Gravity Leadership Podcast

We talked with theologian Stephen Morrison about the anti-mammon witness of the Early Church and its relevance for today, which Stephen argues points toward anti-capitalism. Stephen explores these ideas in his new book All Riches Come from Injustice.Stephen D. Morrison is a prolific American writer probably best known for his ongoing, mulit-volume "in Plain English" Series (as in: Karl Barth in Plain English). He's an ecumenical theologian drawing inspiration from Karl Barth, T. F. Torrance, Jürgen Moltmann, and James Cone among others. Recently he's been writing about political theology and joins us to day to talk about his book All Riches Come From Injustice: The Anti-Mammon Witness of the Early Church & Its Anti-capitalist Relevance.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all thin

We talked with Tom Oord about open and relational theology and how it can help us trust God after tragedy, abuse, and evil. We talked about the ideas and implications of his book God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils.Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning author, having written or edited more than thirty books. Academic Influence ranks him among the most influential theologians in the 21st century. Oord directs doctoral programs at Northwind Theological Seminary and directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He is known for his research and writing on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, evil and power, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to int

We talk with author and mediator Cheryl Miller about how restorative justice practices can transform the lives of survivors of sexual violence. In her book Enough Silence: Creating Sacred Space for Survivors of Sexual Assault Through Restorative Justice, Cheryl outlines of these practices and offers a road map for implementing victim-offender dialogue, surrogate dialogue, circles, and more. Her book is a call to pastors, clergy, nonprofit professionals, and other leaders to dismantle patriarchal systems that perpetuate rape culture. By embracing restorative justice practices, faith communities can imitate Christ in ministering to survivors and those who love them.Cheryl Miller has worked in mediation, restorative justice, and community development for over two decades. An experienced nonprofit leader, she is also the founder of Quantum Circles Consulting and Training, an organization that equips community groups to address homelessness, economic development, restoration, and reconciliation. You can connect wi

We talked with Dr. Andrew Bauman about the preponderance of sexism and abuse in the church, and what we can do to counteract and guard against it, which are the themes of his book Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities.Dr. Andrew J. Bauman is the founder and director of the Christian Counseling Center: For Sexual Health & Trauma (CCC) and a licensed mental health counselor. A former pastor, Andrew now works with men and women to bring healing and wholeness to their sexual and spiritual lives. His mission is to use his unique position to elevate women's voices and expose a disease that desperately needs to be removed from the church's body. you can connect with Andrew and his work on his website.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying a

We talked with pastor and historian Malcolm Foley about the not-well-known-enough truth that racism is NOT about hate and ignorance; it's about greed. And it always has been.Foley's new book The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward explores how the desire for power and money causes violence and exploitation, rooted in racial ideology as its justification.Malcom Foley is a pastor, historian, and speaker who serves as special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement at Baylor University. He has written for Christianity Today, The Anxious Bench, and Mere Orthodoxy. Foley co-pastors Mosaic Waco, a multicultural church in Waco, TX, where he lives with his wife Desiree.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all

We talked with podcaster and author Jonathan Foster about indigo: the color of grief, his book of poems that came from processing the painful loss of his daughter.Jonathan is the partner of one and father of three, founder of lovehaiti.org, podcaster, and award-winning author with some degrees in open and relational theology who loves to hike. You can connect with Jonathan and his work at jonathanfosteronline.com.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talked with pastor and author Marc Alan Schelske about the practicalities of following Jesus on the path of other-centered, so-suffering love.Marc's new book Walking Otherward is a forty-day devotional (just in time for Lent!) that follows the Gospel texts of Jesus' final weeks before his crucifixion. Each entry invites you to try on Jesus' attitude, setting aside self-centered, ego-defending ambition in exchange for other-centered, co-suffering love.Marc Alan Schelske writes at the intersection of grace and growth. He hosts the Apprenticeship Way podcast and writes books about the inner life and the other-centered, co-suffering way of Jesus. He serves as the pastor of Bridge City Community Church and lives in Portland, Oregon. You can find out more about him and his work at marcalanschelske.com.We've talked with Marc a couple times before on the podcast:Cultivating Spiritual Growth Through JournalingWhat Emotions Are For in the Life of the LeaderConnect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a mess

Essayist Liz Charlotte seeks to “read life” into the Bible, a text long limited by rigid evangelical notions of biblical inerrancy. In her book Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible, rshe draws on a broad range of sources to unpack the first 32 chapters of Genesis in a remarkably fresh way.Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning writer whose work has been published in The Revealer, Sojourners, Brevity, Christian Century, Christianity Today, Hippocampus, Religion News Service, US Catholic, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. Her essays have twice won a Jacques Maritain Nonfiction Prize. She also writes The Empathy List, a popular newsletter that has been nominated for a Webby two years running and garnered an honorable mention from the Associated Church Press Awards in 2023. Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible is her first book.You can connect with Liz and her work on her website, and subscribe to her newsletter The Empathy List here.Connect w

Matt and Ben continue reflecting on the process of leaving the white evangelical spaces they both came to faith in.Show notes:Mako Nagasawa: Thinking More Clearly About AbortionOn How I Left White Evangelicalism and How it Left MeRedefining the History and Historiography on American Evangelicalism in the Era of the Religious RightMy Comments Last Night at the "Evangelicals for Harris" Online EventTrump has changed what it means to be evangelicalConnect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/pr

Matt and Ben continue reflecting on the process of leaving the white evangelical spaces they both came to faith in.Show notes:Mako Nagasawa: Thinking More Clearly About AbortionOn How I Left White Evangelicalism and How it Left MeRedefining the History and Historiography on American Evangelicalism in the Era of the Religious RightMy Comments Last Night at the "Evangelicals for Harris" Online EventTrump has changed what it means to be evangelicalConnect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/pr

Matt and Ben reflect on the process of leaving the white evangelical spaces they both came to faith in.Show notes:On How I Left White Evangelicalism and How it Left MeRedefining the History and Historiography on American Evangelicalism in the Era of the Religious RightMy Comments Last Night at the "Evangelicals for Harris" Online EventTrump has changed what it means to be evangelicalConnect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talk with pastor (and Gravity Commons Podcast co-host!) Christy Penley about how our emotions relate to living faithfully as disciples of Jesus (the subject of her doctoral dissertation).Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the cusp of a new year, Christy talks with Ben and Matt about what it means to create a "rule of life" that is helpful and freeing, rather than burdensome.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the year draws to a close, Christy, Ben, and Matt open some Christmas gifts and talk about some of the "gifts" of 2024. Merry Christmas, everyone!Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben, Matt, and Christy continue their discussion from last week of a few post-election commitments that are crystalizing for them as they contemplate what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the coming season. Here are the commitments we discuss in this episode (listen to Part 1 for the ones at the beginning of the list):Stay awake. Don’t numb your longing for the world to be made right.Keep caring for one another.Keep telling the truth about systems of injustice and evil.Refuse contempt - don't let them get you to hate them.Learn from the great cloud of witnesses.Learn to organize in solidarity with the marginalized.Learn to notice God at work in your ordinary life.Get as healthy as you can so you’re not triggered into harmful ways of relating.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all thing

Ben, Matt, and Christy discuss a few post-election commitments that are crystalizing for them as they contemplate what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the coming season. Here are the commitments we discuss in this episode (more coming in Part 2):Stay awake. Don’t numb your longing for the world to be made right.Keep caring for one another.Keep telling the truth about systems of injustice and evil.Refuse contempt - don't let them get you to hate them.Learn from the great cloud of witnesses.Learn to organize in solidarity with the marginalized.Learn to notice God at work in your ordinary life.Get as healthy as you can so you’re not triggered into harmful ways of relating.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravi

Matt and Ben reflect on a practical question from a listener on how to resist the power of Mammon in a specific situation.Show Notes:Matt Tebbe on the Liminal Living PodcastSheryllin Ifill's article on practical ways to respond to the election.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Christy, Matt, and Ben discuss what they're learning about navigating difficult relationships during the holidays post-election.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Christy, Matt, and Ben discuss the virtues of participating in book clubs, and some of the goodness that has emerged from the new Gravity Book Club. (We are selecting our next book right now, by the way!) Let us know what you think we should read and discuss together.Connect with Gravity Commons:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edifying and interesting.Are you interested in advertising on the Gravity Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravitycommons.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We talked with Dr. Thomas J. Oord about the recent heresy trial he underwent in his denomination for LGBTQ+ affirmation, what led him to fully affirm LGBTQ+ people, and many of the issues and questions that come up when discussing human sexuality.Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning author, having written or edited more than thirty books. Academic Influence ranks him among the most influential theologians in the 21st century. Oord directs doctoral programs at Northwind Theological Seminary and directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He is known for his research and writing on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, evil and power, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation. You can connect with Tom and his work on his website.Show notes:The name of the person we couldn't think of at the end of the podcast is Bridget Eileen Rivera, who wrote Heavy Burdens: Se