The Leader’s Way

Executive Director of El Hogar Denise Vargas joins us to talk about entrepreneurship. She helps us think in an entrepreneurial way about ministry and grounds innovation in community. We also take a while to chat about Vargas’s life as a poet, to hear some of her poetry, and to talk about how poetry intersects with the work she does at El Hogar.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove joins us from the Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy. He describes the making of white, Christian nationalism and helps us see a different path forward, following the teachings of Jesus. He walks us through the reality of the New Right in the 1970s as a way for us to understand our positionality headed into the 2024 election.

Astrophysicist Graziella di Tulliio Zinn joins Brandon and Hannah to chat about the beauty of the stars, Graziella’s experience of being a Christian astronomer, the Big Bang, the theology of Disney’s movie Wish, UFOs, the ethics of space junk, astrology, prayer, and more.

Father Lizzie and Mother Laura join us to talk about their vocation stories, how they each ended up doing digital ministry (accidentally), and why they joined forces to create their new podcast, “And Also With You.”

Academic Dean of Westcott House Karen O’Donnell joins us from Cambridge for an intro to feminist theology. Dr. O’Donnell describes what feminist theology and trauma theology are, talks about her own journey into these fields, and considers where we go from here. Brandon, Hannah, and Karen (of course) also talk prayer and hope.

The 104th Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams joins Brandon and Hannah to talk about church unity in the face of difference, vocation, and prayer. He explains how to engage in contemplative prayer and offers hope for the future of the church.

Joy Marie Clarkson, PhD joins us to discuss her latest book You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer. Hannah, Brandon, and Joy talk about what metaphors are and why they’re so useful in preaching, theology, and life. They ponder how humans are more like trees than machines and explore the metaphor of love as disease. Clarkson tells the story of how she ended up with her social media presence, and she shares a bit about her other books The Clubhouse and Aggressively Happy.

The Rev’d Dr. Jamie Hawkey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, joins us to talk about dialogues between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. We discuss church unity, prayer in theology, and engaging the public through mysticism and the arts. Jamie, Brandon, and Hannah get a chance to talk about their shared love of Italy.

The Rt. Rev'd Dr. Vicentia Kgabe is Bishop of Lesotho. Bishop Vinny is the third woman bishop in Southern Africa and the sixth on the African continent. In 2023, Kgabe was invited by Archbishop Justin Welby to preach at the opening service of the Lambeth conference. Bishop Vinny joins us to talk about leading with compassion rather than power. She reminds us of how God will get us to where we’re meant to be and of how essential it is to be rooted in prayer (in the pew or at the gym).

Craig Minowa is a singer-songwriter and the frontman of Cloud Cult, an indie rock band. In this episode, Minowa shares how his songwriting process is something of a spiritual journey through darkness to light.