Red Letter Christians Podcast

Circle of Hope: A Reckoning of Love, Power and Justice in an American Church | Pulitzer Prize Winner, Eliza Griswold

We are excited to have October's featured guest Eliza Griswold talking about her latest book, "Circle of Hope: A Reckoning of Love, Power and Justice in an American Church" with Shane Claiborne and Katie Jo Brotherton. About the Book: "Circle of Hope" is an intimate portrait of a church, its radical mission, and its riveting crisis. “The revolution I wanted to be part of was in the church.” Americans have been leaving their churches. Some drift away. Some stay home. And some have been searching for—and finding—more authentic ways to find and follow Jesus. This is the story of one such “radical outpost of Jesus followers” dedicated to service, the Sermon on the Mount, and working toward justice for all in this life, not just salvation for some in the next. Part of a little-known yet influential movement at the edge of American evangelicalism, Philadelphia’s Circle of Hope grew for forty years, planted four congregations, and then found itself in crisis. The story that follows is an American allegory full of questions with urgent relevance for so many of us, not just the faithful: How do we commit to one another and our better selves in a fracturing world? Where does power live? Can it be shared? How do we make “the least of these” welcome? Building on years of deep reporting, the Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold has crafted an intimate, immersive, tenderhearted portrait of a community, as well as a riveting chronicle of its transformation, bearing witness to the ways a deeply committed membership and their team of devoted pastors are striving toward change that might help their church survive. Through generational rifts, an increasingly politicized religious landscape, a pandemic that prevented gathering to worship, and a rise in foundation-shaking activism, Circle of Hope tells a propulsive, layered story of what we do to stay true to our beliefs. It is a soaring, searing examination of what it means for us to love, to grow, and to disagree. About the Author: Eliza Griswold is the author of six books of poetry and nonfiction, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her book Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. She writes for The New Yorker, is the Ferris Professor and Director of the Program in Journalism at Princeton University, and lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/

Shane Claiborne Reflects on the Election: Love, Politics, and Faith [BONUS EPISODE]

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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/

BeLoved Community | Amy Cantrell + Ponkho Bermejo

Rev. Amy Cantrell is a passionate advocate based in BeLoved Asheville, an intentional community focused on providing care and support for those facing homelessness, poverty, and systemic racism. At BeLoved, a diverse, intersectional community, members from all walks of life work together to create sustainable solutions to social injustices through shared love and mutual support. For more about BeLoved’s mission and impact, visit [BeLoved Asheville’s official website](https://www.belovedasheville.com/).
Ponkho Bermejo, a dedicated indigenous and Latinx community organizer, serves as a Co-Director at BeLoved Asheville and is renowned for his innovative approaches to advocacy. He leads efforts to foster cultural pride and connection to heritage by empowering community members, especially youth, to embrace and celebrate their roots. His passion for photography, art, and music fuels his work in promoting racial equity and social justice. Recognized by the Asheville Area Arts Council and CoThinkk, Ponkho’s commitment to equity has earned him awards, including the title of Peacemaker of the Year in Western North Carolina. For more on Ponkho’s initiatives and contributions, you can explore resources like the [Asheville Area Arts Council](https://ashevillearts.com/) and [CoThinkk](https://www.cothinkk.org/).
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 

Not the Donkey, Not the Elephant, but the Lamb | Jesus for President with Shane Claiborne

Shane Claiborne speaks about placing our hope not in a person, politician or political party but to place our hope in Christ alone. Our hope lies not in the donkey of the Democrats or the elephant of the GOP - it lays firmly instead on the lamb, on Jesus.
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 

"The Moral Teachings of Jesus" author David Gushee

Learn more about David Gushee: https://www.davidpgushee.com/ 
Get his book: https://www.davidpgushee.com/book/the-moral-teachings-of-jesus/ 
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 

Book Club: The Ballot and the Bible | Author Kaitlyn Schiess

More information on RLC Revivals: https://redletterchristians.org/red-letter-revivals-2024/
Buy The Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlyn Schiess
From RLC's Book Club on August 27, 2024 - We are excited to have our dear friend Kaitlyn Schiess as the featured book club author for the month of August where we will be spotlighting her book, "The Ballot and the Bible." The book asks: How do Bible passages written thousands of years ago apply to politics today? What can we learn from America's history of using the Bible in politics? How can we converse with people whose views differ from our own? In "The Ballot and the Bible" Kaitlyn Schiess explores these questions and more. She unpacks examples of how Americans have connected the Bible to politics in the past, highlighting times it was applied well and times it was egregiously misused. Schiess combines American political history and biblical interpretation to help readers faithfully read Scripture, talk with others about it, and apply it to contemporary political issues--and to their lives. Rather than prescribing what readers should think about specific hot-button issues, Schiess outlines core biblical themes around power, allegiance, national identity, and more. Readers will be encouraged to pursue a biblical basis for their political engagement with compassion and confidence. Kaitlyn Schiess of course needs no introduction. She is an author, speaker, and perpetual theology student. She is the author of The Ballot and the Bible (Brazos, 2023) and The Liturgy of Politics (IVP, 2020), and her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, and Sojourner. She is a co-host and Senior Editor of the Holy Post podcast, and the host of Curiously, Kaitlyn. She has a ThM in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently a doctoral student in theology at Duke Divinity School.
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 
 

Hurricane Recovery with Jordan Rowan

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Tony Deik discusses Missiology After Gaza

Watch Tony's Presentation at CATC2024
Tony Deik is a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, Palestine. For the last thirteen years, he has lived and ministered in different contexts, including in the Philippines, Hong Kong, England, Palestine, and Bolivia.Tony is a member of the Networking Team and Board of Directors of the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation, Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Bethlehem Bible College, Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, and a member of the organizing committee of Christ at the Checkpoint.He is a PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen, researching biblical and Graeco-Roman conceptions of justice. Formerly, Tony directed the online education program at Bethlehem Bible College, served with Operation Mobilization onboard MV Logos Hope, and worked for the Centro de Capacitación Misionera in La Paz, Bolivia. In a previous career in computer science, he worked on large-scale research projects in semantic web and e-government interoperability for Birzeit University and the Palestinian government. In addition to his publications in computer science, he contributed to several edited volumes in theology and biblical studies, including Reading Ecclesiastes from Asia and Pasifika (SBL Press, 2020), The Religious Other (Carlisle: Langham, 2020), and Between Religion and Politics (Dar Manhal al Hayat, 2022 [Arabic]). [https://christatthecheckpoint.bethbc.edu/speakers-2/]
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 
 
 

"The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our 'Correct' Beliefs" author Pete Enns

Dr. Peter Enns (PhD, Harvard University)  is a frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias, and is the author of several books, including, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It (HarperOne), The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously (with Marc Brettler and Daniel Harrington, Oxford University Press), Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and The Problem of the Old Testament (Baker), and The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins (Baker).
 
Purchase Pete's books here: Amazon
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 

Love Over Fear | Pastor Michael McBride Discusses Communal Activism + Organizing Nationwide

Follow Pastor Michael McBride - https://linktr.ee/Impastormike_
"Pastor Mike majored in Addiction Studies and Counseling at Bethany College before completing seminary at Duke University where he earned a Master of Divinity. God led him back to the Bay Area where he planted The Way Christian Center in 2005. He immersed himself in the local community: directing Black Campus Ministries at Cal and heading student support services at B-Tech continuation high school in Berkeley. In March 2012, he became the Director the LIVE FREE Campaign with the Faith In Action national network, a campaign led by hundreds of faith congregations throughout the United States committed to addressing gun violence and mass incarceration of young people of color. He has supported the implementation of Gun violence reduction strategies in over a dozen cities which have achieved 30-40% reductions in gun related shootings and homicides.
Regarded as a national faith leader, active in the Ferguson uprisings and many subsequent uprisings, he helps bridge, train and support millennials and religious institutions working on racial justice and black liberation." [https://www.thewayberkeley.com/connect/our-leadership/]
Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org 
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Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/