Gravity Commons Podcast

Gravity Commons Podcast episodes:

• 04.30.2024

  Scott Coley: How Christian Leaders Became Ministers of Propaganda

  The fact that "good evangelical Christians are Republican" seems obvious means the propaganda is working. Professor and author Scott Coley helps us understand how evangelicalism became fused with right-wing politics and now presses evangelical theology into the service of authoritarian...

  
• 04.23.2024

  Shai Held: Why Judaism is Actually About Love (Not Law)

  A dramatic misinterpretation of the Jewish tradition has shaped the history of the West: Christianity is the religion of love, and Judaism the religion of law. In the face of centuries of this widespread misrepresentation, Rabbi Shai Held, in his...

  
• 04.16.2024

  Susannah Griffith: Forgiveness and Healing After Trauma

  In her book Forgiveness After Trauma: A Path to Find Healing and Empowerment, Christian minister and scholar Susannah Griffith explores what the Bible says--and doesn't say--about the biblical call to forgive. She helps readers understand a "trauma-informed forgiveness" that is...

  
• 04.09.2024

  Elesha Coffman: How Pivotal Events Shaped the American Church

  American history has profoundly shaped, and been shaped by, Christianity. In her book Turning Points in American Church History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and a Faith, Dr. Elesha Coffman tells the story of Christianity in the United States...

  
• 04.02.2024

  Ryan Post: Communities Formed by the Beatitudes

  The Beatitudes are some of the most-quoted and least-understood words of Jesus. Pastor and author Ryan Post helps us hear the Beatitudes anew as good news to form us into Christlikeness. Ryan Post is the lead pastor of Village Church...

  
• 03.26.2024

  Michael Rhodes: Practicing Justice-Oriented Discipleship

  Many Christians and churches are rediscovering that God cares deeply about justice, but opinions abound as to what an approach to biblical justice might look like in contemporary society. We talk with biblical scholar Michael Rhodes about justice-oriented discipleship that...

  
• 03.19.2024

  Ryan Stollar: Child Liberation Theology

  Children are marginalized in our churches, dismissed into Sunday school or silenced for lengthy sermons aimed at adults. Ryan Stollar has spent his career advocating for the rights of children, and in his book The Kingdom of Children: A Liberation...

  
• 03.12.2024

  Trey Ferguson: Imagining Our Way Into a Bigger Faith

  Pastor, podcaster, and public theologian Trey Ferguson knows that faith can get messy. In his book Theologizin' Bigger: Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly, he encourages us to re-engage our imaginations and construct theologies that speak to our current...

  
• 03.05.2024

  Pete Enns: How the Bible Actually Works

  We talked with biblical scholar Pete Enns about how the Bible actually works, what to do when your faith takes turns you never saw coming, and lots more. This is kind of a mashup conclusion for our past series on...

  
• 02.27.2024

  Lamar Hardwick: How Albeism Fuels Racism

  As a Black autistic pastor and disability scholar, Lamar Hardwick lives at the intersection of disability, race, and religion. He wrote How Ableism Fuels Racism: Dismantling the Hierarchy of Bodies in the Church to help Christian communities engage in critical...

  
• 02.21.2024

  Angela Herrington: Deconstructing Your Faith Without Losing Yourself

  There are lots of misconceptions about "deconstruction" (i.e. it's the "easy way out" or a way to avoid accountability). But Angela Herrington, in her new book Deconstructing Your Faith Without Losing Yourself, defines it as healing from religious trauma by...

  
• 02.13.2024

  Terry Wildman: Hearing the Scriptures in an Indigenous Key

  Many First Nations tribes communicate with the cultural and linguistic thought patterns found in their original tongues. Terry Wildman joins us to talk about The First Nations Version (FNV), his indigenous translation of the New Testament, which recounts the Creator’s...

  
• 02.06.2024

  Jon Ward: How the Evangelical Movement Failed a Generation

  Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it. In his book Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing...

  
• 01.30.2024

  Learning to Disagree in Love Through the Fruit of the Spirit

  What does it look like to love someone you disagree with? In Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit, Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos share how the fruit of the Spirit informs our ability to engage...

  
• 01.23.2024

  How Jesus Uses "Good" Shame to Call Oppressors to Repent

  Most of us assume that all shame is toxic shame (feeling bad for the person I am). But can shame be "good"? In this episode we continue a conversation we started a few episodes ago in our Christmas episode, where...

  
• 01.17.2024

  Why We Changed our Name and Rebooted Gravity as a "Commons"

  We started Gravity in 2015, and up until recently the official name of the organization was Gravity Leadership. But we recently changed our name to Gravity Commons. Why? Show notes:Read the article online: Why We Changed Our Name to Gravity...

  
• 01.09.2024

  Julie Faith Parker: Feminist Readings that Upend our Bible Assumptions

  In her book Eve Isn't Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions, the Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker reads biblical texts through a feminist lens, discussing how vital our readings of the Bible can be as a...

  
• 01.02.2024

  Cheryl Bridges Johns: Making the Bible Dangerous Again

  We talk with pastor and professor Cheryl Bridges Johns about why our reading of the Bible needs to be "re-enchanted" for us to encounter it as God's Word. She is the author of Re-Enchanting the Text: Discovering the Bible as...

  
• 12.26.2023

  Christmas Extravaganza & Year-End Retrospective

  Christy, Matt, and Ben spend some time reflecting on the past year: what they're learning and hoping for in the new year (and opening Christmas presents!). Connect with Gravity:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other...

  
• 12.19.2023

  Robyn Whitaker: Learning to Read the Bible on Its Own Terms

  As part of our series on how to understand and read the Bible, we talk with New Testament scholar Robyn Whitaker about why and how to read the Bible on its own terms (instead of trying to make it into...

  
• 12.12.2023

  Miguel De La Torre: Reading the Bible From the Margins

  We talk with Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre about his book Reading the Bible From the Margins and how learning to read from the perspective of the poor, oppressed, and marginalized can enrich our perspective on what Scripture...

  
• 12.05.2023

  Scot McKnight: Making the Bible Weird Again (So We Can Hear It)

  We talk with New Testament scholar Scot McKnight about his new translation of the New Testament, entitled The Second Testament: A New Translation, and why encountering the strangeness of the Bible can help us to read it anew. Connect with...

  
• 11.28.2023

  Zack Hunt: What It Really Means for the Bible to Be Divinely Inspired

  What if the imperfections and contradictions in Scripture aren't an accident? What if they were allowed to be there by the Holy Spirit in order to draw us beyond the literal words on the page and deeper into the spiritual...

  
• 11.21.2023

  Does God Endorse Murder? An Example of "Sanctifying Interpretation"

  In response to our conversation with Chris Green, we've received a couple questions asking for examples of how this "new/old" way of interpreting the Scriptures works. So we used a recent sermon from Matt on 2 Samuel 21:1-14 (David...

  
• 11.14.2023

  Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg: What Christians Miss About the Hebrew Scriptures

  As part of our series on the Bible, we talk with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg about Jewish interpretation of Scripture, repentance and forgiveness, and some of the commons things Christians miss in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka the Old Testament). Rabbi Danya...

  
• 11.07.2023

  Karen Keen: How the Origins of the Bible Reveal a Humble God

  “Scripture is a spring of life-giving, life-altering truth, but when we don’t understand how and why it came to us, we end up misusing it.” Karen Keen joins us to talk about how we got the Bible, why that matters,...

  
• 10.31.2023

  Melissa Florer-Bixler: Finding God in the Old Testament

  As part of our series on reading and interpreting the Bible, we talk with pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler about how to find God in the Old Testament, reading it as a Christian without succumbing to the pitfalls of antisemitism and supercessionism....

  
• 10.24.2023

  Chris Green: Sanctifying Our Interpretation of Scripture

  To kick off our series on reading and interpreting the Bible, we talk with pastor and professor Chris Green about how his reading of the Bible has changed over the years from his upbringing in pentecostal holiness to his recent...

  
• 10.17.2023

  Robert Chao Romero & Jeff Liou: Christianity and Critical Race Theory

  Critical race theory (CRT) has become a lightning rod in contemporary American politics and evangelical Christianity. In this interview, Dr, Robert Chao Romero and Dr. Jeff Liou offer a critical but constructive and sympathetic introduction to CRT written from a...

  
• 10.10.2023

  Christy Gunter: What Pastors Need to Know about Healing Trauma

  CW: Domestic violence and abuse. On any given Sunday morning, a pastor can look over the 100 members of the congregation and see 25 women and 14 men who have been crippled by domestic violence and trauma--no matter the race...

  
• 10.03.2023

  Thomas Jay Oord & Christy Gunter: Love Does Not Control

  That love does not control seems obvious to many people. And yet the temptation to control—often with good motives — is strong. The long-term results of yielding to this temptation damage everyone. Thomas Oord and Christy Gunter join us to...

  
• 09.26.2023

  Janyne McConnaughey: Becoming Trauma-Informed Spiritual Leaders

  We talk with Dr. Janyne McConnaughey about her book Trauma in the Pews: The Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices, which is a practical and compassionate roadmap for spiritual leaders to effectively minister to those struggling with the effects of trauma....

  
• 09.19.2023

  Laura Anderson: Healing From Religious Trauma & High-Control Faith

  Religious trauma is something that happens far more often than most people realize. In When Religion Hurts You, Dr. Laura Anderson takes an honest look at a side of religion that few like to talk about. Drawing from her own...

  
• 09.12.2023

  Kayla Craig: Flourishing in the Mess Together With our Kids

  What does it look like to live a flourishing, messy, wonderful life together with our kids? As parents, we’re tasked with nurturing and guiding our children, even as we navigate our own wonderings about faith. In the overwhelm and constant...

  
• 09.05.2023

  E. K. Strawser: Developing a Discipleship Pathway That Works

  Pastor and discipler E. K. Strawser shows that when discipleship becomes central to your leadership and community, then discipleship becomes central to congregational mission and cultural renewal. Her new book Centering Discipleship is a practice-based guidebook for leaders who are...

  
• 08.29.2023

  Fran Tilton Shelton: Developing a Spirituality of Grief

  We talked with Rev. Fran Tilton Shelton about the complex nature of grief, and what it looks like to walk through grief with God. Fran expounds on these themes in her book The Spirituality of Grief: Ten Practices for Those...

  
• 08.22.2023

  A Gospel Response to Christian Nationalism

  This is a follow-up to our interview with Andrew Whitehead to chat about what the "kingdom antidotes" are for the fear, self-interested power, and violence that animate Christian Nationalism. Connect with Gravity LeadershipLeave us a message or ask a question about...

  
• 08.15.2023

  Andrew Whitehead: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel

  Power. Fear. Violence. These three idols of Christian nationalism are corrupting American Christianity. Andrew Whitehead is a leading scholar on Christian nationalism in America and speaks widely on its effects within Christian communities. In this book, he shares his journey...

  
• 08.08.2023

  Tom Rudelius: Chasing Proof and Finding Faith

  Immersed in his physics studies at Cornell, Tom Rudelius never thought much about God until his brother, a new convert to Christianity, challenged him to explore faith. To placate his twin, he reluctantly began exploring the Bible and the life...

  
• 08.01.2023

  Critical Race Theory Redux, Part 4: Why it Matters For the Church

  We are re-posting our 4-part series with Dr. Nathan Cartagena on Critical Race Theory (CRT) from a couple years ago. This is Part 4, where we talk we talk about why this all matters for the church. Dr. Cartagena is an...

  
• 07.27.2023

  Critical Race Theory Redux, Part 3: White Supremacy in the US, cont.

  We are re-posting our 4-part series with Dr. Nathan Cartagena on Critical Race Theory (CRT) from a couple years ago. This is Part 3, where Dr. Cartagena continues to outline a brief history of white supremacy in the United States...

  
• 07.22.2023

  Critical Race Theory Redux, Part 2: White Supremacy in the US

  We are re-posting our 4-part series with Dr. Nathan Cartagena on Critical Race Theory (CRT) from a couple years ago. This is Part 2, where Dr. Cartagena outlines a brief history of white supremacy in the United States (using lots...

  
• 07.18.2023

  Critical Race Theory Redux, Part 1: What IS it, Anyway?

  Over the next few weeks, we are re-posting our 4-part series with Dr. Nathan Cartagena on Critical Race Theory (CRT) from a couple years ago. Back in 2021, people were claiming that critical race theory was a grave threat to...

  
• 07.11.2023

  Jonny Morrison: Creative Action in a World of Empty Promises

  Light as Air: Practicing Authenticity, Depth, and Purpose in a World of Empty Promises. offers readers freedom from unmet desires, a way to disrupt broken systems, and an invitation into a life of depth and creative action. How? By exploring...

  
• 07.04.2023

  Shiny Happy People Documentary with Laura Robinson & Rebekah Mui

  Seems like everyone's talking about Amazon's new docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, so we wanted to host a discussion about it, and the issues it brings up. We invited Rebekah Mui and Dr. Laura Robinson to join us...

  
• 06.27.2023

  Scot McKnight & Laura Barringer: How to Resist Abuse and Cultivate Tov (Goodness)

  Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer's book A Church Called Tov, readers wrote in with stories of abuse and practical questions, such as:How can I transform the culture in my church or organization to make it tov?I believe my workplace has unhealthy values....

  
• 06.20.2023

  Megan Nilsen: Discerning God's Voice by Getting Real About Your Life

  Learning to hear God's voice can be a difficult and confusing experience for many. But if we can start with getting real about what's happening in our hearts, we can begin to untangle the mess of our thoughts and feelings...

  
• 06.13.2023

  Why We're Allergic to Anger and Why That's a Problem (with Jonny Rashid)

  A few days ago Gravity Podcast co-host Matt Tebbe wrote an article about 2 kinds of anger: the legitimate anger of the oppressed that tells the truth about injustice, and the illegitimate anger of the powerful who seek to maintain...

  
• 06.06.2023

  Jeff Crosby: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Heart

  For over fifteen years, writer Jeff Crosby has been searching for a language of the soul--a way to articulate our deepest longings. Through his book The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts, he gifts...

  
• 05.30.2023

  8 Parenting Pro-Tips for Empowering Your Kids

  A few weeks ago we talked about 7 common parenting pitfalls and we wanted to follow it up with a list of parenting "pro-tips" (even though none of us are "professional" parents lol), and make a list of 8 (one...