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Ken and Betsey reconvene for another summer Beach Talk. They begin by relaying the news that their friend and podcast colleague, Ken Fong, just this week bid farewell to his life-long partner, Snoopy, after a protracted and heart-rending battle with cancer. Betsey shares something of her own loss a few years back. A regular Twitter user with over a thousand followers, Betsey gives her thoughts on the recent challenge from META (Zuckerberg's Facebook) with a new competing platform called Threads. It puts two giant media platforms on a collision course, leaving Elon Musk falling well short of his intentions after allocating a significant percentage of his staggering wealth on the line. They review the SCOTUS decisions last month as a cautionary tale of what is yet to come. The stage version of "The Who's Tommy Musical" got Betsey rocking and reminiscing and the early days when the music of The Who captured her imagination.

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Ken welcomes author, professor, and scholar of religion Isaac Sharp, Ph.D. to talk about his new book,  The Other Evangelicals: Liberal, Black, Progressive, Feminist, and Gay Christians - and the Movement that Pushed them Out. Recently, a raft of scholarship has emerged around the question - who are "The Evangelicals" and how did they manage to wield such social and political power? Dr. Sharp charts out a unique approach - he dials back the clock some fifty years and identifies prominent individuals in each of the five categories who were theologically, biblically, and self-proclaimed "Evangelicals." But their interpretation of Scripture, and their political and social concerns became unacceptable to the self-appointed guardians of what Sharp calls the "capital E" Evangelicals.  In other words, one can better understand the movement by identifying the individuals who were rejected, ejected, or banished by the dominant tribal leaders. 

In this Part I of a two-part series, Isaac shares how his doctoral dissertation gave birth to this published work. Sharp reveals that many if not most of the individuals in his profiles were heretofore unknown to him - for good reason. Not only are they forgotten in Evangelical history, their work has been "erased." Not for Ken. This book tracks the personal story of the Beached White Male. Many of the men and women who appear in Isaac's book were Ken's professors, authors of books he read, and keynote speakers in conferences and other venues. In this episode, they focus on the early roots of evangelicalism that include some surprising characters - "liberals" like Harry Emerson Fosdick, black (African American) evangelicals like Tom Skinner and Bill Pannell, "progressives" like Jim Wallis and Ron Sider,  and "feminists" like Henrietta Mears, Nancy Hardesty, and Virginia Mollenkott... and more.  SHOW NOTES

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Ken and Osahon ("O") pick up on another Cabana Talk - this time to unpack the great cultural divide in our churches and beyond. The tidal wave of conservatism that targets race, gender, and education in our country has exacerbated the polarization that is so prevalent across the nation. Some celebrate. Others lament. Millennials are exiting the churches of their childhood in great numbers. Pastors, like Rev. John Onwuchekwa (SBC), are leaving the ministry, burned out, wounded, and frustrated. Ken shares his conviction that "those who celebrate" this conservative trend need to hear the voices of "those who lament." The recent Supreme Court decisions that target affirmative action, gender equality, and student debt underscore the alienation felt by "those who lament." O shares his heart - his is a voice that needs to be heard. Stay through the end to hear Osahon share about his new full-time position at Just Us 4 Youth, training and motivating a significant team of mentors, coaches, and tutors. They work with energy, conviction, and sharp focus with "At Promise" kids who live in underserved communities and attend underfunded schools. Consider this: "Those who lament" are also those who care - and give themselves to the common good with abandon. O's one of them. SHOW NOTES

Just Us 4 Youth - Transforming the Lives of Urban Youth

New York Times - Black, Evangelical, and Torn

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This week the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued rulings that will have a dramatic impact on our nation. Ken welcomes Dr. Gilbert Walton for a wide-ranging conversation around Affirmative Action, higher education, and the roles of Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Clarence Thomas. Ken and Gilbert met on the Civil Rights Tour of the South. Dr. Walton was a featured contributor to Ken's podcast series, Truth Quest, an in-depth look at the journey that took their fellow travelers from New Orleans to Birmingham - an intense exposure to the history of Civil Rights in America. Dr. Walton shares his perspective as a medical professional who benefited from Affirmative Action. His academic career began on the campus of Fisk University, an historic black university (HBCU) where he earned a bachelor's degree. It was in graduate school where A.A. opened doors to complete first an M.A. in microbiology and then his M.D. in medical school. He shares both the benefits and the challenges he faced, achieving high honors as a military officer and physician. Together, they unpack the social and political implications of the decidedly conservative SCOTUS. Ken offers his reflections on the Federalist Society, founded in 1982 during the Reagan era, which gave us six of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court and every one of Donald Trump's appointees to the Federal bench.

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This episode takes the two podcasters named Ken into very personal territory. The whole world's attention was captured for several days by the plight of five adventurers who plunged into the depths of the North Atlantic in the Ocean Gate Titan to catch a glimpse of the hundred-year-old ruins of the ocean liner Titanic resting on the ocean floor. With sudden silence, just an hour into the descent, communication came to a mysterious and abrupt end. Untethered, the unknown fate of the passengers and crew of the submersible became "BREAKING NEWS," a drama that rallied an armada of rescue ships and planes and high-tech underwater sonars, cameras, and robots. If the Titan had remained intact, reserve oxygen supplies would have run out about the time that rescuers found hard evidence: under the crushing weight of water pressure at extreme depths, the Titan imploded, leaving no survivors. In another scene in the Mediterranean, just off the coast of Greece, a terribly over-loaded ferry boat capsized, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives - immigrants escaping war and violence and loss coming from as far away as Pakistan with hopes of a better life in Europe. The second event received much less coverage in the global press than the five wealthy passengers of the Titan. The Two Kens ponder the significance of risk and loss, national priorities, life and death. These events unfold in the media in the real and present context of Ken Fong's current personal crisis. Snoopy, his life partner of over forty years is in the battle for her own life against an aggressive cancer. It's a heartfelt conversation between the two Kens. You are invited to join in.

Ken Fong's Caring Bridge page tracking Snoopy's Journey

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Ken welcomes Kristina Flanagan, retired psychotherapist, MSW, Vedic astrologer and soon-to-be graduate of Richard Rohr's Living School. At Kristina's invitation (after Ken invited himself!), Ken and Carolyn spent a few days in a beautiful casita on her property, a lovely expanse of New Mexico's rolling hills and meadows just south of Santa Fe. She, her architect, and contractor completed the pleasing structures just a few years ago, a place of retreat and renewal she calls "La Molina." Kristina shares her journey - from her undergraduate years at Stanford University to her focus on social work, therapy, Enneagram, and eight visits to India. More recently, she discovered the writings of Fr. Richard Rohr. 

Kristina has served on the Boards of Directors at both the San Francisco and Santa Fe Operas. She is a lover of art - sculptures, paintings, and water features adorn La Molina at every turn. For more than a decade, her passion has been her horses. She is Chairman of the Board of a non-profit called A Chance of a Lifetime where she works closely with the organization's founders. They are authentic "horse-whisperers." The website says this: "Our environment fosters interaction and companionship with the herd where we build respect, trust, patience, empowerment, awareness, acceptance and vulnerability as we nurture a deeper experience of the horse–human relationship." Kristina relays her rich experience of building and living at La Molina. Ken is now a witness of how this extraordinary place transforms, heals, and awakens the spirit.

A Chance of a Lifetime Website

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On Juneteenth weekend, Ken returns from his New Mexico road trip and reconnects with Betsey for Beach Talk #105. One more time, the former president was arraigned facing a damning indictment for obstruction of justice and obstinate refusal to return classified documents. The Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted to disenfranchise Southern California's Saddleback megachurch in spite of Rick Warren's passionate appeal. If a local church ordains a woman, they are no longer welcome in the association of Southern Baptists. Evangelicalism, as it is known in the public square, appears to be collapsing under the weight of indictments, theological and social regression, and a spate of documentaries, including a focus on the once-popular Duggar family. The scandal surrounding sexual, emotional, and spirituals abuse is exposed in the four-part series that connects the Duggars with the infamous Bill Gothard, creator of the fundamentalist non-profit called Basic Institute of Life Principles (BILP) - formerly known as the Basic Institute in Youth Conflicts. Betsey and Ken point to the hopeful signs explained by Brian McLaren, who calls the newly emerging movement The Great Spiritual Migration. Ken adds some comments about the National Holiday Juneteenth.

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Ken welcomes first-time guest, author Martyn Whittock to discuss his recent book, The End Times, Again? -2000 Years of the Use & Misuse of Biblical Prophecy. While listening to the BWM podcast at his home near Bath in England (the UK), Martin reached out to Ken to discuss his book's themes and how they play out in the US... and much more.  Ken shares his concern about the misappropriation of eschatology (the study of the last times) in American politics. Martin agrees and expands the conversation to include Brexit, the Economic Union (EU), and Russia not only on the contemporary scene but throughout history. The author of more than fifty books, Whittock shares his early fascination with evangelical Christianity. His father, a conservative Methodist minister, gave him an early immersion in prophetic teachings - much of which Martyn had to rework as he studied history and religion at the University of Bristol.  The conversation takes them through a millennium of European and American history and touches on the Viking raids, The Crusades, the English Civil War of 1640, the Pope in Rome, Napoleon and on to Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, Vladimir Putin, the election of Donald Trump and his "evangelical support." The misuse of Bible prophesy has contributed to Christian Nationalism, and conspiracy theories (including Q-Anon) in America and in Europe as well. Whittock, a self-proclaimed Bible-believing evangelical Christian, shares his ideas regarding a proper approach to prophetic and apocalyptic literature.  SHOW NOTES

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Ken welcomes Dr. Shandra McDonald, student success strategist, and fellow podcaster. The two met on a Civil Rights tour of the South in 2019. As she observes, Shandra's strategy took her from "clueless to Cum Laude." The two podcasters discuss the unique challenges facing students with academic ambitions - exploring Shandra's powerful personal story.  She's earned three college degrees (Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Master of Public Administration, and Doctor of Public Administration), entered Federal service under the Outstanding Scholars Program, served as an adjunct professor, and appears as a guest lecturer.  She is the author of Academic Survival: Simple Strategies for Improving Your Grades, contributing author of the textbook Government at Work: Policy Making in the Twenty-First-Century Congress, and host of the Academic Survival Podcast.

SHOW NOTES - find links to Shandra's sites and free book.

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Ken welcomes PhD Candidate, writer, and educator, Rebecca Rea Ross. Podcaster and author, Brad Onishi, made the introduction. "Ken - here is a perfect person to interview on your podcast," he said.  He was right. Rebecca's passion is energizing her dissertation's focus. She combines her journey from ultra-conservative home school in eastern Washington State to Christian college to Masters Degree to a fully credentialled high school English teacher. With a keen interest in the way language is used to hold people in abusive, often toxic places, Rebecca is a captivating storyteller with a timely message. She openly shares her conservative evangelical family pedigree. It places her squarely in the center of biblical fundamentalism's heartland. Listen in to get the particulars. You will recognize the well-known names. Rebecca's is a story of transformation - from an immersion in a world dominated by the most ardent apologists for complementarianism to a liberation of spirit, claiming agency and more than egalitarianism, finding her true self. Don't miss this remarkable conversation. SHOW NOTES

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