Gravity Leadership Podcast

Many First Nations tribes communicate with the cultural and linguistic thought patterns found in their original tongues. Terry Wildman joins us to talk about The First Nations Version (FNV), his indigenous translation of the New Testament, which recounts the Creator’s Story—the Christian Scriptures—following the tradition of Native storytellers’ oral cultures. This way of speaking, with its simple yet profound beauty and rich cultural idioms, still resonates in the hearts of First Nations people.Terry M. Wildman (Ojibwe and Yaqui) is the lead translator, general editor, and project manager of the First Nations Version. He serves as the director of spiritual growth and leadership development for Native InterVarsity. He is also the founder of Rain Ministries and has previously served as a pastor and worship leader. He and his wife, Darlene, live in Arizona.Show Notes:How to Fast For Lent: A Practical Guide"Rooted in Abundance": article that refers to the First Nations VersionSign up for Terry's news

Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it.In his book Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.Jon Ward is the chief national correspondent for Yahoo News. He has covered American politics and culture for two decades, including as a white House correspondent traveling aboard Air Force One and as a national affairs correspondent writing about two presidential campaigns. He is the author of Camelot's End: Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party and hosts The Long Game podcast. Ward has written for the Wa

What does it look like to love someone you disagree with? In Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community through the Fruit of the Spirit, Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos share how the fruit of the Spirit informs our ability to engage in profound difference and conflict with love.Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. She's contributed to More than Serving Tea and Voices of Lament, as well as the author of Raise Your Voice.Matt Mikalatos is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. He's the author of Journey to Love and the YA fantasy series The Sunlit Lands. He has written for Today.com, TIME Magazine, Relevant, Nature, Writer's Digest, and Daily Science Fiction. Kathy and Matt co-host The Fascinating Podcast together.Connect with Gravity: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 interestin

Most of us assume that all shame is toxic shame (feeling bad for the person I am). But can shame be "good"? In this episode we continue a conversation we started a few episodes ago in our Christmas episode, where we wondered about the way Jesus seems to leverage shame to seek repentance and restitution from oppressors. We received some excellent reflections from Naomi, a member of the Gravity Community, and we wanted to address some of what she said.Show notes:Here are Naomi's comments in full:"Hey all - I’m just in the middle of the Christmas episode and the shame chat. I’ve done so much thinking about shame in the past 18mths or so. I also agree there is a form of shame that is healthy, which is different to guilt. I think guilt is linked to rules - I did something wrong that broke a societal rule. You can feel guilt outside of a relational context, because it is about our social rules. But shame is about broken relationships. Toxic shame says, “I am a bad person and am worthy of being expel

We started Gravity in 2015, and up until recently the official name of the organization was Gravity Leadership. But we recently changed our name to Gravity Commons. Why?Show notes:Read the article online: Why We Changed Our Name to Gravity CommonsJoin the Gravity Community.Connect with Gravity: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

In her book Eve Isn't Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions, the Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker reads biblical texts through a feminist lens, discussing how vital our readings of the Bible can be as a source of strength, guidance, and joyful defiance.Julie Faith Parker lives in NYC where she is a visiting scholar at Union Theological Seminary and biblical scholar in residence at Marble Collegiate Church. She has taught biblical studies at General Theological Seminary, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and also at NY Theological Seminary, where her students were incarcerated in Sing Sing Prison.Show notes:Here's the article we mentioned in the introduction (Chris Green, prompted by a conversation between Bono and Franklin Graham, posts a conversation between Rowan Williams and Philip Pullman on what makes art art and what makes art Christian:You Can't Actually Show the ResurrectionConnect with Gravity:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll a

We talk with pastor and professor Cheryl Bridges Johns about why our reading of the Bible needs to be "re-enchanted" for us to encounter it as God's Word. She is the author of Re-Enchanting the Text: Discovering the Bible as Sacred, Dangerous, and Mysterious.Cheryl Bridges Johns is a pastor and theologian who has taught collee and seminary students for over 40 years. She is visiting professor and director of the Pentecostal House of Studies at United Theological Seminary and previously taught at Pentecostal Theological Seminary and is past president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.You can connect with her and her work on her bio page.Connect with Gravity: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 Leadership Podcast? Contact us at po

Christy, Matt, and Ben spend some time reflecting on the past year: what they're learning and hoping for in the new year (and opening Christmas presents!).Connect with Gravity: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@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As part of our series on how to understand and read the Bible, we talk with New Testament scholar Robyn Whitaker about why and how to read the Bible on its own terms (instead of trying to make it into something it's not).Robyn Whitaker is Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Pilgrim Theological College and the University of Divinity in Melbourne Australia.She co-hosts the By the Well podcast, and is the author of the book we talked with her about, Even the Devil Quotes Scripture: Reading the Bible on Its Own Terms.You can connect with Robyn and her work on her website.Connect with Gravity:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week, plus all kinds of other goodies.Check out the Gravity Commons, a place to connect and learn with others in the Gravity community.Check out Gravity Leadership Academy, our 12-month training intensive

We talk with Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre about his book Reading the Bible From the Margins and how learning to read from the perspective of the poor, oppressed, and marginalized can enrich our perspective on what Scripture means and does.Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He has served as the elected 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics and served as the Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity and Religion (2012-17). Dr. De La Torre is a recognized international Fulbright scholar who has taught courses and lectured around the world. In 2020, the American Academy of Religion bestowed on him the Excellence in Teaching Award. The following year, 2021, the American Academy also conferred upon him the Martin E. Marty Public Understanding of Religion Award. De La Torre is the first scholar to receive the two most prestigious awards presented by his guild and the first Latinx to receive either

We talk with New Testament scholar Scot McKnight about his new translation of the New Testament, entitled The Second Testament: A New Translation, and why encountering the strangeness of the Bible can help us to read it anew.Connect with Gravity: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 Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What if the imperfections and contradictions in Scripture aren't an accident? What if they were allowed to be there by the Holy Spirit in order to draw us beyond the literal words on the page and deeper into the spiritual truth God is trying to teach us? As provocative or unorthodox as that might sound, it is in fact a very ancient way of understanding what it means for the Bible to be divinely inspired.We talk with Zack Hunt about these topics, which he covers in his book Godbreathed: What It Really Means For the Bible To Be Inspired.Zack Hunt graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with an undergraduate double major in Religion and History. He also holds a graduate degree in Theology as well as an additional graduate degree in Christian History from Yale Divinity School. He's appeared in Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Huff Post, and wrote a book narrating his faith deconstruction vis a vis the book of Revelation entitled Unraptured. He's interested in the intersection of faith and politics

In response to our conversation with Chris Green, we've received a couple questions asking for examples of how this "new/old" way of interpreting the Scriptures works. So we used a recent sermon from Matt on 2 Samuel 21:1-14 (David avenging the Gibeonites) as an example and talked about the implications.Here's a link to Matt's original sermon, if you'd like to listen:Rizpah, David, And The Good Work Of Shame To Oppose InjusticeConnect with Gravity: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 Leadership Podcast? Contact us at podcast@gravityleadership.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.c

As part of our series on the Bible, we talk with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg about Jewish interpretation of Scripture, repentance and forgiveness, and some of the commons things Christians miss in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka the Old Testament).Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is author of numerous books, including On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World--winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and American Library Association's Honor Medal, and hailed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as “A must read for anyone navigating the work of justice and healing.” She serves as Scholar in Residence at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).You can subscribe to her Substack newsletter here.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/gravity-leadership-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“Scripture is a spring of life-giving, life-altering truth, but when we don’t understand how and why it came to us, we end up misusing it.”Karen Keen joins us to talk about how we got the Bible, why that matters, and how history shows us that Scripture can be used for both life-giving and destructive purposes. Karen's book The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture, helps readers to discover the Bible’s origins, which makes all the difference for fostering redemptive interpretation of Scripture.Karen R. Keen is a biblical scholar, author, and spiritual care provider. She has taught biblical and theological studies in both academic and church settings. Keen is passionate about making scholarship accessible in ways that positively impact everyday life. Founder of the Redwood Center for Spiritual Care and Education, she works to advance spiritual wellness and Christian formation. Keen earned her M.S. in education (counseling) from Western Oregon University, M.A. in ex

As part of our series on reading and interpreting the Bible, we talk with pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler about how to find God in the Old Testament, reading it as a Christian without succumbing to the pitfalls of antisemitism and supercessionism. She wrote about these issues in her book Fire by Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament.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. Now she prefers the Eno River and her garden in Raleigh, NC. 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, Geez, Anabaptist Witness, The Bias, Faith&Leadership, and Anabaptist Vision.You can connect with Melissa and her work by subscribing to her Substack newslett

To kick off our series on reading and interpreting the Bible, we talk with pastor and professor Chris Green about how his reading of the Bible has changed over the years from his upbringing in pentecostal holiness to his recent consecration as an Anglican bishop. We touch on how to read disturbing texts, as well as other elements of his book Sanctifying Interpretation: Vocation, Holiness and Scripture.Chris Green is Professor of Public Theology at Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL), Bishop of the Diocese of St Anthony (CEEC), and Director for St Anthony Institute of Theology, Philosophy, and Liturgics. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including most recently All Things Beautiful: An Aesthetic Christology.You can connect with Chris and his work on his website.Connect with Gravity:Leave us a message or ask a question about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode.Join our online community for free to get a curated list of interesting and edifying links each week

Critical race theory (CRT) has become a lightning rod in contemporary American politics and evangelical Christianity. In this interview, Dr, Robert Chao Romero and Dr. Jeff Liou offer a critical but constructive and sympathetic introduction to CRT written from a perspective rooted in Scripture and Christian theology, moving us beyond caricatures and misinformation to consider how critical race theory can be an analytical tool to help us understand persistent inequality and injustice--and to see how Christians and churches working for racial justice can engage it in faithful and constructive ways. These themes are covered in their book Christianity and Critical Race Theory: A Faithful and Constructive ConversationDr. Robert Chao Romero is associate professor in the UCLA dept of Chicana/o, Central American, and Asian American Studies; director of the Brown Church Initiative, Fuller Theological Seminary; an attorney; and author of the award-winning book Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/O Social Justice, Th

CW: Domestic violence and abuse.On any given Sunday morning, a pastor can look over the 100 members of the congregation and see 25 women and 14 men who have been crippled by domestic violence and trauma--no matter the race or socio-economic group. The church is more than a hospital for sinners, it is also an emergency room for those who have been sinned against. But emergency rooms are not the place for long-term care. More is needed.Dr. Christy Gunter wrote Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know about Healing Trauma especially for this purpose. She writes for Christian mental health professionals and students, counselors, therapists, psychologists, and pastors, laying out a framework and shows why issues related to violence and abuse continue to plague our society.Dr. Christy Gunter is the director of Client Services at an agency that serves families of Domestic and Family Violence in DFW. She's the author of "Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know about Healing Tr

That love does not control seems obvious to many people. And yet the temptation to control—often with good motives — is strong. The long-term results of yielding to this temptation damage everyone.Thomas Oord and Christy Gunter join us to talk about uncontrolling love from a theological and therapeutic perspective. They are both contributers to Love Does Not Control: Therapists, Psychologists, and Counselors Explore Uncontrolling Love.Dr. Christy Gunter is the director of Client Services at an agency that serves families of Domestic and Family Violence in DFW. She's the author of "Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know about Healing Trauma" and has her doctorate in Global Health and Wellness, a M. Div., and a Master of Social Work with over 500 additional hours of specialized training in violence, assault, trauma-informed care, and other related topics.Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning