We are pleased to welcome Rev. Kevin Kim Wright back to The Loft, to speak from the center on this last Sunday in Pride Month. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Rev. Kevin serves as Chief of Staff for the Point Foundation here in Los Angeles. In conversation with a double story of healing from the Gospel of Mark, he invites us to consider the ways we are invited to step out of powerlessness and into God’s opportunities.

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We are pleased to welcome Rev. Dr. Kyle Eugene Brooks as our guest preacher in the Loft. Rev. Dr. Brooks, a native of Detroit, MI, serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. His work broadly explores the communicative conditions of religion, politics, and black expressive cultures. In his teaching, his courses reflect his wide-ranging interests within the realms of religious studies, theology, creative arts, and Africana studies.

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Everest Harvey and Rev. Molly Vetter - In listening to the lives and stories of Trans siblings, we understand more about God, who exists beyond the boundaries of our categories.

As Christians, we are called to love our enemies and to practice nonviolent resistance. But is this commandment impractical or even dangerous for Christians who want to stand against the evils of "christian" nationalism?

We are taking a two month break while Dr. Carter is on research leave to work on his forthcoming book project. Loft Conversations will return in August. As we map out our series for the rest of this year please let us know if there is a topic that you would like us to discuss!

As we begin Pride month, we open a conversation about why LGBTQ+ inclusion matters to our faith. Although loud voices might try to claim otherwise, Christian theologies build a compelling case for our call to celebrate diversities in sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Far too many progressive Christian churches are defined by what they don’t believe. How might centering our conversation on what we do believe strengthen our religious communities?

Jesus’ way of nonviolent resistance and love of enemies is often dismissed as impractical and idealistic. To be sure, the persuasive power of the myth of redemptive violence is dependent upon our belief that our enemies are not worthy of love. However, if our enemies are lovable and we choose not to love them then we are morally culpable for our failure to love. It is no wonder then, that Jesus taught that we are to love our enemies because God loves us and because God loves them, and this is a sign of a mature love that can lead us towards collective peace.

At their best, Christian communities should reflect the vision laid out in Acts 2, collectively sharing our gifts, tragedies, joys, and resilience. However, we have struggled to live up to or into this vision of a peaceful Christian community. Why? Peace requires repair, and for our churches to become an oasis of peace, we must learn how to work through the obstacles that divide us so that we can live in peace with one another.

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The protests to the war in Gaza taking place on college campuses around the world remind us that students are often the conscious of our society. In part 2 of our episode discussing the war in Gaza, we focus on what is happening in Westwood California, where our church and the Univeristy of California, Los Angeles is located. 

The suffering and violence that is taking place in Gaza is unconscionable. According to the United Nations, at least 34,560 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 77,765 injured; nearly all of the 600,000 children now sheltering in the southern border city of Rafah are injured, sick, or malnourished. In part 1 of our episode discussing the war, we examine Rev. Dr. Carter’s suggestion that non-violent resistance that includes divestment is the appropriate progressive Christian response.