The Vicars' Crossing

The Reverend Carol Howard Merritt is a minister whose writing, speaking, and teaching are anchored in theological wisdom and sociological insight. She’s a sought-after keynote speaker, especially on the topic of ministering in a new generation.

She’s known for serving growing Presbyterian (USA) churches, especially those with a deep commitment to serving the poor and disenfranchised.

A pastor for almost two decades, Carol has served Presbyterian (USA) churches in the swamps of Cajun Louisiana, a bayside village in Rhode Island, and an urban neighbourhood of Washington, DC. Carol is an Adjunct Faculty member at Dubuque Theological Seminary.

She is the award-winning author of 
- Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation, 
- Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation, 
and her newest book is:
- Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church.

This podcast was recorded on March 17th, 2022.

Today we are excited to welcome Kirsten Powers. Kirsten is a New York Times bestselling author, USA Today columnist, and senior political analyst for CNN, where she appears regularly on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, and The Lead with Jake Tapper. Her writing has been published in The Washington Post, Elle, The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, and many more publications
Kirsten’s book  Saving Grace: SPEAK YOUR TRUTH, STAY CENTRED, AND LEARN TO COEXIST WITH PEOPLE WHO DRIVE YOU NUTS was released in 2021 - Kirsten discusses her book with us with incredible honesty. This is a book that is a must-read in these deeply divided days.

This podcast was recorded on March 4th, 2022.

Today we welcome Melissa Florer-Bixler. Melissa is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She spent times studying in Israel/Palestine, Kenya, and England. Much of her formation took place in the L'Arche community of Portland, OR. She is the chair of L'Arche North Carolina and a steering committee member in broad-based organizing in her county. Melissa's writing has appeared in Christian Century, Sojourners and many other publications. From time to time she publishes academic writing. She and her spouse parent three children.

Today we will discuss L’Arche, Church over Zoom and, of course, 
 her recently released book:

How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace.

This podcast was recorded on February 25th, 2022.

today we are excited to welcome  SISTER BETTY MORRISSEY. Sister Betty is a Sister of Mercy in St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. She’s had quite a life in her vocation, 
having served in Peru, taught all over the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and she’s been in Pastoral care at St Claire’s hospital now for 25 years. most recently she had been appointed the chaplain for the Newfoundland rogues basketball team.

This podcast was recorded on February 17th, 2022.

Today we travel across the pond to the United Kingdom we welcome Bishop Andrew Ramsey, Bishop of Ramsbury. Bishop has a brand new book titled ENGLISH GROUNDS: A PASTORAL JOURNAL

In this journal of short, lyrical reflections, bishop Andrew takes the reader on an exploration of faith, place and identity. Focusing on his home in Wiltshire, as he arrives to take up an ancient role in a testing time, English Grounds is both an affirmation and critique of England’s Christian heritage. Together the essays challenge us to think more deeply about the place of the Church in the consciousness of the English, and the place of England in the consciousness of the Church. 

The implications for the importance of place in the church of England are equally important for those of us in the church the world over. Today we are excited to celebrate and discuss the theology of place.

This podcast was recorded on February 9th, 2022.

The Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is a public intellectual, author, activist, farmer, scholar, speaker, and wisdom keeper. He is a recognized leader in the fields of Indigenous and Intercultural Studies, Ecology, Spirituality, Race, Theology, and Missiology.  Through his teaching and leadership, he invites Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to decolonize and Indigenize their worldview and practices so they can learn to walk on this earth in a good way.  Randy and his wife Edith are co-creators and co-sustainers of Eloheh  Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm & Seeds. Through an Eloheh experience, they invite people to a deeper spirituality and new relationship with creation while modelling regenerative Earth-tending practices and Earth justice. Randy has penned numerous books, chapters, and articles in his long writing career. He is most well-known for his connection to The Harmony Way as original Indigenous teachings and how they might apply as common values today, in order to build a better world. 

Today we discuss his latest book BECOMING ROOTED 
: ONE HUNDRED DAYS OF RECONNECTING WITH SACRED EARTH

This podcast was recorded on February 4th, 2022.

Today we are excited to welcome Dr. Maureen O’Connell. Dr. O’Connell is
Chair the Department of Religion at La Salle
 University in Philadelphia, where she is also an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics. She is an
expert in the art of social justice, she’s an award-winning author and faithful member of POWER
 (Philadelphians Organizing to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild). POWER is an interfaith federation
of 90 faith communities committed to making Philadelphia the city of “just love” (as well as “brotherly love and sisterly affection”) through a more just wage for workers, fair funding for public 
schools, immigration reform and decarceration. She has a book that was released just last week –
UNDOING THE KNOTS; FIVE GENERATIONS OF AMERICAN CATHOLIC ANTI-BLACKNESS. 

this podcast was recorded on January 28th, 2022.

Today is a BONUS EPISODE 
With so much division and disunity in our current climate, we offer this episode as a prayerful offering in hope for a better tomorrow. 

Today we welcome Brian Allain Brian founded and leads the team that produces “How to Heal Our Divides,” a project aimed at building awareness of voices and organizations that are taking real action to address several serious, deep divides that have had strong negative impacts on our society – racial, political, religious, and other types of divides. The project highlights tangible efforts that are solving problems – actually healing divides in effective and practical ways. These are outlined in an incredible book with contributions from friends of the podcast Diana Butler Bass, Shane Claiborne, Brian McLaren and many more 

We talk about the book, our many divides and the incredible people and organizations working to heal them. 

This podcast was recorded on January 20th, 2022.

Today we welcome The Rev. Dr. Danielle Tumminio Hansen. Dr. Tumminio Hansen joined the Candler School of Theology in 2021. Prior to arriving at Candler, she was assistant professor of pastoral theology and served as director of field education at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, where she taught courses on trauma, practical theology, and pastoral theology, with a feminist, intersectional, and anti-racist lens. Tumminio Hansen has been a lecturer at Yale and Tufts universities, in addition to serving as chaplain at Groton School and as a parish priest in Lexington, Lincoln, and Quincy, Massachusetts.
She is the author of several works in practical theology, namely Conceiving Family: A Practical Theology of Surrogacy and Self, as well as  God and Harry Potter at Yale. In addition to her books Tumminio Hansen has written extensively for publications including Huffington Post and The Guardian about the intersection of popular culture and faith.

This podcast was recorded on January 19th, 2022.

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. As a follower of Jesus, Dr. King was tireless in his efforts to live a faithful witness in the public square. Today's episode is dedicated to his memory. 

Today we welcome lifelong social activist, Dr. Obery Hendricks. One of today's foremost commentators on the intersection of religion and political economy in America, Dr. Hendricks is the most widely read and perhaps the most influential African American biblical scholar writing today. His recent book, Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith has gathered wide acclaim.

A widely sought lecturer and media spokesperson, Dr. Hendricks’ appearances include CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox News, Fox Business News, the Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, and more 

 Dr. Hendricks has served in the Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group at the U. S. Department of State under Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. 

On this day especially, we are honoured to learn from this distinguished scholar and civil rights champion.

This podcast was recorded on January 14th, 2022.