MennoNerd Deborah-Ruth Ferber joins the podcast as a guest to talk to Katelin about disability theology and inclusion in the Church. Topics include a variety of questions about how to make sure people with disabilities are fully included in the life of the church, how disabilities intersect with other oppressed groups, and Deborah’s own experience working within disability ministry.

Link

Anabaptist Disability Network

You can watch below embedded from YouTube or download through our audio or video podcast feeds.

In the next round of the vlog, the vloggers talk about the role of social media. Ryan opens the topic by asking the question of how we can use social media responsibly. Deborah follows by discussing how social media can foster insecurity by encouraging us to live a fake perfect life. Micael closes on a positive note, suggesting that social media can be a force for good in terms of mission.

Watch embedded below or download through our audio or video podcast feeds.

In the wake of Donald Trump being elected to be the next President of the United States, the vloggers discuss what it looks like it to be peacemakers in a world that is quickly becoming more hostile to many marginalized groups. After Ryan opens the topic, participants include:

* Deborah-Ruth Ferber, who talks about increasing polarization of culture

* Micael Grenholm, who talks about what it looks like for Christian communities to live in resistance, with some focus on the need for environmental sustainability

* Ebony Adedayo, who challenges us to use whatever voice we have to actively resist hatred wherever we see it

Some more links:

* Shalom Book Club #8: Roadmap to Reconciliation (with some extra attention to the election), featuring MennoNerd Osheta Moore

* That God Show EP38: Post Election Blues, featuring MennoNerd Benjamin Corey

* The Paulcast Special Edition: Paul, Unveiled Faces & The Election, featuring MennoNerd Kurt Willems

Watch through the embedded YouTube playlist below or by subscribing to our audio or video podcast feeds.

The vloggers have embarked on a new format. In the first video of this topic, Ryan explains the shift from a rotating-conversation model to a Q&A panel model. He also poses the first question: what does Anabaptism mean to you, and why do you identify as an Anabaptist?

In the first response, Deborah provides a great overview of the historic key values associated with Anabaptism. In the second, Steve discusses the factor that lies underneath a lot of those values: the centrality of Jesus.

Watch below embedded from YouTube, or download through the audio or video podcast feeds.

Ted Swartz joins the podcast. Ted is the leader of Ted & Company TheaterWorks, a theater group which “uses humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice through live shows, DVDs, digital videos, scripts, discussion guides, and more” (from the Ted & Company website).

In this second part, Ted shares about his former partner Lee.

Links:

* Ted & Company website

* Ted & Company Twitter

Yes, the audio and video are out of sync, as has happened a lot recently. We are investigating other free technologies that might work better, or if you want to help us buy something better, visit mennonerds.com/donate.

Watch from YouTube embedded below, or download from our audio or video podcast feeds.

Ted Swartz joins the podcast. Ted is the leader of Ted & Company TheaterWorks, a theater group which “uses humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice through live shows, DVDs, digital videos, scripts, discussion guides, and more” (from the Ted & Company website).

In this first part, Ted discusses his backstory and the importance of laughter. In the second part, Ted shares about his former partner Lee.

Links:

* Ted & Company website

* Ted & Company Twitter

Watch from YouTube embedded below, or download from our audio or video podcast feeds.

In a short vlog series*, 3 of the vloggers look at how theology impacts our lives. Deborah opens the topic by discussing disability theology and how that can harm others. Curtis responds by asking about how we evangelize after moving away from “turn or burn” theology, to which Micael discusses what sharing the Gospel looks like when it is not driven by that fear-based “Gospel”.

Participants:

* Deborah-Ruth Ferber

* Curtis Snell

* Micael Grenholm

*Why was this one short? We’re moving to a new format!

Watch from YouTube below or subscribe to our audio or video podcast feeds.

In this round of the vlog, the MennoNerds discuss various questions about the nature and role of the Church. Steve starts out at the local level, challenging why we spend so much on maintaining buildings instead of our mission to those around us (particularly the poor). It expands from there to talk about related ideas such as house churches, what “Church” means in a theological sense, and why the Church exists.

Participants:

* Steve Kimes

* Micael Grenholm

* Deborah-Ruth Ferber

* Curtis Snell

* Paul Walker

* Ebony Adedayo

You can watch from YouTube embedded below, or download by subscribing to the audio or video podcast feed.

Carrie Newcomer joins Paul Walker to discuss her life and work. Carrie is a Christian singer-songwriter and poet, with her most recent work being The Beautiful Not Yet. In this interview, she shares some of her life story, some wisdom, some music, and some poetry.

Links:

Carrie Newcomer (website)

Carrie Newcomer (Twitter)

Carrie Newcomer (Facebook)

You can watch from YouTube embedded below, or download through our audio or video podcast feeds.

Chris Lenshyn of the MennoNerds network interviews Gregory Rabus. Greg and his wife Jennifer Otto are community outreach workers with Mennonite Church Canada Witness in Ludwigshafen, Germany. They talk about their life and work in post-Christendom Germany.

Support Greg and Jenn here

Summer 2015 Newsletter

End-of-Year 2015 Newsletter

2016 Newsletter

The video can be watched from the embedded YouTube video below, or through the audio or video podcast feeds.