Podcasts about church divinity school

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Zen speaks with Rachel Toombs about her Baylor University Press book, Good News Resounding, which is available to pre-order now. This book includes contributions from an wonderful group of scholars and artists, including works of academic prose, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. It offers the reader glimpses of the beautiful world of theology and literature.But the book tells a story, a story about a scholarly life well lived. One that included not only careful reading and thinking, but careful mentoring. The book is a festschrift honoring the career of Ralph Wood, the Baylor University Emeritus Professor of Theology and Literature. In our conversation, Rachel reflects on her experience as one of Ralph's students. It made me once again grateful for mentors in my own life—and led me to reflect on what it means to be both a good student and a good teacher.Guest BioRachel Toombs earned her PhD from Baylor University. She has written on Flannery O'Connor and Hebrew narrative and has a recently published book with Baker Academic called Reading the First Five Books: The Invitation of the Pentateuch's Stories (https://bakeracademic.com/p/Reading-the-First-Five-Books-Rachel-Toombs/579875). Rachel has recently been called to serve as assistant professor of Old Testament at Church Divinity School of the Pacific.Related EpisodesNatalie Carnes on feminist theology and the arts: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lJKY9SBaJBWZZuAurvGAm?si=bW5TRgafTVuEFDMzygomOgPicturing Ecclesiastes with Menachem Fisch and Debra Band: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6B0Z4z3RrEpzD6mNeXFwUj?si=R8yF8K8fQJ-4TRp-k-9V2QDisaster and Desire with Micheal O'Siadhail: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CMlCkpKw7PhIoSGQEsUKs?si=r5j9NeBuSySMRxKOkIHyHALinksGood News Resounding: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481322539/good-news-resounding/Reading the First Five Books: https://bakeracademic.com/p/Reading-the-First-Five-Books-Rachel-Toombs/579875

In this powerful conversation with Rev. Elizabeth Riley, we discuss what it means to get raw and real in our prayers, something Elizabeth has become well known for on TicTok where she Rage Prays for all to see. We discuss why religion appealed to Elizabeth from a young age and how she sees her place advocating for marginalized communities through her work in the church. Working with Elizabeth's prayers has helped me to open up and reconnect to my spirituality. I hope you might find the same and gain some direction for where to find social justice in the spiritual community. In this episode, we cover: The importance of community in one's healing What kinds of communities to seek out and how to find them Why messy prayer is the best prayer How toxic positivity is weaponized against women How to fit prayer into your day Ways to pray authentically Tips for healing the impacts of trauma with prayer Rev. Elizabeth Ashman Riley is an Episcopal priest serving in the Diocese of Olympia, WA. The former rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Mercer Island, she was called as their first female rector at the age of thirty. An Alaska native, Riley was ordained through the Diocese of Alaska as a deacon in 2012 and as a priest in 2013. She received her bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College of California, and her Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. Rage Prayers is her first book. It's based on her “rage praying” videos on TikTok, where she has more than 60,000 followers. Find @therevriley on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Mobilizing Investors to Build a More Sustainable Global EconomyAs the effects of climate change rise in prevalence, all facets of the global economy will be affected. In order to address many of the global environmental crises of today, such as biodiversity loss and extreme drought, entrepreneurs are looking into sustainable investment initiatives as a tool for change. Sustainable investing is a process that directs investment capital to companies and businesses actively working to prevent environmental destruction. Sustainable investments often follow an Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) framework, which seeks to promote socially conscious investments. Similar to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which refers to a company's commitment to operating ethically, ESG goes one step further in providing an assessable outcome of a company's overall sustainability performance. Thus, ESG lays a foundation for investors in determining which corporations operate sustainably. Current Climate of Sustainable InvestmentFrom 2021 to 2026, institutional investment in ESG projects is expected to increase by 84%. The World Economic Forum recently published a report noting that over $200 billion is required annually in order to meet adaptation and resilience investment targets, which is three times the current funding. Such investing in adaptation and resilience could reduce exposure to climate risks and yield financial benefits for stakeholders involved. Although climate financing is slowly on the rise, there remains minimal progress in climate-vulnerable and high-emission countries. There are various types of sustainable investing, operating through registered investment companies, alternative investment funds and community investments. The US Sustainable Investment Forum identified 645 registered investment companies with $1.2 trillion sustainable investment AUM in 2022. Not only does sustainable investment cover private equity investments, but also cash, fixed income, and alternative investments. Sustainable investments, like conventional investing, receive a return on their investments. Reports from the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing found no financial trade-off between sustainable investing compared to traditional investment initiatives. Does sustainable investing provide hope for the future?Investing in sustainable industry, infrastructure, and business has the potential to provide a more climate-proof economy for all. For private investors, effective investments in areas vulnerable to climate change could reduce disruptions in the supply chain, thereby boosting labor productivity and lowering operational costs. As such, companies will have the tools in place to be able to respond to vulnerabilities when they arise while still maintaining a profit. Additionally, ESG investing has been proven to provide downside protection during social or economic crises according to the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Such protection may be pertinent in a world more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Many studies corroborate such findings; a meta-study conducted by Oxford University in 2015 revealed that 88% of companies with robust sustainability practices demonstrate better operational performance, translating into higher cash flows and positive effects on investment performance.Greenwashing and ESG ConcernsOne concern within the world of sustainable investment is largely centered around the question of whether organizations will be willing to take more or less risk to achieve an impact. Companies that prioritize sustainability may be more volatile than traditional companies, creating fear around the uncertainty of consistent returns. Further, there is often confusion on how to make a good return on investment when choosing to invest in more socially responsible companies. The rise of sustainable investment has brought about potential concerns related to greenwashing, in which a company's ESG credentials or potential sustainability initiatives may be over-embellished, leading to falsified information. On the other hand, many investors prioritizing sustainable investment initiatives have received a surge in backlash against their new initiatives, mainly from Republican politicians. A recent study by The Conference Board revealed that 48% of surveyed businesses have experienced backlash to their ESG policies or activities, potentially deterring companies from further pursuing such initiatives. An increase in educational awareness is vital to inform investors of the benefits of sustainable investing and ways to do so responsibly amidst criticism. Who is our guest?Kirsten Spalding leads the nonprofit Ceres Investor Network, which supports global investor initiatives such as Paris Aligned Asset Owners, Climate Action 100+, and Net Zero Asset Managers. Nonprofit advocacy organizations like Ceres Investor Network are at the forefront of promoting sustainable business practices through mobilizing investors to build a more sustainable economy. Kirsten holds a B.A. from Yale College in music, a J.D. from Hastings College of Law, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. For six years, she chaired the Center for Labor Research and Education, UC Berkeley and taught at the School of Law. She is an Episcopal priest, rector of the Church of the Nativity in San Rafael, CA, and an avid backpacker. ResourcesCeres Investor NetworkAdaptation and resilience investment: How do we get the capital it needsSustainable InvestingSustainable Investing BasicsFurther ReadingCSR or ESG: Where Do Sustainability Frameworks Fit In?ESG and Financial Performance: Uncovering the Relationship by Aggregating Evidence from 1,000 Plus Studies Published between 2015 – 2020 Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2023Financial Performance With Sustainable Investing3 hurdles to sustainable investing — and how to overcome them For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sustainable-investing-for-a-climate-proof-economy-with-kirsten-spalding/

Mobilizing Investors to Build a More Sustainable Global EconomyAs the effects of climate change rise in prevalence, all facets of the global economy will be affected. In order to address many of the global environmental crises of today, such as biodiversity loss and extreme drought, entrepreneurs are looking into sustainable investment initiatives as a tool for change. Sustainable investing is a process that directs investment capital to companies and businesses actively working to prevent environmental destruction. Sustainable investments often follow an Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) framework, which seeks to promote socially conscious investments. Similar to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which refers to a company's commitment to operating ethically, ESG goes one step further in providing an assessable outcome of a company's overall sustainability performance. Thus, ESG lays a foundation for investors in determining which corporations operate sustainably. Current Climate of Sustainable InvestmentFrom 2021 to 2026, institutional investment in ESG projects is expected to increase by 84%. The World Economic Forum recently published a report noting that over $200 billion is required annually in order to meet adaptation and resilience investment targets, which is three times the current funding. Such investing in adaptation and resilience could reduce exposure to climate risks and yield financial benefits for stakeholders involved. Although climate financing is slowly on the rise, there remains minimal progress in climate-vulnerable and high-emission countries. There are various types of sustainable investing, operating through registered investment companies, alternative investment funds and community investments. The US Sustainable Investment Forum identified 645 registered investment companies with $1.2 trillion sustainable investment AUM in 2022. Not only does sustainable investment cover private equity investments, but also cash, fixed income, and alternative investments. Sustainable investments, like conventional investing, receive a return on their investments. Reports from the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing found no financial trade-off between sustainable investing compared to traditional investment initiatives. Does sustainable investing provide hope for the future?Investing in sustainable industry, infrastructure, and business has the potential to provide a more climate-proof economy for all. For private investors, effective investments in areas vulnerable to climate change could reduce disruptions in the supply chain, thereby boosting labor productivity and lowering operational costs. As such, companies will have the tools in place to be able to respond to vulnerabilities when they arise while still maintaining a profit. Additionally, ESG investing has been proven to provide downside protection during social or economic crises according to the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Such protection may be pertinent in a world more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Many studies corroborate such findings; a meta-study conducted by Oxford University in 2015 revealed that 88% of companies with robust sustainability practices demonstrate better operational performance, translating into higher cash flows and positive effects on investment performance.Greenwashing and ESG ConcernsOne concern within the world of sustainable investment is largely centered around the question of whether organizations will be willing to take more or less risk to achieve an impact. Companies that prioritize sustainability may be more volatile than traditional companies, creating fear around the uncertainty of consistent returns. Further, there is often confusion on how to make a good return on investment when choosing to invest in more socially responsible companies. The rise of sustainable investment has brought about potential concerns related to greenwashing, in which a company's ESG credentials or potential sustainability initiatives may be over-embellished, leading to falsified information. On the other hand, many investors prioritizing sustainable investment initiatives have received a surge in backlash against their new initiatives, mainly from Republican politicians. A recent study by The Conference Board revealed that 48% of surveyed businesses have experienced backlash to their ESG policies or activities, potentially deterring companies from further pursuing such initiatives. An increase in educational awareness is vital to inform investors of the benefits of sustainable investing and ways to do so responsibly amidst criticism. Who is our guest?Kirsten Spalding leads the nonprofit Ceres Investor Network, which supports global investor initiatives such as Paris Aligned Asset Owners, Climate Action 100+, and Net Zero Asset Managers. Nonprofit advocacy organizations like Ceres Investor Network are at the forefront of promoting sustainable business practices through mobilizing investors to build a more sustainable economy. Kirsten holds a B.A. from Yale College in music, a J.D. from Hastings College of Law, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. For six years, she chaired the Center for Labor Research and Education, UC Berkeley and taught at the School of Law. She is an Episcopal priest, rector of the Church of the Nativity in San Rafael, CA, and an avid backpacker. ResourcesCeres Investor NetworkAdaptation and resilience investment: How do we get the capital it needsSustainable InvestingSustainable Investing BasicsFurther ReadingCSR or ESG: Where Do Sustainability Frameworks Fit In?ESG and Financial Performance: Uncovering the Relationship by Aggregating Evidence from 1,000 Plus Studies Published between 2015 – 2020 Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2023Financial Performance With Sustainable Investing3 hurdles to sustainable investing — and how to overcome them For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sustainable-investing-for-a-climate-proof-economy-with-kirsten-spalding/

Women Who Knew Jesus by Rev. Dr. Bonnie RingAs you come to know each of the women that Jesus knew, you may be surprised to discover how quickly your own stories are evoked by hearing theirs and how similar you are to some of them so they become role models for your own journey of faith and witness. In each of these encounters, you will meet Jesus and come to know him as they did, perhaps for the first time.To enrich your experience, there are questions to ponder and memories of your own to recover. These Bible stories help us see parts of ourselves, both the parts we like and the parts we would prefer to deny, hide, or eliminate. As you proceed, two attitudes will be helpful: a willingness to let these biblical women speak with their own voices and an openness to hearing what you may not have heard before. These stories can help us uncover the richness of our own stories and see them for the sacred wonder that they are.Rev. Dr. Bonnie Ring has devoted her life to living out God's all-inclusive love through psychotherapeutic care and experiential educational programs for adults that lead to personal growth and build community.Educated at Vassar College and New York University, Bonnie completed Masters' and Doctoral degrees in Adult Education from Boston University, with additional graduate study ad UCLA in Applied Behavioral Sciences and UCSF in Human Sexuality.She received a Masters' in Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Bonnie has culminated her career with the publication of Women Who Knew Jesus, the subject of retreats she has led for 25 years.In her poignant descriptions of all the women who encountered Jesus, Bonnie brings the wisdom and understanding she has acquired from more than 45 years as a Licensed Psychologist, 31 years as a Spiritual Director and Retreat Leader, and 27 years as an Episcopal Priest. She offers psychotherapy and spiritual direction in Moss Beach California.https://www.amazon.com/Women-Knew-Jesus-Bonnie-Ring/dp/B0CWJ29ZRC/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lq-Ol3eNjjOYURiFbZT1Co7HF8yGRZ8e7qpnrAM81zpv_UFqyzpO3S6GrXKfSb0iPpnoFMrUyaj89LAif3XQMSU0OmpHTsnVFQHuX0QFnkGkKRR7FvvMTtp8DBNESSu6SpFAbG-gXCKNHoIcUhvvuzx1mk-f5R7i56ByYiOgfC9DGM6GjsREi7NwKuf1JcCIXXcPvmdxTz3pL95ys2Rbi_4nScA3St338vAZbbQUUSV9ak8t_pa8TutokmQJ-_ml5fMNMNomUx9EjOpZ_gqgKCD6XqevrC1RFNGM6fqJONE.CwO85opXrEPIFm-KoGj8lbKfXuXGhQvXaheVvmPXJBg&qid=1709470518&sr=8-1https://womenwhoknewjesus.com/http://www.urlinkpublishing.com   http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/3724brurl.mp3   

Laurie R. King -The Beekeeper's Apprentice In the Mary Russell series (first entry: The Beekeeper's Apprentice), fifteen-year-old Russell meets Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs in 1915, becoming his apprentice, then his partner. The series follows their amiably contentious partnership into the 1920s as they challenge each other to ever greater feats of detection. King has won the Edgar and Creasey awards (for A Grave Talent), the Nero (for A Monstrous Regiment of Women) and the MacCavity (for Folly); her nominations include the Agatha, the Orange, the Barry, and two more Edgars. She was also given an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Laurie R. King -The Beekeeper's Apprentice In the Mary Russell series (first entry: The Beekeeper's Apprentice), fifteen-year-old Russell meets Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs in 1915, becoming his apprentice, then his partner. The series follows their amiably contentious partnership into the 1920s as they challenge each other to ever greater feats of detection. King has won the Edgar and Creasey awards (for A Grave Talent), the Nero (for A Monstrous Regiment of Women) and the MacCavity (for Folly); her nominations include the Agatha, the Orange, the Barry, and two more Edgars. She was also given an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Dr. Stephen Fowl is the newly appointed president and dean of Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He spoke to us about his approach to scholarship and teaching, curriculum revision and community formation in CDSP's Hybrid Program, and what he learned as a faculty member and senior administrator in a large Jesuit university.

Grace in the Rearview Mirror We are honored to have the Reverend Mary Luck Stanley, Episcopal priest and newly-published co-author of "Grace in the Rearview Mirror," which offers perspectives on finding God in the everyday, from four women Episcopal priests who are married to Episcopal priests. Highlights00:00 Grace in the Rearview Mirror00:00 Intro01:13 How the Book Came into Being02:53 Theme of the Book05:46 What Have You Learned from this Experience?11:32 How It Felt to Recall Painful Memories14:50 Deeper Understanding of God17:34 Book Groups and Questions19:48 Writing and a Personal Journey22:41 Sources of Inspiration23:46 Where to Get the Book23:59 Authors Will "Zoom" to Your Book Group25:01 ThanksResources mentioned in this episode:St. Paul's Episcopal Church Grace in the Rearview Mirror available on AmazonMary Luck Stanley graduated from Texas A&M and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She has been an Episcopal priest since 1997 and is currently serving as co-rector of Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Baltimore. Mary is one of four co-authors of the book, "Grace in the Rearview Mirror: Four Women Priests on Brokenness, Belonging, and the Beauty of God." Listening for Clues is pleased to present our new series, "Good News!" featuring weekly conversations with people who are making a difference, large or small. We want everyone to know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how. So, our listeners and viewers can experience the good news and go out and make a difference themselves. Listening for Clues invites you into conversations that discover clues, rather than solutions to life's problems. Join the journey with Jon Shematek and Lauren Welch, Episcopal deacons, as we explore whatever lies ahead. Check our website Listening for Clues.© 2023 Listening for Clues

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Reverend Dr. William Sutherland Stafford.  The Reverend Dr. Stafford has taught church history at CDSP as a visiting professor for the past decade. Prior to his post at CDSP,  he was a professor of church history at the University of the South and Dean of the School of Theology,  David J. Ely, Professor of church history at Virginia Theological Seminary, and served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and vice president. For over five decades, the Reverend Dr. William Sutherland Stafford has been educating and forming scholars, theologians, and leaders in the church. Beyond his significant gifts as a teacher and administrator, the Reverend Dr. Stafford is an accomplished scholar, Pastor, preacher, liturgist, and community leader. We're so grateful to have him here with us today will be reflecting on his career to date and pondering what lies ahead.This interview was conducted by Carly Lane, specialist with Learning Forte and contracted by CDSP. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is The Rev. Amy Newell-Large. A 2022 graduate of the Hybrid Program at CDSP,  Rev. Newell-Large serves as Curate for Parish Life, St. John's Cathedral Denver, CO.  Side note: You will likely have learned by now that beginning in 2025, the Hybrid Program (formerly low-residence program) will be the sole model for all students in the Master of Divinity and Anglican Studies Programs. You can read about the announcement shared this past January and all things Hybrid Education at CDSP here. For now, we hope you enjoy into this interview with the Rev. Newell-Large. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  The Rev. Amy Newell-Large is a 2022 graduate of the Hybrid Program at CDSP and serves as Curate for Parish Life, St. John's Cathedral Denver, CO.  About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Michael Angel Molina, a third year student in CDSP's hybrid M.Div. program. Michael spoke with us about the importance of preachers speaking truth to power, the role that the Church has to play in a growing labor movement, and his experiences using contemporary pop music in the context of worship.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Michael Angel Molina is a third year, low-residence M.Div. student at CDSP from Reading, Pennsylvania in the Diocese of Bethlehem. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

“[N]ow we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit that is from God” (2 Cor. 2:1). Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA 2D9  5 Epiphany (Year A) 11:00 a.m.  Sunday 5 February 2023                                       Isaiah 58:1-9a Psalm 112:1-9 2 Corinthians 2:1-12 Matthew 5:13-20    You are the salt of the earth. At 6:00 p.m., at the height of the century's worst winter storm, I put on waterproof biking pants and a jacket to go walking in the darkness. Rain poured down in sheets. In the Presidio forest, along the ridge, 60 knot gusts of wind tore through the Monterey Cypress and Eucalyptus trees. It sounded like a deafening freight train. As debris landed all around I felt nagging fear but also awe in the face of such power and beauty, in the presence of God. I could see no sign of another living soul except for a single light far offshore in thirty foot swells outside the Golden Gate. This week I gradually began to understand the news. Our seminary, the Church Divinity School of the Pacific will be closing its classrooms for in person learning and most likely selling their property (which lies across the street from the University of California, Berkeley).[i] The university motto Fiat Lux, means “let there be light.” And today I want to begin by expressing what a great light our seminary has been for me during my whole adult life. I remember going to Thursday evening community eucharists there during the ferocious El Nino storms of my first year in college. As an eighteen year old I loved the Episcopal Church. Berkeley with its four Episcopal churches, two break-away churches, a university chaplaincy, a kind of Anglican newspaper (called the New Oxford Review) and seminary seemed like heaven to me. I have fond memories of studying in the Graduate Theological Library from the time it first opened. My college chaplain Peter Haynes had us meet in the seminary parking lot to drive together for my first retreat at the Bishop's Ranch. The people in this setting profoundly shaped my faith as a guide to a compassionate, generous, beautiful, uniting, and thoughtful way of being. This faith opened me to the experiences of people of different backgrounds, even of different religions and of no religion. This faith also grounded me in traditions that connect us to our deepest humanity. Before long I was kneeling on the warm red carpet at St. Clement's Church in Berkeley and getting ordained as a priest. Soon after that I began participating in monthly Faculty Clergy lunches. John Kater first introduced the idea of online learning to us a year after the invention of the world wide web. For twenty years I participated in Pacific Coast Theological Society meetings at the seminary with Owen Thomas, Patricia Codron, Huston Smith, Herman Waetjen.[ii] I cherish my clergy colleagues who were educated there and their teachers. I can see in my mind's eye the busy brick refectory at lunchtime with students and teachers from across the country engaged in friendly talk on a fall day as the liquid amber tree leaves outside the windows burst into an impossibly beautiful redness. You may be getting a sense for the heartbreak I feel about our seminary, that with others I am mourning its loss. This brings us to one of Jesus' most important lessons about how to live, known in the Gospel of Matthew as the Sermon on the Mount. Let me briefly talk about the central elements of Jesus' teaching and then introduce a psychologist and two theologians who give us further insights into its meaning. Today we hear the second part of the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with Jesus saying “blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers” (Mt. 5). Jesus does not say that one thing leads to the other as if we should somehow try to be poor in spirit in order that we might be blessed. No, Jesus speaks to US. We are the people who mourn, the humble ones frustrated by injustice, longing for goodness and mercy. Indeed Jesus says to us this morning, “YOU are the salt of the earth… YOU are the light of the world.” The Greek word “you” is plural. It involves all of us. It is imperative to notice that Jesus is not asking us to change who we are. We are already what we need to be. We do not have to become something entirely new. We just need to learn how to magnify the goodness we already possess. For this metaphor Jesus chooses things that in small quantities have a massive effect. A tiny bit of salt brings out the flavor of a large meal. You are that salt, enriching the banquet for everyone. A single candle flame can be seen from 1.6 miles away. It takes half an hour to walk the distance to that tiny light that might guide someone home. So again Jesus is not saying that this is a cause and effect relationship, that by doing something good you become blessed. This is not a matter of punishment or reward. You already are blessed, so make the most of it! In an often cited passage Marianne Williamson writes, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?” “You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”[iii] In 2009 I attended a training in Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communications. It changed my life.[iv] Rosenberg asserts that we all have a kind of light or energy or life that animates us. We have needs that we often do not understand for food, safety and love. Instead of trying to compel others, to force them to do we want, we should instead learn to state our need and then ask them for help. We do this knowing that all human beings have a deep longing to be of service to others. This all begins with seeing that light in other people. And this requires that we learn to quiet the critical voice that judges others and ourselves (Rosenberg calls the jackal). He recommends that instead of using judgment words (like “you are always late”) or presuming that we know what another person is thinking, we should learn the gift of the question. We need to learn how to simply ask what another person needs. Instead of an inner life in which we criticize ourselves we need to ask ourselves what we need. Today at the Forum I talked with my favorite teacher Margaret Miles about her newest book on how the third century theologian St. Augustine of Hippo (345-430 CE) changed in his old age. Quite often we quote his words when we invite everyone to the communion table saying, “Be what you see. Receive what you are.”[v] This is almost a riddle with the answer – the body of Christ. It reminds us that we are God's children. We are salt and light, even when we may not feel very close to God. Augustine talks about the difficulty of believing in miracles and what our bodies will be like in the resurrection. He says that these ideas matter only as much as they influence how we live now. In his prayer addressed to God he says that we are not only, “instructed so as to see you… but also so as to grow strong enough to hold you, and the one who cannot see you for the distance, may yet walk along the road by which he will arrive and see you and hold you…” To us he says, ”Walk without fear, run, but stay on the road… do not stand still, do not turn back, do not get sidetracked… Any who find that they may have gone astray must return to the road and walk on it, and any who find they are on the road must go on walking until they arrive.”[vi] One of my favorite writers of our generation is the gay English Roman Catholic theologian James Allison. The Stanford University professor René Girard (1923-2015) deeply influenced him. Girard taught that all human societies have what he calls the scapegoat mechanism. We covet, that is we want what other people have, this leads to instabilities and social tensions. These in turn are resolved by punishing or banishing an individual or group. We fix our social problems by blaming others. According to Allison and Girard, Jesus overturns the scapegoat mechanism and makes possible the realm of God in which all people are loved. In my clergy group I heard the following story about James Alison. For many years he lived in Brazil. But not long after moving to Spain, a Brazilian bishop began a long and ultimately successful process of removing Alison from the priesthood. This was heartbreaking new for Alison. Then one day he received a phone call. The voice on the other end of the line told him that it was Francis, Pope Francis. Alison felt sure that it had to be a friend playing a trick on him until a number of questions fully established that this was the actual pope and that he was giving him the “power of the keys” and effectively reinstating him as a priest.[vii] As a gay man Alison was himself scapegoated but his light shines too brightly to be diminished. He does not hide. I give thanks for Augustine's reminder to stay on the road to God even when our father seems so far off. I give thanks for Marshall Rosenberg's reminder that our critical inner voice makes it hard to see the light in others. Above all, I am so grateful for the compassionate, generous and thoughtful light of the people associated with our seminary. They contributed to the faith that has guided me to this day. That night a few weeks ago out in the storm. I encountered God. Looking at that lonely light on the ocean reminded me of one of the kids named William Hoyt who came to my ordination at St. Clement's Church in Berkeley. His dad was a nuclear physicist and his mom a partner in a prestigious law firm. William grew up to be the captain of a tugboat. I wondered if he was out there in the storm, if it was his light that was going to guide someone home that night. In the deafening freight train storm that surrounds us your light shines in this way also. Give the gift of the question. Do not turn back. Be what you see, receive who you are. You are the salt of the earth. [i] “CDSP Announces Shift to Fully Hybrid Education Model.” CDSP 31 January 2023. https://cdsp.edu/2023/01/cdsp-announces-shift-to-fully-hybrid-education-model/ [ii] I first met Norman Gottwald, Bob Russell, Ted Peters, Durwood Foster, Philip Clayton, Mark Graves, Darren Erisman, Sharon Burch, Scott MacDougall and dozens of other friends at Pacific Coast Theological Society. [iii] Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/928-our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our [iv] Ursula, “Nonviolent Communications Workshop,” Christ Episcopal Church, Los Altos,  29 April 2009. Notebook page 134. See also Marshall Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communications: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, Your World in Harmony with Your Values. Audiobook. https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S93C2415756 [v] St. Augustine. “If you are Christ's body and members, it is your mystery that is placed on the table of the Lord, it is your mystery that you receive… Be what you see and receive what you are.” Catholic Digest. https://www.catholicdigest.com/from-the-magazine/quiet-moment/st-augustine-if-you-are-christs-body-and-members-it-is-your-mystery/ Mary Carter Greene's translation: "Behold what you are. Become what you receive.” [vi] From Margaret Ruth Miles, Beautiful Bodies (Forthcoming). Augustine, Confessions 7:21 and En ps. 31, tr. Maria Boulding, Essential Expositions of the Psalms (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2015) 319-20. [vii] I heard this story on different occasions from Donald Schell and Pat Kiefert. Some clarifying elements might be found in James Alison's Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Alison

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Michael Drell, a third year student in CDSP's residential M.Div. program. Michael spoke with us about translating Christian into his immediate context, his work washing and caring for the feet of those in need at the foot clinic as St. John the Evangelist's in San Francisco, and the importance of listening in a life of ministry.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Michael Drell is a third year, residential M.Div. student at CDSP from the Diocese of Cuernavaca of La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico.  He volunteers his time with The Gubbio Project at St. John the Evangelist's in San Francisco, washing and caring for the feet of those in need. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.Editor's note: In the transcript and print version of this interview, we mis-transcribed two phrases. (1) Drell was studying Mozarabic liturgy, not Arabic liturgy. (2) Drell described the experience of receiving foot care as "confronting," not "comforting." We apologize for these errors.

Our guests on this episode of Crossings Conversations are the Rev.  Stephen Hassett and the Rev. Michael Barham, two former parish priests who have recently joined the staff of CDSP.  The Revs. Hassett and Barham spoke with us about their calls to ordained ministry, their new roles at CDSP, and the challenges and questions facing new clergy in discernment. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  The Rev.  Stephen Hassett is CDSP's director of chapel and campus chaplain. He formerly served at various parishes in California, most recently 8 years as rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Orinda. He graduated from CDSP with an MDiv in 2006 and a DMin in 2016.The Rev. Michael Barham is CDSP's director of student services and recruitment. He formerly served at various parishes in California and Hawaii. He graduated from CDSP with an Certificate in Anglican Studies in 2007, and a DMin in 2012.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guests on this episode of Crossings Conversations are the Rev. Dr, Randall Gardner and the Rev. Richard Schaper from Church Divinity School of the Pacific's Advancement Department. They spoke to us about planned giving, the ways and reasons people give, and the sometimes surprising opportunities to build relationships that come from such gifts. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bios: The Rev.  Richard Schaper is an Episcopal priest and Certified Financial Planner.  After studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, he completed his graduate studies in financial planning and the management of nonprofit organizations at Golden Gate University and the University of San Francisco. He graduated magna laude from Colgate University with a major in Philosophy and Religion and earned a Master of Theology degree from The Divinity School of the University of Chicago. A former Rhodes Scholar, Benedictine monk, hospital chaplain and parish pastor, he  continues to serve as a consultant and gift planning officer for the Episcopal Diocese of California and CDSP. The Rev. Dr. Randall Gardner works for donor and alumni relationships with CDSP. He graduated from CDSP with an M.Div. in 1984 and has since served as rector for various parishes in Washington and California, adjunct faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary, and Canon for Congregational Life in the Diocese as California before returning to CDSP as Director of Chapel in 2016. He retired as Director of Chapel in 2021, but continue to work with CDSP' advancement department on donor an alumni relations.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

“OBSERVADORES” PROTESTANTES NA REFORMA LITÚRGICA – 1966   (Pe. Annibale Bugnini - La Riforma Liturgica - pg. 204, Edizione Liturgiche – 1983 – Roma)   “No dia 23 de agosto de 1966, a lista dos “Observadores”, aprovada pela Secretaria de Estado e pela Congregação da Doutrina da Fé, ficou assim composta:   Indicados pela Comunidade Anglicana (1º de julho):   1 – Rev. Ronald C. D. Jasper, presidente da Comissão litúrgica da Igreja Anglicana da Inglaterra.   2 – Rev. Dr. Massey H. Shepherd Jr., professor «Church Divinity School of the Pacific», California –USA.   O Conselho Mundial das Igrejas indicou (12 de agosto):   3 – Prof. A. Raymond George, membro da Conferência Metodista, diretor do «Wesley College» de Headingley, Leeds, Inglaterra.   A Federação Mundial Luterana indicou (12 de agosto):   4 – Pastor Friedrick-Wilhelm Künneth, de Genebra, secretário da Comissão «for Worship and spiritual Life», substituído em 1968 por:   5 – Rev. Eugene L. Brand, Metodista de N. York.   Finalmente, a Comunidade de Taizé escolheu:   6 – Pastor Max Thurian, vice-prior da Comunidade".

In this first episode of season 5 of Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community, we speak with Episcopalians committed to the Beloved Community about the texts for Advent 1. The texts covered in this episode are Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 12:11-14, and Matthew 24:36-44. Our guests this week are:  The Rev. LaClaire Atkins, an alumnus of Church Divinity School of the Pacific who works in the hospitality sector and is currently momma to an amazing son. Fr. Halim Shukair, who hails from Beirut, Lebanon, and is the priest-in-charge at Mother of the Savior Church, an Arabic-speaking congregation, and assistant priest at Christ Episcopal Church, Dearborn, Mich. Fr. Halim has interests in interfaith dialogue and contemplative life. The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, who is of Indigenous, Shackan First Nation and European heritage. She is rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Everett, Wash., serves as the vice-president of the House of Deputies, and cofounded the Circles of Color advocacy network in the Diocese of Olympia.   Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church's staff officer for Racial Reconciliation. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev.  Kirk Smith, Church Divinity School of the Pacific's interim Dean and President, and former Bishop of the Diocese of Arizona. Bishop Smith spoke with us about about deepening the churches understanding of its history while adapting to the need of a changing world to spread the Gospel in the 21st century. He also shared about his own call and his hopes for serving the CDSP community. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Bishop Kirk Smith is the interim Dean and President of Church Divinity School of the Pacific.  He formerly served as bishop of the Diocese of Arizona from 2004 to 2019. Before and after his retirement in 2019, he taught church history courses at the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont, General Theological Seminary, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and Virginia Theological Seminary. He served as Bishop in Residence at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale for the Spring term 2021.Prior to serving as bishop for the Diocese of Arizona from 2004-2019, Bishop Smith led parishes in Connecticut and California, including St James', Wilshire Boulevard, a large urban multi-cultural and multi-racial congregation which also operates a day school, nursery school, senior housing project and food program. He received his bachelor's degree from Lewis and Clark College, MDiv from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and PhD from Cornell University.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Weston Morris, a first year student in CDSP's residential M.Div. program. Weston spoke with us about his work for greater inclusivity of LGBTQ and disabled people in the Episcopal Church, Welcoming Every Body, the organization he helped found for that purpose, and the opportunities and challenged he has faced in that work at CDSP. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Weston Morris is a first year student in Church Divinity School of the Pacific's residential M.Div. program. He is a postulant from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and founding member of Welcoming Every Body, an organization dedicated to greater inclusivity of LGBTQ and disabled people in the Episcopal Church. Find out more at https://www.welcomingeverybody.com.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Kaitlin Reece, a second year student in CDSP's low residence M.Div. program. Kaitlyn spoke with us about some formative experiences of her time studying with CDSP  and their connections to her work on criminal justice reform in Nebraska.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: Kaitlin Reece is a second year student in Church Divinity School of the Pacific's low residence M.Div. program. Originally from Pasadena, she is a postulant from the Diocese of Nebraska, mother of one, and a lobbyist in the Nebraska legislature working with nonprofits on issues including refugee settlement, juvenile justice, mental health, and child welfare.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Angela Furlong, a second year student in CDSP's residential M.Div. program. Angela spoke with us about some difficult lessons learned starting seminary during the pandemic and the power of artwork to heal our brokenness. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: Angela Furlong is a second year student in Church Divinity School of the Pacific's residential M.Div. program. She is a postulant from the Diocese of Maryland, a mothers of two, an iconographer, and formerly served as an Arabic translator for the US military. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. Christie Fleming ‘17, Missioner for Community Care and Reconciliation in the Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana, and director of the Lighthouse, a homeless ministry in Bastrop, LA supported by the diocese. The Rev. Fleming spoke with us about her work starting the Lighthouse, learning to lead on the job, and the formation opportunities she experienced during her time at CDSP.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Rev. Christie Fleming graduated from CDSP in 2017. Before becoming Missioner for Community Care and Reconciliation and starting the Lighthouse, the Rev. Fleming served as chaplain to homeless communities in San Francisco and San Diego, and then as rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Covington, LA.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. Edwin Johnson '10,  an Episcopal priest, rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and member of the Presiding Officer's Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Johnson spoke with us about Episcopal efforts toward racial justice and racial reconciliation, and how his time at CDSP affected his particular involvement in this ministry.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Rev. Edwin Johnson is an Episcopal priest,  rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Dorchester, MA, and member of the Presiding Officer's Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation in the Episcopal Church. A native of Dorchester, the Rev. Johnson graduated from CDSP in 2010.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. Dr. Lisa Cressman,  an Episcopal priest and founding steward of Backstory Peaching, an online ministry dedicated to the initial and continual education and formation of lay and ordained preachers. The Rev. Dr. Cressman spoke with us about her work helping to cultivate effective, authentic, and joyful preachers to proclaim the Good News of Christ.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Rev. Dr. Lisa Cressman is an Episcopal priest, spiritual director, retreat leader, author, and founding steward of Backstory Peaching, an online ministry dedicated to the initial and continual education and formation of lay and ordained preachers. More info is available at www.backstorypreaching.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/backstorypreaching/.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

What happens when we are called by God to live out the Gospel message in the world? Big questions don't always require big answers. It's about loving people; all people.In this episode, Bishop Wright has a conversation with Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, 11th Bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis. They discuss the calling to serve Jesus by serving one another, the notion of radical love, and Bishop Jennifer's own conversion story. *spoiler alert, she wasn't baptized as a baby*Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, a native of New York City, holds a bachelor's degree in architecture with a minor in urban studies from Smith College, an M.A. in historic preservation planning from Cornell University, and an M.Div. degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in 1997. Before being elected bishop in 2016, she served in the Dioceses of Newark, Central New York and Chicago. She is the first black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev.  Diane Bruce, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Bishop Bruce spoke with us about the importance of listening, forming leaders for multicultural competency, and building beloved commity.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Bishop Diane Bruce is currently Bishop Provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri. At the time of this interview she was Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Before serving as Bishop of Los Angeles, she served at various churches in California. Before her ordination to the priesthood she worked in as vice president specializing in compensation management and analysis at Fells Fargo. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev.  Susan Brown Snook, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. Bishop Brown Snook spoke with us about forming leaders for new models of evangelism and adapting to diverse contexts.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  Bishop Susan Brown Snook was consecrated bishop of San Diego in 2019. She was ordained ot the priesthood in 2003 after graduating from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She subsequently served at several parishes in the Diocese of Arizona, including Church of the Nativity in Scottsdale, which she planted. Before entering seminary, she worked as a certified public accountant, and as a director of Christian education and a director of lay ministries at an Episcopal church in Arizona.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev.  Katherine Jefferts Schori, the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Jefferts Schori spoke with us about creative responses to leadership formation in response to the ever evolving ministerial contexts of the Church. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori served as the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 2006 to 2015. She pursued a career in oceanography, earning a Ph.D. from Oregon State University, before her eventual ordination to the priesthood in 1994. She was consecrated Bishop of Nevada 2001, where she served until being elected presiding Bishop in 2006. Her ministerial concerns have been broad and far reaching, including issues of domestic poverty, climate change and care for the earth, and the ongoing need to contextualize the gospel.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. David Beckmann, a Lutheran Pastor and former president of Bread for the World, a non-profit, Christian advocacy organization dedicated to alleviating world hunger and poverty. The Rev. Beckmann spoke with us about the the Christian call to serve the needy and how we might live into that obligation. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Rev. David Beckmann is a Lutheran pastor and economist. He worked as a World Bank economist before beginning a 30 year tenure as president of Bread for the World. During his time as president, Bread for the World was instrumental in lobbying congress to help alleviate hunger worldwide. After retiring from Bread for the World, the Rev. Beckmann launched a digitally based learning initiative on poverty, God, and politics. More info on this initiative is available at DavidBeckmann.net/blog or at the CDSP website at CDSP.edu/poverty-god-politics.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev.  Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Bishop Baskerville-Burrows spoke with us about the importance of making space for various models of ministry and forming leaders capable of ministering across boundaries in places they might be uncomfortable.  Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: Bishop Baskerville-Burrows was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis in 2017. She was ordained to the priesthood in 1997 after graduating from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Before being elected bishop in 2016, she served in the Dioceses of Newark, Central New York and Chicago. She is the first black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church. Her expertise includes historic preservation of religious buildings, stewardship and development, race and class reconciliation, and spiritual direction.  About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. Shannon Kelly, director of the Department of Faith Formation and officer for Young Adult and Campus Ministries for the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Kelly spoke with us about leadership formation in the Church, making room for the Holy Spirit to work, and the importance of elevating diverse voices in the Church.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio:  The Rev. Shannon Kelly serves as the Missioner for Young Adult and Campus Ministries for The Episcopal Church. She wrote and edited God of My Heart a book of prayers written by youth, for youth. She lives in on Cape Cod with her husband, The Rev. Dr. Thomas Ferguson, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, their son, and dog. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Dr. Ledford is a civil rights attorney representing society's most marginalized.  An Episcopal priest, she holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.  She earned her Doctor of Ministry in political theology from Pacific School of Religion.  Dr. Ledford founded Political Theology Matters, LLC, to help the faithful develop public theology mission and broadcast messaging for greater social justice.  She works towards a more just society in: immigration reform, LGBTQI rights, human trafficking and racial justice. Episode Links:Website: https://www.politicaltheologymatters.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-ledford-679184153/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/politicaltheologymatters/Twitter: https://twitter.com/docledfordInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/docledford/Harvard Implicit Bias Testing (on numerous topics)https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html Civil Discourse Training offered via The Episcopal ChurchFor Individuals: https://www.churchnext.tv/library/instruments-of-peace-a-guide-to-civil-discourse/109671/about/For Groups: https://www.churchnext.tv/library/instruments-of-peace-a-guide-to-civil-discourse/109671/about/A Spirituality of Resistance: https://www.amazon.com/Spirituality-Resistance-Finding-Peaceful-Protecting/dp/0742532836How to think Theologically: https://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Theologically-Howard-Stone/dp/0800699327?asin=0800699327&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1Links for LGBTQ people of faith: UnClobber By Pastor Colby Martinhttps://familyproject.sfsu.edu Several publications are available by giving your email address and zip codeThe Saint Helena Psalter (Highly recommended)(Church Publishing, 2004)Inclusive language version of the 150 Psalms found in the BibleAn excellent text for LGBTQ populationsLGBTQ Resources from The Episcopal Church https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/lgbtq/organizations/ The Human Rights Campaign (interfaith resources) https://www.hrc.org/resources/faith-resouresThe National LGBTQ Task ForceCreating an inclusive and welcoming church: http://www.welcomingresources.org/communityorg.htm:Anti-Human Trafficking  National Hotline: https://humantraffickinghotline.orgProgressive Mainline Christian DenominationsThe Episcopal Church (TEC) https://www.episcopalchurch.orgThe Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: https://www.elca.orgThe Presbyterian Church of the USA: https://www.pcusa.orgThe United Church of Christ: https://www.ucc.orgThe Disciples of Christ (Christian Church): https://disciples.orgJoey Pinz Conversations Podcast Information: • Website: https://www.joeypinz.com • Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/joeypinz • Music by Tom Izzo: @wahlsinger  https://tomizzomusic.com  Support our podcast:  • Subscribe: https://joeypinzconversations.com/subscribe/ • How much is this podcast worth to you? Consider $5, $10 or $20/mo with Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joeypinz  • How about a one-time payment?  • What is the episode worth to you? $25/$50/$100/$500 /$1,000/$5,000 with PayPal (one-time): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JoePannone Please subscribe/follow to Joey Pinz Discipline Conversations Podcast: • Spotify, Apple, Google, or others.  Please consider rating with 5 stars if you like it. • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joey-pinz-discipline-conversations/id1583997438 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69SFwY3XSwcw9qNvElAn10 • Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xODI4OTA2LnJzcw • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoeyPinzDisciplineConversations?sub_confirmation=1Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/joeypinz)

“It's up to us to fully self-actualize, and one of the greatest ways to do that is to be engaged in social justice action.”   Dr. Marcia Ledford Now more than ever, a wider and deeper understanding of the church's role in social and political life is needed. Many church leaders continue to work towards providing important platforms from which people can deal with political, social and economic matters, as well as the relations between the state and wider society. Our guest today, Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford, has been working towards greater social justice by empowering people to act on social injustices faced by different groups. The Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford's ministry is in Southwest Detroit's Latinx population—an international port with an aggressive regional ICE director. Dr. Ledford is a civil rights attorney representing society's most marginalized. An Episcopal priest, she holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She earned her Doctor of Ministry in political theology from Pacific School of Religion. Dr. Ledford founded Political Theology Matters, LLC, to help the faithful develop public theology mission and broadcast messaging for greater social justice. She is trained for community organizing through the Industrial Areas Foundation and volunteers with Michigan United. PTM is a for profit company but is also an altruistic or philanthropic enterprise. Dr. Ledford want to inspire people to do good--to shock their potential for justice. She believes that she needs to make a living ethically and via positive contributions to society. Engaging in political theology, speaking faithfully in public, for social justice, represents the culmination of her life's work and experiences. She is passionate about achieving greater social justice in American society. Her message's foundation in progressive Christian theology intersects with the US Constitution, especially the First Amendment. She brings humor, poignant stories, and inspiration in her conversations. She sparks dynamic, vital conversations about the most important issues of our time--protecting civil rights and our beloved constitution and democracy. In today's episode, our guest will talk about her journey towards advocating for social injustices. She will also elaborate more about spiritual resistance and what it entails. Social media handles: http://www.politicaltheologymatters.com/   https://www.facebook.com/politicaltheologymatters   https://linkedin/marcialedford   https://www.instagram.com/docledford   https://www.twitter.com/docledford   I write, speak, teach and preach to help people get better equipped to be faith based advocates in the public square for social justice. [3:32] Political theology is taking your faith formation and using that as a basis for calling out injustice and demanding greater equality across our social spectrum. [3:49] My mission came to be after my being absolutely appalled at what our archaic immigration laws are doing to Latino families in southwest Detroit. [4:43] We want to be sure and get our demands in with respect to pathways to citizenship. [5:45] Spanish, like the romance languages are all inflected, meaning that nouns can have a gender assigned to them. [6:51] The practice has been adapted to start saying Latin x, which is neutral, and is intended to include everybody. [7:07] This has been an ongoing effort to be more inclusive when terms from this inflected language are used. [7:30] When I was coming of age in the late 70s and early 80s, I came out as a lesbian. [10:09] I had been very involved in my church growing up and so I had a really difficult coming out process, at least, with my own personal struggle. [10:20] I felt like I had to choose between my faith and being who I was and this is very true even today. [10:44] I had to navigate the society as a lesbian which means that I couldn't access some things. [11:14] I recognize that my white privilege affords me certain benefits and give me opportunities that I wouldn't ordinarily have as a person of color. [11:56] I still was a second class citizen in many of the fundamental ways that we regard being an American. [12:14] Over time, I became more sensitive to the call to ministry that I had experienced from when I was a teenager. [12:32] I wasn't seeing women and I certainly wasn't seeing lesbians up at the pulpit in the altar but I finally agreed to go do this and be ordained and asked for help from the holy spirit. [12:44] I became ordained in the Episcopal Church, where I serve the Latin x community. [13:06] It was a combination of my love of the gospel, and my experience as a civil rights attorney, that really fueled this mission. [13:16] Even though I don't know exactly what it's like to be a person of color, I decided that if we didn't do anything about the ills, it wasn't going to stop. [14:06] I think sometimes people think that when a law is made that it's carved into stone. [15:35] Our Congress has the power to change those laws, and if they won't change them, then we need to put people in there who will. [16:27] The fact that all these voter suppression bills are pending throughout the country is an indicator that elected people know that they are in danger of being voted out for not doing the will of the people. [17:18] What I advocate for is the First Amendment which gives us a place to go where everybody can talk and not have to worry about slandering the crown. [19:03] I wanted to create a place for us to work stuff out and that means that our best chance of doing that is when as many voices come together as possible to say their piece. [19:52] By talking about it, we identify the problems and the issues, and we try to work out a solution that serves the majority of the people. [20:12] Once people realize that they can do it, then we have to instill confidence and provide tools and resources to get people basically off their doffs and go advocate for justice. [20:47] Commercial break. [21:17] The immigration issues affect our country on a national basis and so if immigration is something that you want to work on, you certainly can. [23:32] I really believe in what's called the spirituality of resistance. [23:48] Things bother us, but we feel like they are such big complex problems and I don't really know what to do about it. [24:01] We're all human beings and have a human connection to one another and therefore we got to have everybody. [24:29] The spirituality of resistance involves two things which are digging deep into yourself to determine what issues really bothers you, and finding a group that works on these issues to work with them. [25:23] It is one of the most empowering things I have ever experienced in my life, which is why I work with Michigan united. [26:19] If you feel like your representatives in the Congress are not doing what you want them to do, then you need to be in touch. [28:09] There's lots of ways to be involved even if you're super busy and feels overwhelming. [29:14] One of the mottos I try to live by is we don't get a dress rehearsal and it's up to us to fully self-actualize, and one of the greatest ways to do that is to be engaged in social justice action. [30:27] …………………..….. TopDog Learning Group, LLC is a leadership, change management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, USA but with “TopDoggers” (aka consultants) throughout North America and beyond. They focus on training programs (both virtual and face-to-face), keynotes and “lunch and learns,” group and 1:1 coaching, and off-the-shelf solutions. One such solution is their Masterclass on The Top 3 Strategies to be Resilient in Times of Change. This thoughtful self-paced online training will guide you through three tactics you can immediately use to—not just survive—but thrive when change comes at you. Use the code RESIL50OFF for 50% off the program! Just go to https://bit.ly/3a5mIS6 and enter the code RESIL50OFF, in all capitals, to redeem your 50% off coupon. The link and code will be available in our show notes for easy access.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev. Thomas Brown, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. Bishop Brown spoke with us about the role of technology in the Church, the importance of inclusion and racial justice, educating for a life of prayer, and the value of speaking in terms of relationship to Jesus Christ.Full transcript now available here.Guest Bio: Bishop Brown was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Maine in 2019. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1998 after graduating from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He then served  as associate priest at the Church of St John the Evangelist in San Francisco and director of alumni and church relations at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He served as rector of St Michael's Church in Brattleboro, Vermont between 2000 and 2009, and rector of the Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts from 2009 until his election as Bishop of Maine in 2019. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guests on this episode of Crossings Conversations are the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church, and Dr. Scott MacDougall, associate professor of theology at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. They spoke to us about Dr. MacDougall's new role as theologian to the House of Deputies, the importance of lay theologizing, and the prophetic witness of the Church. Full transcript now available here.Guest Bios: The Reverend Gay Clark Jennings was elected president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church in 2012, and was reelected in 2015.  As president, Jennings is committed to fostering a new generation of leaders in the Episcopal Church and encouraging the church's work for justice through the actions of General Convention and the work of Episcopalians throughout the church.  She was ordained in 1979 and is a nine-time deputy from the Diocese of Ohio. She is also the Episcopal Church's clergy representative to the Anglican Consultative Council.  Before her tenure as president, she served on the Executive Council from 2006-2012, and has held many elected and appointed leadership positions, including chairing the General Convention legislative committees on Structure, World Mission, Communications, and Canons. She is a founding member of the Chicago Consultation, which supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christians.Dr. Scott MacDougall was appointed theologian of the House of Deputies in 2020. He also serves as associate professor of theology at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Prior to undertaking the formal study of theology, he worked in the non-profit sector. He received his MA in theology from General Theological Seminary in 2007, and his PhD in systematic theology from Fordham University in 2014.  His research centers on ecclesiology and eschatology and is interested in the difference a robust theological imagination of the future makes in how Christian community is lived out, both in the church itself and in the wider world.About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Marcia writes, speaks, teaches, and preaches about the need for progressive Christians to speak faithfully in public for social justice. The Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford's ministry has been in Southwest Detroit's Latinx population—an international port with an aggressive regional ICE director. Dr. Ledford is a civil rights attorney representing society's most marginalized. An Episcopal priest, she holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She earned her Doctor of Ministry in political theology from Pacific School of Religion. Dr. Ledford founded Political Theology Matters, LLC, to help the faithful develop public theology mission and broadcast messaging for greater social justice. She is trained for community organizing through the Industrial Areas Foundation and volunteers with Michigan United. Emailmarcia@miptm.comWebsitehttps://www.politicaltheologymatters.comMedia Resourceshttps://www.politicaltheologymatters.com/mediaThe Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford's bloghttps://www.politicaltheologymatters.com/blog Harvard Implicit Bias Testing (on numerous topics)https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.htmlCivil Discourse Training offered via The Episcopal Church For Individuals:https://www.churchnext.tv/library/instruments-of-peace-a-guide-to-civil-discourse/109671/about/ For Groups: https://www.churchnext.tv/library/instruments-of-peace-a-guide-to-civil-discourse/10

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev. Carlye Hughes, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. Bishop Hughes  spoke with us about the importance of creativity and teamwork in leadership formation. Full transcript now available here.Guest Bio: Bishop Hughes was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Newark in 2018. Before her call to ordained ministry, Hughes worked in human resources in New York. She then attended Virginia Thological Seminary before being ordained and going on to serve churches in New York and Texas. Hughes describes her goal as to help people "discover the ways they are called to serve God and God's people… supporting, encouraging, and empowering them to go and do what God created them to do." At the national level, she has served the General Convention on the Task for the Study of Marriage and the Racial Justice & Reconciliation. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, managing director of the College for Bishops and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, resigned. Bishop Gray-Reeves talks about her work with the College for Bishops and the church as a learning organization. She also discusses the relationship between vulnerability and resilience in church leadership.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Right Reverend Mary Gray-Reeves is the Managing Director of the College for Bishops of The Episcopal Church. She was Formerly Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real. Before her consecration as Bishop, she serve as  archdeacon for deployment for the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Miami Lakes, and assistant rector of two churches in the Diocese of Los Angeles, where she was ordained. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg,  PhD, DMin, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Bishop Rehberg spoke with us about the importance of lay-clergy partnership and the difference between leadership and authority.Full transcript now available here.Guest Bio: Bishop  Rehberg was ordained March 18, 2017 as ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.  She served as rector of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Lewiston, ID, from 2006 to 2017. She has served as the chair of the Commission on Ministry, a canon for regional mission, and a trainer for the College for Congregational Development. In these ministries, she combined her passion for equipping people for ministry and assisting congregations in becoming more faithful, healthy, and effective communities of faith. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

The Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford's ministry is in Southwest Detroit's Latinx population—an international port with an aggressive regional ICE director. Dr. Ledford is a civil rights attorney representing society's most marginalized. An Episcopal priest, she holds a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She earned her Doctor of Ministry in political theology from Pacific School of Religion. Dr. Ledford founded Political Theology Matters, LLC, to help the faithful develop public theology mission and broadcast messaging for greater social justice. She is trained for community organizing through the Industrial Areas Foundation and volunteers with Michigan United. Connect with Marcia here https://www.politicaltheologymatters.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/DocLedford/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/politicaltheologymatters/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DocLedford YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvIgWMtYhhL51H9rtvjnObw Brandon Handley 0:43 321 Hey, there's spiritual dope. Today I am on with the Reverend Dr. Marsha Ledford, who is a civil rights attorney representing society's most marginalized. Her ministry is in southwest Detroit's Latinx population and international port with an aggressive regional ice director. Yeah, I think I could what that is an Episcopal priest she holds a master of divinity from the church Divinity School on the Pacific of the Pacific. She earned her doctorate of ministry in political theology from Pacific School of religion. Dr. Ledford founded political theology matters, LLC to help the faithful develop public theology mission for greater social justice. Marsha teaches speaks and preaches about political theology and very forums. Marsha, so glad to have you here with us today. How are you? Marcia 1:33 I'm good. And I'm delighted to be with you, Brandon. Thank Brandon Handley 1:36 you. Absolutely. So I always like to start these off with this, this kind of idea that we're we're vessels for source creative energy, the divine right, as it were, and you know, as it is, you and I are having this conversation, but somebody on the other end is listening in and they're gonna get a message that just, I don't know, lights up that divine spark within them today that's going to be delivered through you. What is that message today? Marcia 2:06 That we can work for the greater good, even though it seems like our problems are super complex, because we can tap into our spirituality to empower us. Brandon Handley 2:17 I love that right? The idea that I'm tapping into our spirituality, I think it's um, and I'd love to get your perspective, especially as you said, you come from a marginalized population. Hmm. I feel I from my perspective, anyways, our spirituality is just vastly over neglected. Right. And we don't look at it as this resource that can help propel us to this divine space. Right, right. So in this community that you're serving, how do you? What are some of the tools or ways that you're teaching them to tap into that source? Marcia 3:00 Well, and it's really not just a parochial ministry, my full time work is teaching everybody how to tap into our spirituality of resistance. So you know, it's, like I said before, it seems like it's super complicated, but in some respects, it's not, we just have to do some inner work. And we have to join voice forces with others to do this work. So and I apologize, I kind of lost your question. Brandon Handley 3:37 It's quite alright, so the idea, right, so sorry, you know how so? Yes, connecting to that divine right, so that they can, yeah, leverage that source for themselves? So when you say do some inner work and join forces with some others? What's that look like? Right? Marcia 3:53 That's a great question. And so Roger Gottlieb, who is a professor of philosophy, and is active in his Judah ism, wrote a book called The spiritual spirituality of resistance A few years ago, and his primary focuses on creation care, climate change us, you know, stopping that. But the techniques that he has written about I have really embraced. And essentially, there are two things. And when you when you do this, you can apply it to any issue that is important to you. So it's not limited to climate change or anything else. So you do the inner work, you spend some time with yourself, do some reflection, take some take a course on meditation. Write down what's important to you. That sounds like overly simplified but when you listen to the news every day, you know What really gets sticks under your craw, What makes you say to yourself, I've got to do something about this. And then incorporate that into your meditative practice and listing out things that concern you and that you want to work a list out your skills and abilities. Take a personality inventory, like Myers Briggs or something, doing a Nia Graham, there are lots of resources out there for you to do some of this inner work that I call it. And the other there's another inventory type of inventory that you can do, which is conflict, like, what is your threshold for conflict? Because I get questions, sometimes people will say, Well, you know, I can't be out on the front line of a protest, I am just super uncomfortable doing it, it's not my thing. And my responses, you know, there are all kinds of activities that are required to pull off a protest, or to testify in front of a governmental body or start a ministry or whatever it may be. So there's a place for all of us, we all have gifts that complement one another. Then the second part of doing spiritual resistance is finding a group of people that want to work on issues that are important to you, and bring those skills to the table. We're so much more powerful in numbers. And we know when we know what we're good at, and what's important to us, that makes us even more powerful. And we can join forces with others who can do things that we can't, and we can do things that they can't. And we work together primarily, my recommendation is through community organizing, I think it's the best way for a spirituality of resistance, Brandon Handley 6:56 right? I think that, um, you know, normally with spiritual spirituality of resistance means it means Marcia 7:08 two things happen to us, when we live in such a complex world, we either try to avoid what's going on, or we try to deny it. So the spirituality of resistance, takes that head on, and says, I'm not going to avoid stuff, and I'm not going to deny that it's happening, I'm going to lean into the needle as it were, which is a pretty nice analogy right now. Because even if you're afraid of needles, you got to lean into that. That vaccination, in order that we get this pandemic wrestled to the ground once and for all. So you lean into that, which bothers you. When we avoid things, Gottlieb has this is his expression. And so I'm going to credit him, but he talks about how we have a tendency to put stuff that bothers us or we don't like under the floorboards of our consciousness. Okay, so when we are going to stop avoiding things, we pull that stuff out from under the floorboards and we start dealing with it, and we name it, that's a very important part of the spirituality of resistance. To name What is wrong, because as soon as you do that, you take a little bit of its power away. And then as you continue to work to eradicate whatever this wrong is, obviously, over time, it becomes even more disempowered. So that's avoidance. That's when like, pretending that stuff is not as bad as it is or that, you know, pretending it's not there. And the other thing about avoiding stuff is it takes a lot of our energy that we could put into positive forces positive works. So when we spend a lot of time doing this, and pretending we're wasting our energy and our gifts and talents, does that make sense? Brandon Handley 9:17 It does make sense. So okay. And what I wrote down there tos is the idea of when we avoid these things, or deny them either way, we have an awareness of them. Yeah. Right. And it's the idea of our brains being kind of like computer programs in the sense that if or I think other people refer to it as like, your browser having too many tabs open. Yeah, right. And so you've got all these tabs up, right? You've got all these tabs open and but like, I'm not gonna go back to that page. I'm not ready for it yet. So that tabs like sitting there, sucking up resources that like if you go back over to it, and if you label it as you're saying It takes its power away. But it also says to that this, this has now been identified, right? You've categorized it, you've identified it. And now once it's got a label or a category, you've got the, hopefully, right, you've got some tools that you can leverage with, with those labels and categories, right? So you, right? Or, or you could at least go to somebody and say, hey, look, I've got a couple of these things. Can you help me with this? Because I think another thing that you mentioned is this whole idea of community, building it, or being a part of it, or leaving it was Western societies all? I've got to be the hero in every movie, right? And every scene, if I don't do this all myself, then did I do it at all? Right. Right. And so, you know, I think that when, when you're talking about this person who says that they've, you know, they don't see themselves on the forefront of the line? You know, what, and they think that that's the only way it can be, but you're saying that they can get involved in so many other ways? Oh, yeah. Marcia 11:02 Right. Okay, you know, maybe your speech, or maybe you write great speeches, maybe your graphic designer, and you know, you, whatever project you're doing, need some outreach material. And so you can, you can participate in, it's just as important, as you know, the extroverts out on the front lines, the, the, you know, the the background stuff, the preparation is just as important. I was on a show recently with a really interesting and insightful young man who's a disability advocate, and he's on the autistic spectrum. But I was talking to him about when you're doing the group work, you have to do a power analysis, and you have to study and prepare. And he immediately went to the rope, a dope example with the Frazier Ali fight in 1974. And, you know, at the time, foreman was knocking people out before the fifth, Unknown Speaker 12:00 fifth Marcia 12:03 round. And so Muhammad Ali studied the film, and he realized that while he delivered these thunderous blows, he got tired fast. And so he just barely decided he was going to just go to the ropes and observe some abdominal blows, and just kind of wear him out. And it worked. He knocked him out. And I'm not a huge fan of boxing. But I think the analogy is really important, because it's about studying your opponent together doing power analysis, which is a very specific community organizing activity, figuring out who maybe are the decision makers, because that's where you've got to go. But, and in that sense of persistence in resistance, where you just keep working until you wear them out. And that's all a part of the spirituality of resistance as well. Now, I mentioned denial. We have seen this in this country, we have seen a degree of denial that is really goes beyond description. You know, 80 million people denying that the election was legitimate. a president that lied 33,000 times in the course of a four year term, half of which occurred last year. You know, we have developed a very strange and foreign relationship with the truth. And so when people deny that things are happening, we create an alternate reality. And we absolutely have seen this happen this this past year, and it's strangely enough, still seems to be having some steam to it, even though as the months roll on a beat these conspiracy theories and fantasy assessments of our culture are being proven wrong. So you see the power of denial, and what it can do in terms of undermining good social change. Brandon Handley 14:24 Right. And I think that that's, you know, your your application of the spiritual resistances for social change. Is that, you know, kind of way Yes. Right. And so, let's talk a second about how do you go from practicing kind of, I guess I'll call it a material law. Right. I mean, I don't know what I know, the standard law. Yeah. spiritual law. Right. I think this is an interesting, it's an interesting shift. You know, talk a little bit about kind of the differences and how they kind of you know, how they align Marcia 14:59 for you. They're actually aligned very easily. So when I was coming out in the late 70s and early 80s, first, I sensed a call to ordination, when I was about 15 years old. But of course, back then I wasn't seeing a whole lot of women at the pulpit or the altar. So I decided to become an attorney because I wanted to work to help people. And so I became a civil rights attorney. But that call of the Holy Spirit never left. And in fact, started getting louder as I got older. And I got frustrated, because you can't really argue the gospel of compassion and mercy in a court of law and expect to have a successful legal career because it doesn't really work that way. So, you know, there's, there's no precedent for the gospel. So I decided to go to seminary in my late 40s, along with a lot of other women who experience the same thing because of our, you know, or our common age. And so, when you are an attorney, you read texts, sometimes you write them, you write persuasive arguments, you interpret the law, you do all those things. You do the same thing. As a priest or pastor. It's all about reading texts, and interpreting them and preaching or teaching whatever it may be. But, and, and I, Martin Luther was a lawyer before he became a priest, I am in no way comparing myself to Martin Luther. But you know, that's a famous example of somebody. Brandon Handley 16:55 It's interesting, you put it that way. And I think just as you're saying it, you know, it's kind of dawning on me that Yeah, exactly. Right. It's because I think I did like all maybe three months of business law. And I was like, this is for the birds. I was like, because it's not logical. Yes. No, there's no real logic in it, you really have to have an understanding of a whole bunch of other pieces. Yeah, to be able to interpret it. And I was like, I don't have time for this right now. Yeah. Marcia 17:25 To is really so subject to interpretation. Unknown Speaker 17:29 Right? Yeah. My God, it was mind boggling. I couldn't I couldn't, I did. I'm sure I could have if I really cared enough to, but I didn't. Brandon Handley 17:38 So one of the things that we were talking about, too, was the idea of, um, you know, Christianity and and spirituality. Are they really separate? Or are they, you know, how do they How do they, you know, kind of walk hand in hand, because I hear people always separating religion from spirituality. I'm like, I don't, you know, helped me out there. Marcia 18:00 Well, I think that's a really interesting and excellent question. I think most religions have a component of spirituality in and of course, it's going to vary depending on what that tradition is. Christianity is a very spiritual tradition. And in fact, you know, going back to the Old Testament, and the prophets, having conversations with God, having, you know, this direct relationship, and then seeing Jesus continue that. And as a matter of fact, often the disciples would lose track of him because he went off somewhere to pray. And we see this particularly in the Gospel of Luke, which is, I think, a very spiritual gospel. Jesus is off praying very often. And he's helping, so he goes and prays, and then he goes, and he helps somebody. So Christianity, as a tradition, I think, is very, very spiritual. Unfortunately, and this bothers me a lot. And it's one of the reasons that I started political theology matters, is to underscore that to look back to the Gospels of Jesus and what he did, he prayed and healed. And he challenged unjust systems, and then he healed somebody. You know? That's not what we're seeing in the public square right now. And Christianity is looking is melded, if you will, say to January 6, you know, there's all these flags waving Jesus saves as people are storming the capital of the United States of America. that bothered me greatly, greatly greatly. So it's, it's really important that we bring this idea of spirituality back to the fore I think the American American people, I'm going to make a very broad based statement here, this is my opinion. But I think the American people are just parched for spirituality, they're parched for reconnecting with their Creator, the divine being this, you know, whatever it is that you call it. We don't respect that in public in society. And we should, Brandon Handley 20:28 I'm going to, I'm going to agree with you. And I think that we're seeing a lot of that research. And since I could, it could be, of course, that I've just gone through myself in the middle of all of it. And that's the only people I talked to pretty much outside of outside of work, you know, because but the other thing is, we're seeing it in the workplace. We're seeing, you know, wellness, we're seeing meditation, we're seeing yoga, we're seeing breathwork, we're seeing all this other stuff show up in the workplace, you know, without calling it specifically, you know, you know, reconnecting with source or anything, right. But the surge of people that are running towards it, and embracing it. That's, That, to me indicates that, that what you're saying is 100% true, right? The idea of that the idea of this thirst for it, it exists right now. And of course, it always makes me think of, and I don't know, the Bible for nothing. But you know, it makes me think of makes me think of the line of, you know, I've got bread that are meats that you know, not have, right, that's the nourishment that yes, we're seeking the spiritual nourishment and right that that, you know, will feed us to sustain us that, you know that that's, that's why we're parched. Right. That's why we're hungry, because we haven't been. And we're banished. Marcia 21:53 There's a in the fourth chapter of john, the gospel of john, there's one of the most amazing stories in the whole Bible, and it's when Jesus is at the well with the Samaritan woman. And he says to her, I will giving I'll give you a living water, and you will never thirst again. And of course, she wants this water. And she's taking him much more literally than what he's talking about. But I think that when people and then by extension individuals and by extension of community are more tied into the spiritual, mystical, you know, part of life, I think our regard for other human beings will go up. One of the reasons I think we're seeing these, this episode, we are in a pandemic of police shootings. And I think one of the reasons that we are seeing this is because instead of connecting spiritually, and praying and recognizing that we're all children of God, there's just a lot of fear and power plays. And that's not spirituality, spirituality is getting in touch with our Creator, and by extension, the folks that we share this planet with and in creation. Brandon Handley 23:15 And would you also say that we can eliminate some of that fear if we have some faith? And in our Creator? Of course, I would say that, yeah. You know, but it you know, it goes, it goes to the brain up all the time, it's, you know, it's this, this this kind of idea of let go and let God it releases a lot of these fears. Yes, right. Yeah, you can, you can look at that. And I, I put it into a bunch of different frameworks. But I think that, once you make that statement work for you, and you see in action, there is my book, salming surrender effect was the thing that you feel, and you're like, why haven't I've been doing this all my life, right? Because, you know, there's this resistance to the institution of church and religion. I think that that's what's that's what keeps a lot of people from trying to make that way forward. So, Marsha, we were down to, we're down to kind of get into the end here. We've got political theology matters, right? Yeah. I want to know, a couple of questions. We're gonna do like a couple of spiritual speed dating questions. Okay, so this is like, you know, hey, you and I are at the table. I want to date you, but I'm not quite sure if you're the right spiritual as a line person, for me. And so you know, what's let's take a let's take a couple, take a couple of these questions and see if we can come up with okay. To do what is wisdom and how do we gain it? Marcia 24:52 Well, I think wisdom basically is knowing right and wrong. I think it just boils right down to that, you know, having a moral through line in your life that guides you in terms of your thoughts and conduct and the decisions that you make. And, and we, I think we acquire this as we live longer for a reason. Because as we experience life, it helps us understand what our moral through line is, and should be even greater as we age. Brandon Handley 25:27 Like that. You know, I was always a wise ask growing up as a kid, right. But that wasn't the wisdom that it served. Marcia 25:36 wasn't always asked is different than wisdom, who, you know, you Brandon Handley 25:39 still still put the two in there? Yeah, put the two in there. I was Marcia 25:42 the wiser as to so there you go. That's just a bit. This Brandon Handley 25:45 is part of the journey. Right? I'm going from thinking that you know, everything to knowing that you know, nothing. Yeah. Right. Marcia 25:53 humility, that's part of wisdom. For sure. Brandon Handley 25:56 Yeah. Is current religion serving its purpose? Marcia 25:59 No. Tell me more? Well, yes. And no. I think we're seeing it, I'm going to talk about Christianity, because that's what I know, I really have no business talking about any other tradition. But Christianity has lost its way, and is much more concerned, at least certain corners of Christ's vineyard are more concerned about power than they are about people, and about judgment, and damning people because they're this or that, or they're not this or that. And dictating the terms of that individual's relationship with their Creator, which I think is crazy. And I quit doing that, we got to stop this horizontal stuff. Alright, you did this. So you're bad, you're going to hell, or whatever, like anybody really has the right to say that to somebody else. Our relationship needs to be like this. You know, we need to dictate a relationship with our Creator, or we need to craft it and follow our tradition, and our Creator, and not let society get in between. And I think that's really bad. I think that's where Christianity is failing. The most. Are there any Brandon Handley 27:27 churches, groups, communities and Christianity that you feel like are doing it right, right now? Marcia 27:34 Well, of course, I would have to put in a plug for the Episcopal Church. I am a priest ordained in the Episcopal Church. And I'm, I'm a lesbian. So I didn't have a lot of choices outside of mainstream Protestantism, to become ordained. But I'm still really glad that I'm where I am. Because we have an incarnational theology, which means that God chose to send Jesus to walk the earth with us to understand our lives and to understand what we go through, in order to reach out to us and invite us into the reign of God. And so I, that really works for me, we are very inclusive, we are dating, obviously, we are dating LGBT people. As a matter of fact, we specifically passed a, you know, a resolution a few years ago at our general convention to ordain trans people. So we're on the cutting edge of the LGBTQ issues. But we're also very active in lobbying for greater social justice. reconciliation, racial reconciliation, climate care, you name it, and we are involved on the progressive and of Christianity, and I'm very proud of that. I wouldn't be an Episcopal priest if I was a Brandon Handley 29:01 class. Fantastic. And you know, it's it's great to hear, you know, called sex they called branches. I don't know what they're called. denominations. That's what they are. Right? Marcia 29:10 Yes. denominations. And several that are in company with us. It's not just us, but Brandon Handley 29:16 right right now, but it's great to hear that. There's this kind of release of judgment. Right. Yeah. And there's this acceptance of calm as you are, right? Because, I mean, that's kind of what it's supposed to be about. Right? Come as you are, you're accepted no matter who, what, where you are, right, what you've done. who, you know, you feel like you've wronged I mean, you know, as a parent myself, right. And I can only imagine like, as you know, you know, you know, God, Jesus, whoever, whoever, you know, the creator is that's our eternal parent, you know, doesn't want us to, like, you know, sit their misery over the fact that I don't know yeah, you know, if you Have cause an accident, like by running into a car like that. That doesn't mean you're damned to hell, you know? Like, hey, you made a pretty shitty mistake, right? But go ahead and come on in, we're gonna we're gonna work through this right? Let's talk about this. Let's know, let's, where can we go from here, Marcia 30:15 there's, in my opinion, way too much emphasis on being strictly sinful create creatures of constant failure. And, you know, disappointment. God created us, we're told, because God didn't want to be alone and wanted to be with us in community. And Jesus was all about community. And I think that we have to remember that we are also children, a God created in God's image. And so what we can do then is stop focusing so much on how faulty we are all the time. Recognize that we are children of God, but also recognize that Jesus created avenues for us to seek and receive forgiveness so that we could stay in relationship with God. And that's just incredibly important with that. Brandon Handley 31:08 I mean, I've heard some people call that the way, right there's like, Yeah, right. Yeah. So, so, so much fun to have you on today. Thanks for thanks for stopping on. Really appreciate it much. Yeah. Appreciate it. Where can people go to have more Marsha? Marcia 31:24 Okay, so my website is called political theology. matters.com. I know that's kind of long. We'll put it in the show notes. You can email me at Marsha m AR c IA at MMI. PTM. PTM for political theology. matters.com. So that's the shortened version. Marsha, at my PTM calm. Thank you so much for being on today. And oh, more. Would you like me to send you info when the book drops? Absolutely, absolutely. So yeah, you've Brandon Handley 32:01 got you've got a book coming out. You're working on it. And you're expected to come out this year? Marcia 32:05 Yeah, at the end of next the end of this year. And I'll be sure that Brandon knows when it is. And you can get more information. It's about it's a book about how to do faith based advocacy for social justice. Brandon Handley 32:19 That's great. And I love it. Thank you so much for being on today. Marsha, my pleasure. Marcia 32:22 Thank you, Brandon. Unknown Speaker 32:23 We really hope you enjoyed this episode of the spiritual dove podcast. stay connected with us directly through spiritual dove co You can also join the discussion on Facebook, spiritual and Instagram and spiritual underscore go. If you would like to speak with us, send us an email there Brendan at spiritual dove calm. And as always, thank you for cultivating your mindset and creating a better reality. This includes the most thought provoking part of your day. Don't forget to like and subscribe to stay fully up to date. Until next time, make on your zone and trust your intuition. Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is the Rev. Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg '18, staff officer for racial reconciliation for the Episcopal Church. Rev. Brokenleg spoke with us about collectivist models of leadership formation and forms of pedagogy that challenge white supremacy.  Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Rev. Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg '18 is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Nation) and a priest of the Diocese of South Dakota. Before attending seminary at CDSP, she served as a clinical epidemiologist. As a winktè (Lakota two-spirit), her calling is facilitating healing, positive change, and reconciliation.  About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

David Beckmann explains the purpose of his “Poverty, God, Politics” series—to highlight spiritual and political strategies that can move us from the current crisis in a way that puts us on track to end hunger and poverty. They are drawn from a joint seminar on poverty, communities of faith, and politics cosponsored by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. David then discusses two foundational insights from his years as president of Bread for the World—that dramatic progress against poverty is possible, and that faith communities can help change the politics of poverty. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 36986]

"The people that are suffering first and foremost from climate change are predominantly not the ones who are causing it... My colleagues very gently taught me to see climate change as climate colonialism. The high consuming societies and sectors are colonizing the atmosphere with their emissions." Cynthia Moe-Lobeda has lectured or consulted in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Australia, and North America in theology; ethics; and matters of climate justice and climate racism, moral agency, globalization, economic justice, eco-feminist theology, and faith-based resistance to systemic oppression. Her most recent book, Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation, won the Nautilus Award for social justice. She is author or co-author of six volumes and numerous articles and chapters. Moe-Lobeda is Professor of of Theological and Social Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She holds a doctoral degree in Christian Ethics from Union Theological Seminary, affiliated with Columbia University. The website for her most recent book is: http://resistingstructuralevil.com/. She loves hiking in the Cascade Mountains and is learning to relish also the lands of California. Her greatest joys are her husband, Ron; two wonderful sons and wonderful daughter-in-law; and two splendid grandchildren. *recorded Summer 2019* The current Holden Village community of nearly 40 staff all successfully pass a strict quarantine period with social distancing, masks, and COVID testing upon entering or reentering the Village. To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. To contact the podcast author, podcast@holdenvillage.org

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Bishop Jennifer Reddall of the Diocese of Arizona. Bishop Reddall talks about new models of leadership formation for rural parishes in the Diocese of Arizona. She also discusses the importance of laughter and flexibility in church leadership. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Right Reverend Jennifer Reddall is Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. She formerly served as Rector of the Church of the Epiphany in New York City, proclaiming a message of joy, love, and justice. She grew up in California and graduated from Yale University with a degree in Theater Studies before pursuing her vocation in the Church and graduating from General Theological Seminary in 2002. About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

On Good Friday, 2018, the Reverend Liz Tichenor, at 33 years old, stood tall and poised beside a barren altar, a blood-red stole draped over her neck and shoulders. With a solemn tone, she imagined aloud how Jesus’s mother, Mary, might have beheld her son crucified upon the cross. As Tichenor continued, Mary’s story began to blur into her own: four years earlier, Tichenor had beheld the death of her own son, a newborn infant. She knew firsthand the pangs of love and loss. But somehow, she was also able to tap into the promise of rebirth and resurrection. Tichenor, rector at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Pleasant Hill, California, was called into the priesthood as a “wayward teenager” of 17. Her parents had divorced, and her mother’s alcoholism was worsening. Tichenor found at a parish in her hometown of Bloomington, Indiana, a sense of community, stability, and “a way through to a life of health and wholeness.” That summer, she served as a youth counselor at a church camp and found herself stepping in as an unexpected substitute to assist the priest in passing out the Eucharistic bread. Tichenor had received communion countless times and knew what to do. But as it turned out, many campers opted not to receive the bread; they preferred a blessing instead. Having no easy way to direct them through the crowds to the priest, “I raised my hand to their foreheads,” Tichenor says, “and in that act, I knew in my body that that was exactly what I was called to do.” She went on to study Spanish at Dartmouth College, where she served as the Episcopal campus minister, then moved west to the Bay Area to start seminary, her new husband beside her. She received a Masters of Divinity at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, followed by a Masters of Arts in Ethics and Social Theory at the Graduate Theological Union. Between the two degrees, she and her husband started a family and, reminiscent of the very setting that awakened her to her calling, she took her first position as the resident chaplain at a summer camp near Lake Tahoe. Tichenor was ordained as a priest at 27, almost half the average age of others ordained in the Episcopal Church. In the midst of all this, though, life was intervening: a few months before her ordination, Tichenor’s mother committed suicide after decades of battling alcoholism. A year and a half later, her infant son, just 40 days old, died in their bed, from a likely curable but misdiagnosed medical condition. This unimaginable grief—from not one, but two experiences, the likes of which most are terrified to consider, much less confront—plunged Tichenor into the Great Unknown, even as her new role as a priest pressed her to guide others in their grief with some kind of resolve and solace. Through community, compassion from others, and brushes with the mystical divine, Tichenor and her family not only survived. They emerged with faith, hope, joy, and laughter, seemingly greater than before. She chronicled this inner and outer journey in a new memoir, The Night Lake: A Young Priest Maps the Topography of Grief. As an Episcopal rector, Tichenor models the importance of showing up with authenticity for one another, especially in these times of personal and global tumult. She also enjoys “wrestling with the sacred texts” and building community through fellowship, shared vulnerability, and good humor. She lives with her husband and two children, and nourishes herself with long-distance running, fine baked goods, her tomato garden, a rambunctious puppy, and “ethical pranking.” Join Cynthia Li and Phyllis Cole-Dai in conversation with a priest and mother in exploring vulnerability, courage, compassion, and joy in relationship to deep grief, both personal and collective. Please note: this conversation may touch upon sensitive topics including suicide.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Diocese of Washington. Bishop Budde talks about her functional understanding of leadership formation and the traits she looks for in candidates for ordination. Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Prior to her election, she served for 18 years as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. Her sermons have been published in several books and journals and she is the author of two books, Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love (2019) and Gathering Up the Fragments: Preaching as Spiritual Practice (2007).Resource Links:ChurchPulse Weekly – A Podcast from Barna GroupAbout the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

Our guest on this episode of Crossings Conversations is Bishop Deon Johnson of the Diocese of Missouri. Bishop Johnson talks about some new models for regional church leadership beginning to take root in Missouri. He also discusses the role of joy in proclaiming the gospel.Download full episode transcript here.Guest Bio: The Right Reverend Deon Kevin Johnson is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. A veteran Episcopal priest with deep experience in social justice issues and ministry to gay and lesbian communities, he has served in many positions in the wider church and the community. He continues to serve on the Taskforce for Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision and as a consultant with the Office of Black Ministries.Resource Links:Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama & Desmond TutuAbout the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

For this first episode of Crossings Conversations, our guest is Bishop Megan Traquair of the Diocese of Northern California. Bishop Megan speaks about her experience launching a non-profit management course for church leaders in the Diocese of Arizona. She also shares her passion for the catechumenate: a robust, accessible, and ancient approach to Christian initiation and formation.Download full episode transcript hereGuest Bio: The Right Reverend Megan M. Traquair is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. Ordained in 1992 in the Diocese of Los Angeles, she has led congregations in Tucson, towns near South Bend and Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. When she was Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, she ran all aspects of clergy transition (deployment), coaching clergy and congregations in conflict resolution and leading strategic planning. Resource Links:Best Skills/Best Churches: What Seminary Didn't Teach YouNorth American Association for the CatechumenateCatechumenate Training Videos (Baptized for Life)About the Show: Crossings Conversations is a co-production of Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Trinity Church Wall Street. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or share it with a colleague. You can learn more about the only Episcopal seminary on the West Coast and subscribe to Crossings magazine at cdsp.edu.

In this fourth episode of Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community, we speak with Episcopalians committed to the Beloved Community about the lectionary texts for Advent 4 (B). The texts covered in this episode are 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 and Luke 1:26-38 – plus a bit more this week on the Magnificat. Our guests are: The Rev. Anna E. Rossi, an Episcopal priest, liturgist, and interfaith advocate, who serves as the Succentor at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Calif. The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, rector of St. Christopher's Church in Gladwyne, Penn., and creator of The Hive, an online spirituality and wellness digital community. Ed Stewart, Director of Academic Administration at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Ed recently earned his M.Div. at Church Divinity School of the Pacific and M.A. in Theology at the Graduate Theological Union.   Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for Racial Reconciliation. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

In this episode, Bishop Curry talks with Richard Rohr, OFM, about what it takes to turn and follow a Christ as big as the universe, choosing the Way of Love instead of the ways of our egos. The two discuss the spiritualities of addition and subtraction and the consequences for our country and ourselves when we spend more time placing Jesus on a pedestal than we do actively following him. The good news in all of this is that, like Fr. Rohr and Bishop Curry, we are all called by Jesus to follow the Way of Love. With God's help, we can turn from the powers of sin, hatred, fear, injustice, and oppression toward the way of truth, love, hope, justice, and freedom. It is this reorienting of our whole selves - body, mind, and soul - on the love and life of Jesus that leads us away from cynicism and into freedom. This episode of The Way of Love podcast is sponsored by Church Divinity School of the Pacific. After the Podcast Learn more about the Way of Love and creating your own rule of life based around the practices of Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest. Listen to Richard Rohr's Another Name for Everything Podcast. Join in honoring all of creation through the Good News Garden Movement. Learn more about Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Consider where you and your congregation can Turn through our free offerings around Becoming Beloved Community. Don't forget to post on social media how you're TURNing week, using #WayofLove.  Resources mentioned during this episode: Reclaiming Jesus  The Perfect Joy of St. Francis by Felix Timmermans  The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr  Center for Action and Contemplation   Another Name for Everything Podcast 

In part three of our coronavirus pandemic miniseries we're joined by Kyle Oliver to discuss incarnational perspectives on online church. Kyle Matthew Oliver is an educational media producer and researcher, a fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation, and a priest of the Diocese of California. He currently serves as communications and marketing manager and adjunct instructor in Christian education at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. Kyle is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, working on a multimedia dissertation focused on making meaning through making media in faith and faith-adjacent settings. His most recent publication, with Stacy Williams-Duncan and Lisa Kimball, is "Digital Literacies for Ministry: A Qualitative Study of Theological Educators Preparing Students for New Media Engagement," which can be read for free in the journal Ecclesial Practices. Kyle lives in San Francisco with his wife, Kristin Saylor, who serves as director of formation at Grace Cathedral.

Trinity CathedralEpiscopal Diocese of ArizonaPhoenix, AZCanon Carmen was ordained to the Priesthood in 1985, actively ministered for over 30 years, and is now retired. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Education and Clinical Counseling. Additionally, she received a Doctorate from The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, located in Berkeley, CA. She has service within 5 diocese including the Diocese of Honduras where she helped to develop a School of Theology to raise an indigenous priesthood. In 2000, Morehouse published "Women's Uncommon Prayers", which includes a section of Commemorative Collects written by the Rev. Canon Lorna H. Williams. These collects are about women who have witnessed to the love and justice of God in various forms of oppression. Canon Carmen is included in the collection of collects by Williams, which supplement lessons appointed for Common Saints in The Book of Common Prayer.----El canónigo Carmen fue ordenado sacerdote en 1985, ministró activamente durante más de 30 años y ahora está retirado. Tiene una licenciatura y una maestría en educación y asesoramiento clínico. Además, recibió un Doctorado de The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, ubicada en Berkeley, CA. Tiene servicio en 5 diócesis, incluida la Diócesis de Honduras, donde ayudó a desarrollar una Escuela de Teología para criar un sacerdocio indígena. En 2000, Morehouse publicó "Oraciones poco comunes de las mujeres", que incluye una sección de colecciones conmemorativas escritas por la Rev. Canon Lorna H. Williams. Estas colecciones son sobre mujeres que han sido testigos del amor y la justicia de Dios en diversas formas de opresión. Canon Carmen está incluido en la colección de colecciones de Williams, que complementan las lecciones designadas para Santos Comunes en El Libro de Oración Común.

This week on the podcast is the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers. Dr. Meyers is an episcopal priest, dean of academic affairs and the Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. We chat about her sabbatical project on multi-cultural worship congregations and what got her hooked on liturgical theology.

Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement and welcome ministry of the Episcopal Church. This episode's interview features The Rt. Rev’d David C Rice, diocesan bishop, and Tom Hampson, both from the Diocese of San Joaquin. Bishop David was formerly the Diocesan Bishop in the Diocese of Waiapu in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Polynesia. Prior to David’s consecration as the fifteenth Bishop of Waiapu, he was Dean of the Cathedral of St. Paul’s in the Diocese of Dunedin in New Zealand. And before David’s deanship, he was Vicar of Mt. Herbert Parish on Banks Peninsula in the Diocese of Christchurch also in NZ. David became an Anglican Priest in 1997, prior to that he was a United Methodist Minister.David has been involved in the ministry with young people for many years. He was the Youth Liaison Bishop representing the House of Bishops in the “youth scene” in the three tikanga (cultures) church in New Zealand. Equally, David is a strong “ecumenist” and has a history of exploring ways in which the church can be far more collaborative and collegial across denominations and faiths. David also has a heart for social justice ministry and continues to seek ways in which the church can join with all of God’s People wherever they are. Tom Hampson is co-chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. He's also a Candidate to the Diaconate and will complete his studies at the School for Deacons at Church Divinity School of the Pacific next month. Presently retired, Tom worked for Church World Service for 31 years in the areas of constituent education, marketing and fundraising. Learn more about the Pilgrimage of Hope and how you can get involved at www.thepilgrimageofhope.org. Follow along on twitter and instagram @SJRAISE. We invite you to join us for an event hosted by both The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries called Love God, Love Neighbor: Advocacy in Action. This two day gathering June 27 and 28 in Washington DC will provide both messaging and advocacy training, as well as a full day on the Hill advocating on behalf of refugees and the refugee resettlement program. Learn more at episcopalmigrationministries.org/lgln Have a question about how to be most helpful in serving refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers? Interested in sharing your work or your congregation's work? Eager to make connections with other people who are doing the same kind of work and learn from one another? Join Partners in Welcome, a free online community that offers a chance for engaging conversation, connection with people all over the country who care about these issues, and a wealth of resources and learning opportunities. We have so much to gain from sharing information and experiences with one another. Sign up today! www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/partnersinwelcome Follow EMM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we are emmrefugees. Join in the work of welcome by making a donation to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all are put to use to welcome our newest neighbors. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at www.abrahammwindamusic.com.

Everyone has a backstory, and for preachers, that backstory sets the stage for preaching. Lisa Cressman is the author of 'Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft' (The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 2018), and Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday, (www.backstorypreaching.com), a guest preacher, preaching instructor, and speaker. Lisa is a Certified Daring Way® Facilitator, holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA., and a D.Min. in Practical Theology from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN.

Everyone has a backstory, and for preachers, that backstory sets the stage for preaching. Lisa Cressman is the author of 'Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft' (The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 2018), and Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday, (www.backstorypreaching.com), a guest preacher, preaching instructor, and speaker. Lisa is a Certified Daring Way® Facilitator, holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA., and a D.Min. in Practical Theology from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN.

In last week's episode, Mark Scandrette shared some simple steps to help you begin using the Enneagram to move from unconscious to conscious living. In part two, Mark and Ian continue their conversation by discussing the importance of doing work within a community and asking the right questions.  Mark Scandrette has written five books on practical spirituality that seek to apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life: FREE, Practicing The Way of Jesus, Soul Graffiti, Belonging and Becoming (Co-authored with Lisa Scandrette) and The Ninefold Path Notebook (with Danielle Welch). He regularly teaches and offers workshops and training events based on themes from these books. Before each book is published he usually spends several years piloting the concepts and processes explored with groups in multiple contexts.  He is currently working on his 6th book on self-awareness, personality and transformation. He also speaks nationally and internationally at universities, conferences and churches and offers training to leaders and organizations through workshops, retreats and group intensives. Mark teaches a doctoral course on spiritual formation at Fuller Theological seminary and has taught courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Wherever Mark travels he speaks with the goal of awakening imagination and inviting audiences to take new steps into life and wholeness.   For more about Mark, visit www.markscandrette.com. 

Every day listeners email asking, “I know my type, now what?” Well, the truth is that simply knowing your Enneagram type doesn’t change anything in and of itself other than to arm you with a little bit of self-knowledge. Understanding where you go in points of stress and where you go in growth helps explain a lot about why each of us has particular struggles. But to really begin to heal and experience true transformation, we have to be willing to face our shadows because that’s where the distortions of our reality live and multiply.  It’s tough to start doing the work but we’re simply not going to grow unless we’re willing to look in the places that are going to create moments of shame and self-reflection that are uncomfortable.  But that’s one of the many gifts of the Enneagram.  The Enneagram provides us with an opportunity to compassionately look into our shadow…to hold up a mirror to those behaviors that we can change.  In today’s episode, Mark Scandrette joins Ian and shares some simple steps you can start using today to help you begin to move from unconscious to conscious living.  This episode was so full of great insights that we split it into two parts to help you really absorb the content.  Mark Scandrette has written five books on practical spirituality that seek to apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life: FREE, Practicing The Way of Jesus, Soul Graffiti, Belonging and Becoming (Co-authored with Lisa Scandrette) and The Ninefold Path Notebook (with Danielle Welch). He regularly teaches and offers workshops and training events based on themes from these books. Before each book is published he usually spends several years piloting the concepts and processes explored with groups in multiple contexts.  He is currently working on a 6th book on self-awareness, personality and transformation. He also speaks nationally and internationally at universities, conferences and churches and offers training to leaders and organizations through workshops, retreats and group intensives. Mark teaches a doctoral course on spiritual formation at Fuller Theological seminary and has taught courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Wherever Mark travels he speaks with the goal of awakening imagination and inviting audiences to take new steps into life and wholeness.   For more about Mark, visit www.markscandrette.com. 

Miguel Escobar, director of Anglican studies at EDS@Union, hosts the fourth nightly #GC79 podcast. Guests: Ariana Gonzalez-Bonillas is a deputy from the Diocese of Arizona, consultant for this year's Official Youth Presence, and recent graduate of Wellesley College. The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers is an alternate deputy from the Diocese of California and dean of academic affairs and Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She served on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music from 2008-2015, and was appointed to the Task Force on the Study of Marriage in 2015. Topics of discussion include prayer book revision, translation and interpretation at General Convention, marriage, and everyday racism in the church.

Fr. Laurence Wainwright-Maks continues reporting from the floor of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Austin, TX. He discusses the #metoo liturgy and the opening press event with Bishop Michael Curry and President of the House of Deputies Gay Clark Jennings. Laurence continues to collect perspectives from the floor including: Drew and Radha, two middlers from Seminary of the Southwest, Micah Jackson, President of Bexley Seabury Seminary, Jamie Nelson, admissions officer from Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP), and Sarah Knoll Sweeney from Seminary of the Southwest.

May 15th marks the 70th anniversary of Israel's statehood. Palestinians refer to this as the Nakba, the Catastrophe, when more than 700,000 Palestinians left their homes from fear or were forcibly removed by Israelis who took their homes. On this 70th anniversary of the occupation, the people of Gaza have been staging a non-violent demonstration, The Great March of Returnthat culminates Tuesday the 15th. According to the Middle Eastern Monitor, "The demonstrations of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege started on 30 March 2018. Since then Israeli forces have killed 53 demonstrators and wounded more than 8,500 others." On this special edition of the Beloved Community, John Shuck's guests will speak about the ongoing Nakba for the people of Palestine and Gaza from their unique perspectives. Waddah Sofan was shot and paralyzed by Israeli soldiers during the First Intifada in 1989. Waddah lives in Portland and considers himself "part of Palestinian/American, Muslim, Middle Eastern, people of color and disabled communities." Gilad Atzmon, is a British Jazz artist and author. Gilad was born in Israel in 1963 and trained at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem (Composition and Jazz). Gilad writes on political matters, social issues,  Jewish identity and culture. He will be in Portland for a jazz concert May 14th and a talk on Truthfulness May 15th. Retired Episcopal priest, Richard Toll, also of Portland, is president of the Board of Trustees of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). Rev. Toll received an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California for his  commitment to justice and peace in the Holy Land.

November 9, 2017 The Bible and Ethics in Christian Life: Race, Class, Gender, and Ecological Justice Panelists: • Dr. Eric Barreto, Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament, Princeton Seminary • Dr. Bruce Birch, dean and professor of biblical theology, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington DC • Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, professor of theological and social ethics, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and the Graduate Theological Seminary (affiliated with Columbia University) • Dr. Peter Paris, Elmer G. Homrighausen Professor of Christian Ethics Emeritus, Princeton Seminary • Dr. Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr ProfessorEmeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary (New York City) Moderator: Dr. Jacqueline Lapsley, associate professor of Old Testament and director of The Center for Theology, Women, and Gender, Princeton Seminary

From our 2017 Leadership Conference. Full title: “Evangelical Truth-telling: The Gospel, Climate Racism, and Luther’s Threefold Moral Anthropology.” Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is Professor of theological and social ethics, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and the Graduate Theological Union

Charles, Matt, and Gregg speak with Paul Fromberg about transformation within a community and how churches can change the world around them. Rev. Paul Fromberg, D. Min. is the Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California. He holds a D.Min. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He is the author most recently of "The Art of Transformation: Three Things Churches Do That Change Everything." It is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Transformation-Things-Churches-Everything/dp/0819233749

Canon Morrison is the Canon for Ecumenical and Community Relations for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. His role involves serving as the Episcopal chaplain to the Arizona legislature. He is also an elected director of the Arizona Faith Network. He previously served as Diocesan Chancellor and Chair of the Canons Committee. Canon Morrison is also a lawyer known for his work in his earlier years as a practitioner, writer, and teacher on natural resources law and environmental ethics. A graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary, he has also served as an officer and/or trustee of three other theological seminaries: Claremont School of Theology in California, Seabury-Western School of Theology in Evanston, IL, and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA. Canon Morrison has served churches in Flagstaff, Chandler, and Tempe. He is married to his wife Elaine. They have two adult daughters.

This week’s conversation is a real treat and with a good friend of mine. My advice is to listen closely. Pay attention as Dave talks about his deep passion for the two-thirds world, why he does what he does and why he thinks that we’re all able to give. He’ll tell you why he’s preoccupied with hope, about opportunities for peace and why gender justice is essential to building a better world.BiographyAs president and chief executive officer of World Vision Canada, Dave Toycen heads the country’s largest humanitarian relief and development agency. In his 26 years as a leader with World Vision Canada – 18 as president – donations have increased and the number of children sponsored through World Vision Canada has risen.Dave has led the agency into significant advocacy and public policy work, with an emphasis on issues that affect children. He has spoken before the World Bank, and has met with heads of state, key global executives and development leaders to discuss the well being of the world’s children.Dave’s career with World Vision internationally has spanned more than 40 years. His recent book, The Power of Generosity (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2004), draws from his experiences and calls readers to become more engaged in the world and to develop a more generous way of life.A Canadian citizen, Toycen holds degrees in philosophy and divinity and has received three honorary doctorates—from Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto, the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California and Wycliffe College in Toronto.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It is time to talk about the church. I am joined by Scott MacDougall who is Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Let me just tell you now that this episode is a nerdy good time. Not only is Scott an actual HBC Deacon but he is the professor of a Deacon of legendary proportions - Aron Klinefelter - and comes on good recommendation. [This is me subtly suggesting if you have had an awesome prof who should be on HBC play theological match maker] MacDougall received his M.A. in theology from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church and his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Fordham University. We discuss his new book More Than Communion and lots of other connected topics. In More Than Communion: Toward an Eschatological Ecclesiology Scott seeks to expand the general ideas of communion ecclesiology (understood broadly), by suggesting they often pay insufficient attention to eschatology, which has deleterious effects on the church's theological imagination of itself and, so, on its practice. The constructive position he advances is developed in conversation with case studies of the ecclesiologies of John Milbank and John Zizioulas, which are analyzed in their eschatological and practical dimensions. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 21, 2015  Grace Cathedral hosted a panel discussion moderated by Darren Main.  Speakers included renown spiritual leaders Pujya Swamiji, Bishop Marc Andrus and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati.   If you enjoy this free recording please consider making a donation the Grace Cathedral Community Preschool    About the Speakers Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati (often called Pujya Swamiji ), is one of India’s most revered and beloved spiritual leaders. He is the President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India, and the founder of the Hindu Jain Temple in Pennsylvania. He is also the founder of numerous humanitarian and environmental organizations, and actively engaged in interfaith work for world peace, eradication of poverty and environmental protection with prominent organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations, the Parliament of Religions and more.Learn More bout Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati Sadhvi Bhagawati SaraswatiFor nearly twenty years American born Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati has lived in the lap of the Himalayas  on the banks of the Ganges River.  Since her arrival in India she has worked tirelessly to promote women’s rights,environmental awareness and an end to poverty.  At her gurus’s ashram she has hosted countless dignitaries including the Dalai Lama and Prince Charles and has spoken before the United Nations and at many other venus around the world.  She is known the world over for her gentle spirit, engaging talks and humanitarian efforts.Listen to Sadhvi's previous talk at Grace CathedralListen to Darren's Interview with Sadhvi The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus is the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. His leadership has focused on key issues related to peace and justice, including immigration reform, climate change, civil rights for LBGT persons, and health care. An example of his local engagement includes co-chairing a community-wide planning process for rebuilding St. Luke’s hospital in San Francisco. Bishop Andrus serves on the boards of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, California Pacific Medical Center, Episcopal Charities, the Episcopal School for Deacons, Episcopal Community Services, and the American Bach Soloists, among other foundations.Learn More about Bishop AndrusListen to Darren's Interview with Bishop Marc Andrus