Podcast appearances and mentions of The Christian Century

In this episode of The Biggest Table, I delve into the subject of church camp with guest Cara Meredith, a speaker, writer, and public theologian. The discussion revolves around Cara's book 'Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation,' examining the complex nature of church camps. Cara emphasizes the importance of holding both the positive and negative aspects of camp life, discussing the formative experiences alongside the theological and social harms encountered. The conversation provides insights into maintaining nuanced views, fostering dialogue with children about their experiences, and imagining better ways to cultivate genuine spiritual growth and inclusivity in camp environments.A sought-after speaker, writer, and public theologian, Cara Meredith is the author of Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation and The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice. She has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Living Church, The Christian Century, and Baptist News Global, among others. Passionate about justice, spirituality, and storytelling alike, Cara holds a master of theology from Fuller Seminary and is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church. With a background in education and nonprofit work, Cara also works part-time as the Director of Development for Made for PAX Co, an organization dedicated to providing mentorship and vocational resources to emerging creatives, contemplatives, church leaders, and community builders of color.   When she's not working, you'll likely find her reading a book, tinkering around in the garden, or hanging out with her family. She is proud to call Oakland, California home.Follow Cara Meredith @carameredithwrites:FacebookInstagramSubstackThis episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com. 

Abigail Carroll reads her poem "For What Do You Give Thanks?" and Elizabeth Harlan-Ferlo reads her poems "Samsara Study" and "And Sanctify Us Also." Abigail Carroll is author of three poetry collections: Cup My Days like Water, Habitation of Wonder, and A Gathering of Larks: Letters to Saint Francis from a Modern-Day Pilgrim. She lives and writes in Vermont. Find her at www.abigail-carroll.com.Elizabeth Harlan-Ferlo is a poet, educator, faith leader, and caregiver. Her debut collection INCARNATION, AGAIN was published in 2022 by Wipf & Stock. Recent poems can be found in The Christian Century. Elizabeth curates the Visiting Writers Series at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, where she serves as Canon for Education and the Arts.

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renowned authors, leaders, public figures, and scholars on religion, culture, and everything in between. This has been a dream of mine for many years, and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠This is the 49th Episode with Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, whois a trauma psychotherapist renowned for her work in complex trauma recovery. With a keen focus on the specific needs of trauma survivors, Gregory's expertise spans over 20 years in clinical practice. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, and Newsweek and published in Writer's Digest, Psychotherapy Networker, CounselingToday, and Psychology Today. Today, I am thrilled to have Gregory on the Madang podcast to share about her book, You Don't Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms (Broadleaf Books). We discuss forgiveness, trauma, the mind-body connection, racial justice, gender justice, and much more.I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity and Broadleaf Books for sponsoring this episode. Please join Homebrewed Christianity's online class, ⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠. Please read some of the latest books from Broadleaf Books, such as Liberating Yoga, by a yoga teacher Harpinder Kaur Mann who draws from her own perspective as a Sikh-Punjabi woman who was alienated by the way yoga is practiced in the United States but found her way toward reclaiming the spiritual practice for herself. Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of the ⁠Madang podcast⁠. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me on my ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠.

Today, Karen González and I talk about practicing generosity without a savior complex. Karen González (she/her) is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a former public school teacher and attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. For the last 17 years, she has been a non-profit professional. She wrote a book about her own immigration story and some of the immigrants found in the Bible: The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong (Herald Press, May 2019). Karen's second book is Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Response to Immigration (Brazos Press, October 2022). She also has bylines in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, and others. Karen lives in Washington DC with her cats, Oscar and Trudi.You can follow Karen on Instagram @_karenjgonzalez. Her books, Beyond Welcome and The God Who Sees, are available wherever you get books. Here's the link to the Substack piece Karen and I discussed at the top of the episode, "At Home in My Country." Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your Found Family Cheat Sheet! Support the show

In this episode of The Biggest Table, I welcome Isaac Villegas, an ordained Mennonite minister and community organizer for Immigrant Justice. They discuss Villegas's book 'Migrant God,' which explores biblical reflections on immigrant justice and Christian duty. The conversation covers Isaac's personal experiences with his immigrant family, work with sanctuary churches, and the impact of language in addressing immigration issues. They delve into concepts like solidarity, the humanizing power of meals, and the role of Christians in advocating for immigrants. The episode is rich with storytelling, including anecdotes about shared meals, the spiritual significance of communion, and projects like placing crosses in the Sonoran Desert to remember migrants who died crossing the border.Isaac Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA who is involved in the work of community organizing and activism for immigrant justice. He is also a columnist for The Christian Century and the author of Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice. He has served as the president of the NC Council of Churches and on the executive board of his denomination. He lives with his wife in North Carolina.Follow Isaac on SubstackThis episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.

Today, I'm joined by Cara Meredith, author of the new book Church Camp. We're digging into the ways camp shapes our faith, our friendships, and our sense of who belongs. We get real about the fun memories, but also the uncomfortable parts—who was included, who was left out, and what messages we picked up along the way. Cara and I talk about how camp can turn faith into a checklist—who's in, who's out, who fits and who doesn't. But we also imagine what camp could be if it became a place of real belonging, where every kid was seen and valued, no matter their story. If you've ever looked back on your camp experience with mixed feelings, or wondered how those weeks shaped your view of God and yourself, you'll find something here. This episode is about holding the good and the hard together, asking better questions, and dreaming about what's possible. So join us as we go to camp.A sought-after speaker, writer, and public theologian, Cara Meredith is the author of Church Camp and The Color of Life. Passionate about issues of justice, race, and privilege, Cara holds a master of theology from Fuller Seminary and is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church. With a background in education and nonprofit work, she wears more hats than she probably ought, but mostly just enjoys playing with words, a lot. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Living Church, The Christian Century, and Baptist News Global, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California.Cara's Book:Church CampCara's Recommendation:Here I AmSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

In this episode Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair talk with Rodney Clapp about the state of Christian life in a time of profound change. Exploring what it means for Christians to live as witnesses to the Gospel in a radically changing world, Rodney looks at the recent history of the Evangelical Church in America, and the longing for a Christian nationalism that reasserts control over the cultural narrative. Rodney offers a radically different set of proposals, of humble practices rooted in a Biblical imagination, that eschew power and the need for control. Rodney is driven by a passion to call churches to rediscover their life and mission by learning to live without power and control. He believes that it is by living out of control that we discern the ways of God and live in anticipation of a new creation - of a healed earth and of a healed people.Rodney Clapp is an author, editor and social commentator. He was a former columnist for The Christian Century as well as a longtime associate editor for Christianity Today. Until 1999 he was the senior editor for academic and general books at InterVarsity Press. He was also an editor with Brazos Press and is currently an editor with Wipf and Stock. His latest book is Living Out of Control, an extended proposal for how, in a post Christian context, Christian life ought to be shaped amidst declining empire and in an age of profound change.LinksFor Rodney Clapp:https://wipfandstock.com/author/rodney-clapp/https://wipfandstock.com/contact-information/BooksFamilies at the Crossroads (1993) A Peculiar People (1996) The Consuming Passion (1998) Border Crossings (2000) The People of the Truth with Robert E. Webber (2001) Tortured Wonders (2006) Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction (2008) Naming Neoliberalism: Exposing the Spirit of Our Age (2021)Living Out of Control: Political & Personal Faith in Waning Christendom (2025)For Alan J Roxburgh:http://alanroxburgh.com/abouthttps://www.themissionalnetwork.com/author/alan-roxburgh/https://journalofmissionalpractice.com/alan-roxburghTwitter: https://twitter.com/alanjroxburgh?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetworkBooksJoining God in the Great UnravelingLeadership, God's Agency and Disruptions Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our TimeFor Jenny Sinclair:Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclairLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CGFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leavingegyptpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

In her highly anticipated return to the podcast, Dr. Malka Simkovich takes us on a journey through the rich and complex world of Second Temple Judaism, drawing from her acclaimed book Discovering Second Temple Literature. We begin with the extraordinary discoveries of the Cairo Genizah and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and explore why these moments of preservation are so central to understanding the period. We then unpack the deep identity tensions faced by the Jewish people—especially in communities like Alexandria—as they navigated dual roles as both imperial citizens and members of a semi-sovereign Judea. Dr. Simkovich clarifies the role of sects during this era, showing how minority movements like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes related to the mainstream Jewish population, and challenges the assumption that sectarianism defined the age by highlighting the resilience of a shared Jewish identity. The episode also features a deep dive into the fascinating literature that expanded upon biblical texts, including a close look at the non-canonical Testament of Abraham. Finally, we end with a preview of Dr. Simkovich's latest book, Letters from Home, and discuss what inspired it and the conversation she hopes it will spark.---*This episode is dedicated to the refua shelema of our dear friend Yaakov ben Haya Sarah Malakh---• Bio: Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Publication Society and Visiting Professor at Yeshiva University's Revel Graduate School for Jewish Studies. Her first book, The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria, was published in 2016, and her second book, Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism, was published with JPS in 2018 and received the 2019 AJL Judaica Reference Honor Award. Her third book, Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity, was published in June 2024. She is also the author of over a hundred published articles, including pieces that have been published in journals such as the Harvard Theological Review, the Journal for the Study of Judaism, the Jewish Review of Books, Tablet, and The Christian Century. A Leon Charney Fellow at the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, a Sacks Scholar for the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Foundation, and a Kogod Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Simkovich served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at Catholic Theological Union from 2014–2024, and speaks regularly to audiences across North America and beyond on topics related to the Hebrew Bible, Jewish history, and contemporary Jewish-Christian relations.---• Get her books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Malka-Z.-Simkovich/author/B084JHCV8Q?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1746991336&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=c1f5bf2f-1e29-4536-8420-48672ac2ff47---• Welcome to JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED: A PODCAST FOR THE PERPLEXED | Co-hosted by Benjy & Benzi | Thank you to...Super Patron: Jordan Karmily, Platinum Patron: Craig Gordon, Rod Ilian, Gold Patrons: Dovidchai Abramchayev, Lazer Cohen, Travis Krueger, Vasili Volkoff, Vasya, Silver Patrons: Ellen Fleischer, Daniel Maksumov, Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, Fred & Antonio, Jeffrey Wasserman, and Jacob Winston! Please SUBSCRIBE to this YouTube Channel and hit the BELL so you can get alerted whenever new clips get posted, thank you for your support!

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renowned authors, leaders, public figures, and scholars on religion, culture, and everything in between. This has been a dream of mine for many years, and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠This is the 48th Episode with Bishop Andy Doyle, who is the ninth and current Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in The Episcopal Church. Bishop Doyle oversees and is the chief pastor for more than 78,000 Episcopalians in the Diocese of Texas and for 400 clergy working in 163 congregations, schools, chaplaincies, and institutions. In February 2020, he announced that the Episcopal Diocese of Texas would start a $13 million racial reconciliation initiative which was praised by Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry. Today, I am thrilled to have Bishop Doyle on Madang podcast to share his book, Unabashed Faith: Resisting Anti-Spiritual Influences in the Modern World, from Church Publishing House. Today, he shares his new book, Unabashed Faith, sacred spaces, AI, digital sabbath, dualism, sacraments, faith in action, and so much more. Please stay tuned.I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity, Church Publishing⁠⁠⁠⁠ , and Wild Goose Festival ⁠⁠⁠for sponsoring this episode. Please join Homebrewed Christianity's online class, ⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠. Please read some of the latest books from Church Publishing, which is the trusted source for core liturgical texts and essential resources for the Episcopal Church, and their influence extends well beyond, offering insights and inspiration for the wider Christian community.⁠ that are impacting the world. Please register today for the Wild Goose Festival happening August 28-31, 2025 | Harmony, NC.Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of the Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me on my ⁠⁠Substack.

News headline roundup. The cost of ambition.  Find us on YouTube. In this episode of The Bulletin, Mike and Clarissa share what headlines they're following as the week begins, and Mike talks with theologian Miroslav Volf about the cost of ambition. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUEST:  Miroslav Volf is a Croatian Protestant theologian and public intellectual. He is a professor of theology at Yale Divinity School and is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He has written and edited more than 20 books and over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and NPR's Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett). ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today's editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let’s settle in friends for some quiet time…. Just kidding. Episode 6 in this serial series interrogating the malformed pillars in evangelicalism is here. We examine one of the most important elements in evangelical belief systems–perhaps THE most important religious icon–the Bible. Evangelicals claim the Bible has supreme authority in designing beliefs. It’s the “Bible alone”, used with complete disregard for malformed interpretations. You may be wondering why chat about the Bible mid-way through this series and not at the very start. After all, isn’t the Bible central to evangelicalism? It is, but not in the manner you might think. The Bible has been distorted to become a tool for religious propaganda that advances the interests of white evangelicalism. In other words, the Bible is used to define conservative and white supremacist worldviews, and believers stuck in the pew of these churches must adopt specific interpretations or risk being excommunicated (if evangelicals had such a thing.) Malformed beliefs like biblical inerrancy and literalism are not, ironically, biblical, yet are core attributes used to keep the faithful in line. Let’s talk about it, Episode 6 is here. Chapters (00:00-01:00) Introduction (02:30) Rohadi on why we’re interrogating the validity of biblical tradition in evangelicalism. (02:33-14:00) Quiet time. Just kidding. Unpacking the ways evangelicals twist the Bible to fit their own devices. (14:00-20:05) Unpacking one of the malformed pillars is used to justify: Patriarchy w/ Liz Jenkins. (20:05-22:00) Intro to Ryan Canty – Author of Deweaponize. (22:00-24:20) Naming malformed pillars including inerrancy and the Chicago Statement (24:20-33:00) Unpacking the Chicago Statement with Liz Grant (33:40) Ways evangelicals distort scripture using literalism wrong. (40:11) Rohadi and authoritarianism and the Bible. (43:40) Ryan on, What are the possibilities of change? (50:15) Possibilities of how we can reclaim biblical interpretation with Liz Grant. (59:50) Liz Jenkins with the final word on interpretation. (1:02:02) Outro Featuring your host, Rohadi (from Rohadi.com). Rohadi’s books can be found here, including his latest publication, When We Belong. Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins. Special Guests in Episode 6: Ryan Canty – Author of Deweaponize. Re-examining how we read the Bible in pursuit of a more Christlike interpretation  Former Calvinist theology nerd on a journey to de-weaponize the Bible and love others like Jesus. Find him on Substack | Instagram Liz Charlotte Grant – Author of KNOCK AT THE SKY: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible. Liz is an award-winning nonfiction writer based in Colorado, USA. She is also an online columnist for The Christian Century. Her essays and op-eds have also been published in outlets such as the Huffington Post, Religion News Service, the Revealer, Hippocampus Magazine, Brevity, Sojourners, Christianity Today, US Catholic, National Catholic Reporter, and elsewhere. Find Liz on Instagram and Threads Liz Jenkins – Author of Nice Churchy Patriarchy. If you’d like to read more, check out her now-occasional blog, her Substack, and/or her book Nice Churchy Patriarchy. Find Liz via Instagram: @lizcoolj and @postevangelicalprayers. Bumper music by Daniel Wheat.

For some of us, Christian summer camp is where we felt most at home. But for campers at white Evangelical church camps in particular, camp was also often the place to inherit an image of God—and of each other—that was incomplete at best and toxic at worst. Author Cara Meredith joins Amy Julia Becker on the podcast to explore belonging, betrayal, and new beginnings as they talk about Cara's latest book, Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation. They examine:Personal experiences of church camp, including joy, exclusion, and betrayalComplexities of faith and belongingEmotional manipulationReconstructing faithDeciding if church camp is right for your child_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Amy Julia's Live, In-Person Workshop on May 3: Reimagining Family Life with DisabilityFree resource: 5 Ways to Experience God's Love and Practice PeaceSurprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright_WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:Cara Meredith is a speaker, public theologian, and development director who found home at a church camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After serving in various roles, she continued as a speaker for two decades at camps up and down the West Coast. With a master of theology (Fuller Seminary) and a background in education and nonprofit work, she is also the author of The Color of Life. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Christian Century, and Christianity Today, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California. CONNECT with Cara on her website (carameredith.com) or on Facebook and Instagram. ___Let's stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

Today, Cara Meredith and I talk about what church camp gets right (and wrong) about community.Cara Meredith is the author of Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation (Broadleaf Books, 2025). She is also a sought-after speaker, public theologian, and development director who found home at a church camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After serving in various roles, she continued as a speaker for two decades at camps up and down the West Coast. With a master of theology (Fuller Seminary) and a background in education and nonprofit work, she is also the author of The Color of Life. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Christian Century, and Christianity Today, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California.  Church Camp comes out April 29 and is available wherever you buy books. You can follow Cara on socials @carameredithwrites. Check out her Substack and her website, carameredith.com. Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free Found Family Cheat Sheet! Support the show

At the age of 96, Luci Shaw is a prolific poet, writer, and editor as well as being a photographer. With 19 volumes of poetry and one on the way, 8 books, and two children's books, Luci has spent a lifetime sharing her gift and love of writing. Along with her first, now late, husband Harold Shaw, she was a co-founder of Harold Shaw Publishers where she was senior editor and eventually President. She has been an English stylist for the popular Biblical translations and paraphrases The Living Bible, The Message, and Today's New International Version. Luci has been an adjunct and summer faculty and a frequent guest lecturer at colleges and universities. In addition she has been a popular workshop leader. She is currently Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada. Her work has appeared in many journals like The Christian Century, Christianity Today, and Sojourners. Luci describes herself as a Christian who is a poet and not a Christian poet. She was a long-time friend of, co-author with, and editor for Madeleine L'Engle. To learn more about Luci, go to her website at lucishaw.com The intro and outro music for this episode is from a clip of a song called 'Father Let Your Kingdom Come' which is found on The Porter's Gate Worship Project Work Songs album and is used by permission by The Porter's Gate Worship Project.

Dr Adam Koontz and Col Willie Grills talk about how Christianity came to Japan, why it didn't last there, and applications to evangelism to draw from it. Visit our website - A Brief History of Power Thanks to our sponsor, Gnesio Health Dr Koontz - Redeemer Lutheran Church Pr. Willie Grills - Zion Lutheran Church Music thanks to Verny

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renown authors, leaders, public figures and scholars on religion, culture and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠This is the 47th Episode with Diarmuid O'Murchu, a member of the Sacred Heart Missionary Order, and a graduate of Trinity College, Ireland, is a social psychologist. He has worked as a workshop leader and group facilitator, conducting programmes on Adult Faith Development across several countries. Now as a retired missionary, he lives in Dublin. He is with us today to talk about his book, Divine Radiance in Human Evolution published by Orbis Books.Today, he is with us today to share his latest book, Divine Spirit, Aristotle, Soul, Incarnation, AI, climate crisis nd so much more.I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Orbis Books ⁠⁠⁠for sponsoring this episode. Please join Homebrewed Christianity's online class, ⁠⁠Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠. Please read some of the latest Orbis Books⁠ that are impacting the world. Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me on my ⁠⁠substack.

Join Robert Ellsberg in this One on One interview with author, Amy Frykholm, as they discuss "Journey to the Wild Heart: Four Invitations to Contemplative Living". Get your copy today at https://maryknoll.link/919ee0Award-winning American writer, podcaster, and journalist Amy Frykholm discusses her latest book, an all-in-one guide for contemplative living which offers a rich array of spiritual practices, applications and insights, questions for reflection, and resources for further reading.Get 25% off Journey to the Wild Heart by Amy Frykholm through 04 April 2025https://maryknoll.link/919ee0Amy Frykholm has written a number of books of nonfiction including Julian of Norwich, Christian Understandings of the Future as well as a novel, High Hawk. A columnist for The Christian Century, she has a PhD in Literature from Duke University. She now lives in Colorado.#AmyFrykholm #RobertEllsberg #ContemplativeLiving #Spirituality #FaithJourney #ChristianSpirituality #BookLovers #FaithAndReflection #DeepeningFaith 

Migrant God takes readers to the front lines of immigrant justice activism where Christians are putting hope into action. From Tijuana, Mexico, to Douglas, Arizona, across North Carolina and beyond, Isaac Villegas cuts a new path through worn-out talking points and bears witness to loving solidarity among Christians—both with and without US citizenship. Along the way, he offers a theologically astute and politically rich vision of beloved community. Centering the stories of people who have been transformed through their dedication to the work of collective wholeness, Villegas begins each chapter “on the ground”—with protests in the streets, hospitality in migrant shelters, and shared meals in home kitchens. He then engages in biblical, theological, and political reflection to explore the significance—for our faith and our world—of these sites of collective work. Migrant God is a stirring read for anyone who wants to shift conversations about immigration toward a more holistic Christian vision of life lived in solidarity with migrants.1. Why are political discussions about immigrants so polarizing?Common phrases used to describe the issue are “broken immigration system" and "the crisis at the border”. What are some things to consider when thinking about it this way?2. In the book you share a story about being arrested after a standoff with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Why was it important for you to participate in the standoff?3. How do you lead the reader from the horrors of the border's violence toward a Christ centered way to thinking?4. How can the realities of immigration shape our understanding of God?5. Is a Christian to live in solidarity with immigrants? What does this look like?Isaac Samuel Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA who is involved in the work of community organizing and activism for immigrant justice. He is also a columnist for The Christian Century and Anabaptist World. 

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhat does it mean to follow a "Migrant God"? In this episode, Pastor Josh Burtram and political host Will Wright sit down with Isaac Samuel Villegas, an ordained Mennonite minister and advocate for immigrant justice. His new book, Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice, offers a deeply theological and politically urgent perspective on faith and migration.Isaac shares his personal story of growing up in Los Angeles and Tucson as the son of immigrants, his journey into ministry, and his activism in immigrant justice. The conversation explores biblical themes of migration, the role of the church in advocacy, and the moral contradictions in how many Christians approach immigration policy. Isaac also recounts powerful personal stories—from organizing Holy Thursday vigils at ICE detention centers to witnessing communities offering sanctuary to migrants.Why do so many American churches struggle to engage in immigration justice? How do biblical teachings challenge modern political perspectives on migration? And how can pastors preach on this issue without alienating their congregations? Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that bridges theology, policy, and lived experience.Guest Bio:Isaac Samuel Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA and a passionate advocate for immigrant justice. He writes for The Christian Century and Anabaptist World, and his latest book, Migrant God, explores the intersection of faith, justice, and migration. Through his work in community organizing and activism, he challenges Christians to embrace a theology rooted in solidarity with migrants.Resources & Links:

Jesus desires our ingathering, and we so often are not willing. Jesus goes belly up, like a fierce yet vulnerable mother hen in the presence of a fox, ready to take us under the shelter of her wings. Are we willing? And what might we learn from Jesus about lament?Sermon begins at minute marker 6:00​​​​Luke 13.1-8, 31-35ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 631 – A Lament Over Jerusalem, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, JrBarbara Brown Taylor, “As a Hen Gathers her Brood,” The Christian Century.Jewish Voices for Peace action: call your reps to demand the release of student activist and U.S. permanent resident, Mahmoud Khalil, abducted by the DHS on March 8, 2025.Image: “Christ the Mother Hen,” Kelly Latimore iconsHymn 298 - What Is the World Like. Text: Adam M. L. Tice (USA), 2009, © 2011 GIA Publications, Inc. Music:  Sally Ann Morris (USA).  Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

Mariah Humphries and Katie Mullin host Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim for a thoughtful conversation about her experience as a female Asian-American Christian. She walks us through the importance of seeing God from the survivor's perspective. She shares about why she chose to write with such vulnerability about immigration, her own life and God's nature in her books When God Became White and Surviving God. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim was born in Korea, educated in Canada and now teaches in the USA as Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She is the author or editor of 24 books, most recently, When God Became White, Surviving God, Invisible, and Spirit Life.  Kim is the host of Madang podcast which is sponsored by the Christian Century. She blogs on her Substack, Loving Life, and has written for multiple publications. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The Center for Formation, Justice and Peace brings together a diverse, interdenominational community of people who want to be formed in love to heal a broken world. Because “religion” is often part of the problem, we've created a Jesus-centered space for dialogue, questioning, creating and exploration. PEACE TALKS introduces you to women and men who are working to undo oppression, leading to lives of deeper peace for all.Connect with The Center Online!Visit The Center's Website: https://centerfjp.orgFollow The Center on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerfjp/Follow The Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerfjpSubscribe to PEACE TALKS Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-talks/id1590168616Support the show

This Sunday we welcome guest preacher Lydia Sohn to the pulpit! The Rev. Lydia Sohn is a Korean American United Methodist elder and writer whose writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Christian Century, among others. Her forthcoming book, Here: A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving releases on February 25, 2025 and is available for preorder now! Most importantly, she is mom to Hugh, Ivy, and Iris, wife to a handsome brainiac named James, and a long time resident and lover of Claremont. Follow along her journeys in Claremont filled with parenting, writing, eating pastries at Some Crust, and pastoring at www.revlydia.com. The official launch party for her book is this upcoming Saturday, March 1st at 2 p.m. at Claremont United Methodist Church. This event is free and open to the public! Learn more at launchforhere.eventbrite.com

How does one learn to love the Bible again? For Liz Charlotte Grant, it is almost like a story from a movie: girl meets Bible, falls in love, discovers Bible's secret past, falls out of love with Bible, but eventually realizes she was really in love the whole time, once she learned how to look at the Bible in a new way. This is an eye-opening conversation about how the tools that scholars have used throughout the history of scripture, with names like Hermeneutic and Midrash and Eisegesis, helped bring the Bible back to life after deconstruction, and reconnect Grant with the essence of what she loved most about scripture.Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning nonfiction writer based in Colorado, USA. Her debut nonfiction book, Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible, was released by Eerdmans Publishing Co. on January 7, 2025. In 2024, she wrote a viral article chronicling the disturbing third marriage of an icon of white American evangelical purity culture, "Elisabeth Elliot, Flawed Queen of Purity Culture, and Her Disturbing Third Marriage," the Revealer Magazine, a publication of the Center for Religion and Media at New York University. Grant's Substack newsletter, the Empathy List, has received recognition from the Webby Awards and the Best of the Church Press Awards. Her work has also appeared in outlets such as the Huffington Post, Religion News Service, Hippocampus Magazine, Brevity, Sojourners, the Christian Century, Christianity Today, US Catholic, National Catholic Reporter. Find more of Liz Charlotte's work at:https://lizcharlotte.com/ https://www.threads.net/@lizcharlottegrant https://www.instagram.com/lizcharlottegrant https://www.facebook.com/lizcharlottegrant Find your guides at Quoir Academy! If you've ever deconstructed your faith you know it's not easy. But just imagine if you could have people to guide you through your process? People like, Jim Palmer, Kristin Du Mez, Jennifer Knapp, Brad Jersak, Brian Zahnd, Paul Young, and more? Well, if you head over to Quoir Academy and register for SQUARE 2 using the Promo Code [RAD] you'll get 10% off the regular registration cost of this awesome course and community just for being a fan of our show. Follow this registration link: https://www.bk2sq1.com/square-2-next-steps-into-reconstruction?coupon=RAD

What does Bible study look like after inerrancy? Do you have to give up studying Scripture when you no longer believe in its literal interpretation? Can you still believe this book is sacred even while renegotiating your relationship to the church? In Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible, Liz Charlotte Grant offers compelling answers to these questions and more in this deeply personal commentary on the book of Genesis. Braiding together encounters with the natural world, Jewish midrash, and art criticism, Grant makes familiar Sunday school stories strange and offers a fresh vision for reading Scripture after deconstruction. For those who have known the book of Genesis as a weapon in the culture wars, Grant interprets the Bible's inspired book of beginnings as a work of art. Lyrical, insightful, and highly original, Knock at the Sky offers readers a capacious model for seeking God through Scripture even as one's faith continues to evolve. “In this book, you too have permission to question the sacred without fearing . . . unbelief. Knock loudly. . . . Reject answers that do not admit complication. Seek the resonance at the base of the story. The seeking is the point. Because there, in your wandering, God is.” About the Author Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning essayist whose work has been published in The Revealer, Sojourners, Brevity, Christian Century, Christianity Today, Hippocampus, and elsewhere. She also writes The Empathy List, a popular newsletter that has been nominated for a Webby two years running. She lives in Colorado.

Today's guest is Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister, speaker, writer, and as she calls herself “slinger of hopeful stories about faith and church.”Mihee has been a public figure for some time now - her writing and commentary can be found in the New York Times, TIME Magazine, BBC World Service, USA Today, Huffington Post, Christian Century, On Being, and more (see her bio for the full list). In 2021 she was named one of the “21 Faith Leaders to watch.” By the Center for American Progress. She is co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, Maryland and a doctoral candidate in Religious Studies at Indiana University.In addition to all that impressiveness, Mihee is also a friend of mine, a colleague in ministry, someone who's been a part of my life for a few decades. And although we don't talk enough, when we do talk, it's rich, it's fun, and while we don't shy away from going deep, we can't resist bursting into giggles along the way.Mihee and I had this conversation… I won't say how long ago. We had both just gotten over Covid. I had to exit the conversation for 5 minutes with a coughing attack. Kids and dogs continually interrupted us. (Thank goodness for editing!) Yet somehow, in the course of this conversation, we recognize the importance of the Psalms as a companion in times of sorrow and joy, a container for what we find difficult to hold, and a template for the fullest possible expression of what it means to be human – as we process our grief and as we move into resilience.In particular, I wanted to ask Mihee about a New York Times article she wrote in the aftermath of the Atlanta spa shootings in March 2021, in which 8 people were killed, 6 of whom were Asian women. In response to that terrible event, Mihee wrote an article that asks hard questions, that's courageous and prophetic. I always wondered how she did that. It turns out that reading the Psalms was part of her story.Find out more about Mihee Kim-KortIt's been a while since I posted a longform podcast! If you haven't heard the catalog of longer podcasts on Psalms and resilience, they are worth a listen.I've been lucky enough to have incredible conversations with a number of insightful friends and wise teachers, including Barbara Brown Taylor, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Munther Isaac, and Avivah Zornberg. These conversations have enriched my understanding of the Psalms, and how they lift our spirits especially in difficult times, and how they offer healing and hope.Scroll back on the Podcast Archive to hear other long-form episodes.If you appreciated this podcast, if it made you think, if it allowed you to go deep, if it made you smile at times, if it offered you something of value, if it brought you some inspiration and consolation… consider becoming a paid subscriber. You will receive a complimentary Psalms for the Spirit Journal ebook (180 pgs) with reflection questions to accompany our 44 Psalms set to Celtic melodies. There will be further bonuses coming up in the near future.Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new podcasts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe

Purchase a copy of Knock at the Sky: https://amzn.to/3PQlIG3*As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission from purchases made through Amazon links on this site at no additional cost to you.✖️✖️✖️About the guest:Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning nonfiction writer based in Colorado, USA.In 2024, she wrote a viral review of two biographies, chronicling the disturbing third marriage of white American evangelical "purity culture" icon, Elisabeth Elliot, for the Revealer Magazine. (See "Elisabeth Elliot, Flawed Queen of Purity Culture, and Her Disturbing Third Marriage," the Revealer Magazine, a publication of the Center for Religion and Media at New York University).Her Substack newsletter, the Empathy List, has received recognition from the Webby Awards and the Best of the Church Press Awards. Her essays have won 3rd place in Dappled Things magazine's Jacques Maritain Prize for Nonfiction (in 2019 and 2022), and she's also been awarded two Collegeville Institute residencies.Her op-eds and stories have also been published in outlets such as the Huffington Post, Religion News Service, Hippocampus Magazine, Brevity, Sojourners, the Christian Century, Christianity Today, US Catholic, National Catholic Reporter, and more.✖️✖️✖️Book description:In the beginning was a work of art. What does Bible study look like after inerrancy? Do you have to give up studying Scripture when you no longer believe in its literal interpretation? Can you still believe this book is sacred even while renegotiating your relationship to the church? In Knock at the Sky, Liz Charlotte Grant offers compelling answers to these questions and more in this deeply personal commentary on the book of Genesis. Braiding together encounters with the natural world, Jewish midrash, and art criticism, Grant makes familiar Sunday school stories strange and offers a fresh vision for reading Scripture after deconstruction. For those who have known the book of Genesis as a weapon in the culture wars, Grant interprets the Bible's inspired book of beginnings as a work of art. Lyrical, insightful, and highly original, Knock at the Sky offers readers a capacious model for seeking God through Scripture even as one's faith continues to evolve. “In this book, you too have permission to question the sacred without fearing . . . unbelief. Knock loudly. . . . Reject answers that do not admit complication. Seek the resonance at the base of the story. The seeking is the point. Because there, in your wandering, God is.”✖️✖️✖️Support the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"She knows she couldn't control what the dust / would become." — from "Eden: Diastasis Recti" About the speaker: Liz Harlan-Ferlo is Canon for Education & the Arts at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. Her writing, both poetry and prose, has been published in journals and magazines both online and in print. "Eden: Diastasis Recti" was published in Christian Century in November 2024.  ________________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podcast Advent Calendar. How are we changed if we pray, "Our Mother, who art in Heaven," or, "We believe in one God, the Mother Almighty?" If humans are created in God's image, perhaps our understanding of and imagination for God has been too narrow. Every day in Advent, tune in to spend a few minutes with God's femininity – as we prepare for her humanity.

Episode Summary:If I had a guess, I'm betting one of the main reasons why you deconstructed evangelicalism is because of the Bible. Growing up evangelical, the Bible was the center of faith. It was the key to unlocking the Divine. This big black book held all the secrets to a good life. Just open it up, ask it a question, and out popped God's answer. Easy-peasy.But as you matured from naivety into adulthood, things got messy. A thoughtful reading of the biblical texts suddenly revealed all kinds of problems. The God of the Old Testament is often depicted as tyrannical, petty, vindictive, jealous, genocidal, and malevolently capricious. Women are by and large treated as property and playthings. Violence is often encouraged and slavery is seen as a necessary evil. As theologian Marcus Borg famously quipped, “People are leaving faith these days not because of what they don't know about the Bible. It's because of what they do know.” I agree.But, is all this the Bible's fault? Have we made the Bible into something it was never intended to be? The pressure we modern Christians have placed on the Bible to be perfect, offer total representation of God, and be universally applicable on all matters for all time is just unfair. The Bible isn't an encyclopedia or a rulebook, nor is it inerrant and written by God. Best understood, the Bible isn't even meant to be read literally or historically, but rather spiritually and metaphorically. Instead of passively accepting all the Bible has to say, you are invited into a conversation with the text. Wrestle with it, challenge it, question it, and yes, even disagree with it. According to today's guest on Holy Heretics, “You have permission to question the sacred without fearing unbelief.”I'm joined today by Liz Charlotte Grant to have a conversation about reframing our relationship to this ancient, complex set of documents we call the Holy Bible. “What does Bible study look like after inerrancy? Do you have to give up studying Scripture when you no longer believe in its literal interpretation?” Liz addresses these questions and more in this funny, candid, and informative episode. Oh, and we also talk about her chickens! :)Bio:Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning writer whose work has been published in The Revealer, Sojourners, Brevity, Christian Century, Christianity Today, Hippocampus, Religion News Service, US Catholic, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. Her essays have twice won a Jacques Maritain Nonfiction Prize. She also writes The Empathy List, a popular newsletter that has been nominated for a Webby two years running and garnered an honorable mention from the Associated Church Press Awards in 2023. Knock at the Sky:Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible is her first book.Please follow us on social media (use the buttons below) and help us get the word out! (Also, please don't hesitate to use any of these channels or email to contact us with any questions, concerns, or feedback.)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review, or share on your socials

Stephanie Paulsell delivered a moving lecture about her life in scholarship before her retirement in December 2024. Paulsell has been a member of the HDS faculty since 2001. She is the author of "Religion Around Virginia Woolf" (2019), co-editor (with Davíd Carrasco and Mara Willard) of "Goodness and the Literary Imagination" (2019), and has served as a regular columnist for The Christian Century since 2007. Full transcript forthcoming.

“For those of us who are drawn into church  history and church tradition and to reading theology,  there is very little as transformative as realizing that history is populated by women and men like us who tried to follow Christ in their own time and place and culture and circumstances,  some of whom succeeded. … Looking at the saints, they make me want to be a better Christian. They make me want to be a saint.” (Brad East, from the episode)In his recent book, Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry, theologian Brad East addresses future generations of the Church, offering a transmission of Christian faith from society today to society tomorrow. Written as a fellow pilgrim and looking into the lives of saints in the past, he's writing to that post-literate, post-Christian society, where the highest recommendation of faith is in the transformed life.Today, Drew Collins welcomes Brad East to the show, and together they discuss: the importance of being passed and passing on Christian faith—its transmission; the post-literacy of digital natives (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) and the role of literacy in the acquisition and development of faith; the significance of community in a vibrant Christian faith; the question of apologetics and its effectiveness as a mode of Christian discourse; the need for beauty and love, not just truth, in Christian witness; how to talk about holiness in a world that believes less and less in the reality of sin; the difference between Judas and Peter; and what it means to study the saints and to be a saint.About Brad EastBrad East (PhD, Yale University) is an associate professor of theology in the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. In addition to editing Robert Jenson's The Triune Story: Collected Essays on Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2019), he is the author of four books: The Doctrine of Scripture (Cascade, 2021), The Church's Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context (Eerdmans, 2022), The Church: A Guide to the People of God (Lexham, 2024), and Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry (Eerdmans, 2024).His articles have been published in Modern Theology, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology, Journal of Theological Interpretation, Anglican Theological Review, Pro Ecclesia, Political Theology, Religions, Restoration Quarterly, and The Other Journal; his essays and reviews have appeared in The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Comment, Commonweal, First Things, Front Porch Republic, The Hedgehog Review, Living Church, Los Angeles Review of Books, Marginalia Review of Books, Mere Orthodoxy, The New Atlantis, Plough, and The Point. You can found out more, including links to his writing, podcast appearances, and blog, on his personal website: https://www.bradeast.org/.Show NotesLetters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry  by Brad EastThe importance of being passed and passing on Christian faith—its transmissionSpencer Bogle, the reason Brad East is a theologianThe post-literacy of Gen Z and Gen Alpha and the role of literacy in the acquisition and development of faithThe question of apologetics and its effectiveness as a mode of Christian discourseThe need for beauty and love, not just truth, in Christian witnessChristianity pre-exists you, and pre-existed literate society. So it can survive post-literacyTik-Tok and getting off it“We have to have a much broader vision of the Christian life.”The Doctrine of Scripture, by Brad East, Foreword by Katherine SondereggerCartesian Christianity: me alone in a room, maybe with a flashlight and a bibleSpiritual but not religious (H/T Tara Isabella Burton)We're not saved individuallyAlice in Wonderland and “believing 17 absurd things every day”Is Christian apologetics sub-intellectual and effective?Gavin Ortlund, taking seriously spiritual and moral questions with pastoral warmth and intellectual integrity—”a ministry of Q&A”Bishop Robert Barron and William Lane Craig“People are not going to  be won to the faith through argument. They're going to be won by beauty.”Beauty of lives well-lived, integrity, virtue, and martyrdom“What lies beyond this world is available in part in this world and so good it's worth dying for.”Is Christian apologetics actually for Christians, rather than evangelism?“A person's life can be an apologetic argument.”James K.A. Smith: “We don't want to be brains on sticks.”“You're just going to look bizarre.”“Come and see. … If you see something unique or uniquely powerful here, then stick around.”Saintliness and a cloud of witnessesWhy do the saints matter?The protagonist of Augustine's Confessions is actually St. Monica.“I want to be like Monica…”“For those of us who are drawn into church  history and church tradition and to reading theology,  there is very little as transformative as realizing that history is populated by women and men like us who tried to follow Christ in their own time and place and culture and circumstances,  some of whom succeeded. … Looking at the saints, they make me want to be a better Christian. They make me want to be a saint.”How to talk about holiness in a world that believes less and less in the reality of sin.Is holiness just connected to purity culture?Holiness is very difficult to describe.Hauerwas: “Humans aren't holy. Only God is holy.”Holiness as being like God and being set apart and conformed to his likenessHoliness is, by rights, God's alone.Appreciating the “everyday saints” among usSanctification as an utterly passive actThe final words of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict), “Jesus, ich liebe dich!” (”Jesus, I love you.”)Peter and JudasLucy Shaw poem, “Judas, Peter” (see below)“There is a way to fail as a Christian. It's to  despair of the possibility of Christ forgiving you.”What it means to journey as a pilgrim towards holiness is, is not to get everything right.Shusaku Endo, Silence“What I say is we're all Kichichiro. We're all Peter and Judas. We're all bad Christians. There are no good Christians.”Kester Smith and returning to baptism“Sometimes it might be difficult for me to believe that God loves me.”“Judas, Peter”by Lucy Shawbecause we are all betrayers, taking silver and eating body and blood and asking (guilty) is it I and hearing him say yes it would be simple for us all to rush out and hang ourselvesbut if we find grace to cry and wait after the voice of morning has crowed in our ears clearly enough to break out hearts he will be there to ask us each again do you love me?Production NotesThis podcast featured Brad East & Drew CollinsEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Zoë Halaban, Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Kacie BarrettA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Rev. Dr. Katherine Willis Pershey Guest Preaching Rev. Dr. Katherine Willis Pershey is the Co-Pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ, in Appleton, WI. Rev. Pershey received her Master of Divinity degree from the Claremont School of Theology in California. She recently completed a Doctor of Ministry degree on the theme Holy Presence: Eugene Peterson and the Pastoral Imagination from Western Theological Seminary in Michigan. She was the solo pastor of South Bay Christian Church for five years and served as Associate Pastor of The First Congregational Church of Western Springs for fourteen years. Katherine is a member of the Board of The Christian Century and is also a regular contributor to the magazine. She is the author of Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family and Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity. She completed yoga teacher training in 2018, and is certified through YogaDevotion to teach faith-integrated yoga. Katherine and her husband, Ben are raising two teenage children.

  Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA 2E71 All Saints Day 11:00 a.m. Baptism Sunday 3 November 2024 Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 “See I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21). 1. In three days there will be an election. We have heard about authoritarianism and the Deep State, that this might be the last election we will ever have. We have been told that the United States Department of Justice will seek retribution against political enemies, that doctors will be prosecuted for performing health procedures like abortions or gender transition therapies, that our own armies will be deployed against regular American citizens. We are afraid that our marriages will be declared invalid and that we will be singled out for persecution.   Candidates have said that America's domestic enemies are more dangerous than our foreign ones. News broadcasters have told us that rather than protecting us from foreign dictators our political leaders admire them. We see signs that the meager efforts we are making to slow down climate change and species extinction may be undone. We have been told that the elections cannot be trusted, that immigrants are in some way unseen threats. We are reminded that the person we choose will alone have power to destroy life on earth by launching nuclear weapons.   There is so much more I could say about this but I don't need to because we are all getting five text messages a day from politicians who act as if they know us, who talk as if they alone can save us.   In 1965, 70% of Americans said that religion is very important. In our time 45% of Americans agree with this statement. [i] Some may say that we are becoming less spiritual as a society. But one might argue instead that we are less likely to express our spirituality through religious institutions and more likely to invest other parts of our life with ultimate value.   The sociologist Max Weber (1865-1920) had a theory that the evolution of religious life has led us in the modern world to have seven “value spheres” that at times compete with each other. These include: religion, family, politics, economics, art, science and eroticism. Some thinkers today believe that as people participate less in religion they invest spiritual meaning in other spheres, particularly politics.   Philip Gorski writes, “the most important form of sacrality today is arguably “the political.” For the populist right, the sacred is most often “the nation,” or ”Christian nation” or “Hindu Civilization.” For the progressive left, the sacred is more often democracy or social justice... [N]ation and state, party and ideology, race and identity, have become sacred objects of devotion for many.” [ii]   Many of our most secular friends have become missionaries writing letters and visiting distant places trying to inspire people to vote. This makes sense since the political sphere has tremendous power to control taxation, wage nuclear war, curtail climate change, preserve democracy and balance inconceivable levels of wealth inequality.   2. In the time of Jesus the Romans mercilessly demanded that subject peoples worship the emperor as a god. The situation seemed hopeless. But according to the Gospel of John, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John goes on, “the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him… but to all who received him he gave power to become children of God” (Jn. 1). This light which shone in Jesus still shines today.   The purpose of the Gospel of John is to draw us into a new world, into life in God. He writes about seven signs. The first happens when Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. And the last occurs when Jesus returns to enemy territory in order to bring his friend Lazarus back from the dead.   Jesus narrowly escapes being stoned to death in Judea for saying that, “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10). Then he gets a message from two sisters that “the one you love is ill.” Jesus' friends can hardly believe it when he tells them that he is going back to the place where he was almost killed. The name Lazarus means “God is my help.” Jesus feels so deeply moved by the grief of Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary that he himself weeps. Jesus knows that bringing his friend back to life will lead to his own death. And this is exactly what happens. Later, the authorities reason that Jesus must die because by raising the dead he will inspire the masses who will then provoke the Romans to destroy the temple and their whole culture. High Priest Caiaphas says, “it is better to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (Jn. 11).   The pivotal moment occurs when Jesus says to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” The point of this is not that Martha's believing has anything to do with her brother coming back to life. It is that Martha's faith will help her to see the action of God that is already happening in Jesus.   3. And this is how faith is. We trust in God first and then we come to see the world in a completely new way. St. Augustine (354-430) was an African saint born in the fourth century. He calls this faith seeking understanding. We say yes and give our hearts to God. And then God opens our lives to the divine mystery.   St. Augustine helps me to understand these elections and Jesus' invitation into a deeper reality. In 410 Rome was sacked. Pagans argued that this defeat happened because the gods were punishing the Romans for converting to Christianity. [iii] In response Augustine wrote his book The City of God.   In it Augustine describes two cities the earthly city and the city of God. These are not distinguished by jurisdiction or location. One is not on earth and the other in the skies. Instead, they are two fundamentally different ways of organizing human community. They are distinguished by their love. The earthly city revolves around love of self, the lust for power and domination.   The city of God is characterized by love of God and neighbor. Because God values human freedom we find ourselves in a shared territory that is occupied by citizens of both cities. Now is not a time for separating the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. We will not experience perfect justice, peace, goodness or beauty in this life. Politicians will always let us down.   In 418 Augustine puts this in another way when he writes to Boniface, the Roman general in charge of North Africa. Boniface wants to impose Christian practices with the sword. Augustine disagrees and writes, “We ought not to want to live ahead of time with only the saints and the righteous.” [iv] In other words we should not imagine that we will achieve the ideal in this world. Politics is the way that we live in the time we have now. We should expect disagreement, compromise, debate and be patient with those who disagree with us. The message is simple on All Saint's Day in San Francisco let politics have its place. But it should never become our god. Regardless of who is elected, our God is on the throne. Jesus, through his life and death ushers us into another reality. That light shines through our darkness.   Last week after church I had lunch with our former bishop Bill Swing and Cricket Jones the wife of our longtime dean Alan Jones. Alan died in January and the three of us still look visibly upset when we talk about him together. Hesitantly I asked the two about their most powerful memories of Alan and Cricket's wedding which took place in France at Chartres Cathedral.   Bishop Swing talked about drawers of vestments from the sixteenth century. Then Cricket described a moment from the service. She and Alan were perched on little chairs in front of the high altar. And as the bishop was going through the prayers she felt as if her little chair rose up into the air by four or five inches. And then she had a sense that all the saints who had ever been there were present with them. In her mind's eye she could see them standing all around the apse on each other's shoulders with such deep love. [v]   In three days there will be an election. But as we baptize children into the new life of Christ may the ones we love and all the saints be present with us. Let us have eyes to see that God is making all things new. [i] “Forty-five percent of Americans say religion is "very important" in their life, with another 26% saying it is "fairly important" and 28% saying it's "not very important." When Gallup first asked this question in 1965, 70% said religion was very important. That fell to 52% in a 1978 survey, but the percentage ticked up to nearly 60% between 1990 and 2005. Over the past 20 years, a declining share of Americans have said religion is important, dropping below 50% for the first time in 2019.” From, “How Religious Are Americans,” Gallup News, 29 March 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/358364/religious-americans.aspx [ii] Robert Gorski, “Disenchantment of the World” or Fragmentation of the Sacred,” in Robert N. Bellah, Challenging Modernity (NY: Columbia University Press, 2024) 319. [iii] In his book The City of God Augustine writes that rather than the gods protecting Rome, Rome protected her gods. [iv] “At the heart of Augustine's political wisdom is an awareness of what time it is. Late in his life, he counseled Boniface, a Roman general governing the precinct of Africa. In a letter from 418, Augustine addresses Boniface's frustrations with uprisings and incursions by those who despise the Christian faith. Boniface thinks he knows what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like, and he's tempted to impose it—to make the kingdom come. Augustine cautions the impatient ruler: “We ought not to want to live ahead of time with only the saints and the righteous.” Trying to “live ahead of time” means imagining we can achieve some ideal embodiment of justice—whether it's utopia or the kingdom—by imposing our will. Politics, Augustine counsels, demands patience. Politics is the art of forging a life together in the now. The institutions of our republic and the practices of democracy are eroded precisely when we imagine that we can live ahead of time. Political liberalism is accumulated wisdom about how not to live ahead of time.” James K. A. Smith, “Wisdom from Augustine in an Election Year,” The Christian Century, November 2024. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/wisdom-augustine-election-year?check_logged_in=1 [v] The novelist Susanna Clarke in an interview with the New York Times says, ““I feel very strongly that if you could see the world as it really is, if you could get further beyond your ego and the sorts of ways in which we trap ourselves, if you could just see the world beyond, every moment would be miraculous.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/books/susanna-clarke-strange-norrell-sequel-interview.html?campaign_id=69&emc=edit_bk_20241101&instance_id=138448&nl=books®i_id=13508633&segment_id=181999&user_id=f284507f51aad420f13c2727d615ae11

Brad East joined the pod to discuss his new book, The Church: A Guide to the People of God. From the publisher (Lexham Press):The Bible tells the story of God and his people. But it is not merely history. It is our story. Abraham is our father. And Israel's freedom from slavery is ours.Brad East traces the story of God's people, from father Abraham to the coming of Christ. He shows how we need the scope of the entire Bible to fully grasp the mystery of the church. The church is not a building but a body. It is not peripheral or optional in the life of faith. Rather, it is the very beating heart of God's story, where our needs and hopes are found.Brad East (PhD, Yale University) is an associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is the editor of Robert Jenson's The Triune Story: Collected Essays on Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2019) and the author of four books: The Doctrine of Scripture (Cascade, 2021), The Church's Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context (Eerdmans, 2022), The Church: A Guide to the People of God (Lexham, 2024), and Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry (Eerdmans, 2024).His articles have been published in Modern Theology, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology, Journal of Theological Interpretation, Anglican Theological Review, Pro Ecclesia, and Political Theology; his essays have appeared in The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Comment, Commonweal, First Things, The Hedgehog Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The New Atlantis, Mere Orthodoxy, Plough, and The Point.Find Crackers and Grape Juice on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack.

Por siglos, la cristiandad se ha dividido al responder a la pregunta "¿dónde reside la fe?". Para algunos, el ejercicio de la fe es puramente individual y personal. Para otros, son acciones externas concretas que resultan en frutos de justicia. En un mundo tan polarizado como el de hoy en día, la publicación norteamericana The Christian Century nos incomoda invitándonos a hacer, de nuevo, esa pregunta. Aunque gran parte del Nuevo Testamento afirma que la fe personal salva al ser humano, la Carta de Santiago cuestiona una fe que solo es personal, devocional y privada. Es muy posible que el balance entre la privacidad y la publicidad de nuestra fe se encuentre en la incomodidad que experimentamos al ejercer ambos aspectos.Dona a Radio Moody: https://www.moodyradio.org/givingapp/radio-moody?appeal=RMSR&UTM_CONTENT=donatenow&UTM_SOURCE=web&UTM_TERM=rm&UTM_MEDIUM=header&utm_campaign=ANNL&_gl=1%2a138ixmr%2a_ga%2aMjNmYTIxMWYtZWJlYS00OTAyLThjYTYtZTUyYzRmNDkwZDgz%2a_ga_4WH1937046%2aMTcwOTY1ODQyNi4zMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest Today is Dr. Jennifer McCoy, Ph.D. She is  a Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. We discussed Pernicious Polarization, what causes it, and how to combat it. Overcoming Polarization Journal of Democracy, Volume 32, Number 1, January 2021, Johns Hopkins University Press Peter Marty's quote is from “Playing to the Crowds” in The Christian Century that  can be found at:  https://www.christiancentury.org/first-words/playing-crowds  Craig has discussed the Abraham Lincoln statement in his op-ed,  "Rescinding DACA: More than Just the Dreamers,"   Update, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (Fall 2017): file:///Users/cmousin/Downloads/Rescinding%20Daca--Update-Fall2017_stamped-3.pdf .    Immigrants' List Civic Action has produced a video, "We Are America" which corroborates some of the economic information regarding how immigrants have contributed to the United States which can be found at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Gman2TwHE   Lincoln's speech can be found  in his “July 10, 1858, speech at Chicago.” The Speeches of Abraham Lincoln, Including Inaugurals and Proclamations (Lincoln Centenary Association, NY: 1908). Jennifer McCoy is professor of political science at Georgia State University and nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She was a senior core fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Budapest, Hungary in spring 2019.  McCoy was chosen for the inaugural class of Distinguished University Professorships at Georgia State University in 2013. Specializing in international and comparative politics, Dr. McCoy's areas of expertise include democratic resilience, democratic erosion, and partisan polarization; crisis prevention and conflict resolution; democracy promotion and collective defense of democracy; election processes and international election observation; and Latin American Politics. McCoy's research program on polarized politics aims to identify the causes, consequences for democracy, and solutions to polarized societies around the world, including the United States. She coined the term “pernicious polarization” to refer to the political polarization that divides societies into mutually distrustful “Us vs. Them” camps, and undermines the capacity of democracies to address critical policy problems.  

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 700-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Los Angeles Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1027970416187?aff=oddtdtcreator San Diego Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1030505227877?aff=oddtdtcreator In this episode of Spirit & Power: “The Twin Insurrections'” Dr. Leah Payne speaks with Dr. João Chaves, an Assistant Professor of the History of Religion in the Américas and Co-Director of the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable (BSIR) at Baylor University.  His research focuses on the history of religion in the Américas, the influence of U.S. Protestantism in Latin America, and the development of Latin American/Latinx religious networks in the United States. Along with numerous books, Dr. Chaves has written about the history of Christianity in Latin America for news outlets such as the Washington Post and The Christian Century.  Resources & Links: The shared religious roots of twin insurrections in the U.S. and Brazil by João B. Chaves and Raimundo Barreto  Christian nationalism is thriving in Bolsonaro's Brazil by João B. Chaves and Raimundo Barreto  Christian nationalism is growing among US Hispanics. Scholars explain why. by Aleja Hertzler-McCain Brazil's Changing Religious Landscape, The Pew Forum How Charismatic and Pentecostal Conservatives are Shaping the American Right Wing of Today, PRRI, by Leah Payne Books by João Chaves Migrational Religion: Context and Creativity in the Latinx Diaspora  The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South: Southern  Baptist Missionaries and the Shaping of Latin American Evangelicalism. Remembering Antônia Teixeira: A Story of Missions, Violence, and Institutional Hypocrisy  with Dr. Mikeal Parsons  Baptists and the Kingdom of God: Global Perspectives with Dr. T. Laine Scales For more analysis of transnational music and media networks: God Gave Rock and Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne, or join her at Candler School of Theology's Summer Institute, May 21-23, which will explore the theme “Songs of the Spirit: Music and the Making of Global Pentecostalism.”  Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠ Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renown authors, leaders, public figures and scholars on religion, culture and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is the 43ed Episode where I converse with Sharon McMahon on her book, The Small and the Mighty. McMahon is a longtime high school government and law teacher who is now best known as America's Government Teacher on her Instagram account, Sharon Says So. In a time when flashy headlines and false information often take the spotlight, millions of people rely on McMahon for nonpartisan, fact-based information. In this episode, she shares her new book, The Small and the Mighty⁠, Alexander Hamilton, enslavement, WWII, education, Quakers and so much more. I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠ ⁠for sponsoring this episode. Please check out their website for their work, and events and to donate. Register for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity Theology Beer Camp⁠⁠⁠.⁠ and join their new online class "Rise of Bonhoeffer". Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me here.⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grace-ji-sun-kim/support

El desarrollo, avance y bienestar humano requiere paz, civilidad, buen gobierno, justicia y, por qué no, la presencia de las artes. En nuestro mundo contemporáneo, pocas veces nos preguntamos si la religión ayuda a que la humanidad florezca. En estos días, The Christian Century comenta sobre un estudio que trata de analizar como la religión facilita, o no, el bienestar de la humanidad. Este estudio, en el que participan reconocidas instituciones académicas, es financiado por The John Templeton Foundation con 43 millones de dólares. Aunque sus hallazgos son prometedores, la respuesta dependerá, a fin de cuentas, de que religión estemos hablando y de cómo entendemos la idea de progreso y bienestar humanos. El evangelio propone que la oferta de Dios, Padre de Jesucristo, es el florecimiento humano en forma de “vida abundante”.Dona a Radio Moody: https://www.moodyradio.org/givingapp/radio-moody?appeal=RMSR&UTM_CONTENT=donatenow&UTM_SOURCE=web&UTM_TERM=rm&UTM_MEDIUM=header&utm_campaign=ANNL&_gl=1%2a138ixmr%2a_ga%2aMjNmYTIxMWYtZWJlYS00OTAyLThjYTYtZTUyYzRmNDkwZDgz%2a_ga_4WH1937046%2aMTcwOTY1ODQyNi4zMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Co-hosts, Jerusalem Greer and Brian Sellers-Petersen talk humus with Rev. Ragan Sutterfield. Ragan is a priest in the Episcopal Church and serves a parish in his native Arkansas. His writing has appeared in a variety of places including The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Oxford American, Plough, and The Englewood Review of Books. Ragan's writing and interests are focused at the intersection of spiritual formation and ecology where he brings his background in birding, permaculture, and soil ecology into conversation with philosophy, theology, and the Christian spiritual tradition.  Ragan is the author of The Art of Being a Creature: Meditations on Humus and Humility (Cascade), Wendell Berry and the Given Life(Franciscan Media), This is My Body (Convergent/Random House), Cultivating Reality  (Cascade),  and the small collection of essays Farming as a Spiritual Discipline.   Ragan seeks to live the good life with his wife Emily and daughters Lillian and Lucia.

Have you ever wondered if the battles we face in the modern church are just echoes of centuries-old conflicts? In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. dives deep with Elesha J. Coffman to uncover how the struggles of the past are not only shaping our present but could be setting the stage for the church's future. Elesha delves into the pivotal events that have shaped American church history, with a particular emphasis on the Methodist Church's split over slavery in 1844 and similarities between the division within the UMC today over LGBTQ inclusion and racial justice. They also discuss the tendency for churches to become ideological bunkers, the influence of biblical interpretation in shaping theology and practice, and whether everything just comes down to economic issues. Elesha J. Coffman is an accomplished historian and professor at Baylor University, specializing in the study of American religious history. She earned her Ph.D. in American Religious History from Duke University and has contributed significantly to the field through her extensive research and publications. Coffman is the author of The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline as well as Turning Points in American Church History. Her work examines the intersections of media, religion, and culture, highlighting the role of religious publications in shaping public discourse. Coffman's scholarly pursuits focus on how religious groups engage with broader societal issues, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of American faith and identity.   Episodes Referenced: Scott Thumma: https://futurechristian.podbean.com/e/understanding-the-impact-of-societal-changes-on-congregational-dynamics-insights-from-dr-scott-thumma/   Presenting Sponsor: Phillips Seminary Join conversations that expose you to new ideas, deepen your commitment and give insights to how we can minister in a changing world.  Supporting Sponsors: Restore Clergy If you are clergy in need of tailored, professional support to help you manage the demands of ministry, Restore Clergy is for you! Future Christian Team: Loren Richmond Jr. – Host & Executive Producer Martha Tatarnic – Guest Host / Co-Host Paul Romig–Leavitt – Associate Producer Dennis Sanders – Producer Alexander Lang - Production Assistant

Episode 79 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More "Discipleship...ought to begin with the idea of being in that relationship of sort of Christ-like care and ministry for other people regardless of what they deserve." -Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm IN THIS EPISODE In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Rev. Benjamin Dueholm. Rev. Benjamin tells Sr. Julia of his encounter with St. Augustine's Confessions at an experimental college in California, and how it, among other things, led him to becoming a Lutheran pastor. They discuss the paradox of the universal and the personal, and how technology has changed the way we live in community. Rev. Benjamin compares church ministry to a Sunday dinner, and speaks about mission drift of the Gospel in some churches. "My task as a preacher," he says, "and to some extent as a writer, is to make Christ contemporary...but the truth is, it's a scary thought to think that OK, God is talking to me right now." Rev. Benjamiin Dueholm ABOUT THE GUEST The Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm has served as the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas since 2019, after previously serving churches in and around Chicago. His writing on religion, politics, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Century, and the Dallas Morning News and has presented at the Cambridge University "Religious Diversity and Secular University" workshop and the Valparaiso University Institute of Liturgical Studies. Passionate about supporting the formation of leaders for the church, he has taught worship and preaching at the University of Chicago Divinity School and serves on the committee guiding candidates for ordained ministry in north Texas. He is the author of Sacred Signposts: Words, Water, and Other Acts of Resistance (Eerdmans, 2018). He lives in Texas with his wife Kerry and their three children. You can find more of him at benjamindueholm.substack.com. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.  Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Born in Korea, and educated in Canada, Grace Ji-Sun Kim now teaches in the United States. She is the author or editor of 24 books: Invisible, Hope in Disarray, Keeping Hope Alive, and Intersectional Theology, among others. Her latest book is When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity. Dr Kim writes for Baptist News Global, Sojourners, Faith and Leadership, and Wabash Center. She has been published in TIME, The Huffington Post, Christian Century, US Catholic Magazine, and The Nation. She is the host of Madang podcast, which is hosted by the Christian Century. Dr Kim is an ordained Presbyterian Church (USA) minister.

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠ Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renown authors, leaders, public figures and scholars on religion, culture and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is the 42nd Episode where I converse with Dianna E. Anderson on their book ⁠Body Phobia⁠. Anderson is a non-binary writer with a master's degree in English from Baylor University and a master in women's studies from the University of Oxford. In this episode, they talk about their newest book, ⁠Body Phobia⁠, dualism, soul, Paul's writings, transphobia, homophobia and liberation, and so much more. I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Broadleaf Books⁠, ⁠and Northwind Seminary⁠ for sponsoring this episode. Please check out their website for their work, events and to donate. Register for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity Theology Beer Camp⁠⁠.⁠⁠ Check out Broadleaf Books for new releases and check out Northwind Seminary⁠'s online Doctoral Program in Open & Relational Theology. Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me here.⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grace-ji-sun-kim/support

Is social justice what shapes us or is it the result of our formation? The answer is both! Learn more about how these two work together to help us embody the love of Christ internally and externally in this interview with Dr. Marlena Graves.Marlena Graves is the Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation at Northeastern Seminary on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY. She has written five books, two of which were award-winning, and over two hundred articles found in a variety of venues like Christianity Today, Relevant, Sojourners, the Christian Century and more. In addition, she has had pastoral positions at several churches, including a church plant. And she has worked for many non-profits in solidarity with the poor, migrant farm workers, immigrants from South America, and local community members and leaders who sought to address police brutality in the Toledo, Ohio, area and lead paint poisoning of children. Marlena has been on the board of several organizations including Evangelicals 4 Justice and The Red Bud Writers Guild. She is married to her husband Shawn, a philosophy professor, and has three wonderful, beautiful, brilliant, and growing girls. She wants people to know God delights in them. She has been dubbed, and sees herself as, a missionary to the American Church. She loves to laugh, be out in nature, and be with family and friends and good folk. She hopes to leave a little bit of shalom in her wake.Website and Social Media LinksX(Twitter): @Marlena GravesInstagram: marlena.gravesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlena.propergravesWebsite: marlenagraves.comKate Boyd - Book | Bible Studies | Coaching | Newsletter | Instagram

An Orthodox Presbyterian Church is coming to Central Orange County! Click here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OPC in the OC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Make a one-time or recurring donation on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donor Box profile here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join us in the mission of introducing Reformed Theology across the world! Please help support the show on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon Page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!   WELCOME TO BOOK CLUB! ⁠Lanta Davis (PhD, Baylor University) is professor of humanities and literature in the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. She was named the IWU Outstanding Scholar of the Year for 2020 and was a Fulbright Scholar at Queen's University, Belfast. Her work on the Christian imagination and formation has appeared in Christianity Today, the Christian Century, Smithsonian Magazine, Plough, and Christ and Pop Culture. We want to thank ⁠⁠Baker Academic⁠⁠⁠ for their help in setting up this interview and providing us with the necessary materials for this interview with Dr. Davis!   ⁠Purchase the book(s) here:⁠ Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation   Have Feedback or Questions? Email us at: guiltgracepod@gmail.com Find us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@guiltgracepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@guiltgracepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guilt Grace Gratitude Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please rate and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you use! Looking for a Reformed Church? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠North American Presbyterian & Reformed Churches --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gggpodcast/support

In this episode, we explore the popularity of Henri Nouwen among evangelicals. Described by Christianity Today as "one of the world's greatest spiritual writers," Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, writer, theologian, professor, psychologist, spiritual director, and activist. A survey by Christian Century revealed that Nouwen's work is a top choice for both Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy. Join us as we discuss whether Nouwen should be promoted in evangelical institutions, seminaries, and churches as a model of evangelical spirituality.Support the Show.

Welcome to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Madang Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠ Madang is the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renown authors, leaders, public figures and scholars on religion, culture and everything in-between. This has been a dream of mine for many years and now it is a reality. Please join me at Madang Podcast hosted by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Century⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is the 41st Episode where I converse with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson on her book, Come, Have Breakfast. Dr. Johnson is the Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University. Professor, mentor, writer, editor, and public lecturer at home and abroad, she is a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the oldest and the largest society of theologians in the world, and a former president of the American Theological Society, an ecumenical association. Dr. Johnson has received fifteen honorary doctorates, the John Courtney Murray Award for distinguished achievement in theology, and numerous other accolades. On this episode, she talks about her newest book, Come, Have Breakfast, God as personal, creator, rock, dove, and verb and so much more. I am grateful to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity, ⁠Good Faith Media and Orbis Books for sponsoring this episode. Please check out their website for their work, events and to donate. Register for ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity Theology Beer Camp.⁠⁠ Check out Good Faith Media⁠'s podcasts, columns, books and events. Order Come, Have Breakfast from Orbis Books and use discount code "MAD" for 30% off. Please reach out to me if you would like to sponsor the next episode of Madang podcast. Or simply ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠support me here. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grace-ji-sun-kim/support

We speak with Elesha Coffman, Associate Professor of History at Baylor University about writing a book that takes its shape from turning points in history. Coffman is the author of Turning Points in American Church History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and a Faith. Baker Academic, 2024; Margaret Mead: A Twentieth-Century Faith. Spiritual Lives Series, Timothy Larsen, series editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021; and The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. We talk about changing academic institutions and changing our writing priorities; the ways tenure and promotion requirements influence our writing; the advantages of books that allow you to “write short”; and the benefits that come with creating writing groups. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast Contacts us with questions, possible future topics/guests, or comments here: https://writingit.fireside.fm/contact

Send us a Text Message.In the recent episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Josh Burtram and Will Wright interview Grace Ji-Sun Kim, a theology professor and ordained minister. The discussion centers on her new book, "When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity." Grace, who has an extensive background in theology and has written numerous books, shares her personal journey as a Korean immigrant in Canada and the U.S., and how her experiences with racism and sexism have shaped her theological views.She explains the concept of whiteness as a social construct used historically to maintain power and privilege among white people, beginning with colonialism and slavery. This construct has also permeated religious spaces, with the depiction of a white Jesus reinforcing white supremacy and marginalizing people of color. Grace emphasizes the importance of questioning and deconstructing these images and notions to promote a more inclusive and just understanding of Christianity.The conversation delves into the impact of these constructs on individual identities and the broader society, highlighting the need for education and reimagining religious symbols and language. Grace advocates for a deeper and more inclusive understanding of God that transcends racial and gender biases. Buy the book: https://a.co/d/h4XdxcMGuest Bio:Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a distinguished theologian, professor, and ordained minister. Currently teaching at the Earlham School of Religion, she holds both an MDiv and PhD from the University of Toronto. Grace is widely recognized for her insightful contributions to theology and social justice, frequently addressing issues of race, gender, and religion. She is the author of several influential books, including "Invisible," "Reimagining Spirit," "Healing Our Broken Humanity," and her latest work, "When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity."Her writings have been featured in prominent publications such as Time, Huffington Post, U.S. Catholic, and The Nation, and she has appeared on major media outlets including MSNBC, PBS, and C-SPAN. Grace is a sought-after lecturer who has presented globally, including in Malaysia, Korea, and Brazil. She serves on multiple boards, including the American Academy of Religion and the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School.Named as one of the top 10 important women theologians by the Englewood Review of Books and one of the top 10 writers shaping the progressive movement by the Center for Progressive Renewal, Grace is also the host of the Ma Dang podcast, sponsored by Christian Century. Her work continues to inspire and challenge audiences to rethink traditional religious narratives and embrace a more inclusive and equitable faith community.Support the Show.To learn more about the show, contact our hosts, or recommend future guests, click on the links below: Website: https://www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/ Faithful Host: Josh@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Political Host: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Twitter: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics Subscribe to our Substack: https://faithfulpolitics.substack.com/

Amy is joined by author and preacher Liz Cooledge Jenkins to discuss her book, Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women's Humanity from Evangelicalism, and dig into ongoing tensions between egalitarianism and complementarianism, plus advice for individuals no longer feeling aligned with their church community.Liz Cooledge Jenkins is a writer, preacher, former college campus minister, and the author of Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women's Humanity from Evangelicalism. She writes at the intersections of faith, feminism, and social justice, and her work can be found at places like Sojourners, The Christian Century, Christians for Social Action, and Feminism and Religion, as well as her new substack, Growing into Kinship, and her blog: lizcooledgejenkins.com.