Reclamation Faith

In this episode, Josh and Alison talk about some of the desires behind Reclamation and where the idea originated. We use a big ol' extended metaphor of cooking and "chefs vs. home cooks" to talk about our hearts behind this project, and the ways people can find authentic faith through learning to reclaim homegrown spirituality.  

In our first episode of 2022, Alison and Josh reflect on New Year's resolutions and how they have spiritual overlap with the ways we view growth and formation in the Christian faith. 

In Christian circles, there is almost an obsession in modern times with "growth." When growth is a pressure rooted in shame or feelings of "not being enough" then the idea of progress becomes debilitating and destructive. However, when we see growth as something that happens outside of ourselves, discovering more of who God is, then we can find freedom and joy in the process. 

In our last week of Advent, we reflect on the oddness of the Christmas story, and just how completely unexpected the whole situation of Christ's birth was in the context of Israel's expectations. It is important, in a world where Christmas has become warmly familiar, to recapture the weirdness of this event so that we  can see the radical ramifications of the incarnation, and learn to celebrate when our own experiences of God don't fit the religious mold of our society. 

This week in our Advent series, we take a look at the absolute necessity of the female voice in the birth narrative of Jesus, and the time leading up to the Christmas event. Too often neglected in Evangelical circles, this centering of women and their joy, wisdom, and faithfulness is essential to a full picture of the inauguration of the incarnate Christ. When we don't have this fully realized picture of these women and vital roles/voices they offer, then we lose more than we realize in our faith and culture today. 

Josh and Alison continue the Advent-themed series this week, looking at concepts at the heart of the season that are often overlooked by Evangelical churches, and what impact that has on faith. This week, we dive deeper into the idea that Christmas doesn't really "fit" the conservative worldview, and how some pretty odd things can happen from pulpits and leaders around Advent as a result. Rather than try to sell people Jesus in this time of year, the idea of Immanuel, or God with us, is a helpful and beautiful corrective.

We're back after a long, long time away with a jump into the Advent season! This week, Josh and Alison look at the topic of expectation, or hopeful longing, and how a disregard for this element of Advent and the Christian story impacts our ability to deal with the hardships of our lives and world. If we can relearn what it means to wait on God, it can help us navigate the complexity of life and the tension of faith, and Advent is a season where this practice can be front-and-center in our spiritual lives. 

In this week's episode, I (Josh) get to interview Alison about her year as part of our attempt at a birthday interview tradition! Among other topics, Alison shares about the hardships and opportunities that she's found in this past year, discusses starting a new upcoming job, and makes a few ridiculous claims about Oreo cookies and summer pie baking. I hope she doesn't read this...

This week, Josh and Alison are thrilled to share a recent interview with Meghan Tschanz. Meghan is a former missionary, host of the Faith and Feminism podcast, blogger, and author of the recently-released book Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice.

In her book (and the interview) Meghan draws connections between the injustices she witnessed against women around the globe with damaging power differentials and patriarchal norms that she witnessed in her evangelical upbringing. This is an interview that challenges our assumptions and calls us to see the ways these systems work together to further abuses in our world.

This week, we are so excited to share an interview with Justin R. Phillips, author of the recently-released book Know Your Place: Helping White, Southern Evangelicals Cope with the End of The(ir) World. 

In our conversation, we dive into the realities of disembodiment and what a disembodied faith has meant for Christian understandings of white supremacy and racial justice. Justin shares about how his social location and the recognition of his own embodiment led to a position of compassionate engagement with racial justice, and how we too can re-evaluate our theology to see the embodied Jesus meeting people in the fight for justice and equality.