Stay ConnectedThere are a growing number of people who have given up on church, hit a wall in their faith, or been left with lingering question regarding the Christian tradition which was passed down to them. But they’re not ready to entirely walk away from God, spirituality, or faith — if anything, they believe faith is what grounds us and helps us to make a difference in our shared world.
Maybe this is your story.
We started this podcast to elevate voices who are re-imagining faith.
In episode 18, we talk with author Lauren Shields about her upcoming book entitled, “The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist.” Lauren investigated modesty practices of Islam, Judaism and Christianity and then took off what she calls The Beauty Suit for a year. Her experiment turned into personal liberation and lasting change. Learn more about Lauren at www.laurenjshields.com.
In episode 17, Phileena Heuertz walks us through the basics of contemplative spirituality. Phileena recently re-released her book entitled “Pilgrimage of a Soul” where she shares her pilgrimage story and how contemplation played a role in the evolving of her faith. When reading your bible or praying no longer work like they did, more and more Christians are turning to the contemplative tradition to find meaningful connection with God. Check out Phileena’s work at: http://gravitycenter.com/
In episode 16, we discuss the plot twist of the bible with Tim Day. Tim is the author of "God Enters Stage Left" where he approaches the Bible through the lens of a playwright. Is there merit to reading other ancient texts that didn't make it into the bible? What is the story of the bible and what do we do once the curtain closes and we are headed home? Tim walks us through this and much more. Learn more at: timday.org.
Episode 15 w/ Kevin Miller is our chance to take on hell. Does it exist? If so, who ends up there and why? “Hellrazed?” is Kevin’s upcoming book where he compiles multiple views on hell from various notable authors. It’s the follow-up to his film entitled Hellbound? which was a full feature documentary on 3 views of hell — eternal conscious torment, annihilation, and Christian universalism. For those of you with questions about hell, this episode, film, and book are for you. Learn more at: hellboundthemovie.com
In episode 14, we hang with Kent Dobson who recently released the book “Bitten by a Camel: Leaving Church, Finding God.” Kent is a key voice in the unfolding conversation and re-thinking of God, Christianity, the bible and spirituality. His book catalogs his journey of re-thinking many fundamentalist tenants of faith and how that quest took him to climbing Mt. Sinai only to be bitten by a camel. We talk about the soul path, problems with original sin, the Loyal Soldier and Jewishness of Jesus. Learn more about Kent at www.kentdobson.com
Episode 13 is about David Gushee’s latest book, “Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of American Evangelicalism.” In 2014, David was ushered out of evangelicalism after publishing his change of mind regarding human sexuality and the inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community. We talk about the roots of evangelicalism, problems with biblical literalism, the Nashville Statement, egalitarianism and white privilege. Learn more about David here: http://www.davidpgushee.com
Episode 12 with Chris Heuertz is all about his newest book, “Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth.” Chris is the co-founder of Gravity, a Center for Contemplation and Action. He speaks all over the world, leads retreats and was named one of Outreach Magazine’s “30 Emerging Influencers Reshaping Leadership.” Chris talks with us about the enneagram, self-reflection and doing deep inner work in our lives. While there are many books on the enneagram, Chris takes you beyond caricatures to how our enneagram type aligns with prayer postures which lead to spiritual growth. Learn more here: www.sacredenneagram.org or www.gravitycenter.com
On episode 11, we talk with Nate Stone of Bar Church, Seattle. He shares his story of starting a church which meets in an unlikely place — a bar. Nate wanted to create a place he genuinely loved where people can talk openly about faith (doubts included) while helping make the world more beautiful. At one of their gatherings, you can grab a beermosa, sit around some tables in a beer hall and have some meaningful conversation about what it means to live in the way of Jesus. Learn more at: www.barchurch.com
On episode 10, Tim Burnette of the Way Collective joins us to share his story of being diagnosed with cancer and the deconstruction which followed. It’s a story of loss, change, living on the edges of faith and the beauty that follows. He’s got some great advice to those who are asking questions about God, faith or deconstructing their beliefs. Tim is currently living in Santa Barbara, California and starting a new community called the Way Collective. Learn more here: https://www.waycollective.org. Books mentioned: - Practicing the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette - Counter-Imperial Churching for a Planetary Gospel by Timothy Murphy
On episode 9, we talk to leader and teacher, Kevin Neuner about how the teachings of Jesus have transformed throughout time. We talk about the intersection of technology and faith, how stories are told, and how we can ask better questions about the bible. See more of Kevin's work at www.kevinneuner.com. If you want to hear more from Kevin, check out our conversation with him about "What is the Bible" in episode 2.
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