Podcasts

On Wednesday we celebrated Earth Day, a day that has been celebrated every year since 1970 on April 22nd.  It’s a day for raising awareness of human activity’s negative impact upon the earth and is a day for political action and civic participation as well.  It’s the culmination of an entire month of focus on the environment, and for people of faith, it has a special significance as a day of reverence for God’s creating and sustaining work.

Creation Justice Ministries has committed itself to its theme for 2020,  “The Fierce Urgency of Now.” We know we have ten years to take action to avert the most catastrophic damage to the life-sustaining climate God blessed us with and entrusted to our care. This is Earth Month, and my guest is the executive director of Creation Justice Ministries, Shantha Ready Alonso.  Shantha is a tireless advocate among faith leaders in the US, and today she will reinforce just how fiercely urgent our collective action on behalf of the planet is.

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An interview with Rev. Dr. Christopher Zacharias

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of life in the US and around the world.  Every institution is affected, and the church is no exception. Colleges have sent students home, cleared out the classrooms, and are adapting to an online-only world.  Churches have, for the most part, closed their doors on Sunday mornings and are struggling with how to maintain the kind of community life that congregants depend on.

As we embark upon a series of conversations in which we will attempt to understand how this adaptation is taking place, my guest today is a pastor and leader in Washington DC who had already taken steps to connect people beyond those gathering in the sanctuary.  Rev. Dr. Christopher Zacharias joins us to describe how he and his congregation are adapting to offer ministries when the beautiful building his congregation normally gathers in is now off-limits. If you’re struggling with this challenge also, you’ll want to listen in today.

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An interview with Simran Jeet Singh

As we ponder the horrors of the massacre of 49 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, we have to reckon with the fact that home-grown hatred and extremism has gone global.  One of the great things about working with other faith groups is that we get to see how others view their mandate to fight hatred and extremism through the lens of their faith.

Simran Jeet Singh is one of today’s most influential Sikh thinkers.  Simran holds graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and he is the author of “Covering Sikhs,” a guidebook to help journalists accurately report on the Sikh community.  Today we get to speak together about bias, advocating for each other, and the need for humility in a society where we feel that we have to know everything.

Important links:

• Simran’s website
• Simran’s Twitter

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An interview with Miguel De La Torre

The quote goes like this: “The Death of Christianity within the United States has been a slow process, and it may very well be in its final throes.  So I say, let the dead bury their dead.” Professor and speaker Miguel De La Torre has a new book out, and this always-challenging author is critiquing a Christianity that he says has sold its soul to white nationalism.

His book is called, “Burying White Privilege,” and it’s as much as an invitation as it is a scathing critique.  It’s up-to-the-minute like reading today’s newspaper and ancient like reading Jeremiah or Amos. Get ready for a challenging and intense conversation.

Important links:

• Burying White Privilege on Amazon
• Miguel De La Torre website

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Aside from going to church every Sunday, which I’m sure you do, and eagerly participating in the liturgy and ceremonies of worship, what are some other rituals you participate in on a regular basis?  The author of “Human Rites,” spelled R-I-T-E-S, would like you to think about the rituals we live by, what they mean, and how they function in all aspects of life.

My guest today is Dru Johnson, a professor and author with a fascinating biography and a new book entitled, “Human Rites: the Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments.”  His book comes out in February, but I was able to see an advance copy and have the conversation you’re about to hear. I found him to be an especially engaging guest who offers something new to this very old conversation.

Important links:

• Human Rites at Amazon.com
• Dru’s website

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Tomorrow is election day!  And many are saying that this is the most consequential election in modern history.

Today we’re once again hearing from our guest host, LaKesha Womack, as she interviews Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Founder of Grace and Race Ministries, and a former head of the Washington office for the National Council of Churches.  Brenda has devoted her life to the work of racial understanding, healing and reconciliation, and in the context of the issues we are wrestling with in this election, there may not be a better person to hear from today.

So if you’re standing in a long line waiting to vote, put your earbuds in and enjoy this conversation between LaKesha Womack and Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell.  If you have already voted, pass this along to someone who has not. And if you haven’t planned on voting, get out there and exercise your civic duty.

Important links:

• Grace and Race Ministries

 

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Over the past few weeks we have been holding webinars, with mixed success, designed to help us learn better ways of getting out the vote.  Our host for these webinars, LaKesha Womack, has interviewed experts on state and local elections, the importance of the Supreme Court, and has hosted a town hall at our Christian Unity Gathering.  Due to some technical problems encountered along the way, we’ve shifted gears and are having the last of these conversations here.

So this week, a treat for you: LaKesha is our guest host, and today she interviews Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, one of Washington’s most powerful faith leaders and the first female Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus.  And of course you already know LaKesha; she was a guest on this podcast just a few weeks ago. Get ready for an important conversation that you’ll want to share with others as we all get ready for election day, Tuesday, November 6th.

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