Podcast appearances and mentions of kathy khang

If you listen regularly to the podcast, you know that towards the end of each episode, I ask the guest this question: What is the story you want the church to tell? As we wrap up 2024, and look toward 2025 with much uncertainty and maybe a little hope, I have compiled some of my favorite answers to the question in hopes that you consider for yourself your own story and the story of your faith community.Answers from: Andy Root, Gisela Kreglinger, Kathy Khang, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, David Swanson, Richard Beck, Chris Battle, Jeannine Hanger, Kendall Vanderslice, Caleb Campbell, Heather Gorman & Mark Nelson, Derrick Weston, and Scot McKnight.I hope you enjoy the episode and that it provokes you to think through what you want in 2025.

It's our season finale! We're answering listener questions and talking:-        Staying grounded and emotionally healthy post-election-        Some mistakes people are making in their election analysis-        Why the politics of identity will never go away in America-        How the Church can and can't fight anti-Blackness and other forms of injustice-        Where you can hear us in between seasons-        And a lot more!Mentioned in the Episode:-        Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor by Rev. Caleb Campbell-        Our newsletter from last week with a worship playlist and sermon Jonathan recommended-        The Webinar Intervarsity is doing with Campbell on Tuesday – Register here.-        The article on patriarchy by Frederick Joseph: “For Palestinian Fathers, Sons, and Brothers”-        Our free guide to processing and acting on the injustices you encounterCredits-            Follow KTF Press on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Subscribe to get our bonus episodes and other benefits at KTFPress.com.-        Follow host Jonathan Walton on Facebook Instagram, and Threads.-        Follow host Sy Hoekstra on Mastodon.-        Our theme song is “Citizens” by Jon Guerra – listen to the whole song on Spotify.-        Our podcast art is by Robyn Burgess – follow her and see her other work on Instagram.-        Editing by Multitude Productions-        Transcripts by Joyce Ambale and Sy Hoekstra.-        Production by Sy Hoekstra and our incredible subscribersTranscriptIntroduction[An acoustic guitar softly plays six notes in a major scale, the first three ascending and the last three descending, with a keyboard pad playing the tonic in the background. Both fade out as Jonathan Walton says “This is a KTF Press podcast.”]Sy Hoekstra: The beauty of the church is not in how good it is. The church is beautiful in the light of Christ, not in the light of its own good work and goodness. The church is beautiful when it is people collectively trying to put their faith in the grace that governs the universe, and not put their faith in their own ability to bring the kingdom of God into this world.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “I need to know there is justice/That it will roll in abundance/ And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.]Sy Hoekstra: Welcome to Shake the Dust, seeking Jesus confronting injustice. I'm Sy Hoekstra.Jonathan Walton: And I'm Jonathan Walton. We have a great show for you today. It's our season four finale. We're answering listener questions and continuing our discussion from our Substack live conversation two weeks ago, about where to go from the Trump election as followers of Jesus.Sy Hoekstra: And because this is the finale, let me just take a quick second to tell you where we are going from here. We are gonna be doing our monthly bonus episodes for our paid subscribers, like we usually do when we are not on a season of this show. We are going to be doing them though slightly differently. You will have the opportunity to hear them at one point if you're not a paid subscriber, because we're gonna record them like we did two weeks ago on Substack Live. So if you want to see those when they are being recorded, download the Substack app. If you get on our free emailing list, you'll be notified when we start. You just need to go ahead and get that app, it's both on iOS and Android.And if you wanna make sure that you're getting our emails in your Gmail inbox, because we've heard some people tell us they're going to the promotions folder or whatever Gmail is trying to do to filter out your spam, but actually filtering out the stuff that you wanna see, you just have to either add us to your contacts, or if it's in the promotions folder, just click the “Not promotion” button that you can see when you open your email. Or you can actually just drag and drop emails that show up in your folders to your inbox, and then it'll ask you, “Hey, do you wanna always put emails from the sender in your inbox?” And you can just click, yes. So do one of those things, add us to your contact, drag and drop, click that “Not promotions” button that'll help you see those notifications from us.Jonathan Walton: If you'd like access to the recordings of those bonus episodes, plus access to our monthly subscriber Zoom chats, become a paid subscriber at KTFPress.com. We would so appreciate it and you would be supporting our work that centers personal and informed discussions on faith, politics, and culture to help you seek Jesus and confront injustice. We are two friends resisting the idols of the American church in order to follow Jesus faithfully, and would love for you to join us. So become a paid subscriber at KTFPpress.com.Sy Hoekstra: And we've said this before, but we should probably say it again. If you want a discounted subscription or if money's a barrier to you joining us as a paid subscriber, just email us, info@ktfpress.com. We'll give you a free subscription or a discounted subscription, no questions asked. You will not be the first person to do it if you do. Other people have done it, we've given it to them. We won't make it weird because we want everyone to have access to everything that we're doing. But if you can afford to support us, please as Jonathan said, go to KTFPress.com and become a paid subscriber. Let's jump into it, Jonathan.Jonathan Walton: Yeah, man.Sy Hoekstra: We, a couple weeks ago on our Substack Live, we were talking about processing through grief and like what we have been hearing from people. We've had lots of questions and lots of conversations since then. So we're sort of combining, amalgamating [laughs] lots of subscriber questions into one, or even just questions from friends and family. I just wanna know how you are continuing to process the election and what you're thinking about grief and how we move forward, or how we look back and see what exactly happened.Staying Grounded and Emotionally Healthy Post-ElectionJonathan Walton: Yeah. So I think that one of the things I just have to acknowledge is that I'm tired of talking about it, and not okay talking about it. Like just the level of energy it takes to have regulated, like emotionally regulated healthy conversations is exhausting.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: And so, just naming that. So last week I think I was in a better place than this week recording. And so I'm recognizing I need to be able to take steps back and set boundaries so that I can be in a healthier place. And I just encourage everybody to do that. We all need rhythms and disciplines that keep us grounded. That is not like, oh, when I'm in this season, I need spiritual discipline. No. We actually are supposed to have them all the time. But I think in moments like these and seasons like this, we actually need them just in a more pointed way. It reminds us that we do. So those are things that I'm doubling down on, like starting to listen to worship music.If you check out last week's newsletter, I actually had a worship set from a worship leader in Columbus, Ohio, who basically said, if you can't sit across someone who has a different political perspective than you, then you probably can't worship with them. So let's start off with worship. And so they made a, I don't know, a six hour playlist of songs from different traditions and said like, play it without skipping it. Without skipping a song. Don't be like, “I don't like this song, I don't like this. I don't like…” This reminds me of them. Like, just listen to the whole album because somebody who is different from you meets Jesus through the words of the song. And he said, “You would never know that I don't like some of the songs that we sing [laughter], but I sing them. And I thought that was just a really honest thing.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. You said it was six hours long?Jonathan Walton: It's a lot. I haven't made it through a third of it.Sy Hoekstra: Okay [laughs].Jonathan Walton: It's long. And the sermon is also linked in the newsletter as well. It's just a great message from Pastor Joshua.Sy Hoekstra: This is a pastor in Ohio that you're familiar with?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: How did you get connected to this?Jonathan Walton: Yeah. So someone on the political discipleship team for InterVarsity, shout out to Connie Anderson, who's written…Sy Hoekstra: Oh, great.Jonathan Walton: …a lot of our stuff. Our InterVarsity stuff.Sy Hoekstra: Yes. Not KTF stuff.Jonathan Walton: Yeah. She just, she said, “Hey, I really appreciated the sermon and I was able to listen to it, and I'm working my way through the songs. And if I skip a song, I'm gonna go back, because I'm not the only person on my Spotify. Shout out to all the Moana and Frozen tracks that get stuck in there.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: So all that to say, that's like the first big thing, is setting boundaries, trying to have healthier rhythms so that I can be fully present to my family and myself.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Having Difficult Conversations by Meeting People Where They AreJonathan Walton: Also, I think it's really important to remember, particularly when I'm frustrated, I have to remember to meet people where they're at the way that Jesus met me. I have not always known that Christian Nationalism was bad. I didn't always have another term for it that captures the racialized, patriarchal environmental hierarchy of it called White American folk religion. I didn't always know about police brutality and the rural urban divide. I didn't know about those things. And what I desperately needed and unfortunately had, was patient people who were willing to teach me. And so as we're having these conversations, there's a book called Disarming Leviathan, ministering to your Christian Nationalist neighbor. It's really, really good. We're doing an event that you will hear about in our newsletter as well with the author of that booked Caleb Campbell.Sy Hoekstra: And when you say we, in that case again, you mean InterVarsity?Jonathan Walton: Oh, shoot.Sy Hoekstra: It doesn't matter [laughs].Jonathan Walton: I do mean InterVarsity. There's a little bit of overlap here because the season is so fraught.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah [laughs]. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Jonathan Walton: Like [laughs], and so you're gonna hear about that in a newsletter as well. InterVarsity Press is promoting it, InterVarsity's promoting it. Pastors and teachers are promoting it because the reality is, we all need to figure out how to tackle difficult conversations.Sy Hoekstra: Yep.Jonathan Walton: And we use that verb specifically, like it's elusive. We have to go after it [laughs] to be able to…Sy Hoekstra: You have to go wrangle it.Jonathan Walton: Yes, because it's hard. It's really, really hard. We would rather run away. We would rather run away from difficult conversations. So meeting people where they're at, we do that because Jesus meets us where we are. Our compassion, our gentleness is in outpouring of the compassion and gentleness that we've meditated on and experienced for ourselves and are willing to embody with other people. So those would be my biggest things from the last week or last two weeks since we last talked about this stuff. What about you?Healthy Reactions to the Election Are Different for Different PeopleSy Hoekstra: Yeah, that's good. We actually had, speaking of people who have a, like a different rhythm or need to adjust something now to be emotionally healthy, we actually had a subscriber, I won't give any details, but write in who's overseas, who basically said, “I've got too much going on in the country that I live in. I can't deal with American stuff right now. I need to unsubscribe from you.” They're on the free list. And I was like, “Man, I understand [laughs].”Jonathan Walton: Yes, right. I would like to unsubscribe from this [laughter]. No, I'm just joking, just joking.Sy Hoekstra: I appreciate that he wrote in to explain why he was unsubscribing. That doesn't necessarily happen a lot…Jonathan Walton: Right. Right, right.Sy Hoekstra: But it's very understandable and it's really sad, but I totally get it. And I want people to take care of themselves in that way. And I think, I mean, the flip side of that is we had a ton of people in the last week or week and a half sign up for the free list because I think a lot of people are just looking for ways to process, right [laughs]?Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: They are looking for people who are having these conversations, which happens. We got started, this company got started during the 2020 election, putting together the anthology that we put together, and we had a lot of response at that point too, and people who are just like, “Yes, I need to hear more of this processing.” And the difference now is there are fortunately, like a lot of people doing this work from all kinds of different angles all around the country, which is a very good thing, I think. We could be tempted to think of it as competition or whatever, but the church [laughs] has to come at this from as many angles as possible. There need to be as many voices doing the work of trying to figure out how to follow Jesus and seek justice as there are people promoting Christian Nationalism, and we're… those numbers are nowhere close to parody [laughs].Jonathan Walton: No.Sy Hoekstra: Not remotely close.Jonathan Walton: Absolutely. No, they are not [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Unfortunately, that's a reality of the American church. So, anyways, I appreciate all those thoughts very much, Jonathan.Mistakes People Are Making in Election AnalysisSy Hoekstra: I think when I'm thinking about the conversations that I've had, I have a couple thoughts that come to mind. I think a lot of the things that I think about in the conversations in the last week and a half are people trying to figure out what happened, like looking back and like playing the blame game [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: And the excuses that people are making, or the blame is shifting for why Trump matters now, because you can't say he lost the popular vote anymore. Obviously he won the electoral college the first time, but he lost popular vote, and then he lost the popular vote to Biden plus the electoral college. Now he's won it, and so people are not as able to, to the extent that people were still trying to paint him as an aberration from the norm.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: …that's getting harder. It's getting harder to say, “Oh, this is just a blip on the radar and we'll come back to our normal situation at some point, some undetermined point in the future. But so they're shifting blame to other people. It's like, oh, various non-White groups increased their votes for Trump. Or young people increased their votes for Trump or something.Which Party Wins Tells Us A Lot Less about America Than Who Is an Acceptable Candidate in the First PlaceSy Hoekstra: To me, a lot of that stuff, if you're trying to say that Donald Trump represents a problem with the whole country that you're trying to diagnose how it happened, all those conversations are a little bit silly, because the problem is that he's like a viable candidate who people voted for in the first place. But the people to blame for electing Donald Trump are the people who voted for Donald Trump, which is more than half of the voters in America. Not much more, but more.And the reason it's like a little bit silly to talk about what's different than the prior elections is, the prior elections were like Trump's gonna win this election, the popular vote. Trump's gonna win the popular vote by like two or three percent probably. It could be a little bit different than that, but basically Trump's gonna get slightly more than 50 percent, Kamala Harris is gonna get slightly less than 50 percent. And that's usually how it goes. That is the reality of this, how this country works. We have a winner take all system, and so typically speaking, it's a little over 50 and a little under 50. The swings between who gets elected in any given year, president, we're playing with marginal things. Democratic strategists, Republican strategists are trying to figure out how to fiddle with the margins to get what they want.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: It was only seven states in this country that actually mattered [laughs]. Like 86 percent of the states in this country were decided and then we're just playing with seven states. We're just playing with little numbers. And so all of these, like all Black people went slightly more for Trump. Young people went slightly more for Trump, whatever. It'll go back later. I don't know if you saw this, Jonathan, on Monday this week. So last week, if you're listening to this, John Stewart brought out the map of the 1984 election. Did you see this?Jonathan Walton: Oh yeah. Oh my gosh. It was so interesting [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: It's like it was completely one color.Sy Hoekstra: It's red, yeah.Jonathan Walton: And you're like, “What? Whoa, this looks like a candy cane without the White” [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Right, exactly.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: If you've never seen the Reagan-Mondale electoral map, literally the entire country, except for Minnesota is red. The whole country went for Ronald Reagan. So that's like, it's one of the biggest landslides in history, and the popular vote for Ronald Reagan, I decided to look that up, was less than 59 percent.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: Right?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: You get the whole country. You have to get 270 electoral votes to win, he got like 520 something.Jonathan Walton: Yeah, yeah.Sy Hoekstra: He crushed Mondale. But eight years later, bill Clinton is in office and we're kind of back to normal. We're back to America's normal, right?Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: It's so small, these little things, and we just have to stay focused on, the problem here is that both of our parties in different ways, to different degrees are just infused with White supremacy and White American folk religion and patriarchy and everything else. And Donald Trump can be a viable candidate in the United States.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: That's the problem [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right, that is the problem.Sy Hoekstra: We have to stop talking about, I don't care what Gen Z did. Gen Z will change just like everybody else has changed. Election to election, things will be different. Anybody who thought that, “Oh, just a new generation of people in the United States of America growing up is gonna fundamentally change the United States of America.” How? Why did you think that [laughter]? Why? Why? Why would the children of the people, who were the children of the people, who were the children of the people who have been in the same country for years and years, generation after generation, why would that just be something fundamentally different? It's the same people, they're just a bit younger. I don't know. I never get those kinds of arguments.Jonathan Walton: [laughs].Facing the Reality of America's BrokennessSy Hoekstra: What I'm saying is, I think underlying a lot of those arguments though, is a desire to have some control over something. To have something that we can say is certain that we're changing, that we can be the good people that we thought Americans fundamentally were again, or something like that. It's about control and trying to wrap your mind around something. I think instead of just facing the reality that we live in a deeply flawed country.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Which is, should be biblically speaking, unsurprising.Jonathan Walton: [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: But it is also difficult. It's unsurprising and it's difficult to deal with. Facing the reality of the brokenness of the world, not a fun thing to do. We've talked about this before.The People to Blame for the Election are the Mostly White and Male People Who Voted for TrumpJonathan Walton: Well, I think it would be helpful for people to remember, in all the things you're talking about, Trump did not win the popular vote last time, he won it this time. Trump won the electoral college, right? Let's actually just for a moment identify the voting population of the United States of America. So there are 336 million people in the United States per the population tracker today, right?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: There are 169 million people who voted in the election in 2020. The numbers are not final for 2024.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. It's gonna be less, it'll be less than that though.Jonathan Walton: It's less. So let's say 165 million people voted in the election this time. And that's generous. Right?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: So that's less than 50 percent of the country that actually voted. Then we take into the account that 70 percent of this country of the voting population is still White. Okay friends?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Roughly, I would say. Yeah, that's true.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: People give different estimates of that, but it doesn't get much lower than like 65 [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right. So let's even go with 65 percent.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Yeah. Right. [laughs].Jonathan Walton: So let's say 65 percent of that voting population is White, and then half of that population is male. And Trump did an exceptional job at mobilizing White slash men in the United States to go and vote. An exceptional job. Looking at that population and saying, “We are gonna make sure that you feel invited, welcomed and empowered.” Joe Rogan's show [laughs], these other influencers, how he advertised. If you look at who was on stage in these different venues when he was campaigning, all men. And the women, I think it's very important to notice this. I think when he gave his acceptance speech, his now chief of staff that they called the Iron Lady or something like that. The Ice Lady, Iron Lady, something like that.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: That's what they called her. And then she declined the invitation to speak. And so I think that when we are sitting here saying, “Oh man, how could people vote this way?” We are not talking about the entire population of the United States.Sy Hoekstra: Yes.Jonathan Walton: We are talking about a little less than half of the voters in the United States, and then we are talking about 50 percent of that group. We're not talking about people under 18, generation alpha. We're not talking about the vast majority of Gen Z. We're talking about the same voters we've been talking about for the last 30 years [laughs]. The voting population of White adults in the United States. That's who we're talking about. We could blame, oh, this group or that group, but I agree with what you're saying. We have to face the reality that at some point we have to talk about race and we have to talk about gender. When we talk about identity politics, we don't name White and male as an identity.Sy Hoekstra: Right. Yeah.Jonathan Walton: We don't. We call it something else. We say, oh, like the working class or all these other things. But we need to just say, if we look at how White people are voting and we look at how men are voting, then we have the answer to I think, how Trump was elected. But those two things are third rails. Or like in New York City, you don't touch the third rail, it's electric because of the subway.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: So we don't talk about that. And I think, I don't say that because I wanna blame people, I'm just naming statistics. These are just numbers. The numbers of people who are voting, the demographics they represent, this is the group. So when Sy says, who is responsible for Trump's election, it is the majority of White Americans who vote, and men in this country of all races who lean towards hey, opting into patriarchy in ways that are unhelpful.Sy Hoekstra: It's not of all races [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Well, I will say that the increases of Black men, the increases of Latino men, Trump did grow his share of the Black male vote by double digits. Right?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, but it's still a minority of the Black male vote.Jonathan Walton: It is. I'm just saying, I do not want to discount the reality that patriarchy is attractive to all races.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, yeah.Jonathan Walton: That's what I wanna name. And so when Fred Joseph, amazing author, talks about the attractiveness of patriarchy, I think that is something that all men need to say no to.Sy Hoekstra: This is an essay that we highlighted in our newsletter like a month or two ago.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: I'll put the link in the show notes.Jonathan Walton: We have to say no to patriarchy.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: And so anyway, that's my rant in response to this [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, no. That's good, and that actually gets into it, the other thing I wanted to talk about was, which even though I think some of these blame game conversations are such like nonsense, we are still able within those nonsense conversations to say a lot of things that are just demonstrably false [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Right.The Politics of Identity Will Never Die in AmericaSy Hoekstra: And what you just said is one of them. Like I've seen some people talking about, “Oh, the democrats lost because they ran on identity politics,” or, “Identity politics is over.” And I'm like, “What are you talking about [laughter]?” Donald Trump is all identity politics.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: It was all about White men and how they were gonna be comfortable and empowered how Christians are gonna be in powered again.Jonathan Walton: How women are gonna be taken care of, whether they like it or not.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah right. Men are gonna be back in power. How citizens are gonna have what they deserve, and then we're gonna stop giving it to the illegal immigrants, right?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Like everything Donald Trump does is about identity. And the bigger thing to say is identity politics in America is not a current or temporary trend. Identity politics is baked into the foundation of the country, and it was not Black people who did it [laughs]. It was the founding fathers who created a system where only White men could be naturalized and only rich White men could vote, and we enshrined racial slavery, all that stuff. Identity politics has been here from day one. It's not like a liberal thing. It was a thing that we baked in on purpose, and it's a thing that came from European culture and it's still fundamental to European culture to this day.Sy Hoekstra: And I, what I think what people mean when they talk about identity politics is, it's another one of the endless string of words that we use since racial slurs became impolite. We can't say the N word anymore. It's another way of saying it's Black people talking about Black people stuff. Right? When people talk about identity politics, they're saying the wrong identity politics, because everybody is talking about identity politics all the time. They're just, like you said, not calling it identity politics. They're talking about “real America” [laughs], right?Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: They're talking about, we know what they mean by real America. They're talking about White men and they're just saying this is the default culture. We're all just assuming this is the default culture, everything else is identity politics. Nonsense.Jonathan Walton: Right, right.Sy Hoekstra: So that's one of the nonsense things that shows up in the conversation as a result of a nonsense thing that we say that we think all the time on some subconscious level that we're not always talking about identity politics, even though we absolutely are. And it's because it's been forced upon us. It's not because somebody's trying to create divisions.Jonathan Walton: Right.The Democrats Are the Party the Non-White Working Class Voted ForSy Hoekstra: A similar thing is, I heard people talking about the Democrats are not the party of the working class anymore. The working class is not voting for the Democrats because, and then, obviously the White working class is voting for Trump, and then start to talk about the gains that Trump made among the non-White working class. Again, the majority of everybody in the non-White working class is not voting for Donald Trump. And assuming that voters have some idea of what's good for them and who better represents them, maybe not who best represents them, but who better represents them, the Democrats are still the party of the non-White work—we're talking about the White working class again, you know what I mean? We're trying to make it about economics and it's actually about race. That's a thing that we're doing all the time, constantly [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Well [laughs], the reality is that economics is about race.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: It's like, if we could just like get some daylight between them, then maybe we could make a separation. And so then it just becomes about keeping that separation in place, because if we bring them back together, the system falls apart. It literally crumbles if you call it out. And something that I'll just name, because I think in all these conversations, even as me and Sy are saying, oh, this Democrat about that Democrat, like this is the Republican or that race, when we call out differences, when we name things, our goal is not to dehumanize anybody, dismiss people's needs or grievances, or minimize the reality and perspectives that people have.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, absolutely.Jonathan Walton: The goal and hope is that we would actually grasp reality, name the idol and follow Jesus.Sy Hoekstra: Right. Yeah, exactly.Jonathan Walton: That is our goal and our hope and our aim, because if we can't say it as is, we will never be able to address and communicate with the most marginalized people. And we'll never be able to communicate a vision that draws people in power towards something even more loving and beautiful, unless we name the thing as it is. And so hopefully that is breaking through to folks who might come across this conversation.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, I agree. I can get very passionate about these facts and stats and whatever. And I'm not trying to say that anyone who doesn't…Jonathan Walton: No [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: …agree with me is somehow a bad person. I'm just, this is, it's important, like you said. It's an important goal that I'm trying to move us toward.Jonathan, we got a great question from a listener that I wanted to talk about. You cool moving on, or do you have more thoughts?Jonathan Walton: No, no. Let's do it.What Can the Church Do about Continuing Anti-Blackness?Sy Hoekstra: Alright. So what can the church, practically speaking, do about ongoing anti-Blackness in the country? And not just correct disinformation or post on social media, what can the church practically speaking do? That was the question. Jonathan, solve anti-Blackness. Go.Support Black Spaces, No Strings AttachedJonathan Walton: There's a reason that enrollment at HBCUs is surging right now.Sy Hoekstra: Ah, okay.Jonathan Walton: And that is because when the world is unsafe or feels unsafe, or the reality that, “Oh, trying to get to the master's table and eat is actually not that great,” we're gonna recede back into our communities. And so I think one thing that the church can do is support Black spaces. So financially support Black spaces, empower Black spaces. I did not say create Black spaces moderated by you, that you will then curate for, andSy Hoekstra: Control.Jonathan Walton: Yes, control would be the right word, for an experience that other people can observe. Like, “Oh, this is what Black people really think.” Like no, just support Black spaces. Black, sacred, safe spaces that help and care for us in this moment. The number of Black women that are being harassed online, like showing up to their jobs, walking down the streets in different cities, is radically disturbing to me.And if we wanna get into the intersectionality of it, like when we talk about like Black, queer people, the numbers that the Trevor Project is recording, it's like the Trevor Project is a alphabet community support organization, particularly to prevent suicide. And so their phone calls are up in the last two weeks. So I think we as a church, as followers of Jesus need to create and then sustain spaces for Black folks to hang out in and feel a part of that we control. Kathy Khang, the author of Raise Your Voice said in a workshop that I was in one time, “Spaces that marginalized communities are in, we feel like renters, we don't feel like owners.” So we can't move the furniture. We're not really responsible for anything, but we're just, we could exist there and do what we need to do.Sy Hoekstra: But it's not a home.Jonathan Walton: It's not a home. And so I would want to encourage churches, small groups, bible studies, community groups, parachurch organizations to create spaces for Black folks by Black folks to be able to thrive in and feel a sense of community in. The other thing that I would say is that the church could educate itself around the complexities of Blackness. And so there's the Black, racially assigned Black Americans in the United States that are the descendants of enslaved people. Then there's Caribbean folks that are the descendants of enslaved Africans and the colonizers there. And then there's Central and South American and Mexican. There's a lot of beauty and complexity in Blackness.And so obviously, Ta-Nehisi Coates's book The Message, talks about that in ways that are exceptionally helpful and complex. So that would be a great book to dive into. And again, create educational, engaging spaces around. This education, quote- unquote, educating yourself, not asking Black folks to spend their time educating you. Doing that work, creating those spaces, supporting those spaces financially, time, resources, et cetera, and creating spaces for Black folks to feel and be safe, I think would be just exceptionally helpful in this season. Yes, share on social media. Yes, send messages to your friends. Yes, do all those things on your own time and on your own dime. But I think these are two things that could be helpful because it's not gonna go away the next four years. It's probably gonna be more intense. And so I think creating and sustaining of those places would be helpful.Sy Hoekstra: At least sustaining, you don't have to create.Jonathan Walton: Yeah, that's true. There are some that are already there. That's true. Find a place, donate, support, host. Hey, provide the space. Buy food, yeah.Sy Hoekstra: And the reason I say that is you could end up with people who just go to Black people and are like, “Hey, we'll give you money and you get to do a bunch of work to create a space or,” you know what I mean? And there's also the instinct to say, if we're gonna support something, we have to create it.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: We don't. We can support things that other people are already doing. There might be people in your congregation who are already doing that as their job. Just give them money. You know what I mean?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: The more you're not in charge, the fewer strings are attached. Jonathan already talked about that. Even if those strings are implicit or not even there, but they're just perceived to be there, and that could be a problem too. So it's good to just give money to stuff that already exists or give support. Give volunteer work, whatever. Good, I appreciate that. Thank you for having practical answers.Jonathan Walton: Yeah. No worries. I'm glad you sent it to me earlier so I could think about it.Educating Ourselves on Fighting Racism Works (Sometimes)Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Yeah [laughs]. Continuing to educate ourselves is a good thing too. And I think I've actually seen some of the difference in that. I know this is, there is so far to go and there's so much to do in terms of educating ourselves, but I can personally tell you from having watched a lot of Christians go through the Trayvon Martin case and Ferguson and everything. And I'm saying Christians who want to be supportive of Black people, who want to be helpful, who want to be anti-racist, all that stuff. I saw a lot of people who in 2012, ‘13, ‘14 were just like babies. Just starting out, didn't know what to say. Didn't know whether they could go protest, didn't know why All Lives Matter wasn't appropriate. Like, “Don't all lives matter though?” All that kind of stuff.Jonathan Walton: [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Even when you're trying to be helpful, you know what I mean?Jonathan Walton: Right, right, right.Sy Hoekstra: And then 2020 comes around and I saw a bunch of those exact same people being like, “I'm gonna go march! Black Lives Matter, let's go.” You know what I mean? So people really can learn and they really can change. And the problem is that you just have to keep doing it to every new generation of people that comes up, and it takes years to do. It's not something that you can do in a couple of sermons or one course that you take or whatever. And again, I know they're so far to go, I'm not trying to say… I understand that you can work for years. A White person can work for years, and the differences can be trivial and frustrating and like enraging. But it's also true that people can learn [laughs]. And talking about meeting people where they are, that's kind of what I'm saying to White people as we're trying to educate ourselves and others.Educating Each Other about Race Is a Long, Continuous ProcessJonathan Walton: Yeah, and to build off of something that you said before too, it's like Donald Trump was elected eight years ago, and some people were not alive eight years ago. And some people were 10 years old, eight years ago. So they didn't even…Sy Hoekstra: And now they're voting.Jonathan Walton: And now they're voting. So like Trayvon Martin was killed 12 years ago. They may not have the same knowledge as you, the same awareness as you. So yes, the education and the engagement is ongoing because there's always people that are coming up that had no idea. And I think just going back to what we said in the first part, like you were just saying again, meeting people where they're at because maybe they were too young and they just don't know. Like I was having a conversation this past week and someone said, “Yeah, my mom and dad have been sick. I've made 10 trips to another city the last two years to try and take care of them.” Maybe their world is just small because they've been engaged in loving the people closest to them through illness.We must meet people as best as we possibly can where they're at. And I confess, I have not always done that. And so being able to not be prideful and not be dismissive, and not look down on someone from being ignorant to simply not knowing. And even loving someone who's exceptionally misinformed. As we're doing this recording, one of my friends is meeting with a Christian nationalist right now. Like they're going there. They said, “Alright, can you pray for me, I'm going to have this conversation.” Because it is one conversation at a time that these things change.Sy Hoekstra: I appreciate that. You just reminded me of another story I had, and I won't give details about the individual, but there's someone in my life who is a White person who's from the south, who lives in New York City, who's just one of those people that makes Black people uncomfortable, Jonathan. Just like the moment you meet him, you're like, “something… hmm, I don't know.” And I've heard other Black people talk about him this way. I've heard stuff that's made me uncomfortable. And he was just an easy person to kind of like shun or avoid.Jonathan Walton: Yeah, for sure.Sy Hoekstra: Until I ran into another extremely kind Black person who told me… we ended up not because of me, because of someone else, in a conversation about this guy, and how he sort of makes people uncomfortable. And he was like, yeah, but he just said in not so many words, I kind of tolerate him because he lost his entire family in Hurricane Katrina, and he lives in New York City and basically has nobody and just works this kind of dead-end job and is not a very happy person. Actually, he is kind of a happy person. He's sort of trying to make the best of it, and he doesn't know what he is doing. You know what I mean? It's just like, you have one of those moments with someone where you're like, “Boy, that changes my view of this person.”Jonathan Walton: Right [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: I still don't think any of the things that you're saying to make people uncomfortable are okay, and I'll try and interfere in whatever limited way I can or whatever. But you hear something like that, your heart changes a little bit. You know what I mean?Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: Your attitude changes and like, you just, we gotta get to know each other better. We gotta listen better.We Need Endurance and Truly Practical WisdomSy Hoekstra: I think this question about what can the church do about anti-Blackness, for people who are like kind of our age or older, or people who have been through the 2010s and everything that happened up till now. It's just, it's a question of resilience. And whenever you're engaged in anti-Blackness work or any sort of activist work, you're gonna have these questions of resilience of like, what can we do, because this problem is just still going. And then there's another question of the practicality of it when you're asking that question in the church. I'm gonna define the question a little bit or reframe the question a little bit and then give answers.When you ask the question of something like, what can we practically do about a problem in a Christian context, the question is a little bit strange sometimes, and I think you just gave some good practical answers, but we have both noticed, we talked about this recently. In the Christian world, the word “Practical” often means something different than it does to the rest of the world [laughs].Jonathan Walton: That's true. That's true. Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: The phrase practical application just seems to have a different meaning to pastors than it does to everybody else [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.Sy Hoekstra: And what it tends to mean to professional Christians is, when you're talking about practical application, you're talking about a new way of thinking or a new goal for how you should feel about something.Jonathan Walton: [laughs] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.Sy Hoekstra: Or like a new “heart posture” or something like that.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: It's a new attitude, but it's not practical. You actually said recently, you came out of a sermon going, “Okay, I kind of know how to think, I don't know what to do with my body. Now, after listening to this sermon.” You know what I mean?Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Right, right [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: I know what to do with my heart and my head. I don't know what to do with my hands and my feet. And we're supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not the heart and the brain.Jonathan Walton: Right [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: And I think, actually, I don't wanna sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but I think that problem, it at least promotes racism [laughter]. It promotes institutions remaining as they are. You know what I mean? It promotes, like when we talk about practicality and we're just talking about how we kind of think about things, like the world of ideas and emotions and not what we do politically or whatever, that is a subtle way to reinforce status quo institutions.Jonathan Walton: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, it is.Sy Hoekstra: And it's not anything to do with the person who asked the question. I'm just acknowledging the reality of how that question lands to Christian ears.Jonathan Walton: Yes. Yes. Especially institutionalized Christians. Yes, absolutely.The Church Isn't Necessarily the Best Place to Go to Fight RacismSy Hoekstra: And another thing is, I will say, we're talking about the church, the whole wide capital C church. The Black church, is gonna keep doing what it's always done. Black church is gonna do anti-racist work. Obviously, there are problems and questions and whatever that Black people have in their conversations among themselves within the Black church about how to do that best, or what things may be getting in the way of that or whatever. But if you're talking about big picture here, Black church is always fighting racism. I think we're kind of asking questions about the rest of the church. The White church in particular, and then some other churches as well. If we're just talking about the American church in general and what it can do to fight anti-Blackness, if you look at the history of just big picture American church, there are Christians in the United States on both sides of this past election.There are Christians in the United States in history on both sides of the Civil War. There are Christians in the United States on both sides of segregation versus civil rights. There are Christians in the abolition movement, there are obviously Christians in the pro-slavery movement. Christians set up the system of racism and slavery. European Christians did.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: The American church, if you just look at history, is a weird place, is a weird institution to look to, to end anti-Blackness. We have been consistently ambivalent about it for centuries. Do you know what I mean? I understand…Jonathan Walton: No, listen. It's true, and that's sad.Sy Hoekstra: Yes, yes.Jonathan Walton: That reality is depressing, right.Good Things Come from God, Not the ChurchSy Hoekstra: Horribly depressing. And so I understand, one, you just don't want that to be real. So you say, “Hey, what can we do?” Or, you want, and when I say you, again, I don't mean the question asker because I haven't had a conversation or back-and-forth. I'm just saying this is what people could be asking when they ask this question. It could also be the instinct of a lot of White evangelicals, which I can tell you this question asker is not, have the instinct when we say, what can the church do, of kind of thinking that if there's anything good is going to happen in the world, it has to come from the church, and that is so wrong. It is not biblically accurate. You can't look at scripture and go, “Yeah, everything good has to come from the church.” Goodness comes from God. God is the source of goodness, and God sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous, and we are very much among the unrighteous. God is the source of goodness, and so we need to acknowledge that we can find goodness outside of the church.Jonathan Walton: Yeah, that's a point worth repeating.Sy Hoekstra: Right [laughs]. We can find goodness outside of the church. I will repeat it [laughter]. We can in our congregations have fights that can go on for years and years about how we can just try and move anyone toward anti-Blackness work, and you can work for forever and you can see no fruit. And you could have spent all that time taking the few Christians, because there's always a handful, even in a [laughs], in any church, there's a few people who are sympathetic to whatever you're trying to do.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: You can just take them and you are the church, you and your Christians, and go do work with somebody else. You can go to your local mutual aid organization. You can go to your local Black Lives Matter chapter. You can go to whoever. You can go find the people who are doing the work and work with them, and that's fine, because it's still good and it therefore still comes from God. And we don't have to subtly participate or subconsciously participate in the idea that everything good has to come from the church, which is ultimately a colonial and colonizing idea. That is what a church that is going into a country trying to colonize it wants you to think, “Everything good comes from us, so you gotta come here [laughs] for the good stuff. And all those people out there, those are the bad people.”Jonathan Walton: [inhales deeply and sighs] Right. No, I mean, yeah, everything you're saying is true. That was my big sigh there [laughter].All Justice Work Requires Real, Local CommunitySy Hoekstra: So I read a thing this week from Camille Hernandez who wrote a really great book called The Hero and the W***e, which is a look through a womanist theological lens at what we can learn from what the Bible says about basically sexual violence. Fascinating book. Anyways, she was talking about her reading of Mariame Kaba, who I've cited before in this show, who is a famous abolitionist organizer, who basically said a lot of people who have a lot of influence, activists who have a lot of influence, can be sort of confused and unmoored at times like this because they have a lot of influence. They have a lot of people that they can call to go do a march or whatever. But what they don't have is a local community. So like what I was just talking about, taking the few people in your church, if you have a few people in your church and going and doing the work somewhere else, that's your small community.You need people who are on the same page as you, who you love, and they love you and you're there to support each other, and they will ground you in times like this, doing that work together. We'll ground you in times like this and it will give you a way to move forward. It will give you a sense of purpose, it will give you accountability. That's also a fraught word if you grew up in the church [laughter]. But it will give you the good kind of accountability to be able to do the work of anti-Blackness or fight any other kind of injustice, frankly. So that's one important thing.KTF's PACE Guide Will Help You Engage Practically with InjusticeSy Hoekstra: I also think if you want a good framework for how to do things practically when you are fighting anti-Blackness or other forms of injustice, go get our PACE guide [laughs]. We have a guide that we produced a few months ago.If you have signed up recently on our newsletter, or if you want to sign up for our free mailing list, you get it in the welcome email. If you were on our list before a few months ago, you have it in one of your old emails. It's basically a guide for when you encounter issues of injustice in the news or in your everyday life or wherever, how to process it and do something about it in a way that is, actually takes into account your limitations and your strengths, and helps you think through those things and help you kind of grow as you run through this cycle of steps and questions and prayers that we have for you to go through as you are thinking through these things. So PACE is the acronym. You can find out what it stands for and how to go through it if you go get that guide, sign up for our free emailing list if you don't have it. And that will give you a good sense of how to think through you personally in your context, how you can fight anti-Blackness.Jonathan Walton: Exactly.Sy Hoekstra: But yeah, on a bigger scale, the reason I'm talking about small things like community and how you personally can work, is I'm not thinking on as grand a scale as what can the church do to end anti-Blackness. Because we're not God, we are not saviors. We are not here to fix everything. God is here to do all those things. So I'm more asking, how do I join in with stuff that's already happening? And again, that's not like a correction to the question asker. It's just where I'm at [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Well no, it's a reorientation.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: I think something that, and I don't know if this is a generational thing, and I think that me being 38 years old, I have been shaped in a certain way to believe and want institutions to answer big questions as opposed to gathering a group of people and having a community instead of an institution. There's still work that God is doing in me around that, in that communities are vehicles for transformation in the kingdom and institutions it seems are vehicles for power in the world. That's something I'm wrestling with myself because I do think that one of the answers to anti-Blackness is beloved community, not as a concept, but like a practical thing. Like we are checking in on each other, we are going out to dinner, we are sharing recipes.Sy Hoekstra: Yes.Jonathan Walton: We are sending memes and funny videos like that. That is actually some aid that can lift our spirits each day amidst an empire that desires to destroy us.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. I think a lot of my journey trying to figure out how to do more justice work and follow Jesus, has been asking those smaller questions about what can I do in my own community? Just because I have, you and I, we have limited influence, and we have a church institution that has supported anti-Blackness in a lot of ways and those are just realities. And they're really sad, and the idea that a lot of the church is kind of useless and sort of opposed to the things of God, a lot of people don't wanna accept that. But I think if you don't accept that, you're gonna be running into these frustrations a lot. Like why is the church not doing this? And then trying to find probably solace in just really small things. Like okay, is my church's theology better than yours, or is my… You know, like in things that are not making a difference in the world [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right. Right.The Church Has to Trust in Grace, Not Save the WorldSy Hoekstra: So, I don't know, man. Look, the beauty of the church is not in how good it is. The church is beautiful in the light of Christ, not in the light of its own good work in goodness. The church is beautiful because… the church is beautiful when, not because, when [laughs] it is people collectively trying to put their faith in the grace that governs the universe, and not put their faith in their own ability to bring the kingdom of God into this world. And that's such a hard thing to do. We so wanna make an institution that is good, that is fundamentally good and that we're a part of it [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Well, it's a hard thing to do and accept.Sy Hoekstra: Yes.Jonathan Walton: Because in how we have been cultured downstream of colonization, if there is no effort, then I don't get a gold star, then I'm not included. Like, what do you mean? What do you mean that I'm supposed to play a small part? No, no. I'm supposed to be a star.Sy Hoekstra: I'm supposed to change the world.Jonathan Walton: I'm supposed to change the world, and I'm supposed to build something. I'm supposed to make something. Like we're an entrepreneurial event, we're supposed to do that. And Jesus hung out for 30 years, and then went and got 12 seemingly disqualified people [laughs] to go and do this thing, and then drafted Paul who was woefully unhelpful, the majority of Jesus' journey to then go and take his stuff to the rest of the world. Come on man. This is [laughs]… it's really hard to say yes to that.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: But when you experience it like you were saying, to live in the grace that governs the universe changes your life.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. People who are free of the need to prove themselves by defeating evil, right [laughs]?Jonathan Walton: Lord have mercy [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: That—look, to me that is a beautiful thing. That is one of the things that animates me, that motivates me. That makes me want to get out there and do more. Which is, I don't know, it's counterintuitive. It's counterintuitive to me, but it also works on me. So [laughs] I'm gonna keep focusing on it.Jonathan Walton: Amen.Season Wrap-Up Thoughts, Outro, and OuttakeSy Hoekstra: Do you have more thought—I think that's a good place to end it, Jonathan. I don't know if you have more thoughts.Jonathan Walton: No, I don't have more thoughts.Sy Hoekstra: Okay, great.Jonathan Walton: I appreciate that you as a White person, or racially assigned White person who's aware of their heritage and trying to engage as best you possibly can across this difference, have so many thoughts. I think that is helpful actually.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, good. Thanks. I appreciate that [laughter].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. And I say that because there's a pastor that I follow, Ben Cremer, he's in Idaho, and experiences that I've had with different leaders, it is exceptionally empowering and feels like a burden is lifted off of my shoulders when people who don't have to carry the burden of Blackness are trying to be thoughtful around how to stop anti-Blackness.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, I mean, ditto ableism man.Jonathan Walton: [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: If this is your first episode, I'm blind and Jonathan does the same thing to me on those grounds. And I think that's a lot of why our thoughts in relationship works. I'm not good at taking compliments, so I'm just throwing it back on you [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. No worries. It's all good. If you haven't seen it, somebody should google “Christian Affirmation Rap Battle” where they just try to compliment battle each other. It is amazing. [laughter].Sy Hoekstra: I'm absolutely gonna do that because that sounds like brilliant and pointed satire.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Alright. Thank you all so much for listening. This has been an incredible season, man. I've had a lot of fun. Fun is a relative word [laughter] when we're talking about the things that we're doing. I've had, I don't know, a very motivating and helpful and stimulating time talking to a lot of the people that we talked to four years ago when we started this, who wrote for us.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: If you haven't listened to those interviews, go back in the season, they're really, really helpful. I feel like they're probably even more helpful in light of how the election turned out. And I don't know, I just appreciate this. I feel like it's been fun. We didn't do it this time, but when we're doing Which Tab Is Still Open and adding, talking about some of our newsletter highlights, I've really appreciated that. I feel like it makes the episode very meaty when we have an interview and some other conversation in there too, and I've just liked what we've put out this season. So thank you, Jonathan for participating in that. Thank you everybody so much for listening.Jonathan Walton: Yep. Yep. And I'm deeply appreciative. I think a brief Which Tab is Still Open that I thought was gonna close was our anthology.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, alright.Jonathan Walton: [laughs] I will say we started this four years ago with the anthology and as we're ending this season, the anthology is probably one of the most relevant things.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: The leaders that wrote in it, the contributors to it, that work and those essays, I hate and love that they are still relevant.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, right. Same.Jonathan Walton: …and helpful. If you don't have a copy, you should go get one.Sy Hoekstra: Keepingthefaithbook.com, that's where you can find it.Jonathan Walton: Yep.Sy Hoekstra: Thank you all so much for listening. Remember, get the Substack app to listen to our monthly recordings of the, the live recordings of our bonus episodes. And if you want to get the recordings of those bonus episodes after the fact, or join our monthly subscriber Zoom calls, become a paid subscriber @ktfpress.com. Or get a discounted or free subscription by just writing into us if money is an obstacle. Make sure you add us to your contacts or drag and drop our emails to your inbox if they're in your promotions folder, just so that you can get everything from us that you need. That's how you're gonna get notified if you don't have the app. That's how you'll get notified when our Substack Lives start.Our theme song is Citizens by Jon Guerra. Our podcast Art is by Robin Burgess. Transcripts by Joyce Ambale, and our editing for a lot of this season was done by Multitude Productions. We are so incredibly grateful for them, they have been friendly and fantastic. Thank you, Brandon, our editor.Jonathan Walton: Appreciate you.Sy Hoekstra: I produced this show along with our incredible paid subscribers. Thank you so much. If you are one of those paid subscribers, we will see you next month. Otherwise, we will see you for season five.Jonathan Walton: See y'all.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.]Sy Hoekstra: A multi disc Encyclopedia Britannica.Jonathan Walton: Basically.Sy Hoekstra: Do you remember those? Did you have that when you were a kid?Jonathan Walton: I, we definitely bought, my mama definitely bought them. You are absolutely right.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: She did. That man showed up with that suitcase and he left empty handed. That was his goal, he made it.Sy Hoekstra: Oh no [laughs]. Oh no.Jonathan Walton: And you best believe we read all them books.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ktfpress.com/subscribe

Bishop Todd and Mickey welcome two award-winning authors—Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos—to the second episode in our "Navigating Conflict" series. In their recent book Loving Disagreement, Kathy and Matt bring unique insight into how the fruit of the Spirit informs our ability to engage in profound difference and conflict with love. As followers of Jesus [...]

Bishop Todd and Mickey welcome two award-winning authors—Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos—to the second episode in our "Navigating Conflict" series. In their recent book Loving Disagreement, Kathy and Matt bring unique insight into how the fruit of the Spirit informs our ability to engage in profound difference and conflict with love. As followers of Jesus [...]

Being an election year, there will be calls for civility, especially in Christian circles. But Kathy Khang (and her coauthor Matt) believe that Christians are not called to be civil, but rather through the fruit of the Spirit embrace the discomfort and hard work of loving disagreement. Listen in as Kathy and I have a rich conversation about the fruit of the Spirit and its call on Jesus followers to engage in the hard work of the betterment and shalom of the whole community and not just the select, privileged few.Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher.  She is the co-author of Loving Disagreement (NavPress, 2023), awarded 2023 Book of the Year by Englewood Review of Books, the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent & How to Speak Up (InterVarsity Press, 2018) and Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 (InterVarsity Press, 2020), and a contributing author of More Than Serving Tea (InterVarsity Press, 2006) and Voices of Lament (Revell, 2022). Kathy is also the board chair for Christians for Social Action, co-host of The Fascinating Podcast, and president of the Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni (A-5) Club. A former newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI, Kathy also spent more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and blogs at www.kathykhang.com, is on Threads, Instagram, and TikTok as @mskathykhang, and posts at www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor.For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com. 

In this episode, Caleb talks with Kathy and Matt about their book, Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit.Links MentionedLoving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit by Matt Mikalatos and Kathy KhangKathy KhangMatt Mikalatos on SubstackCaleb's Substack

Drew Baker has an engaging conversation with Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos about their book "Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit." Find it on Amazon. Fighting, disagreements, hatred, dissension, and silence. These things seem common in the wider Christian community today. Politics, theology, and even personal preference create seemingly insurmountable rifts. It's hard not to see ourselves as “at war” with each other. We're not doomed to be stuck here, though. There is a twofold path out of this destructive war, out of seeing our brothers and sisters as enemies—and into a spacious place of loving each other even as we disagree. CGU creates spaces for Christians to gather so that we might recognize Jesus in one another. If you are blessed by this ministry please consider tax-deductible monthly donation. Please donate at https://www.commongroundsunity.org/donate. Please check out commongroundsunity.org to learn more about CGU, how to subscribe to the newsletter, join the Facebook group, or find the YouTube Channel. Check out our gatherings on the about page, where you can connect with other unity-minded Christians in your area. If you cannot find a gathering in your area, we can help you start one. It's not difficult or time-consuming, and we will help you out along the way. It really does, simply, start with a cup of coffee. If you want to volunteer or ask questions, please email John at john@commongroundsunity.org. Until next time, God bless, and remember, “Unity Starts With A Cup of Coffee.” The Common Grounds Unity theme music for our intro and exit for Season 4 is Anthony Catacoli's "Mambo For Jose." Download and permission to use from Sound Stripe.

Jen welcomes co-authors Matt Mikalatos (returning ERB podcast guest) and Kathy Khang (first-time podcast guest) for an honest and heartfelt discussion about the topic of their recent book: disagreement and Christian unity.Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you'd like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Loving Disagreement: Fighting For Community Through the Life of the Spirit by Kathy Khang & Matt MikalatosRaise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up by Kathy KhangMore Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith ed. by Nikki Toyama & Tracey GeeJourney to Love: What We Long For, How to Find it, and How to Pass it on by Matt MikalatosThe Sunlit Lands Trilogy by Matt MikalatosMystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'ConnorOn Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Rabbie Danya RuttenbergThe Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism by Lerone MartinEast of Eden by John SteinbeckThe Wolfe at the Door by Gene WolfeJesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du MezSolo Planet (forthcoming) by Anna BroadwayThe Bone Shard War (trilogy) by Andrea Stewart

This week on 20 Minute Takes, we talk with authors Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos about their new book, "Loving Disagreement".  They discuss ways to move beyond civility, to engage across difference.  Their new book, "Loving Disagreements" was released in October, 2023.You can find Kathy  on all social media platforms:  @mskathykhangMatt can be found at: FB: facebook.com/matthew.mikalatosBlueSky:@mattmikalatos.bsky.socialinstagram.com/mattmikalatos20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social ActionHost and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto Edited by: Wiloza MediaMusic: Andre Henry

How do you disagree with someone in ways that allows the Holy Spirit to work within you--in ways that promote love, patience, faithfulness, and peace instead of hatred, anger, and dissent? Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos are cohosts of the Fascinating Podcast and the authors of Loving Disagreement, and they offer some thoughts on living in community with one another and working through disagreements in a Spirit-led way.Kathy is an author, speaker and yoga teacher. She has over 20 years experience in campus ministry, and has experience dealing with issues of gender, ethnicity, justice, and leadership development. Matt Mikalatos is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. He's the author of Journey to Love and the YA fantasy series The Sunlit Lands. He has written for Today.com, TIME magazine, Relevant, Nature, Writer's Digest, and Daily Science Fiction, among others.Resources:Preorder Loving DisagreementListen to the Fascinating Podcast on iTunes and StitcherFollow Kathy on Twitter, Facebook, and InstagramBuy Kathy's books, Raise Your Voice and More Than Service TeaLearn more at kathykhang.comFollow Matt on Twitter and FacebookBuy Matt's booksLearn more at mikalatos.com

As a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher, Kathy Khang is also the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent & How to Speak Up (IV Press, 2018) and Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 (IV Press, 2020), and a contributing author in More Than Serving Tea (IV Press, 2006) and Voices of Lament (Revell, 2022). Her next book co-authored with Matt Mikalatos, Loving Disagreement, releases in October. Ms. Khang is the board chair for Christians for Social Action, co-host of The Fascinating Podcast, and president of the Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni (A-5) Club. Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and blogs at www.kathykhang.com, is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as @mskathykhang, and posts at www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor 

Award-winning author, blogger, podcaster, and proud Northwestern alumnus, Phil Yu '00 first came to prominence as the author of the popular entertainment website Angry Asian Man. In this special episode, Phil is interviewed by author and Northwestern Asian and Asian American Alumni Association (NU-A5) member Kathy Khang '92. Phil shares how his experiences at Northwestern and beyond helped to develop his own personal identity as an Asian American man and influenced his career as a blogger and author of recent release, Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

In 2020, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, 29 women of color worked together to bring words to the lament that was felt across the world. As they reflected on Psalm 37,  these women wrote on topics of justice, anger, generosity, and peace, and showed the world the beauty and strength that comes from community. Join us this week as contributing authors Vivian Mabuni, Kathy Khang, and Grace Cho share their experience in writing Voices of Lament and how hope and healing can be found through grief. Complete our listener survey!Show Notes:Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for JusticeConnect with Vivian:Instagram: @somedayisherepodcast and @vivmabuni Website: https://www.vivianmabuni.com/Connect with Kathy Khang:Instagram: @mskathykhangTwitter: @mskathyKhangConnect with Grace Cho:Instagram: @gracepchoTwitter: @gracepchoWebsite: www.gracepcho.comDid You Know Segment:Scout Bassett is an elite sprinter, triathlete, Paralympian and UCLA graduate?Who is she? Scout became the fastest American of her classification ever to run the 100-meter dash for the US. (1) And, she teamed with American Girl to have a doll created after her. (2)Scout lost her leg in a chemical fire as a baby in China. As a seven-year old, she was adopted from a Chinese orphanage by an American family. (3)  She grew up in a predominantly white town in Michigan and had no friends or role models who looked like her or had a disability like hers. (4) However, her most painful life experience occurred during the pandemic when Scout faced overt racism at a local grocery store. (5) She used that event to not only fuel her athletic goals but also to become a voice and role model for other Asian Americans.In her words, “Representation really does matter,… (w)e cannot aspire to the things that we want to be or that we don't even know we might want to until we see someone else doing it.” (6)SOURCESBrooke Baldwin, Huddle, How Women Unlock Their Collective Power (Harper Collins, 2021), 121.Ibid, 122.Ibid, 121.4-6) Sara Tan, “Full Speed Ahead, How Paralympian Scout Bassett Uses Her Sport to Find Strength in the Face of Xenophobia, June 11,2020, https://www.allure.com/story/scout-bassett-paralympics-runner-asian-american-xenophobia-interviewhttps://www.challengedathletes.org/athletes/scout-bassett-2/

!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! It's season 7!!! Yeah, we're back and stronger than ever! Check out this state of the "union" epsidoe as I talk with Kathy Khang and Jeanelle Austin to hear their thoughts on where we find ourselves.

Everyone's favorite morning show returns. JR. and Nathan in the Morning! celebrates our third annual Christmas special by welcoming special guests Kathy Khang and Jose Humphreys. Light is one of the most beloved Christmas themes. But our world has racialized that metaphor, equating light (skin) with good and dark (skin) with evil. How should we engage this theme in a way that enables this beloved tradition to bring life and flourishing to all of us?

Kathy Khang reflects on Asian American experiences of silencing, on what it means to be heard and belong, and on anti-Asian racism during the pandemic. Kathy Khang is a writer and speaker and is the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up.

Support the show: Patreon l Glow l Episode TranscriptNetflix has a show called Midnight Mass...it needs to be discussed.Guest Bio:JR. Forasteros is on an eternal quest to smoke the perfect brisket. He pastors Catalyst Church in Dallas, TX. He is the author of Empathy for the Devil, available from InterVarsity Press. He co-hosts the Fascinating Podcast and In All Things Charity (the best Wesleyan Feminist Theology podcast on the web). He announces for Assassination City Roller Derby, where his wife Amanda skates as Mother Terrorista. When he grows up, he wants to be the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, or die historic on the Fury Road. Guest Bio:Kathy Khang is a speaker, journalist, and activist. She has worked in campus ministry for more than twenty years, with expertise in issues of gender, ethnicity, justice, and leadership development. She is a columnist for Sojourners magazine, a writer for Faith & Leadership, and a coauthor of More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith.Guest Music by Heath McNeaseYou can also find all the musical selections from all our episodes on our Spotify Playlist. Check out all the things over at the store...it's a great way to support the show www.canisaythisatchurch.com/storeWhat are you waiting for; consider becoming a Patreon supporter of the show. You'll have access to many perks as well as guaranteeing the future of these conversations; even $3/Month goes so far as this show is 100% listener supported. Follow the show:Facebook, Twitter, StoreAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Jeff Chu joins us to discuss Wholehearted Faith, the last book from Rachel Held Evans. Jeff co-authored the book, and our own Kathy Khang recorded one chapter of the audiobook. We reflect on Rachel's legacy - including some clips from our final interview with her where she discussed this book. Ultimately, we consider a faith that is both deeply rooted in God's love and widely inclusive of all peoples.

Join us for our Existential Sunday Series on Existential, the podcast. In this episode, Corey was joined by writer Kathy Khang to talk about Covid 19 and the impact of anti-Asian violence in the United States.  

How do you bring your concerns for the injustice of your own community without taking up space with others? How can we see anti-racism as a journey and not a fight? In this episode, which was originally a patreon exclusive, Kathy and Sandra speak the truth about long lasting collaboration.   Also this is Kathy's last official episode with Chasing Justice, so don't miss it! For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher.Kathy is the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. She is a columnist for Sojourners magazine and also writes for Faith & Leadership, Evangelicals for Social Actions and Inheritance. She is one of the authors of More Than Serving Tea (InterVarsity Press, 2006), blogs at www.kathykhang.com, tweets and Instagrams as @mskathykhang, posts at www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor, and partners with other bloggers, pastors, and Christian leaders to highlight and move the conversation forward on issues of race, ethnicity, and gender within the church. Kathy also has worked for the past 20 years with a national parachurch organization.She is the author of Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 (IV Press, 2020). She also serves on the board of Evangelicals for Social Action.Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and is honored to be mom to three incredible young adults. Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse @loriadbr. Find Us Online: @aworldof.difference on Instagram and A World of Difference on Facebook on Twitter at @loriadbr https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference or loriadamsbrown.comMentioned in this episode:Join Difference MakersJoin us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference.PatreonDo you want to go deeper?Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us!PatreonThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. Kathy is the author of https://amzn.to/3ywu7Uh (Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up). She is a columnist for https://sojo.net/biography/kathy-khang (Sojourners magazine) and also writes for https://faithandleadership.com (Faith & Leadership), https://christiansforsocialaction.org (Evangelicals for Social Actions and Inheritance). She is one of the authors of https://amzn.to/3wtcyTD (More Than Serving Tea) (InterVarsity Press, 2006), blogs at http://www.kathykhang.com (www.kathykhang.com), tweets and Instagrams as https://www.instagram.com/mskathykhang/ (@mskathykhang), posts at https://www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor?ref=bookmarks (www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor), and partners with other bloggers, pastors, and Christian leaders to highlight and move the conversation forward on issues of race, ethnicity, and gender within the church. Kathy also has worked for the past 20 years with a national parachurch organization. She is the author of https://amzn.to/2TPbz2S (Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 ()IV Press, 2020). She also serves on the board of Evangelicals for Social Action. Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and is honored to be mom to three incredible young adults.  Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@loriadbr (@loriadbr). Find Us Online: https://www.instagram.com/aworldof.difference/ (@aworldof.difference) on Instagram and https://www.facebook.com/A-World-of-Difference-613933132591673/ (A World of Difference) on Facebook on Twitter at https://twitter.com/loriadbr (@loriadbr) https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference (https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference) or http://loriadamsbrown.com (loriadamsbrown.com)Mentioned in this episode: Patreon Support us for as little as $5/month at Patreon.com/aworldofdifference and receive exclusive audio content and free merch. Coaching Sept 22 Want to get unstuck and make a difference? Go to loriadamsbrown.com/coachnig for a free exploratory session. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. Kathy is the author of https://amzn.to/3ywu7Uh (Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up). She is a columnist for https://sojo.net/biography/kathy-khang (Sojourners magazine) and also writes for https://faithandleadership.com (Faith & Leadership), https://christiansforsocialaction.org (Evangelicals for Social Actions and Inheritance). She is one of the authors of https://amzn.to/3wtcyTD (More Than Serving Tea) (InterVarsity Press, 2006), blogs at http://www.kathykhang.com (www.kathykhang.com), tweets and Instagrams as https://www.instagram.com/mskathykhang/ (@mskathykhang), posts at https://www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor?ref=bookmarks (www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor), and partners with other bloggers, pastors, and Christian leaders to highlight and move the conversation forward on issues of race, ethnicity, and gender within the church. Kathy also has worked for the past 20 years with a national parachurch organization. She is the author of https://amzn.to/2TPbz2S (Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 ()IV Press, 2020). She also serves on the board of Evangelicals for Social Action. Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and is honored to be mom to three incredible young adults.  Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@loriadbr (@loriadbr). Find Us Online: https://www.instagram.com/aworldof.difference/ (@aworldof.difference) on Instagram and https://www.facebook.com/A-World-of-Difference-613933132591673/ (A World of Difference) on Facebook on Twitter at https://twitter.com/loriadbr (@loriadbr) https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference (https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference) or http://loriadamsbrown.com (loriadamsbrown.com)Mentioned in this episode: Patreon Support us for as little as $5/month at Patreon.com/aworldofdifference and receive exclusive audio content and free merch. Coaching Sept 22 Want to get unstuck and make a difference? Go to loriadamsbrown.com/coachnig for a free exploratory session. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher.Kathy is the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. She is a columnist for Sojourners magazine and also writes for Faith & Leadership, Evangelicals for Social Actions and Inheritance. She is one of the authors of More Than Serving Tea (InterVarsity Press, 2006), blogs at www.kathykhang.com, tweets and Instagrams as @mskathykhang, posts at www.facebook.com/kathykhangauthor, and partners with other bloggers, pastors, and Christian leaders to highlight and move the conversation forward on issues of race, ethnicity, and gender within the church. Kathy also has worked for the past 20 years with a national parachurch organization.She is the author of Alabaster Guided Meditations, Psalms Vol. 1 and 2 (IV Press, 2020). She also serves on the board of Evangelicals for Social Action.Ms. Khang was a newspaper reporter in Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI before spending more than two decades in vocational ministry where she focused on leadership development and training leaders in diversity and justice. She holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.She is based in the north suburbs of Chicago and is honored to be mom to three incredible young adults. Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse @loriadbr. Find Us Online: @aworldof.difference on Instagram and A World of Difference on Facebook on Twitter at @loriadbr https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference or loriadamsbrown.comMentioned in this episode:Join Difference MakersJoin us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference.PatreonDo you want to go deeper?Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us!PatreonThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Collective socio-political terms such as "Asian American", "BIPOC", and "POC" were developed over generations. Are these terms helpful or harmful for communities of color? What is gained or lost when we use them? This straightforward conversation between Kathy and Sandra went so deep, so fast that we had to split it into two parts. Lean in and interrogate with them how our faith informs our sense of identity in communities of color. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.   Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Collective socio-political terms such as "Asian American", "BIPOC", and "POC" were developed over generations. Are these terms helpful or harmful for communities of color? What is gained or lost when we use them? This straightforward conversation between Kathy and Sandra went so deep, so fast that we had to split it into two parts. Lean in and interrogate with them how our faith informs our sense of identity in communities of color. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Kathy and Sandra offer their expertise from mentoring BIPOC leaders on why ethnic identity development is critical for the work of justice. Hear from their wisdom on the process of identity formation and how coming home to oneself makes us a force in against white supremacy and injustice. They even go through Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatums stages on Identity formation. When we understand our past and ourselves more deeply we can create a future in which we integrate Jesus and Jesus. Learn how we can pursue goodness and beauty in every vocation and circumstance as people who live justly. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

In this episode, I talked with writer, speaker, and yoga teacher Kathy Khang. We discussed Kathy's book Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. Connect with Kathy Khang: IG @mskathykhang Twitter @mskathykhang Website kathykhang.com The Fascinating Podcast Chasing Justice podcast Resources Mentioned: "Body Language with Kathy Khang" on HER with Amena Brown They Were Her Property by Stephanie Jones-Rogers "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown AAPI Women Lead on Instagram "Screams and Silence" on Code Switch The music from this episode is "Broken Record" featuring Lucee by Micah Bournes and Jasmine Rodriguez. I want to thank Jordan Lukens for his help with editing and Danielle Bolin for creating the episode graphic. If you like what you hear in this episode, share it with a friend. I really think that little by little, person by person, we can broaden the narrative. In addition, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Then, rate and review to help others find the show. Broadening the Narrative blog - broadeningthenarrative.blogspot.com Broadening the Narrative on: IG @broadeningthenarrative Twitter @broadnarrative Facebook - facebook.com/groups/broadeningthenarrative

Media can hurt or heal us in our journey towards collective liberation. Kathy and Sandra talk about the role of media from Kathy's professional experience. They also tackle policing, doomscrolling, and messy conversations media. Hear about their favorite shows that hold space for processing that some of our churches do not. How is it that Shondaland and Marvel are inviting nuance and vulnerability that multi-ethnic justice spaces are not having? AND...At the end we have an exciting announcement! For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Sandra and Kathy help us take a collective breath together as we process the Chauvin verdict, the murders of young black and brown lives, and as we continually face a system that is designed to dehumanize BIPOC bodies. Sandra shares about her experience at the marches and why culture and beauty matter to how we process injustice. They helps us consider why a symphony of our responses in each of our distinct communal experiences is what we need for this justice journey to work. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

This week, the Woman Beings sit down with Charissa Lui to discuss the reality of AAPI hate and discrimination in light of recent events. As a Chinese American woman, Charissa shares her experience growing up in a vibrant Asian community in the bay area, and the ways in which she has witnessed racism in her own life. She talks about the model minority myth, rising tensions amidst the pandemic, and what it means to make space at the table for minorities. She shares her passion for knowing and embracing one's own heritage, celebrating diversity, and seeking reconciliation and unity. Follow Charissa: https://www.instagram.com/charissalui/ Resources Mentioned: Beyond Colorblind by Sarah Shin: https://bit.ly/3nw0L4f Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah: https://bit.ly/2QqcYeR White Awake by Daniel Hill: https://bit.ly/2R0QqxM Raise Your Voice by Kathy Khang: https://bit.ly/3gDykA0 T rue Story by James Choung: https://bit.ly/3gGBGlD Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton: https://bit.ly/3gGvcn5 The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee: https://bit.ly/3eyp51f --- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womanbeingpodcast/ Website: https://www.womanbeingcommunity.com/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Today we speak with author and speaker Kathy Khang about launching grown children from the nest during a pandemic, why we should keep writing even when our platforms are not massive, and the role that creativity plays in bringing about justice and healing in our world. Also: midlife, discount shopping, and The Electric Company. 

White supremacy sucks for all of us. What do we embody our collective liberation in a lifestyle of justice? What it mean to be a neighbor who is seeking justice? We can talk about justice, without locally living our love in public. Hear concrete examples of ways BIPOC leaders are practicing embodied solidarity. Allow the stories to encourage and challenge us to chase justice together. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

KATHY KHANGABOUT KATHY Kathy is the mother of three. Wife of one. She loves Jesus. She really, really likes yoga & deep breaths, nail polish & lipstick, and girlfriends & our laughter and tears.She is a writer, speaker, coffee drinker, and now yoga teacher, and this journey began in childhood diaries & journals, moved into newsrooms, and then to a co-authored book entitled More Than Serving Tea. The book is about the intersection of faith, culture and gender, and it tells just part of an important story of Asian American Christian women.The title of the book tells as much about the content as it does about Kathy. It connects the hope of “more” to that of a stereotypical image of both “Asian” as represented by the West – submissive servant – and “women” as represented by the West, the East, and by some interpretations of Biblical womanhood. She still serves others, enjoys tea (prefers coffee), embraces her complex ethnic/cultural/racial identity and her womanhood, all the while loving Jesus while living and leading in an imperfect world.Kathy had spent more than 20 years in parachurch ministry working with college students and training organizations and church leaders. Before that, she was a journalist in Wisconsin.Most recently Kathy authored Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up to challenge and encourage everyone to find and use their influence to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.You can also follow Kathy on Twitter @mskathykhang or visit her author page on Facebook.http://www.kathykhang.com/ ITS NOT A LIEDid Kevin have a disrupted first date with Catherinanne because of gut trouble?If you are interested in the concert that iain was talking about, tickets are sold here!https://beacons.page/sharetheland This podcast was recorded on April 12, 2021.

Roo and Kristen discuss forgetting how to socialize in the pandemic, BJ talks about the pandemic void only girlfriends can fill, and author Kathy Khang helps us make sense of racism against the Asian American community, and how to be an ally/co-conspirator. In this episode we talked about: Kathy Khang on instagram Kathy Khang on twitter Stop AAPI Hate APIA Vote Asian American Day of Action Bianca Mabute-Louie on Instagram Angry Asian Man A Call for Solidarity from AAPI Faith Leaders on Youtube Multipurpose Immersion Hand Blender  Derry Girls on Netflix Baked by Melissa Encyclopedia of New York The Total Eye Lift from Clarins is a plant-based formula is fueled by ingredients of 94% natural origin. A combo of Organic Harungana extract and Cassie Flower wax give a visible lifting and wrinkle-smoothing effect. It works on crow’s feet, dark circles, and puffiness, and it’s also an anti-aging cream. 80% of women who tried it reported a visible eye lift in :60 seconds flat*  86% noticed a visible difference in 4 weeks and visibly firmer skin. Discover more about Clarins products at clarinsusa.com, and get 10% off your purchase of Total Eye Lift with the code SELFIE10.   Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

We are replaying this episode with Kathy Kang from March 22nd, 2020.   We stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and commit to end white supremacist delusion. Today's episode is with writer, speaker, yoga teacher, and social justice advocate Kathy Khang. Kathy joined Tina and Jen to talk about what life is like for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the era of the coronavirus. They discuss the dangerous rhetoric coming from the president, the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, and so much more.

What is an acceptable ‘American’ story? Why some stories seen as normative and others categorized as ‘foreign’. Kathy and Sandra talk about the Golden Globe winning movie Minari and why telling our story is not only for our freedom but to confront false narratives and pursue our collective liberation. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

In this recap episode, Kat highlights some of the key points in her conversation with Bianca Mabute-Louie. Check out the Chasing Justice podcast's episode on Anti-Asian Racism with Kathy Khang, Jazzy Johnson, and Barnabas Lin (part 1).

Kathy Khang, writer and speaker, shares an experience that would help to shape how she views everyday justice, and inspire her latest book! Kathy considers what everyday justice can look like in our everyday lives; is there an opportunity to stop a brief moment of injustice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/juststoriesoslc/message

How can we advocate for ourselves and others? How do we hold space for one another and with one another? This episode features a conversation between our hosts Sandra Van Opstal and Kathy Khang about exploring what collective liberation looks like for each of us as we move forward. This is the work of Chasing Justice, the unglamorous, uncomfortable conversation of showing up for one another. Listen in as we continue to have deeper conversations between our communities. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Season Two continues with the second half of our dynamic conversation with co-host Kathy Khang as she bring in her longtime friends Barnabas Lin and Jazzy Johnson to address inter-ethnic solidarity. In Part 1, they spoke to 'grief policing' and making space for one another's stories. They go even deeper in Part 2. This conversation is beautifully and painfully honest. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are. Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Season two starts with a dynamic conversation with our co-host Kathy Khang as she bring in her longtime friends Barnabas Lin and Jazzy Johnson to address inter-ethnic solidarity. In Part 1 they speak to 'grief policing' and making space for one another's stories. This conversation is beautifully and painfully honest. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice. She is the board chair of the Evangelicals for Social Action, and her recent book, Raise Your Voice, is a powerful guide teaching others to raise their voices wherever they are. Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and training the next generation of Christian justice-seekers. She looks forward to expanding that advocacy with Chasing Justice. These two powerhouse leaders have been friends for over 20 years, and they are passionate about creating spaces where empowerment is realized! Subscribe to the podcast to hear this episode! Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Welp, White Supremecy is at it again, figured I'd bring Kathy & Irene on to talk about this B.S. stinking up religious spaces.

Kicking off series 2 is an episode with Joelle Phua, who talks to Jessie about life coaching, women of colour, social justice, the system, activism, and being a Christian. Insta: @Joellephua_ Joelle's YouTube channel and website She also recommends the following episodes from her podcast Let's Talk with Joelle: Faith & Social Justice and Stewarding a Kingdom Business. These books get a mention: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Raise Your Voice by Kathy Khang. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/acrossculture/message

Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and author of “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up”. She has become a dear mentor to me as both a Korean American woman and advocate for all. We talk about everything from imposter syndrome to eye cream to how to allyship. You don't want to miss it.

In the first episode of #Activism, host Mae Elise Cannon discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and how it intersects with racism in America. Kathy Khang joins Mae and shares her unique insight to this unprecedented situation. Resources mentioned on this episode: American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang Asian American History: Primary Documents of the Asian American Experience, by Jonathan H.X. Lee Coronavirus Disease 2019 – Symptoms, from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Situation Report, World Health Organization (WHO) “Coronavirus Fears Show How Model Minority Asian Americans Become Yellow.” NBC News, by Matthew Lee  More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith, by Asifa Dean (Author), Christie Heller de Leon (Author), Kathy Khang (Author), Nikki A. Toyama-Szeto (Editor), Tracey Gee (Editor), Jeanette Yep (Editor) The Making of Asian America, by Erika Lee Parasite (Gisaengchung), movie directed by Bong Joon Ho Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up, by Kathy Khang Reducing Stigma, from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “Why President Trump wants to frame COVID19 as a foreign disease.” Time Magazine, by Brian Bennett “Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to ‘flatten the curve.'” Washington Post, by Harry Stevens  Purchase Mae Elise Cannon's book, Beyond Hashtag Activism Here: https://www.ivpress.com/beyond-hashtag-activism

This week we talk with the author, speaker, and yoga teacher Kathy Khang. Our conversation dives into the realities of growing up with a white image of God or Jesus and how that changes who we (white Christians) become and what we see. We talk about her recent book Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How To Speak Up, as well as what it means to be Korean-American in the context of American Christianity.This conversation challenges us not only to listen to the Christian story through the filters of other races & ethnicities. It also invites us to raise our awareness of wise voices that get drowned out because they don't tell the story of faith we're used to hearing.Kathy is a speaker, journalist, and activist. She has worked in campus ministry for more than twenty years, with expertise in issues of gender, ethnicity, justice, and leadership development. She is a columnist for Sojourners magazine, a writer for Faith & Leadership, and a coauthor of More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith. You can find out more about Kathy on her websiteMusic by Robert EbbensArt by Eric Wright/Metamora Design

The Joycast - Kathy Khang challenges us to expand the settings in our hearts and at our tables to throw the kind of dinner parties that Jesus would—creating places of inclusivity and hospitality where anyone can feel welcome.  To learn more about today's sponsor, visit fabfitfun.com, and save $10 off your first full-sized product-filled lifestyle and beauty box with the code JOYCAST. That's right, receive over $200 worth of great products for only $39.99 with the coupon code!For show more show notes and recipes visit: www.margaretfeinberg.com/joycast

Kat chats with writer, speaker, coffee drinker, yoga teacher, and author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up, Kathy Khang, about Esther, identity, assimilation, belonging and the power of names. They also chat about niceness vs. kindness, the disruptive Gospel and about what gives them hope. You can find follow Kathy on Instagram and Twitter @mskathykhang and visit her website www.kathykhang.com.

Do you ever feel like an imposter? Like someone is going to figure out that you aren't really who you are? That you can't really do what you have set out to do? It's a real thing, a real fear. The Imposter Syndrome is just ONE of the places we go on this amazing episode. We are tackling tough topics, y'all and we got one of THE best on the show today. You may have heard her on Jen Hatmaker's For The Love podcast recently as her latest book was released, “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up.” She KILLS it on exploring finding your voice, failing as you go, and raising it up in confidence. You are NOT going to want to miss this.