Podcasts about union seminary

In this episode of The Rise of Bonhoeffer, we journey with Dietrich to New York City for a year as a Postdoctoral post at Union Theological Seminary. This school year in New York radically changed him, but the spark that lit his theological imagination was outside the classroom. When he arrived in NYC, he brought an overtly intellectual faith he had used to justify a nationalist and militaristic faith. Through his encounter with the Harlem Renaissance, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and a road trip through the South, along with power friendships with people like Frank Fisher and Jean Lasserre, his vision of just what a disciple was called to be was transformed. This German who came contemplating the possibility of killing for blood and soil came to see himself anew as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus called his followers to bear a cross and not build one, to love their enemies and not kill them, and to practice solidarity with the suffering and exploited and not race, creed, or nation. Bonhoeffer came to discover that Jesus can always be found in the face of the Other. Without his time in New York and these transformative experiences, we would never have the Bonhoeffer so many admire. Follow the Rise of Bonhoeffer podcast here. Want to learn more about Bonhoeffer? Join our open online companion class, The Rise of Bonhoeffer, and get access to full interviews from the Bonhoeffer scholars, participate in deep-dive sessions with Tripp and Jeff, unpack curated readings from Bonhoeffer, send in your questions, and join the online community of fellow Bonhoeffer learners. The class is donation-based, including 0. You can get more info here. Featured Scholars in the Episode include: Reggie L. Williams is an Associate Professor of Theological Studies at St. Louis University. He is the author of “Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance,” which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in 2015 in the field of religion. The book focuses on Bonhoeffer's exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals and worship at Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist during his time at Union Seminary in New York from 1930 to 1931. Lori Brandt Hale, trained in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion, specializes in the life and legacy of German theologian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and currently serves as the president of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language. She is the co-editor of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance. She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians. Stephen Haynes is the Albert Bruce Curry Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and Theologian-in-Residence at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. He is a Dietrich Bonhoeffer scholar and author or editor of over 14 books including The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon, The Bonhoeffer Legacy, and The Battle for Bonhoeffer: Debating Discipleship in the Age of Trump. In this book, Haynes examines “populist” readings of Bonhoeffer, including court evangelical Eric Metaxas's book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Gary Dorrien is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. He is also the author of Anglican Identities: Logos Idealism, Imperial Whiteness, Commonweal Ecumenism, Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition, American Democratic Socialism and In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent.  This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity and Theology Nerd Throwdown podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 45 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pastor Jeffery talks with Revd Dr Steffen Jenkins, Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Greek at Union Seminary, Wales, about the Imprecatory Psalms. They discuss the interpretation of these Psalms, their implications for our personal prayer and pursuit of godliness, their place in the life of the church, and many other topics. The post The Imprecatory Psalms in the Christian Life | Steffen Jenkins appeared first on .

Dr. David Gushee returns to continue the timely discussion of his new book, The Moral Teachings of Jesus. Ken and David expand on the Golden Rule. Gushee's doctoral work at Union Seminary focussed on ethics and the Holocaust. His work on the horrors of torture got the attention of Christianity Today when the horrific American abuses against prisoners held at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay came to light. Christian military officials asked the magazine for guidance. In reponse, David was commissioned to write CT's extensive cover story. In it, he clarified, “the prohibition on torture in international law admits no exceptions,” and then offered an ethical treatise rooted in Jesus' teaching. Dr. Gushee expands on Jesus' emphasis on what we do over what we say - “By our fruit” we will be known. He points to the heavy implications that relate to money and wealth in Jesus' direct challenge. No one can serve both God and money. “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be.” It's a lively, insightful conversation filled with wisdom, humor and common sense - especially valuable for those sorting out the demands of toxic religion from the potent, life-altering teachings of the Rabbi from Nazareth. SHOW NOTESThe Moral Teachings of Jesus: Radical Instruction in the Will of God Become a Patron | Ken's Substack PageSupport the show

Next week we're going to be joined in both worship services and an after church lunch by Simran Jeet Singh and by interfaith neighbors in our Cincinnati community.  I am really excited about this.  Simran is a prolific speaker, author and professor of interreligious studies at Union Seminary in New York.  I heard him speak […]

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Simran's thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Visiting Lecturer at Union Seminary, and a Senior Advisor on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, part of Accenture. Simran is the author of an award-winning children's book titled Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon (Kokila, Penguin Random House). He earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. Simran is a recipient of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Award from Harvard University and, in 2020, TIME Magazine recognized him as one of sixteen people fighting for a more equal America. He writes regularly for major outlets, including The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, CNN and TIME Magazine, and he writes a monthly column for Religion News Service. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Simran now lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters, where he enjoys running, writing and chasing his kids. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Simran on Twitter, Facebook, and Instragram. — Check out Simran's website. — Order your copy of The Light We Give today! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let's Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don't want you to miss a thing! If you love what we're doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can't do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y'all!

Dr. David Renwick joined the show to discuss an ancient marble tablet was found seemingly pointing to Jesus Christ. Please fill our listeners in.Dr. David Renwick grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and received his B.S. in Applied Math from St. Andrews University.While a student at St. Andrews University, David spent his junior year in the United States, and returned to the United States to pursue his theological education at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Massachusetts, and later a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.David has served churches from 50-2,500 members  -- in Labrador, Canada; and here in the United States: in Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, and, most recently, in Washington, DC – where he was Sr. Pastor of The National Presbyterian Church for eleven years until retirement this past September.David has been married for 47 years to his wife, Currie, who comes from Gainesville, GA (David and Currie met at St. Andrews University in Scotland when Currie was on a junior year abroad program from Tulane).Currie retired this June as an elementary school librarian in the DC public school sys-tem. They have three adult children and five grandchildren, in DC, Virginia and Louisiana.

SU USA President Gail Martin is joined this week by David Renwick, Pastor and Teacher, as they discuss a new week's readings in the book of Colossians. You can subscribe to the daily Bible reading God, Encounter with God, via print, email or online at www.ScriptureUnion.org Featured Guest: David Renwick, Pastor and Teacher Dr. David Renwick (pronounced Ren-ick) grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and received his B.S. in Applied Math from St. Andrews University. While a student at St. Andrews University, David spent his junior year in the United States, and returned to the United States to pursue his theological education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, and later a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. David has served churches from 17-2,500 members across the continent -- in Labrador, Canada, and here in the United States: in Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, and, most recently, in Washington, DC – where he was Sr. Pastor of The National Presbyterian Church for eleven years until retirement this past September. David has been married for 47 years to his wife, Currie, who comes from Gainesville, GA (David and Currie met at St. Andrews University in Scotland when Currie was on a junior year abroad program from Tulane). Currie retired this June as an elementary school librarian in the DC public school system. They have three adult children and five grandchildren, in DC, Virginia and Louisiana. David is the author of “Paul, the Temple and the Presence of God,” published by the Brown Series in Judaic Studies, and was an assistant editor of The learning Bible, published by the American Bible Society. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scriptureunionusa/support

Join us for the 2nd installment in a yearlong exploration of world religions on Weds, November 30 @ 6pm EST.  This is a conversation with writer, educator, and activist Dr. Simran Jeet Singh to discuss Sikhism and his new book, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Dr. Singh is the executive director for the Aspen Institute's Religion and Society Program, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Senior Adviser on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. In his work and contemplative talks, he offers a fresh approach to ethical living—one in which love, caring, and service go hand-in-hand with personal happiness. He shares the skills and insights that kept him engaged in his commitment to activism, and how to use compassion as the antidote to anger, self-pity, or social justice burnout.

Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is the Executive Director of the Inclusive America Project at the Aspen Institute. Recognized among TIME Magazine's “sixteen people fighting for a more equal America”, he is an Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, Senior Adviser on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. He is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, CNN, and TIME Magazine and writes a monthly column for Religion News Service. Simran is the author of The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and he lives with his family in New York City.

We will learn: The intersection between hate and fear. How to get comfortable embracing your discomfort. A daily practice to keep your optimism while taking action. Standing up for what you believe in is, in my opinion, one of the most honorable things you can do. The problem is, fighting for a cause and spending so much time and thought immersed in your own ideology and surrounding yourself with people who think the same is both amazing and also the exact directions to create your own echo chamber. I've also found that the more I fight, the angrier I become at the world around me. So what do we do? How do we participate in activism without being consumed by anger or hatred or even self-pity or hopelessness? That's what we're talking about today. Our guest is Dr. Simran Jeet Singh. He is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's Religion & Society Program. He is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting, an Equality Fellow for the Open Society Foundations, and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. Simran is the author of “The Light We Give: The Power of Sikh Wisdom to Transform Your Life.” Links from the episode: Show Notes: https://mindlove.com/X97 Sign up for The Morning Mind Love for short daily notes from your highest self.  Get Mind Love Premium for exclusive ad-free episodes and monthly meditations.  Support Mind Love Sponsors See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 216 - Dr. Simran Jeet Singh Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund are honored to have as our guest, Dr,.Simran Jeet Singh. Simran Jeet Singh is Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's Program on Religion & Society. Recognized among TIME Magazine's sixteen people fighting for a more equal America, he is a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, Senior Adviser on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. Simran is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, CNN, and TIME Magazine, a monthly columnist for Religion News Service, and the author of the bestselling children's book Fauja Singh Keeps Going. He lives with his family in New York City. Website: https://www.simranjeetsingh.org Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623324/the-light-we-give-by-simran-jeet-singh/ Note: Guests create their own bio description for each episode. The Curiosity Hour Podcast is hosted and produced by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund. The Curiosity Hour Podcast is listener supported! The easiest way to donate is via the Venmo app and you can donate to (at symbol) CuriosityHour (Download app here: venmo.com) The Curiosity Hour Podcast is available free on 13 platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, Soundcloud, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podbean, PlayerFM, Castbox, and Pocket Casts. Disclaimers: The Curiosity Hour Podcast may contain content not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion advised. The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are solely those of the guest(s). These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Curiosity Hour Podcast. This podcast may contain explicit language. The Public Service Announcement near the end of the episode solely represents the views of Tommy and Dan and not our guests or our listeners. Tommy and Dan requested and were provided with a review copy of the book in preparation for interviewing Dr. Singh. Thank you to the publisher and Dr. Singh for providing us with these books.

About the author I was born in 1926, raised in Nebraska, but after finishing my higher education (I have a PhD from Union Seminary in New York City), I went to Japan as a professor in the field of religion, counseling, etc. I founded and directed a counseling center in Tokyo, while I was teaching. I am married and have 2 sons and 2 grandsons. We live in a unique retirement community, called Pilgrim Place in Claremont, CA.

Today's episode is also available as a video at: https://youtu.be/knl_8xviEGU As Americans begin a month long celebration of Black history, I thought it would be valuable to explore the personal history and theology of one of America's premier Black theologians- Dr. Dwight Hopkins. This episode originally aired in June of 2020, but is worth revisiting. Dr. Dwight N. Hopkins was born and raised in the segregated south, but through the support system of his loving family and the African American church community, he grew to become a renowned theologian. Hopkins is the Alexander Campbell Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Graduating from Harvard, Hopkins went on to earn PhD's from Union Seminary and the University of Cape Town (South Africa). Those of you who listen to this program regularly know that I have credited Dr. Hopkins as being the one who's work first exposed me to the idea of culture as spirit, aesthetic, and labor.  In today's conversation, I talk with Dr. Hopkins about: -his personal journey of faith and calling into theology -how his experiences in African American church communities shaped his interest in cultural theology -culture as spirit, aesthetic, and labor; and if "spirits" aren't just psychologically symbolic -how he would theologically and personally evaluate the recent phenomenon of the tearing down statues and monuments throughout America (his answer surprised me!) -and more! If you find this podcast to be helpful and you want to see it continue ad-free, would you consider becoming a supporter on Patreon? Members of the Deep Talks Patreon Community receive bonus Q & A Episodes, articles, charts, discussion forums and more. https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159   Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner

“The word that comes to mind when I think of her is ‘poise.'” —Jasmine HolmesIn this episode of Carved in Ebony, Jasmine Holmes and Abena Ansah-Wright talk about how Frances Ellen Watkins Harper defied societal expectations in order to make an impact on her world. Harper was a teacher, a speaker, a poet, an abolitionist, and equal rights advocate. She became the first woman to teach at Union Seminary, as well as the first African American woman to publish a short story.Follow Jasmine Holmes     Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasmineLHolmes     Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasmine.baucham      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminelholmes/      Jasmine's website: https://jasminelholmes.com Follow Abena Boakyewa-Ansah      Twitter: https://twitter.com/APBAnsah      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abena.ansah Find Jasmine's book at https://carvedinebonybook.com

Ethan Roberts attends Union Seminary where he is a chaplain intern for incarcerated transgender folks at Rosie's on Rikers Island. He discusses his early religious trauma being apart of a cultic group in Buffalo NY. He speaks about power and class manipulation as well as the greater culture of ‘toxic theology' within his Mennonite and Baptist upbringing. At college his first encounter seeing a Drag King enabled him to explore his gender and sexuality. More recently, he describes the complications passing as a cis white man and co-raising a child with his partner while navigating his internal and external relationships to trans-embodiment.

Simran Jeet Singh joins Jerry on Episode 120 to share his story of being an Indian American of Sikh faith, his journey through academics into activism, and the legacy he wants to leave for future generations. Learn more about Simran at SimranJeetSingh.orgAbout SimranRecognized among TIME Magazine's 16 people fighting for a more equal America, Simran Jeet Singh is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. He is a 2020 Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations and a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. Simran holds a PhD, MPhil, and MA from Columbia University, an MTS from Harvard University, and a BA from Trinity University.This past year, Simran added author to his resume with the release of his best-selling children's book from Penguin Random House (Kokila), Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon. He is currently completing an adult non-fiction book for Penguin Random House (Riverhead) entitled More of This Please: Sikh Wisdom for the Soul. Growing up as a turban-wearing, brown-skinned, beard-loving Sikh in South Texas, Simran learned early that marginalized groups will not lecture their way into dignity and that empathy is truly built when people get to know each other as human beings. This realization is what brought him into the deep work of empathy-building as an approach for personal development and social change. .Simran is a highly sought-out speaker on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and anti-racism. His thought leadership extends across corporate, university, and government settings, and his work has been featured in various outlets, including NPR, CNN, BBC, TIME, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Simran is especially passionate about creating more cohesion, equity, and joy for all stakeholders.(Source: SimranJeetSingh.org)Connect with SimranIG - @SikhProfFB - @SikhProfTwitter - @SimranWebsite: www.simranjeetsingh.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simran-jeet-singh-006b7383/Buy Fauja Singh Keeps Going// Support Dear Asian Americans:Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/dearasianamericans/Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jerrywonLearn more about DAA Creator and Host Jerry Won:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrywon/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerryjwon/// Listen to Dear Asian Americans on all major platforms:Transistor.fm: http://www.dearasianamericans.comApple: https://apple.dearasianamericans.comSpotify: https://spotify.dearasianamericans.comStitcher: https://stitcher.dearasianamericans.comGoogle: https://google.dearasianamericans.com  Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dearasianamericans Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dearasianamericans Subscribe to our YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/dearasianamericans // Join the Asian Podcast Network:Web: https://asianpodcastnetwork.com/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/asianpodcastnetwork/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianpodcastnetwork/Dear Asian Americans is produced by Just Like Media:Web: http://www.justlikemedia.comInstagram.com: http://www.instagram.com/justlikemedia

In this special episode, Sikh Activist, Simran Jeet Singh, joins Omid Safi for conversation exploring anti-racism as a spiritual practice.Recognized among TIME Magazine’s 16 people fighting for a more equal America, Simran Jeet Singh is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. He is a 2020 Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Racial Equity Media Fellow with Interfaith Youth Core, and a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. Simran holds a PhD, MPhil, and MA from Columbia University, an MTS from Harvard University, and a BA from Trinity University. He is the author of a best-selling children's book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon, and is in the process of writing a non-fiction book for adults, titled, More of This Please: Sikh Wisdom for the Soul. For more information, please visit SimranJeetSingh.orgOriginally recorded for Religion News Service

Simran Jeet Singh is the Senior Diversity and Inclusion Adviser for YSC Consulting and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. He is a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Racial Equity Media Fellow with Interfaith Youth Core, and a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. This past year, Simran added author to his resume with the release of his best-selling children's book from Penguin Random House (Kokila), Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon. He is currently completing an adult non-fiction book for Penguin Random House (Riverhead) entitled More of This Please: Sikh Wisdom for the Soul. 

Welcome to the the Dear Daughters Podcast in 2021! If there is one thing I learned over the last year, it is the importance of stepping back from the news and media to re-engage in a habit of reading spiritual classics. The authors who I’ll be featuring on the podcast have fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. There’s just so much we can learn from them. I want to invite you to come along with me this season and dive into the wisdom of these faithful followers of Jesus. One of the first books I picked up last year was A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. Here’s a little history on John: John Baillie was born on March 6, 1886, as the oldest of three boys. He was named after his father, who died when he was just four years old. John experienced more tragedy in life with the loss of his youngest brother in May 1914, and then two close friends in WW1 later that same year. He began to volunteer for the Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) with British armies in France, where he met his wife Jewel Fowler, and they married in April 1919. John Baillie was an esteemed theologian and pastor, served on the faculty at New College in Edinburgh, and Auburn Theological Seminary and Union Seminary in New York, and was named a Companion of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II. He died on September 29, 1960, at age 74, leaving a legacy of faithfulness that we can all learn from. What really strikes me about John Baillie (among all of his amazing achievements) are the beautiful books he wrote, like A Diary of Private Prayer. John Baillie lived his life to the end being faithful to God. My prayer for you and for me is that we will be inspired to be faithful to the end, too. SHOW NOTES Get a brand new copy (or two or three) of A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. Or consider purchasing the vintage copy from Susie’s own library. But there’s only one vintage copy of A Diary of Private Prayer available, so be quick! Download the FREE 2021 Goal Guide that I created just for you. Get encouragement in your inbox each week: Sign up for my newsletter! Join my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship, online. Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan’s music. My book, Dear Daughters, is a template for those multi-generational conversations and relationships you’re craving. Get a copy of Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation And discover my most recent book: The Grace Guide: Live Your One Beautiful Life!

On this episode, we're presenting highlights from one of our most enlightening virtual forums of the past year. The talk focuses on a turning point in the life of Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German who lived from 1906 to 1945. Bonhoeffer is widely known for his resistance to Nazi dictatorship and genocide, and for his writings on Christianity in secular life, including his classic book, The Cost of Discipleship. Lesser-known is the impact on Bonhoeffer of his year of study at Union Seminary in New York, in 1930-31, during which he worshiped at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church and was deeply influenced by Harlem Renaissance intellectuals. Dr. Reggie Williams writes about this subject in his award-winning book, Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance. Dr. Williams is our featured guest for this forum, which Queen Anne Lutheran co-hosted with St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Bellevue. Watch a video of the forum here, with additional audience Q&A.

Ken welcomes Dr. David Gushee, professor, author, lecturer and distinguished ethicist. While they focus on Gushee's most recent book (just released), After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity, they share war stories growing up in the wide world of evangelicalism and Gushee's academic track - leading up to his earned Ph.D. at Union Seminary. They share a deep concern over the current identification of evangelicalism with Trumpism. They discuss what Ken calls “Gushee's Lament.” Here in Part I, they review Dr. Gushee's upbringing, his activism, his influence on the movement, the influence of Ron Sider.   SHOW NOTES Support the show (http://thebeachedwhitemale.com)

Emily Nicolaides is our passenger on today's episode. Hop on in and listen as Emily & Coach Logan talk Type Three, All Things Weaving, entrepreneurship, small business ownership, Shalom Farms and much more.For images, links, footage and more please visit our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/enneagramtaxiBook your FREE 30 minute consultation today at https://www.loganjonescoaching.comDownload the EnneaApp today at: https://enneaapp.com/Music for the Enneagram Taxi podcast is "Horizons" by Ross Wright Music https://rosswright.bandcamp.com/The Enneagram Taxi Podcast is a production of Stephen R. Sanders Multimedia. https://www.facebook.com/stephenrsandersmultimediaCheck out Emily's work & Plan to Purchase one of her magnificent weavings mentioned in this episode and/or Sign Up for one of her Weaving Classes at www.emilynicolaides.com. When you're in Richmond, VA plan a visit Emily's pit stop: Shalom Farms, plus their Northside plot which is located right on Union Seminary's Walking Path & Labyrinth on the corner of Westwood Av. and Loxley Rd. https://www.shalomfarms.org

Dr. Dwight N. Hopkins was born and raised in the segregated south, but through the support system of his loving family and the African American church community, he grew to become a renowned theologian. Hopkins is the Alexander Campbell Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Graduating from Harvard, Hopkins went on to earn PhD's from Union Seminary and the University of Cape Town (South Africa).Those of you who listen to this program regularly know that I have credited Dr. Hopkins as being the one who's work first exposed me to the idea of culture as spirit, aesthetic, and labor. In today's conversation, I talk with Dr. Hopkins about:-his personal journey of faith and calling into theology -how his experiences in African American church communities shaped his interest in cultural theology -culture as spirit, aesthetic, and labor; and if "spirits" aren't just psychologically symbolic-how he would theologically and personally evaluate the recent phenomenon of the tearing down statues and monuments throughout America (his answer surprised me!)-and more! This summer, Deep Talks is trying to reach a goal of 300 patrons on Patreon to sustain weekly, ad-free episodes. Supporters on Patreon get access to bonus Q&A Episodes, articles, and other resources. Please consider supporting free theological and philosophical education for as little as $2 a month by going to: https://www.patreon.com/deeptalkstheologypodcast To Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-talks-exploring-theology-and-meaning-making/id1401730159 Connect with Paul Anleitner on Twitter at:https://twitter.com/PaulAnleitner You can also give a one-time donation for this episode directly at: https://cash.app/$PaulAnleitner

Today's episode talks about a sermon, on Ephesians 2, preached by Voddie Baucham, this past autumn. His sermon is on a Biblical perspective of race and reconciliation. Next week we will finish our discussion on Dr. Baucham's sermon, and also discuss a few points made from a sermon by Dr. John MacArthur. Dr. Baucham's full message, Irreconcilable Views of Reconciliation, can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZdIseCkZc&feature=youtu.be Introduction - ; Recap of the first 5 episodes before we move on - 00:48; Introduction to this episode's topic on Voddie Baucham's message - 1:20; Union Seminary's Response to the Dallas Statement - 5:10; What the Dallas Statement (the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel) is - 6:40; https://statementonsocialjustice.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SSJG-FINAL.pdf The Problem with not holding to inerrancy - 8:40; A New Canon and Critical Theory - 13:27; Union's Statement on Sin and Salvation - 20:01; Reconciled to God and reconciled to one another - 22:37; Race is a social construct, not a Biblical concept - 25:13; The End - 32:43

Dr. Reggie Williams is the Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary and author of Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus:Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance. The book is an analysis of exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals, and worship at Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist on the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, during his year of post-doctoral study at Union Seminary in New York, 1930-31. Dr. Williams' research interests include Christological ethics, theological anthropology, Christian social ethics, the Harlem Renaissance, race, politics and black church life. His current book project includes a religious critique of whiteness in the Harlem Renaissance. In addition, he is working on a book analyzing the reception of Bonhoeffer by liberation activists in apartheid South Africa. Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2011. He earned a Master's degree in Theology from Fuller in 2006 and a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies from Westmont College in 1995. He is a member of the board of directors for the Society for Christian Ethics, as well as the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society. He is also a member of the American Academy of Religion and Society for the Study of Black Religion. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reverend, Dr. Jennifer Harvey is a parent, a writer, an educator, and an activist.  Her 2018 book Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America offers age-appropriate insights for teaching children how to address racism when they encounter it and tackles tough questions about how to help white kids be mindful of racial relations while understanding their own identity and the role they can play for justice. We discuss the book, but also her personal journey from elementary school, where she was bussed under a court ordered desegregation plan to a predominately Black school, to her time at Union Seminary in New York, studying with the late, great Dr. James Cone.  From the power of finding our shared humanity, to liberation we can all find in anti-racism, the importance of moving from thought to action, Dr. Harvey's insights feel incredibly important in this moment.   LINKS:Raising White Kids - Dr. Jennifer Harvey A Black Theology of Liberation - Dr. James ConeThe Cross and the Lynching Tree - Dr. James ConeRace Traitor - Noel Ignatiev and John Garvey (a book of essays from the journal of the same name)Raising Anti-Racist Kids - ebook by Rebekah GienappAn article about the event hosted in Denver, in 2018Video of a workshop led by Dr. HarveyConnect with Dr. Harvey on Twitter or Facebook Remember, any book bought through a link here or by starting at our affiliate page on IndieBound supports local bookstores, and Integrated Schools. Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us - @integratedschls on twitter, IntegratedSchools on Facebook, or email us hello@integratedschools.org.The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.Music by Kevin Casey.  

Can we confess to plants instead of God or each other? This week, Greg and RD break down Union Seminary's tweet about praying to plants during their chapel, and show that ultimately, all sin is against God.

Union Seminary in New York City recently brought plants into the classroom to have the seminary students confess their sins to them in the name of climate change. This is a very clear example of what the Apostle Paul said we do, and the consequences are terrible. Listen in on what happened on what we can do about it. #UnionSeminary #Revelation #Confession – Romans 1 – Hebrews 3 – Hebrews 10 – Jeremiah 31

The Many, a musical group passionate about creating music for people to sing together about peace and justice and a world where all belong, will perform at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, October 14-15. Tinsley Jones, director of the seminary's Leadership Institute, interviewed the group via Skype from their home base in Chicago. The full 50-minute conversation is available here for those who want to learn more. Drawing on indie pop and gospel influences, The Many makes music to help give voice to faith and doubt, questions and fears, laments and longings, music that speaks to a non-violent God, a Jesus who is with us and for us, and to a Spirit that can’t be easily defined or controlled. It’s music for a movement of resistance to hatred and division, for reconciliation and restoration, and music that always reminds us “we are on this earth to love.” Their music is made for people to sing with each other, in churches, in living rooms, in basements and bars, anywhere, everywhere, in spirit and in truth. The Many features vocalists, Darren Calhoun, Leslie Michele and Hannah Rand (pictured above), along with guests and collaborators. Gary and Lenora Rand are co-directors of The Plural Guild, the music/arts/liturgy resource group which produces The Many. They will lead worship, workshops, and a panel discussion at the seminary’s 2019 Howie Center Events: Monday, October 14, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. – Workshop, Worship as a Catalyst for Social Justice: Creating Liturgy for Justice/Inclusion Monday, October 14, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – An Evening with The Many: Worship, with Teaching and Q & A Sessions Tuesday, October 15, 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Creative Workshop Choices (participants select one) What in the world are we singing? Finding and creating songs for worship that better reflect our theology and calling to justice and inclusion. Doing liturgy as if our lives depended on it. How to create inclusive, anti-racist, poetic and moving liturgy that helps us connect more deeply with God, our full selves, each other, and this whole aching world. Tuesday, October 15, 11:00 a.m. – noon – Panel Discussion with the Many, facilitated by Dr. Richard Voelz, Assistant Professor of Preaching & Worship The events are free and open to all, but registration is required. In addition to the Howie Center Events, The Many will lead Community Worship in Lake Chapel in the Early Center on Wednesday, October 16, at 11:45 a.m. All of these scheduled events are designed to bring community members together through the intersection of science, art, and theology. Through the seminary's Leadership Institute, The Carl Howie Center for Science, Art, and Theology sponsors presentations through which church leaders (including seminarians) recognize and engage the insights and implications of the interplay of science, art, and theology for theological expression and the practice of ministry. The center generously provides funding for lectures, seminars, and displays at Union Presbyterian Seminary once or twice a year, featuring artists, scientists, and/or theologians in conversation about a particular topic. Also, check out the "All Belong Here" lyric video, a preview of "Love Is Here," and "Forgive Us." Listen to more of their music on Spotify. And visit their website.

TOP STORIES: Muslim activist and lawyer Zahra Billoo voted off Women's March board after anti-Semitic tweets surfaced; Justin Trudeau is caught in "brown-face" photo from 2001; Lewandowski forced to rehash weak "obstruction" claim in first "impeachment hearing"; Union Seminary defends its students confessing their sins to plants. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: Can evidence every be examined "objectively?" FLIP PHONE: What did YOU get out of the Creationism to Evolution 180 (episode 26)?WOKE OF THE WEEK: Small-time comedian Shane Gillis booted from SNL over racially derogatory comments made on his podcast.DEBUNKING: I explain where I went wrong in a controversial, incorrect piece I wrote last week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Baker discusses theological distinctions between Law & Gospel with guest Pastor Wes Reimnitz. Today's rumination topic is praying to plants, as happened at Union Seminary recently. Read about this at washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/09/18/progressive-seminary-students-offered-confession-plants-what-are-we-make-it.

The guys talk about the recent false teaching at Union Seminary and their involvement with plant confessions, pharisees and the lessons we can learn from them, and so much more!We've upped our ante! For your chance to win the now $25 Chick-fil-A gift card, be sure to share the GCC Podcast on your favorite social media, email us your mailing address and name at podcast@glasscitychurch.org. We wanna hear from you! Email us your questions, topic ideas and comments at the same above!Support the show (http://www.glasscitychurch.org/contact/)

Today's Topics: 1) Ukraine 2)Israel's elections 3)Trump at the UN during Climate Change Week 4) Union Seminary and 5) Prayer and fasting

Today InPerspective with Dr. Harry Reeder September 24, 2019

Today's Topics: 1) Ukraine 2)Israel's elections 3)Trump at the UN during Climate Change Week 4) Union Seminary and 5) Prayer and fasting

(00:00-08:56): The New York Times Still Doesn’t Understand What It Did. In the era of fake news, what sources can we trust? Brian dissects this National Review article by David French on the Times’ reports on Brett Kavanaugh. (08:56-18:20): Brian is flying solo today, so he gets to talk about his favorite sports teams. This time around, he discusses the New York Giants benching long-time QB Eli Manning and how he may very well be the most underrated hall of famer ever. (18:20-27:18): Boy, 16, Stabbed in Fight Lay Dying as Eyewitnesses, Friends Videotaped His Death. Brian touches on the seemingly barbaric state of society. It’s as if the people who watched him die only wanted to profit off of the situation. (27:18-35:59): Brian touches on some tweets from Jeff Vanderstelt and Tim Keller. Vanderstelt quotes Keller, “The Resurrection is a giant receipt stamped across history saying your debt has been paid for and you don't have to pay it ever again.” and The Keller Tweet concurs that statement by saying “The strongest Christians are the ones most willing to repent.” (39:59-46:39): Brian refers to a couple more tweets talking about atheism and truth rejection. The first tweet was a simple question: “Ex-theists, I’d love to know if you miss anything about being religious? #atheist” and the second was from Union Seminary, they confessed their sins to plants. (46:39-57:02): We are joined in the studio by our friend Dan Ehrman to talk about the Lift Conference. He expresses the vitality of the upcoming conference because of how Christian leadership is in crisis today. (57:02-1:07:06): Dan sticks around to talk about his leadership roles and how his show “Leading the Church” instills a positive and in-depth perspective on the church leaders of Chicago. He also discusses good leadership qualities that he has seen in pastors he interviews and knows. (1:07:06-1:13:49): Brian and Ian’s “Weird Stuff We Found on the Internet”: Amish folks are running ravage in the streets while Nessie isn’t made in China. A woman in Rhode Island is feeling a tad blue, while Canada will fine you if you protect yourself. Meanwhile, Dogs are smarter than we think, and have a wicked sense of humor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GetReligion editor Terry Mattingly discusses “Union Seminary, Duke and adventures in mainline Protestant education”

Union Seminary confesses sins to plants. Yes, I said that correctly. Then we talk about the unfortunately events of Jarrid Wilson and how we can be the presence of Christ to those in need. Union Seminary recently tweeted that they spent their chapel confessing their sins to plants. Does it sound pagan? Absolutely. We look at their history of shenanigans and talk about who we should actually confess to. Spoilers. It's not plants. Think we are kidding? We aren't.Then we look at the tragic death of Jarrid Wilson and talk about how we can show the love of God to those who are struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. If you have any of those, you are loved by God, you are not alone, talk to someone.If you want to write a question or just say hi, be sure to reach out to us at http://www.thegospeloutpost.com/nobodyspecialand check out our instagram and facebook at NobodySpecialPodcast.The Gospel Outpost Presents Nobody Special. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode contains 3 unusual hot-takes.   I really believe 2 of them, but 1 is a joke. You decide.  (This should be pretty easy) Matt Walsh’s chicken nugget ranking controversy – Support Him! Union Seminary’s hat tip to Final Fantasy VII – Don’t Entirely Condemn! Joe Biden was right about non-violent criminals – Agreement!

This episode contains 3 unusual hot-takes.   I really believe 2 of them, but 1 is a joke. You decide.  (This should be pretty easy) Matt Walsh’s chicken nugget ranking controversy – Support Him! Union Seminary’s hat tip to Final Fantasy VII – Don’t Entirely Condemn! Joe Biden was right about non-violent criminals – Agreement!

This episode contains 3 unusual hot-takes.   I really believe 2 of them, but 1 is a joke. You decide.  (This should be pretty easy) Matt Walsh’s chicken nugget ranking controversy – Support Him! Union Seminary’s hat tip to Final Fantasy VII – Don’t Entirely Condemn! Joe Biden was right about non-violent criminals – Agreement!

On Today's podcast we talk about how we came to be Presbyterians, Duke University and their decision about Young Life, and Union Theological seminary praying to plants...

I. What Makes a Great Evangelist? Please take your Bibles and open to 1 Corinthians Chapter 9. We'll be looking this morning at verses 15-23. We will deal with verse 24 through 27 more next time. This morning, we're going to, in looking at these verses, sit at the feet of the greatest evangelist in church history, and we're going to learn from him. What is a great evangelist? What makes someone a great evangelist? I have loved studying church history. It's a joy and a pleasure of mine to read of the great men and women of God who have gone before us and have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and who were active in sharing the Gospel so that the Gospel could make progress from that Upper Room in Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And what a glorious, what an amazing journey that's been as evangelist missionaries have taken the Gospel and at great personal cost, have suffered so that others might hear and believe. I love studying about great evangelists. One of the greatest evangelists, one of my favorite, I've a picture of him up on the wall of my office, is George Whitfield. In that picture, he's up on a barrel and he's preaching the Gospel in a crowded market square, and there's all kinds of chaos and mayhem going on around him, someone blowing a trumpet in his ear, other people yelling at him, others falling down clearly yielding to the message of the Gospel. And this man did this for decades, preaching the Gospel thousands of times to 10 million people in the colonial era before the American Revolution, crossed the Atlantic Ocean 13 times in a sailing vessel and preached to huge crowds. But he also made a commitment to personal evangelism, not just preaching in crowds, but personal evangelism. He said, "God forbid that I should travel one quarter of an hour with another person without talking to him about Christ." I think about that every time I get on an airplane. God forbid that I should travel with this individual and not say something about Christ. Or D. L. Moody, who lived later, at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, one of the greatest evangelists, set up revival meetings all over, spoke to even more people, because the population of the world was greater. And his expanse, his travels were greater than George Whitfield's, but D. L. Moody, a great evangelist. And he made a personal commitment to never go to bed everyday without sharing Christ with someone, talking to somebody about Christ. Many times he had forgotten. He was just about to go to sleep, and the Holy Spirit would wake him up and get him up out of bed, and he'd go out into the street and try to find somebody to share it with. Another evangelist I knew very little about was a Chinese evangelist, named John Sung, who lived in the beginning of the 20th century, who was a brilliant man, who got multiple degrees in a short amount of time, but he was being schooled theologically at Union Theological Seminary, which at the time was theologically liberal and he had no clear proclamation of the Gospel. But at that point he was converted, an evangelist reached him, and he was converted to his sound faith in Christ and became ardent for the Gospel. So ardent that the people at Union Seminary locked him up, because they thought he had gone insane. And so, he was in prison or in somewhat of a lock-up, he did not have the freedom to leave, and he made the most of that time. He read in that brief period of time, read through the entire Bible over 40 times. God was preparing him for an incredibly fruitful ministry as an evangelist in China, and from 1927 until he died of tuberculosis in 1944, he preached the Gospel in China and led over 200,000 Chinese people to faith in Christ. Again, in our lifetime, Billy Graham, who died last year, probably spoke to more people in history face-to-face of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's hard to even measure how many people heard Billy Graham preach the Gospel and saw him preach face-to-face, not to mention those that saw him on television, or heard him on radio. It's hard to even measure the impact. How many people he brought to Christ, that then brought other people to Christ? Would be, to some degree, a Billy Graham spiritual grandchildren, through that legacy. It's impossible to measure. All of these are great, great evangelists, but there are also some unsung heroes in the history of evangelism. John Bunyan is not one of those unsung heroes. He wrote Pilgrim's Progress and many know about him. But we've been talking recently, Philip and I, he's been reading about John Bunyan's life, and how he was brought to faith in Christ and he was a tinker who went from house to house, to repair pots and pans and sharpen knives, and he was not a believer. But at that point he called himself a brisk talker in religion, and he was there in a kitchen and he overheard some women, three women who did not know he was listening, or anything about his spiritual condition, but they were, as some have said before, gossiping the Gospel. They spoke, Bunyan said, in Grace Abounding, his own personal testimony, "They spoke," it said, "as if joy did make their heart speak, and they spoke of lofty things," he said, "that I knew nothing about. Of the glory of God and the redemption of sinners, through faith in Jesus Christ." These women didn't even know they were evangelizing. You never know who's listening to you. Why spend the time complaining about the high price of eggs in the market, when you could be speaking about the glory of God and saving a sinner like you or like me. Because you just don't know. And those women, who... Well, we don't know their names even, but they could have no way of knowing what John Bunyan, who was overhearing them at the time, would go on to do, and how many people for centuries would be influenced by his ministry, through Pilgrim's Progress. All of those are great evangelists but I think all of them would say if asked, if they had the chance to ask, "How do you compare to the Apostle Paul?" They would have to say, "Honestly, I can't even carry his shoes." That the Apostle Paul really is the greatest evangelist that the church history has ever known. And so, we're going to sit at his feet. But before we do, I winna just go through varieties of scriptures in the New Testament, and pull out some principles of what made the Apostle Paul a great evangelist, so that we can learn from him. Because I'll tell you this, the elders of our church, the leaders of our church, spiritual leaders of our church, we yearn to see FBC come into a whole new level of faithfulness and evangelism. As a matter of fact, I would have to say, I don't want to be too bold or go beyond the elders, but I think they would agree that if there could be one radical transformation improvement in the life of the church, it would be in this. That we would see more and more people baptized here in the Triangle region as a result of the ministry of people in the church. And that's our desire. What Made Paul Such a Great Evangelist? Let's learn some principles, and then, we'll look at the text that we're looking at today. Heavenly Message First of all, the Apostle Paul is a great evangelist because he had a message from heaven. He believed the Gospel came from heaven and he heard it directly from heaven. It was not ministered to him or mediated to him by any man, so he was uniquely set apart to hear the Gospel directly from God. Now, that Gospel message, he is super clear about. He writes about it later in the book we're studying. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, he said, "For what I received, I also passed on to you, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." That's the Gospel. It came from the Scripture, from the Old Testament prophecies, and I received it and I passed it on to you." Or, as he said earlier in this book, 1 Corinthians 2:2, "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified." He was very clear about this message. This message is the power of God for the salvation of sinners all over the world, and he received it not as a word of man, but as it actually is, the word of God come from Heaven. Compelling Motive Secondly, he had compelling motives to evangelize. No chapter lays these motives out more plainly than 2 Corinthians 5, and I'm not going to walk through it, but in 2 Corinthians 5, he was very clear why he should be evangelizing. There are a lot of motives there, but there's some clear motive that he had in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, it says, "So we make it our goal to please Him, whether at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one of us may receive what is due Him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad." Putting that together, Paul's motive for everything was to please Christ. "Everything I do, I want to please Him, and I know that some day I'm going to have to give an account for my life, for everything I've done in my body whether good or bad, I'm going to have to talk to Jesus about it." Divine Calling (On the Road to Damascus) Thirdly, he had a divine calling to evangelism and the missions. He was called by Almighty God to this. On the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in radiant glory while he was breathing out murderous threats and he was struck to the ground by the glory of the resurrected Christ, and he heard the voice from Heaven saying, "'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 'Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'" Now that... Keep that in mind because that's going to be relevant to the way he phrases some things in the text we're looking at today. I'll just tell you what it is. He said, "I have no choice but to preach the Gospel." And he got that calling directly from God, through Christ, a heavenly calling. And so, Ananias who was sent to lay hands on him and heal his blindness and also who baptized him in water did not want to go. Ananias did not want to go. But God persuaded him and he said, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Divine calling. Great Boldness Fourthly, great boldness. Paul was an effective evangelist because he was supernaturally bold. He just lived out that statement in the Psalms, "What can man do to me?" He just seemed to be completely supernaturally bold. He said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel." He prayed, he asked for prayer from the Ephesians that he would have boldness. He didn't just lean on his own boldness tendencies or credentials or patterns, he asked that they would pray that he would be bold, but he was bold. The consummation that was the very end of his life, as he was on trial for his life before the megalomaniac tyrant of the world, Caesar Nero, and he shared the Gospel with Nero. Wouldn't you have loved to have been there to see that? "Nero, unless you repent, you will be condemned, but God sent His Son to deliver you from hell. All you need to do is trust in Him and you will be saved from your sins." He says very plainly in 2 Timothy 4. Paul said that the Gospel was fully proclaimed in front of Caesar. And he was on trial for his life. That meant nothing to him. What matters is, this is the chance to preach the Gospel to Caesar, probably the only one I'm going to get. And he did it alone. Power of the Holy Spirit Fifth, the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul was an effective evangelist because he relied every moment on the power of the Holy Spirit. He says in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, polished rhetoric but with the demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom but on God's power." Paul put the Holy Spirit on display every time he preached. And it wasn't because he didn't apparently seem afraid or... No, he was with them in weakness and fear and trembling, but the Holy Spirit used him and people were converted. That's the power of the Holy Spirit. Clear Strategy Sixth, he had a clear strategy, he knew exactly how to go about his work. And what he would do, he had a slogan, but it was more than just a slogan, "To the Jew first. And also to the gentile." What he would do is, in every community, by this time, the dispersion of the Jews all over the Greco-Roman world had happened. And for the most part, in every place where he would go, he would go first to the Jewish synagogue, and he would reason with the Jews based on the Old Testament Scriptures. And some of them would be persuaded and would join him as fellow laborers, and then he would go into the marketplace and reason day by day with the Greeks that happened to be there. He had a clear strategy, knew exactly what he was doing. Love for People Seventh, he had an overwhelming love for people, he loved people. 2 Corinthians 5:14, "For the love of Christ compels us." He was constrained. He was hemmed in by the love of Christ. And there are different ways of looking at the phrase, "love of Christ," but I think we are safe in saying that the love that Christ has for lost sinners constrained Paul. And you see that very, very plainly in Paul's attitude toward the Jews, who had yet to believe, the unbelieving Jews. In Romans 9, he said, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers." Basically, "I'd be willing if I could, to trade my salvation for theirs." That's love for people. If I can just... Could it be that we don't evangelize as much as we should because we don't love people as much as we should, that we don't have a compelling love for people? And here's the thing, if you don't, just be honest about it to God and give it up to Him in prayer, and say, "I just don't love lost people the way I should. Would you please change me? I pray that three years from now, five years from now, I would love lost people, evidently love them more than I do today." That's a spiritual beggar. But Paul had a love for lost people. Single-Minded Zeal Eighth, he had a single-minded zeal, almost immeasurable zeal. It's quite remarkable. He said to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace." He knew what he was about, and his fire, his zeal, was like a fire burning inside of him. That's just the way he was. And the Lord kept that fire burning. He had a zeal for this and you see it when he was stoned and left for dead outside of the city in Antioch, in the Book of Acts. And all the disciples gathered around him and he came up out of the stones. I don't know if God raised him from the dead or he just got up. But he and Barnabas went that day to Derby and he preached in Derby the next day. I'd want a break, and I'm thinking everyone around me would think, "You need a break. Why don't you go for a break, alright?" Paul just got up and kept preaching. There was an incredible zeal in his heart. Willingness to Sacrifice Everything to Win the Lost And the ninth, and this transitions into the text we're going to look at today, he was willing to sacrifice personal preferences, the things he wanted to do with his life, the things he liked or didn't like. He was willing to sacrifice all of that to win lost people. And so, that brings us to what we're talking about today. He was willing to become all things to all people, so that by all possible means, he might save some. II. Context: Love Limits Liberty Now, let's set this again in context. I always want to see the context here. Paul is addressing in 1 Corinthians 8-10, the problem that the Corinthians were having there in their pagan setting with meat sacrifice to idols. Chapter 8, verse 1, he says, "Now, about meat sacrifice to idols…" And you're going to go on for three chapters about this. This is in a big setting, three chapters on the topic of meat sacrifice to idols. And Paul had preached the truth that there is only one God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, all the other gods of the nations are not Gods at all, the idols are nothing, they don't represent any spiritual reality, they are nothing. And that meat is just meat. You can eat anything. Jesus had declared all foods clean. That's the truth that he laid out. And some of the Corinthians had imbibed that truth, they understood it. Set free, they were able to do whatever they wanted with meat sacrifice to the idols there in the Pagan temples, and they were flaunting their freedoms in ways that were hurting weaker people who hadn't reached that point of maturity yet. And so, Paul is writing to them within the church, giving them the basic prints you are going to see again and again, and we're going to use it again today. Love limits liberty. There's a limit to our personal freedoms and our personal rights and what we get to do. We're going to limit our liberties for the sake of other people. We're going to think horizontally about how this will affect other people. And so, that's where he's at. And so, he uses himself as a personal example. And we saw the first person example last week, remember? He talks about how it is right for those who preach the Gospel to make their living from the Gospel. And he gives five reasons why churches should support their pastors, financially support them, and he lays all that out. I'm not going to walk through that again, but he has been very, very clear, multiple reasons why the churches that Paul had planted should step up and take responsibility to pay for those who preach the Gospel, pay financially. Paul’s Personal Example #1: The Right to Be Financially Supported through the Church But Paul is just setting that up, he actually isn't really doing that for that main reason, to lay out reasons. And so, he says that in verse 15, look at it. He said, "But I have not used any of these rights." "I didn't use my freedom. I didn't use my right to earn money in preaching the gospel, and I am not writing this now in the hope that you will do such things for me. That's not why I'm writing these words. I'm giving you an illustration of the principle that I'm limiting my freedoms and my rights for your sake." And so, he had voluntarily given this up. Now, he established that the other apostles didn't do this. And the other apostles were supported financially. Peter was. This was the common practice. This was the ordinary practice, but he did this voluntarily. He was under no compulsion here, it was just something he chose to do. He gave up the right to get money for preaching the Gospel. For him, it was a point of honor. You could look at it this way. He uses boasting language. Paul does this a lot, but he says, "This is my boast." This is actually, if you could think of it this way, "This is the gift that I'm specially giving to Jesus in my ministry. I get to look at the people I'm preaching to, I get to look them in the eye and show very plainly, I am no religious huckster. I'm not in it for the money. There's no fraud going on here. I don't get any money for preaching the Gospel. I work hard with my own hands, late at night making tents to supply my needs and the needs of my companions, and none of you supported me. And this is what I've chosen to do. My preaching of the gospel is in a different category. I have no choice but to do that." Look at his language, verse 16 and 17, "When I preach the Gospel, I cannot boast for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel. If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward, but if not voluntarily, then I'm simply discharging the trust entrusted to me." Here's how I understand those words. You could well imagine that Paul effectively heard from Jesus on the road to Damascus, "You are a dead man, but I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to use the rest of your life as I see fit. Do you understand?" "Yes, Lord." "Now get up and go into the city and you'll be told what you must do. You understand the words 'must do'?" "Yes, Lord." That lines up with his attitude here, he says, "Woe to me if I stop preaching." Woe will happen to me. That's a prophetic word of judgment. I will be prophetically judged by God if I stop preaching the Gospel. There's some precedent here. Remember Jonah? Remember how God gave him a calling to be a prophet? How did he feel about that? Not thrilled. "I want you to go to your bitter national enemies, the Assyrians, and I want you to preach to them. Otherwise, I might destroy them." He's like, "I'm all in, Lord. Destroy them." Don't think for a minute Jonah was afraid to preach, he had stage fright or hated public speaking. It had nothing to do with that. And he wasn't even afraid of what the Assyrians would do, I think he would have preferred they slaughtered him, rather than God save the Ninevites. What did he do? He ran. He did not preach. You don't run from God. "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" If I go to the far side of the earth, you're there. Well, Jonah tried to do it and God was there, and he actually didn't even reach that far into the Mediterranean, but God sent a storm. God controlled a lot, he controlled the sailors, he controlled the big fish, he controls everything. And next thing there, Jonah is in downtown Nineveh preaching the message. To all of the future would be prophets that God calls, do what he tells you to do. You have no choice. Or again, take Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a similar experience, Jeremiah was called into the hardest ministry there was in the Old Testament. I've thought about this, I think Jeremiah had the hardest ministry. "Jeremiah, I'm going to send you to a people, your own people, who will not listen to you. And when you're done preaching, the Babylonians will come and destroy almost everyone." Wow, what a message. And it was very unpopular, as God knew it would be. And so, in Jeremiah 20:7-9, Jeremiah says this, "O Lord, you deceived me and I was deceived." Now, stop right there. You don't say that to God. "Lord, you tricked me. You deceived me, getting me into this ministry. You overpowered me and prevailed. You're stronger than I, what could I do? I am ridiculed all day long. Everyone mocks me and the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long." You would imagine then, it's like, "I'm not preaching anymore. I'm not doing this." And he tried, but listen to this, "But if I say 'I will not mention him or speak anymore in his name,' his word in my heart is like a fire, like a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in. Indeed, I cannot." I think that's somewhat like what Paul is saying, "I can't stop preaching the gospel." Paul is saying, effectively, "My boast in my service, O Lord, is not that. The Lord is powerful on me and I can't stop, but this is something I have voluntarily, a free will offering I have offered to God, that I preach without charge. It's just something I give." Look at verse 18, "What then is my reward? Just this, that in preaching the Gospel, I may offer it free of charge and so, not make use of my rights in preaching it." The basic principle is love limits liberty. He was willing to limit his rights and privileges and freedoms for the sake of first: The church. Horizontally, the other believers. Now, we're going to turn, and he said, "I also am doing it for the lost. I'll limit my liberties and I'll limit my freedoms for the sake of those who are not yet converted, for the lost." And that's what he's talking about here. Paul enslaved himself to someone to win some to Christ. In 1520, Martin Luther, based on this very text we're looking at today, wrote one of his most famous treatises, and that is on the freedom of a Christian. And he had two basic premises. Listen to them, and I can unfold them from Luther, but there they're just as powerful, and they come from this text. First of all, thesis number one: A Christian is a perfectly free, Lord of all, subject to none. Number two: A Christian is a perfectly dutiful slave subject to everyone. It's really a fascinating argument, and he talks about the freedom of the gospel. And then, yet, to everyone else around, we are enslaved, voluntarily enslaved for their good. And that's how Luther argues. III. Paul Enslaved Himself to Everyone to Win Some to Christ And that's what Paul argues here, too. Look at verse 19, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." Paul is free, he's saying, "I don't owe anyone anything." Even if he were imprisoned as he was again and again, his heart was free in Christ. The Son had set him free. He was truly free, free indeed. He was a free man. He was free from sin, he was free from death, he was free from human tribunals. He actually says in another place, "I care very little what any human tribunal says about me. Doesn't matter to me what judgments you make. My conscience is captive to Christ." He's free, free, free. He's a free man. He's under no obligation to do anything, when it came to eating or drinking or clothing, what he did with his time, whether or not to get married, where to live, what things he enjoyed, that he was just a free man. But he voluntarily restricted those kinds of freedoms to win as many souls as possible to Christ, to gain them. Now, he uses a business term here, like an accounting term. This is effectively the profit, talk about profits and losses. This is the profit to my business. Souls one, eternally one, for Christ. This is what I'm trying to gain in our business. Paul's business was not tent making and he was trying to turn a profit. Paul's business was the spreading of the Gospel and the gain, the profit he's looking for, was lost people coming to faith in Christ, being rescued from the dominion of darkness. And so, this is yet another example of the principle we've been learning: Love limits liberty. He begins talking about the Jews. Look at verse 20, "To the Jews, I became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law, though I am not myself under the law." He says this plainly in Romans 7 that we are not under law, but under grace. We're set free from the ceremonial Law of Moses. We're not under law. So as to win those under the law, Paul was raised, as we know, in the strictest sect of Judaism. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He knew the minutia of the Law of Moses very, very clearly. But he also understood that in Christ, the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility that the ceremonial law had set up, such as circumcision, the dietary regulations, kosher foods, the things that the Jewish men did with their beards and their hair, and their clothing, that they would not wear certain types of clothing with different fibers woven together. And all of those laws that the Lord said made the Jews a peculiar or special people, those things had been fulfilled in Jesus. The time for that was done, the Messiah had come. He'd been identified as a Jewish man, salvation had come from the Jews. We knew what that meant by these laws, but now they've been abolished, they've been fulfilled, they're obsolete. And so, Paul says, "Look, I'm not under that law anymore. I'm done with that. I can do whatever I want with my beard and my hair, whatever style hits me, alright? I can do it. I'm free, okay. I can wear any clothing I want within reason. Anyway, I can wear anything I want, anything that I would like to wear, I can wear it. I'm free. When it comes to food, I can eat what I choose to eat, anything. But if I'm trying to win some Jews, unbelieving Jews, to faith in the Messiah, I will put all of those freedoms aside to win them. When I go to their home, and they're serving kosher, I will eat their food. If I'm having them over, I will serve kosher to them. Even though we're set free from it, I'm going to fit into their world. If it's a Sabbath, I'm going to follow the rituals of the Sabbath, even though the law, the ceremonial law has been fulfilled. We don't have to do all those Jewish rituals anymore. I will fit into that Sabbath pattern, like I did when I was growing up. When I visit the synagogue, I'm going to follow the rules of the synagogue in there. I'm going to do the things they do." And this is the approach he consistently followed when seeking to reach the Jews. Just like in Acts 15 where the Jerusalem council decided that the converts, the gentile convert, did not need to become Jews to be saved, they didn't have to be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses, but there were some regulations given to the gentile converts, so they would not offend the Jews, like, don't eat meats with blood still in it and don't need strangled animals, and other things like that. Well, you can eat anything, all foods are clean, but that's especially offensive to Jews, so don't do that. And that's why he also took Timothy and circumcised him. It's a very interesting thing that he did, because he argues vigorously that you don't have to be circumcised to be saved, and he wasn't contradicting that. But Timothy had a Jewish mother and grandmother, but a gentile father who had never been circumcised. And so, he wanted Timothy to have a wide range of freedom of ministry and had him do that, so as not to offend the Jews, but not for salvation. He also took a Nazarite vow, Paul did. And he followed all the Jewish regulations and paid for others to have the Nazirite vows fulfilled as well. That's what he means. Now, this did not mean compromising any moral law. He not saying that. "Well, now, I can commit adultery as much as I want or I can murder as much." No, those are timeless regulations the Holy Spirit fulfils in us. He's talking about the ceremonial laws and personal preferences in terms of food, clothing, and lifestyle. That's what he was talking about. And so, he became like a Jew to win the Jews. Becoming Like a Gentile to Win the Gentiles Then, he turns it around. He says in verse 21 and 22, "To those not having the law, [that's gentiles] I became like one not having the law, though I myself am not free from God's law, but I'm under Christ's law." So as to win those not having the law. When he's in the home of a gentile family, if they serve pork, he ate it. What if he hated it? What if he was like, "I hate pork." Paul would say, "I don't care." Of himself, he said, "I don't care whether I hate it or not, I'm going to eat it. I'm not bringing my own kosher lunch, alright. I'm going to eat whatever they serve without raising any questions about it. I'm just going to eat it." Remember how the apostle Peter was the forerunner in this? The apostle to the Jews, and God was getting him ready to go preach the Gospel to Cornelius, the gentile, the Roman. And so, he gave him a vision. Remember, he's hungry and lunch was being prepared? God chooses his timing perfectly. He said, "Here's a hungry man." Alright, lunch is being made ready. But then there's this vision of a sheet being let down from heaven, and it contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles and birds, and there are all these unclean things. "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." He said, "Never, Lord. I've never eaten anything impure or unclean." And then God spoke from heaven a second time, "Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean." The thing is, if they serve you snake... Never mind, but if they serve you [laughter] bat, eat whatever they serve you. A number of years ago, Elisabeth Elliot came to First Baptist Church and she spoke to the women at a women's conference. And my wife and I and our kids, we had the privilege of sitting at a table with one of the greatest women of the 20th century, and we're talking about missionary life among the Huaorani Indians in the Amazonian jungle and the things they ate. And you've heard this saying before, "Where he leads, I will follow. What he feeds, I will swallow." It's like... I had my own battle with this before we went to Japan. Those of you who know me know some things about me, and concerning my tendencies. You are all put on notice that I don't like seafood. If you have us over and you serve seafood to me, you are giving me a clear message. I don't know what it is, I'll have to ask you, but there's definitely a message here. If my wife serves me seafood, that's a whole different level of communication in our marriage. Absolutely. She knows I'm not going to eat it. I'm going to set it aside and say, "Okay, what did I do? It must have been huge. But we're going to Japan. And they eat all manner of seafood over there. And we were at the International Learning Center, we were there and we were having a time of prayer before we all went to the four corners of the earth, some to Mongolia, some to sub-Saharan Africa. We were going to Japan. And we were sharing prayer requests, some people were laying hands, some people were praying, and they were all different kinds of things being shared. Somebody's father had a weak heart and that couple might never see that man again and they were crying. And there were some lighter things, more insignificant issues, all of it. For me, it was like, "I hate sea food. What am I going to do in Japan?" And people laid hands on me for that, and prayed that God would give me a special measure of grace. And sure enough, the first month we were there, the missionary I was working with and I went to help a Japanese man put a ceiling fan in and he brought us to a fine Japanese restaurant, and they brought out a fish on a cutting board, and they looked at it, and it was like, nodded, went off. And the next thing I know, some of that was on my plate, uncooked, and I thought, just like Elisha, after Elijah had gone up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, I said, "Where now is the God of Israel?" And just, "Help me." But the thing that's cool about a sashimi is it has almost no flavor. And I actually liked the sauces we dipped in, so I was good for a couple of years on that one. But I don't eat truck stops sashimi or sushi. The point is, I didn't have the freedom to just say, "I'm just not going to eat what they serve," despite the fact that I am actually remarkably picky about certain things about eating but that's just... You can't do that. I became like a gentile to when the gentiles, Paul was saying. Verse 22, "To the weak, I became like a weak, to win the weak." "I commended myself to them in whatever way I could. Again, we're not talking about the moral law here, but I am talking about just preferences. I just tailored my preferences to them, and to what they wanted. I've become all things to all people so that by all possible means, I might save some. By all possible means, I might save some from condemnation. By all possible means, I might save some from eternity in conscious torment away from God, through the Gospel. Whatever it takes, that I might fit in." The Overall Principle Hudson Taylor in the 19th century was the first missionary there in China, to just completely go native, to wear a Chinese man's garb and to have the long pony tail and all of the mannerisms and all of that. He was the first to do it. Most of the missionaries before the China Inland Mission were right on the coast, and they stayed Western and they stayed with that, but he plunged in and became all things to all people, so that he might save some. And that was what he found necessary. A person who is selfish and cares only for his or her preferences in this world will not lead many people to Christ. There is a basic level of self-denial that we must reach if we're going to be effective in evangelism. You just have to say no to yourself. You have to be willing consistently to say no to you. Now, next time that we look at 1 Corinthians, verses 24 through 27, we'll talk about the level of self-denial Paul uses, beating his body and making it his slave, the zeal that he had to keep himself under so that others could be saved. IV. Applications Applications: How does this text and the things we've talked about today challenge you? If you're a believer in Christ, how does it challenge you toward evangelism? What does it have you do? How are you convicted? I've been convicted by this. What am I protecting? What am I keeping safe about my lifestyle so that I'm not as effective as an evangelist? It could be just how I think about my life, my time, my energy, my money, what I do with my days. I just... Am I thinking like I could lead some lost people to Christ with my time today or am I thinking selfishly about my time in this world? How are we... We're surrounded every day by lost people here in the Raleigh-Durham area. It's going to take sacrifice for us to reach them. We're going to have to learn more and more, and I know it's hard. Ben Edith, that's one of the best prayers I heard, you took away a bunch of my application points, but thank you, brother, because we're almost out of time. The workplace, what could we do with the workplace? Like Ben was saying, what could we do to connect with people? To have conversations, to use hospitality to bring people over? What could we do in our neighborhoods? What could we do to connect with people? What could we do to either have people or go to their events. Sometimes, like recently, we had an event in our neighborhood that we didn't host, but we just went. And building relationships. What are things we could do with existing ministries here in the life of the church, like International Connections, that's having a phenomenal outreach to internationals? What are some things we could do through the Caring Center, which has a phenomenal ministry here in this urban setting? What are some things we're not doing now that we haven't even thought of, some doors that God's going to set before us to get us involved in the lives of lost people? What are some ways that we can, like Adoniram Judson did in one locality, I mentioned it before, spread 500 leaflets, and see one person come to Christ. Broadcast seed selling is one of the great challenges, to be willing to fail and fail and fail and fail, and you've not failed, because some of those people may come to Christ without you around. The Lord humbles us that way. But just to be willing to share with many people, so that some can be saved. This is the gospel. Now, I'm conscious of the fact that not everyone listening to me right now is born again. You've heard the Gospel, all of you. And I pray that maybe you walked in here today, unconverted, but you won't walk out unconverted. Judgment Day is coming, you don't know when you're going to die. And you've heard that God sent His Son into the world. You heard it from the three that were baptized. You've heard it from me already when Paul talked about what the gospel is. You know enough. You don't need to do anything, you just need to believe and trust in Jesus and you will be forgiven. Close with me in prayer.

On tonight’s programme we respond to the ever more overt racism of those advocating for social justice within the church. On this programme we look at some outrageous comments made by Kelly Brown Douglas, the inaugural Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Are these views mainstream, or could they […]

Nathan Gilmour interviews Adam Clark about James Cone, with whom Adam studied at Union Seminary.

Nathan Gilmour interviews Adam Clark about James Cone, with whom Adam studied at Union Seminary.

Nathan Gilmour interviews Adam Clark about James Cone, with whom Adam studied at Union Seminary.

The Kavanaugh-Ford hearings this week felt like a watershed moment — but it's not yet clear what long-term impact they'll have. This week, we examine some of the policies that could be affected by the Supreme Court if Kavanaugh is confirmed, including dark money disclosure and voting rights. Plus, a moment of zen during trying times.  1. Brooke on this week's Kavanaugh-Ford hearings. Listen.  2. Carol Anderson [@ProfCAnderson], professor of history at Emory University, on how voter suppression is destroying democracy. Listen.  3. Michelle Ye Hee Lee [@myhlee], national reporter for the Washington Post, on the recent Supreme Court action regarding the disclosure of dark money donations. Listen. 4. Robert Wright [@robertwrighter], author and professor at Union Seminary, on how living a mindful life can make us savvier, saner news consumers. Listen.   Songs:Melancholia by Marcos Ciscar On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

“Fred Davie is Executive Vice President at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred has lived out his vocation in the public square through a myriad of ways, including serving in faith based and community efforts with President Barack Obama and Mayor Bill DeBlasio. We sat down in his office at Union Seminary and talked about our work together with Union for Affirming Christians, as well as what resilience looks like amidst the resistance.”

Elisha A. Hoffman gave his heart to Jesus at an early age. First, as a publisher for the Union Seminary of the Evangelical Association, then as a Pastor, then as a prolific songwriter.

One of the largest urban farms in Virginia is sprouting just a cabbage-throw away from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond. Shalom Farms is growing food in the heart of the city’s Northside on five acres of the seminary's Westwood Tract. It’s the second farm for Shalom, whose mission is to work with communities to ensure access to healthy food and provide support to lead healthy lives. Its executive director Dominic Barrett sat down with our alumnus Nelson Reveley to explain his vision for Shalom Farms at Union Seminary and why it matters. From left, Nelson Reveley and Dominic Barrett.

A sermon preached by Rev. Frederick Davie on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington DC.  Scriptures: 1 Samuel 3:1-20, John 1:43-51   I want to thank your pastor Ginger Gaines-Cerelli for the invitation to speak at this historic church.  I thank her for her leadership and this church for your faithful witness to an inclusive and compassionate world -- leadership and witness needed now more than ever.  I also owe a debt of gratitude to Rev. Dawn Hand, your executive minister, who so warmly welcomed me this morning, and whose family I have known my entire life. I also bring you greetings from Union Seminary and our President Dr. Serene Jones, who introduced me to your senior minister.  And even though Ginger, Serene and I are graduates of Yale Divinity School, I want to encourage anyone here who is considering seminary, to come to Union in New York City.  Thank you for this opportunity. Let us pray.   On the morning of Doug Jones’s victory over Roy Moore in the recent Alabama US Senate race, I listened to NPR, as I do most mornings.  In one story about that election, a reporter visited a gathering of young African American voters celebrating Jones’s victory. The first speaker of that group started her remarks with “giving honor to God...” And following a few more remarks from the speaker, the group started to chant “Woke Vote…Woke Vote…” It seems that woke vote had been the rallying cry in some quarters in Alabama as canvassers and organizers rallied their fellow Alabamians, especially black Alabamians, to go to the polls and vote.   To be woke, in modern vernacular, as many of you know, is to be conscious.  Conscious of the world around, conscious of your place in it, and conscious of all you bring, especially your internal stuff -- that spiritual, psychological and emotional stuff we bring to the worlds, micro and macro, in which we find ourselves.  To be woke is to understand at many levels the dynamics that swirl around us, to be able to respond in ways where we don’t shut down ourselves, growing sullen, quiet and offended; nor should we shut down others. To be woke is to understand the complexities beyond our particular milieu, to see and experience life and the world beyond our particular station and status with empathetic eyes and compassionate souls.   As I listened to those young people on that news report giving honor to God as their source of inspiration that sustained them during their days of organizing and advocacy in the public square, I had my own epiphany – a recognition of something divinely inspired.  I had my own encounter of being woke.  The insight was and remains this: it is faith in an eternal and loving God that is, for those of us who are believers, just about the only thing that will keep us woke and see us through dark and troubled times.  Let me say it again, for those of us who believe, faith in an eternal and loving God is just about the only thing that will keep us woke and see us through dark and troubled times.   Think about woke faith represented in the scripture lessons for this epiphany Sunday: the call of Samuel in the Old Testament reading and the call of the disciples, at least some of them, in the reading from the gospel of John.  This is the time of the liturgical year where we celebrate and commemorate the manifestation of God in our midst, highlighted in many Christian traditions with the magi or Wise Men who visit the baby believed to be God made manifest in human form. A mystery so divine, so loving that it requires a response from those who had heard and experienced it.  Epiphany is a time of Woke faith, when we are intensely aware that something extraordinary has occurred in our midst, something otherworldly that requires something of us.  The season of Epiphany.  A time of intense woke faith.  “Speak, Lord, your servant hears” is what Samuel said after being instructed by Eli. Woke faith.  Come and follow me is Jesus’ message to the disciples and their message to others.  Men declaring their allegiance to one they believed to be the Son of God, perhaps even God in every sense, declaring it so, picking up  where they are, turning around, waking up, and following this man called Jesus.  In the Book of Samuel, we hear the story of this little boy Samuel answering the call of God to become a prophet of God, a prophet sprung from Divine Love; a prophet to his people. Woke faith.   As I continued to listen to that report about those young African American organizers in Alabama, and their praise of God and chants of “woke vote,” I thought about the faith of the folks who had preceded them.  I thought of my enslaved ancestors, who had every right to be woke and to give up on God.  Theirs was a heavy burden.  You know of the horrors.  We have read of the horrors of slavery in books; seen them depicted in movies, on stage, mini-series on TV.  When slaves could have simply turned their backs and lost faith in everything, they did not fold, because surrender for them was not an option, as the late Derrick Bell wrote in his book “Faces at the Bottom of the Well.”   Even though my slave ancestors labored in anguish under the cutting lash of the whip and the merciless weight of oppression, surrender was not their final answer; faith in an everlasting God was their answer to the horrors of oppression.  In the midst of their often unimaginable and unspeakable circumstance, they remained woke.   You can hear it in the words of Harriet Tubman, who risked her life to free more than three hundred of her enslaved sisters and brothers.  Tubman said: "I always tole God," she said, "'I'm gwine [going] to hole stiddy on you, an' you've got to see me through.'" Theirs was a faith in a God of deliverance, a God of love and a God of justice.  Theirs was a woke faith.   It was this same faith that gripped the man we remember and commemorate this weekend: Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King was a very young man when he stepped out to lead the Montgomery bus boycott, barely 26 years old.  He was 28 when he because the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; a position he held until he was assassinated 11 years later. For all of his humanness, Dr. King had a consciousness of God we rarely see in our midst, a woke-ness if you will, so woke, that his faith and his response to God compelled him to make the ultimate sacrifice of his life so that I and many others might live a bit more freely.  This type of faith is a challenge to all of us, not just this weekend, but for every day we take a breath on this earth.   I see the emergence of this faith in the students who come to Union never having opened a bible or as much as sung a hymn.  We have many students who come as spiritual but not religious.   They come because after all their advocacy and protests, something stirs within them.  Something woke them up and something woke up within them.  I have heard them say they are looking to be grounded in this world but not of it.  They’ve had their epiphany---their faith awakened within them.  After occupying Wall Street and insisting that black lives really do matter, through marching, lying down in the middle of major highways, or sitting in at statehouses and on Capitol Hill, spending nights in jails, these students come to us. They were woke. Many of these students come to us looking for the faith and sustenance that carried Martin Luther King through the trials and struggles of trying to make a dream real.  Woke faith.   And I dare say we need woke faith in this age as much as we have ever needed it before.  I came of age in the civil rights movement.  I came of age when there was much hope in my young heart for continued racial, economic and social progress even in this midst of strife.  There were elections along the way and circumstances that befell from time to time to test that hope, but there was always a sense of progress.  Always a sense we were moving forward.  And clearly we have.  The work of Martin King and the thousands who have heard a similar call to action has not been in vain.  The success of people of color in the US is remarkable given where we started.  We still have deep and seemingly intractable issues:  the overrepresentation of black and brown people in prison; underfunded and poorly staffed schools; limited access to healthcare, particularly in many southern states, with little to know access for new medicines to retard and treat the spread of HIV infections.  The killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement, even while we had the nation’s first black president, destabilized the nation.  But the progress of black and brown people in America is real.  I feel like I embody this progress.   Yet, something is desperately wrong in these United States of America today.  Not just for black or brown folks, folks from those (expletive) nations like Haiti, El Salvador and of the continent of Africa, but for everybody.  If there was ever a people who needed to be woke and hear afresh the message of the Almighty it is many of those who live and labor blocks from here.  From 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue right up to Capitol Hill, something is wrong.  Too many folks over there ain’t woke.  Scripture says the people who lived in darkness have seen a great light.  Way too many leaders from the Hill to the White House don’t seem to have seen any light at all.  Everyday some new revelation has the feel of plunging us deeper into darkness.  Trampling on the basic standards of fundamental human decency.  Shredding of environmental regulations, gratuitously destroying healthcare for the weak and vulnerable while grotesquely shifting massive amounts of money to corporations and people who have many times more than they will ever need.  Tweeting transphobic and homophobic changes in military policy with little regard for military commanders and even less regard for disrupting the lives of loyal Americans serving in our armed forces. Mysogyny unfettered. Erecting obstacles at every turn to keep people from participating in the democratic process.  That so-called and now defunct voter fraud commission defined fraudulence by its very mission. It all makes implicit bias and microaggressions seem down right civilized. No. Not woke.  But demonic, diabolical, deliberate walking in darkness, destroying God’s creation and God’s creatures while popping corks of celebratory champagne, clinking bottles of beer in fits of glee, and shamelessly smiling before the cameras.  Something is desperately wrong. In his final speech 50 years ago this year, the night before he died, Dr King said:  The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period…in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding--something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up…the cry is always the same--"We want to be free." Yes, in this darkness some are woke enough to see the stars. I have a sense that we are here this morning because we have a notion that whatever is wrong out there, or within us, or perhaps out there and within us, there might be a few woke answers in this place, some enlightened direction, a word from the Lord, even a call from God asking us to follow.  Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, puts it like this:  "Can there be something in life that has power over us which little by little causes us to forget all that is good? And can this ever happen to anyone who has heard the call of eternity quite clearly and strongly? If this can ever be, then one must look for a cure against it. Praise be to God that such a cure exists – that is, to quietly make a decision. A decision that joins us to the eternal. It brings what is eternal into this time. A decision that raises us with a shock from the slumber of monotony. A decision that breaks the magic spell of custom.  A decision that disrupts the long row of weary thoughts. A decision that pronounces its blessing upon even the weakest beginning, as long as it is a real beginning.  A decision that is the awakening to the eternal."    So what is our decision this morning? This is always the question of people of woke faith.  What will be our experience of walking with God? Will we wake up our spirits, minds, souls and psyches?  Will we wake from the slumber of paralyzing monotony and the enslaving spell of custom?  Will we authentically, profoundly, consistently stay woke? Will we hear anew the words of Dr. King as he quoted the prophet Amos when he said “let justice roll down like rushing water and righteous like an ever-flowing stream”?   Fifty years ago, on the last night of his life, Dr. King preached his final sermon.  He said: “Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!”    Woke faith…to God be the Glory. Amen

David Gushee is a calm voice of powerful reason calling the Christian church to leave American evangelicalism for a more meaningful and productive life meant for those called to follow Jesus. Officially, the Rev. Dr. David Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. His latest book, “Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of American Evangelicalism,” in which he writes of his experiences that began with becoming a born-again Southern Baptist in 1978 to being kicked out of evangelicalism in 2014 for his stance on LGBT inclusion in the church. But Gushee's religious pilgrimage proves even broader than that, as he leads his reader through his childhood experiences in Roman Catholicism, his difficult days at the liberal Union Seminary in New York, his encounters with the Christian Right, and more. In telling his story, Gushee speaks to the cultural divisions of a generation, as well as of today, and to those who have themselves been disillusioned by many battles within American Christianity.   He is the author or editor of 20 books and hundreds of articles in his field, including Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, Kingdom Ethics, The Sacredness of Human Life, and, most recently, Changing Our Mind. Dr. Gushee has always accompanied his scholarly production with church work (First Baptist Church, Decatur), activism (human rights, creation care, LGBT acceptance), opinion writing (Washington Post, Huffington Post, Baptist News Global, now Religion News Service), board service (Public Religion Research, Sojourners, Center for Victims of Torture), and domestic and global media consultation. He has lectured on every continent, with endowed lectures in New Zealand, Holland, and Switzerlan. Dr. Gushee has been married to Jeanie for 31 years. They are the parents of two daughters and a son, and one grandson.  His latest book would make a great Christmas gift, and I found him to be insightful, spiritual and humble in this interview.

Fr. John McGuckin, professor of church history at Union Seminary, delivers the 2014 Fr. Alexander Schmemann Lecture.

Fr. John McGuckin, professor of church history at Union Seminary, delivers the 2014 Fr. Alexander Schmemann Lecture.

Join Dr. Peter Vander Brake and I as we discuss the issues of Common Core and its ramification upon the human soul. Dr. Peter Vande Brake grew up in Georgia and Tennessee, but attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI where he was a 4-time All-American decathlete. He attended seminary at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia and then completed his doctoral work at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, obtaining a Ph.D. in systematic theology in 2000. He was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church in 2001. In July 2009, he completed the Van Lunen Fellows Program for Executive Leadership. He taught, coached sports teams, and administrated at North Hills Classical Academy from 1996-2010 and served as the headmaster there beginning in 1998. He is a leadership consultant for the CiRCE Institute and works at The Potter's House, an urban Christ-centered school in Grand Rapids, MI. He is married and has two daughters. You may contact Dr. Vander Brake at pvanderbrake@gmail.com or at 616-481-9251

Fr. John McGuckin, professor of church history at Union Seminary, delivers the 2014 Fr. Alexander Schmemann Lecture.

In the summer of 1950 Richard goes to work in the steel mills of Pittsburgh. The job was both necessary to help pay the tuition at Union Seminary, and also part of his theological education. Through Richard's first “field work” experience with the youth at Arlington Avenue Presbyterian Church in East Orange, he puts together a program […]

In the summer of 1950 Richard goes to work in the steel mills of Pittsburgh. The job was both necessary to help pay the tuition at Union Seminary, and also part of his theological education. Through Richard’s first “field work” experience with the youth at Arlington Avenue Presbyterian Church in East Orange, he puts together a program […]

Bill Moyers sits down with Trudy Lieberman, director of the health and medical reporting program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and Marcia Angell, senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine.

A Bill Moyers Essay.

Bill Moyers looks at the influence of money and lobbying on health care reform efforts in Washington, D.C.

Bill Moyers talks to Cornel West, Serene Jones, and Gary Dorrien for a fresh take on what our core ethics and values as a society say about America's politics, policy, and the challenges of balancing capitalism and democracy.

The episode is titled Why So Critical?Two episodes back we introduced the themes that would lead eventually to Theological Liberalism. The last episode we talked a bit about how the church, mostly the Roman Catholic church, pushed back against those themes. In this episode, we'll go further into the birth of liberalism.The 20th century was unkind to Theological Liberalism, with its shining vision of the Universal Brotherhood of Man under the Universal Fatherhood of God. Yet, many mainline Protestant denominations still hold solidarity with Liberalism. It was Professor Sydney Ahlstrom's view that liberals had provoked as much controversy in the 19th century as the Reformers did in the 16th. The reason for that controversy lay in their objective, stated by one of its premier advocates and popularizers - Harry Emerson Fosdick. In his autobiography, The Living of These Days, the influential pastor of the famous Riverside Church in New York City, said the aim of liberal theology was to make it possible “to be both an intelligent modern and a serious Christian.”Liberals hoped to address a problem may be as old as The Faith itself: That is, how can Christians reconcile their faith to the intellectual climate of their time without compromising the Essentials of The Gospel? By the evaluation of modern Evangelicals, Liberalism failed in that quest precisely because they DID compromise those essentials in their desire to be relevant among their unbelieving peers. Richard Niebuhr expressed the irony of theological liberalism when he said in liberalism “a God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.”Personally, I've been reluctant to produce this episode because the more I've studied Theological liberalism, the less certain of being able to handle it competently I've grown. Definitions for it are no easier than for political liberalism. In fact, many deny that Protestant liberalism is a theology at all. They refer to it as an “outlook,” or “approach.” Henry Coffin of Union Seminary described liberalism as a “spirit” that honors truth so supremely and it craves the freedom to discuss, publish, and pursue what it believes to be true.But then, if THAT is true, it must certainly lead to certain convictions that derive values and produce judgments. And THAT is precisely what we see the history of Protestant liberalism producing.In the words of Bruce Shelley, “Liberals believed Christian theology had to come to terms with modern science if it ever hoped to claim and hold the allegiance of intelligent men.” So liberals refused to accept religious beliefs on authority alone. They insisted faith must submit to reason and experience. Following the thinking of the Enlightenment, of which they were the spiritual children, they claimed the human mind was capable of thinking God's thoughts after Him. So, the best insight into the nature and character of God wasn't His self-revelation in Scripture, which smacked of the old authoritarianism they eschewed; it was human intuition and reason.By surrendering to what we'll call “the modern mind” liberals accepted the assumption of their time that the universe was a massive but synchronized machine, like a well-made watch. The key to this machine was Unity.I'll come back to that in a moment, but a little editorializing seems in order. And while some may be rolling their eyes, I think this is germane to what this podcast is – a review of History – specifically Church History. I just made reference to “the modern mind.”Modern is another term that has multiple meanings. Historians use it to refer to the Modern Era, which they debate over the time span of, but let's go with the common view that it runs from about 1500 to 1900-ish. So wait! IF the Modern Era ended at the beginning of the 20th century, what Era are we in now? The Atomic or Nuclear Era, the Post-Modern Era, the Information Age? Different labels get assigned to the current historical epoch. But don't we still refer to current trends and fashions as being “modern”? Aren't we “moderns” in the sense that we're living NOW? Not many people would want to be considered not modern.It gets confusing because the word modern is plastic with a lot of different meanings and connotations. But here's where it adds to the confusion as it relates to our discussion on theological liberalism, and some of this spills over into political liberalism. There was a desire to accommodate Christian theology to the modern mind. By which emerging liberals meant accepting the findings of “modern science” as (air-quote) fact and making theology fit into those supposed facts. But there's a difference, a vast difference between facts and interpretations of facts. A few years after a so-called “Fact” was established by science, others came along to say, “Yeah, uh, we weren't quite right about that. It's actually this.” And, it wasn't uncommon for even that revised new paradigm to be revised yet again.Is coffee good or bad for you? Right now, it's good. But wait a month and it'll be bad again, But not to worry, a year out, coffee will be the key to long life and amazing prosperity. Okay. I exaggerate, but not by much.My point is this, the current moment, what we mean by at least ONE of those definitions of “modern” – has a nasty habit of thinking that just by virtue of the fact that we've progressed to this point, we're now smarter, more enlightened and so better than all the moments before this. There's a kind of arrogance that seems endemic to the fact that we're here now – the most evolved and educated class of human beings history has known.But a few moments from now, the people living then will think the same thing about themselves and see us as unenlightened bores. And the modern mind will have moved on to the new so-called facts of what turns out to not be science but is in truth scientism.When theology is hitched to “the modern mind” as liberals aimed to do, its eternal verities are traded in for the changing whims of what that is now, and now, then now. And we have to unhitch the adjective ‘eternal' from those verities – because they simply aren't true any longer.Okay, end of the editorializing. Adopting the modern view that the universe was a vast harmonious machine, liberals aimed for Unity. They tried merging revelation with natural religion and Christianity with other religions by looking for common themes. Thus, the study of comparative religions was born as an academic pursuit. They aimed to lower the wall between those who were saved and the lost, between God and man.Liberals regarded the traditional and orthodox belief in a transcendent God who exists in a realm above and beyond the natural as stalling their agenda to unify and harmonize. They blurred the lines between the natural and supernatural and equated the spiritual realm with human consciousness. The spiritual realm became little more than the intellectual and emotional activity of human beings. And God was defined as the universal life force that even now is creating the Universe. One liberal said it this way, “Some call it evolution; others call it God.”Remember, theological liberals, aimed to harmonize science with faith. The newest darling on the scientific scene was Darwin and his emerging theory of everything – Evolution by Mutation and Natural Selection. Theological Liberalism had no problem accepting Darwin's theory.While the challenge of some of the assertions of science to orthodox Christianity was serious, they were secondary to the new views of history. Those views were adopted from the scientific method, which began a rigorous review of the assumptions that had framed classical or traditional history. If facts are based on evidence and repeatable observations, what were we to do with history, which by its very nature refers to the past? Historical criticism became the framework for a new generation of historians and academics. If a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, events regarded by traditional history as certain were now suspect until proven true. Modern sensibilities were read back into and layered over persons and events of the past.The application of these liberal principles of historical inquiry to the Bible was called “biblical criticism.” But don't understand the term criticism here to be pejorative. Biblical criticism simply meant a study of Scripture in order to discover its real meaning. But Biblical criticism discarded the dogmatics of traditional inquiry in favor of a more rationalistic approach.Biblical criticism flowed into two streams, lower and higher criticism. The low-critic dealt with the problem of the physical manuscripts and codices. Their goal was to find the earliest and most reliable texts of Scripture, as close as possible to the originals. The work of lower criticism helped produce the large number of New Testament manuscripts we have today and assisted translators in the work of producing modern Bible versions.Higher criticism proved to be a very different matter. The high-critic wasn't so much interested in the accuracy of the text. He was more concerned with the meaning of the text. To get at that meaning, he often read between the lines or went behind the text to the events assumed to have produced it. This meant discovering who wrote it, when, and why. Higher criticism held that we can only get at the meaning of a passage when we see it against its background. Higher critics then went to work, systematically dismantling traditional views regarding hundreds of passages. A beloved Psalm, attributed in the text itself to David, higher critics tell us wasn't written by King D. All because it has a word scholars say wasn't used for forty-two years after David. So, it must have been written by the Jews in exile.The methods of Biblical higher criticism weren't new. They'd been in use for a while on other ancient texts. But during the 19th century, they were applied to the Bible. And for many liberals, all it took was some scholar with a Ph.D. to say a traditional view of a passage was wrong, it was this other thing, for them to categorically throw over tradition in favor of the new view.Higher criticism agreed generally that Moses didn't write the Pentateuch as both Jews and Christians had universally agreed till then. Instead, they'd been penned by at least four authors. And passages that seemed to be prophetic of future events must have been written after the events they supposedly foretold because modern scientific sensibilities don't allow for the supernatural. High-critics said the Gospel of John, wasn't = John's Gospel, that is.Diverging from the discipline of Biblical Criticism was what's known as the search for the “historical Jesus.” Liberals like the idea of Jesus, if not the actual Jesus presented in the Gospels. You know, the One Who made a whip and cleared the temple and called people white-washed tombs. A liberal reforming Jesus was someone they could get behind, but not the substitutionary-atoning Jesus of the Epistles because THAT Jesus meant a Holy God whose justice demands a sacrifice to discharge sins. And that was an archaic idea no longer acceptable to modern sensibilities. So, liberal critics assigned themselves the mission of saving Jesus from such barbaric and outdated modes of thinking. They assumed the early church and writers of the Gospels embellished Scripture to that end. It was their task to sift through the text and pull out what was legitimate and what was bogus.Literally dozens of so-called “lives of Jesus” were written during the 19th century, each claiming it revealed the true, historical Jesus. While most contradicted each other, they nearly all agreed to disavow the miraculous was central to the genuine Jesus story. They were bound to this since “science” proved the impossibility of miracles.Quick editorial comment – Let's be clear, the scientific method can't prove miracles are impossible. Miracles are by their very definition outside the realm of scientific investigation because repeatability is one of the required elements of the scientific method. Miracles, by the very definition, are a contravention of the laws that govern the material realm, and AREN'T typically repeatable. Miracles are unexpected!In their quest to merge science and faith, liberal theologians allowed the so-called facts of their time to be the filter through which they re-worked the content of the Christian Faith. They said Jesus not only didn't work miracles, He never claimed to be the Messiah, or that history would climax in His visible return to establish the kingdom of God.The cumulative effect of all this was the doubt cast on the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God as the authority for faith and practice.When higher critics were done, Liberals were free to sort through Scripture to pick and choose what they wished. They read the Bible through the filter of evolution and saw a progression from blood-thirsty deities requiring sacrifices, to the Jews who embraced the idea of a righteous God served by those who pursue justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. This progressive revelation of God reached its climax in Jesus, where God is portrayed as the loving Father of all Humanity.So far, our review of Theological Liberalism has seemed bent toward a tearing down of traditionalism. That looks at just one side of the liberal coin. The other side was the concurrent movement known as Romanticism.During the early 19th century, Romanticism was a movement that flowed mainly in the artistic and intellectual communities. It looked at life through feelings. The Industrial Age seemed to many to reduce man to a cog in a vast societal machine. Romanticism was an attempt to lift man out of the gears and set him down as a glorious creator and engineer. Man was evolution's apex achievement and had every right, duty even, to exalt in his lofty place, as well as to aspire to even greater heights. Romanticism focused on the individual and his/her ambitions to attain their ultimate potential. This was the genesis of the Human Potential Movement.So on one hand, liberals aimed for unity, but Romanticism exalted the individual. Liberalism broadened its agenda to unify the two by harmonizing them.Theological liberalism saw itself as the force to do it. Biblical Criticism had rescued the historical Jesus from the muck and mire of traditional orthodoxy. Romanticism then wanted to plant the idea of Jesus in the hearts of all people so they could become all their potential made possible.