Podcasts about harvard divinity

Lessons from 'Out of Solitude' by Henri J.M. Nouwen.Henri Nouwen was a Professor of Religion and Theology at Yale University, the University of Notre Dame and Harvard Divinity. He left his academic post to join L' Arche, a community that helps people with disability.Ways to Support:Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ijmakan.substack.com/subscribe?=⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://becomingantifragile.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Art: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ikranrinmakan.com/⁠⁠Get the book: https://amzn.to/4jVNoH7

Lessons from 'Out of Solitude' by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Henri Nouwen was a Professor of Religion and Theology at Yale University, the University of Notre Dame and Harvard Divinity. He left his academic post to join L' Arche, a community that helps people with disability. - Out of Solitude: USA - https://amzn.to/3VXb2tC CA - https://amzn.to/445ig0I The Power of Silence by Robert Cardinal Sarah: USA - https://amzn.to/3vUzfGf CA - https://amzn.to/3W1EO0b Meditation by Marcus Aurelius USA - https://amzn.to/3UhKRN5 CA - https://amzn.to/3QoXJi7 - Social & Website Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ijmakan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ijmakan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://becomingantifragile.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ijmakan.substack.com - 00:00 - Excerpt from ‘Out of Solitude' 05:00 - Fear of the other is the root of all our problems 06:16 - Who is Henri Nouwen? 10:31 - How solitude leads to care 12:00 - Find your lonely place 14:45 - Charity as gratitude vs. Charity for praise 16:40 - Sitting in silence 18:20 - The wise know themself that they don't require affirmations from others 26:34 - Difference between Isolation and Solitude 31:00 - Darkness meditation 32:30 - Tao's story of uselessness and why it's ultimately the most useful 39:00 - What does it mean to be a good friend? 43:15 - To care means to live in the present 50:10 - Challenge

What's it like being a Jewish student at Harvard today? With us to tell their firsthand accounts are Nitsan Machlis, Co-Chair of the Harvard Kennedy School Jewish Caucus, and Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Harvard Divinity school student who is part of a group that sued the university–alleging that they failed to address “severe and pervasive” campus antisemitism.  AJC's State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that 24% of current or recent college students say they felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because they're Jewish. Listen in to hear from Machlis and Kestenbaum on how Harvard's administration has made Jewish students feel unwelcome and unsupported – and what they're doing to fix it. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Nitsan Machlis, Shabbos Kestenbaum Show Notes: Listen – People of the Pod on the Israel-Hamas War: The Fallout from the University Presidents Congressional Hearing: What Does it Mean for Jewish Students? When Antisemites Target Local Businesses: How Communities Are Uniting in Response How A 10/7 Survivor is Confronting Anti-Israel Activists on College Campuses Tal Shimony Survived the Hamas Attack on the Nova Music Festival: Hear Her Story of Courage, Resilience, and Remembrance More Analysis and Resources:   What is Students for Justice in Palestine, the Hamas-supporting Anti-Israel Group Being Banned on College Campuses? Confronting Campus Antisemitism: An Action Plan for University Students AJC Campus Library Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Transcript of Interview with Nitsan Machlis and Shabbos Kestenbaum: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Since the October 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas, it has become increasingly difficult for Jewish students to feel safe on American college campuses. AJC's state of antisemitism and America 2023 report found that 24% of current or recent college students say they felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because they're Jewish. This is even true at one of the world's top Ivy League schools. Some might even say, especially true at Harvard University.  This week, the co-chair of a task force set up by Harvard to combat anti semitism resigned. The second such departure after Rabbi David Wolpe resigned from an anti semitism Advisory Committee. He cited former Harvard President Claudine Gay's congressional testimony and events on campus, which reinforced the idea that he could not make the sort of difference he had hoped. The latest event on campus: a blatantly antisemitic cartoon circulated on Instagram by pro Palestinian student groups.  Here to give us some perspective on the ground are Harvard Divinity student Shabbos Kestenbaum  and head of the Harvard Kennedy School Jewish Caucus, Nitsan Machlis.  Shabbos, Nitsan, welcome to People of the Pod. Nitsan Machlis:   Thank you. Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Thank you. Good to be here. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So as I mentioned on Sunday, Professor Raphaela Sadoon resigned from her role on the University Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Any idea why?  Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Sure. So when President Garber put out that announcement, it was definitely a surprise to many of us. The official reason was she wanted to focus on her administrative and academic responsibilities as a professor at the business school. But we know that that's not true. The very next day, The Harvard Crimson wrote an article detailing from members on the antisemitism Task Force, that she was incredibly frustrated with the slow pace, with the bureaucracy. And more fundamentally, she had asked Harvard to commit themselves to actually applying the recommendations that the taskforce would issue. And Harvard was not willing to do that. And I think that speaks volumes, again, about their priorities and how serious they are about combating antisemitism, that they wouldn't even commit themselves to listening to the advice of people that they themselves appointed.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So what are some of those basic obvious objectives that you think the task force–what are your expectations for this task force? Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Well, my expectations for the task force is nothing. I mean, the first one was so remarkably useless. It was disbanded after, what 40 days. And this one, I'll give it, let's say 100 days tops. But in terms of what I would want to see, and what Jewish students have been asking for for years, is I'll give you an example. When all incoming students come into Harvard, they take mandatory Title Nine training, and it tells them that things like fat phobia, like sizeism, like the wrong gender pronouns are forms of abuse, and they can be disciplinary, if someone were to engage in them.  Why is antisemitism not included in that type of mandatory training? And why is it that we need the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust for Harvard to wake up to that reality? So that's number one.  Number two, we need to see the fair enforcement of the school code of conduct and the fair enforcement of school policies. If you're a student engaged in antisemitism, the way that many of them are at the moment, you will be disciplined in the same way you would be and you have been, because Harvard has a track record of doing this, if you were engaged in racism, or sexism, or homophobia. But why the double standard when it comes to Jews? And then more fundamentally, we need to really restructure and reconsider DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus that have never included Jewish people. Not once. These are just three basic recommendations off the top of my head that we've been saying for so, so long.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   It seems like students and faculty are simply oblivious to just how vulnerable Jewish students are feeling. Case in point the cartoon last week showing a hand marked with a star of David and $1 sign holding nooses around the necks of a black man and an Arab. Can you share with our listeners, what kinds of explanations, apologies or consequences that you've heard about associated with that cartoon?  Nitsan Machlis:   That cartoon was really upsetting on a personal level. I'll share maybe attuned with the general theme here that I personally have never felt threatened on campus. I have friends who have had very bad experiences. I think antisemitism at an institutional level definitely exists.  But I think that cartoon for me was the first time that I really felt like, wow, this is very upsetting. And this is something that could hurt me. I haven't had conversations with students about the cartoon. And I was actually surprised how many students were unaware that that cartoon had, in fact, been circulating.  And many times I found that in conversations I'll have with friends, they will be very upset, but they didn't even know it was happening. So I will hear about this first from my Israeli circles or from my Jewish circles. But many students are really unaware the extent these images are circulating on campus. So I don't know if that directly answers the question of reactions.  But for me, there's been this big question of how do people not know this is happening? And how can I be so upset for several days over this and my classmates are not even aware. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Shabbos you, as you were saying, you're one of six students who has sued the university for not adequately protecting Jewish students. In fact, you personally encountered antisemitism. Can you share that experience with our listeners? Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Sure. So unfortunately, I haven't just encountered it on a one off, but it's been pervasive and it's been consistent. But one particular example that stands out was the very first day of the spring semester here at Harvard. I was walking through Harvard Yard and I noticed that every single poster that called attention to kidnapped Jewish babies was vandalized and not just vandalized, but with horrific horrific antisemitism, saying that Jews are best friends with Jeffrey Epstein, that they're responsible for 9/11.  And in fact, on Kfir Bibas, who's the one year old Jewish child, someone had written his head is still on, where's the evidence? So I, of course, reported that immediately, no action was taken. It was only after CNN and Fox News had covered the story that Harvard retroactively issue a statement.  But anyways, the next morning, I get a unprompted unsolicited email from a current Harvard employee who asked me to meet him in a secluded underpass to debate whether Jews were involved in 9/11. I, of course, reported that.  And then later that night, he posted a video on his social media waving a machete with a picture of my face, saying that he wants to fight and he has some master plan. And as I said, I recorded all of this, I went through all the proper channels, whether it was DEI, whether it was the police, whether it was the Office of Student Life. To this day, February 27, he is still employed at Harvard. In fact, a friend of mine told me he saw him walking through Harvard Yard just a couple of days ago. It is inconceivable that any other minority group would be treated the way that Harvard treats its Jewish student body. And that's what makes this lawsuit, unfortunately, so necessary. Manya Brachear Pashman:   That sounds absolutely horrifying and terrifying for you. I'm so sorry that you're having to deal with that. And that's on social media. Have you also encountered people on campus? Have you had personal encounters as well? Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, I'll just tell you the most recent incident that happened. There is a forum for Harvard students, specifically Harvard Divinity School students, and it's really just become a forum in the last couple of months to bash the Jewish state—It's genocidal, it's apartheid. And someone had posted a couple of days ago that they were going to organize an event demanding lawmakers pass a ceasefire resolution.  So I responded and this is the first time I was really involved in this forum for months, I responded saying wouldn't it make more sense to ask Hamas to release all the Jewish babies that they kidnapped and to surrender and end the war and I was kicked out of the forum.  So there was not space for mainstream Jewish viewpoints unless that Jewish viewpoint is anti-Zionist. Harvard does not value freedom of speech, the free exchange of ideas or intellectual discourse. what it values is a one narrative, one ideology, and the moment you are counter to that you are ostracized, you are bullied and you're isolated. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Nitsan, have you encountered the same resistance to your point of view? Have you been reluctant to share that you're Jewish or Israeli? Nitsan Machlis: I have felt for the first time, uncomfortable with how I share my identity. And whenever I speak in class, either on Israel or my Jewish identity, I think twice about it. And I have friends who have had very difficult experiences in classrooms and have really been caught off guard, that constant feeling that you have to be on guard because you don't know what will be said and how he will reply to it. It's very exhausting.  But again, what I want to emphasize here is that this isn't the case for everyone. On a personal level, I haven't felt unsafe on a day to day basis, and I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with my peers in the classroom. At the same time, there's a lot of very upsetting behavior that's happening, like the cartoon we just discussed. But the reason I think it's important to also discuss these stories is because I think that that feeling of isolation can be very dangerous.  So we need to separate fighting against all the awful things that are happening, but also listening to students who have had positive experiences with their peers who have stepped forward and supported them in this time. I think both from an Israeli and a Jewish perspective, the worst thing that can happen is for us to feel completely isolated from our surroundings. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Nitsan, you are not part of this lawsuit. You have not been targeted in the same way. How are you trying to make a difference and change the climate there?   Nitsan Machlis: I will say that my approach has been to first of all work with the administration. And I very much believe in this. I think there is value to challenging the institution from the outside, especially when they have disappointed us on so many levels. But as the chair of the Jewish caucus in the Harvard Kennedy School, we have tried with the other co chairs, to work together with administration and specifically with DEI offices. For me this is one of the most important asks to have DEI offices in Harvard and another campuses understand that religious identities and national identities are part of any policy of inclusivity.  And personally, I've seen results here, I think there is a greater understanding that these offices should cater to the needs of Jewish students. And I think this is institutionally one of the most important places that we can make things better for students in the long term, and shift the mindset of how administration deals with different identities within the school.  But this really requires an approach of being willing to work together with administration, even when they have disappointed us. To make the meetings, to speak to the deans, and to come with lists of of demands from our students. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You mentioned working with University officials and leaders who run the DEI programs, there on campus. And I know that there has also been a task force formed to address anti Muslim and anti Arab bias. And both that group and the antisemitism Task Force are being advised by the university's chief diversity and inclusion officer. Until now, have the DEI efforts adequately included Jewish students, or let me just say, have they addressed Jewish students' needs at all? Nitsan Machlis:   So pre October 7, not at all, at all. And I found that really shocking, even from having orientation presentations, where we speak about all the different identities in school, and no religious identities would be there. And I think that we had a similar issue with Muslim students in the school who also felt like their religious identity is not something they felt comfortable talking about, or expressing or asking for accommodations.  And in that sense, I think we should be building bridges with these kinds of student groups and working together because this is a dual issue. So we definitely did not see any of that pre-October 7. And a lot of our work with the DEI Deans has been making them aware that this is part of their toolkit and part of what they should be working on on campus.  And some of it is really basic stuff like celebrating Jewish holidays when we're celebrating different holidays. So giving that a space on campus, having people know that a lot of the student population are celebrating a holiday right now, building courses around antisemitism, talking about antisemitism in racism classes, clarifying who we can report antisemitism to on campus.  So these are small milestones. But I think what's important here is the mindset change. And understanding that if we want to talk about being inclusive, then we should be talking about religious identities, too. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Shabbos, there's the strategy of working from within, and there's this strategy of putting pressure from the outside. Do you feel like you kind of maximized used up any energy you had to try to work from within? Or is that in your experience, just not a successful strategy? And how did you decide to put the pressure on from the outside in the form of this lawsuit?  Shabbos Kestenbaum:   My mindset from day one was let's work with the administration, let's work from the inside. And in fact, when I was working with my legal team to draft this lawsuit, which took about three months, I was quite emphatic, and quite clear that should things change, I would be willing to drop the lawsuit in a heartbeat.  You know, I don't want to do this. And I don't want to go to DC. And I don't want to appear on different conferences, telling strangers how bad antisemitism is at Harvard. I want to learn. that's why I came to Harvard. But much like they say about Palestinian leadership, they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.  The Harvard faculty, the Harvard administration are the exact same way. They failed time and time again, not only did they fail, but they made the situation untenable, they made the situation so much worse.  So my attitude in the past month or so has been these things are not amenable, we cannot change it. We have to dismantle it, we have to put pressure, outside pressure. Manya Brachear Pashman:   What are some of the mistakes that you're seeing in this battle to confront antisemitism? Nitsan Machlis:  The whole conversation on anti-Zionism being critical of Israel and antisemitism is a very, very, very complicated conversation. There are no easy answers. I wish I had easy answers. And we shouldn't be having a complicated conversation about it, we should not be having an easy answer to every single case of criticizing Israel is necessarily antisemitic. And when we do that, unfortunately, people take us less seriously.  Again, it's very complicated conversation. And I think very much of anti semitism is tied to anti-Zionism. And these things are not separate at all. I think we need to be very careful with how we fight antisemitism on campuses. And I think the listeners of this podcast will hopefully be willing to understand that climate is very, very, very complicated.  I'm very critical of Israel's policies, I was involved in a lot of political activism work, I'm also a Zionist, and I'm a proud Israeli and I will return to Israel to work within the Israeli political system.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Have you taken precautions to stay safe? Have you changed any of your behavior?  Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Yeah. So you know, going back to this example of the current Harvard employee who taunted me with a machete, I had private armed security outside my house for three days, I had armed security follow me to synagogue on Friday night, you know, my parents are always calling and checking in on me, they very much want me to leave Cambridge and to come back home.  And in the lawsuit, we also talked about how there was one instance at Widener library, which is really the heart and soul of Harvard University, where during finals week of the fall semester, there were hundreds of students chanting, globalize the Intifada, Palestine will be Arab, from the river to the sea. And Widener library's where I like to go. It's where I'm entitled to go as a Harvard student.  And I, of course, made sure not to, not even go into Widener library, but to change my regular route. So I wouldn't even have to walk across these people.  Because we already know as we saw in the week after October 7, these protests can get violent, they do get violent, you know, there was an incident of a physical altercation at the business school. So what has Harvard done about it? The answer is nothing.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I'm just curious if your sense is that this climate already existed on campus, and October 7, that just intensified it, or are we just now paying attention to something that has long been there?  Shabbos Kestenbaum:   That's a great question. Well, before October 7, just as one anecdote, my first semester as a Harvard student, actually my first month, with the Palestine Solidarity committee invited Mohamed El Kurd to speak, this was his second time coming to campus. This is someone who said that Jews eat the organs of Palestinians. This is someone who says that the Israeli occupying forces have adopted the ways of Nazi Germany.  And this is also someone that literally last night lamented on Twitter, that it's such a shame that we can't hijack planes to pursue our cause. I mean, calling him a terrorist sympathizer puts it mildly.  Harvard has a strong track record, rightly or wrongly, but a strong track record of regulating speech that they find to be harmful to students. And they have a track record of rescinding invitations and even acceptances to students and to speakers in the name of promoting peace and safety for its students. The obvious and only exception is when it comes to Jews.  We went to the administration, we said this is someone who supports violence against Jewish people in the name of Palestinian resistance. And the answers we got were shrugs on the shoulder, and well, there's nothing we can do about it. The hypocrisy and the double standard is so breathtaking, is so hurtful, is so demeaning. This was my first month at Harvard.  So to say that this suddenly appeared out of nowhere, really does not encapsulate the pervasive problem of antisemitism at Harvard. And it also encapsulates how Harvard has enabled and in some cases, promoted this type of discourse and behavior amongst students and faculty.  Manya Brachear Pashman: Nitsan, you are a graduate student at Harvard's Kennedy School of public policy and government. Your classmates are learning how to navigate the complexities of policy negotiations and international diplomacy.  Do the conversations there tend to be elevated compared to the general campus discourse?  Nitsan Machlis:   I think this is exactly the vacuum that I've been feeling on campus. It took a very long time to be having serious policy conversations about this topic. And this is at the top policy school in the world. So if we're not having policy conversations on a foreign policy issue, the war in Israel and Gaza, then the people who are going to enter that vacuum are going to be bad actors and are going to be extremist activists sometimes, and their voices will be heard to a disproportional extent.  Now, I'm not saying these conversations aren't happening at all, because eventually people stepped up and some of my more impressive professors were brave enough to step up into that space. But they've been lone actors in a system that as a whole has not led discourse of this kind. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In other words, they're lone actors. There's not a community, there's not a mass, critical mass that is following in their footsteps. There really are just lone voices. Nitsan Machlis:   As students, we've had to push for this. And I think it isn't my role as a student to be asking a policy school to teach me policy. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You're not just Jewish, you're also Israeli. Does that help or hinder your role and your ability to carry on these conversations? I mean, you just said you're very critical of Israeli policies. To me I think that would help right in, in fostering conversations and teaching people that, you know, here are, these are policy conversations. Nitsan Machlis:   It's a very difficult point. And I think many times, my Israeli identity goes before me and colors anything I say, no matter what my thoughts are on the government, no matter what my thoughts are on Israeli politics. And that's very upsetting. And that's something that many Israeli students have felt on campus. I also think that we're learning how to have these conversations. And we're learning how to be strategic about the people we speak to, and the way we raise awareness.  I do my best not to give attention to the extreme people, but to work with moderates. And I think most students at the end of the day are a silent majority, who either are unaware of antisemitism happening on campus or are scared to speak up.  And working with them can be much more effective, in my opinion, than working with people who are shouting the loudest on the edges of the spectrum. And I can speak for the Israeli community at the Harvard Kennedy School, but that's something we've worked on together as a community, how do we target the majority, and not the people who are making us most upset and who gets the headlines, who are speaking on the margins of the campus discourse?  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Being from Israel I imagine it was incredibly difficult to watch abroad, what was happening in your home country? Do you have family or friends who were directly affected on October 7? Nitsan Machlis:   My brother had just finished his military service. He's an officer, he had actually come to the States for a visit and to travel after his service a week before October 7. And he got on a plane on October 8, and had been in Gaza for around three months since.  And this is actually a crazy story. But in one of the only times that he left Gaza during that time, he called me up and he said Nitsan, what's happening in Harvard. And I found that shocking, that someone who was actually at the frontlines and actually in a war and actually endangering their own life, was asking me what's happening on a campus on the other side of the world. And it's crazy, it really is.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   It speaks to the effect, the emotional impact on the Jewish community at large around the world, what's happening at such a major college campus. I'm also curious what the reaction on campus has been to you having a brother who's serving on the front lines? Nitsan Machlis:   That's a good question. And to be honest, that's something I don't feel comfortable sharing with most people in school. And that's a problem. There are people who know and there are people who have been very supportive. But there are many people who I've been concerned, what will they think of me? What will they think of my family? And it's a very difficult environment to navigate. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I'm sure it is. That would be taxing for any college student whose family is fighting in a war anywhere in the world. Not just with this added element. Nitsan, I certainly will keep your family in my prayers.  Nitsan, Shabbos: thank you both for sharing your difficult but different experiences on Harvard's campus. Nitsan Machlis:   Thank you.  Shabbos Kestenbaum:   Thank you for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Julie Fishman Rayman, AJC's, managing director of policy and political affairs on the efforts in Congress to stand in solidarity with Israeli victims of Hamas' sexual violence and what you can do to make sure the plight of Israeli women is heard.

This is one of our best podcast episodes so far, and when you listen you'll see why. Today's guest is Dr. Elijah Nicholas and he is the epitome of Black Trans excellence! He is an author, actor, international Trans advocate, and retired senior military officer. We discuss the term gender dysphoria and why we don't use it, the want and willingness to empower Black men, being born the way you were so that you can walk in your purpose, and so much more. This episode of Dem Bois Podcast really highlights the reason behind Dem Bois Inc., and I can't wait for you to hear it.We talk:Elijah's transition journey - 8:33Reproductive justice think-tank - 17:40How you can join 100 Black Trans Men - 24:32Elijah's purpose and passion - 31:56His response to Ne-yo's comments on gender - 40:28His acting career - 51:27Click here for transcript!Episode References:Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo FreireRead more about our guest in his bio below:Dr. Elijah Nicholas, veteran senior military officer and 12-time published author, holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, three Master's degrees, a Bachelor of Science, and a Certificate from Harvard Divinity's Executive Education program. He considers himself to be a Lifelong Learner.Dr. Elijah is an award winning, , and internationally known, Trans Advocate, Transgender-Inclusive Family & Children's Book Author, and Film Actor, Director and Producer.Dr. Elijah is currently Co-Producing the short film MISUNDERSTOOD where he highlights how Conscious Love and Compassion outweigh any biases or beliefs we may have on the personal level.Dr. Elijah is the Founder of 100 Black Trans Men, Inc; a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower, equip, and elevate the voices, visibility, and representation of Black Transgender Men. Dr. Elijah is the recipient of the 2021 Trans Life Award - "Pioneer of Inspiration."Dr. Elijah Nicholas can be seen on TV One as a recurring guest Journalist, The Steve Harvey Show, and The Book of Sean on Fox Soul. When Dr. Elijah isn't speaking, advocating, writing, or acting, you can find him spending time with his lovely Boxer king Duke and his busy Bully Queen Tillie where he lives in Atlanta, GA.http://www.100blacktransmen.comwww.instagram.com/drelijahnicholashttps://www.linkedin.com/in/drelijahnicholasAre you enjoying the Dem Bois Podcast? Donate today to help support the cost of production and the honorarium we pay our guests for their time. All donations are tax-deductible. Click here! Donate to support our 2023 Gender Affirming Surgery Grant Fund here!

Jaxon Washburn returns to Mormon Book Reviews to update listeners about his time pursuing a masters program at Harvard Divinity School. He and Steve discuss Jaxon's experience with coming out/identifying as bisexual and how that relates to his LDS faith and practice. Jaxon shares about some of the opportunities he's had for interreligious dialogue while at divinity school, including reading through the Book of Mormon together with one of his Evangelical peers there. Later, Jaxon provides exciting coverage of the “religious road trip” he embarked on during the summer of 2022 where he visited dozens of religious and historical sites significant to the Restoration and beyond. Whether meeting with Buddhists, Russian Orthodox Old Believers, or Mormon fundamentalists, Jaxon's trip reflected his strong commitment to promoting interreligious understanding and pluralism. He reflects on the emotional, physical, and spiritual dimensions of the trip, some of the misadventures he experienced on the road, and his plans for after graduation.

Maxine Hanks lectures and writes on history, women's studies and theology in Mormon studies and Christian liturgy. She did her bachelor's in Gender Studies at the University of Utah, and her masters work in History at Arizona State University, with additional graduate work in theology and religious studies at Harvard Divinity and other schools. She was aRead More » The post Dialogue Gospel Study #63 w/Maxine Hanks first appeared on The Dialogue Journal.

If you identify as “spiritual but not religious,” you are not alone. Do you know there's now an acronym for that?  It's called S.B.N.R., and it's a new buzzword that signals a growing trendIn this audio excerpt from the 2022 Symposium on Death and Bereavement Studies, Dr. Terri Daniel explains what it means to be “Spiritual But Not Religious." As more and more Americans relinquish specific religious identities , the movement has earned its own acronym… SBNR. Along with the designation of SBNR, two additional categories have emerged known as “none” (no particular religious affiliation) and ”done” (no longer affiliated). The rise of “Nones, Dones and SBNRs” (N/D/SBNR) in America's spiritual landscape is a source of heated debate in many theological circles, and as one might expect, opinions are often divided along party lines. Conventional religious communities think it's unacceptable to “cherry pick” spiritual ideas and cobble together a personal theology.  But on the other side of the aisle, progressive thinkers can't imagine relating to the divine any other way. As an example of two vastly different views from noted theologians, Harvard Divinity professor Harvey Cox  observes that “people are drawn more to the experiential than to the doctrinal elements of religion.”[1]  And in stark contrast, UCC minister Rev. Lillian Daniel disdainfully refers to SBNR theology as a “cheap god of self-satisfaction.” [2] Read more here: https://deathgriefandbelief.com/spiritual-but-not-religious/Learn about our CONFERENCE ON DEATH, GRIEF AND BELIEF: http:www.deathgriefandbelief.com

We will have 16 episodes about Compassion from the Harvard Divinity school. We are diving into the Buddhist tradition of compassion and suffering, as well as the current research and their theories. Marrying 2500 years of tradition and decades of research, we will walk away with a deeper understanding that we can use to be more compassionate in actions and thoughts. www.lifechangingprinciples.com

Happy New Year Sweet Souls! The podcast is on holiday break until January 16, 2022 and we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes in the podcast library! Re-Release: I'm delighted this week to have Christopher Moore as my guest. Chris is an international novelist and New York Times bestselling author. I asked Chris to come to the show to talk about his influential book "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christs' Childhood Pal." After my departure from the Catholic Church I picked up this humorous tale of Jesus' gap years and it helped heal me in a way I never knew a fiction book could do. It also affirmed my own path with destiny. Chris shares how this book came to be, the journey he took Joshua on and why it's connected with so many people. He's also shares a story of how his book was sent to the Pope and how it's been taught at Harvard Divinity school and many others!  Follow Christopher on Twitter @TheAuthorGuy Podcast Production: Written, directed and edited by Krista Xiomara Produced by LightCasting Original Music by Mr. Pixie Follow this podcast on Instagram @ianwpodcast

Dune. The Matrix. Blade Runner. Star Wars. We know that fantasy and sci-fi use religion, but do they change actual religion in the process? Do they impact how we believe, what we believe, and even the nature of belief itself? Today we're speaking with HDS Professor Charles Stang, who teaches the binge-worthy course, “Aliens, Artificial Intelligence, and Apocalypse: Ancient Mythology and Contemporary Film." We investigate why fantasy and sci-fi use religious elements in storytelling and even create full religions of their own. Do they appropriate or appreciate, respect or denigrate?

Welcome back to The Gap Year Podcast!Today, Debbie Weil brings author, entrepreneur, and renowned business thinker Dorie Clark on the show, a perfect way to kick off Season 4.Dorie is a 42-year-old business consultant whose life and work resonate strongly with Debbie.  She was a Philosophy major in college, graduated from Harvard Divinity school, worked as a journalist (something Debbie did for two decades) and was a presidential campaign spokesperson. Then, in a very intentional way, over a period of eleven years, she became a highly respected business author and speaker. Dorie is on the Thinkers50 list, the top 50 business thinkers in the world, and has just published her fourth book: THE LONG GAME: HOW TO BE A LONG-TERM THINKER IN A SHORT-TERM WORLD. She now teaches at Duke and Columbia's business schools and consults with clients like Google and Microsoft and the World Bank.But - and this is the part that applies to midlife reinvention - it took repeated rejection along the way for her to get to where she is today. She tells us those stories and more in THE LONG GAME. Her new book is aimed at a mid-career business audience but Debbie was struck over and over, as she read it, how Dorie's approach applies to life and work after 60 or 65 or 70.Dorie is also a documentary filmmaker, a Broadway investor, and a trained musical theatre lyricist and composer.She writes in THE LONG GAME about creating white space in your calendar, meaning give yourself unstructured time to think “differently” and to explore and experiment. She also talks about optimizing for meaning (instead of for money, usually the default) and optimizing for interesting: follow your curiosity even if you don't know exactly where that will take you. Wow, she could be writing a script for a grown-up gap year and for optimizing a post-career, non-retired chapter of life - the focus of this podcast.Needless to say, Dorie is also a huge proponent of trying new things even if they are way outside your current area of expertise.This is a great conversation full of useful nuggets about how to think long-term and why that matters. Mentioned in this episode or useful:Dorie's bioThe Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark (‎ Harvard Business Review Press 2021)The Long Game Self-AssessmentThinkers50Dorie's other books: Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand OutDorie's most popular course: Recognized ExpertMarshall Goldsmith and his booksSam Horn's Year by the Water  Note from DebbieIf you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. It takes less than two minutes and it really makes a difference. It makes me feel loved and it also attracts new listeners.Subscribe to my newsletter and get my free writing guide: https://bitly.com/debbie-free-guide.Connect with me:Twitter: @debbieweilInstagram: @debbieweilFacebook: @debbieweilLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/debbieweilBlog: Gap Year After SixtyEmail: thegapyearpodcast@gmail.com- Debbie We Are Looking For a SponsorIf you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil. Media PartnersNext For MeEncore.orgMEA Support this podcast:Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: it will help us find a sponsor! If you are interested, contact Debbie WeilSubscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify Credits:Host: Debbie WeilProducer: Far Out MediaPodcast websiteMusic: Lakeside Path by Duck LakePhoto credit: Mark Thompson

Aaron Dante sits down with Breai Mason Campbell for a riveting conversation. We talk about how she grew up in Baltimore, riding the local MTA bus around the city.  How she went to college at Temple University and did her graduate school at Harvard Divinity. We discuss how she wrote an article "Seeing in the Dark for  Pipe Wrench Magazine. How writing for Pipe Wrench Magazine was so amazing and fulfilling. Pipe Wrench Magazine she says is like having a dinner party with friends reading your article. Sit back relax and enjoy this amazing episode. Happy Juneteenth this week coming up   https://pipewrenchmag.com Contributors Ivan Martin, Laurel, Charmyra E. Fleming   www.nopixafterdark.com Sponsors: Zeke's Coffee  www.zekescoffee.com                    Pipe Wrench Mag: www.pipewrenchmag.com                                Indu Wellness  www.induwellness.com                                     Maggies Farm  www.maggiesfarm.com                                 FoundStudio Shop  www.foundstudioshop.com                                 Charm Craft City Mafia  www.charmcitycraftmafia.com               Siena Leigh https://www.sienaleigh.com                Fishnet.     www.eatfishnet.com                RYKMS:      https://www.facebook.com/RYMKSBaltimore/    

When Kristen Recommended The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile, I grabbed onto the title. Ritual was exactly what I was missing in my pandemic life. Sure, I was doing a lot of the same things each day, but I wasn't doing them with the attention, intention and repetition that make a ritual. And Kristen has never pointed me towards a book that wasn't worth my time. What I didn't realize before I was pouring over the pages of ter Kuile's book (in a nightly bath/book ritual, thank you very much) was how much his writing style would make me want to be his friend. He's delightful on the page, and, as you'll hear on this week's episode (and if you've listened to him on podcasts Harry Potter and the Sacred Text or The Real Question, you already know this), he's even more delightful if you have the chance to speak with him. But beyond being our new best friend, he's dedicated his professional life to rituals and community as a Harvard Divinity fellow (and so much more). As ter Kuile puts it, he gets to think about community and religion all the time as a job and how people can live lives of meaning, connection and purpose. But for the sake of understanding exactly how cool he is, I've taken the liberty of summarizing: Education: Masters of Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard University - he's a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School. Author: The Power of Ritual (HarperOne), co-authored “How We Gather” - his work has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. Podcast host: co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, co-host of The Real Question. Founder: co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab - a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming. Co-founded Campaign Bootcamp and the UK Youth Climate Coalition, both training and mobilizing young activists. But how he got there is the most interesting part. He was raised without a religious background, but was really interested in bringing the cultural and community lens to secular culture. That's how he - a human who grew up by all accounts as an atheist - decided to go to divinity school. In this episode he recounts feeling rejected by religion as a gay teenager and so he "rejected it right back." That's why he says, most of his research is focused not on the beliefs of religion, but on the practices. And after years of that work, he's found that each of those practices gives a home for meaning and helps him pay attention to the things that matter most. Listen to the full episode for reflections on writing a book and where you'll see ter Kuile once he achieves his future goal (hint: TV). To say that Kristen and I loved interviewing Casper ter Kuile together is a super understatement. If you love this episode as much as we do, subscribe to the #WeGotGoals podcast wherever you like to listen to podcasts, including on Apple and Spotify (and leave us a rating while you’re at it, please). Resources: How We Gather: a paper ter Kuile co-authored that examined where unaffiliated millennials were gathering (spoiler: it's a lot of fitness communities) The Power of Ritual: This is Casper's book that we absolutely recommend buying or checking out from your local library Harry Potter and the Sacred Text: this is the podcast that he was involved in producing for more than five years (and just semi-retired from) The Real Question: from the same team that brought you Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, every episode of this podcast has made me cry (in a good way, but I also have a lot of feelings) Follow Casper ter Kuile on Instagram

Helaman 1-6; August 23: Daniel Becerra Daniel Becerra is an assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and a scholar of early Christianity. He holds secondary specialties in New Testament and in Greco-Roman philosophy. He received a PhD in religion (early Christianity) and an MA in religious studies from Duke University, a MTS in New Testament/early Christianity from Harvard Divinity Continue Reading »

If you're passionate about how the world builds meaningful communities, you likely know Casper ter Kuile. After an early career in grassroots climate organizing, Casper earned masters degrees in Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard. While there, he started a reading community around the Harry Potter texts, that has grown to more than 70 chapters and millions of podcast listeners around the world. Casper is also co-author of the How We Gather report, a cultural map of Millennial communities, and now a brand new book: The Power of Ritual, which is available for pre-order and will publish on June 23, 2020. In this episode, we go deep on two things Casper knows a lot about: rituals and communal reading. As Casper says, “ritual makes things real,” taking what’s invisible and making it visible, tangible to us. Casper has honed the craft of cultivating a community’s identity through ritual. Established rituals have the power to connect new community members to others who came before them. That will help your community stick together as it evolves. Hear more from other community leaders about stage 2 in getting your people together,

Rob is joined today by Dr. David N. Hempton, the dean of the Harvard Divinity School. David is an award-winning author and a social historian, with special interests in religious and political culture, secularization and religion, as well as identity and conflict. From Belfast, Northern Ireland, David began to dive deep into his interests while […]

I'm delighted this week to have Christopher Moore as my guest. Chris is an international novelist and New York Times bestselling author. I asked Chris to come to the show to talk about his influential book "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christs' Childhood Pal." After my departure from the Catholic Church I picked up this humorous tale of Jesus' gap years and it helped heal me in a way I never knew a fiction book could do. It also affirmed my own path with destiny. Chris shares how this book came to be, the journey he took Joshua on and why it's connected with so many people. He's also shares a story of how his book was sent to the Pope and how it's been taught at Harvard Divinity school and many others!  Follow this podcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ianwpodcast To find out more about Chris head over to his website or follow him on Facebook and Twitter @TheAuthorGuy Podcast Music by: Mr. Pixie Podcast Art by: Arte y Alma Episode Sponsors: TheCrossPods & Saged 

Today, Harvard Divinity scholar Maxine Meilleur joined us to talk about Spiritualism and being a Medium as well as her wonderful books, Great Moments in Mediumship Vol 1,2, 3 What Great Mediums Have Taught Us About Spirit Guides, What Great Mediums Have Taught Us About Spiritual Healing, What is Spiritualism? and Grounds in your Coffee: An Idiot's Guide to Coffee Tasseography. “As a Masters of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School, I am the first Spiritualist and working medium at Harvard since they expelled Frederick Willis in 1857. At the Divinity School, I receive training in the Arts of Ministry which I blend into my spiritual consultations and teaching. I offer myself as a compassionate presence in your time of need or distress, but unlike traditional Ministers, I give you advice, courses of action, and strategies so you can proceed with upliftment, empowerment, and insight.  My studies at Harvard Divinity School included courses on Spiritual Care and Counselling, Mindfulness, Contemplative Care, Ministerial Studies, Jewish Mysticism, and Mystical Theology. My senior paper will be titled "Mediumship as Ministry." In addition, I am pursing a Religious Studies and Education Certificate from Harvard University and a Certificate in Parapsychology from the Rhine Center at Duke University.”

Download In this special interview, Joe and Kyle sit down with Theologian, John B. Cobb Jr., referred to as the Godfather of American Theology. They recorded with John at the conference they all attended in California, on how exceptional experience can help save the world. They cover a range of topics inspired from Alfred Whitehead’s teachings and the promising applications of Whitehead’s thoughts in the area of ecological civilization and environmental ethics pioneered by John Cobb Jr. 3 Key Points: Process thinking argues that reality consists of processes rather than material objects, and that thinking this way is similar to the teachings of a psychedelic experience. It is hoped for and believed that exceptional experiences can help save the world. Whitehead's process philosophy argues that there is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us. Certain curriculum, education systems and Universities are not helping us to see the value of our world. A full systems change is needed and hopefully psychedelics, exceptional experiences and process thinking can help with that. Support the show Patreon Leave us a review on iTunes Share us with your friends – favorite podcast, etc Join our Facebook group - Psychedelics Today group – Find the others and create community. Navigating Psychedelics Trip Journal                                               Integration Workbook             Show Notes Process Thought Alfred North Whitehead The senses heighten connection, but we shouldn't rely only senses for our experiences The label that can we give to the 'most fundamental relationship' is any 'happening' What's happening when we listen to music? We aren't hearing one tone after another tone, we are hearing the music as a whole piece Whitehead calls the fundamental relationship of inclusion, a 'prehension' How one moment leads into another moment If the world is made up of prehensions, then in any given moment, what is prehended? The boundary between conscious and unconscious experience is fuzzy. Whitehead calls the relatedness to the past, physical prehensions. But we also prehend, potentialities. It is being experienced as potential not as actual. Whitehead thinks this is present in very elementary matters. Whitehead says that waves of vibration are a very large part of the world we live in Whitehead believes that without some type of variation from moment to moment, that nothing really happens He wrote a lot on relativity and very little about quantum David Bohm He was very process oriented He wanted to change our language into using words that mean something is ‘happening’ versus using nouns that say that something ‘is’ “If you only have potentiality and too little grounded in actuality, you better be careful. If you don't have the potentiality, then you live in a deterministic universe” - John “Does Whitehead relate the potentialities to his ideas about intuition?” Intuition can be of both pure potentials and about other people A lot of paranormal experiences are not supernatural Just because someone has seen something or done something, it doesn't mean that it's true. There is plenty of illusion. [caption id="attachment_3637" align="alignleft" width="300"] T-shirts available on our store[/caption] Complex Societies An important feature of Whitehead is to distinguish complex society Panexperientialism is ‘the view that if evolution of humans goes all the way down to subatomic particles, then human ‘experience’ by deduction must have originated at the subatomic level, which implies that not just humans but individual cells, individual molecules, individual atoms, and even individual subatomic particles, such as photons or electrons, incorporate a capacity for ‘feeling’ or degree of subjective inferiority.' There might be in-deterministic qualities in individual entities From a Whiteheadian point of view, contemporary physics would be almost universally valid if the entire world were made up entirely of physical feelings, feelings of actual occasions, ‘what is’. “What would be opposed to physical feelings?” Conceptual feelings, feelings of potentials He thinks there are feelings of potential in every actual occasion “The attempt to make standard physics apply to the quantum world are a total failure.” -John “The attempt to make standard physics apply to the human experience is the task of the Neuroscientists. They think that the subjective experience has a causal role to play in the world.” -John It's more committed to metaphysics than it is to empirical study “Do you think what's going on in the mind, say neurotransmitters or electrical activity firing, that is creating this reality, or the experience, is having an influence on the neurochemistry?” John says that the psyche plays a role Scientists who are busy engineering genetic change, tell us purpose plays no role in genetic change “What do you mean by no purpose in genetic change?” Purpose cannot have a causal effect in the Cartesian world They say ‘I know that my purposes are completely the result of mechanical relations between my neurons’ “Could you elaborate on the definition of actual occasions?” The psyche is a consistent series of actual occasions Its what kinds of things are in and of themselves, ‘actual’ It's in the distinction of things that can be divided up into other entities An actual occasion cannot be divisible into other actual occasions Like an atom, it is divisible, but dividing it does not keep it from actually existing For Whitehead, an actual occasion is the basic unit of actuality Its an alternative to a ‘substance’ way of viewing When we look at other living beings, animals with brains and such, we assume they have a psychic life John thinks that plants have some kind of unified experience Some people have a feeling about a tree, that it's not just a bunch of cells interacting “It's hard for me to think that a stone is an experiencing entity, I think the molecules though are.” - John “I’m sure that cells are influenced by the emotions of people” -John Having a particular conceptuality does not define how things are going to map out “This world view seems very psychedelic.” Among quantum physicists, Whitehead’s name is known and appreciated. It may mean that physics as a whole might adopt an organic model than just mechanistic one The common sense in this is that our knowledge of each other is not just in visual and auditory clues, but people have been told so long that it is “What else would it be informed by if not by visual and auditory cues?” Just by our immediate experience of each other If you go into a room, there is an immediate climate there. You can tell when you walk into a room full of angry people. Ivan Illich's Book on Deschooling Society (Open Forum S) “What would be your vision of an education system if its not working right now?” The one that Matthew Segal teaches in CIIS are examples of a different education system The Great Books program needs revision. It's only been the great western books. John hopes they have incorporated great books from other parts of the world There are parts of different educational systems that are better than what we have “If I had an opportunity to create a school, it would be a school that teaches ecological civilization because a healthy human survival is a goal that ought not to be regarded as an eccentric and marginal one, but regarded as what all we human beings ought to be getting behind collectively, together. And if you have a school for that, the curriculum would be quite varied, but the production and consumption and sharing of food should be a very central part of it.” -John Capitalism has ignored much of reality John says creating a curriculum is not his role, his role is deconstruction because he thinks what is going on now is absurd “Enlightenment is the worst curse of humanity, we have been enlightened into not believing all kinds of things. The disappearance of subject from the world of actuality. If that's enlightenment, then I don't want to be enlightened.” - John Language John thinks we need a lot of reflection on the language we use The questions that are the most important are the ones rarely asked “One of my favorite parts of Whitehead is the reframing of language, our words carry inertia that we are not aware of” - Joe Whitehead Word Book: A Glossary with Alphabetical Index to Technical Terms in Process and Reality (Toward Ecological Civilzation) (Volume 8) The reason there are 36 universities for process studies and 0 in the United States, is because in the US, process isn't as fundamental as substance Kyle Shares his Near Death Experience Kyle got in a snowboarding accident, ruptured his spleen and lost about 5 pints of blood It became mystical when he was in the MRI machine and he was standing on one side of the room with the doctors and in his body at the same time There was an orb of light, and an external voice or ‘experience’ that said “you're going home, back to the stars where you came from, this is just a transition, the more you relax into it, the easier it will be.” Kyle describes it as a blissful experience, but he had a hard time integrating it back into his life. Whitehead has done a remarkable job to describe process, and exceptional experience and putting a language to it Joe says that Whitehead’s work has helped put the psychedelic experience into words “Do you recall the first time you heard something that made you interested in the impact of psychedelics?” Lenny Gibson was probably one of the first people that opened his eyes to the positive uses “Today, it would be remarkable if 10% of the world's population survived without civilization” -John He is confident that there are good things that come from psychedelics He says Whitehead has made him understand the changes that might make us behave in responsible ways, so he doesn't feel the necessity of having a psychedelic experiences “What kind of changes?” We have to change from our substance thinking to process thinking We need to shift from thinking that every individual is self-contained, we are all products of our relationships with each other. In the Whiteheadian view, any individual is, the many becoming one. To be an individual is being a part of everything. Links Website Process Theology: An Introductory Exposition Other books by John Cobb Jr. A Christian Natural Theology, Second Edition: Based on the Thought of Alfred North Whitehead Jesus' Abba: The God Who Has Not Failed Grace & Responsibility: A Wesleyan Theology for Today For Our Common Home: Process-Relational Responses to Laudato Si' About John B. Cobb Jr. John B. Cobb, Jr., Ph.D, is a founding co-director of the Center for Process Studies and Process & Faith. He has held many positions, such as Ingraham Professor of Theology at the School of Theology at Claremont, Avery Professor at the Claremont Graduate School, Fullbright Professor at the University of Mainz, Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt, Harvard Divinity, Chicago Divinity Schools. His writings include: Christ in a Pluralistic Age; God and the World; For the Common Good. Co-winner of Grawemeyer Award of Ideas Improving World Order.

Chris Krimitsos is an event producer, speaker and expert communicator who's developed a passion for building community. Listen to Ep47 as Chris, founder of international podcast / mulit-media conference PodFest, describe how he starting building community with Tampa Bay Business Owners; which led to founding many groups such as the Florida youtube and podcasters association. Now finding the national spotlight, Chris was Invited recently to speak on podcasting at Harvard University. https://www.soundeducation.fm/ https://podfestexpo.com/ http://chriskrimitsos.com/ http://bizwomenrock.com/ 04:38s Speaking at Harvard / EDU professors podcasting conference 07:56s Sponsoring by Zack Davis and Harvard Divinity school 10:14s Founding Podfestexpo and partnering with John Dennis 11:45s Moving to Tampa, FL and starting Tampa Bay Business Owners Association 13:58s Starting Podfestexpo in 2015 15:33s Hiring J Conrad Levinson for $13.5K to speak but leaving no money for promotion 16:20s Creating gorilla marketing video at Barnes and Nobles 22:02s Meditation for Women podcast with Katie Krimitsos 23:12s Producing 8 podcasts and enjoying digital media for communication 24:34s Florida demographics, Florida podcasters association, tech incubators 30:55s Developing a national speaking presence and writing two books 32:20s Being an exceptional communicator being able to adjust on the fly 35:18s The Messengers, a podcast documentary and the genesis of the title 39:12s 2019 technology trends for podcasting and audio 43:01s The challenge of addictive aspects of technology 47:28s Long form content mediums: podcasting, video 50:23s Discovering expertise in speaking, and in connecting people 54:02s Having confidence in your own schools “It’s very tough to scale caring. You really have to take the time and care about your individual members. Know who they are.” “It’s what I call abundance.  Every city should have an area for podcaster / youtuber meetups. I understood that I could claim the state of Florida.”  Enjoy this episode? Share it with friends! Subscribe in Itunes or Google!

Kelly understands many inmates' best time in their lives has been in prison. Under the right conditions, they're sober, removed from the streets and have all the time in the world to work on themselves. As an administrator in the Oregon Department of Corrections, Kelly started as a prison chaplain. This background with a combination of strength, discipline and compassion, she put faith in the ability for someone to change into the programs that have been so successful. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dave Dahl and Ladd Justesen We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Theme music "Free" written and recorded by Dave Dahl, all rights reserved, motherfuckers This weeks podcast brought to you in part by soap-on-a-rope, when you don't want to drop stuff Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election thanks in large part to overwhelming support from one particular group of folks: white evangelicals. And despite what seems to be weekly, if not daily controversy over the president’s public remarks or past behaviors, a poll from earlier this year found that 75 percent of white evangelicals still hold a positive opinion of Mr. Trump. Given what we know about evangelicals and their social positions centered on family values, and given what we know about Trump, a thrice-married casino mogul facing numerous allegations of adultery, sexual assault, and bigotry, where does this evangelical support for Trump come from? This is the Harvard Religion Beat*, a podcast examining religion’s underestimated and often misunderstood role in society. Here, we're speaking with Dudley Rose, Professor of Ministry Studies here at Harvard Divinity, and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. We wanted to get his insight into some of the historical and present-day factors that are behind evangelical support for Trump. We’ll also look forward a bit to 2020 and talk what the Democrats might need to do in order to appeal to Christian conservatives in the upcoming elections. The Rundown 00:26 - White evangelical support for Trump 01:53 - Intro to the pod and to my guest, Prof. Dudley Rose 02:25 - Evangelical oppression? 05:01 - Abortion as a redline 08:46 - Evangelicals "dream president" 10:47 - Jesus chatting w/ Trump 11:51 - Lesser of two evils? 14:56 - Democrats win over white evangelicals? 17:14 - "Evangelicals are people of hope, not fear" 18:06 - Golf clap + other ways to connect If you don’t already, please follow us on social and subscribe to our e-newsletter! And listen to our other pod “Ministry of Ideas!” https://hds.harvard.edu/news/connect https://www.ministryofideas.org/ *re-named from "Beyond Belief" in April 2019.

Listen NowThis past May 4, US House or Representative Republicans passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA).  The bill, defined by Republicans as a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is now under debate among Senate Republicans. (Neither any House Democrat voted for the AHCA nor are there any Senate Democrats expected to vote for related Senate bill should it make the Senate floor.)  Per the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) estimate of the AHCA's spending and revenue effects, published May 24, the AHCA would cause 14 million Americans to lose their health insurance in 2018 and 23 million by 2026, 14  million of this latter total would be Medicaid recipients.  This is because the AHCA would cut $834 billion from the Medicaid program over the ten year budget window, or by 2026.  The cuts in Medicaid spending, along with substantial reductions in tax credits, would allow for ACA taxes, approximately $600 billion, to be rescinded.  For example, the ACA's 3.8% tax applied to capital gains for family incomes over $250,000 and a 0.9% Medicare surtax on wage income in excess of $250,000 per year, i.e., tax cuts that would benefit the comparatively wealthy.           During this 25 minute conversation Dr. Silverstein provides, among other things, his assessment of the AHCA, i.e., legislation moreover as tax relief for the wealthy, the likely effect it would have one women's health and on disparities in care and alternatively how the ACA could be improved. Dr. Jason Silverstein is a Lecturer and Writer-in-Residence at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. He is also currently an Instructor at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.  He is also a faculty affiliate of the Science, Religion and Culture Program at the Harvard Divinity School.  He is a regular contributor to VICE's health channel, Tonic.   He has written for The New York Times, the Atlantic, The Guardian, Slate, The Nation and others and has provided commentary for, among others, MSNBC, NPR, HuffPost Live and BET.   His previous experience includes conducting research at Children's Hospital Boston, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Law School's Program on Disability, and Stony Brook's HIV Treatment Development Center. Dr. Silverstein holds a Ph.D. and Master's in Anthropology from Harvard, a Master's in Religion, Ethics and Politics from Harvard Divinity and an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Penn. State. Dr. Silverstein's Tonic writings are at: https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/contributor/jason-silverstein.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Casper Ter Kuile is co-author (along with Angie Thurston) of the How We Gather report and its sequel, Something More, which map a landscape of life-giving organizations that are emerging even as religious affiliation declines, such as Crossfit and The Dinner Party. Casper is training to be a minister for non-religious people to build a world of joyful belonging. He is a graduate of Harvard Divinity and Kennedy Schools, the co-host of the hugely popular Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, named of one of iTunes best podcasts in 2016, and a fellow and contributor with Krista Tippet's On Being. In this episode of the RePlacing Church Podcast, he joins me to discuss: How the religiously unaffiliated are finding and forming spiritual community What new expressions of spiritual community are emerging How accountability is making a comeback Why covenants are important in community and how to craft them How to engage Harry Potter like a sacred text and why that's connecting with so many people. *Originally posted at theV3movement.org *Get your free RePlacing Church Resource List, a guide to being and becoming the church in the neighborhood. SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and REVIEW the RePlacing Church Podcast on iTunes, or listen on Stitcher, Google Play, or Podbean. Sign up for RePlacing Church updates at www.replacingchurch.org. Like on Facebook, Follow on Instagram. Episode Song Credits: "Another Wrong to Right" and "You Won't Walk Alone" by Mercir. "Closed" by Zadok Wartes. Used with Permission.

The Church of England wants to attract a more diverse range of people into the vocations. William Crawley is joined by Rev Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy and Rev David Isiorho to discuss why, despite repeated efforts, the Church remains a predominantly white institution. Trevor Barnes has been delving into the fascinating and sometimes controversial world of religious tattooing. After the bombing of a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria the United Nations has suspended all further aid convoys to Aleppo. William talks to Christine Latif from the Christian aid agency World Vision about the current crisis. 500 years ago Venice established the world's first Ghetto. Although it was the place where Jews were forced to live, it became a cultural crossroads. Judi Herman reports on events marking the anniversary. According to theologian Harvey Cox, business and theology aren't so far apart. The Harvard Divinity professor discusses his new book, 'The Market as God', with William. The "biggest and most important" changes in 100 years to cremation laws in England come in to force next week after it came to light that some families were denied their baby's ashes. William Crawley talks to Glen Perkins about what happened to his daughter's ashes and whether the new laws will prevent it happening again. Has Pope Francis finally opened the way for divorced and remarried Catholics to take communion? It might depend on who you listen to. Vatican watcher John Thavis gives us his verdict. The idea of mosques run by women is still something of a novelty in many parts of the world but in China women have been running mosques for over 300 years. Dr Maria Jaschok explains their unique history to William Crawley. Producers: Catherine Earlam and Peter Everett Series Producer: Amanda Hancox Tattoo: Anton Ivkin Photograph: Alexander Kuzovlev.

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to “How to Be a Grownup Podcast”! My name is Erik Andress, I created this show to help you to understand that you have a birthright to be healthy, happy and live an extraordinary life. Today, I am so excited and profoundly grateful to be able to sit down with the powerful speaker, podcaster, chaplain and all-around awesome person Vanessa Zoltan! Vanessa Zoltan is a fascinating woman in every sense of the word. With a bachelor of fine arts from Washington University in St. Louis in English and composition, Vanessa began at a young age to set herself up with the knowledge around literature and deep thought that makes her such a fascinating person to listen to. Having graduated from Harvard Divinity school she took a position as a chaplain at her alma mater. At the esteemed educational institution, She began to blaze trails as one of the "few feminist humanist" chaplains in the world. Setting a powerful precedent for people of the world over, she brings her humanist and progressive ideology via her work to many engaged audiences. She is also a powerful and dynamic speaker, known the world over as the cohost the acclaimed and top rated podcast "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text". As of today, it is the 45th most listened to podcast in the entire world. Along with her cohost, they dive deep into JK Rowling's vital works, bringing their listeners on a fascinating audio journey in which they reconnect with old literary friends while discovering a whole new way to appreciate the series. Always offering fascinating and powerful insight into whatever she is discussing, Vanessa (in her own words) "explores life's existential and essential questions of vocation, meaning, suffering, and joy.” I am so excited to have her on the show and for you to hear her words of wisdom! Some stuff we cover over the course of the episode:
 -How did Vanessa begin her journey into the loving deconstruction of the "Harry Potter" books? -What does Vanessa believe that you can do to incorporate more literature into your life and LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT? -What does Vanessa believe makes up a grownup of substance? And much more! A bit of housekeeping: This is a labor of love for me, I do not make a dime off of this podcast! If you could please hit "subscribe" on the podcast app of your choice and leave a positive review for us on iTunes, it would really help me to spread the amazing wisdom shared by my great guests to as many young people as possible. Secondly, if you or somebody that you know is making a positive effect in the lives of young people, I would love to hear from you! Please email me at howtobeagrownuppodcast@gmail.com, and let me know if we could chat! I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed having the conversation! Let's learn how to be a grownup! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/s/90598a4/podcast/sponsor/acugkf/url/https%3A%2F%2Fanchor.fm%2Fapp (https://anchor.fm/app)

In this episode, the guys explore the story of two Harvard Business School graduates who were confronted with a biblical view of money that changed their lives. In the first part of the episode (01:12-09:51), Tim and Jon talk about what the Bible says about money. On one hand it says it’s the root of all evil––kind of intense. But on the other hand it also talks about ways to use your money to bless others. How does the Bible ask us to view money? In the next part of the episode (10:08-22:15), Jon talks to John Cortines and Gregory Baumer. John and Gregory were two young, successful Christians making more money than most of us can dream of. They were faithful Christians tithing to their church regularly, but when they took an elective class at Harvard Divinity school about God and money, everything changed for them. In the next part of the episode (22:42-37:26), John and Gregory talk about how God completely flipped the way they think about money on its head. For a project in their class, they sent out an anonymous survey asking how much people make, save, and give. The project took on a life of its own, and they were left with some startling results and convictions. In the final part of this episode (37:58-1:02:40), we get to see how John and Gregory walked out their newfound convictions. They acted in faith and trusted God with their money in an extreme way. Their obedience wasn’t always easy, but when they trusted God beyond just cutting a ten percent tithe check every month, they experienced true joy and freedom. References: God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School by Gregory Baumer and John Cortines Show Music: Defender Instrumental by Rosasharn Music Blue Skies by Unwritten Stories Flooded Meadows by Unwritten Stories

Today we re-release one our favorite episodes: Dr. Soni. Listen in to see the origin of Akaash’s epic man crush as we talk with a brilliant man, teacher, and leader. We have talked about Bollywood, we have talked about language, and we have talked about gender: but what about religion? Often, religion is the single biggest influence on how people live their lives. So that lends the question: when we all come from such different faiths, what is the role of religion in the South Asian American community? And not only that, Hinduism (which a majority consider themselves to be a part of) is a decentralized religion with little to no organization, that sometimes can even be called a science of thinking. When their religion is so hard to define, how do members of the Hindu community approach being the standard bearers for their faith in this new world ? To help Akaash and Arjun approach these questions, we welcome the esteemed Dr. Varun Soni. Dr. Soni graduated from Harvard Divinity school and got his phD at the University of Capetown. He is an author, who aside from writing books, edited a journal about Islamic and Near Eastern Law and is currently the Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. In other words, he schooled the s**t out of Akaash and Arjun, and they couldn’t have been more pleased. After the interview Akaash and Arjun engaged in a humbling discussion about our responsibilities as first generation South Asian Americans, and their hope for the future.

This special Yom Kippur episode of Unorthodox features stories about apologies from host Mark Oppenheimer, writer and Harvard Divinity student Shira Telushkin, and Tablet's Esther Werdiger. What happens when an apology goes wrong? What happens when we’ve done something so awful we can’t face the other person? What happens when somebody apologizes to us—and we can’t forgive?   Special guest Marjorie Ingall, who blogs at sorrywatch.com, offers her five rules for what makes a good apology.   For more Unorthodox, visit tabletmag.com/unorthodox. Email us at unorthodox@tabletmag.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, prominent atheist Susan Jacoby, Harvard Divinity professor Karen King, and Islamist activist and writer Reza Aslan discuss "Theism/Atheism: Belief and Unbelief in America." Moderated by BMI Executive Director Carol Harter, the event was held October 13th, 2011 in the UNLV Student Union Ballroom in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, Harvard Divinity professor Karen King discusses her life and work on the October 13, 2011 edition of KNPR's "State of Nevada." King appeared, along with Susan Jacoby and Reza Aslan, at the BMI "Theism/Atheism" event later that night. This audio segment is used with the gracious permission of KNPRs "State of Nevada" which podcasts many segments of its programs. See knpr.org/son/feeds for more information.