Podcast appearances and mentions of norm allen

Welcome to another of our sporadic and intermittent “On Further Reflections with Norm Allen.” I'm Norm Allen and with me is ErInn Oxford, the executive director of The Dale Ministries. I'm excited to have Erinn with us today, because we've been friends for 12 years or something like that, and I have been friends with her husband Dion for longer - but we share ministry in the city, and ministry to people who have needs – I'm on one side of the street - and Erinn is working a different side of the street, with a different kind of person in her enclave in Parkdale.

Well, hello there – it’s Norm Allen here with another of our sporadic “On Further Reflections with Norm Allen” series of podcasts and videos. Today, I’ve invited a close friend of mine of long, long-standing, Ron Nikkel, to engage in conversation about the news that we received back in the middle of February about the double-sided life that Jean Vanier had, and the L’Arche International movement had to pay for an agency to do an investigation of complaints against him about sexual misconduct with women that he had been in a counselling relationship with.

Advent season’s greetings to you as we launch this latest edition of “On Further Reflection with Norm Allen” in video, audio and written versions. I am going to offer some thoughts about Advent as we have these twenty-four days in December before Christmas Day. I’m going to be answering some questions from a friend of mine who will remain anonymous, which will help the conversation.

Mary.Martha Are Us.WAV by Norm Allen

Come Have Breakfast.WAV by Norm Allen

Welcome to "On Further Reflection with Norm Allen". We plan for this to be a monthly blog & podcast providing in-depth reflections on lessons we’ve learned over our years of the practice of Spiritual Friendship. Over the next few months in these “On Further Reflections”, I will explore conversations that Jesus had with people like us to help us better understand how we can have conversations with him, his Father and the Spirit.

Welcome to "On Further Reflection with Norm Allen". We plan for this to be a monthly blog & podcast providing in-depth reflections on lessons we’ve learned over our years of the practice of Spiritual Friendship. Over the next few months in these “On Further Reflections”, I will explore conversations that Jesus had with people like us to help us better understand how we can have conversations with him, his Father and the Spirit.

Please join Mandisa Thomas, Mario Dorsey and Kimberly Veal as we welcome our special guest Norm Allen, Jr.   We will discuss the history of freethought and the recent increase in secularism in the minority community.    Please join us as we converse with this pioneer in the secular community.

A lively show dedicated to the contributions of African-American freethinkers during Black History Month will include an interview with Norm Allen, editor of "African-American Humanism: An Anthology," and will feature music and movie clips.

Norm Allen is executive director of African Americans for Humanism, an educational organization primarily concerned with fostering critical thinking, ethical conduct, church-state separation, and skepticism toward untested claims to knowledge among African Americans.  He is the editor of the ground-breaking book African-American Humanism: An Anthology, AAH Examiner, and Deputy Editor of Free Inquiry magazine. He has traveled and lectured widely throughout North America, Europe, and Africa and his writings have been published in scores of newspapers throughout the U.S. He has spoken on numerous radio and television programs and his writings have appeared in such books as Culture Wars and the National Center for Science Education’s Voices for Evolution. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Norm Allen discusses black history in the context of science and secularism. He talks about the Senegalese physicist Cheikh Anta Diop, and his humanistic views which were coupled with his science advocacy. He talks about Charles Drew, and his influence on setting up the first blood banks, as well as urban legends that have developed around him. He talks about the pseudoscience of supposed alternative medicine cures for AIDS, and their prominence in the black community. He talks about other black scientists and freethought figures, and defends the argument for the need for a "Black History Month." He describes the need for skepticism in the black community, focusing on how the black media covers psychics and belief in prophecy, citing examples of Tony Brown and Montel Williams. He also details some of the current black leaders in the skeptical movement, recounting the first African skeptical conference that he attended last year in Senegal.

Norm Allen is executive director of African Americans for Humanism, an educational organization primarily concerned with fostering critical thinking, ethical conduct, church-state separation, and skepticism toward untested claims to knowledge among African Americans.  He is the editor of the ground-breaking book African-American Humanism: An Anthology, AAH Examiner, and Deputy Editor of Free Inquiry magazine. He has traveled and lectured widely throughout North America, Europe, and Africa and his writings have been published in scores of newspapers throughout the U.S. He has spoken on numerous radio and television programs and his writings have appeared in such books as Culture Wars and the National Center for Science Education’s Voices for Evolution.In this wide-ranging discussion with D.J. Grothe, Norm Allen explores some of the challenges advancing science and secularism within the African American community. He examines the pressure to conform to the religious ideal among various black skeptics and atheists, including many historical African American figures such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, and Faye Wattleton, former president of Planned Parenthood of America. He debates whether religion is a liberating or oppressive force for African Americans. He also details many anti-science trends in the Black community, including those coming from Black entertainment outlets promoting anti-science such as psychic 900 lines, televangelists and belief in prophecy. He ties all of this discussion to an exploration of religion and secularism as they relate to political activism, including the influence of such high-profile Black preachers such as Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Senator Barack Obama's spiritual advisor.

Freethought Radio's featured guest is Norm Allen, executive director of African Americans for Humanism, and editor of the anthology, African-American Humanism. The featured song: a delicious version of "It Ain't Necessarily So" sung by Sammie Davis Jr. Freethinker's Almanac looks at January-born freethinkers Zora Neale Hurston and Butterfly McQueen. Co-hosts are Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. (MP3, 48 min, 22.2 MB)

Norm Allen is executive director of African Americans for Humanism, an educational organization primarily concerned with fostering critical thinking, ethical conduct, church-state separation, and skepticism toward untested claims to knowledge among African Americans.  He is the editor of the ground-breaking book African-American Humanism: An Anthology, AAH Examiner, and Deputy Editor of Free Inquiry magazine. He has traveled and lectured widely throughout North America, Europe, and Africa and his writings have been published in scores of newspapers throughout the US. He has spoken on numerous radio and television programs and his writings have appeared in such books as Culture Wars and the National Center for Science Education's Voices for Evolution. In this talk with D.J. Grothe, Norm Allen explores the relationship between Christianity and American slavery, the history of freethought in the abolitionist and civil rights movements, the gullibility of the black community, the explosive growth of skepticism and humanism in Africa, the impact of religion and the paranormal on the working poor.