In this Expert-Teas episode, I sit down for "tea" with Mako Nagasawa to discuss a wide variety of topics. We take a look at shame and how it affects our relationship to God; we explore the true nature of justice in the Scriptures (retributive or restorative?); we discuss how empathy has been belittled and derided in our culture, and what this does to the Church. In the end, we dive deep into where our own emotions come from, if we can trust them (or not), and what they tell us about both our own nature and the nature of the Father -- who also has emotions, and who has entered into our own emotions to be able to heal those expressions of his image in us.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

Mako Nagasawa is the executive director of The Anástasis Center for Christian Education and Ministry, teaching, training, and writing on Early and Eastern Christian restorative justice. He and his wife Ming, along with their children, have lived among friends in a Christian intentional community house in their neighborhood in Dorchester. They worship at Neighborhood Church of Dorchester where Mako serves on the Elder Team. Mako did campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship from 2001 – 2014, and earned a Master of Theological Studies from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in May 2019. He is the author of Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics in the U.S. (2021), Christmas with Irenaeus: How Jesus Honors Creation, the Human Body, and the Human Story (2022), and Lent with Irenaeus: Journeying with Jesus Towards Becoming Truly Human (2024).

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

www.anastasiscenter.org

(It's a Man's World: the Genesis 3:16 Effect) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/mansw... (The Emotions of God) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/emoti... (Shame and Glory) https://www.anastasiscenter.org/shame...

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LQnbcT.... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../trauma...

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Season 2 Episode 15 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.

The family of Abraham are given the "house rules" of God's family, and are invited to partner with him in showing his heart to all the nations of the world. But has God gone far enough? Did he give them a perfect law, and if he did not -- maybe he should have?

Join us as we finish our last episode on the Sinai covenant and the so-called "Law". In this episode, we will look at the comparisons and contrasts of Adonai's torah to the ANE codes. We will explore how Adonai's torah accommodates the sinfulness and hard-heartedness of the people, using specific examples. We will ponder how we are to follow/keep Adonai's torah today, or if it no longer applies. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to follow in the footsteps of Israel: to "not do as they do" in our modern society.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES (Comparison of Torah and ANE laws) https://alhatorah.org/Ancient_Near_Eastern_Index_%E2%80%93_Parashat_Mishpatim/0?useskin=vector

(Nathan Jacobs podcast on slavery) https://open.spotify.com/episode/2j9Az1fyj23uO6XuL8A974?si=Hh-Xu13dROOSYN3jxjLosA

(Spencer's sermon on John 8) https://youtu.be/rDAvzFpE5Bc?si=BlSloJrdH3jaEOwZ

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Season 2 Episode 14 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

The family of Abraham are being made a part of the family of God, through a marriage ceremony at Sinai. As part of these "house rules", they are given the Torah: the instructions or teaching of Adonai to his sons and daughters. Will they follow this "torah" and become like God? Or will they become just like the nations?

Join us as we unpack more of the Sinai covenant and the Mosaic Law, tracking with Exodus 20 through 23. In this episode, we will look at the Mosaic Law as wisdom -- as "common law", not statutory law. We will explore what this means for the admonition to "be holy, as I am holy", and how this relates to making Israel like God. We will ponder the ways in which this instruction/teaching was given in order to help them deprogram from a slavery mindset and to take on a sonship mindset. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider what this means in our own lives: to leave the "Egypt" of trauma behind us, and to step into the divine inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2018/04/the-church-of-james-dobson/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2017/11/25/james-dobson-always-sided-patriarchal-oppression-cause-political-power/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnewsroundup/2025/08/from-focus-to-fallout-the-life-and-legacy-of-james-dobson/

https://www.ancientjewreview.com/read/2018/11/29/book-note-inconsistency-in-the-torah

https://www.anastasiscenterblog.org/atonement-emotional-development/atonement-theories-and-anger-part5

https://www.dneoca.org/articles/matushka1197.html

https://youtu.be/pJpHDb-41VM?si=IS1XW71OWbo5xlNX

Thumbnail image credit: https://www.deviantart.com/russianart23/art/God-gives-me-a-white-robe-Dream-628419009

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Season 2 Episode 13 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

The family of Abraham are led by Adonai in the wilderness toward his home: the mountain of God. They are given a choice – do they want to partner with him as “one flesh”? Or do they want to join themselves to the gods of the nations? Which one will the betrothed of Adonai choose for herself, and for all creation?

Join us as we follow the Israel-assembly (plus the Mixed Multitude) at the foot of Sinai, tracking with Exodus 19 and 24. In this episode, we will look at the Sinai covenant as a wedding ceremony, patterned after ANE covenant marriages. We will explore the nature of the “law” that is given as “house rules”, and will discuss how they are meant to be freeing (not constricting). We will ponder what it means to seal a covenant with blood, and to bind the two together as “one flesh” in a sacrificial meal. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to consider the beauty of being married to YHWH: the specially chosen and redeemed one(s) who are being transfigured from a slave-mindset to a bride-mindset, in order to undo the First Fall and bring healing to all creation.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3676643/jewish/Meditation-on-an-Embrace.htm

https://onscript.study/ancient-marriage-contracts-and-the-sinai-covenant-oliver-hersey/

https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/marriage-of-god-and-israel

https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/two-takes-test-mount-sinai/

https://drmsh.com/the-cosmic-mountain-and-trees-in-old-testament-theology/

https://www.youtube.com/live/RXGdaJFIB8M

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Season 2 Episode 12 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

The family of Abraham has endured the waters of wrath, and are now in the wilderness -- a place of scarcity, hunger, and thirst. Are they just wandering, or being led? Where are they headed, and why is this the path that was chosen for them?

Join us as we follow the Israel-assembly (plus the Mixed Multitude) on their journey to Sinai, from Exodus 15-17. In this episode, we will look at their grumblings against Adonai and Moses. We will explore what Adonai's response to this is -- grace, or wrath? We will ponder what it means to be in the wilderness in the first place, and what the purpose of being there is. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to remember that even in our wanderings we need not be lost. We can always follow the cloud of the Presence and be followed by the Rock of Christ to find our way home: the place where Adonai dwells in our midst.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/why-does-god-lead-israel-into-the-wilderness/

https://bibleproject.com/articles/israels-rebellion-wilderness/

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/water-from-a-walking-rock/

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Season 2 Episode 11 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

This is our second How of Hurt episode of the season! In this episode, we take a close look at the impact of trauma. We will do a brief crash course on neurobiology, find out the effects of trauma on various brain structures, learn about the brain-body connection, examine cognitive distortions downstream of the effects on our nervous system, and discover how nothing -- in all creation -- can separate us from the love of Adonai who longs to see his children "made right".

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!

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SHOW NOTES/LINKS 988 Lifeline -- https://988lifeline.org/

Find a Therapist near you -- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://youtu.be/BNdq6_Lfs2k

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39993388/

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2023.1185752/full

https://www.simplypsychology.org/forebrain-midbrain-hindbrain.html

https://www.mentalhealthctr.com/how-trauma-affects-the-brain-a-clinical-overview/

https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-a-schema.html

https://kaplantherapy.org/the-neurobiology-of-trauma/

https://youtu.be/QAeBKRaNri0

https://verybigbrain.com/brain-anatomy/the-insula-deciphering-the-role-of-the-brains-hidden-island/

https://practicalpie.com/prefrontal-cortex-function/

Season 2 Episode 10 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

On the journey out of Egypt, the family of Abraham has left a path of destruction and devastation in their wake. And there is about to be one more moment of decreation: the parting of the Sea of Reeds, where Pharaoh and his army are swallowed up by the death-waters. Is this just an angry God, wreaking his vengeance on those he hates? What will it take to satisfy his wrath?

Join us as we go on a journey that is framed around Exodus 14-15, but where we spend time in both Romans 9 and Ezekiel 16 as well. In this episode, we will look at what it means for God to have wrath. We will explore the mode of that wrath ("handing over") and how this can be viewed as a "severe mercy". We will ponder the purpose of wrath, and if there is hope to be found on the other side of it. In the end, we will challenge ourselves to desire the judgment of God -- first in the household of God, and then in a world broken by sin.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

https://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/hell-fire.htm  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/gods-hot-nose/  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/a-cup-of-wrath/  https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/saved-from-gods-wrath/

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X/YouTube: @churchkidpod

FB DISCUSSION GROUP https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17ATR1fAsd/ 

Season 2 Episode 9 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

The family of Abraham has been finally freed from slavery! The redemption has been obtained by the blood of the Passover lamb as the cost it took to end the oppression of the gods of Egypt. But there remains an ambiguity: who actually is the "family of Abraham"? Is it just racial Hebrews, or do Egyptians "count" as well? The Passover event has created a new nation called "Israel"; so who are "Israelites"?

Join us as we look at Exodus 12:33-42, examining the "mixed multitude" who left Egypt. We will look at who are the "stranger" (gar) and "resident alien" (toshab), and their relationship to the "native". We will explore the issue of circumcision and the Passover, and how that relates to ongoing identification with "Israel". We will ponder the "congregation" (edah) and/or the "assembly" (qahal) of Israel, and its relationship to the New Testament Church (ekklesia). In the end, we will sharply challenge any notion that Israel has been "replaced" and we will unreservedly celebrate the diversity of the family of God -- from its inception with Abraham, to its renewal here in Exodus, through its continuation in the Body of the Messiah, and on into the eschatalogical picture of Revelation.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

Biblical Israel and Modern Israel -- Continuities and Distinctions (Jason Staples)

Erev Rav: A Mixed Multitude of Meanings - TheTorah.com

Does the Church Supersede Israel?

Stranger – Ger - St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology

Replacement Theology (quotes)

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Season 2 Episode 8 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast

In this episode, I sit down for "tea" with Chris Pompu, a rural church pastor and host of The Sanctuary YouTube channel ( @PastorChris87 ). We take a close look at the "wrath of God" in the biblical text, trying to see how it functions and where it is present... as well as when it is not. We explore the impact of teachings such as penal substitutionary atonement, and examine how they affect our view of God. In the end, we try to reconstruct a more beautiful and faithful picture of the wrath of God. I hope you will join us on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction!

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SHOW NOTES/RESOURCES

The Sanctuary: https://www.youtube.com/@pastorchris87

Leviticus is Fun: https://www.youtube.com/@Leviticus_is_fun

The Day the Revolution Began (NT Wright): https://a.co/d/dPIrFqC

Learning Laborers podcast -- Spencer's two-part episode on Isa 53: Part One (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JEBfKKi6vCxupOYIDkBii?si=HbUwc5FkTXi910p22Hb8Kw), Part Two (https://open.spotify.com/episode/39Uk9oGyeUktmK6ivNUjyN?si=mZIj9V9oSF6qIbyt5ox4Ag)

A list of quotes from prominent theologians about PSA: https://catholicnick.blogspot.com/2009/04/was-jesus-damned-in-your-place.html

Season 2 Episode 7 of the Trauma-Informed Church Kid podcast.

Nine plagues have struck the gods of Egypt, providing both Pharaoh and the people chance after chance to repent. Now, the final plague is about to fall: the death of the firstborn. Not desiring the death of anyone, God makes a way for any who pledge allegiance to Him to be spared from the Destroyer: the angel of the bottomless pit. The blood of the Passover lamb will be the means by which the Destroyer will be kept at bay, the life of the blood marking and protecting all who live in that house. In order to make a separation between those who belong to God and those who belong to the gods, this is the cost it takes: the ransom for the lives of the firstborn.

Join us as we look at Exodus 11-13, examining the narrative of the plague of the firstborn and the Passover. We will look at what "firstborn" means, and why (or if) they are the target of the plague. We will explore the shadowy figure of the Destroyer, and consider who is responsible for the deaths of the firstborn. We will ponder what it means for God to "pass over" and "pass through", and what relationship this has to being "redeemed". Finally, we will sharply challenge if the Passover lamb dies as a substitute. In the end, we take a serious and careful look at what it means to be "marked by the blood of the lamb", and how we can be marked by the blood of the Lamb today.

I hope you will join me on this journey to find resurrection on the other side of deconstruction! Please like, subscribe, and/or leave a comment! Leave a question on Speakpipe as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/churchkidpod

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SHOW NOTES/REFERENCES

Bible Project series on redemption

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