Reclamation Faith

This week we talk with our amazing friend Erin Lingle. She has been on an almost decade-long journey of deconstructing and reclaiming her faith. Her evolving faith along with her work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, her life as a cradle-Christian, experience as a pastor's wife, and follower of Christ all create an incredible concoction of insight! 

She is a relationally-minded human who brings beauty to all she touches...she will not disappoint.  

**A disclaimer that we do not have good sound quality in this episode due to a problem with our mic! We are working to resolve it and appreciate you going easy on us and our newbie problems!!**

When someone decides that it's time to leave the institutional church behind, what are the benefits and drawbacks of that decision? In this episode, we talk (with much fear and trembling) about the practical issues, potential pitfalls, and possible blessings that come with the decision to "go rogue" in your Christian community. 

On the podcast, we talk a lot about church...but what "church" are we actually talking about? In this episode, we break down several of the definitions of the word and idea behind church, and how these definitions each impact our participation and outlook on the organized forms of our faith. 

What we find is that church has both lasting, unchanging realities as well as cultural expressions, and now might be a good time to question how institutionalized religion is being organized in our world.

This week, we are featuring a crossover episode with Allison Maus and Ben Wideman, two of the hosts and producers of the "ing" Podcast! Our conversation with Allison and Ben is a fascinating look at questions of leadership and engagement with people outside the church, and what it means to be present especially to younger generations who have shifting views of faith.

We were also featured this week on ing podcast, so make sure you head over and listen to the other half of this great conversation, where we (Josh and Alison) are on the receiving end of the questions! 

Special thanks to Allison, Ben, and ing podcast for featuring us and being featured in our shared endeavor!

As more and more people pack their bags and leave traditional church behind, what will faith outside the center begin to look like? As people in churches long for fuller, more robust spirituality, how will they converse with a world that is frustrated by and closed off to institutional religion? This week, we look at these questions and more. We'll also talk about some of the spiritual lingo flying around during the election season, and how it points to the frustration many have with churches today. The idea of decentralized faith has challenges and opportunities for people in need of change, across the spectrum of the Christian faith (or lack thereof), and we begin to scratch the surface of this coming shift in the way we do spiritual life.

Notes on some works quoted this week:
-Alison references a quote (on walking and chewing gum) that was from a profound post by Ayanna Mathis via Instagram
-We quote from The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle
-We quote from Culture Care by Makoto Fujimura
(We really recommend those books for deeper reading!)

Just as the process of letting go certain things is essential to reclaiming a vibrant, authentic faith, so too is our need to hold fast, to cling to certain realities and postures in our lives. In this episode, we explore a few things we must hold fast to as we deconstruct or reconstruct faith: hope, conflict, and love, and what these realities say about the One at the heart of this whole thing. 

What is it that you are grasping onto, that is also keeping you from taking the next step in your faith journey? For all of us, there comes a time when deconstructing our faith and/or reconstructing a new authentic spiritual life involves letting go of certain things, whether they be unhealthy belief systems, commitments to damaging groups or institutions, or even comfort and familiarity. In this episode, we examine the often frightening, but always essential task of releasing our grip on the baggage that is keeping us from moving forward.

A special thanks to our friend Zeke for furnishing us with some sweet music that we'll be using in our podcast! Much appreciated friend!
(Intro/Outro Music: Mirrors by Utah, licensed by Musicbed)

There are many steps to examine in the process of reclamation, but one key factor is finding your voice and being able to be authentic in your thoughts, questions, and contributions. Too often, we stifle our voice to fit in with a community or institutional culture, only to lose our power in the process. In this episode we look at what it means to regain your voice in your faith. Alison also tackles one issue in church culture that has stifled the voices of far too many: patriarchy, and the way it uses certain scriptures to silence women.

Note: apologies for some minor audio issues in this episode. We're still working on our setup and everything, so the podcast sound remains pretty raw - but we're getting there! 

This week, we're serving up some lighter fare for our podcast as we (Josh and Alison) interview each other and offer some insight into our lives and the things we're exited about with this project. If you want to hear a lot of bad jokes and loud laughter, and maybe learn a little about what makes us tick, then this is the episode for you. Oh! You'll also find out why Josh was once wanted for kidnapping - it's a story worth listening to! 

We're glad you're here and we hope you enjoy getting to learn a bit about us. 

This week, we wrap up our definition of Reclamation and the third layer, which is God's reclaiming of the world for God's self. The version of Christian spirituality that has been given to so many people in our world today reflects a story that is incomplete, lacking this grand truth about God's desire for reclamation. Instead, we tend to focus only on ourselves or individual commitments, rather than our place in the story of God's healing and restoring work. 

In this episode, we set out to combat the tendency to build faith upon a weak foundation of solely personal commitment. While individual redemption deeply matters, we also need the stronger foundation of purpose and calling into God's story that shines light on how every single thing in our lives matters to God.