Podcasts about african american christian

In this conversation, Latasha Morrison and Esau McCaulley talk about Esau's latest children's book, Andy Johnson and the March for Justice and the significance of children's literature in addressing social justice issues. Esau shares insights on the need for healthy churches that reflect the values of their congregants. The discussion also highlights the importance of cultural identity and faith in children's books, aiming to provide resources that affirm both. They discuss the historical role of the church in advocating for justice and the importance of cultural expressions of faith. They explore the theme of empathy and the complexities of faith within the African-American Christian experience. The conversation emphasizes God's vision for a diverse kingdom and the hope found in community and shared faith.Join in the conversation on our social media pages on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to let us know your thoughts on this episode!Executive Producer - Latasha MorrisonProducer  - Sarah ConnatserLinks:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Donor of Be the Bridge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Be the Bridge:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BTB YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the online community BTB Connect⁠⁠Connect with Esau McCaulley:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FacebookInstagramThreadsWebsiteConnect with Latasha Morrison:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

Nathan talks with Walter Strickland about his new book Swing Low and the way that the African American Christian experience adds crucial wisdom to living a with-God life.

”And then finally, word comes over the telegraph that the Emancipation Proclamation is in effect. Jubilation!“ (Jemar Tisby, from the episode) The African-American Christian tradition often celebrates an all-night Watch Night service on New Year's Eve. But where does this beautiful liturgical practice come from? It dates all the way back to December 31, 1862, on the eve of the Emancipation Proclamation going into effect the following day. In this episode of Conversing, Mark Labberton welcomes historian Jemar Tisby to reflect on the history of the New Year's Eve Watch Night service. Jemar Tisby is the New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise and How to Fight Racism. He is a public historian, speaker, and advocate, and is professor of history at Simmons College, a historically black college in Kentucky. Recent Books by Jemar Tisby The Spirit of Justice *Available now I Am the Spirit of Justice *Picture book releasing January 7, 2025 *Stories of the Spirit of Justice Middle-grade children's book releasing January 7, 2025 About Jemar Tisby Jemar Tisby (PhD, University of Mississippi) is the author of the new book The Spirit of Justice, the New York Times bestselling The Color of Compromise, and the award-winning How to Fight Racism. He is a historian who studies race, religion, and social movements in the twentieth century and serves as a professor at Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college. Jemar is the founding co-host of the Pass the Mic podcast, and his writing has been featured in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, and the New York Times, among others. He is also a frequent commentator on outlets such as NPR and CNN, speaking nationwide on the topics of racial justice, US history, and Christianity. You can follow his work through his Substack newsletter, Footnotes, and on social media at @JemarTisby. Show Notes The Color of Compromise (available here)—the larger narrative of (Christian) America's racist history Watch Night Services—spending all night at church on New Year's Eve Black Christian tradition dating back to Emancipation Proclamation on December 31, 1862 ”The time between when Lincoln announced the proclamation, and when it went into effect on January 1st, 1863, was a time of tense anticipation and uncertainty.” “ What people were concerned about was, would the Confederates come back and make a deal with Lincoln?” “What I like to encourage people to do is put yourself back in that moment as best you can. You have been part of a group of people that have been enslaved since your feet first hit the shores of North America, that generations of your family members, friends, church members have been enslaved, have been enslaved, prayed for freedom, have tried to escape to freedom, have been punished for trying to escape or organize for freedom. And finally, in this massive conflagration called the Civil War, you get the president of the United States saying that you will be free at this certain time. And all of those hopes, all of those prayers, all of those dreams, all of those longings are concentrated in the moments before midnight.” ”And then finally, word comes over the telegraph that the Emancipation Proclamation is in effect. Jubilation!“ “It was in the context of a Christian religion. And so they were understanding this in the context of the Exodus and the Hebrews being freed from Pharaoh through God's intervention. And they're being freed from the pharaohs of the plantation to the promised land of freedom. And they sang spiritual songs and hymns. And ever since then, there's been a tradition of Black Christians gathering on New Year's Eve to have Watch Night service, to celebrate freedom, to anticipate the coming year and to ask for God's blessing.” “ May the joy of remembering the power of the Emancipation Proclamation help motivate us as we think about our work and our life in this coming year.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

In the early 2000's, the unlikely alliance between predominantly White Reformed evangelicals and the African American Christian hip-hop community shattered conventional church norms. Together, they embarked on a bold experiment to model unity in Christ across ethnic lines. Yet these partnerships faced multifaceted challenges. The optimism of the early 2000s gradually dissolved into frustration, significant fragmentation and disillusionment. This was largely fueled by the varying responses to the backdrop of ethnic tension in our culture. We dissect the painful yet crucial conversations that these tensions provoked within multi-ethnic congregations. And seek to offer an honest look at the relational strife that emerged, stressing the urgency for a reset and a renewed commitment to love and understanding. Our conversation delves into historical perspectives and the power of viewing each other through the gospel and New Creation lenses. Reflecting on figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and contrasting with Malcolm X's approach, we discuss the importance of rejecting demonization of others and bearing witness to God's kingdom.  Chapters A Marriage of Movements A Growing Divide in Gospel Rooted Partnerships Learning From the Past Unity Through the Gospel Amid Ethnic Injustice Navigating a Path Forward Referenced Resources Sermon by Shai Lynne: Faith Alone and Ethnic Unity About the Hosts Shai Linne (@shailinne) (Host) is an author and recording artist who has released numerous acclaimed Christian hip-hop albums. After completing a pastoral internship at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., Shai co-founded Risen Christ Fellowship, an inner-city church in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. As an author, Shai's most recent book is The New Reformation: Finding Hope in the Fight for Ethnic Unity (published in May 2021). Shai has been married to his wife Blair for 13 years. They have three children and live in Portland, OR. Ben Otero (@benotero) (Co-host) is a senior web developer for a Church Plant Media, an organization that serves churches and missions organizations. Ben grew up in Tampa, Florida before moving to Philadelphia to study at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a degree in economics. In addition to being a student of hip-hop culture, Ben is an elder at Crown and Joy Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, where He lives with Jeraldine, his wife of 18 years, and their 8 children. William “Duce” Branch (@ambassador215) (a.k.a. The Ambassador) (Co-host) is a pioneering Christian Hip-hop artist and professor. Duce served for over a decade as a co-founder and leader, and primary spokesperson for the nationally acclaimed Christian rap ministry, The Cross Movement. He also co-planted and co-pastored an urban church in North Philadelphia from 2004-2009. Duce is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., where he also serves as an adjunct professor for the College at Southeastern. He and his wife Michelle have been married for 26 years. They live in Wake Forest, NC and have four children Credits Executive Producer - Thomas J Terry Recorded By - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Humble Beast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Additional Production Elements - Miguel A. Iniesta Editing and Mixing by - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This season is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brilliance Labs

Episode 179 “Hostile Environment” with George Yancey On April 20, 2024, Dr. George Yancey will deliver a lecture at the Lanier Theological Library.  He stopped by “The Stone Chapel Podcast” to talk about that lecture and a book he published in 2015. His lecture will present his research on the anti-Christian bias. He will discuss the hostile environment for American Christians. And he will offer a few ideas on how to deal with it. Who is George Yancey? George Yancey is a professor of sociology at Baylor University.  He is an African American Christian sociologist. He says he faces more hostility in academia because he is a Christian than because he's black. Thus, he has spent a good bit of time investigating anti-Christian bias on a societal level. Hostile Environment In 2015 Dr. Yancey wrote a book entitled Hostile Environment: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Christian Bias. It was published by Intervarsity Press. His research indicates that anti-Christian bias in the United States is real.  And those who have this bias are more likely to be wealthy, powerful, well educated, and white. It is, he says, every bit as real as Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.  He often uses the term “Christianophobia” to describe this phenomenon. He realizes that some prefer anti-Christian bias. In this podcast we discuss how anti-Christian bias in America is different than anti-Christian bias around the world. There is less risk of physical harm, and more of societal harm in the workplace, in the media, in the arts, and in higher education. The bias, he believes, can be addressed, but it will not be corrected quickly.  It is a long term project. What Scholars say about “Hostile Environment” Here is what Kelly Monroe Kullberg says about his book: “Yancey urges us to get in the war in an honorable way, adding our courage and insight for cultural survival and renewal.  At times we're to fight fire with fire. That might mean calling out bigotry and hate where you see it.  Love speaks.  Love tells the truth.  Love risks.  Love does not fail.” Resources For a transcript of this podcast, click here. Yancey is the author of a number of books including So Many Christians, So Few Lions: Is There Christianophobia in the United States? And Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism More Resources Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here. You can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss any of the great conversations with scholars and church leaders from around the world. [podcast_subscribe id=”12247″] The post Episode 179 Hostile Environment with George Yancey first appeared on Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center.

Episode 179 “Hostile Environment” with George Yancey On April 20, 2024, Dr. George Yancey will deliver a lecture at the Lanier Theological Library.  He stopped by “The Stone Chapel Podcast” to talk about that lecture and a book he published in 2015. His lecture will present his research on the anti-Christian bias. He will discuss the hostile environment for American Christians. And he will offer a few ideas on how to deal with it. Who is George Yancey? George Yancey is a professor of sociology at Baylor University.  He is an African American Christian sociologist. He says he faces more hostility in academia because he is a Christian than because he's black. Thus, he has spent a good bit of time investigating anti-Christian bias on a societal level. Hostile Environment In 2015 Dr. Yancey wrote a book entitled Hostile Environment: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Christian Bias. It was published by Intervarsity Press. His research indicates that anti-Christian bias in the United States is real.  And those who have this bias are more likely to be wealthy, powerful, well educated, and white. It is, he says, every bit as real as Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.  He often uses the term “Christianophobia” to describe this phenomenon. He realizes that some prefer anti-Christian bias. In this podcast we discuss how anti-Christian bias in America is different than anti-Christian bias around the world. There is less risk of physical harm, and more of societal harm in the workplace, in the media, in the arts, and in higher education. The bias, he believes, can be addressed, but it will not be corrected quickly.  It is a long term project. What Scholars say about “Hostile Environment” Here is what Kelly Monroe Kullberg says about his book: “Yancey urges us to get in the war in an honorable way, adding our courage and insight for cultural survival and renewal.  At times we're to fight fire with fire. That might mean calling out bigotry and hate where you see it.  Love speaks.  Love tells the truth.  Love risks.  Love does not fail.” Resources For a transcript of this podcast, click here. Yancey is the author of a number of books including So Many Christians, So Few Lions: Is There Christianophobia in the United States? And Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism More Resources Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here. You can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss any of the great conversations with scholars and church leaders from around the world. The post Episode 179 Hostile Environment with George Yancey first appeared on Lanier Theological Library.

On today's program, The Word Network, which bills itself as the world's largest African-American Christian broadcast network, is in trouble with the IRS. We'll also have an update on former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz.  He's now the subject of a television documentary series, and he's not happy about it. And there have been new revelations in the business dealings of former SBC President Johnny Hunt. And in the last segment of the program, we'll remember Tim Keller and Harry Reeder, who prominent pastors who died in the past week. I knew both of these exceptional men, and I'll share a few memories. We begin today with a couple of stories about the National Religious Broadcasters, who had their annual conference in Orlando, Florida this week. The producers for today's program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Anne Stych, Jessica Lea, Roxanne Stone, Bob Smietana, Alejandra Molina, Kathryn Post, Christina Darnell, Kathryn Beaty—and you, Warren. Special thanks to The Beaty Beat and ChurchLeaders.com for contributing material for this week's podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

Learn about personal development and branding for African American Christian leaders in Pamela D. Smith's latest book Blackface. Pamela's website: https://www.pameladsmith.net/about RATE THIS PODCAST We've made it easier to show us ❤️ Regardless of where you listen to @hustleinfaith If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a rating and review https://ratethispodcast.com/hustleinfaith It will help more people to discover the show!

Piper Huguley - 'By Her Own Design' The Not Old Better Show, Author Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast.  Today's show is brought to you by Talkspace and Athletic Greens.  Please support our sponsors and check out our show notes for more information. As part of our Art of Living Author interview series our guest today is best-selling author Piper Huguley.   We are especially pleased today that Piper Huguley has graciously agreed to read a passage from her book, so you have that to look forward to, too. Let me tell you briefly about historical fiction author Piper Huguley.  Piper Huguley seeks to make new inroads in the publication of historical romance by featuring African American Christian characters. Piper Huguley is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist and is the author of Migrations of the Heart, a three-book series of historical romances set in the early 20th century featuring African American characters. Huguley is also the author of the Home to Milford College series. We are talking today with Piper Huguley about her new book, “By Her Own Design.” “By Her Own Design,” is the incredible untold story of how Ann Lowe, a Black woman, and granddaughter of slaves, rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create one of America's most famous wedding dresses of all time for Jackie Kennedy. Let's listen as Piper Huguley reads about the main character Ann Lowe from a passage in her book,  “By Her Own Design.” That of course is our guest today, author Piper Huguley reading from her new book, “By Her Own Design.” And now, let's talk with Piper Huguley on the Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast. My thanks to best-selling historical fiction author Piper Huguley for her generous time and reading today on the show.  My thanks to sponsors Talkspace and Athletic Greens.  Please support the show and check out the special offers in our show notes today.  My thanks to you, my wonderful audience here on The Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe and let's eliminate assault rifles.  We need to protect our children and grandchildren while in school. Thanks, everybody.

In this episode of Leading By History, Ma'asehyahu Isra-Ul sits down with Dr. Vince Bantu to discuss his research into ancient African Christian liturgical languages and his perspectives on Christianity for African Americans today. While LBH is not a religious podcast, this show seeks to transcend dogmatic religious views in favor of discovering a rich African religious culture steeped in some of the earliest forms of Christianity. This episode shows the reach of Africana and its all encompassing presence even into the field of theology. You don't have to be religious to enjoy this episode - just inquisitive enough to understand the relevance of such a conversation. Are you ready? Click the listen button now! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/leadingbyhistory/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/leadingbyhistory/support

In this episode, hear how an African American Christian teenager overcame racism and injustices in his community in the South. As a teenager, Charles Graham was challenged, not only by the racism in the community, but the racism in the Church.  Graham is author of the book No Back Doors. His ministry in song has taken him all over the United States as well as overseas. He has ministered in several countries including England, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Germany, France, Canada, Israel, Africa, and South America. Graham has ministered at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta, GA and for various Mayor's Prayer Breakfasts in other parts of the country. God continues to use Charles's life and ministry in AR with the ministry of The Fountains. Charles is a man dedicated to the call of God on his life. Not only does he have a tremendous natural talent, but he also works tirelessly to minister with love and encouragement to people wherever he goes. Find out more at https://charlesgrahamministry.com/.

Piper Huguley seeks to make new inroads in the publication of historical romance by featuring African American Christian characters.  The Lawyer's Luck and The Preacher's Promise, the first books in her “Home to Milford College” series, are Amazon best sellers.  The Mayor's Mission, published in Winter 2014.  The next entry in the series, The Representative's Revolt will publish in Spring 2015. She is a 2013 Golden Heart finalist for her novel, A Champion's Heart—the fourth book in “Migrations of the Heart”. The first book in the series, A Virtuous Ruby, was the first-place winner in The Golden Rose Contest in 2013 and was a Golden Heart finalist in 2014. The first three books in the “Migrations of the Heart” series, which follows the loves and lives of African American sisters during America's greatest internal migration in the first part of the twentieth century, will be published by Samhain Publishing in 2015.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son.Intro roll for WTPC

Is God only concerned with saving souls? Or does He care about both the spiritual and physical well-being of humanity? In this episode of VOICES' Where Ya From? podcast, Dr. Esau McCaulley shares his origin story with Rasool and outlines what the Bible has to say about being socially active and pursuing justice. Guest Bio: Rev. Esau McCaulley, PhD, is an assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of Sharing in the Son's Inheritance and Christianity Today's book of the year, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. Esau's writings have appeared in the Washington Post, The Religious New Service, and Christianity Today, and he is also a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. Esau is married to Mandy, a pediatrician and Navy reservist. Together, they have four wonderful children. Notes & Quotes: “What happens when you've received everything that you want, but it's not sufficient to bring you joy?” “I wanted to write something that's going to inspire African American Christians to continue to see in the text of the Old and New Testament, hope. Because I think that's what's marked the African American Christian tradition throughout all of our history, right? That we looked in these texts and we saw in them a God who loved us.” “It is simply exegetically dishonest to say that you can get from one end of the Old Testament to the New Testament and not see some engagement of Christians in the public square.” Links Mentioned: Visit our website to sign up for emails: whereyafrom.org Leave us a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-ya-from-podcast/id1581145346 Check out our Voices Collection from Our Daily Bread Ministries Follow Where Ya From? on Instagram: @whereyafrompodcast Dr. Esau's bio: https://esaumccaulley.com/about/  Dr. Esau's book: Reading While Black Extra resource: This Far by Faith reading plan Verses Mentioned: Romans 14:13–23 “Don't cause another Christian to stumble.” Isaiah 5:6–11 Isaiah 58 and 61 quoted by Jesus in Luke 4 Luke 1:46–55 “the Magnificat” Revelation 17 “Babylon the prostitute” 1 Timothy 1 and 2 Deuteronomy 15:18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The African American Christian, Believer, Saints of God are not looking back on slavery or what teribles things happened to them for the sake of hate, nor to rub the horrible deeds that were done and still being done in the face of any race. The school system has not taught All about the history of African Americans. Many things today are coming forth and it gives an account to the Aftican Americans of America. Recently I learned about What is being called Black Wall Street and much more I did not know as a African American Woiman.

Martin Luther King Jr. - Letter From Birmingham Jail - Episode 1 - Dr. King Reaches Out Of His Jail Cell To Touch The Heart Of A Nation!   I'm Christy Shriver and we're here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us.    I'm Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.  Today we are going to start a three part series on a man who changed the landscape of political protesting- demonstrating that positive change can occur without massive loss of life.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize when he was 35 years old, at the time he was the youngest to ever receive the award.  His life became synonymous with civil disobedience- taking it farther than Thoreau ever dreamed possible. He radically and controversially claimed the role of a Christian political resister was not only the role to resist injustice.  This was not enough, to be successful one must accompany resistance with love- loving the persecutor- a claim that would be put to the test over and over and for which he would be martyred.  On Jan 20, 1986, the US Federal Government proclaimed a national holiday commemorating his life and message. Today over 955 (that number is likely small), but there are at least 955 major street, boulevards and thoroughfares that carry his name not only across the United States but across the world.  If you haven't figured it out yet, we are talking about the life, literature and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Specifically, the iconic letter that moved a nation from apathy to change, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It was written on April 16, 1963 and famously addressed to “My Dear Fellow Clergyman.”      Indeed, and yet, so many students or really people, who hear that name know so little about the movement itself.  Growing up first in our nation's capital, Washington DC and then Brazil, I'd heard of Dr. King.  I knew he stood for non-violence, but I ignorantly thought he literally just walked around preaching and protesting, carrying signs, singing and marching.  I had NO idea how calculated the entire Civil Rights moment was.  I had no idea the amount of strategy and genius that went into the planning and execution of one of the most effective non-violent movements in the world- or even how many years it was in the making.  I just thought, Dr. King got up one day and just started protesting.      Well, I think most people don't, even people of good faith who try to mimic some of his basic strategies.  It's really difficult to wrap our minds around the complexity involved, not to mention the sheer power of King's personal rhetorical charisma that carried the movement from a few thousand African-American Christian protesters in Montgomery, Alabama to 250,000 people of all ethnicities and faith and the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  The changes in legislation and the implementation of laws that had been allowed to be ignored for a century were a direct result of this movement we are discussing over the next few episodes.     So, let's get started beginning with some terminology that we hear  when it comes to Civil Rights, words that many of us who aren't originally from the South may not be familiar with- for example what are Jim Crow laws.  Who was Jim Crow and what are his laws?    Sure.  Jim Crow was not a real person.   He was a character created by a famous white comedian in the 1850s.    This white comedian painted his face black with charcoal and called himself Jim Crow and did comedy- it's what today we call black face and, of course, is derogatory and highly offensive.  That term later was adopted to refer to the laws that went into effect starting in the 1880s-these laws, of course, are also derogatory and highly offensive- so the term remains appropriate.  They refer to legislation that specifically targeted African-Americans to keep them from upward social mobility and fully participating in American life with the rest of the mostly white population.  Let me remind you that all of this occurred AFTER the end of the Civil War and after the Union troops left the South where they had been forcing Southern cities to integrate against their will under the direction of President Ulysses Grant- this period has been called Reconstruction.  After 1877 Reconstruction ended partly because the North was exhausted from trying to enforce the rights guaranteed by the 14th and 15th amendments. The north abandoned the South and the south will remain a third world part of the country for decades to come.  Jim Crow laws stayed in effect literally all the way until success of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.     Let me give you an example, in 1891, 25 years after the Civil War,Georgia became the first Southern state to pass a Jim Crow law.  The Georgia legislature passed a law that railroads had to provide equal but separate accommodations for black and white passengers.  In other words, the African Americans would not be allowed to sit with the white Americans.  After this first attempt at dividing the races was allowed- there soon were others- there began to be black and white bathrooms, black and white water fountains, hospitals, schools, swimming pools, prisons, barber shops, parks, movie theaters, sports arenas, telephone booths, lunch counters, libraries even graveyards.  In his letter Dr. King refers to these signs as “nagging”- that of course is an understatement.  They were degrading and psychologically damaging.  Racism in the United States during the Jim Crow period was worse than in any other period of history, including today.  There was a famous case, Plessy versus Ferguson in 1896- five years after that first sign in Georgia- that created a legal precedent saying that these laws were okay- The courts said that if the facilities were equal then it was not illegal for people to be separated by race.  This was a blow to African-Americans as well as the railroad industry actually, which didn't want to segregate their railcars.  It was an enormous financial burden- beyond being offensive and unnecessary- they now had to provide two of everything.  But Jim Crow laws went on for years, and of course the facilities were never equal, but even if they had been, the message was still derogatory, and the entire system obviously unjust which caused many advocates of social equality both African-American as well as white to continue to mobilize and advocate for change.  During WW2, President Harry Truman desegregated the US military in 1947,  which was a huge advance in Civil Rights.  Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional sports in 1947, but it wasn't until 1954 that there would be another landmark ruling of the Supreme Court that would address this issue.  In 1954, in a case known as Brown versus Topeka Board of Education,  lawyers Richard Ellis and Michael Birzer successfully argued that things were separate but not equal, and in fact, the facilities for black children in schools were always inferior.  In a unanimous decision, the court agreed saying that separate learning facilities were by their very definition unequal and this had a detrimental effect on minority children because it is interpreted as a sign of inferiority.  This was a big deal.  The legal precedent had been set.  This was the finally justice in the courts, but now, how does that play out in classrooms across the country.  Who is going to force almost half the schools in the United States to integrate students of both races?  And when would they be required to make this happen?  In every state in the South, Segregation was actually the law- a school couldn't have been integrated even if they had wanted to.  Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas was the first southern school to even attempt integration in 1957. So, The short answer is -not immediately.    Well, and as Dr. King pointed out in his letter, entire African nations were being decolonized faster than American students were being allowed to integrate in local schools.      And it is here that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rise to national recognition emerges.  At the young age of 26, he is newly married and has recently moved  to accept a job as the pastor of the Dexter Street Baptist Church in the southern town of Montgomery, Alabama.  It would be here that he would meet another seemingly inconspicuous woman but powerful woman by the name of Rosa Parks.  Together, they were about to change their world.     So as we set this up, let's introduce Dr. King's life before entering the political scene in 1956- and let's try to keep the dates straight- that's kind of hard for those of us for whom numbers don't come naturally.  So, Dr. King was born in 1929 in an upper-middle class African-American family in Atlanta, Georgia.  One interesting detail was that his birth name was Michael.     That's right, his father later changed his name to Martin Luther, perhaps because of a trip he made to Germany to study the great theologian who also changed the political landscape of his day during the ProtestantReformation, but that is still slightly speculative.       His father was a very popular Baptist pastor, the pastor of the successful and well-established Ebenezer Baptist Church.  King was privileged to have received a high level of education- likely one of the most educated Southern African-Americans at this time period.  He attended the very elite Morehouse College there in Atl,  and then Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania and finally Boston University.  So, you can see, he had the opportunity to ignore the plight of the majority of African-Americans.  He had job offers at various universities in prestigious locations.  Another important point to notice is that while in Boston he met a rising star vocalist by the name of Coretta Scott, and he fell in love with her.  They got married in 1955.  It wasn't long after that, he took the pastorate in the much smaller town of Montgomery, Alabama and moved their with Coretta and their baby, _______.  Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, btw, is located just a stone's throw from the state capitol building in Montgomery- the heart of state government.  Then, on December 1, 1955, something happened that changed Dr. King's life forever as well as the entire world.  A woman by the name of Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white gentleman on a bus.  She had entered the bus through the front door instead of the back door, as required by those Jim Crow laws.      This hadn't been an accident, the practice of forcing women to give up their seats had been going on for years, and several women protested to no avail, but for the highly and morally reputable Rosa Parks, it would be different.  The national spot light was heading her way- but it wasn't accidental.  This was a highly intentional and strategic play.      Let me go back and say, Dr. King had personal experience with being forced to stand against his will on a bus. When he was in high school, he won a speaking contest in a town 90 miles outside of Atlanta.  He and the teacher who went with him to the contest were riding on a bus back to Atlanta, super excited when white passenger got on.  The white bus driver ordered King and his teacher to give up their seats, and cursed them. King wanted to stay seated, but his teacher urged him to obey the law. They had to stand in the aisle for the 90 miles back home.  King stated later that that was the angriest he had ever felt in his life. If you can imagine.  So, of course he could understand emotionally as well as cognitively what was happening every day in buses in Montgomery, Alabama as well as across the South.   But what do you do?  That's the question.  Later on in Dr. King's life, someone asked him that very question- how do you manage your anger.   I want to quote King here, "A destructive passion is harnessed by directing that same passion into constructive channels."  And that's what he did in this case.   Yes- next very next day, after Park's arrest, on December 2 ministers, including a man by the name of Rev. Ralph Abernathy who would be the one to go to jail with Dr. King, met at King's church to organize and publicize a bus boycott.  Relying in part on Dr. King's eloquence, they mobilized the African-American community almost in full.  On December 5, 90 percent of Montgomery's African-American citizens stayed off the buses.  Dr. King was also elected as the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association or the MIA- the organization spearheading the boycott.  According to Rosa Parks, the reason they chose King to be the president of the MIA was because he was so new to Montgomery, no one knew him.  He had no friends but also no enemies.      The evening that Dr. King spoke at Holt Street Baptist Church,  this is what he said. “I want it to be known that we're going to work with grim and bold determination to gain justice on the buses in this city. And we are not wrong.… If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong”.    And what is striking is that when you see what they were demanding, these demands are not crazy, they are not even unrealistic or difficult to implement.  They wanted courteous treatment by bus operators, first come first serve seating on public buses, and they wanted African-American bus drivers to be hired to work the routes that were in areas where mostly African-Americans were living.  The demands were not met, and the boycott went on for 13 months- now think about that, even in the South, that is a lot of walking in a lot of bad weather for a long time.  And this came at a huge personal cost to the thousands of African-Americans who were working or studying all over Birmingham but living across town in the segregated section for African Americans.  Large complex carpool systems were created of over 300 cars to support the boycotters.  People with cars offered rides to the walkers.  The city government resisting, going so far as to punish African-American taxi drivers for offering rides at reduced rates.  80 leaders of the boycott were jailed under an old law from the twenties for  “conspiracy that interfered with lawful business.”  King himself was tried, convicted and ordered to pay $500 or serve 386 days in jail.  King's house was bombed while he was at church.  On the day of the bombing, King rushed home to see that Coretta and his baby were okay.  This would not be the last big test on his ability to remain non-violent, but it was an important moment in his public career.  Many people were outraged that someone had cowardly tried to murder the family of their leader, and they showed up on his porch with weapons ready to defend King and go after the assailant.  King, although still personally affected, famously and calmly stood on his front porch and told everyone to go home.  The mandate of Jesus was to love their enemies.    So, when he talks about loving your enemies in his letter, he's. not just saying these things.  He lived this idea and practiced it risking his own life, the life of his wife and the lives of his children.  He  believed  so deeply in the life of Jesus Christ in the power of redemptive love through Jesus Christ that he put his life on the line.  A point I want to make because it is something that I have thought about and he speaks to is what to do with the anger.  How do you avoid the inevitable hate that has to emerge in your heart?  I don't care who you are or what your religious faith is- the hate and rage and anger are justifiable and unavoidable.  Of course, I'm not the first person to have this question and Dr. King spoke about that many many times later on during his life.  I'm not sure he had a working theory at the age of 26.  But by the time he was writing books, he did have an articulate vision on how this could work.  For Dr. King, anger was a part of a process.   It IS part of the process.  He said you  have anger then forgiveness then redemption then love.  That was the order.  It is what he believed and that is what he practiced to the best of his ability- although, and he speaks to this honestly in his biographical work, he struggled with anger his whole life.    Well, the Montgomery Boycott as well as King's trial got national new coverage.  A man by the name of Glenn Smiley visited Montgomery and offered King advice and training on Gandhian techniques of nonviolence.  These two men discussed how to apply Ghandian techniques to American race relations.      King later said, ““Christ showed us the way, and Gandhi in India showed it could work”.  King and his team would combine Ghandhi's methods with Christian ethics to create a model for challenging segregation all over the South.    So, follow the chronology- On June 5th, 1956, remember, Parks was arrested on Dec 1st, but by the beginning of June, the federal district court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional.  That's HUGE but not the last word- in the United States, people have a right to go up the chain to the next court to see if a different court will overrule the first one.  Since this was a possibility, The boycott could not nor did not end until December 20, 1956 when the case made its all through the appeal process all the way to the final court- the Supreme Court- when the decision was NOT overturn- then the boycott ended.   The boycott lasted for a total of 381 days, if you can imagine.     And here's a fun side- note- The day after it ended- Ralph Abernathy, Ed Nixon and Glenn Smiley- now let me add that Glenn Smiley is white- but these three men  got on an integrated bus together- for the very first time- how satisfying would that have been.      King famously had this to say about the boycott: “We came to see that, in the long run, it is more honorable to walk in dignity than ride in humiliation. So … we decided to substitute tired feet for tired souls, and walk the streets of Montgomery”.      You can already see that metaphorical language that he's so famous for in both his speaking and writing.      True and speaking of writing, he wrote up his experiences from Montgomery in a book called Stride to Freedom and in 1958, set out on a book tour across the United States.  He wasn't as famous obviously as he would eventually become, but he was a well-known figure.  On September 20, 1958, a 42 year old apparently deranged African-American woman plunged a letter-opener into his chest.      So, Dr. King's methods were not always well-received by either side.     No- Non-violence is controversial because it's obviously unfair.  Why do I have to practice non-violence when the opposing side is not?  It's a fair question and one which King spent his lifetime discussing.  Non-violence is paradoxical – it doesn't seem like it would work.  Its power lies in its ability to contrast so sharply with violence that you strip away any pretense that the violence is justified. It's also very slow.  You have to have a tremendous amount of patience, trust, and stubbornness.       And King was moving forward- but he was absolutely fed up with the pace of the federal court system.   Remember, the courts mandated that schools be integrated in 1954, but still, here they were in 1963, nine years after Brown vs. Board of Education, and only 9% of African-American students were attending integrated schools.      1963 was going to be the year.  1963 was the 100 year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation- the day Lincoln pronounced that slaves were no longer slaves- for Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Fred Abernathy and the thousands of others willing to put their lives on the line- 100 years was enough time- and the chosen place for this confrontation of forces and will would be Birmingham, Alabama.  Garry, why Birmingham?  This was not a coincidence.  This movement was not spontaneous; it did not just blow up.  It was planned and as Julius Caesar would tell you - selecting the location for the confrontation is key to success. is     Well, Dr. King tells us in his writings.  The whole thing was highly orchestrated.  Birmingham was the largest industrial city of the South.  It had been a symbol of bloodshed in the past when African-American trade unions tried to form there.  Because it was an industrial city, the financial interests and the political interests were intertwined.  Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the United States- the entire city was an expression of Jim Crow- from hospitals to schools to parks to jobs to everything.  Brutality towards African-Americans was an undisputed reality headed up by a man who prided on keeping African Americans, to use his words, “in their place.”  His name was Eugene, but this man, the Commissioner of Public Safety went by the nick Name, Bull- Mr. Bull Connor.  Under his reign or leadership depending on how you view his leadership, between 1957-1963 there had been 17 unsolved bombings of African-American churches and homes of Civil Rights leaders.  Bull Connor was so radical that one time a white United States Senator visited Birmingham to give a give a speech and was arrested because he walked through the door marked, “Colored.”  This guy was ruthless, and he ruled both African-Americans and whites alike with fear.  He was accompanied and supported by a segregationist governor- Governor George Wallace who is famous for saying at his inauguration, “Segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!”     Goodness, history likely does not shine favorably on these remarks.      No, nor on any of these defenders of segregation, of which Bull Connor was one of the most publicly vicious, but I will say, Bull Connor played a very important role in disrupting segregation because he played the part of the villain so well and so predictably.  He was the perfect foil.  After it was all over, JFK famously told MLK at the White House following the signing of the Birmingham agreement, “Our judgement of Bull Connor should not be too harsh, after all, in his way, he has done a good deal for civil-rights legislation this year.” Connor was the absolute perfect foil for nonviolent protest.     Meaning, he was so terrible, it became morally obvious to any fool who was right and who was wrong.      Exactly, and after it was all said and done, President Kennedy could say that, but in April of 1963, that was not so obvious.  Bull was on a rampage; he was in control; and he was winning. On the third of April in 1963, segregationist Albert Boutwell became the new mayor of Birmingham.  Mr. Boutwell was a likeable person; he was not like Bull Connor so some people thought he was the better choice.  They were even glad he had won, but in the words of Fred Shuttlesworth, he was nothing but a “dignified Bull Connor.”      Now, you're starting to throw out some names that will show up in the letter.      Yes, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth was one of the local leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama.  Remember, he had been involved in Montgomery.  He had organized an organization called the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, otherwise known as the ACHR.  Now, this becomes important because as we're going to read in a minute, Dr. King is accused of being an outsider and meddling into somebody else's business and starting trouble.  To which he is going to respond that he was invited to come, and Reverend Shuttlesworth is one of the local leaders who had invited him.  All of this becomes very important in understanding the context of the letter.  So, at this time, the ACHR was holding weekly meeting in churches all over Birmingham.  At these meetings they were mobilizing African-Americans to boycott business that displayed jim crow signs, or refused to hire African American workers except as janitorial staff.  As a result, many stores and businessess around town were losing as much as 40% of their business.  Shuttlesworth, became a problem for the status quo, and as a result, he had been jailed, his home AND his church both had been bombed.    In the now famous room 30 of the Gaston hotel, Abernathy and King among others launched what they called “Project C”. The goal was to pressure Birmingham businesses to integrate and remove those horrible Jim Crow signs that said “White Only” or “Colored”.  The intense boycotts and demonstrations were to start on the first week of March and would continue all until April 14, which was Easter and the Easter season is a big season for shopping, especially for clothes.       What is interesting to me, and something I think is lost on a lot of students, is that they didn't just go around and drum up angry people to hold up signs and such, they required them to participate in workshops and daily evening meetings.    Everything that happened in these weekly and later nightly meetings was intentional.   Everything had a purpose.  They would start the mass meetings by singing old negro spirituals they called freedom songs.  These songs were adaptations from the same negro spirituals slaves had sung 100 years previously.  These songs were old and inspirational, they had been transformed from songs of sorrow song by one's great-grandparents to becoming battle hymns.      Singing together is psychologically bonding under any circumstances, but the power of the history of the music as well as the spirituality of the songs is difficult to explain in words.      Every single volunteer was required to sign a commitment card where they would pledge their body and soul to nonviolence in the face of violence.  This was explained in full.  They developed ten commandments.  The first commandment was to daily meditate on the teachings of Jesus Christ.  The 8th was to refrain from violence of fist, tongue or heart.       Yes, the idea was the prepare every person psychologically to expect and withstand abuse.  When they started to march, when they entered a restaurant labled whites only in a to sit-in, when they were arrested, they needed to be prepared to do what they had been trained to do- resist peacefully.  It is counter-intuitive to human nature.  On April 6th, they marched orderly two by two without banners or singing.  Bull Connor, right on cue, emerged and arrested 42 marchers for “parading without a permit”.    And this became the pattern.  After ten days, between 400-500 people were sitting in jail.  Dr. King and Ralph Abernathy decided that on Good Friday, they would lead the demonstration and submit to being arrested, as they most assuredly would be.  They left their church and walked with around 50 others – they had been denied a permit to march, so they were guilty of parading without a permit.  Of course, that day when Dr. King and Rev. Abernathy began walking down the street in Birmingham, Alabama, many bystanders lined the streets.  The marchers began to sing. The bystanders joined in the singing and sometimes burst into applause.  As if on cue, Bull Connor emerged, his officers grabbed Dr. King and Rev. Abernathy by the back of their shirts and hauled them off to jail.  Dr. King was held in solitary confinement for over 24 hours.  Not even a lawyer was allowed to visit with him.  He was not allowed to telephone his wife.  Several violations of civil liberties all at once.    Coretta, by Monday, stressed out of her mind, placed a call to President Kennendy.  It wasn't but a few minutes from her trying to contact the president that his brother Robert Kennedy, who was at that time the Attorney General of the United States,  called her back promising to intervene.  The president called himself a few hours later.  He called the officials in Birmingham, and amazingly the conditions of Dr. King's imprisonment changed significantly.      He was in jail for eight days, and it was during that time, that a public letter was written to him and signed by 8 leading clergyman in Alabama.     Again, these men have their names signed on the wrong side of history and this has to be embarrassing at this point.  But, oh well, they wrote a public letter- and on the surface this letter sounds so reasonable.  It is another example of someone saying something cruel in the nicest way possible.  It is accusatory- in a polite way- and it enrages Dr. King.   We started the podcast today talking about what do you do when you are enraged- really righteously enraged- this is what Dr. King did- he channeled this energy to become this laser-sharp rhetorical monster and it became uncontainable.  Let's read the public letter written by these fellow clergymen, and then let's begin Dr. King's response that changed the world.        What are some of the things we need to highlight- first of all- what are their main points  King is an outsider= he's come from the outside to agitate    They acknowledge that they understand why he might feel impatience, but they are encouraging him to let the system work and not incite unrest.  They should trust the courts.      They go so far as to commend the police- remember that is Bull Connor.    Yes- and this is to a man who's family has been targeted to be murdered and arrested unfairly.      Exactly, before we read his response- let's look at who signed it.      Read the names and where they are from    When Dr. King responds to these ministers- he makes it a point to cite a theologian from each of these specific religious traditions, and may I point out that he does it from memory since he is in a jail cell.    Next week, we will analyze and discuss how he systematically demolishes the specious arguments and challenges on principles of Judeo-Christian faith the inconsistencies in the words and lives of “My Dear fellow clergyman”.    Okay, we have a lot to look forward to.  I hope you have enjoyed this discussion on the background of this important piece of American literature and history.  As always, thank you flr listening, if you feel so inspired, please give us a five star rating on your podcast app.  Connect with us on social media be it fb, insta, twitter or linked in.  Also, if you are an educator, check out our instructional materails on our website. Howtolovelitpodcast.com    Peace Out         

Trailblazing feminist author, critic and activist bell hooks has died at 69.

This episode first aired Sep 10, 2019. Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder (she, her), a San Francisco native, has served her call through prophetic action and ministry for justice for over thirty years. This call to “blend proclamation, worship, service and advocacy on behalf of those most marginalized in church and in society” led to the founding of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991. In 2003, Rev. Dr. Flunder was consecrated Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a multi-denominational coalition of over 100 primarily African American Christian leaders and laity. Rev. Dr. Flunder is on the Board of Starr King School for the Ministry and DEMOS and has taught at many theological schools. She is a graduate of the Certificate of Ministry and Master of Arts programs at PSR, and received her Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is also an award-winning gospel music artist and author of Where the Edge Gathers: A Theology of Homiletic and Radical Inclusion. This episode is brought to you by the 2022 Q Christian Fellowship Conference. Use code QUEEROLOGY to save 10% off your registration at qcfconf.org. Links and Resources: 2022 Q Christian Fellowship Conference Where the Edge Gathers: A Theology of Homiletic and Radical InclusionCity of Refuge United Church of ChristMasterclass: 4 Practices You Can Start Now to Move Beyond Shame Queerology Podcast on Instagram Queerology Podcast on Twitter Beyond Shame by Matthias Roberts Matthias Roberts on Patreon

Bible Study with Jairus - Galatians   This evening we are going to quickly go through several chapters of Galatians.  This morning when I attended an American Evangelical Community Church, the pastor used a term called SBNR which means spiritual but not religious.  This pastor was criticizing people who don't participate in church activities and are not willing to have any commitment.  He stated that there were Christians in the United States adopting this slogan.  These people are dissatisfied with the church as an institution and use the slogan as an excuse for laziness.  He said that admittedly, there's nothing wrong with being SBNR, but it shouldn't be an excuse for laziness.  They refuse to pursue spiritual growth and be built together with others.  He said that God's intention for Christians is to love and interact with each other in a community so that we can learn and edify each other.   When I got home and opened   Facebook   I saw one of my teachers, a Charismatic pastor at the Randy Clark Scholars, a Doctor of Ministry program at the United Theological Seminary,   preaching through live streaming. He was talking about the same topic, that Christians should be rooted in the community and grow more in one's spiritual life through interacting with each other. We shouldn't use avoiding religion and pursuing spirituality as an excuse to escape building each other up.   Then I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit about the message I will be sharing tonight. Today, the Holy Spirit seems to have a theme - the issue of abusing grace and the relationship between grace and the law. Since we were already planning to study Galatians which deals with the law, we will explore this topic tonight.   I heard that there was a dispute in China over the propagation of the so called “Grace Gospel.”  A pastor in Singapore prefers to impart truth by teaching God's grace and therefore was labeled as the “Grace Gospel.”  I read an article in a charismatic magazine by an American pastor who believed that this pastor in Singapore overemphasized God's grace and neglected God's discipline which in turn caused people to abuse God's grace.  These two pastors agreed to meet and discuss the topic in the Lord's love.  I even saw pictures of the meeting.  As a result of this meeting even the American pastor was criticized by those who opposed the “Grace Gospel.  Apparently many people in the United States disagree with that teaching.   When I used to have my own audio program on the Chinese online platform, some of the audience in China often interacted with me. One of them was a follower of this so-called Grace Gospel. He chatted with me and asked me how I felt about the Grace Gospel. I know that he wanted me to affirm this teaching, but to be honest, I don't know much about the Grace Gospel in China or why people criticize it so I couldn't support him.  He and I didn't have any further communication after that.      I still hold this point of view. I don't make any comments on the so-called “Grace Gospel” because my understanding is limited. But I have heard that many churches have split because of their attitude towards the “Grace Gospel. There are also a lot of disputes on the Internet. The purpose of my analysis here is not to judge other believers. Rather, I will talk about my understanding of grace and the law from a general perspective.   I think this topic is directly related to the contents of Galatians.   I came into contact with some people who had background in some traditional American Christian churches. They told me that they don't like the legalism in the church. An American Christian lady told me that she was from a very legalistic church. When she came to the small Charismatic church, she said that she had absolutely never felt the freedom and release like this before. She described a variety of legalistic situations in her original church which really surprised me.   I met another American Christian man on the train. He asked if we could use instruments at our church. I said of course we can. He told me that his church doesn't allow any instruments. They believe that instruments are all from Satan.   I also heard from a preacher that there was a teenager (who grew up in the church but wasn't baptized yet) who accidentally ate the bread of the church's Sunday worship without realizing it, and was reprimanded, causing the teenager to stumble.   I just cited a few examples as there are too many examples of legalism in the church. I suppose that there are a variety of these experiences. For example, some churches don't allow women to wear makeup or jewelry, which may cause people to stumble. Some parents force their teenagers to go to church and when they are 18, they leave the church for good not even having experienced God.  The list goes on.   Legalism really exists in churches. There are usually three outcomes of legalism. The first result is to stumble, which I've already said above.   The second outcome is people who develop a sense of pretense and hypocrisy. On the surface, they don't violate the rules and regulations, but they don't really embrace them in their heart. This is the case with Peter in Galatians 2:12 where it says: for before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but after they arrived, he pretended not to eat with the Gentiles. Even Barnabas was led astray. In the end, Paul stood and reprimanded Peter. In the modern church, in the face of the overflow of legalism, many people are like this. They don't violate the law; they oppress themselves and they pretend. Why? Because of fear. Fear made Peter pretentious because eating with the Gentiles may not have been accepted by the people of Jerusalem and he still had to go back to Jerusalem. If they accused him in the meeting, it would be very shameful for Peter. I mentioned in our study that fear is the main tool of the religious spirit to control people. Everything that is done out of fear is usually not from the Lord, but from Satan. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (NIV, 2 Timothy 1:7).   For example, the teenager that I mentioned who had not experienced the Lord in a subjective way in the church may have two attitudes.   He may be the type that refuses to go to church saying he'd rather be an unbeliever than a hypocrite. On the other hand, he could pretend to go along with everything to please his parents and live the opposite when they aren't looking.   The third outcome is a person who finds grace in the law. I likened this type of person to a salmon. Salmon swim and spawn upstream. For them, the environment is like the law. It is against them. They are swimming against the current, but they insist on swimming upstream. Upon reaching their destination, they spawn and they continue to multiply. There are many Christians who are like this, whether in church history or now.   I've recently been reading a biography of an African American Christian named Samuel DeWitt Proctor. He had served for several US presidents and had held important positions in the field of education. He was a visiting professor at the United Theological Seminary, where I'm taking classes. In the biography, he mentioned that the arduous history of discrimination of the United States against African American people has caused some African American people to give up on themselves. On the other hand, it has also caused some African American people like him to become even firmer in their faith in God and become useful citizens in American society. If American society's discrimination against the African American people is likened to legalism, then some people have indeed overcome these laws and found God's grace in them.   So, what is the relationship between the law and grace?   Galatians chapter 4 has used personification as an approach. It likened Hagar (Abraham's wife) to the Old Testament, and a person who bears children into slavery. In Galatians 4:25-26, Paul compared Hagar to Mount Sinai, and Sarah to Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. So, Abraham and his two wives have very interesting interactions. Abraham is not just comprised of one person. There are two people in him. One is the new man who lived by faith, and the other is the old man who lived by flesh. Therefore, the intertwined relationship between   Abraham's new man and old man and his two wives is the best illustration to explain the relationship between grace and the law.   Paul also had a good analogy in Romans 7:1 which says, "Do you not know, brothers and sisters--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?" The “person” here refers to a woman's husband. Here, Paul is hinting that the old man died because of being crucified with Christ. In other words, the law kills. Paul says, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!” (2 Corinthians 3:6). It's not because of the law or the letter that kills. Rather, it's because your old man played a role there. As Paul said in Romans 7:7 (NIV), “Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” In other words, Paul found that it's not totally because of the law that convicted and killed him. Rather, it's because he has the sin of greed in him. He was convicted when he ran into the law. The main reason why the law, the ministry of conviction, has played a role is not because the law stipulates that you must not steal or covet. The fundamental reason is that your fallen sinful nature has caused you to steal or covet.   Let's look at the example of Abraham. As a woman, Hagar is already unfortunate enough to be born an Egyptian. What is more unfortunate is that she became a slave girl to Sarah afterwards. Life was already difficult for her and she hoped to have the opportunity to move up the social ladder by getting pregnant from her master. Instead of this bringing her respect, she was driven away by Sarah. Abraham was powerless to do anything. From the perspective of modern women, her demands were not too much. Why aren't her demands met? In Galatians 4, Paul compares Hagar to the law and the Old Testament. Why is it that when the law (Hagar) asks Abraham to love her back or fulfill the requirements of the law to love, he can't do it? Is it because the requirements of the law are wrong? No. It was Abraham's old man who had a problem. Since Abraham married Hagar according to the flesh and didn't ask counsel from God, thus the result of his flesh could not bring the fruit of the Spirit.   Why do you think God comforted Abraham in his distress and told him to listen to Sarah and allow Hagar and Ishmael to be driven away? It's important to know that after Ishmael (the son of Abraham) was born according to the flesh, God did not appear to Abraham for thirteen years. Abraham was already ninety-nine years old before the Lord appeared to him and promised the birth of Isaac. It took God thirteen years to deal with Abraham's flesh. When Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised himself, Isaac and Ishmael as God commanded him. This represents the results of him dealing with the flesh. Therefore, it wasn't Sarah who wanted to drive Hagar away, but it's because Abraham's old man   died. According to Paul's analysis in Romans 7, once her old man dies, the law no longer has any jurisdiction over her.  Paul was referring to the fact that the wife was no longer bound by the dead husband. But we are twisting it around here to say the new husband is no longer bound in the way the old man and his wife were bound. Actually, it's not that Hagar was driven away, but rather Hagar was able to get freedom from her status as slave. This is why many people don't understand why God appeared and blessed Hagar and Ishmael when they were crying in the wilderness. If God didn't like them and wanted to drive them away, why would He appear and bless them?   Since Abraham's flesh died, his new man began to come to the stage. At this time, the law that convicts and kills us became the law that perfected us. In other words, Hagar exited the stage and Sarah came to the stage. The Old Testament exited the stage, and the New Testament came to the stage. The law and grace have become mutually reinforcing relationships. It's no longer because the law   killed me and I can't obey the law. At this time our new man (the life of Christ) was able to repeatedly live out the requirements of the law (the wife). As Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” (NIV, Matthew 5:17). Not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (Matthew 5:18), but the new life of Jesus Christ in us has fulfilled these laws. The convicting ministry of Moses in the Old Testament became the ministry of the grace of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.   This is the relationship between the law and grace. They are interactive. In other words, now we have the life of the old man, and also the new man. Besides this, there's also Hagar (who represents the law) and Sarah (who represents grace) as our wife inside of us. Our life is very complicated. But it is also easy if you make it simple. If you die completely to the flesh and circumcise your flesh, Hagar (the law) will become ineffective in your life. You are a person who lives in the spirit and who marries Sarah. Sarah is Jerusalem, the mother of spiritual life.   In other words, if you die to your old man, you won't stumble by the law.  You stumble by the law not because the requirements of the law are unreasonable but because of your flesh. The requirements of the law are often difficult for our flesh to adhere to. Whether God has given the Israelites the Sabbath, or your church doesn't allow you to wear jewelry, sometimes it just doesn't make any sense. Why? For example, it is clear that Jehovah wanted the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. But in the end, Jesus, the Son of God, came and didn't keep the Sabbath in certain situations. Isn't this contradictory? No. God allows the law, and even the existence of legalism. The purpose is not just to keep the law, but to see if you will obey it. If you don't have a spirit of rebellion, but rather obey everything in the Lord, can you stumble? So people who   stumble usually have problems inside themselves. This would be like the prodigal son in Luke 15. His rebellious nature   led him to commit a sin and wander. In the end, he found a way to enjoy grace by repenting and confessing his sin of rebellion. This is the first R I'd like to mention-- rebellion. I said in the beginning that the American pastor said that many people pursue the SBNR slogan and don't participate in church activities. Actually, they may be living in rebellion of God and are prodigal sons. This is the current state of many churches and Christians. It is also the state of many prodigal sons in the world.   The next R, which is religion is represented by the eldest son in Luke 15.   He works very hard. He has the presence of the Father outside, but he has no real intimacy with the father. He is even envious of the prodigal son who repented. This type of mentality is the religious spirit. This person represents the second type of person I've talked about. They are pretentious. They are often bound by the religious spirit. They initiate legalism just like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus. They often persecute the prodigal son, who represents the relatively weaker people. After being persecuted by legalism and the religious spirit, the prodigal son often goes to the opposite/other extreme, which is rebellion. The prodigal son is often influenced and controlled by the "spirit of rebellion". These two spirits both come from Satan.   The story of Luke 15 is a very good metaphor. Have you ever thought about the possibility that the prodigal son may have suffered persecution from his older brother   way before he decided to leave his house? I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon.  If I remember correctly, he said that Cain's persecution of Abel didn't begin on the day he killed him, but rather it was ongoing because of their different understanding of what an acceptable sacrifice was. The persecution had already existed from the beginning. Similarly, it is very likely that the eldest son in Luke 15   disliked his younger brother from the beginning, and persecuted him through a religious spirit of legalism until he couldn't take it anymore and left home. Of course, after dealing with the environment, the prodigal son dealt with the spirit of rebellion. He returned to his father's house and found the love of God, allowing him to overcome the persecution of the religious spirit and legalism. But in the end of the gospel of Luke the author did not tell us that the elder brother overcame his religious spirit.   God often allows legalism and even a religious spirit to be in the environment in order to test whether or not we are obedient. I've heard that one of the reasons why the teaching on the Grace Gospel is very popular is that many believers have been hurt too much by the church's legalism. This analysis is correct. But we can't be biased. If there is no flesh or rebellion in us, the spirit of legalism and religion can't hurt us.  The real reason why legalism or a religious spirit hurts us is because our old man has not truly died and still perhaps possesses a rebellious nature.  Christians who are deeply persecuted by legalism and religion often go to the other extreme of what they consider to be freedom and grace but in actuality they are often bound by the spirit of rebellion.   This is like driving a car. If you turn to the left, you'll fall into the trap of religious spirit and legalism. If you turn to the right, you'll fall into the trap of the spirit of rebellion.  The prodigal son's attitude before repentance and his brother's religious spirit can be likened to the two extremes that the church often goes to. This is not God's intention.   God's intention is for us to become like the salmon I mentioned earlier. No matter how difficult it is, the salmon would swim upstream and multiply. Although there are all kinds of difficulties in the environment, our hearts should be like Paul, a person who exemplifies Christ in every situation. God's intention is to let us bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit through these different and even difficult circumstances. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." People usually pay attention to the first half of verses 22 and 23, but often ignore what the second half of verse 23 says, “Against such things there is no law.” If we live out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the religious spirit or legalism won't harm you. On the contrary, we need to understand that whether it's a religious spirit causing legalism or a spirit of rebellion abusing grace, they are both from the flesh.   Therefore, the reason why I don't want to criticize the so called Grace Gospel is because on the one hand, I am not familiar with it. On the other hand, I know that if we use legalism and a religious spirit to criticize the supporters of the Grace Gospel, not only will it have no effect, but it will cause dissention in the body of Christ. Because legalism and a religious spirit is a reaction of the flesh, and the abuse of grace and the spirit of rebellion is also from the flesh, the flesh is waring against the flesh nullifying any good effect.   It's important to obey God's discipline in our lives.  Although many times the circumstances of our environment are difficult or others wrong us unfairly, we need to understand that nothing comes to us without God's permission.  We learn through experience to obey his discipline because the more we turn away from it the heavier His hand of discipline will be and our circumstances will get increasingly worse.   The reason that people abuse grace and freedom is largely due to opposing the religious spirit and legalism.  The danger here is the tendency to fall into self-indulgence and rebellion which abuses freedom and God's grace.  I've observed that churches tend to be at one extreme or the other in this area.  This is not God's intention for His people.  He wants us to live by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in every situation and says that against these there is no law.   In other words, when we face an overabundance  of legalism and a religious spirit in the church, the correct response is not to go to the opposite extreme (abusing the grace and indulging in rebellion), but to deal with our flesh and grow up   spiritually   If we do this, legalism is no longer  negative or a stumbling block. Instead, all things will work together for good, which let us grow in our spiritual lives and fulfill God's will for us.   In Galatians 3:3 (NIV), Paul blames the Galatians, "Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" This corresponds to what Paul said in Galatians 1:6 (NIV), "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." Paul continues to say in Galatians 6:8 (NIV), "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."   These words should be alarming. They should be a solemn warning for us not to live and act according to the flesh. The legalism and rebellious spirit that is pervasive in today's church is actually just two different kinds of living in the flesh. If we don't live in the flesh, Satan is unable to raise a religious spirit, legalism or the spirit of rebellion to harm the church. As the Lord Jesus said, the evil one has no place in Him.   Paul's expectation for the church is what he said in Galatians 2:20 (NIV), "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”   This is the way   a Christian should live. If a majority of Christians in the church would live like this, the flesh would be dealt with, and legalism and religious spirit wouldn't be rooted in the soil. The spiritual stature of the church would then greatly improve; the light of the church will also be brighter;   more prodigal sons from the outside world would return to the household of God, and the church would grow stronger.  On the contrary, because there are many churches with believers who live according to the flesh, the prevalence of legalism is high and causes weaker believers to stumble and often leave the church completely.  Those who aren't willing to leave the church reject any law, regulations or discipline which ultimately affects the growth of the church.   Although we are reading through Galatians rather quickly, our hope is that you have a general introduction and understanding to this rich and valuable book.  There are a multitude of verses worth praying and meditating on.  God bless you as you focus and meditate on His word.    

Best-selling writer Piper Huguley joins Julie to talks about her experiences writing, publishing, and marketing historical novels with African American Christian characters. She talks about developing her online platform to self-publish her novels, including her first The Lawyer's Luck and the books in her “Home to Millford College Series.” In addition, she talks about A Virtuous Ruby from her “Migrations of the Heart Series” as well as her forthcoming books: her Hallmark novel Sweet Tea, and By design: The Story of Ann Lowe, Society's Best Kept Secret, a historical fiction which will be published by William Morrow. Piper Huguley is an Amazon Bestselling writer for her books The Lawyer's Luck and The Preacher's Promise. The Preacher's Promise was also named a top ten Historical Romance in Publisher's Weekly by Beverly Jenkins. She is a 2013 Golden Heart finalist for A Champion's Heart, a first place winner for the 2013 Golden Rose Contest for her novel A Virtuous Ruby, and a 2014 Golden Rose Contest finalist. Huguley was named 2015 Debut Author of the year by Romance Slam Jam and Breakout Author of the Year by AAMBC, the African Americans on the Move Book Club, Inc. Thanks to @cbddepaul and @romancewriters for sponsoring this podcast. Creator and Producer of the Black Romance Podcast: Julie E Moody-Freeman Sound Design: Juelle Daley; a_caju_creative Artwork: Kyle Gabb; Marciano_arts Website: https://piperhuguley.com/about/ The Preacher's Promise: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M77K09U/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3 The Lawyer's Luck: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LBIKE38/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6 A Virtuous Ruby: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087XX47Z3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i7 Sweet Tea: A perfect heartwarming romance from Hallmark Publishing:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LDYJKT1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1 By design: The Story of Ann Lowe, Society's Best Kept Secret: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Story-Lowe-Societys-Secret-ebook/dp/B093ZXPRXH/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=By+design%3A+The+Story+of+Ann+Lowe%2C+Society%E2%80%99s+Best+Kept+Secret&qid=1623716471&s=digital-text&sr=1-1      

Theologian Walter Strickland, an African-American Christian, talks about how he's processing the news around Derek Chauvin's murder conviction, and how he's leading his bi-racial family amid it.  Mission Network New's Ruth Kramer looks are news around the world affecting the Church and missions.

Theologian Walter Strickland, an African-American Christian, talks about how he's processing the news around Derek Chauvin's murder conviction, and how he's leading his bi-racial family amid it.  Mission Network New's Ruth Kramer looks are news around the world affecting the Church and missions.

Bible Study with Jairus - Galatians   This evening we are going to quickly go through several chapters of Galatians.  This morning when I attended an American Evangelical Community Church, the pastor used a term called SBNR which means spiritual but not religious.  This pastor was criticizing people who don't participate in church activities and are not willing to have any commitment.  He stated that there were Christians in the United States adopting this slogan.  These people are dissatisfied with the church as an institution and use the slogan as an excuse for laziness.  He said that admittedly, there's nothing wrong with being SBNR, but it shouldn't be an excuse for laziness.  They refuse to pursue spiritual growth and be built together with others.  He said that God's intention for Christians is to love and interact with each other in a community so that we can learn and edify each other.   When I got home and opened   Facebook   I saw one of my teachers, a Charismatic pastor at the Randy Clark Scholars, a Doctor of Ministry program at the United Theological Seminary,   preaching through live streaming. He was talking about the same topic, that Christians should be rooted in the community and grow more in one's spiritual life through interacting with each other. We shouldn't use avoiding religion and pursuing spirituality as an excuse to escape building each other up.   Then I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit about the message I will be sharing tonight. Today, the Holy Spirit seems to have a theme - the issue of abusing grace and the relationship between grace and the law. Since we were already planning to study Galatians which deals with the law, we will explore this topic tonight.   I heard that there was a dispute in China over the propagation of the so called “Grace Gospel.”  A pastor in Singapore prefers to impart truth by teaching God's grace and therefore was labeled as the “Grace Gospel.”  I read an article in a charismatic magazine by an American pastor who believed that this pastor in Singapore overemphasized God's grace and neglected God's discipline which in turn caused people to abuse God's grace.  These two pastors agreed to meet and discuss the topic in the Lord's love.  I even saw pictures of the meeting.  As a result of this meeting even the American pastor was criticized by those who opposed the “Grace Gospel.  Apparently many people in the United States disagree with that teaching.   When I used to have my own audio program on the Chinese online platform, some of the audience in China often interacted with me. One of them was a follower of this so-called Grace Gospel. He chatted with me and asked me how I felt about the Grace Gospel. I know that he wanted me to affirm this teaching, but to be honest, I don't know much about the Grace Gospel in China or why people criticize it so I couldn't support him.  He and I didn't have any further communication after that.      I still hold this point of view. I don't make any comments on the so-called “Grace Gospel” because my understanding is limited. But I have heard that many churches have split because of their attitude towards the “Grace Gospel. There are also a lot of disputes on the Internet. The purpose of my analysis here is not to judge other believers. Rather, I will talk about my understanding of grace and the law from a general perspective.   I think this topic is directly related to the contents of Galatians.   I came into contact with some people who had background in some traditional American Christian churches. They told me that they don't like the legalism in the church. An American Christian lady told me that she was from a very legalistic church. When she came to the small Charismatic church, she said that she had absolutely never felt the freedom and release like this before. She described a variety of legalistic situations in her original church which really surprised me.   I met another American Christian man on the train. He asked if we could use instruments at our church. I said of course we can. He told me that his church doesn't allow any instruments. They believe that instruments are all from Satan.   I also heard from a preacher that there was a teenager (who grew up in the church but wasn't baptized yet) who accidentally ate the bread of the church's Sunday worship without realizing it, and was reprimanded, causing the teenager to stumble.   I just cited a few examples as there are too many examples of legalism in the church. I suppose that there are a variety of these experiences. For example, some churches don't allow women to wear makeup or jewelry, which may cause people to stumble. Some parents force their teenagers to go to church and when they are 18, they leave the church for good not even having experienced God.  The list goes on.   Legalism really exists in churches. There are usually three outcomes of legalism. The first result is to stumble, which I've already said above.   The second outcome is people who develop a sense of pretense and hypocrisy. On the surface, they don't violate the rules and regulations, but they don't really embrace them in their heart. This is the case with Peter in Galatians 2:12 where it says: for before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but after they arrived, he pretended not to eat with the Gentiles. Even Barnabas was led astray. In the end, Paul stood and reprimanded Peter. In the modern church, in the face of the overflow of legalism, many people are like this. They don't violate the law; they oppress themselves and they pretend. Why? Because of fear. Fear made Peter pretentious because eating with the Gentiles may not have been accepted by the people of Jerusalem and he still had to go back to Jerusalem. If they accused him in the meeting, it would be very shameful for Peter. I mentioned in our study that fear is the main tool of the religious spirit to control people. Everything that is done out of fear is usually not from the Lord, but from Satan. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (NIV, 2 Timothy 1:7).   For example, the teenager that I mentioned who had not experienced the Lord in a subjective way in the church may have two attitudes.   He may be the type that refuses to go to church saying he'd rather be an unbeliever than a hypocrite. On the other hand, he could pretend to go along with everything to please his parents and live the opposite when they aren't looking.   The third outcome is a person who finds grace in the law. I likened this type of person to a salmon. Salmon swim and spawn upstream. For them, the environment is like the law. It is against them. They are swimming against the current, but they insist on swimming upstream. Upon reaching their destination, they spawn and they continue to multiply. There are many Christians who are like this, whether in church history or now.   I've recently been reading a biography of an African American Christian named Samuel DeWitt Proctor. He had served for several US presidents and had held important positions in the field of education. He was a visiting professor at the United Theological Seminary, where I'm taking classes. In the biography, he mentioned that the arduous history of discrimination of the United States against African American people has caused some African American people to give up on themselves. On the other hand, it has also caused some African American people like him to become even firmer in their faith in God and become useful citizens in American society. If American society's discrimination against the African American people is likened to legalism, then some people have indeed overcome these laws and found God's grace in them.   So, what is the relationship between the law and grace?   Galatians chapter 4 has used personification as an approach. It likened Hagar (Abraham's wife) to the Old Testament, and a person who bears children into slavery. In Galatians 4:25-26, Paul compared Hagar to Mount Sinai, and Sarah to Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. So, Abraham and his two wives have very interesting interactions. Abraham is not just comprised of one person. There are two people in him. One is the new man who lived by faith, and the other is the old man who lived by flesh. Therefore, the intertwined relationship between   Abraham's new man and old man and his two wives is the best illustration to explain the relationship between grace and the law.   Paul also had a good analogy in Romans 7:1 which says, "Do you not know, brothers and sisters--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?" The “person” here refers to a woman's husband. Here, Paul is hinting that the old man died because of being crucified with Christ. In other words, the law kills. Paul says, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!” (2 Corinthians 3:6). It's not because of the law or the letter that kills. Rather, it's because your old man played a role there. As Paul said in Romans 7:7 (NIV), “Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” In other words, Paul found that it's not totally because of the law that convicted and killed him. Rather, it's because he has the sin of greed in him. He was convicted when he ran into the law. The main reason why the law, the ministry of conviction, has played a role is not because the law stipulates that you must not steal or covet. The fundamental reason is that your fallen sinful nature has caused you to steal or covet.   Let's look at the example of Abraham. As a woman, Hagar is already unfortunate enough to be born an Egyptian. What is more unfortunate is that she became a slave girl to Sarah afterwards. Life was already difficult for her and she hoped to have the opportunity to move up the social ladder by getting pregnant from her master. Instead of this bringing her respect, she was driven away by Sarah. Abraham was powerless to do anything. From the perspective of modern women, her demands were not too much. Why aren't her demands met? In Galatians 4, Paul compares Hagar to the law and the Old Testament. Why is it that when the law (Hagar) asks Abraham to love her back or fulfill the requirements of the law to love, he can't do it? Is it because the requirements of the law are wrong? No. It was Abraham's old man who had a problem. Since Abraham married Hagar according to the flesh and didn't ask counsel from God, thus the result of his flesh could not bring the fruit of the Spirit.   Why do you think God comforted Abraham in his distress and told him to listen to Sarah and allow Hagar and Ishmael to be driven away? It's important to know that after Ishmael (the son of Abraham) was born according to the flesh, God did not appear to Abraham for thirteen years. Abraham was already ninety-nine years old before the Lord appeared to him and promised the birth of Isaac. It took God thirteen years to deal with Abraham's flesh. When Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised himself, Isaac and Ishmael as God commanded him. This represents the results of him dealing with the flesh. Therefore, it wasn't Sarah who wanted to drive Hagar away, but it's because Abraham's old man   died. According to Paul's analysis in Romans 7, once her old man dies, the law no longer has any jurisdiction over her.  Paul was referring to the fact that the wife was no longer bound by the dead husband. But we are twisting it around here to say the new husband is no longer bound in the way the old man and his wife were bound. Actually, it's not that Hagar was driven away, but rather Hagar was able to get freedom from her status as slave. This is why many people don't understand why God appeared and blessed Hagar and Ishmael when they were crying in the wilderness. If God didn't like them and wanted to drive them away, why would He appear and bless them?   Since Abraham's flesh died, his new man began to come to the stage. At this time, the law that convicts and kills us became the law that perfected us. In other words, Hagar exited the stage and Sarah came to the stage. The Old Testament exited the stage, and the New Testament came to the stage. The law and grace have become mutually reinforcing relationships. It's no longer because the law   killed me and I can't obey the law. At this time our new man (the life of Christ) was able to repeatedly live out the requirements of the law (the wife). As Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” (NIV, Matthew 5:17). Not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (Matthew 5:18), but the new life of Jesus Christ in us has fulfilled these laws. The convicting ministry of Moses in the Old Testament became the ministry of the grace of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.   This is the relationship between the law and grace. They are interactive. In other words, now we have the life of the old man, and also the new man. Besides this, there's also Hagar (who represents the law) and Sarah (who represents grace) as our wife inside of us. Our life is very complicated. But it is also easy if you make it simple. If you die completely to the flesh and circumcise your flesh, Hagar (the law) will become ineffective in your life. You are a person who lives in the spirit and who marries Sarah. Sarah is Jerusalem, the mother of spiritual life.   In other words, if you die to your old man, you won't stumble by the law.  You stumble by the law not because the requirements of the law are unreasonable but because of your flesh. The requirements of the law are often difficult for our flesh to adhere to. Whether God has given the Israelites the Sabbath, or your church doesn't allow you to wear jewelry, sometimes it just doesn't make any sense. Why? For example, it is clear that Jehovah wanted the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. But in the end, Jesus, the Son of God, came and didn't keep the Sabbath in certain situations. Isn't this contradictory? No. God allows the law, and even the existence of legalism. The purpose is not just to keep the law, but to see if you will obey it. If you don't have a spirit of rebellion, but rather obey everything in the Lord, can you stumble? So people who   stumble usually have problems inside themselves. This would be like the prodigal son in Luke 15. His rebellious nature   led him to commit a sin and wander. In the end, he found a way to enjoy grace by repenting and confessing his sin of rebellion. This is the first R I'd like to mention-- rebellion. I said in the beginning that the American pastor said that many people pursue the SBNR slogan and don't participate in church activities. Actually, they may be living in rebellion of God and are prodigal sons. This is the current state of many churches and Christians. It is also the state of many prodigal sons in the world.   The next R, which is religion is represented by the eldest son in Luke 15.   He works very hard. He has the presence of the Father outside, but he has no real intimacy with the father. He is even envious of the prodigal son who repented. This type of mentality is the religious spirit. This person represents the second type of person I've talked about. They are pretentious. They are often bound by the religious spirit. They initiate legalism just like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus. They often persecute the prodigal son, who represents the relatively weaker people. After being persecuted by legalism and the religious spirit, the prodigal son often goes to the opposite/other extreme, which is rebellion. The prodigal son is often influenced and controlled by the "spirit of rebellion". These two spirits both come from Satan.   The story of Luke 15 is a very good metaphor. Have you ever thought about the possibility that the prodigal son may have suffered persecution from his older brother   way before he decided to leave his house? I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon.  If I remember correctly, he said that Cain's persecution of Abel didn't begin on the day he killed him, but rather it was ongoing because of their different understanding of what an acceptable sacrifice was. The persecution had already existed from the beginning. Similarly, it is very likely that the eldest son in Luke 15   disliked his younger brother from the beginning, and persecuted him through a religious spirit of legalism until he couldn't take it anymore and left home. Of course, after dealing with the environment, the prodigal son dealt with the spirit of rebellion. He returned to his father's house and found the love of God, allowing him to overcome the persecution of the religious spirit and legalism. But in the end of the gospel of Luke the author did not tell us that the elder brother overcame his religious spirit.   God often allows legalism and even a religious spirit to be in the environment in order to test whether or not we are obedient. I've heard that one of the reasons why the teaching on the Grace Gospel is very popular is that many believers have been hurt too much by the church's legalism. This analysis is correct. But we can't be biased. If there is no flesh or rebellion in us, the spirit of legalism and religion can't hurt us.  The real reason why legalism or a religious spirit hurts us is because our old man has not truly died and still perhaps possesses a rebellious nature.  Christians who are deeply persecuted by legalism and religion often go to the other extreme of what they consider to be freedom and grace but in actuality they are often bound by the spirit of rebellion.   This is like driving a car. If you turn to the left, you'll fall into the trap of religious spirit and legalism. If you turn to the right, you'll fall into the trap of the spirit of rebellion.  The prodigal son's attitude before repentance and his brother's religious spirit can be likened to the two extremes that the church often goes to. This is not God's intention.   God's intention is for us to become like the salmon I mentioned earlier. No matter how difficult it is, the salmon would swim upstream and multiply. Although there are all kinds of difficulties in the environment, our hearts should be like Paul, a person who exemplifies Christ in every situation. God's intention is to let us bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit through these different and even difficult circumstances. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." People usually pay attention to the first half of verses 22 and 23, but often ignore what the second half of verse 23 says, “Against such things there is no law.” If we live out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the religious spirit or legalism won't harm you. On the contrary, we need to understand that whether it's a religious spirit causing legalism or a spirit of rebellion abusing grace, they are both from the flesh.   Therefore, the reason why I don't want to criticize the so called Grace Gospel is because on the one hand, I am not familiar with it. On the other hand, I know that if we use legalism and a religious spirit to criticize the supporters of the Grace Gospel, not only will it have no effect, but it will cause dissention in the body of Christ. Because legalism and a religious spirit is a reaction of the flesh, and the abuse of grace and the spirit of rebellion is also from the flesh, the flesh is waring against the flesh nullifying any good effect.   It's important to obey God's discipline in our lives.  Although many times the circumstances of our environment are difficult or others wrong us unfairly, we need to understand that nothing comes to us without God's permission.  We learn through experience to obey his discipline because the more we turn away from it the heavier His hand of discipline will be and our circumstances will get increasingly worse.   The reason that people abuse grace and freedom is largely due to opposing the religious spirit and legalism.  The danger here is the tendency to fall into self-indulgence and rebellion which abuses freedom and God's grace.  I've observed that churches tend to be at one extreme or the other in this area.  This is not God's intention for His people.  He wants us to live by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in every situation and says that against these there is no law.   In other words, when we face an overabundance  of legalism and a religious spirit in the church, the correct response is not to go to the opposite extreme (abusing the grace and indulging in rebellion), but to deal with our flesh and grow up   spiritually   If we do this, legalism is no longer  negative or a stumbling block. Instead, all things will work together for good, which let us grow in our spiritual lives and fulfill God's will for us.   In Galatians 3:3 (NIV), Paul blames the Galatians, "Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" This corresponds to what Paul said in Galatians 1:6 (NIV), "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." Paul continues to say in Galatians 6:8 (NIV), "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."   These words should be alarming. They should be a solemn warning for us not to live and act according to the flesh. The legalism and rebellious spirit that is pervasive in today's church is actually just two different kinds of living in the flesh. If we don't live in the flesh, Satan is unable to raise a religious spirit, legalism or the spirit of rebellion to harm the church. As the Lord Jesus said, the evil one has no place in Him.   Paul's expectation for the church is what he said in Galatians 2:20 (NIV), "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”   This is the way   a Christian should live. If a majority of Christians in the church would live like this, the flesh would be dealt with, and legalism and religious spirit wouldn't be rooted in the soil. The spiritual stature of the church would then greatly improve; the light of the church will also be brighter;   more prodigal sons from the outside world would return to the household of God, and the church would grow stronger.  On the contrary, because there are many churches with believers who live according to the flesh, the prevalence of legalism is high and causes weaker believers to stumble and often leave the church completely.  Those who aren't willing to leave the church reject any law, regulations or discipline which ultimately affects the growth of the church.   Although we are reading through Galatians rather quickly, our hope is that you have a general introduction and understanding to this rich and valuable book.  There are a multitude of verses worth praying and meditating on.  God bless you as you focus and meditate on His word.    

James 1:19 teaches that we should be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." As Christian policy advocates strive to honor God's heart for all of his creation, it is important to listen to the experiences of our Black brothers and sisters in Christ. After a year of racial unrest, we should lead by listening and learning. This forum will feature a conversation with African-American Christian leaders about how we can better reflect God's heart for ethnic diversity and foster racial unity among Christians, and make a positive impact on our nation. For additional resources on this topic:Read "Black Lives Matter? Embracing the Proclamation or the Organization" by Kelvin Cochran.Visit the American Bible Society's website for Bible-based resources on justice.Support the show (http://www.faithandlaw.org/donate)

As we enter 2021, race is one of the dominant and delicate issues facing the church.  The conversations have been primarily shaped by pastors, professors, and politicians but coming up on Equipped, we will talk to a parent.Jasmine Holmes joins Chris to share from her heart as an African American Christian mom about what she wants her sons to know as they grow and enter the world as black men. EQUIPPERS - KICK-OFF 2021 with us via our ZOOM MEETING on JANUARY 14!  DETAILS HAVE BEEN SENT TO YOUR E-MAIL INBOX.  Be sure and register for this free online time of encouragement, discussion, and prayer!  

Join us as we listen to the reading of Christian children's book "Planting Fruitful Seeds" read by the author E. Splawn. E comes with 20 years of writing short stories, poetry and even black history plays to now her first full colored African-American Christian children's book. Planting Fruitful seeds started out as a gift to her first child on their 1st birthday. E was having the hardest time finding a Christian children's book that reflected her family and culture....so she decided to write and publish one herself. After family, friends, and other acquaintances read the book they encouraged her to place it out there for the world to buy, read, and enjoy for other families. It was published in 2011 and since have had a record number of sales on Amazon. She is currently writing another Christian children's book that will be released in Early 2021. Her writing is passionate and fulfilling in so many ways. She is also planning on writing a book of healing when you have been raised by a single parent and wonder if something is wrong with you that you didn't have two parents...that book will come out at the end of 2021 which is entitled: "When Daddy Left my Father Stayed". Look out for this up and coming author. E Splawn has a bright writing future ahead of her. You can purchase the book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Planting-Fruitful-Seeds-Splawn/dp/1456738968 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bright-headed-publishing/message

“If we realized that we have the power as the people, to decide to take back our own decisions and abilities and our own power; to make good and right decisions for the good of the whole, we will leave room and space. There are many different flowers in the Garden of God. And there are many different ways in which those flowers cross pollinate. There's room and space for all of us to grow and be healthy and we can make room.” - Bishop Yvette FlunderWhen society does not accept you for who you are, it takes radical self love and potent community to experience real freedom. Bishop Yvette Flunder found herself in this position when she realized that traditional religious frameworks weren't designed with her in mind.Bishop Yvette Flunder is my guest this week on Find Your Fierce & Loving. We had a wide-ranging conversation and Bishop Yvette had an electrifying perspective on the state of politics, religion, and the necessary ingredient each of us is at this moment on the planet. As Bishop Yvette Flunder says, closets are for brooms. It's time for you to come out into your light.Take a listen to the episode for more of Bishop Yvette Flunder wisdom and her beautiful choir voice.(01:55) - Pentecostal struggle(06:04) - Justice and Jesus(09:54) - Repression to obsession(13:43) - Reclamation(15:34) - Chains of self-depreciation(23:43) - The source of salvation(30:49) - Privilege in exile(36:42) - Death rattle(40:02) - In utero realities(44:37) - Designer's originalRev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, a San Francisco native, has served her call through prophetic action and ministry for justice for over thirty years. This call to “blend proclamation, worship, service, and advocacy on behalf of those most marginalized in church and in society” led to the founding of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991. In 2003, Rev. Dr. Flunder was consecrated Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a multi-denominational coalition of over 100 primarily African American Christian leaders and laity. Rev. Dr. Flunder is on the Board of Starr King School for the Ministry and DEMOS and has taught at many theological schools. She is a graduate of the Certificate of Ministry and Master of Arts programs at Pacific School of Religion and received her Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is also an award-winning gospel music artist and author of Where the Edge Gathers: A Theology of Homiletic and Radical Inclusion. You can find out more about Bishop Yvette Flunder by following her on Facebook @bishopyvetteflunder, and Instagram or Twitter @bishop_flunder.Do you want to unleash your inherent love and goodness, liberate yourself, and free humanity from the oppressive systems and structures we have created? We are here to support you in finding your fierce and loving life. Join us in Our Circle, a vibrant membership community rich in opportunities for engagement and transformation. Find out more at lolawright.com/our-circle.You can follow Lola Wright, on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and learn more about my work at lolawright.com.Chicago born and built, Lola grew up in wealth and privilege, yet always sensed something was missing. She sought out aliveness and freedom in music, immersing herself in the hip hop and house music scenes of 90s Chicago. After finding herself on her own at 23, as the mother of two young children, she became determined to create a new experience.Lola is an ordained minister with a gift for weaving together the mystical and material, she served for many years as the CEO of Bodhi Center, an organization committed to personal transformation, collective awakening, conscious activism, and community-building. Theme music by independent producer Trey Royal.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Find Your Fierce & Loving in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. Your reviews help others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Unfortunately another week of violence in America has us starting with our thoughts on the shooting of Jacob Blake and the arrest of the domestic terrorist in Kenosha (9:00) We briefly discuss the RNC (14:10) You must vote Republican if you're a real Christian? (20:13) Are you an African American Christian who's fighting the world and the church when it comes to racial inequality issues? (22:36) How has COVID affected your relationship? (41:01)

Shanika Roach has always been an avid reader and had dreams of being a writer.  That dream came true when she signed with Anointed Inspirations Publishing in 2016.  Her debut novel Broken Relationships reached number one on the Amazon charts in the African American Christian fiction category on its release day.  From then on, she continued to write edgy Christian fiction novels that teach valuable lessons about life and consequences.  She was nominated for an Author Academy Award in 2019.   Her nominated novel The House Always Wins: A High Price To Pay made it to the top ten finalists in the general fiction category.  She is currently the author of eleven novels, including a collaboration and an anthology.

Marcus "caDASHtrophe" Eley, formerly known as Dashius Clay, is an African-American Christian rapper-songwriter, technogeek, sneakerhead, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Murfreesboro, NC, Dash now lives in Fayetteville, NC with his wife and five out of eight of their children. When not tending to research on mobile development, Marcus spends his time writing, recording, working out, analyzing new phones and technology, and building his sneaker collection. Listen in to hear caDASHtrophe's latest single "God's Not Dead" and hear more about his beliefs, aspirations, ministry goals, everyday life tasks, personal duties, spiritual journey, and his company, "Eley Enforcement Entertainment, LLC". -> You are listening to: caDASHtrophe, rapper and cofounder of Eley Enforcement Entertainment, LLC "God's Not Dead" can be downloaded on his website at: eleyenforcementent.life or streamed on all streaming platforms. Find caDASHtrophe's latest bible studies on his website as well. Reach out to caDASHtrophe on IG: @deuce_five2 | FB: @dashiusclay87 Interested in being on the podcast to discuss your CHH projects? Go to: https://eleyenforcementent.life/c-note-podcast to schedule an interview. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cnotechhculture/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cnotechhculture/support

Church Historian, Malcom Foley, joins us on the podcast to talk about the murder Ahmad Arbery within the context of the history of lynching in the American Church. Malcolm is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Baylor’s Department of Religion, studying the history of Christianity. His dissertation investigates African-American Christian responses to lynching from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Malcolm earned a BA in religious studies with a second major in finance and a minor in classics from Washington University in St. Louis. He subsequently completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, focusing on the theology of the early and medieval church. During his time there, he served Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven as a pastoral intern. He is currently the Director of Discipleship at Mosaic Waco in Waco, TX.You can find his article here: https://mereorthodoxy.com/ahmaud-arbery/?fbclid=IwAR14W_k9WUxQQfIS6IwiUJ-3YpO1it_WqGTG7bOPTYYzqlcGwiacQc41wmQ

Church Historian, Malcom Foley, joins us on the podcast to talk about the murder Ahmad Arbery within the context of the history of lynching in the American Church. Malcolm is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Baylor’s Department of Religion, studying the history of Christianity. His dissertation investigates African-American Christian responses to lynching from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Malcolm earned a BA in religious studies with a second major in finance and a minor in classics from Washington University in St. Louis. He subsequently completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, focusing on the theology of the early and medieval church. During his time there, he served Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven as a pastoral intern. He is currently the Director of Discipleship at Mosaic Waco in Waco, TX.You can find his article here: https://mereorthodoxy.com/ahmaud-arbery/?fbclid=IwAR14W_k9WUxQQfIS6IwiUJ-3YpO1it_WqGTG7bOPTYYzqlcGwiacQc41wmQ

Last week, a video was leaked of a white man shooting and killing Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery in his neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia. While Arbery’s death occurred in February, the alleged shooter and his father were only arrested last week following a massive public uproar following the release of the tape. Many Christians, of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, have condemned the Arbery’s killing. But widespread condemnation from the church for these types of killings was not always the case.For years, for white Christians, “the critique of lynching rarely moved beyond ‘Lynching is anarchy, and we need to kind of reinforce the rule of law,’” said Malcolm Foley, a PhD candidate in Baylor University’s Department of Religion, whose dissertation examines African-American Christian responses to lynching from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Not surprisingly, the black church took a much more forceful response to these atrocities.“Many black pastors were commenting on this and saying, ‘If you can either stand in a mob of thousands of people and watch a black man be set on fire alive, or if you are one of the people holding the rifles that riddled this body with bullets, you're most likely not a Christian,’” said Foley, who is also the director of discipleship at Mosaic Waco. Foley joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss the colonial history of lynching, how beliefs about white women provided justification for this violence, and how lynchings changed the theology of the black and white church. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Malcolm Foley Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Rev. Dr. Michael Waters is the founding pastor of the Abundant Life African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas. Known as a pastor, professor, award-winning author, activist, and social commentator, his words of hope and empowerment inspire national and international audiences.He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees with honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.He is also the author of the national award-winning books Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice, and Pop Culture and Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America, winner of the prestigious National Wilbur Award in Non-fiction. His forthcoming books include For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World and Liberty’s Civil Rights Road Trip, the former in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Walter Strickland and Phabienne Anderson commemorate Black History Month by sharing a number of meaningful resources from the African American Christian tradition. African American preachers, authors, and thinkers who have been under represented offer a wealth of material to encourage all believers in the faith.

These are for reflection purposes used for guidance only the conversation takes on its own energy.The first two are asked of all guests.What does wellness mean to you?What do you do to support wellness in your life, especially given your training and expertise. As individuals and as a community we are all still recovering from Hurricanes Irma & Maria. TS Dorian just passed up by. It is indeed hurricane season. What have you learned about yourself that is helpful as you move forward in the recovery process and the start of hurricane season?As a territory we are in the middle of the recovery process please share what you notice in your congregation. How are people doing overall? What are their ongoing challenges?On September 2nd the church is offering "Renew". Tell us about the focus and how it came about?It is unusual for faith leaders to explore the brain and its role in healing, trauma recovery, success, Well-being, etc. Why have you explored this area of human physiology and it’s role in spiritual, emotional, and physical health.Describe what will be included in the program on September 2nd.What were some of your biggest aha moments of discovery as you delved deeper in the role of brain health, plasticity, negative thought patterns and role in trauma recovery? Some persons may be skeptical about exploring this part of who they are for a variety of reasons. How would you respond to their concerns or anxiety?I did my dissertation research on Standing in the Need of Prayer: Beliefs about Depression and Treatment helps among African American Christian women. One of the major findings / next steps was the absence of engagement of or the ignorance of faith leaders in the area of depression. Rarely any sermons and is there were often faith leaders caused women to feel that it was a result of lack of spiritual strength, the devil and poor moral, with no focus on the role of the brain’s role for some. What are your thoughts?Please talk about some of the research of Dr Leaf who will be the key presenter for Renew. Is there anything that a woman can do in advance of coming to the program?Please share details about registering and location of the church. Who is the target audience? Closing thoughts or words of encouragement to the audience. What’s the take away for those who are listening.Is there a prayer that you would like to offer for the Renewal and Power of our thoughts as we move deeper into the recovery journey, individually and collectively?Thank you for sharing your time and insights.

3 African American Christian women discussing the process of how the God brought about the podcast and the goal of it.

Canon Broderick interviewed the Reverend Emilie M. Townes, Ph.D., about the cultural production of evil and what she calls the "ultimate queer, womanist move." Dr. Townes is an African American Christian social ethicist and theologian, and is currently Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School.

He thinks machine politics is a distraction. Norm Ornstein has a different take from Jonathan Rauch and Elaine Kamarck on why our politics is broken. Ornstein believes increasing voter participation and reducing the role of money in politics are better goals, and that the Republican Party is far more of a culprit in creating dysfunction than are the Democrats. Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote a book late last year with Thomas Mann and EJ Dionne called "One Nation After Trump." Show Notes: Opening and closing song: "Mass Appeal" by Gangstarr.  Norm's book from 2012, co-written with Thomas Mann and EJ Dionne, updated in 2016: "It's Even Worse Than It Looks Was: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism." Norm's book from 2006, co-written with Thomas Mann: "The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track." The paper by Jonathan Rauch and Ben Wittes from May 2017: "More professionalism, less populism: How voting makes us stupid, and what to do about it." Rauch & Wittes were responding in part to this paper from June 2015, by Mann and Dionne: "The futility of nostalgia and the romanticism of the new political realists." And here's Elaine Kamarck's paper from April 2017: "Re-inserting peer review in the American presidential nomination process." The exchange between Ornstein and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, at the beginning can be viewed here, and you can read about it here. My profile from December on Warren Throckmorton, the evangelical professor who turned against 'reparative therapy' for gays. My profile from September on Jemar Tisby, an African-American Christian living in the Deep South whose outlook on racial reconciliation darkened after the election of Donald Trump. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelonggame. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She's the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she's not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family.

L Peggy Hicks talks with Stephanie Perry Moore about her African-American Christian teen book series plus her other works of fiction L Peggy Hicks talks to best-selling authors regularly about their latest works and answer questions from the live audience in Second Life. Join them in-world if you want to join the fun.

Young, African American CHRISTIAN authors talk about what it takes to be a success in your finances and life. Get Real and Get Rich - yes, you can come from welfare and fare well! They are a testimony!

In this show, we speak with an African American Christian and an American Muslim and explore the perspectives of two religious communities which defy the broad stereotypes of this election year. We’ll seek to gain a deeper understanding of the way in which they are thinking through the mix of religious ideas that have come to the forefront of this campaign. These religious people see complex choices between competing religious ideals, and they are making their decisions in ways that challenge the intuition of pollsters and pundits.