Advent is a four-week season in the Church calendar dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or “advent,” of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited savior and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy. And while their practices may look different, all focus on the hope-filled arrival of Jesus. … Continue reading Episode 309: An Antioch Holiday Special – “Advent and Justice.”

At work the other day, we were having a conversation about American Thanksgiving Day. One of my African-American friends was telling me that Thanksgiving Day at their house is the “Food Olympics.” Family members are requested to bring certain dishes that they expertly cook to their annual family banquet of well-seasoned, colorful food. This is … Continue reading Episode 308 – An Antioch Holiday Special – “Thanksgiving Memories.”

Well … we are back. We took a couple weeks off but we are back this week to talk about our series on the pledge of allegiance. Today we talk about “Liberty and Justice for All.” So, in our first post-election episode, we have some thoughts – new thoughts and old thoughts – about what … Continue reading Episode 307: The Pledge – What Does It Mean? – “With Liberty and Justice for All.”

Sometimes, the Antioch Podcast team takes our show on the road. Recently, we were invited to be a part of Unlearn Week at Calvin University. This program is an opportunity for students to unlearn stereotypes, biases and talk about racism by engaging in healthy dialogue and diving deeper into these topics as Christians. We had … Continue reading Episode 306: Whitework – “The Antiracism Journeys of White Allies.”

What does it mean to have a united front? I once talked with someone who was routinely told that she needed to “put up a united front” in implementing a policy at the hospital where she worked. However, she didn’t agree with the policy, and this caused her to feel like she might need to … Continue reading Episode 305: The Pledge – What Does It Mean – “Indivisible.”

The first amendment to the US Constitution says that the country cannot have an official religion, yet most state constitutions reference either God or the divine. The words “In God We Trust” is printed on currency in the United States, but many Americans only pray when they are in a crisis. The pledge of allegiance … Continue reading Episode 304: The Pledge – What Does It Mean? – “Under God.”

Michigan is one of the states that will decide the election in 2024, and the western side of the state is one region within Michigan where the divisions are the strongest. Driving through my neighborhood, yard signs for Harris and Trump punctuate the lawns of many of my neighbors. Last week I needed to drive … Continue reading Episode 303: The Pledge – What Does it Mean? – “One Nation.”

And to the republic, for which it stands. We say these words all the time, but what is a republic anyway? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a republic is a form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests … Continue reading Episode 302: The Pledge – What Does It Mean – “The Republic.”

The pledge of allegiance was originally written in 1892 by a then-37-year-old minister named Francis Bellamy.  It was first recited that same year on October 12th to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus.  Since then, it has grown in popularity, becoming a ubiquitous feature of American education and civic life.  But … Continue reading Episode 301: The Pledge – What Does It Mean? – “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.”

It has been our tradition on the Antioch Podcast to pause when we hit a milestone to reflect on the experience of being a part of this podcast. The Antioch Podcast began in August of 2016 when President Obama was in office to provide multiethnic church leaders with tools to understand what it meant to … Continue reading Episode 300: The 300th Episode!!! – “Looking In, Looking Back, Looking Ahead.”