Podcasts about our own following jesus beyond

Jen Hatmaker revisits one of the most impactful and downloaded episodes from her "For the Love" podcast's 7-year history. In this powerful encore, she has a candid conversation with acclaimed writer and speaker Jonathan Merritt who publicly comes out as gay for the first time during their interview. Jen and Jonathan reflect on their intertwined journeys - she as an ally leaving the evangelical world, he as a prominent faith voice reckoning with his sexuality. Brace yourself for an emotional, insightful look at the joy and pain of Jonathan's coming out experience. This is one powerhouse episode you won't want to miss again (or for the first time!). * * * Thought-Provoking Quotes: “I had a choice. I could either leave the idea of being loved in that way and loving in that way behind and to get belonging and acceptance, or I could choose to be rejected by the people that I was given as a family and a faith community and I could go off on my own way and try to find love. And that's a tough decision.” – Jonathan Merritt  “I'd grown up hearing this, ‘we hate the sin, we love the sinner.' And yet, everywhere I looked was all this sin-hate. And there was no marking of loving these people.” – Jonathan Merritt “The number one reason that someone changes their views on homosexuality or same-sex marriage is how they answer the question, ‘Do you have a close family member or friend who is gay?'” – Jonathan Merritt “I live in an Episcopal seminary. You feel hundreds of years of prayers that have been prayed here by good people. People who joined the Civil Rights Movement. And people who were marching after the Stonewall Riots. And people who did it because they loved Jesus and not in spite of that fact.” – Jonathan Merritt "American evangelicalism is predicated on the existence of an enemy to fight, and that keeps people coming to church. It's the need to be against, right? And people revel in that, that's the selling point." – Jonathan Merritt Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Love is the Game Changer of Our Faith: Bishop Michael Curry - https://bit.ly/3BQ2FUl How to Create a Politics of Love: Lisa Sharon Harper - https://bit.ly/3IdV3gW Jen Hatmaker: Trump, Black Lives Matter, Gay Marriage & More - Jonathan Merritt - https://bit.ly/3IhrUS0 Christian Rock Star Comes Out as Gay in Letter to the World - Jonathan Merritt - https://bit.ly/3siB9Ms Eugene Peterson on Changing His Mind About Same-Sex Issues and Marriage - Jonathan Merritt - https://bit.ly/3LXWlyX Leading Evangelical Ethicist is now Pro-LGBT (David Gushee) - Jonathan Merritt - https://bit.ly/3LVOTUV A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars - Jonathan Merritt - https://bit.ly/3Vvj8J6 Dr. Michael Lindsay - Sociologist & Author - https://www.taylor.edu/about/president-profile James Martin - Jesuit Priest - https://www.instagram.com/jamesmartinsj/ My Guncle and Me by Jonathan Merritt - https://www.amazon.com/My-Guncle-Me-Jonathan-Merritt/dp/0762485612 Guest's Links: Website - https://www.jonathanmerritt.com  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonathan_merritt/  Twitter - https://twitter.com/JonathanMerritt Connect with Jen! Jen's website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is a production of Four Eyes Media, presented by Audacy.  Four Eyes Media: https://www.iiiimedia.com/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets.Jonathan is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course.Jonathan holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Emory University's Candler School of Theology. He is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the Wilbur Award for excellence in journalism, the Religion News Association's columnist of the year, and the Englewood Review of Books “Book of the Year” award. Show Notes - The Big IdeasLanguage confusionWhy languages die?How can we bring them back?Reimagining sacred wordsWarning to progressives and conservativesHow to speak GodImportance of speaking God#blessedSo much good gear in this episode.

Speak God“As I got older, I had to consider whether or not that word “God” needed to mature alongside me.” - Jonathan MerrittOn this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael’s concludes his interview with Jonathan Merritt. Jonathan is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and contributing editor for The Week. Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS’ “60 Minutes.”In fact, the New York Times has recently published a fabulous Opinion piece by Jonathan titled, "It's Getting Harder to Talk About God".Jonathan is also author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 50 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:The understanding of words is an internal process, a spiritual process as much as it is a cognitive understanding of words.There’s no way to express the Gospel without words.The vocabulary of faith is growing and evolving over time.How to S.P.E.A.K. 

"Speak God"“Living languages can die but a dying language could also be revived.” - Jonathan MerrittMichael’s guest on this episode of Restoring the Soul is Jonathan Merritt. Jonathan is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and contributing editor for The Week. Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS’ “60 Minutes."Jonathan is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 50 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course.In this podcast, we hope you will discover:Only 7% of the American population say they have a regular spiritual conversation.The connotation of sacred words have changed so much they have become triggers for many.The thirteen top reasons why people avoid using sacred words.What qualifies as a spiritual conversation.Why Speaking God matters. 

GUEST INFO/BIO: This week’s guest is the incredible Jonathan Merritt! Jonathan Merritt is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and contributing editor for The Week.  Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Jonathan is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 50 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course. Named one of “30 young influencers reshaping Christian leadership“ by Outreach Magazine, Jonathan is a sought after speaker at colleges, conferences, and churches. He holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. (SELECT) GUEST PUBLICATIONS: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars, and Learning to Speak God from Scratch. GUEST LINKS/SOCIAL MEDIA: www.jonathanmerritt.com Twitter: @jonathanmerritt Instagram: @jonathanmerritt Facebook: @jonathanmerritt SPECIAL GUEST MUSIC: Morning Parade Facebook: @morningparade Twitter: @morningparade Enjoy the songs? Songs heard throughout the episode were: “Speechless, Carousel, Us & Ourselves, Headlights” from the album, Morning Parade. “Alienation” from the album, Pure Adulterated Joy. Go forth and find their music on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Pandora, and anywhere good music is found! Stay on top of all the latest at www.thedeconstructionists.com Go there to read our blog, snag a shirt, follow us on social media, or join our Patreon family! The Deconstructionists Podcast is mixed and mastered by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information: www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording Website by Ryan Battles All photos by Jared Hevron T-shirt designs by Joseph Ernst, Chad Flannigan, Colin Rigsby, and Jason Turner. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-deconstructionists/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Support the show: Patreon l Glow l Episode Transcript How do we learn to speak about God and the Divine in our world today when all words seem to have precious little meaning? Without using "church-speak" are you able to have an open conversation about the faith you profess?  Guest Bio: Jonathan Merritt is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlanticand contributing editor for The Week.  Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Jonathan is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 50 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course. Guest Socials: Twitter: @JonathanMerritt Facebook: Jonathan Merritt Web: jonathanmerritt.com Instagram: Jonathan_Merritt Special Music for this episode was provided by The Silver Pages You can also find selections from all our episodes on our Spotify Playlist.  I am so grateful for you and want to invite you to become a part of the beloved community being developed here. 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 $1/Month goes so far as this show is 100% listener supported.  https://www.patreon.com/canisaythisatchurch

I had the privilege of sitting down with a fantastic human and writer, Jonathan Merritt. We met at his apartment in Brooklyn, NY and spoke for an hour or so over wine and a beer. We discuss everything from growing up as the son of a prominent Southern Baptist pastor and leader to how he got into writing as a career to how he uses his life and skills to give a damn by writing articles and books that move people toward action.  He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic, contributing editor for The Week, and senior columnist for Religion News Service. He has published more than 3500 articles in publications like USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. He has appeared on ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS’ “60 Minutes” and The New York Times. He has also written three books, including Jesus is Better Than You Imagined and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars, and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 40 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists.  If you want to learn more about Jonathan, check out jonathanmerritt.com. If you want to learn from him, check out writebrilliant.com and jumpstartmywriting.com.  Follow Nick Laparra on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter and Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with all that is going on. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! Support Let’s Give A Damn by contributing the monthly amount of your choice on Patreon. 100% of the money you contribute will go to making more podcasts. Not a dime goes into our pockets.   THIS WEEK’S SPONSORS Ruby Cup: Ruby Cup is a healthier, more sustainable, cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons. Ruby Cup makes a world of difference. It will transform how you manage your period and help promote menstrual health in developing countries. Visit their website to learn more about you can help make a difference in the lives of so many women around the world! Scout Books: Visit their website for 15% of any products in their store! All their products are made with 100% recyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David French is a Senior Counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a former Senior Counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. David has written multiple books and his articles have been published by the Washington Post and Washington Times, among others. He has also founded Evangelicals for Mitt. I wanted to bring David on to respond to the most common concerns that pro-life people have about voting for Romney. And that he did... Here are the questions I asked David in this interview: What do you say to Evangelicals who say that abortion is just another "social justice issue." Why should evangelical's vote for Mitt Romney? What is your response to William Saleton's lengthy piece in Slate about Romney's abortion views? Do you think that Romney has a chance of winning the election? Some people argue that Christians should just "vote their conscience" meaning vote for whichever candidate most aligns with their personal beliefs. So they usually vote third party or they don't vote at all because they argue that the outcome is not their responsibility, but voting their conscience is. What do you say to them? Nick from Carbondale, Illionois: "Why should Christians accept the two-party system and indeed the political spectrum itself as somehow written in stone and never being able to change?" Tara from Marietta GA: "How are we supposed to vote based on principles if we are given only non-principled choices?" Jen from Rochester, NY: "Why should pro-lifers vote for Romney when his health care policy forced everyone to buy abortion coverage?" What do you say to Christians in California and New York who feel defeated before the election even happens, or to Christians in Texas where they may feel complacent? How do you tell them to avoid discouragement or apathy? Jonathan Merritt wrote a book called "A Faith of Our Own - Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars" and he argues that you're creating a false dichotomy for Christians: either fight the culture wars or stay silent. Is that a false dichotomy or is that not even your argument? Greg from Kansas City: "Why should Christians vote for a Mormon over a Protestant Christian?" What do you think Christians should be doing with social media in regards to this election? What can and can't pastors do in regards to speaking about politics from the pulpit?