As In Heaven

Latest Episodes:

Afro-Latino Contours, Code Switching, and Transitional Justice (Part 2) Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson continue a conversation with Jon Aragón and Ameen Hudson, picking up with power dynamics in culture and society and the concept of transitional justice as a means to bridging the gaps in America's traumatic racial history. Aragón and Hudson share the things they would wish the church would embrace in this cultural moment. The group addresses:

Power differentials in scripture (:34)
How Jesus addressed power differentials (8:42)
Understanding transitional justice (16:29)
Taking justice seriously (25:28)
Promoting greater human flourishing for minorities (31:13)

Explore more from TGC on the topic of race.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why is it powerful for the church to own wrongs of the past even if the church today did not participate in them? Where might the Bible point to the need to do this? How could this shape the church for the future?

2. What would it look like for the church to embrace a more robust view of justice that applies the whole testimony of scripture to this world? What will it cost the church?

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Afro-Latino Contours, Code Switching, and Transitional Justice (Part 1) Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Jon Aragón and Ameen Hudson to discuss the nuances of the Afro-Latino experience, and the ways in which language and code switching relate to power dynamics from a pastoral and cultural perspective. The group addresses:

An introduction to Jon Aragón and Ameen Hudson (1:13)
Afro-Latinos in South America (3:50)
Afro-Latinidad culture in the US (8:17)
Afro-Latina diaspora (17:43)
Afro-Carribean, American Descendants of Slavery, and African Americans (24:04)
Speaking to White Americans as an Afro-Latino (26:14)
African American Vernacular English (30:15)
Code switching (39:37)
Understanding the heart behind code switching (45:05)
“Not sounding like you’re black” (52:26)
Code switching in the Christian community (58:22)

Explore more from TGC on the topic of race.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What has been your understanding of the Afro-Latino diaspora? How does this history shape the way we relate to those of Afro-Latino descent?
Why is it important to recognize the unique cultural realities that the Afro-Latino diaspora presents? How does this impact the church?
How have you generally interpreted and understood the history and development of African American Vernacular English (AAE)? How did the history Ameen Hudson presented change your view?
What is code switching? Why do those in minority cultures feel the need to code switch? Why does understanding this help give full affirmation to the humanity of a person?
How does the diversity of language and cultures offer a beautiful picture of who God is and how he acts in the world?

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Dominant and Subdominant Cultural Dynamics Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Disclaimer: This episode has been marked as explicit due to sensitive language related to racial slurs. Please listen with discretion.

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Jerome Gay to discuss and define dominant and subdominant cultural dynamics and break down how members of each group can interact in an understanding way that promotes deeper love for each other and for God. Jerome Gay helps us see and avoid some common mistakes and pitfalls like power dynamics, preferences, and self-hatred. The group addresses:

An introduction to Jerome Gay (1:07)
Defining dominant and subdominant culture (2:18)
Differences between dominant and subdominant cultures (4:14)
Individualism vs. Collectivism (7:06)
Societal influence (10:15)
Culture and the Regulative Principle (13:09)
Cultural impact on exegesis (17:18)
High profile cultural moments (19:06)
Subdominant cultures in dominant culture churches (25:28)
Common misunderstandings of churches in the dominant culture (28:15)
“We want your color but not your culture.” (30:37)
What members of the dominant culture should know about subdominant (32:19)
Why that question matters to gospel advancement (35:24)
Internal dynamics between subdominant cultural groups (40:48)
Urban apologetics (52:30)

Explore more from TGC on the topic of race.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does it mean for there to be a dominant and minority culture? How would you identify the dominant culture and minority culture in America? Your church?

2. What are some values that might be different between a dominant and minority culture?

3. Jerome Gay points to the values of individualism and collectivism. How do these values shape the church and how does this differ between cultures?

4. What does it look like for a dominant culture to become domineering? What are ways that can happen subtly or unintentionally? How does this impact the church?

5. How does a church seek to make space for both dominant and minority cultures in its ministry and worship?

Books referenced in this episode:

The Whitewashing of Christianity: A Hidden Past, A Hurtful Present, and A Hopeful Future by Jerome Gay
Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith
Rediscipling the White Church by David W. Swanson

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Historical Developments of the Black Church Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Dr. Walter Strickland as he traces the history of the black church from its formation to present day. Walter Strickland covers origins, major developments, key figures, regional differences, misunderstood perspectives, evaluation of liberation theology, and the institutional, cultural, and sociological roles the black church has played in black communities. The group discusses:

An introduction to Walter Strickland (1:04)
How and why the Black church came about (2:39)
Tension in the desire for unity (6:17)
Early prominent Black institutions (8:03)
Key developments of the Black church in Reconstruction (9:12)
The effect of suffering on Black theological developments (19:16)
Why Black people tend to identify with Moses (34:00)
Differences in Black church development in the North vs. the South (36:45)
How the Great Migration affected the development of the Black Church (38:59)
Key pre-Civil Rights leaders (43:37)
Jim Crow laws and the Black church (52:11)
Black Liberation theology (56:30)
Developments of the post-Civil Rights era (1:03:04)

Explore more from TGC on the topic of race.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why has there historically been a separation between black and white churches? What gave rise to this?

2. In what ways does Christ’s work on the cross give the Christian hope in their daily lives? In the ways we suffer? How does the black church give the church an example to follow in appropriating Christ’s story into ours?

3. How do the theological commitments of the black church that Dr. Strickland describes impact the church’s life in this world? How does this rich theological heritage challenge or affirm your understanding of theology in black Christian tradition?

4. How might understanding this history help us as the church to fully live out the gospel and its implications for community?

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Unhelpful Perspectives on Race and Justice Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Justin Holcomb welcome Dr. Christina Edmondson who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to bear as she examines some well-meaning but ultimately unhelpful tropes and perspectives regarding black people in America. Edmondson further shows us the ways in which white supremacy deeply harms the white supremacist. The group discusses:

An introduction to Christina Edmondson (:38)
Colorblindness (3:08)
Gnosticism and melanin (8:04)
All Lives Matter (11:08)
Black fatherlessness (15:39)
A sin issue, not a skin issue (23:39)
The game plan of sin (28:36)
Just preaching the gospel (30:05)
Our embodied confession (35:55)
Black-on-Black crime (37:32)
Nine Black people killed by white officers (41:49)
Using POC voices against POC who are hurting (48:22)
Responding to propaganda (50:42)
Helpful ways to engage the race conversation (52:49)

Explore more from TGC on the topic of race.

DISCUSSON QUESTIONS:

1. How have you seen or believed in a type of colorblindness? Why is “colorblindness” problematic for Christians to believe?

2. What do you hear when you hear someone say “all lives matter”? How does a statement like “all lives matter”—while being true—become unhelpful when discussing matters of injustice?

3. How does an argument defeater like pointing to “fatherlessness” or “black on black crime” actually point toward historical events and unjust social structures?

4. What are ways that saying “just preach the gospel” instead of speaking against injustice actually fails to see full gospel implications? How does the gospel shape our interactions with society and social structures?

5. Pray that the Lord would search us and know our hearts. Pray that the Lord will move us to repentance in the areas he reveals.

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The Need for Two-Sided Theology Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

Carl Ellis helps us understand the difference between “Side A theology”—propositional theology arrived at through rationality and “Side B theology”—ethical theology arrived at through intuition. He unpacks the ways in which the evangelical church fell into cultural captivity during the lion's share of the 20th century, resulting in deep ethical failures, especially in sins of omission during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Ellis shares how our care for ethical theology is critical for a skeptical world in our secular age. Ellis also explores some of the more obscure, yet highly impactful figures of the historical black church. The group discusses:

Introduction of Carl Ellis (1:07)
Side A and Side B theology and how it affects race conversations (4:03)
Clarifying parameters of Side A and Side B theology (13:10)
Why churches struggle with Side B theology (17:09)
How deficient Side B theology hinders churches in carrying out Christ’s mission (27:41)
The importance of Moses to the historic Black church and Side B theology (32:11)
Tuskegee Airmen, the GI Bill, and being shut out of the commercial airline industry (40:49)
The Civil Rights Movement as a Christian, cultural apologetic (46:28)

Explore more from TGC on the topics of race and slavery.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How would you have traditionally defined “theology”? Does your answer betray an affinity towards “side-A theology”—propositional theology arrived at through rationality or “side-B theology”—ethical theology arrived at through intuition?

2. As a church, does your church see an affinity towards side-A or side-B theology?

3. What does it look like for a church to champion side-A theology? What about side-B theology?

4. To meet this modern movement, what would a biblically grounded side-B theology look like?

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Individual Racism vs. Systemic Racism Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Justin Holcomb welcome Phillip Holmes in to offer his perspective on some of the differences between individual and systemic or systematic racism. Holmes connects these elements to biblical categories like total depravity and unpacks several examples from his own life. He shares the ways in which these things can manifest themselves as prejudice, bias, discrimination, antagonization, and hatred. The group discusses:

Introduction of Phillip Holmes (1:11)
Defining individual and institutional racism (1:48)
Categories of racism (4:20)
Why holding to gradations of racism is unhelpful (6:54)
Overt racism vs. implicit (9:13)
Racism and the sin of partiality (14:34)
A biblical view of systemic racism (21:04)
A need for reconstruction (27:46)
Being racist without saying the N word (31:51)
Total depravity and systemic racism (37:07)
Holmes’ personal experiences with institutional and personal racism (44:01)

Explore more from TGC on the topics of race and slavery.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How would you define racism in general? When you think of racism, is it primarily individual actions or corporate?

2. How have you heard systemic or institutional racism defined? How would you define it? Are there any examples you can think of from history or today?

3. What are Biblical texts (both Old and New Testament) that shape your view of racism? What doctrinal convictions speak to the scope of racism?

4. How might doctrines like total depravity help us to understand systemic racism?

5. What hope does the gospel offer to broken systems?

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Black History: 1963 Birmingham to Present Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Collin Hansen to continue a discussion of the history of black people in America begun over the past two episodes by Ligon Duncan. Duncan discussed the onset of chattel slavery in 1619 up to the Civil War, the sordid practices of peonage, vagrancy laws, and sharecropping and how they helped pave the way for Jim Crow laws in America.

Hansen furthers the conversation, picking up with the Civil Rights Movement, which certainly did not relieve racial tensions in the South, but simply drove them underground. Hansen addresses what was left undone in the Civil Rights era and how that's led to ongoing present-day frustrations for black people in America. The group discusses:

Introduction of Collin Hansen (1:31)
Key events that brought about the Civil Rights Movement (2:30)
George Wallace, politics, and students at the University of Alabama (13:05)
“Letter from the Birmingham Jail” (21:58)
National developments through the 1960s (26:18)
What was left undone in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically in churches (32:32)
Segregation academies (38:24)
Where things have gotten worse (43:21)
Challenges facing urban communities post integration (45:38)
Fight, flight, and forget (48:49)
Making it personal (51:30)
Issues that continue to contribute to the Black experience in America (55:50)

Explore more from TGC on the topics of Race and Slavery.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What stories did you grow up hearing about the civil-rights movement? What narrative have you been taught concerning this era?

2. If your group has time, read "Letter from Birmingham Jail." What are ways that this letter speaks powerfully today?

3. Following the civil-rights movement, what are ways that segregation and inequality continued to exist?

4. How did the church respond to the civil-rights movement? How has the church continued to be shaped by these events?

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Black History: Reconstruction to Early Civil Rights Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of As In Heaven, Jim Davis and Justin Holcomb welcome back Ligon Duncan for the second of a two-part discussion of the history of black people in America. Duncan began with the onset of chattel slavery in 1619 up to the Civil War in the last episode. In this episode, he addresses the sordid practices of peonage, vagrancy laws, and sharecropping and how they helped pave the way for Jim Crow laws in America. Understanding these historical realities will help white believers understand how they still play a part in our cultural moment and grow a greater empathy for our black brothers and sisters. The group discusses:

Reconstruction and its flaws, a lesser known era (2:00)
Black Codes and Reconstruction (9:57)
Sharecropping and its abuses (18:20)
Self-perpetuation of “slavery by another name” (20:57)
Discouraging Black people from voting (24:07)
A horrific legacy outside the law (26:30)
The Cloistering of Black people (34:22)
Isn’t it all just history? (38:25)
Dr. Ligon and changing the Mississippi flag (43:01)

Explore more from TGC on the topics of Race and Slavery.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What narrative did you learn about the period following the Civil War, especially reconstruction? What are differences from that narrative from the narrative that Dr. Duncan shares?

2. What are some major events and policies from this era that created or maintained oppressive systems towards black Americans? How did those policies and events shape the future?

3. What are things from this era that have had a profound effect on America today? What about the church today?

4. Why might the histories presented in these first two episodes on the history of race in America be important conversations for the church to have today?

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Black History: 1619 to Civil War Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

Jim Davis and Justin Holcomb welcome Ligon Duncan in the first of a two-part discussion of the history of Black people in America. Duncan begins with the onset of chattel slavery in 1619 and carries us all the way to the Civil War. Understanding these historical realities will help White believers understand how they still play a part in our cultural moment and grow a greater empathy for our black brothers and sisters. The group discusses:

Introduction and background for Ligon (1:10)
How chattel slavery began (2:43)
Africans selling other Africans into slavery (8:40)
Tribal identity and the slave trade (11:27)
Conditions on slave ships (13:30)
Impact of slavery on the early colonies (17:53)
Slave Codes (23:00)
How the Bible was misused to support slavery (27:07)
People and movements who fueled abolition (33:34)
How slavery and segregation affected the development of churches and denominations (38:00)
The fundamental purpose of the Civil War (43:53)
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and Dred Scott vs. Sandford (48:21)
Ligon Duncan’s personal journey (52:13)

Explore more from TGC on the topics of Race and Slavery.

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