' Politics and Religion Without Killin' Each Other, producer of Freedom Road Podcast and the founder of SCAN Media. We invited Corey to join us on Freedom Road for a frank, raw conversation meant to help us process the results of election 2024 and their implications for years to come. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.politicsandreligion.us

This episode we are joined by indigenous theologians and practioners, Randy and Edith Woodley, authors of the new book Journey to Eloheh: How Indigenous Values Lead Us to Harmony and Wellbeing. Randy and Edith are the founders of the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice, based in Oregon, which focused on developing, implementing and teaching sustainable and regenerative earth practices. They are also senior consultants with our Freedom Road Consulting group. We invited Randy and Edith to join us on Freedom Road today because our world is writhing right now. We need medicine. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://www.eloheh.org/ https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506496979/Journey-to-Eloheh

In this episode we are joined by theologian and author, Khristi Lauren Adams. Speaker, writer and youth advocate, Rev. Adams is an ordained Baptist Minister. She is the award winning author of Parable of the Brown Girl, as well as Unbossed: How Black Girls Are Leading the Way. Khristi was invited to join us on Freedom Road to explore the value of children, particularly Black girls, in all of our process of knowing God. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com khristilaurenadams.com

In this episode we are joined by innovator and podcaster, Tim Whitaker, founder and host of The New Evangelicals podcast and growing organization. I also found out he's a sought after professional drummer! Who knew?! You've probably seen Tim's short, power-packed videos on Instagram and YouTube. We invited Tim to join us on Freedom Road to explore what it means to be a New Evangelical in a political moment when the political alliance between evangelicals and the MAGA movement has all but killed the credibility of that stream of the church. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://www.thenewevangelicals.com/podcast/ https://www.youtube.com/@TheNewEvangelicals https://www.instagram.com/thenewevangelicals/

In this episode we're joined by the amazing duo of award-winning Truth's Table Podcast and Foundation, Dr. Christina Edmondson and the inimitable Ekemini Uwan. Cofounder and cohost of Truth's Table Podcast and Foundation, Dr. Christina holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology and is a certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator, speaker and trainer. Ekemini Uwan is co-host of the award-winning podcast, Truth's Table and Get In The Word With Truth's Table. Ekemini and Dr. Christina also co-authored the book, Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation.   We are so excited to bring you this special conversation that took place in the Evangelicals for Harris booth at the DNC! Lisa could think of no one she wanted to talk to more than the women of Truth's Table while experiencing that historic moment. So, buckle up and get ready for a ride with Truth's Table on FreedomRoad. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://truthstable.com/

This episode features three of our favorite people on the planet—Lisa's cohosts on The Four Podcast which cut a blaze of glory in 2022! The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III is senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He is a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker with an eye toward justice and equality, as evidenced through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He founded The Unashamed Media Group. The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is the first African American and first woman to serve as the senior pastor of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City—the oldest continuous Protestant Church in the U.S. Founding Visionary Leader behind the Freedom Rising Conferences, Rev. Dr. Jacqui uses her gifts as an author, activist, preacher, and public theologian toward creating an antiracist, just, gun violence free, fully welcoming, gender affirming society in which everyone has enough. Rev. Michael-Ray Matthews is the principal of The Prophetic Foundry, LLC, a consultancy co-creating wisdom, resources, and futures at the nexus of spirituality, healing, and justice. Formerly the Deputy Director of Faith in Action, Michael-Ray also served as the seven-season host of the Prophetic Resistance Podcast. Together we were the four-host team of The Four Podcast which cut a blaze of glory across the pod-waves in 2022. Plus, we were all fortunate to experience a fabulous flash in the life of the historic Auburn Theological Seminary when we served together as Auburn Senior Fellows for nearly a decade. So, when the news dropped that Biden stepped back and Kamala surged forward, the people we wanted to hear from most were Lisa's Four Podcast buddies. So, that's what we're talking about today. We are talking Election 2024, Democracy, why it matters to our faith, why it has mattered to our lives, why it matters to our world (think Gaza, Sudan, Congo, etc), and finally, what's up with this Project 2025 thing? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com

This episode we are joined by one of our favorite people shaping the political landscape right now! The inimitable Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas 30th District, basically Dallas County). You might have seen the viral clip of Congresswoman Crockett handing it to Marjorie Taylor Greene in the middle of a hearing on Capital Hill. The term was “Beach blonde bad built butch body.” As AOC said, “Don't dish it if you can't take it.” But we're hear to talk about something more important today: This election and the stakes with Project 2025 looming on the horizon. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://crockett.house.gov/about

This episode we are joined by Daniel Bannoura: PhD Candidate, Palestinian theologian, Qur'an scholar, Podcaster, and Entreprenuer. Daniel was invited to speak with us today, because he was one of the authors of the October 2023 Palestinian leaders' call for western church leaders and theologians to repent. We wanted to talk about the condition of the western church and its response to what is happening in Gaza. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://danielbannoura.com/ Tony Deik at Christ at the Checkpoint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTw5U6fLO5Q

This episode we are joined by Dr. Paul Zeitz, a preventative medicine epidemiologist, author, and award-winning champion of global justice and human rights. Zeitz is the initiator of the Unify Movements, a movement building platform dedicated to catalyzing new, social, economic, and political systems committed to our collective repair, justice and peace. We invited Dr. Zeitz to speak with us today about his new book, Revolutionary Optimism: 7 Steps for Living as a Love-Centered Activist. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com unifymovements.org revolutionaryoptimism.com

In this episode we are joined by speaker, educator and author, Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, who is Associate Professor of Reconciliation Studies and Director of the Reconciliation Studies program at Seattle Pacific University. Rev. Dr. Brenda is also associate pastor of preaching and reconciliation at Quest Church in Seattle, Washington, as well as the author of several books, including Becoming Brave, Roadmap to Reconciliation, Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0, and the classic, A Credible Witness. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.saltermcneil.com

In this episode we are joined by the filmmaker of the new power-house documentary, True Believer, Kristen Irving. You might have noticed we've spoken with several filmmakers recently. All have released documentaries focused on White Christian Nationalism. They are all fabulous. But, folks, as Lisa mentioned, "True Believer hit me in a place I didn't even know I had. As the credits rolled, I wept like a baby." True Believer is an intimate story of healing within and between a daughter and her mother, as they examine the impacts of their years inside a White Christian Nationalist church. #POWERFUL And in the interest of transparency, Lisa is in it. Such an honor. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com https://truebelieverfilm.com/ IG: @truebelieverfilm FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/True-Believer-Film/61556623256360/  Purity Culture Resources Erica Smith: Site: https://www.ericasmitheac.com/ IG: @ericasmith.sex.ed Dr. Laura Anderson Site: https://drlauraeanderson.com/links IG: @drlauraeanderson Books: PURE Here's a list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/158935.Unlearning_Purity_Culture

In this episode we are joined by theologian and author, Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim. Dr. Kim is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion and the author or editor of 24 books, including: Surviving God, Spirit Life; Invisible; Hope in Disarray; Keeping Hope Alive and Reimagining Spirit. She is a co-editor for the Palgrave Macmillan Book Series, “Asian Christianity in the Diaspora” and she is the host of Madang podcast, which holds conversations on Christianity, religion and culture. Madang is hosted by Christian Century Magazine. Dr. Kim's most recent book, When God Became White is already creating a stir and we're here for it! We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com gracejisunkim.wordpress.com/ www.amazon.com/When-God-Became-White-Christianity-ebook/dp/B0CKYJ3PGH?ref_=ast_author_mpb

This episode comes to you in partnership with Inverse Podcast. The diverse InVerse podcast community explores how the Scriptures can turn the world upside down, or be weaponized to uphold the status quo. So, this episode we're going to talk the “T” word—theology. Theology is simply how we understand God and our relationship with God. Christian social ethics teaches that our understanding of God forms the basis for everything we do in the world. It impacts everything. This will we be a very special deep dive into the theo-ethical questions rising in the context of the genocide in Gaza. We will talk with three leading Palestinian Christian theologians as they approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the context of genocide. Rev. Dr Mitri Raheb is Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, Dr. Raheb is the author and editor of 50 books including: Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible; In the Eye of the Storm: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire and Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes—among many, many others. Rev. Dr. Muther Isaac is Pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and Dean of Bethlehem Bible College. Rev. Dr. Munther is the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. Omar Haramy, is an Arab, Palestinian, Jerusalemite, Christian, and Greek Orthodox. Since 2017, Omar has served as the director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. Sabeel is a Palestinian ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement that deepens the faith of Palestinian Christians, promotes unity among them, and guides them to engage for justice and peace. Omar also serves on the Kairos Palestine steering committee. Our Inverse Podcast cohost today will be Jarrod McKenna, a peace award winning Australian pastor and social change educator who has been described by American Civil Rights legend Rev. Jim Lawson as “an expert in nonviolent social change”. Jarrod is the Founding Director of “Common Grace” that represents over 65,000 Christians in Australia pursuing “Jesus and justice” and serves with Lisa as one of the co-founders of the global GazaCeasefirePilgrimage.com movement that is now found on every continent, including Antarctica, in over 150 cities around the world. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.inversebible.org/podcasts www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/

This episode comes to you in partnership with The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the spirit of the Historic Black Church, which has begun to rise up and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, St. Thomas's 17th rector, The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and his team decided to focus the church's Lenten season on understanding what's going on in Gaza and why it matters for our faith. So, a portion of this episode has been listened to by the St. Thomas's Community! Last episode we spoke with historian Dr. Rashid Khalidi to help us understand “What's going on?” This episode we spoke with Lisa's friend and brother, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and Dean of Bethlehem Bible College. You may have seen the video of Dr. Isaac's viral Christmas Eve sermon. If not, after listening to this conversation, the next thing you do must be to listen to that sermon. It as a theological plea to the global church to intervene in the ongoing genocide of Dr. Isaac's people—the Palestinian people. Rev. Dr. Munther is the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md_hw_A-oIs www.ivpress.com/the-other-side-of-the-wall www.aecst.org/

This special episode comes to you in partnership The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. In 1787, Absalom Jones, Richard Allen and James Forten staged an action at St. George's Methodist Church (blocks from Independence Hall—where the U.S. Constitution was about to be written). The three men went down from the gallery where Blacks were allowed to sit and knelt at the altar during prayer time. They were told they couldn't pray alongside white parishioners, so they stood up, turned around, and walked out and established the Freedmen's Society. That society provided the seed funding for Absalom Jones to launch a Black stream within the episcopal denomination in 1792. Then a few years later the Society launched Mother Bethel AME with Richard Allen as its pastor. Then, in succession the society launched the first Black Presbyterian church, the first Black Baptist church in Philadelphia, and so on. From that act of protest against second-class citizenship, the Black Church was born. In the spirit of the Black Church, which has begun to rise up and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, St. Thomas's 17th rector, The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and his team decided to focus the church's Lenten season on understanding what's going on in Gaza. So, a portion of this episode has been listened to by the parishioners of Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Church! When considering who should help us understand “What's going on?” there couldn't be anyone better than the author of The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, Palestinian historian Dr. Rashid Khalidi (Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University in NYC). Dr. Khalidi is the author of eight books, in addition to The Hundred Years' War, including: Palestinian Identity, Brokers of Deceit, and The Iron Cage. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.aecst.org us.macmillan.com/books/9781627798556/thehundredyearswaronpalestine history.columbia.edu/person/khalidi-rashid/

In this critical election year where the most dedicated base for the GOP candidate is a rising tide of White Christian Nationalism within the evangelical community, we must take the time to understand it. So, we invited the producer/director of God & Country, Dan Partland, to join us in conversation. Based on the book, The Power Worshipers by Katherine Stewart, God & Country focuses in on the inner-workings of the White Christian Nationalism Movement, the decision-makers and the funders. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com godandcountrythemovie.com/ godandcountrythemovie.com/filmmakers/

This episode we are joined by the filmmakers of the newly released and riveting documentary, “Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy.” Director Stephen Ujlaki has produced more than 25 feature films, made-for-television movies and documentaries, and served as dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. With 10 years of directing and producing experience in Hollywood, Chris Jones, co-directed the film. “Bad Faith” offers us all an incredible lesson in the roots and fruits of Christian Nationalism in the U.S. The film follows two streams of Evangelicalism: One rooted in the thick faith that fueled the abolitionist, suffrage, civil rights, and environmental justice movements, and the other rooted in the racialized weaponization of thin fundamentalist faith. “Bad Faith” follows these two streams as they vie for the soul of American Democracy. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.documentary.org/project/bad_faith_cnwod

This episode we have part of Lisa Sharon Harper's posse on the show! Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton, Dr. Claudia Owens Shields and Corey Nathan are all partners with our work on Freedom Road. Waltrina is the executive director of Community Renewal Society and a senior consultant with Freedom Road, specializing in Spiritual Formation. Claudia is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in multi-ethnic psychology, formerly tenured professor at the Chicago School of Psychology. Claudia also serves as a senior consultant with Freedom Road. And, finally, Corey Nathan is the celebrated host of the Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin' Each Other podcast. He doubles as the engineer and producer of the Freedom Road Podcast. These friends were invited to join Lisa to help us reflect on 2023. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com waltrina.org/ freedomroad.us/who-we-are/dr-claudia-owens-shields-ph-d/ www.politicsandreligion.us/

This episode we are joined by Rabbi Sharon Brous. In 2013 Rabbi Brous was listed as America's #1 most influential Rabbi. Her 2016 TED Talk “It's Time to Reclaim Religion” has been viewed 1.5 million times and is utterly inspiring. At 30 years old, Rabbi Brous founded IKAR back in 2004. IKAR is a spiritual community in Los Angeles that has become a magnet for LA's unaffiliated Jews. Rabbi Brous has joined us on Freedom Road Podcast before when she and T'ruah president, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, helped us to understand Anti-Semitism. Rabbi Brous was invited to join us on Freedom Road because her new book, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World, has something to offer us as we step into what is projected to be one of the most tumultuous election years in American history. Rabbi Brous is also a personal friend of Lisa's and watching her sermon at IKAR online was heart breaking and helped in terms of connecting with the pain reverberating through the Jewish community after October 7. Rabbi Brous has wrestled with the tensions of Zionism and confront the slaughter of Palestinian people happening in Gaza and the West Bank with clear-headed honesty. Let's hear her wisdom concerning the future of Israel/Palestine. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com ikar.org/team/rabbi-sharon-brous/ www.ted.com/talks/sharon_brous_it_s_time_to_reclaim_religion?language=az ikar.org/ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720048/the-amen-effect-by-sharon-brous/

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Mitri Raheb, Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, Dr. Raheb is the author and editor of 50 books including: Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, The Bible; In the Eye of the Storm: Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire and Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes—among many, many others. Dr. Raheb was invited to speak with us from Bethlehem, because the world has watched the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank multiply. We have watched as the government of Israel has committed acts that three separate Palestinian human rights orgs and the United Nations have all called “genocide and incitement to commit genocide.” The world is praying for the return of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. We are praying for a ceasefire. And we are praying for the full freedom and flourishing of the Palestinian people to come. In that context, the Christian church stands poised to enter the season of Advent—a time when Christians remember the birth story of the brown, colonized Palestinian Jew from the West Bank, named Jesus. Dr. Mitri Raheb is with us today to bring us a word—from Bethlehem. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.mitriraheb.org www.mitriraheb.org/en/pdf-list/publications

This month we are joined by one of the foremost Christian ethicists in the world, Dr. David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, and Chair of Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit (“Free University”) Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow, International Baptist Theological Study Centre and he is the author of several books, most recently, Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies. Dr. Gushee was invited to speak with us because, well—we need his wisdom and expertise right now. Not only is the Christian church a consistent foe of democracy in an age when democracy is at risk around the world and here at home—but also to hear his thoughts on the Israel-Hamas conflict. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com www.davidpgushee.com www.davidpgushee.com/book/defending-democracy-from-its-christian-enemies

This month we are joined by Robert P Jones, President and Founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the New York Times Best Selling author of several books, including: The End of White Christian America and White Too Long. Most recently, you might have heard the hubbub about his latest book,The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future. We invited Robby to speak with us today, because Robert's work with PRRI, coupled with his outstanding work as an historian and the homework he has done as a southern white man has the power to help understand our current moment and point the way forward toward the Beloved Community. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.prri.org/staff/robert-p-jones-ph-d www.prri.org www.amazon.com/Hidden-Roots-White-Supremacy-American/dp/166800951X/

This episode we are joined by Britney Whaley, South East Regional Director of the Working Families Party. There's a lot to unpack, just when we mention the Working Families Party and we will get there. But the reason Britney was invited to join us is because she is a core organizer in the struggle to stop Cop City in Atlanta, GA. We need to understand what is happening in Atlanta and its implications for the world we are building for the next generations. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ workingfamilies.org www.copcityvote.com and @copcityvote on social

On this episode we are joined by Tamice Spencer-Helms, author of Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin and George Floyd and founder of Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students. We invited Tamice to speak with us about internalized oppression – the oppression of the self over the self. How to see that its present? How to acknowledge it? And How to break free? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.faithunleavened.com www.subcultureinc.org

On this episode, we are joined by Dr. Claire Nelson, Futurist, Sustainability Engineer, Social Entrepreneur, Storyteller, the Founding President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, and the chief ideation leader of the Futures Forum. We invited Dr. Nelson to speak with us because as we consider the question of Repair, it helps us to broaden our view to consider what it will take to grow Black voices in a just society. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ icsdc.org/founder___president icsdc.org/home

On this episode, we are joined by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, theologian, psychologist, and author of Too Heavy a Yoke, Black Women and the Burden of Strength, and her newest work, a 49-day devotional titled, Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves. We invited Dr. Walker-Barnes to speak with us, because folk are tired for multiple reasons. The gig economy has folks working 2-3 jobs while climate change has folks running from forest fires while dodging tornadoes, trying to breath when you take your dog for a walk, and trying to survive record-breaking heat. And people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community and Transwomen in particular, are increasingly having to survive legislated attacks against our personhood. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! ***FLY will be streamable everywhere on September 22, 2023. www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.drchanequa.com www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/22647232 www.goodreads.com/book/show/125156825-sacred-self-care?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_64

On this episode we are joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, Senior Pastor of the Historic Second Baptist Church of Evanston, IL. Recently, Second Baptist Church has become a leading faith center in America in facilitating Race Talk Solidarity Circles in local communities. Since 2019, Dr. Nabors has been part of the Steering Committee for Evanston Reparations, the first municipal reparations program in the United States, allocating 10 million dollars to Black Evanstonians to repair historical damages due to racism. We invited Rev. Dr. Nabors to speak with us because the bulk of truth-telling and reparations work happening in the U.S. today is taking place on a local level. Dr. Nabors is doing that work. We need to know how his community is doing it, so that we can begin to engage the process in our own communities. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.secondbaptistevanston.org/pastor www.cityofevanston.org/government/city-council/reparations

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Terence Lester, PhD, author of several books, including his most recent, All God's Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity. We invited Terence to speak with us because his book, All God's Children offers practical advice for the next generations of faith communities that understand in order to move forward, they have to look back. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.mahoganybooks.com/9781514005958

On this episode we are joined by John Blake, award winning journalist at CNN and author of the celebrated book, More Than I Imagined: What A Black Man Discovered About The White Mother He Never Knew. We invited John to speak with us because – HIS STORY. OMG. And the way he tells it. OMG. You must know about it and you must read it. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Thread or Insta Lisa @lisasharper or to Freedom Road @freedomroad.us. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to freedomroad.substack.com. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.threads.net/@lisasharper www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us freedomroad.substack.com/ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706045/more-than-i-imagined-by-john-blake/

On this episode we are joined by Andre Henry, author of All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep, cohost of the Hope and Hard Pills Podcast, local LA-based activist and singer/songwriter/producer. His work has been featured in The Nation, The New Yorker, New York's Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and Super Bowl LVI.! Andre was invited to speak with us because he understands joy! And he understands the power of the arts to bring hope and vision and health—and we need some of that. So, in these summer months, amid historic indictments, historic environmental hazards, political targeting of everyone who isn't a white male... We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... and Freedom Road. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/ freedomroad.substack.com/ hope-hard-pills.simplecast.com/ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673889/all-the-white-friends-i-couldnt-keep-by-andre-henry/ American Psychological Association Study: Racial discrimination and telomere shortening among African Americans: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study - psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fhea0000832

On this episode, we are joined by Rev. Gail Song Bantum, Lead Pastor of Quest Church, which recently voluntarily cut ties with its denomination—the Evangelical Covenant Church—because of its hard right turn on LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Pastor Gail was invited to speak with us today, because she is an eye witness to a profound come-to-Jesus moment taking place right now inside of white evangelical denominations. She posted her letter to the denomination online. Lisa read it. We are going to talk about it. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... and Freedom Road. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/ freedomroad.substack.com/ www.thebantumspace.com/gailbantum seattlequest.org/

This is a special presentation of an interview with Lisa Sharon Harper on TALKIN' POLITICS & RELIGION WITHOUT KILLIN' EACH OTHER. Here are the show notes on this episode from our friends at TP&R: "In this conversation with renowned speaker, writer, activist and artist, Lisa Sharon Harper, we discuss Lisa's own genealogy, which she painstakingly researched for her 2022 book FORTUNE: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All, and how doing the work of genealogy is doing the work of history. We also got into some theology! In particular, we explored a profound reading of the first chapters of Genesis. Spoiler alert: I love when Lisa said, 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this is not science!' The truths communicated in Genesis are much more profound than the reductionist reading of some of our young earth creationist friends. That leads us to explore the concept of TOV and TOV M'OD. And we went on to discuss what it will take to repair what race broke in the world." We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... and Freedom Road. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion twitter.com/coreysnathan twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/ freedomroad.substack.com/

On this episode, we are joined by Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of The Happy Givers and author of Simply Sonship, Drop the Stones and the upcoming book, Flip the Tables. We invited Carlos to speak with us today, because he is one of the most dynamic speakers doing this work. His recent posts on Instagram have been captivating followers. He's bringing the prophetic fire and we're here for it. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... and Freedom Road. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.happynpo.com/ www.instagram.com/carloshappynpo/ twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/ freedomroad.substack.com/

On this episode, we're going to talk about transgender identity and its weaponization within the American political arena. We've invited three people whose voices, lives and faith can shed light on a topic that has been intentionally obfuscated in the melee of political warfare.  Nicole Garcia, a queer transgender Latina, is currently the Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force.  Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey is a trans-identified woman who is the Alabama State Director within Human Rights Campaign's Project One America. Carmarion is also currently serving as the National Co-Minister and South Region Coordinator for Trans Saints ministry of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. Michael Vasquez, public theologian and policy wonk, is Founding Partner of The Maiden Group. So, you can see we are set for the conversation we need to have on Freedom Road, for such a time as this. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... and Freedom Road. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/ freedomroad.substack.com/ www.thetaskforce.org/ www.hrc.org/events/project-one-america www.radicallyinclusive.org/ themaidengroup.co/

In this episode, we are joined by popular influencer, Ally Henny, Vice President of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, and the author of I Won't Shut Up: Finding Our Voice When the World Tries To Silence You. Ally was invited to speak with us today, because in these days of terror and targeted violence against Black and Brown bodies we need a word from someone demonstrating her kind of courage. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! https://allyhenny.com/ https://thewitnessbcc.com/ https://allyhenny.com/books/ twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/

In this episode, we are joined by popular poet and artist, Morgan Harper Nichols. We invited Morgan to speak with us today, because her poetry and art are forces for healing in the world. And we need some healing right about now. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.morganharpernicholsart.com www.instagram.com/morganharpernichols twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/

On this episode, we are joined by Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel and associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School. He is also the author of the new and celebrated book, Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race. We invited Dr. Powery to speak with us today, because we have been on a decolonizing journey this year. And the wisdom Dr. Powery drops in his book, Becoming Human, can help us on this journey. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road at @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.amazon.com/Becoming-Human-Holy-Spirit-Rhetoric/dp/066426722X twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/

On this episode, we are joined by Christena Cleveland, a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk. Christena has been on a living pilgrimage of transformation recently—the decolonizing pilgrimage. One of the products of this transformational journey was Christena's awe-inspiring book, God is a Black Woman, which dropped onto bookstore shelves in February 2022. She's also built a powerful Patreon community that is doing the work of decolonizing their faith and their minds.  This is the era we are in. It is time to decolonize our minds. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet to Lisa @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road at @FREEDOMROADUS. We're also on Substack! So be sure to subscribe to The Truth Is... And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.christenacleveland.com www.justiceandrenewal.org www.christenacleveland.com/god-is-a-black-woman twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus lisasharonharper.substack.com/

On this episode, we are joined by Jamila Hodge, executive director of Equal Justice USA (EJ-USA). Jamila brought 15 years of criminal justice experience as a prosecutor, policy advisor, and technical assistance provider to her role at EJ-USA when she joined the team as their new leader in 2021. EJ-USA is a national organization that works to transform the justice system by promoting responses to violence that break cycles of trauma. EJ-USA works at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, and racial justice to elevate healing over retribution, meet the needs of survivors, advance racial equity, and build community safety. In light of the proliferation of gun violence, police violence and the corresponding temptation to incarcerate our way out of this problem, "Jami" joined the conversation to help us dream of a new way to do public safety together. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Folks can follow Freedom Road on Substack at freedomroad.substack.com. You can also Tweet @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road at @FreedomRoadUS. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think!  ejusa.org freedomroad.substack.com twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus

On this episode, we are joined by Candice Benbow: Author, Essayist, Public Theologian and Eductor. Candice is the creator of the Lemonade Syllabus, the author of Red Lip Theology, which launched to much acclaim earlier this year, and a regular contributor to Essence Magazine. Candice was asked to join us for this conversation because as we enter 2023, this is a year deeply meaningful for people of African descent on U.S. soil. We commemorate several major milestones this year; the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Declaration, the 60th anniversary of the Birmingham Children's March, the 60th anniversary of the 4 little girls, and the March on Washington. Rarely do we center the women when commemorating the march toward freedom, but we have had a march of our own. And the work Candice is doing represents a critical Freedom March happening inside the Black community right now. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet @LisaSHarper or to Freedom Road at @FreedomRoadUS. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think!  candicebenbow.com/ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665375/red-lip-theology-by-candice-marie-benbow-foreword-by-melissa-harris-perry/ twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus

On this episode we are joined by Sibil Fox and Rob Richardson, featured in the award-winning Amazon documentary, Time, which is now published as an incredible book that tells more of the story. Fox and Rob are a formerly incarcerated couple. Fox served 7 years and Rob did 21 years time behind bars in Angola prison in Louisiana. Lisa invited Fox and Rob on the program because they learned something about resilience, they learned something about our broken justice system, they learned something about grace—doing all that time. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Tweet Lisa at @LisaSHarper or Freedom Road at @FREEDOMROADUS. And, keep sharing the podcast with your friends and networks and letting us know what you think! www.amazon.com/Time-Fox-Rich/dp/B08J7DDGJY foxandrob.com twitter.com/lisasharper twitter.com/FreedomRoadus