The Vicars' Crossing

From England’s working class to high-profile media personality, Michael Coren charts his encounters with people of faith, fame, and fortune.
Growing up in a blue-collar mixed-religion family and then entering a career in media, Michael Coren was, and in some ways still is, the consummate outsider. In Heaping Coals, he writes of his life leading up to entering the seminary, being ordained, and his early successes as a journalist, encountering Oscar-winning writers and celebrities.
After marrying and settling in Canada, Coren became a darling of the Christian right with his TV and radio shows and syndicated column. His shift to more progressive Christianity and politics embodies Romans 12:20 — heaping coals onto the heads of one’s enemies — and charts the returning of good for evil through a process of self-reflection.
From outsider to institutional mainstay to penitent, Coren shares not just a humble admission of fault but an articulate and convincing account of one man’s spiritual awakening.
We chat about the book and Michael’s upcoming visit to London.

Todd Townshend is the 14th Bishop of The Diocese of Huron in the Anglican Church of Canada. He was Ordained to the diaconate on May 14, 1992, ordained to the priesthood on November 30, 1992, and Consecrated a Bishop and Installed as the 14th Bishop of Huron at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, ON on Saturday, January 25, 2020.
Bishop Townshend has served in several London parishes. Townshend also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Huron University College between 2013 and 2019. Prior to assuming his role as Dean of the Faculty, Townshend taught at Huron University College since 2002 in a variety of roles including Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology and Associate Professor of Contextual Theology.

Danielle Tumminio-Hansen has over fifteen years of expertise as a writer, public theologian, and faith leader.  She is a three-time Ivy League graduate, a former lecturer at Yale and Tufts Universities, and the author of numerous works on the intersection of spirituality and contemporary culture.  She currently works as a professor at Emory University. Her newest publication is TRAUMA INFORMED SPIRITUAL CARE: INTERVENTIONS FOR SAFETY, MEANING, RECONNECTION, AND JUSTICE

Born in Korea, and educated in Canada, Grace Ji-Sun Kim now teaches in the United States. She is the author or editor of 24 books: Invisible, Hope in Disarray, Keeping Hope Alive, and Intersectional Theology, among others. Her latest book is When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity. 

Dr Kim writes for Baptist News Global, Sojourners, Faith and Leadership, and Wabash Center. She has been published in TIME, The Huffington Post, Christian Century, US Catholic Magazine, and The Nation. She is the host of Madang podcast, which is hosted by the Christian Century. Dr Kim is an ordained Presbyterian Church (USA) minister.

Today Kevin and Rob welcome Glenn E. Bracey II - Assistant Professor of Sociology at Villanova University. Dr Bracey specializes in race, religion, and social movements. Bracey is an award-winning teacher and scholar with publications in leading academic journals. An emerging voice on issues ranging from critical race theory to racial protests and national politics. We will discuss his current book - THE RELIGION OF WHITENESS

On this episode we welcome Graham Singh and Kendra Fry from the Trinity Centres Foundation. Kendra and Graham, along with Kevin and Rob discuss projects in faith communities that will allow for increased stability and bring opportunities and to build new relationships and creative partnerships that will strengthen the church for many generations to come. 

On this episode, we welcome Murray Watson.
Murray is a Catholic Biblical scholar and interreligious activist. He currently serves as the adult faith formation Animator for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, based in the city of Barrie, Ontario.

This week we gather for a conversation with Martha Tartanic - the cohost of The Future Christian Podcast. This in-depth chat will be released by both the Vicars’ Crossing and Future Christian Podcasts.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Brian is a passionate reader of theology and philosophy, an avid hiker and mountain climber, and an authority on all things Bob Dylan.

Brian is the author of several books, including Beauty Will Save the World, A Farewell To Mars, Water To Wine, Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God, Postcards From Babylon, and When Everything's On Fire and his most recent THE WOOD BETWEEN THE WORLDS.

This podcast was recorded on February 29th, 2024.

TW // This episode contains conversations about sexual assault, gender-based violence, rape culture, and/or other violence that can be emotionally triggering to some individuals.

Danielle Tumminio-Hansen is a writer, three-time Ivy League graduate, theologian, and faith leader with twenty years of experience as a public intellectual.  She routinely provides commentary and insight into contemporary issues in the American spiritual landscape.  Her areas of expertise include trauma-informed care, theological issues in human reproduction, the intersection of faith and popular culture, and the struggles faced by women, families, and children.  Danielle is known for her unique blend of incisive wisdom and whimsy as well as her ability to encourage students and the public to consider what it means to live a life rooted in justice, kindness, and humility.
Danielle grew up on Long Island as the only child of two public school teachers, and spent her childhood singing in the prestigious Cathedral of the Incarnation Girls’ Choir, which became the grounding of her lifelong spiritual journey.  She is an Episcopal priest and currently works as a professor at Emory University.

This podcast was recorded on February 15th, 2024.