Hard Questions, No Answers

Raymond Chang is the President of AACC, a pastor, and a writer. He preaches and speaks throughout the country on issues related to Christianity and culture, race, and faith. He currently lives in the Chicagoland and serves as the Executive Director of the TENx10 Collaboration, an initiative of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Seminary to reach 10 million young people over 10 years with the gospel. Join us as we ask questions about how to have difficult conversations with the people we love, what it means to have convictions without over-identifying with political ideologies or parties, and how to be better followers of Christ when we see injustice in our world.

Dr. Brian Kay is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in private practice in California. He is also an ordained pastor and church-planter for just over 25 years and has a PhD in historical theology. He has taught theology and psychology of religion courses as an adjunct faculty member at Fuller Seminary, Cal Poly State University and Holy Names University. When he is doing therapy, he is also thinking theologically, and when he is preaching or teaching in Christian settings, he is usually also thinking psychologically! He has a wife and three children and lives in the San Francisco East Bay. Join us as we ask questions about how we understand the pluralities of our own minds, what Christianity and psychology have to say about the nature of human beings, and how we can experience healing in all our different parts.

Dr. Ericka Roland is an assistant professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Roland’s research focuses on the processes of transformative criticality development through three interconnected lines of inquiry (1) individual and collective lived experiences; (2) organizations and programs around equity and social justice; and (3) leadership development and practices. She centers the pursuit of equity in all of her projects with a commitment to research and practice that cultivates transformative possibilities. Join us as we ask questions about how to balance critique and critical hope, how Afrofuturism can expand our imaginations, and how we can find joy in the midst of struggle. 

Shahjehan is a voice-over artist, actor, and musician based in Boston. You can hear him as "Matteo" on RomComPods Season 1, which debuted at #1 on Apple Fiction Podcasts, watch him as Humayun in the first-ever virtual staged reading of Rajiv Joseph's Guards at the Taj (produced by Soho Shakes and directed by Kanika Vaish), and listen to his internationally acclaimed South Asian American punk band THE KOMINAS (as featured in RollingStone, The Guardian, PAPER, CNN, Mic). Join us as we talk about identity formation as a cultural minority, being desi and Muslim in a post-9/11 world, and how storytelling can bring us together. 

Mike McGarry is the Youth Pastor at South Shore Baptist Church in Hingham, MA and is married to Tracy, a public school educator, and is now “Youth Pastor Dad” to one of their kids. He is the author of A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry, and Lead Them to Jesus. Mike is the founder of Youth Pastor Theologian and also co-hosts the “Thanos to Theos” podcast, a show about comics, culture, theology, and youth ministry. Join us as we explore questions related to what does it mean for churches to care for their youth, what do youth need from church, and what does the Bible say about youth ministry? 

Dr. Amanda Ruud is a Lilly Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer in English at Valparaiso University. She is a scholar of the English Renaissance, with a focus on Shakespeare and rhetoric, but she teaches widely in world literature, philosophy, and history through the first year program at Christ College, the honors college at Valparaiso. Whether in a discussion-based literature course or in a writing and research course for Business majors and Engineers, Amanda’s pedagogy encourages students to practice sustained, joyful, and rigorous inquiry, and to value excellence and growth. Outside of the classroom, Amanda seeks to build community around prayer, poetry, and the culinary arts. Join us as we ask questions about how literature engages our emotions and imaginations, how history and tradition influence literature, and how literature speaks to the human condition. 

Welcome to the season finale of the Hard Questions, No Answers Podcast, Season 2. My guest today is Maher Salhani, who has had quite a journey having grown up in Islam, then pastoring at a mega church and is now a full-blown de-constructionist running a consulting firm. He has spent over 20 years working with and for marginalized communities both locally and globally, nearly a decade of which was on the streets of North Philadelphia working with leaders and organizations that were passionate about addressing systemic poverty in their neighborhoods. He received his certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through the National EIDA center, and currently he provides DEI consulting while working on a Master of Religion degree. Join us as we ask questions like “What do we do with harmful ideologies?”, “How do we think critically without throwing the baby out with the bathwater?”, and “How do we grieve when we go through deconstruction?” We explore themes related to deconstruction, reconstruction, trauma, and certainty.

My guest today is Dr. Christin Fort who is the Director of Integrative Dialogue for Wheaton College’s School of Psychology, Counseling & Family Therapy and Co-Director of the Multicultural Peace & Justice Collaborative Research Lab. She is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College and has written peer-reviewed publications in the areas of clinical psychology, Christian theology, and racial and ethnic identity. Currently, she is contributing a regular column for the Journal of Psychology and Christianity entitled, “Integrating Justice in Teaching, Scholarship, and Practice.” Join us as we ask questions like “How are emotions described in the Bible?”, “Does God experience emotions?”, and “Are emotions part of original sin or original goodness?” We explore themes related to anachronism, divine attributes, empathy, and attachment.

My guest today is Dr. Tracey Shenell, who is a dynamic speaker, insightful life coach, and engaging consultant. As a life coach, she co-journeys with BIPOC women in recovering their identities as they live unapologetically and thrive as their authentic self.  As a consultant, she guides her clients as they do the deep internal processing and organizational change needed to cultivate a culture of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organization and beyond. Dr. Tracey has a BA in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from DePaul University, an MDiv, and a DMin from Fuller Seminary, where she focused on Urban Ministries & Studies. She is a certified Personal Development Life Coach and completed her certification in DEI and organizational change. Join us as we ask questions about what self-love really looks like, how we tolerate vulnerability, and how to respond to feedback from others. We explore themes of authenticity, community, and lament. 

My guest today is Barry Brown. Barry comes from a background of city living where his Midwest roots and Master of Divinity have grown wider in circles of diversity and complexity. He spends his time with his wife Tere, Co-Directing Formation Labs, and enjoying the warming months of San Francisco.  Born relationally curious, he spends time listening to people's story to find the intersection of performance, function, and formation. Join us as we ask questions about how our work plays into our formation as human beings, how we craft meaning, and what to do with our weaknesses at work. We explore themes of leadership, connection, and calling.