We talked with author Michelle Van Loon about why evangelical Christianity needs to shed the baggage that gets in the way of authentic faith. Her book Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism's Nonessentials encourages readers to reflect on their own experience with evangelicalism, evaluate the movement's legacy, and participate in shaping its future. You can connect with Michelle and her work at michellevanloon.com

Michelle Van Loon has been a regular contributor to Christianity Today and In Touch Magazine. Her previous books include Becoming Sage: Cultivating Meaning, Purpose, and Spirituality in Midlife; Moments and Days: How our Holy Celebrations Shape our Faith; and If Only: Letting Go of Regret, which won an award of merit in the 2015 Christianity Today Book of the Year awards.

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We talked with Episcopal priest Ben Wyatt about his book Christ and the Council: Conflict, Politics, Theology, and the Outrageous, Extraordinary Story of the Church's First Creed, which is about the complex story of how the Nicene Creed came to be, how Christians decide what is true, and what it can teach us about today's church conflicts.

Ben Wyatt is an Episcopal priest, psychotherapy resident, and author. He is the writer and host of the podcasts The Road to Nicea and In Simeon's Wake, which explore the world of ancient Christianity in fresh, accessible language. He holds an M.Div. and S.T.M. from Yale Divinity School, as well as an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Christian Theological Seminary. He is an excellent napper, a mediocre hiker, and an avid gamer.

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As a pastor's wife for twenty-five years, Beth Allison Barr has lived with assumptions about what she should do and who she should be. We talked with her about her book Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry, where she draws on that experience and her academic expertise to trace the history of the role of the pastor's wife, showing how it both helped and hurt women in conservative Protestant traditions. While they gained an important leadership role, it came at a deep cost: losing independent church leadership opportunities that existed throughout most of church history and strengthening a gender hierarchy that prioritized male careers.

Beth Allison Barr is the James Vardman Endowed Chair of History at Baylor University in Waco, TX, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history. She is the author of the USA Today bestseller, The Making of Biblical Womanhood, and her work has been featured by NPR and the New Yorker; in addition she's written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News, Sojourners, and Baptist News Global. Barr lives in Texas with her husband-- a Baptist pastor-- and their two children.

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We talked with Licensed Clinical Social Worker Will Harrison, Jr. about living with Moebius Syndrome, a rare disability that affects his facial expressions and speech, and about what he has learned at the intersection of disability, faith, and deconstruction. Will reflects on his upbringing in a Southern Baptist church, the challenges he faced in pursuing a career in youth ministry, and his eventual transition to social work. Will discusses the stark differences in how his disability was perceived in the church compared to the secular world, and how his faith journey has evolved. He emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in both church and community settings and the transformative power of relationships across differences.

Will Harrison, Jr. is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He is married with six kids. He enjoys hiking, reading, and coffee. Over the past few years Will has been working through what it looks like to be post-evangelical, navigating faith and reality.

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We talked with author and activist Regina Cates about how to have brave and thoughtful conversations about difficult topics like sexual abuse, racism, religious and political corruption, abortion, and sexual orientation. Her book The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us to Have is part memoir, part social commentary, and part call to action, and it invites all people of good faith to more fully embody Jesus's message by taking up his call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Regina V. Cates is an author, activist, podcaster, and founder of "Romancing Your Soul," an organization that helps people develop lives of love, compassion, and purpose. Her first internationally bestselling book, Lead with Your Heart, continues to be an inspiration to people who desire a more fulfilled life. You can connect with Regina at her website, reginavcates.com.

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We talked with pastor and author Isaac Villegas about his on-the-ground justice activism for immigrants. His book Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice cuts a new path through worn-out talking points and bears witness to loving solidarity among Christians--both with and without US citizenship--and offers a theologically astute and politically rich vision of beloved community. You can connect with Isaac and his work on his website isaacvillegas.com.

Isaac Samuel Villegas served as the pastor of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship for sixteen years and served on the governing board of the NC Council of Churches for over a decade. He writes regularly as a columnist for The Christian Century and Anabaptist World magazines, and his writing has also appeared in many other publications including Commonweal, Sojourners, and Faith & Leadership.

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Marc Alan Schelske joins us once again to talk (once again) about journaling: what it is, why it works, and how to do it in a way that facilitates spiritual growth. Marc also shared personally and vulnerably about his own spiritual journey. No matter what your history is with journaling, Marc's method (outlined in his recently re-released book Journaling for Spiritual Growth: Six Weeks to Build a Habit that Fosters Spiritual and Emotional Maturity) is eminently practical and powerfully effective for fostering spiritual formation.

Marc Alan Schelske is a thinker and speaker who has served as a full-time pastor since 1995 and is currently the teaching elder of Bridge City Community Church in Portland, Oregon. He also hosts The Apprenticeship Way podcast and is the author of The Wisdom of Your Heart and Discovering Your Authentic Core Values, as well as the book we're talking about today: Journaling for Spiritual Growth. "In my writing, I focus on what it takes to nurture a healthy inner life, something found at the intersection of grace and growth," Marc says. "I write and speak to help people find belonging, redemption, and growth as they discover the life God has designed for them."

SHOW NOTES:

We lost Ben to an unstable internet connection shortly after starting this podcast recording. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time.

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We talked with Presbyterian minister and author Benjamin Perry about what happens to us when we cry... and when we don't. Weeping often opens a door to connection and transformation, but many of us have been taught to suppress our emotions and hide our tears. Benjamin's book Learning to Cry: Why Our Tears Matter is the result of an experiment he undertook: to cry every day.

Benjamin Perry is a Presbyterian minister and an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in outlets like The Washington Post, Slate, Sojouners, and Bustle. With a degree in psychology from SUNY Geneseo and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary, Perry has worked as an organizer with the New York chapter of the Poor People's Campaign and as an editor at Time, Inc. Perry has appeared on MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and NY1, and is the editor of the Queer Faith photojournalism series. He and his spouse, Erin Mayer, live in Maine.

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In this episode of the Gravity Commons podcast, we explore the complexities of anger as an emotion, discussing its role in personal relationships, power dynamics, and social justice. We reflect on personal experiences with anger, the importance of navigating it with compassion, and the implications of policing anger in various contexts. Our conversation also touches on the privilege of being able to disengage from anger and the necessity of understanding its roots in injustice.

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We talked with Rick Pidcock about the role of anger in an allegation of abuse he wrote about in a progressive Christian organization, the need for self-awareness and humility, how social location affects how anger works, and the need to reform harmful hierarchies.

Rick Pidcock writes for Baptist News Global. He has a master of arts degree in worship from Northern Seminary. He is also the host of the Baptist News Global podcast “Highest Power: Church + State.” And he is a stay-at-home dad.

Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

• "Allegations against Tim Whitaker and The New Evangelicals show how hierarchy transfers to progressive ministries" by Rick Pidcock
•  "That time I got an angry call from the subject of an article about anger and abuse" by Rick Pidcock
• "Comment from BNG’s editor on our coverage of The New Evangelicals" by Mark Wingfield
• TNE Reckoning, a site advocating for accountability, where you can download the full GRACE report.
• Exiles in Christendom - Rick's Substack newsletter
• The Highest Power: Church and State - Rick's podcast

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