The Progressive Christians Podcast

Many of us typically visit family and friends over the holidays, but the recent elections have complicated what should be a joyous occasion. Can you share a table with someone who voted for candidates who embraced nationalist ideologies? In this episode, we discuss how to "Thanksgiving" with family and friends who voted for Trumpism.

The articles and scripture passages we discussed in this episode are:

1. Loretta Ross, Call In Culture
2. https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/characteristics.html
3. "Race, Gender, and the Politics of 'Sass': Reading Mark 7:24-30 through a Womanist Lens" by Mitzi Smith
4. John 11:30-45 Jesus Wept

Given the results of the 2024 presidential election, what is the state of progressive Christianity? In this episode, we discuss the role Christian Nationalism played in the election of Donald Trump and how we plan to respond to it through this podcast. We give our big takeaways from the presidential election, and we end by discussing Rev. Dr. Carter's appreciation of People Magazine's sexiest man alive, John Krasinski.

We really want to hear from our listeners - what do you need from us right now? What type of content would be most helpful for you? Please leave a comment on this episode or in a podcast review. We love you all and our aim is to become a place of refuge, hope, and resistance.

We really want to hear from our listeners - what do you need from us right now? What type of content would be most helpful for you? Please leave a comment on this episode or in a podcast review. We love you all and our aim is to become a place of refuge, hope, and resistance.

In this episode, recorded on Wednesday November 6th, we begin to digest the results of the 2024 presidential election. It is a lot to process and as you will notice in the episode, we are still trying to figure out what happened.

We apologize for Rev. Dr. Carter's audio. His mic disconnected at the beginning of the recording and we failed to reconnect it. We were a bit tired and overwhelmed during the recording.

Congregations aligned with Christian Nationalism are funding state and local political candidates, helping people run for school boards, and training local police departments. How and why is this happening? In this episode we discuss Christian Nationalism, it's political rise, and its growing influence in mainline congregations and politics.

Articles and authors discussed in this episode:

https://www.katecommon.com/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/new-apostolic-reformation-christian-nationalism/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/09/theobros-jd-vance-christian-nationalism/ https://www.splcenter.org/year-hate-extremism-2023/new-dominionism-tries-rule

During the Million Women March in October 2024, conservative women expressed their concerns that secular society is pressuring their children to change genders and that the bodies of their children are not safe. In this episode we discuss the march, the Christian Nationalist theology that undergurds it, and the truth that conservative clergy, and not the queer community, are the perpetrators of most sexual assault crimes against women and children.

Links to articles we mentioned in today's episode:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/christians-swarm-washington-pray-america-turn-god-electing-trump-rcna175162?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Freligion

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/03/us/churches-dallas-fort-worth-sexual-abuse.html

https://www.injuryrelief.com/article/sexual-assault/sexual-assault-by-clergy-members-in-texas/

Over 250 people have died due to the effects of hurricane Helene. In this episode we grapple with the loss of life from this disaster and the politicalization of natural disasters by Donald Trump, and the progressive Christian history of environmental justice.

Note - Rev. Blair was only able to participate in the first half of the podcast and we forgot to mention it during the episode! So please know that she didn't vanish but she had other important work to tend too!

Links to articles we mentioned in today's episode: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/06/politics/fact-check-trump-helene-response-north-carolina/index.html https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/justice-local-church-ministries/efam/environmental-justice/a_movement_is_born_environmental_justice_and_the_ucc/ https://fore.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Blood%20in%20the%20Soil.pdf

Why is immigration a theological issue? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Victor Carmona, Associate Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego and an expert on immigration. He discusses the failures of both political parties and lays out his vision for what a theology of immigration should look like. We also discuss the VP debate and the role conservative religious rhetoric plays in shaping immigration policy.

Articles we mentioned in this episode https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/04/us-christians-more-likely-than-nones-to-say-situation-at-the-border-is-a-crisis/ https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/trump-biden-americans-illegal-immigration-poll https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/10/05/1042518732/-the-greatest-heist-in-history-how-haiti-was-forced-to-pay-reparations-for-freed https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/jd-vance-blamed-immigrants-vp-debate-1235123239/

Young women are leaving the Church because they (rightly) believe that churches do not treat men and women equally. So, why is this information being framed as "young men are more religious than young women?" - patriarchy, that's why. We fell into this trap in the beginning of this episode before pivoting to a deep discussion on how progressive churches can create a culture where women know they belong.

Articles and books we referenced in this episode:

The Gospel According to Mark Robinson - https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/mark-robinson-bible/ With Gen Z, Men Are Now More Religious Than Women - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/young-men-religion-gen-z.html#:~:text=The%20dynamics%20at%20Grace%20are,likely%20to%20identify%20as%20religious. Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers - https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/young-women-are-leaving-church-in-unprecedented-numbers/ Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God- Kelly Brown Douglas

All churches, including progressive churches, struggle to create inclusive spaces for people with disabilities. In this episode, we are joined by Melissa Brasher, the mother of two amazing children, one of whom is disabled. We discuss her journey with her disabled son, the impact he has had on her and his community's faith, and what churches can do to create spaces that are welcoming to all types of bodies.

Book Recommendations Mentioned in the Podcast Amy Kenny, "My Body Is Not A Prayer Request" Jessica McCabe, "How To ADHD"

https://guides.garrett.edu/theology-and-disability/books

Donald Trump doesn't believe in repentance and cannot ask for forgiveness. Given the centrality of forgiveness in Christianity (i.e., you know, salvation), how and why do conservative Christians continue to support him?