A Church That Listens with Sebastian Gomes

R2R Season 2 Drop Teaser

BIG NEWS: Season 2 of Religion to Reality drops all at once on 7/13—no more weekly waits. Subscribe now Join us on Substack (http://religiontoreality.substack.com) for our free interfaith monthly gathering—first Wed of every month, including today!

The Practice of Repair with Rabbis Danya Ruttenberg and Paul Sidlofsky

QUICK SUMMARY What if our culture's obsession with forgiveness is actually getting in the way of healing? In this rich conversation, award-winning author and Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg challenges popular forgiveness culture, arguing that the real obligation falls on the person who caused harm, not the person who survived it. She walks us through the Jewish framework for repentance, repair, and amends (drawing on Maimonides) and unpacks why "cancel culture" and "forgiveness culture" are two sides of the same broken coin. We also hear from Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel Tallahassee, who brings a deeply thoughtful perspective on disagreement within Judaism, the living nature of Torah interpretation, and how to hold tradition and change in creative tension. If you've ever wrestled with whether you have to forgive someone or wondered what accountability actually looks like, this episode is for you. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE On forgiveness: Forgiveness is not something a harmed person owes; it may be healing, but it is not obligatory, especially when the person who caused harm has not done the work of repair. Forgiveness and reconciliation are also not the same thing. On repentance (per Maimonides): The person who caused harm must (1) fully own what they did, (2) do deep internal work to become someone who wouldn't repeat the harm, (3) make meaningful amends, and (4) apologize sincerely, up to three times, with an accountability team, before it can be considered their best effort. On Torah: Jewish tradition has always been one of living interpretation. As Rabbi Sidlofsky puts it, "Halakha has a vote, but not a veto." Even Moses, in the famous Talmudic story, sat in Rabbi Akiva's classroom and couldn't understand his own books because the tradition had grown so richly beyond the original text. ABOUT RABBI DANYA RUTTENBERG & RABBI PAUL SIDLOFSKY Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is the award-winning author of eight books and writes at lifeisasacredtext.com [https://lifeisasacredtext.com]. Named by Newsweek as a "rabbi to watch" and recognized by the Center for American Progress as a faith leader to watch, she has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, TIME, and many other major publications. Her commentary has appeared on NPR, CNN, NBC News, and Good Morning America. She led the Network of Rabbis for Repro during and after the landmark 2022 Supreme Court decision on abortion law and has played an active role in shaping Jewish responses to sexual misconduct and systemic injustice. Her book On Repentance and Repair is a must-read for anyone thinking about accountability culture. Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky brings 38 years of congregational experience across the United States and Canada. Currently based in Tallahassee, Florida, he serves Temple Israel and is deeply engaged in interfaith work, including co-chairing the Cap Tallahassee Interfaith Clergy Council and participating in the God Squad with the Village Square. He is a warm and thoughtful voice on Torah interpretation, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and what it means to build an inclusive community. MEMORABLE QUOTE "If you cause harm, you have an obligation to clean it up — to truly own it fully in all the ways. And if you are harmed and your harm-doer has not done the work of repair and amends, you do not owe this person forgiveness at all." — Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg RESOURCES MENTIONED * On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg — her book on the Jewish roadmap for accountability * ✍️ Rabbi Danya's Substack: lifeisasacredtext.com [https://lifeisasacredtext.com] * Temple Israel Tallahassee: search "Temple Israel Tallahassee" for their website and contact * Maimonides' Laws of Repentance (referenced throughout — the 12th-century framework Rabbi Danya draws on) * Previous episode: Amy-Jill Levine on the Jewish Jesus — if you missed it, go back and listen * Next episode: Dalia Mogahed on Islam — one of the top TED Talks of 2016

The Jewish Jesus with Amy-Jill Levine

QUICK SUMMARY What does it mean to take the Incarnation seriously? According to AJ Levine, one of the most respected scholars of New Testament and Jewish Studies in the world, it means taking seriously the time, the place, and the people who first told those stories, and that starts with understanding the Jewish Jesus. In this episode, hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with AJ Levine for a conversation that is by turns surprising, funny, and deeply illuminating. Whether you're a lifelong Christian, a curious skeptic, or someone navigating the space between traditions, this episode will change the way you read the Gospels. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE * How a seven-year-old Jewish girl decided to attend catechism and why it launched a career * Why understanding Jesus's Jewish identity is actually a matter of Christian doctrine * The woman at the well: why she's not a sinner, and why that matters * The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and why making Judaism the villain misses the entire point * What "Abba" actually means (and what it doesn't) * How the same parable reads completely differently in Russia, Australia, Kenya, and the U.S. * Why true interfaith dialogue requires disagreement — not a "kumbaya moment" * What AJ does while listening to podcasts (it involves knitting) ABOUT AMY JILL LEVINE AJ Levine is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Worthen Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of the Seelisberg Prize for Jewish-Christian Relations and the H. Walter Award for Interfaith Cooperation, and the incoming president of the Catholic Biblical Association for 2026–2027. Her books include: * The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus * Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi * The Jewish Annotated New Testament (co-edited with Marc Brettler) * The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently (with Marc Brettler) * Jesus for Everyone: Not Just for Christians * And many more, including the Beginner's Guide series and six children's books with Sandy Sasso AJ describes herself as "an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue", someone who works to counter biblical interpretations that oppress and exclude. MEMORABLE QUOTE "The best outcome of this type of conversation is you become a better you because you're more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your own tradition. You can interrogate your own tradition with questions that you might not have posed — because they're questions that somebody from the outside would see that you would not see." — AJ Levine RESOURCES MENTIONED * The Jewish Annotated New Testament [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-jewish-annotated-new-testament-9780190461850] — 3rd edition coming August 2025 * The Bible With and Without Jesus [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-bible-with-and-without-jesus-amy-jill-levinemar-brettler] — AJ Levine & Marc Brettler * Short Stories by Jesus [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/short-stories-by-jesus-amy-jill-levine] — The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi * Nostra Aetate [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html] — The Vatican II document on Jewish-Christian relations (60th anniversary, October 2025) * Previous episode: Gabriel Reynolds on Islam and "disagreeing well" in interfaith dialogue Samaritans still offering Passover sacrifices on Mount Gerizim — a living tradition

Gold in the Desert with Frederica Mathewes-Green

QUICK SUMMARY What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Can ordinary people actually do it? In this episode of Religion to Reality, prolific author and Orthodox Christian writer Frederica Mathewes-Green shares her remarkable spiritual journey: from a devout Catholic childhood to atheistic hippie, to a dramatic conversion in a Dublin church, to 50+ years of daily unceasing prayer. She also opens up about leaving the Episcopal Church, the beauty of Orthodox liturgy, and why she believes spiritual loneliness is one of the great unspoken crises of our time. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE  * How a young Catholic woman lost her faith, explored Eastern religions, and unexpectedly encountered Christ in Dublin. * Federica’s dramatic conversion experience and the voice she believes changed her life. * How Federica and Gregory’s marriage became a path back to faith from atheism to the priesthood. * Why liberal theology accelerated church decline and weakened belief in core Christian teachings. * Gregory’s journey from Episcopal priest to Orthodox priest after leaving an increasingly secular church. * Why they left Catholicism for Orthodoxy and what liturgical worship revealed about humanity’s need for transcendence. * What God’s detailed instructions for worship in Exodus teach us about icons, beauty, and sacred art today. * The difference between liturgy and worship, and why Orthodox worship centers entirely on God. * The Jesus Prayer: its origins, spiritual benefits, and Federica’s practical guide to praying it. * What nearly 50 years of daily 3:00 AM prayer has taught Gregory about discipline and devotion. * Catholic diversity vs. Orthodox unity, and why reunion between the two traditions is more complex than it seems. * Federica’s advice on listening well, asking better questions, and meeting the deep human need to be heard. ABOUT FEDERICA MATHEWS-GREEN Frederica Mathewes-Green is one of the most prolific voices in American Christian writing, with over 800 published essays and 11 books to her name. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, The Wall Street Journal, First Things, and Smithsonian. She has been a commentator for NPR, a podcaster for Ancient Faith Radio, and a consultant for VeggieTales. A sought-after speaker, she has delivered more than 600 presentations at institutions including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell, and has been interviewed over 800 times by outlets including NPR, PBS, Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. She holds an honorary Doctor of Letters from King University and lives in Johnson City, Tennessee with her husband, the Reverend Gregory Mathewes-Green. They have three grown children and 15 grandchildren. MEMORABLE QUOTE “Stay alive and keep praying. In time, it becomes second nature, and you realize that He is responding when you invoke His name, and you sense that communion with Him.” — Frederica Mathewes-Green RESOURCES MENTIONED * The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence: The foundational devotional book on unceasing prayer that shaped Frederica’s prayer life. She first read it as a young Christian. * The Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”): Developed by the Desert Fathers from the 2nd century onward; rooted in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (“Pray without ceasing”). * 1 Thessalonians 5:17: The scriptural basis for the practice of unceasing prayer, which Paul also addressed to the Romans, Ephesians, and Colossians. * Exodus 25: God’s detailed instructions to Moses for building the Tabernacle — gold, embroidery, bells, pomegranates, and carved cherubim — Frederica’s go-to passage on the importance of sacred beauty. * Feminists for Life: The pro-life organization where Frederica served as vice president beginning in 1989, which launched her public writing and speaking career. * Ancient Faith Radio: The Orthodox Christian podcast network where Frederica has been a podcaster. * Jonathan Pageau: Iconographer and cultural commentator; mutual friend of Frederica’s and Jordan Peterson’s, who connected them at Frederica’s childhood church in Charleston. * The Anglican Ordinariate: The Catholic structure that received Anglican clergy and congregations; now shepherds Frederica’s childhood parish, St. Mary’s in Charleston, preserving its historic beauty.

The Practice of Accompaniment with Josh Packard

QUICK SUMMARY What if listening to someone isn't just a bridge to telling them something, but is itself a formative, sacred act? Sociologist and researcher Josh Packard returns to Religion to Reality to unpack groundbreaking data on the intersection of faith and listening, challenge Catholics to truly live out the concept of accompaniment, and offer an honest outside-in assessment of where the Church is falling short, and where it's quietly thriving. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE * Why two-thirds of people say listening shaped their faith, but the Church has invested almost nothing in ministries of listening * The difference between knowing the Catholic concept of accompaniment and actually doing it * How over-professionalized youth ministry has quietly outsourced the most important relationships * Why the digital missionary space may be the most significant untapped opportunity in Catholic outreach * What "cultural Catholics" might actually be getting right that formal church structures are missing ABOUT JOSH PACKARD Josh Packard is a sociologist of religion and the founder of Future of Faith, a research and consulting organization helping churches move from institutional ministry to relational ministry at scale. He is a former sociology professor and co-founder of Springtide Research Institute, and has also served at the National Catholic Educational Association. His work includes the Sacred Listening Study, to his knowledge, the only research in the world examining the intersection of faith formation and listening, as well as the recently released book Faithful Futures. Josh is a Lutheran who has built his career crossing denominational boundaries to serve Catholic, Protestant, and ecumenical audiences alike. MEMORABLE QUOTE "I don't think you can understand what we mean when we say listening is sacred if you do not feel like you have a God who has listened to you, and that you've also listened to." — Josh Packard RESOURCES MENTIONED * Future of Faith — futureoffaith.org [https://futureoffaith.org] * Relational Discipleship White Paper — futureoffaith.org/relationaldiscipleship [https://futureoffaith.org/relationaldiscipleship] * Sacred Listening Tools (free download) — available at futureoffaith.org * Book: Faithful Futures by Josh Packard * Every Student Sent — ministry connecting high school graduates to campus believers in their first week of college (based in Texas) * Springtide Research Institute — springtideresearch.org [https://springtideresearch.org] * Religion to Reality Season 1 with Josh Packard — available in the back catalog and as a bonus episode * John Gribowich's Substack: Going Analog — johngribowich.substack.com [https://johngribowich.substack.com/]