Shifting Culture

In this episode, Yolanda Solomon shares what effective discipleship looks like. It’s important to encounter Jesus' beauty and person rather than focus on behavior modification. She highlights examples of communal and experiential discipleship, navigating cultural biases by focusing on Jesus, and understanding identity and authority in Christ. We also talk about justice and embodiment through following Jesus' care for the poor and marginalized, as well as moving discipleship from a classroom model to more participatory experiences and apprenticeship. So join us as we discover what effective discipleship looks like.

Yolanda Solomon is the Director of Discipleship at Epiphany Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. where she teaches and creates discipleship curriculum and resources. She has also worked in campus ministry at Columbia University in New York where she was blessed to serve undergraduate students for eight years. Yolanda recently published her first book entitled "Discipleship as Holy Collaboration: Helping Others Follow Jesus in Real Life" which is available for pre-order and will be released in May 2024. Yolanda is a disciple of Christ, a Brooklyn native and a lifelong Knicks fan which richly fuels her prayer life.

Yolanda's Book:
Discipleship as Holy Collaboration

Yolanda's Recommendations:
Holy Imagination
Black Liturgies

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In this episode, Grace Ji-Sun Kim discusses her experience immigrating to Canada from Korea as a child and facing racism. She talks about how Christianity became associated with whiteness over time as it spread in Europe, with Jesus portrayed as a white man. Grace explains that the concept of race and whiteness are social constructs used to maintain power structures. We unpack the idea of a white God and try to figure out how to present Jesus without cultural overlays. Grace also emphasizes celebrating differences and learning from other cultures to better understand God and each other. So join us as we reflect how easy it is to make God in our own image.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana. She is the host of the Madang podcast and has published in TIME, Huffington Post, US Catholic, and The Nation. She is an ordained PC(USA) minister and enjoys being a guest preacher on most Sundays. Her many books include Invisible, Reimagining Spirit, and Healing Our Broken Humanity. She and her spouse, Perry, have three young adult children and live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Grace's Book:
When God Became White

Grace's Recommendation:
The Not-Yet God by Ilia Delio

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The world is falling apart. The earth is hotter than it has ever been since we have been recording temperatures, the ocean is heating up. We have polarization that tears us to pieces. We are good at division. There is war over resources and power. What can we do? We need some wisdom and courage to move forward together in a world like ours. And Brian McLaren brings it to us in this conversation. Brian helps us to reframe our stories and perspectives, slow down to appreciate beauty, find wise guides, overcome biases, and respond to issues with compassion rather than fear or complacency. So join us as we find wisdom and courage for a world falling apart.

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a core faculty member and Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are  Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022). His next release, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, is available for pre-order now and will release in May 2024.

Brian's Book:
Life After Doom

Brian's Recommendations:
Civil War
The Dao of Civilization: A Letter to China by Freya Matthews

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The whole system seems to be out of order. It’s time we reckon with the abuse, structure, and outworkings of church. But first, it’s time to heal, to find hope even in the midst of our disillusionment. In this conversation, Aimee Byrd shares her story of disillusionment with the church after facing public shaming and harassment for writing a book critiquing certain theological teachings. She discusses the pain of this experience and her journey to healing, including finding community outside her church. We talk about ideas for reforming church practices to better reflect biblical principles of community, vulnerability, and mutual care and support among believers. So join us as we sit with the disillusionment, but find hope in our scars.

Aimee Byrd is an author, speaker, blogger, podcaster, and former coffee shop owner. Aimee is author of several books, including No Little Women, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and her latest, The Hope in Our Scars. Her articles have appeared in First Things, Table Talk, Modern Reformation, By Faith, New Horizons, Ordained Servant, Harvest USA, and Credo Magazine, and she has been interviewed and quoted in Christianity Today and The Atlantic.

Aimee's Book:
The Hope in Our Scars

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In this conversation, Kimberly Stuart talks about her journey with grace and her new book "Star for Jesus". We discuss Kimberly's struggles with perfectionism and legalism, and how embracing God's grace has transformed her life and perspective. We also talked about the important roles that humor, shared experiences, and vulnerability play in building understanding and extending grace to ourselves and others. It was a thought-provoking discussion about living in the "not yet" while recognizing God's already finished work. So join us as we laugh, share stories, and invoke God’s grace.

Kim is a writer, a speaker, a podcaster, and a dark chocolate obsessive. She is the author of eight novels and a newly released nonfiction debut, Star For Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit). She and New York Times-bestselling author Bob Goff have coached hundreds of aspiring authors through their executive coaching, online courses, and live events in the San Diego area. Stuart has made her home in Minneapolis, Houston, Chicago, Costa Rica, Nebraska, and Iowa, where she now lives with her brave husband and three wily children.

Kim's Book:
Star for Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit)

Kim's Recommendation:
A Prayer for Orion by Katherine James

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In this episode, Neil Cole explores spiritual formation and missionary methods through a discussion of Paul's journeys in the book of Acts. He shares insights from his book "Journeys" about Paul's progression and growth through each journey of his life and ministry, as well as lessons learned during a 13-year period of silence. Neil applies Paul's model to our own spiritual journeys and finishing well. We also talk shifting from institutions to more organic, relational ministry and hearing God's voice to radically obey his commands. So join us as we dive into the book of Acts, look at Paul’s journeys, and see what it has to do with our own life’s journeys and spiritual formation.

Neil Cole is an author, missional thinker, and movement catalyst. His whole work can be summed up in this: listen to Jesus and do what He says. Neil’s latest book and the focus of our conversation today is Journeys: Discovering God’s Paths of Spiritual Formation Building to a Strong Finish.

Neil's Book:
Journeys

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In this episode Bri Stensrud shares about shifting from a traditional pro-life stance to a whole life approach that values all human dignity and life. Bri shares her personal journey in this regard and emphasized the importance of proximity, empathy, and compassion when it comes to issues like immigration. She encourages Christians to move beyond comfort, engage with Scripture, and advocate for vulnerable groups like immigrants and refugees from a prophetic, non-partisan perspective focused on people rather than politics. Bri encourages us all to have open conversations, welcome immigrants into their communities, and serve with presence rather than just financially supporting issues from a distance. Join us as we learn how to welcome immigrants and refugees with compassion. 

Bri Stensrud is an author, human dignity advocate, and the Director of Women of Welcome. Her passion is to equip the Church to engage more consistently and tangibly in holistic human dignity issues. Throughout her work in the pro-life movement, Bri continually faced questions from those concerned about immigrants and refugees. Understanding that many concerns were rooted in fear and misinformation she started a journey to detangle from politically partisan narratives and seek out a biblical perspective to uplift and advocate for immigrants and refugees and invite other Christian women into this same space. 

She has authored two books: Start with Welcome: The Journey toward a Confident and Compassionate Immigration Conversation, and a children's book: The Biggest Best Light: Shining God's Light into the World Around You. 

Bri's Recommendation:
Strange Religion by Nijay Gupta

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Ryan George grew up in an abusive independent fundamental Baptist church led by his father. In the conversation, Ryan discusses how he eventually left that church and the abuse of his father and started a journey of healing from the trauma of his upbringing. He talks about some of the unhealthy and abusive behaviors he experienced. He also talks about how he eventually found healthy church communities that helped him heal and come to know Jesus in a new way. We talk secure attachments, fear and faith, and adventure. So join us as we wade through destructive behavior and trauma and find our way out towards healthy, faith-filled communities centered on Jesus.

Ryan George is the author of Scared to Life and Word on the Street. He’s the blogger behind Explorience.org. He co-founded and co-leads Dude Group, a spiritual
adventure community in the Blue Ridge Mountains where he lives with his wife,
Crystal, and daughter, Deonnie.

Ryan's Book:
Hurt and Healed by the Church

Ryan's Recommendation:
Will the Circle be Unbroken? by Sean Dietrich

Connect with Joshua: [email protected]

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In this episode, Lucas Pulley and I have a great conversation around microchurches and decentralized church networks. Lucas shares his story of how he got involved in microchurches and how they operate. We talk about having an "ecclesial minimum" of worship, community and mission, microchurches can be mission-specific around a calling or distributive with people following various callings, the importance of connecting microchurches through area collectives and larger events, the need to move through the spaces of belonging, and insights into preventing heresy and abuse through governance structures while still allowing for messiness and the priesthood of all believers. Join us as we discover what God is doing through microchurches.

Lucas Pulley is Executive Director of Underground Network, an experimental community made up of over 160 microchurches in Tampa Bay and serving dozens of similar decentralized and empowering movements around the world. Lucas has 14 years of experience planting microchurches and leading decentralized networks of grassroots churches, and still leads a neighborhood house church in the projects of inner city Tampa to this day with his wife and three kids. He is driven to see cities transformed by the priesthood of all believers activated in the mission of God.

Lucas' Recommendation:
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

Connect with Joshua: [email protected]

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What does spiritual formation have to do with our political engagement? Well, if we are followers of Jesus, it’s has a lot to do with it. In this episode, Michael Wear discusses how Dallas Willard's work influenced his view that Christians should approach politics as a way to love God and love their neighbor through civic involvement. We talk about different approaches to political engagement, the role of the church, and stories like Ruby Bridges that demonstrate living out one's faith even in challenging political contexts. Michael hopes that Christians will be empowered to steward their influence in politics in a way that is motivated by spiritual virtues like gentleness and is coherent with their broader discipleship and not just enter into a competition with an antagonizing spirit. So join us as we enter into an all of life spiritual formation into the image and likeness of Jesus, so that our political life looks more like Him and less like an antagonizing sport.

Micheal Wear is founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation's capital with the mission to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good. He has served as a trusted resource and advisor for a range of civic leaders on matters of faith and public life for the last fifteen years, including as a White House and presidential campaign staffer. Wear previously led Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm he founded that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape. He is the author of "The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life," which argues that the kind of people we are has much to do with the kind of politics and public life we will have.

Michael's Book:
The Spirit of Our Politics

Michael's Recommendation:
Fully Alive by Elizabeth Oldfield

Connect with Joshua: [email protected]

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