Profane Faith: Recent Episodes
Daniel White Hodge
A podcast that engages faith, on the margins. Faith that has been labeled, profane, non-conformist, and/ or “out there.” We’ll be exploring the intersections of the sacred, secular, and profane to find God & forms of deity.
Well, this week I get to talk with a real mover, Dr. Terence Lester. We talk Black politics, the subtle arrogance of Black educators, and of course, the mess we're in now. Go on, listen in! And buy his new book!Dr. Lester grew up in Atlanta with a single mother working multiple jobs, doing her best to raise Terence and his sister. The resulting trauma set him on a dangerous path involving gangs and homelessness before dropping out of high school. Eventually he returned to high school as a fifth-year senior, graduated, and enrolled in a nearby college, only to dropout after being arrested for underage drinking. A lenient judge threw out the charges, and Dr. Lester did not waste his second chance. He worked at a warehouse until a couple from his church helped him attend a Bible college. By 28 years old, Dr. Lester had four degrees and earned a PhD in public policy and social change in 2023. He went from a former high school dropout, gang member and teenager experiencing homelessness to being a youth pastor, adult pastor and later a church planter and community activist. In 2013, he and his wife Cecilia founded Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit in Atlanta that supports those who face homelessness and poverty.https://terencelester.com/https://www.nosmallendeavor.com/terence-lester-human-flourishing-self-development-and-the-common-goodhttps://www.ivpress.com/from-dropout-to-doctorate-ebook
Dr. Rolsky is back fam! His scholarship, perspective, and wit are just some of the things I love about him. His perecptive includes a lot...ya gotta check it out cuz we in sum mess. Like that lil AAEV there?This is also part of a "welcome back dan" double header so make sure you check out episode 6 on this same feed!Ya huurd?L. Benjamin Rolsky received his PhD from Drew University in American Religious Studies. His work has appeared in a variety of academic and popular venues including Method and Theory in the Study of Religion and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, as well as the Christian Century, the Los Angeles Review of Books, CNN Opinion, and the Religion and Culture Forum at the University of Chicago. His research and teaching interests include religion and politics, the study of popular culture, and critical theory.https://x.com/LBRolskyhttps://cca.rutgers.edu/people/fellows/fellows-details/165-affiliated-fellows/167-affiliated-fellows-2020-2021/578-l-benjamin-rolskyhttps://a.co/d/cQLXDU8www.whitehodgepodcasts.com
Well...the title says it all.Let's go...if you're ready to.This is part 1 of a nice double header...check out episode 7 wtih Dr. Rolsky on politics and all that mess. Yeah.Since I've been away for a while...which this will explain...why I've been away for a while foo.
Oh this week I have a true legend and scholar! The Dr. Obery Hendricks is on and, WE. GO. IN!So, buckle up cuzz this cat is breaking it down.A life long social activist, Obery Hendricks is one of the foremost commentators on the intersection of religion and political economy in America. He 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 (Beacon Press, 2021) has gathered wide acclaim. Cornel West calls him “one of the last few grand prophetic intellectuals.”A widely sought lecturer and media spokesperson, Dr. Hendricks’ appearances include CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox News, Fox Business News, the Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, NHK Japan Television and the Bloomberg Network. He has provided running event commentary for National Public Radio, MSNBC, and the al-Jazeera and Aspire international television networks. 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; was a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Democratic National Committee, for whom he delivered the closing benediction at the 2008 Democratic Convention; served on the National Religious Leaders Advisory Committee of the 2008 Democratic Presidential campaign. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative in Washington, DC; has been an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for American Progress; was a Senior Fellow at The Opportunity Agenda social justice communications think tank; is on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Christian Socialism; and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Dr. Hendricks has been a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post and Salon.com, a former editorial advisor to the award-winning Tikkun magazine, and a contributing editor to The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. The Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation has called his work “the boldest post-colonial writing ever seen in Western biblical studies.”https://religion.columbia.edu/content/obery-m-hendrickshttps://oberyhendricksphd.com/https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-Rediscovering-Revolutionary-Teachings/dp/0385516657https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obery_M._Hendricks_Jr.
Here we go...getting into politics and race and gender and...well, you get it. My guest this week is the amazing author and scholar, Dr. Miranda Zapor Cruz. Dr. Cruz is professor of historical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. She holds a PhD in religion, politics, and society from Baylor University's J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary.I also get into the latest and greatest regarding the war!From the publisher: Christians who seek to relate their faith to politics have always encountered tensions. Instead of easy answers and simple checklists, we need tools to help us thoughtfully navigate the complexities of Christian faithfulness in an increasingly diverse and polarized society.In this book, Miranda Zapor Cruz guides readers in forming a vision of citizenship that brings Christian convictions into political engagement while avoiding common pitfalls. Cruz provides a measured, nonpartisan overview of different ways Christians have approached political participation. These ten views represent a range of theological approaches to the relationship between the kingdom of God and the country, including Anabaptist, social gospel, principled pluralist, and Christian nationalist. Cruz describes strengths and weaknesses of each view, with a focus on Christian faithfulness.https://mirandazaporcruz.com/https://www.grace.edu/grace-college-welcomes-author-dr-miranda-zapor-cruz/https://www.ivpress.com/faithful-politicshttps://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/faithfully-engage-public-policy-an-in-depth-interview-with-miranda-zapor-cruz/https://www.instagram.com/mirandazaporcruz?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=NjNwN214ZjR2MWoy
This one gon get deep....quick...so, fair warning....loss and having to put down a family pet. Yeah, some real hard core stuff!This week my guest is Natasha Smith. Natasha is a grief advocate, author, speaker, podcaster, content creative, and a certified grief educator. A Certified Grief Educator is committed to providing the highest level of grief support through education, experience, and insights into the often unacknowledged rocky terrain of grief. Certified Grief Educators completed a certificate program designed by world-renowned grief expert, David Kessler. They bring his unique methodology, tools, and decades of experience to help people navigate the challenges of grief.Her new book: https://a.co/d/79aOHxBWebsite: https://imnatashasmith.com/Insta: https://www.instagram.com/imnatashasmith/FB: https://www.facebook.com/imnatashasmithNatasha's Podcast: https://imnatashasmith.com/podcast/
Here we go again! Let's break it down....Dr. Obed Manwatkar is back to tell a story about racism, the White Evangelical Church, and all the mess that goes with that. So, check it out....we still at war, but, this is some reprieve. https://obedmanwatkar.wordpress.com/https://www.instagram.com/obed.manwatkar_official/www.whitehodge.com
Well, I'm back. And, it's not pretty. But, if you've been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, you already know that. We have a lot to catch up on, mainly about what to do next. Most of us are not ready for what that next actually looks like; it'll be violent and bloody. But, at least we get to see a few more episodes of Parks & Rec before that. Right?Let's get in it fam.All music played was produced, arranged, and mixed at White Hodge Studios. Mastered by LANDR music. https://www.landr.com/Naomi Klein: https://naomiklein.org/Her Book:https://naomiklein.org/doppelganger/
Continuing on with part 2 of our season finale double header! Long time friend Dr. Andre Johson is back to talk about his new book with co-author Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar.Be sure to listen to the 1st of the two as well! See you all in Season 8!In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, protests broke out in Minneapolis and quickly spread across the United States. National unrest led to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and added to calls for justice in other American cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Tulsa, and Louisville, Kentucky, where only months earlier, Breonna Taylor was killed by police. By some estimates, BLM protesters numbered between fifteen million and twenty-six million in the US and abroad.http://www.aejohnsonphd.com/https://x.com/aejohnsonphdhttps://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/The-Summer-of-2020https://x.com/amandanelledgarhttps://pageandpodium.com/https://a.co/d/dnxjeeo
Here we are, good people, at the end of season 7! But not without a double header! First up, Allyn Maxfield-Steele. What a name!! A newfound friend and fellow anti-racist Allyn is a co-executive director at Highlander Research and Education Center. He's been fighting the good fight and has some good things to say about it. Join me in listening in!https://highlandercenter.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyn-maxfield-steele-0888b017/
You already know who this is! There is a lot to talk about and get into these days! Having the always unique and intriguing J.R. Forasteros is so great and refreshing! Come on now!https://jrforasteros.com/jr-bio/https://sojo.net/biography/jr-forasteroshttps://www.arthousedallas.com/stories/2018/6/19/jr-forasteros-authorhttps://soundcloud.com/whitehodgepodcasts/s5-e32-god-must-be-a-conservative-rev-jr-forasteros?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&si=6e3ab0110eb04fecb461ce508d691c5f
This week ya'll! Remember when I said there was an alarming amount of White racists joining law enforcement, the military, and government agencies....yeah...well, this week, we talk to the expert who's been monitoring domestic terrorists here in the U.S. Elizabeth Newmann joins me to discuss her latest book. Listen in!Elizabeth Neumann served as the Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Neumann is an ABC News contributor and the chief strategy officer at Moonshot. She is based in the Denver, CO area.https://elizabethneumann.org/book/https://elizabethneumann.org/https://x.com/NeuSummitshttps://www.instagram.com/neusummits/
Oh, this a good one right here! As a BIPoC have you ever felt like you were the only one and the only one doing the damn thing....yeah, me too! This week I get to talk with my new friend, Prasanta Verma. She was born under an Asian sun, raised in the Appalachian foothills in the South, and now resides in the Upper Midwest. Her essays and poetry have been published in Sojourners, Propel Women, (in)courage, Inheritance Magazine, the Indianapolis Review, Barren Magazine, and the Mudroom blog. She served as a speech and debate coach for over ten years. When she's not writing, speaking, or working, she's drinking chai, walking, or reading. Prasanta lives with her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.https://prasantaverma.com/https://www.ivpress.com/beyond-ethnic-lonelinesshttps://www.instagram.com/prasantaverma/https://x.com/vermaprasanta
This week I talk with a newfound friend who has gotten the holy crap beat out of her from toxic churches and evangelicals. Goodness. Unfortunately, her story is not unique, but she also holds in tension the hope within this type of theological disillusionment! Join us this week & listen in with Aimee Byrd.Aimee Byrd is a former coffee cafe owner who now uses her conversational barista skills as a writer and speaker. Her latest books blend contemplative thought with biblical theology. She lives in her hometown in Frederick, MD with her husband, Matt, and three young adult children who are in and out of the house. Aimee is the author of The Hope in Our Scars, The Sexual Reformation, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Why Can’t We Be Friends?, No Little Women, Theological Fitness, and Housewife Theologian. She is a former cohost of Mortification of Spin podcast for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and currently cohost of Birds of a Feather YouTube cast with Mike Bird. Aime has articles published in Table Talk, Modern Reformation, First Things, By Faith, New Horizons, Ordained Servant, Common Good, Harvest USA, Credo Magazine, and was interviewed and quoted in Christianity Today and The Atlantic.https://twitter.com/aimeebyrdPYWhttps://www.instagram.com/aimeebyrdlife/https://aimeebyrd.com/
This week we going into some pragmatics on disagreement, conflict, and basic dignity when we do disagree. Dr. John Inazu is my guest discussing his new book and a whole lot more! Check it out!!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Oh, this week we get to hear from a cat doing some great work inside the Church! Rev. T.C. Moore comes on and also talks about his new book, c'mon now and listen in.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Oh yeah...you read it right...hell might not be eternal, or even a place to go! Check this weeks conversation out with my new friend Derek!
This week I talk with author, pastor, and historian, Greg Jarrell. He breaks down some of the inequities that have happened in our cities, towns, and communities over time; red lining was just the beginning. Check it out fam!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Yeah, you gon' wanna take a minute to listen to this story and the work Bree is doing here in Chicago. An amazing story of survival and fight, but, it doesn't end there...Bree is doing the damn thing! Check it.
Black History Month is on!! This week I talk with Rev. Trey Ferguson who just put out an amazing book looking at relationships, race, and religion! Yeah, come on listen in!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! We're back and ready for 2024! I met my guest this week soley online when she posted and amazing thread regarding her termination with Fuller Seminary. Shoo-wee, this is good! Listen up!
As we enter into the Holiday season I get to sit down to talk with my good friend from AAR, Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres, finally! He talks about being a Latine male in the academy, the variants between the thrown and the grave, and his new book, out now. Listen in!
We back! After the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday its time for some conspiracy theories, QAnon, and religion! It's on now. Joining me this week are Drs. Michael Austin and Gregory Bock who have edited a great volume getting into all this, yeah! Check it out.
You know them you love em, The Many! Back on the show talking about their new song and all the nuances of being an Xtian band in this era. Listen in!
!!!EXPLICIT!!!! How we gonna disagree and still be friends... For real... What if you hate Black folk...oh dear!!! Let's dig in fam, Kathy is back and brings with Matt on their new book. Listen in!!
We're back! The 2nd half of season 7 is on right and now with guest Tamice Spencer-Helms! Her new book is out and she goes in on the colonization within so much theology. Check it out.
You know him, you love him, THE great J.R. Forasteros is back for his seasonal appearance on the show! Go on, listen in.
I get to sit down with a filmmaker, artist, and visionary this week. Craig Brown is doing his thing while trying to push into difficult yet meaningful conversations around race and racism. Check it out!
!!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!!!! It's just me; going on about this and wanting that. You should really check it out.
I finally get my good friend and colleague, Dr. Mary Veeneman, on the show! We chop it up and talk critical thinking, the prison industrial complex and good theological method. Listen in!
This week I talk with an ethicist who does work around the incivility of mass incarceration. Dr. Michelle Clifton joins me this week as we go in on these areas around gender, and the work around inclusivity. Check it out!
This week I'm honored to have a former student with me talking about mental health, queerness, and psychedelics. Good stuff! Check out my conversation with Melanie and the work she is up to.
Oh, this week we have a good one! I sit down and talk with one of the organizers who was successful in getting Caste Discrimination as a protected class as part of anti discrimination law. Prashant Nema talks about this and more! Check it.
Easter 2023. Some reflections on that, what its meaning is in an era of discontent, and I also get to talk with Bekah McNeel on her new book...so, good stuff! Listen in.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! This week we get into the nuts and boltz of Higher Ed. And, what does it look like within Xtian universities, the processes, and getting hired. I talk with my man Dr. Justin Smith, and we go in! Check it.
Oh I have a good one for you all this week! Author Jenny Booth Potter joins me to discuss her new book along with her own journey being White, a woman, and ex-evangelical. Yeah, good stuff!
This week I talk with author, activist, & podcaster Faitth Brooks. Her new book Remember Me Now is out and it is FIRE! Check it out and be sure to check out her podcast, Melanated Faith.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! It's season 7!!! Yeah, we're back and stronger than ever! Check out this state of the "union" epsidoe as I talk with Kathy Khang and Jeanelle Austin to hear their thoughts on where we find ourselves.
Our season finale is here! What a season it's been too...wow! We end on a great note by discussing Dr. Francois' new book and engaging with what that all means in this era. Check it out and see you all in season 7! Profane Faith is a Dauntless Media Collective podcast. Visit dauntless.fm for more content.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! This week I bring my good friend Dr. Philip Butler back on to continue the conversation around religion and science. This is a good one fam! Profane Faith is a Dauntless Media Collective podcast. Visit dauntless.fm for more content.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! This week I get to talk with 3 of the authors from this new and amazing book, Liberating Church. This text is focused around Afrocentric theology and a liberating perspective. Listen on in! Profane Faith is a Dauntless Media Collective podcast. Visit dauntless.fm for more content.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! We finish up our series on the fallout of Roe V. Wade with the infamous and great Irene Cho; she really does break some crap down! Listen in and make sure you check the others in this series.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! We continue our series on the fallout of Roe V. Wade with Ashley Dunston. If you haven't heard the last two episodes check them out now!
!!!EXPLICIT!!! We continue our series on the fallout of Roe V. Wade. Up next, the great Leo Wolters Tejera. Check it out!
!!!Explicit!!! A series exploring the fallout of the fall of Roe V. Wade. This week listen in on The Heathen Queen and her perspective and how this new era we're entering is much bigger than just 'saving a life.'
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Jesus H man...after this last week and the fall of Roe v. Wade, we have a lot to process...join me and my good friend, Dr. Travis Harris, as we continue our season series.
It's time we had a talk; a talk about money. Yeah, I know, capitalism has made this awkward...but, trust me, this is good, pragmatic, and worth your time! Listen in as Brian and I have a convo about savings, budgets, and all things money matters.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!! Shoo-wee fam...a lot to process this week!! Luckily I got my newfound friend The Heathen Queen and she breaks it down...check it out and listen in.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Yeah, you know we had to have this discussion....and it's so layered. Join us as we go in on this mess. Elonda and Sean, Profane Faith contributed, chime in.
What does research look like regarding White U.S. Evangelicals' capitalization to capitalism and free-market....yeah, that! Dr. Rachel Schwaller joins me this week to discuss that and the colonization of Xtianity on many different levels.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! What does it mean to leave the might evangelical culture...and what might it signify within a Latinx context...yeah, deep! Check out Joey's story about survival, grit, and perseverance within toxic contexts. This one is long, but SO worth it.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Fam, this week my man Chase comes on and breaks. shit. down! As a Rector of All Saints in Pasadena and a poet, this brutha is putting in work. Check it out.
Author, pastor, and fellow seeker in all things religion, Rev. Dr. Katie Hays joins me to talk about her new book, the amazing things she's doing in their church out in Texas, and just life as a pastor in 2022. Deep! Listen in.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! This week I sit down and hear one amazing story about an ex-evangelical's journey out of the madness. I mean....wow. You've got to hear Ashley's story man!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! The great and always wise Lisa Sharon Harper is back! This time she get's into her own family history and their connection to U.S. slavery, racism, and the pursuit of equity. Join us during Black History Month 2022 to hear this and more!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Our series continues to welcome in Black History Month 2022 with brutha Sean. This series explores the social construct of God in relation to the social construct of God forms...yeah, deep stuff! Check it out.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! The amazing and sharp theologian herself, Melissa Florer-Bixler joins me this week and oh do we go in on some things! We even touch on a hostile White take over of the U.S.! Yeah, listen in!
This week I talk with one of my colleagues who teaches a host of courses in the field of Communication Arts. She has a really innovative approach to education and pedagogy in the classroom. The work she does has her classes packed out...listen in!
Khristi is back! And with a new book on top of that! Join the Profane Faith conversation and hear how she's navigated the pandemic, being an author, and working with a new generation of Black women who are doing uh-may-zing things! Happy 2022 fam!
!!!!EXPLICIT!! We're back after the holiday break, and wow...what an episode to jump into with Tori Williams Douglass. She breaks some stuff down on race, religion, and being a mom through all of that. Listen up!
!!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! A new series dealing with theology, God, being...ecclesiology...all that good stuff. Join Profane Faith correspondent Dom and I to get in on this convo.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Shoo-wee! A barn-burner of an episode this week. The convo that just stumps most Xtian spaces is sex...or there is so much bad info on it, that people end up in really bad spots. Tune in now to hear Erica talk on all that!
!!!EXPLICIT!! We're back! Season 6 in full effect! Dr. Megan Goodwin joins me to talk gender, possession, Satan, and all the myths around that. Get it and listen in!
Season 5 Finale!!! Well, you know I wasn't gonna leave you hanging. Summer got the best of me. Check out S 5 finale with none other than J.R. and a nice ending to this series! Check it out and see you in season 6.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!! Oh yeah, we continue on with our series here! This week, Dr. Christopher Driscoll, religious studies scholar, joins me and digs right in on the convo. Check it out!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! A new series dealing with the ontological and cultural essence of God idealogy. This week we kick off with my good friend, Sean Watkins. Check it out!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! This week will be worth the wait! The great and wise Alicia T. Crosby is on the show this week, and, wow...is this a barn burner!!! Check it fam!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! This week in honor of pride month I get to talk with a new friend, whom I know will be a long-time one, Leo Wolters Tejera. We go in on race, religion, human sexuality, and our current era. Check it!
Wow. What a treat! My long-time friend Dawn Finch and I finally get a chance to have a conversation about her amazing work with youth and young adults in L.A. A true O.G.!
This week the amazing Tamisha Tyler hijacks the show to turn the tables and interview me! We get into my 2nd book, The Soul of Hip Hop.
!!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! This week I welcome Emily Joy as she talks about her new book #Church Too: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing. Yo...this is DEEP! Buckle up!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! So here you have it...an array of voices talking about their thoughts and reflections regarding the George Floyd trial. This one is long but so worth the time. Dig in!
Oh, you don't want to miss out on this conversation! The great and amazing Rosa Clemente is with me this week and we talk politics, gender, Hip Hop, and the work she's been doing for equity. Listen in!
This week we wrap up our series with an old friend, Ki Martinez. Ki is a coach and facilitator for anti-oppression at Both/And, based in NYC, in the areas of identity exploration and somatics. They break it down and really anchors this 3-week series. Check it out!
The 2nd part of our series has me talking with my family friend Pastor Mayra Macedo-Nolan. She's doing some amazing work out in Pasadena and as a woman doing work in a male-dominated context, she's helped create space to engage more with gender, race, and ethnicity. She's doing the damn thing! Check it out.
This week we start a 3 week series on exploring Latinx faith workers in a variety of contexts. This week, my dear friend The Rev. Werner Ramirez is on to talk about his life as a Guatemalan immigrant and how that also informs his faith work. Listen in!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! I finally get to have a convo with my good friend and mentor, Dr. Craig Detweiler. Craig is an amazing thinker on religion, theology, pop culture, and film. We get a chance to talk on all that plus the new work he's into. Check it....especially you haters listening!
Having been fired myself I know firsthand what that entails when you work inside of Xtian orgs. This week, my guest is a good friend Heather Haginduff who talks about navigating those areas along with aspects of race and gender. Another good episode!
What happens when Joy, pain, suffering, and lament come together....well, find out when my guest Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell joins me this week talking about her new book and research.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! This week I talk with Anna Otaola artist extraordinaire! She also has quite the story being married to a spouse in an evangy org. Yeah...this is also part 2 from last week!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! I finally get to sit down with my long-time friend, soon to be Dr. Pablo Otaola. We talk about his journey in leaving an evangelical outreach org and just race and religion...all good stuff!
Dr. Leah Payne joins me this week to talk about her work, pedagogy, podcasting, and the mess we still find ourselves in today. Good talk, check it out.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Welp, White Supremecy is at it again, figured I'd bring Kathy & Irene on to talk about this B.S. stinking up religious spaces.
Dr. Kristin Du Mez joins me to talk about her new book and how Christian Evangelicalism is connected to hyper-masculinity and a host of issues that help make trump, trump.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! This one is dope AF! Skyer J joins me to talk all things Trans Embodiment and how it connects to theology...good deep stuff! Check it out.
Oh, you gon want to listen in on this! The great Dr. Turman is on this week to talk on life, theology, Blackness, and even the Black body. Dang skippy...this is fire!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Oooh wee! Leaving a religious flock is never easy...add in fundamentalism, strong cultural mores, and you have quite a mess. Check out this convo I have with an amazing spirit, Josue Calderón !!
Back at it in the new year! And once again, the amazing and wise J.R. is back. This is a long one, so, feel free to break this one up into two...it's some good stuff. Make sure you check out the show notes too.
G-wizz! Late again...but, look who's on...the great Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza! So, it was worth the wait. Check it out and happy holidays.
This was a recorded conversation with Jeanelle and Patrick along with a couple of other good people discussing what racial justice, end times, and race look like all together. Yeah, good stuff!
The amazing Nikole Lim joins me this week on the show to talk about all things liberation, restoration, and film. The work she does lies between media and activism. Some deep, deep stuff! Check it out.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Oh yeah, you already know this episode gon be fire! The awesome Irene Cho is on and we break shit down!!! Oops... I said shit....c'mon now!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Oh yeah, the great Angie Hong is back! We did an Instagram live, once I figured out the tech, and boy did we go in! Check it out and happy turkey day!
Oh yeah...you know you need to check this out! The renowned Dr. Jennings is on this week talking about his new book and the issues of Western education. Come on now, you know this is lit!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! And on a Wednesday too! That's right, season 5 droppin' right now!! Ooooh, this is a good one too! I get to talk with my wise friend, Dr. Monica Coleman. Yes!
This week I talk with my good friend and brilliant mind, Dr. David Dault. His work is excellent and his own show, Things Not Seen, is a great listen. This is also the season finale! Check it out!
The book of Revelation has had a one-trick-pony interpretation. It's time for a fresh new take on these passages and a re-framing of the messages within. Take a listen with Dr. C. Wess Daniels this week!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! This week I get the privilige to talk with my godson, the funny and talented Devohn Bland. This was a real treat and to hear the work he's doing out in MSP. We recorded this days before George Floyd was murdered.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Yeah, Lecrae was wrong and he gots to do better. Dr. Walker-Barnes and I break some shit down; hold on and stop giving White evangelicals the benefit of the doubt, they don't get it.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! She's back! Esperanza Gene! The amazing and talented revolutionary Esperanza. A lot to talk about here, check it out, and keep supporting Black folks.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!! My good friend and comrade, Rev. Dr. Andre E. Johnson, joins me this week to talk how rhetoric, race, religion, all connect in this era we find ourselves in, which is uncharted...check it out!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! When will it end...my life partner, Emily Hodge and I, talk about the terrorist killing of George Floyd. We also talk about some of the why of uprisings and the theological significance. Learn something! Then take action.
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Whoo-wee! This week my guest is none other than Rev. Lenny Duncan...man, you don't want to miss this brutha's story and the work he's doing.
This week I get a chance to talk with Adam McLane who is doing some cool work in his context and engaging in some messy stuff, while still making a difference.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! The shit happened again. Join Dominique Robinson-Coleman, Sean Watkins, Jeanelle Austin, and myself in a convo about the death of another Black Body at the hands of White terrorists.
Get your notepads out, this week we deconstruct White colonized Xtianity and see if from PoC centered. Dr. Vince Bantu joins me and, wow...get ready for some knowledge!
!!!EXPLICIT!!! This is a long one, but, SO WORTH IT! Have a listen to this amazing voice, Ally Henny. We cover some ground on the current COVID 19 crisis too. The length will help during quarantine.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! Bad theology does kill, and, the era we find ourselves in, there is a lot of bad theology. This week my guest talks about his journey as a gay Xtian and digital pastor.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! This week I speak with an educator, MC, record store owner and Whitehead scholar...yeah, and he just wrote a new book too. Listen in!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! She is an MDiv student that is going places, you'll see! This was a conversation I got to have after meeting an amazing mind and spirit, Heidi Sun Schreiber. Check out the convo and a tribute to the late Bill Withers.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! This week I get to talk with a good friend of mine, Dr. Gabe Veas, on mentoring, race, his fascinating story, and of course, faith. Check it out!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!! I had to talk a bit about the madness going on regarding Covid-19 Virus. I brought my good friend on the show Kathy Khang, you know her, you love her! We talk about the racist "Chinese Virus." Listen in!
This has been a conversation long in coming. Welcome Tarek Abuata, Taurean Webb, & Brant Rosen to speak in on some key third rail issues in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Worth the listen!
This week I get to sit down with a cat who calls himself a Messianic M.C. Yeah, for real! Check it out and hear his story.
She's back! That's right, Brandi Miller is back and this convo fits the era we're in SO WELL! Check it out.
It's that time of year again! The Theopoetics Conference is coming and Profane Faith is here to help promote this amazing space. Arts Religion and Culture, is once again hosting its Theopoetics Conference and this year it is in Chicago March 20-21. The conference is an event for artists, activists, and people of faith to come together to discuss the ways creative and spiritual practices can come together in the work for a more just world. More information is available at TheopoeticsConference.org and listeners can use the code "PROFANEFAITH" for 10 percent off of registration.
So, yeah...that CT article that sparked ol trump to say they were liberal...well, I had to have a convo about that! Check it, with the one and only, JR!
!!!EXPLICIT!!! Often times the study of religion and faith goes unnoticed. This week I get to talk with two bruthas that are sharp, witty, and next gen scholars, James Howard Hill Jr. and Jorge J Rodríguez V. This is FIRE!
Heard of Doc Hawk? Well, there's a new documentary out about her, Same God, and this week I sat down to talk with the director of it, Linda Midgett. Whew! It was fire.
Part 2 of this riveting conversation! If you haven't checked out part 1, just go back to next week. Enjoy!
This one is a BARN BURNER for sure! I sit down with the great Dr. Monica Miller and her partner, Chris Driscoll, who's been on the show before, also gets on. We talk Kendrick, religious identity, and race. Check it!
This week, oh wow...this week get ready to go in with the amazing Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes! She speaks on her new book, womanism, and the realities of racial reconciliation. Deep!
Story is crucial. In all things! This week, I get a chance to hear Sabrina Reyes-Peters tell hers and wow...uh-may-ZING! Check it out and hear all the nuances.
Music. Can't nobody say they don't like some aspect of it. This week I get to sit down with a true Christian music group, The Many. Leslie, Darren, Hannah, Lenora, and Gary all came over to talk music, faith, fear, love, doubt, and more music. Check it out.
This week you get another resource written by a WoC, Rev. Khristi Lauren Adams talks about that life, ministry, race, and writing this amazing book. Take a listen.
The religious left is a quite interesting topic, so, this week I brought on my good friend Dr. Benji Rolsky to talk about this, politics, and so much more. Go on, give a listen!
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Part 2 of the conversation I had with Andre Henry. Yeah, this is 90 minutes...I heard you all and your requests! Enjoy! Be sure to check out Pt.1 first tho.
!!!EXPLICIT!!! Wow. Season 4 in full effect! And, wouldn't you know, we go in with brutha Andre Henry and his time at a predominantly White Christian org...hold on, we in it.
EXPLICIT!!!!!! Ok, here is part 2, or, rather, a continuing dialog regarding gun issues. This here is a great conversation that I get to have with David Hayes in regards to Black gun ownership and the manifestation of White violence.
EXPLICIT!!!! I couldn't stay silent...had to get in on this very important conversation regarding violence. gun control, and Whiteness. Check this convo I have with Reesheda Graham Washington.
It's season 3 finale! So, we had to go out with a bang, a very long bang! Sit back and feel free to take this in in 3 parts. 3 great perspectives on where some young adults are at with their faith and life...oh it's good! See you in season 4!
!!!!!EXPLICIT!!! Fathers Day is a trip. A lot of people online talking about their dad. Cool. But, what about those of use who don't have a dad or have had a negative experience with the dad they have....yeah, it's time for some Profane Faith up in here for this!
!!!EXPLICIT!!! This week we have a riveting conversation with the amazing Dr. Scott Okamoto. He goes in and breaks down some myths around belief and dogma. Give a listen!
Yo, this week, I wanted to get into the youngins' culture; yeah, it's about time and so much to cover. Oh, and my dogs had something to say about it too...so, click on and listen.
This week y'all gon have to get your notepads and iPads and all the schooling material because Rev. Alston is taking us to school! A Decolonized one filled with a prophetic message. C'mon now.
!!!EXPLICIT!!!!! Kate is back y'all! And, this. Is. DEEP! And intersectional approach to atheism and the issues with religion; oh yeah. And, FYI, if you have sensitive ears, consider this a sensitive ear warning.
And just like that, we're back! And, what did I tell ya, we needed an episode on intersectionality and death...so, I went and got my good friend Megan Westra to share some thoughts on all this. Listen in!
The good rev. Sean Watkins joins us this week as we break down faith, race, 1 billion raised for a cathedral, and Black Easter. Check it out!
Nipsey Hussel was truly an amazing person and not just a rapper. His life laid down a pathway for Black and Brown success. In this episode, I go in and break some things down.
This week, I sit down with Andi and Gigi, hosts of the Roommates of Rage Podcast...oh yeah, we go in and break it down.
Efrem Smith is back! This time, we go in a little deeper and he get's a chance to talk more about the work he's doing. Check it out.
The faith and religious journey takes a lot of turns. This week I get into that with an amazing writer, thinker, and organizer, Bianca Louie. Listen up!
!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Ok...so, I need to take a minute, or 5, and talk about the madness that this last week was. This week, I have to rant a bit.
This week I get to have a fascinating conversation with a scientist who has made some amazing claims regarding evolution. Yeah, this is good. Check it out. I'm always on the look out for better understandings of creation narratives and just how life started. I'm also excited because this conversation gets into both theology and science!
Grown folk faith is what I'm after. Not that faith that has folks still stuck in grade school. This week I talk with a woman who has that grown folk faith and shares her journey. Natasha Akery is a high school teacher, wife, and mother of two fierce little ladies. She is a co-host for Teach, Learn, Repeat, an upcoming podcast from Teacher2Teacher that will focus on equity in public schools in Season 1.
Jussie, Jussie, Jussie. Whew. What a mess! I had to break this down and its connections back to faith, race, theology, and the Black community. I brought on two sharp minds that go in and bring some great analysis to this madness. Check it out, we do break some things down.
Mental health is a true stigma, especially within many X-tian spaces and churches. This has to end! So, this week, in keeping with season 3's theme, I talk with Jill Riley who breaks down the stigma, shares some deep parts of her story, and the power of therapy and family.
Jill Riley, an adopted Korean American, was raised in North Idaho during the height of the white supremacy movement of the 1980’s. She met her husband, a Montana native, while in college in Seattle, WA. After completing her education she and her husband moved to Billings, Montana to raise their family.
Her love of telling stories, blended with humor and passion for people allows us unique insight into the life of a survivor of abuse, serial abandonment and neglect. Jill’s faith has overcome an authoritative, over religious home to become strong and resilient and more grace filled than she ever could have imagined.
Woo-wee, colonialism is a hell-uv-a-drug. This week I sit down with a new friend, Obed Manwatkar. He breaks down his story of growing up in India, Ghandi, race, and of course, faith. As always, it gets deep. Check it out!
!!!EXPLICIT!!! Part 3 of the Surviving R Kelly series looks at the effects of sexual violence and we explore what that means for women. This week I talk with a dear friend, Sabina Charfauros. I've known this woman for a long time and this convo went deep. Check it.
!!!!EXPLICIT!!!! Part 2 in this series on sexual abuse, Esperanza Gene breaks down the difficulties of being Black, a woman, having a voice, and just being believed. Remember, sexual abuse is entrenched within faith communities. Check this episode out!
!!EXPLICIT!! The Lifetime Docuseries on R. Kelly is atrocious on so many levels. I think it is very important to spend some time discussing the larger issues surrounding Kelly and how race, class, and religion all intersect. This is messy, but I had a chance to talk with the wise and sharp April Reign. Check it out fam.
This week we go in deep, again! Get those note pads out and ready to take notes! Dr. Chris Driscoll is my guest and, whoa, he goes in on Whiteness, religion, race, sexuality, and so much more! Listen in and get ready.
So, what is the big thing about X-tian conferences...I'm wondering if they're outdated and ready for something new...do they really just recycle speakers and info...well, happy 2019 let's dive into this convo...I bring back JR, Kathy and Kate to talk about what all this might mean!
Welp, its the end of 2018, taking a few weeks off to chill and get ready for the new year. Don't worry, I'll be back here in January! Keep that profanity and faith going and happy holidays!
Well, wrapping up the 2018 year comes with an amazing guest that's not just an activist, but also an engaged and informed thinker, Jem Jebbia! Jem is a first-year PhD student in Religious Studies at Stanford University. Previously, she served as the Senior Assistant Director for the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service at Northeastern University. In her role at Northeastern, Jem provided spiritual care to students of any and no faith, and advised the Northeastern University Interfaith Council. Jem has completed two fellowships for the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) and now serves as a member of the IFYC Alumni Speakers Bureau. Before moving back to California from Boston, Jem worked as the Spiritual Life Council convener at the University of Chicago, where she received her Master of Divinity degree. Jem is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where she studied religion, business administration, East Asian languages and cultures, and international relations. So, yeah...she's for real! Happy end of the year and holidays!
This week, I talk with a returning guest, Justin McRoberts and a new guest, Scott Erickson, on their new book, Prayer: Forty Days of Practice. This is a whole new way to look at prayer and pragmatically approach it...especially if you're just not a prayer type person like me. Good stuff this week!
This week I sit down with an amazing thinker, writer, and friend, the great Kathy Khang. Kathy Khang is a speaker, journalist, and activist. She has worked in campus ministry for more than 20 years with expertise in issues of gender, ethnicity, justice, and leadership development. She is the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent & How to Speak Up (IVP, 2018) columnist for Sojourners magazine, and a coauthor of More Than Serving Tea (IVP, 2006).
So buckle up, she covers some ground here and we dig into what it means and looks like to raise your voice to the mess we're in now.
This week I sit down with my good friend April Diaz. Her story and faith journey is quite interesting. As always, we go in on race, gender, women teaching, faith and I think I forgot to mention race...yeah. Good stuff! April has been a visionary activist her entire life. As a Leadership and Wellness Coach, she believes we were created for more. That’s why she loves developing leaders on the margins of culture in caring for their body, mind, and spirit. Curating and cultivating teams is one of her favorite things. Secretly, she told me she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA. Check it out!
Sabbath is vital to your own survival. Thanks to my good friend Werner, this week I get to sit down and talk Sabbath, rest, and what it all means with Dr. Nathan Stucky out at Princeton Seminary.
Dr. Stucky serves as Director of the Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He grew up on a farm in Kansas where his love for Christian faith and agriculture first took root. After earning a B.A. in Music from Bethel College (KS), Nathan spent six years doing ecumenical youth ministry on the eastern shore of Maryland, and two years farming back in Kansas. After farming, Nathan earned an M.Div. and a Ph.D. (Practical Theology, Christian Education and Formation) from Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship explores the integration of theological education and agrarianism, and he sees the Farminary as a locus for enacting that integration.
So, yeah, this is good!
AAR y'all! AAR! Amazing time. So sorry this episode is so late. But, it is SO worth it! Get ready to go in with Dr. Philip Butler who is breaking you off some deep engagement with neuroscience, astronomy, theology, and being Black...
oh, and I forgot to mention Black technology. Yeah. Deep! So, take a listen and get ready to take some notes. I did!
!!EXPLICIT!! Ok so first off, there is mention of a double header, sorry, didn't want to take away from episode 4. I had originally had the idea to drop 2 in one week, but, then you'd be missing out on the great Pam Rocker! This week you get to hear story; a story rooted in a faith journey a lot of us miss. Pam opens up and shares her heart and her past which has shaped her into the awesome person she is today. Check her out this week on Profane Faith, she breaks it down in a super gay way and one we so love!
EXPLICIT!! Well y'all, I went in, but, it was definitely God led and the Spirit moved with all the speakers. I have a plenary talk at this years CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) national conference. I did not hold back, and spoke from the heart. All the speakers that night were on point, each one connected. I was just a spoke in a wheel. But, I felt we needed a space to hear it and get some more context with what I was saying. I was not planning to air this episode this week, I had another guest. But, this is what needs to be heard. Take a listen. But, please be cautious around sensitive ears, not everyone likes or can appreciate strong language from spaces typically reserved to both coddle Whiteness and also keep domesticated X-tianity empowered. Let's go and here's to a Church in the Wild!
I hope you all are ready to vote! This week I sit down with grassroot legend, Lisa Sharon Harper. Wowzers...From Ferguson to New York to Germany and South Africa Ms. Harper leads trainings and helps mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good. A prolific speaker, writer and activist, Ms. Harper is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by convening forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment, and common action toward a just world. A columnist at Sojourners Magazine and an Auburn Theological Seminary Senior Fellow, Ms. Harper has appeared on TVOne, FoxNews Online, NPR, and Al Jazeera America. Her writing has been featured in Essence, CNN Belief Blog, The National Civic Review, Sojourners’ God’s Politics blog, The Huffington Post, and Relevant Magazine. She has written extensively on shalom and governance, immigration reform, health care reform, poverty, racial and gender justice, climate change, and transformational civic engagement. So...get ready yo!
This week I sit down with a sharp mind and a rising theologian, Esperanza Gene. Wow...her story is simply amazing and we cover a lot of ground. Esperanza Gene is a Detroit native of proud Latina and African American descent. She lives at the intersection of art, activism, academia, and pastoral ministry. She received her BA in Theology and BA in English Professional Writing from Oakwood University, and is currently completing two degrees at Fuller Theological Seminary: MA in Theology and MA in Intercultural Studies. For work, Esperanza is the Project Assistant for the Multicultural Youth Ministry at Fuller Youth Institute. There she creates research informed practical resources for African American and Latino congregations. In all things she is deeply guided by practical theology that responds to social problems. Her priorities and passions include racial equity, social justice work, interdisciplinary research, faith and justice re-integration, wellness, and humanization of marginalized peoples through story. Aside from work she's a foodie, gymrat, hiker, and fashion-lover with eternal wanderlust and an even longer reading list. Yeah, you've got to check this one out!
Well, here we are, Season 3! Ok, this is a long one, but, you know what, it is totally worth it. I told you I wanted to go in on mental health, race, and theology. Well, here you go. I get a chance to sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Pierre here at The Lab. She. Is. Uh. May. Zing! There is so much going on right now, I wanted to start the season right and get us to dive a bit deeper into this mental health thing. Here we go!
Get ready...there is quite a bit of shit to engage with dealing with race, gender, sexuality, and religion...wow...we in some mess. Good thing season 3 is dropping soon. Go on, subscribe and let's dive in!
Well, I know I said I was taking a break till season 3, and, I am, but, then this great movie came out with all kinds of layers, topics, and racial stuff...and, well, I had to get an all star line up to talk about it. So, enjoy this little teaser as I get ready for season 3. This some good conversation right here!
EXPLICIT: Back in January, I attended a unique and much needed conference that put People of Color at the center; a radical idea if you can believe that. In this era of craziness, I cannot tell you how important this time was and its continued presence. This episode has some live podcasting with various voices from that conference. If you're still wondering what this is all about, click that link and take a listen!
Being a White ally is a challenge during these times. The question I get most from White folks at conferences and workshops is, what can I do? How do I as a White person engage with racism? Well, honestly, I don't have an answer for that, completely. But, I do know of certain folks who are doing what they can with their White privilege and using it for resistance. This week I talk with Dr. Daniel Kirk who talks about just that. This is a great example of what a White, cis, male can do with their corner. Check it out. And while this is not the template for all Whites, it is something to get you thinking!
EXPLICIT Well, the Goose Festival was a hot and sweaty one. But, there were some really great highlights. One of them was doing a live recording of Profane Faith with both my daughter and Russ Jennings. This was a great conversation and I get to talk about my new book, Homeland Insecurity, out now! Check out the links in the show notes. And, of course, race, theology, Whiteness, and politics were covered. Check it out!
I know, I know, I'm late this week. Story of my life! But, this week is so worth the wait! I've got Lenora Rand and Darren Calhoun, on again, to talk about music, art, body shame, religion, race, gender, and even some talk about Kellogg cereal...oh yeah, wait for it. The Many is an amazing indie group based here in Chicago. I finally get a chance to talk with at least two of its members. Drawing on indie pop and gospel influences, The Many makes music to help give voice to faith and doubt, questions and fears, laments and longings, music that speaks to a non-violent God, a Jesus who is with us and for us, and to a Spirit that can't be easily defined or controlled. Yeah. Great stuff. Check it out!
Thinker, scholar, activist, and author Mihee Kim-Kort and I sit down and cover the damn spectrum on topics. Mihee's new book, Outside The Lines (Fortress Press) gives us a must needed engagement with identity, theology, and queerness. Yup. Solid! Mihee's perspective is needed and we sit down in The Lab and just get down...and, as always, race comes up. Come on! Once again it's on!
Wow. This week was such a great conversation. I needed it too. With all the crap happening in culture and society, Elonda Clay brings some grounding with her new book on poetry. She also talks about her experience as a Black woman in Higher Education and the intersectionality of all that. Yeah, good. Be sure to check out her book, link is in the show notes. Let's keep pushing forward and keeping some hope...Elonda puts a lot in context.
Wow, I had the tables turned on me this week! Angie Hong comes in full effect as we sit down and I thought I was going to interview her, but, man, she had some deep questions for me. So, we both named it the Asian Invasion of Profane Faith. We talk race, gender, Hip Hop, religion, Korean culture, and have a lot of fun all the way through it. Angie's amazing and I really had a good time letting her take over. In fact, it gets so good, my dogs even join in on the conversation...just wait, you'll see, or, rather, hear! Go on check this week out, you won't be disappointed.
Seminary while Black is a thing. A real thing. This week we go in, real deep. Let me say from the onset, I am not against institutions like Fuller Seminary. In fact, I have a lot of love for the school I graduated from. But, I am against the White Supremacy and White racism that places like Fuller have been rooted in for decades. And in love, we have to rebuke that in all forms. This week I bring on Dominique Robinson Coleman who's story is not a singularity, it is common. It is within that commonness that Dominique talks about her experience at a place like Fuller. Take a listen. And before you judge and try to object, I urge you to make sure you look over all the data and the issues students like Dominique are bringing up. Click on!
This week I get to talk with an amazing artist who breaks down faith, theology, and the journey she's been on through race and gender lens'. SueAnn Shiah is simply amazing and a woman of many talents. As always, we go in. And be sure to check out her music in the show notes, she's an independent artist and can always use that support!
Wild Goose Festival is coming up and this year I'm partnering with them and Dr. Robyn Espinoza to put on this years Justice Camp. Sign up now! It's gonna be a good one for sure!
So, Kim and the don are up in the White House talking about prison reform. Wow. Ok. Well, let's talk with someone who has a bit more experience than them. Yeah. I said it...this week I have my man Rev. Dominique Gilliard on the show to talk about his new book and what prison reform really looks like from a PoC perspective. We go in. His new book, Rethinking Incarceration with IVP, digs deep and moves us past just simplistic solutions and empty promises. Get ready, this some heavy stuff...especially if you still think the people in prison are the "bad people" and have made decisions that got them there. Let's go!
Dr. James Cone was legendary. He truly was. To create something like a Black Liberation Theology when there were very little Black theologians in the academy took not only guts, but, the power of God. Dr. Cone was a mentor to many and help create an ethos that is needed now more than ever. His legacy will live on. This weeks special edition has three perspectives on Dr. Cone. I have Dr. Velda Love, Dr. Andre Johnson, and Q Nellum on to memorialize Dr. Cone's legacy. This gon be a good one!
(EXPLICIT) Childish Gambino dropped a bomb on us all. His video portraying life for Black people in America is stunning. There is so much going on in that video that it takes at least 20 takes to pick up on subtle things he is presenting on. On this weeks special issue, I bring on two guests to help me break down this video. Jeanelle Austin and Dr. Jon Gill. These two break it down. We dive deep and begin to deconstruct this powerful transmediated art. As always, let's dig in!
Ever doubted God really exists... Yeah, me too. But, some have asserted that religion is actually an oppressor; it disguises the real issues while having people think all things are good. Well, this week I go in with these subjects and talk with the brilliant Dr. Anthony Pinn. Dr. Pinn has a unique perspective as it relates to religion, race, and humanism. This conversation is on point y'all. I've been wanting to have this one for a long time. So much to unpack, go on and take that listen.
Austin is a brilliant thinker, activist, author, and speaker. I finally get to sit down with her and just talk. She talks about the exhaustion of White folk, Black bodies in these here United States, and the challenge to undo years of colonized theology. Austin's new book is getting ready to come out, so, we here at Profane Faith are here to help promote! This week, Austin dives in. Come on, give it a listen.
This week I talk with Justin McRoberts who is an author, speaker, and thought leader living out in the Bay Area. We cover some ground on this one! Justin's perspectives as a White male is good to engage with. His own resistance and journey has been an interesting one and this was a good conversation to have this week. As always, check it out. Oh, and we say shit a few times. So, there’s that.
Yup, we go in this week on racial reconciliation theologies. To back me up, I brought with me Daniel Camacho and together we team up on critically interrogating one of the most popular theological constructs around. This conversation is needed and before you go and get all sentimental on me, take a listen. Check out the arguments and listen to the break down. We don't throw the baby out with any dish water. But, we do examine a construct that we both believe is holding a lot of us, POC, back. So, as always, check it out!
We have overlooked the importance of what those labeled villains in the Bible can teach us. This week JR is back! He breaks down his new book's main premise, to explore the nuances of the bad folks throughout the Christian Bible. This is another solid theological episode, so, get your notebooks out, JR takes us on an overview of the missed aspects of those devilish characters.
EXPLICIT What happens when you get a missionary with some sarcasm, tattoos, lives in California, and could hold her own in an MMA ring...well, you get Jamie Wright. Jamie and I sit down to talk that wonderful machine called the mission field; where race, gender, money, colonialism, more money, and socio-economics all come to play themselves out. Jamie's experience as a missionary exposed her to a lot, and, now she's not only talking about it, she even wrote a book about it. This episode gon' be on as we go in on missiological components that need much changing. Take a listen!
Activism is a long, difficult, and often times lonely road. However, this week on Profane Faith, we have two folks who have been working together for the betterment of the community. Andre Johnson and Earle Fisher are two of Memphis' good ones. Working hard to bring down a racist monument, this conversation gets in on race, religion, Whiteness, and the complexity of racist monuments. This is a conversation long overdue but it is a great victory in an era where we're not seeing many wins. Go on click that link and take a listen.
Well, I figured it was about time we did a review on the film Black Panther. So, I brought my good friend Tamisha Tyler, soon to be Dr Tyler, and we go in. We talk religion, race, Killmonger, and how violence is shaped within the film. After the week a lot of us have had as POC we needed a trip to Wakanda and a non colonized embracement of Blackness. So, take a listen, Tamisha got them theology of culture skills!
This was a tough week. The colonizers getting on my last nerve. That's why I had to bring my good friend and brilliant mind, Kenji Kuramitsu. We're talking race, Christianity, de-colonizing minds, and what it means to be a conscious socially engaged POC in this here era. Kenji has an amazing story and one that is unique in that he is eager to push well beyond the borders of the colonized state of space. Kenji's uncanny way of placing theology and mysticism makes him a contemporary cultural theologian...or at least I think so! Join in, this week is good.
Well Theopoetics is finally here! I had a chance to sit down with two dynamic, amazing, brilliant, and theologically savvy women, Tuhina Rasche and Maya Camille. This conversation covers race, gender, class, zombies, and a wit only these two women can bring. Check it out. But note, this is not for the faint of ear! We do go in!
The conversation seems to have stalled on DACA and undocumented peoples here in the U.S. What's up with that? How has a historical unwillingness to address systemic inequality created the mess we're in now? Well, I can't say I have the answers, but this week on Profane Faith I have Sarah Quezada to speak on her new book which looks at this issue of immigration from a narrative perspective. Join in and check out this timely convo.
Star Wars is such a grand universe. But, a universe that big surely has to have some POC...right? I mean, maybe a purple alien or two? Well, this week I bring back Kate Sanchez to discuss race, gender, and socio-politics in the new episode of the Star Wars saga. Kate's genius insight brings to the surface some of the long standing racial issues the saga has struggled with. Hold on, our hyper-drives are warming up!
Dr. David Congdon and I sit down to discuss his faith journey, universalism, salvation in the trumpster era, & how race factors into our own theological lens. This a seminary class session y'all! So, go on and get those notebooks out and take some notes. Season 2 opens up with a solid bang!
Mark your calender's, season 2 is bout' to be on and lit! February 18, 2018, the good doc is back getting into all kinds of profanity with faith. Don't miss out on this new and exciting season!
The final episode of season 1 2017. Dan breaks down a brief overview of the inaugural year of Profane Faith and looks forward to 2018. We will return here in January 2018. Stay tuned and subscribed!
The Alabama special election purged some very interesting issues. Patriarchy. Sexism. White Evangelical support of an accused pedophile. What does all that even mean? How might us as POC respond to the results in which Black women overwhelmingly voted against Roy Moore? Well, join me this week as my guests are Irene Cho, Tamisha Tyler, and Latina Williams. We'll be discussing all this, and more!
Often times we tend to think of our religious training focused around a specific pedagogy or spiritual community. At times, that can lead us to a place of not being able to see the other. This week Dr. Gray takes us on a journey of what it is like to teach religious studies from a Black philosophical perspective. Hold on, this one is on fire!
What is going to change with White people? What is going to change with White institutions in an era of trump? Is it possible to change or it it time for POC to leave the empire? This week, I go in on some of these questions and look at the story of King Nebuchadnezzar. Some love of empire and king is going on these days!
Well, why not put the whole family on, right? Well, not really, but, my kid is growing up in a much different world than I did and I wanted to start that conversation here on this show. This week Mahalia and I are talking the basics, nothing too deep, but just enough to give you some insight into this kids life. Check it out as we look into the mind of a 10 year old
Gay. Christian. The two are rarely seen together and even more, many simply don't want to see them together. Come listen in on this much needed conversation with Darren Calhoun as we talk the intersections of faith.
What does a Quaker, White, cis, male have to say about allyship, the arts, race, and faith? Well, a lot actually. This week we go in again on what White allyship looks like with Callid Keefe-Perry. Callid takes a pragmatic and scholarly approach while still pressing on in the reality of racism.
White allies have been in the news and in peoples conversations a lot. So, what and who are they? Well, while this episode is not a pitch to make that case for someone, it is an insider conversation with someone I consider to be my ally, my wife. That's right, this week my wife, Emily White Hodge, go in on love, race, and faith! It's on now!
EXPLICIT. Why are certain Black people protesting the flag? Why does Colin take a knee? And how does Evangelicalism play into all this? Come join me in a conversation with an emerging post-soul theologian, Josiah Daniels to go in on all this and more!
What is the journey of the Black scholar? How does race, class, & gender affect the process? This week we have a discussion about that and many other things with emerging scholar Travis Harris. We go in on faith, research, and of course, Hip Hop.
Doing the right thing is subjective. Moreover, doing the right thing often comes attached with race, gender, and historical ideologies regarding how to do the 'right thing' as a x-tian. This conversation goes in on what this all means being male, Mexican, and still pursuing Jesus.
In this special edition of Profane Faith, we continue the conversation about race, gender, class, faith, and the Las Vegas terrorist act with Kathy Khang.
The terrorist attack in Las Vegas was horrible. No one should die like that. Yet, there are greater factors involved that include race, gender, class, and of course, faith. Join in on this very important conversation with Dr. Andre Johnson as he deconstructs rhetoric and race.
What does it mean to be Latinx, trans, Christian, and a voice for justice in the trumpster era? Dr. Robyn Espinoza breaks that down and gets at the issues of race, gender, class, and faith.
What does an atheist really thing? Tell me that. And could they actually be of moral fiber? Hmmm. Well, this conversation is with a great thinker and atheist, Kate Sanchez. Check it out.
What does it mean when your theological highway runs out on you and you have cracks in your faith? Join me in this deep conversation with pastor, author, and good friend, JR Forasteros as we talk about when cracks show up in our faith
Law and order. Something that many do not have a clue on and even more could care less about when it involved Black bodies. Come listen in on a conversation with former law enforcement officer, Mark Skiles
Colonialism and faith go hand in hand in Western Christianity. Come listen in on Brandi Miller discuss her own de-colonizing journey and what she does to help folks de-colonize their own minds.
A great conversation with Rev Efrem Smith on race, evangelicalism, White run mission organizations, and God.
Check this episode out as I have an amazing conversation with Rediet Mulugeta an emerging scholar, activist, and theologian.
Join me in this episode while I have an intriguing conversation with the Rev. Greer. A faith like this, is definitely profane but in all the right ways!
In this episode, I interview my good friend Joseph Boston. His faith is one that has been disrupted...in a real good way. Living in Australia has given Joseph a unique perspective and also help craft his faith. Check it out! NOTE: This is a long one, but it's good!
Well Hodge gets in the hot seat and pours out his own faith journey. Now you can see what made him who he is and how he ended up, well, like this. Bear with this, it's long, but so worth it.
An introduction to Profane Faith. This episode lays out what the series will be about and what the overall premise of this podcast is. Thanks for listening.