Hope for Justice

011 Thorns and Thrones

This episode is about a nightmare you may resonate with. Who is the new Jesus? Let's talk.

010 The Great Reformation of the American Church

This episode is the final project for DMIN 950 "In Search of Good Community,"  a course in the Doctoral program at Drew University Theological School. Abstract: Christian nationalism has become a prominent force in American public life, despite its inherent contradiction to the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose ministry sought to liberate humanity from the oppressive structures of empire. This ideological dissonance has proven both revelatory and harmful, illuminating aspects of Christ’s message while simultaneously undermining the credibility and effectiveness of evangelism. This study aims to critically examine the roots and ramifications of this theo-political movement, engage with leading voices in mission and ministry to explore potential responses, and propose a framework for a “Great Reformation” of the American Church. The ultimate goal is to cultivate communities grounded in justice, compassion, and the authentic message of the Gospel. Bibliography Backhouse, Stephen. Kierkegaard’s Critique of Christian Nationalism. Oxford University Press, 2011. Borg, Marcus J. The HEART of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. Benjamin Cremer (@Brcremer), “Beware of any Christian movement that demands the government be an instrument of God’s wrath but never a source of God’s charity, mercy, or compassion.” Twitter (now X), August 14, 2024, 1:01 p.m., https://x.com/Brcremer/status/1823766830814724212 [https://x.com/Brcremer/status/1823766830814724212].  Felski, Rita. "Context Stinks!" New Literary History. 42, no. 4 (2011): 573–91.  doi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_(identifier)]:10.1353/nlh.2011.0045 [https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fnlh.2011.0045]. S2CID [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)] 201779165 [https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:201779165]. Koch, Bradley A. “The Prosperity Gospel and Economic Prosperity: Race, Class, Giving, and Voting.” PhD Diss., Indiana University, 2009. https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/6b2c4fe9-d3dc-485d-82e2-afa6b58fa5a5/content [https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/6b2c4fe9-d3dc-485d-82e2-afa6b58fa5a5/content].  James, Brett, Lindsey, Hillary and Sampson, Gordie. "Jesus, Take the Wheel." Track 4 on Some Hearts, Arista Records/19 Recordings, 2005, Spotify playlist. McMillan, John Mark. "How He Loves." Track 11 on The Song Inside the Sounds of Breaking Down. Integrity's Hosanna! Music, 2005, Spotify playlist.  Okesson, Gregg. A Public Missiology: How Local Churches Witness to a Complex World. Baker Academic, 2020. Sherkat, Darren E., Derek Lehman, and Nabil Bill Julkif. “Mooring Christian Nationalism: How Religious Institutions, Participation, and Beliefs Inform Christian Nationalism.” The Sociological Quarterly 65, no. 2 (2023): 269–88. doi:10.1080/00380253.2023.2263495 [https://www.informahealthcare.com/doi/permissions/10.1080/00380253.2023.2263495?scroll=top]. Smith, James K.A. How (Not) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. Sturm, Tristan. “The Christian Right, Eschatology, and Americanism: A Commentary on Gerhardt.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 26, no. 5, (2008): 929-934. https://doi.org/10.1068/d7807a [https://doi.org/10.1068/d7807a].  Whitehead, A.L. and Perry, S.L. “Is a “Christian America” a More Patriarchal America? Religion,  Politics, and Traditionalist Gender Ideology.” Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue canadienne de sociologie, 56 (2019): 151-177. https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12241 [https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12241].

007 Book Club | The chosen but at 5 “thai spice” level #IYKYK

This is the seventh episode of the podcast chronicling our journey through the book Sacred Tension by Willam P. Brown. Feel free to join our book club and follow along at any time. In this episode, Willy and Rachel discuss Chapter 7.

006 Book Club | "Your music is mid and your offerings are janky"

This is the sixth episode of the podcast chronicling our journey through the book Sacred Tension by Willam P. Brown. Feel free to join our book club and follow along at any time. In this episode, Liz and Rachel discuss Chapter 6.

005 Book Club | Wisdom and discerning a LaBubu from a LaFufu (or a LaDudu)

This is the fifth podcast in our Book Club series for Sacred Tension by Willam P. Brown. The book club starts on June 5th, 2025. Register here: www.hopemlumc.com/hopeforjustice. In this episode, Rachel summarizes and obsesses over Chapter 5.