Make Church Churchy Again: Justice, Pentecostalism & the Sacraments

Decolonizing Christian Zionism: A Palestinian Christian Perspective with Dr. Daniel Bannoura

Contrary to the news cycles and narratives of Empire, Palestinian women, children and families (including Palestinian Christians) are still being bombed in Gaza and subject to settler colonial violence in the West Bank region of Palestine right now. I’m joined by Dr. Daniel Bannoura [https://substack.com/profile/8245435-daniel-bannoura], Palestinian theologian and Director of Public Engagement at the Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice (BIPJ [https://substack.com/profile/479388675-bipj])! Tune in as we talk about how Decolonizing Christian Zionism means completely dismantling the ‘software’ of Christian Zionism that’s deeply embedded across the western church - software directly supporting the hardware of bombs being dropped (to borrow from the language of Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb). Listen to this conversation on your own or with someone and then join the work of Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice [https://open.substack.com/pub/bipj] by becoming a monthly donor here [http://bipj.org/donate/] to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian Church as they resist Empire. It’s been an honour for me to be a monthly donor with BIPJ myself in addition to serving on their Advisor’s Circle over the past few months. So I’m not inviting you into something I don’t do myself. Then, wrestle with the Spirit on how what else you can do to show solidarity with our Palestinian siblings - including possibly taking courses with Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice [https://open.substack.com/pub/bipj] via St. Stephen’s University here [https://www.ssu.ca/ma-in-peace-and-justice] through our MA & Certificate in Peace and Justice programs. Get full access to Masala Chai Theology with Father Joash at joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe [https://joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Decolonizing Evangelical Missions with Dr. Holly Berkley Fletcher

One of the things I get asked about the most (not just online but also at in-person speaking engagements) is what it looks like for us to decolonize Christian (specifically, evangelical) missions work. The first step to this decolonizing work is to reckon with the damaging impact of western evangelical missions - not just on the Global South but also on the western church. Dr. Holly Berkley Fletcher [https://substack.com/profile/73326487-holly-berkley-fletcher] (author of The Missionary Kids [https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Kids-Unmasking-Myths-Evangelicalism/dp/B0DR62DHVR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y1MQS9691HSV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p3t8yThuv34rOYQ6WwmwQsJMHKi3vB9l-O9w7jJzCioGjksKqWUjnV9sUCdcsOMLRZZwfxfoYOs_VvYlxbJ8Ue6vRSRZFdbCSxr6Ys4Rnjl456E3Y6zYiZgIzZ38aT1spWkQwrywJm37L6JiuL6i-t_hRYrVd136SU-ACRixLT-LZri3Yfvp3kKNuT8CkKEDZdg67meSYo3mR8Xukpqgwrz3NZDJTmA8vPU-pU0itxs.1L8s7bbuweSIvmUHc5V1SyTY6chrRlbvLybH7wXNOjQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Missionary+Kids&qid=1778180324&sprefix=the+missionary+ki%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-1]) speaks and writes from the perspective of a historian, essayist, and former intelligence analyst. She was raised in Kenya by missionary parents. She earned a PhD in American history and taught in universities for several years before being hired as an Africa analyst by the Central Intelligence Agency, where she worked for nineteen years. She writes the Substack A Zebra Without Stripes [https://open.substack.com/pub/hollyberkleyfletcher]. Her award-winning book, The Missionary Kids: Unmasking The Myths of White Evangelicalism [https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Kids-Unmasking-Myths-Evangelicalism/dp/B0DR62DHVR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y1MQS9691HSV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p3t8yThuv34rOYQ6WwmwQsJMHKi3vB9l-O9w7jJzCioGjksKqWUjnV9sUCdcsOMLRZZwfxfoYOs_VvYlxbJ8Ue6vRSRZFdbCSxr6Ys4Rnjl456E3Y6zYiZgIzZ38aT1spWkQwrywJm37L6JiuL6i-t_hRYrVd136SU-ACRixLT-LZri3Yfvp3kKNuT8CkKEDZdg67meSYo3mR8Xukpqgwrz3NZDJTmA8vPU-pU0itxs.1L8s7bbuweSIvmUHc5V1SyTY6chrRlbvLybH7wXNOjQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Missionary+Kids&qid=1778180324&sprefix=the+missionary+ki%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-1] is a truly excellent read and I’ll be including it as a recommended reading in my Jesus, Justice & Empire course [http://ssu.ca/summerschool] at St. Stephen’s University this summer. You can get your copy here [https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Kids-Unmasking-Myths-Evangelicalism/dp/B0DR62DHVR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y1MQS9691HSV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p3t8yThuv34rOYQ6WwmwQsJMHKi3vB9l-O9w7jJzCioGjksKqWUjnV9sUCdcsOMLRZZwfxfoYOs_VvYlxbJ8Ue6vRSRZFdbCSxr6Ys4Rnjl456E3Y6zYiZgIzZ38aT1spWkQwrywJm37L6JiuL6i-t_hRYrVd136SU-ACRixLT-LZri3Yfvp3kKNuT8CkKEDZdg67meSYo3mR8Xukpqgwrz3NZDJTmA8vPU-pU0itxs.1L8s7bbuweSIvmUHc5V1SyTY6chrRlbvLybH7wXNOjQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Missionary+Kids&qid=1778180324&sprefix=the+missionary+ki%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-1] or wherever you buy your books / audiobooks! If you enjoyed this and other similar conversations on Masala Chai Theology, would you consider partnering with my work as a Paid Subscriber? Less than 2 percent of my overall Substack Subscribers are Paid Subscribers. In fact, I’m only 9 Paid Subscribers away from hitting 2 percent! I’d love to get this up to 3 percent or even 4 percent this year - especially with Substack now being my second most consistent source of income. Paid Subscribers partner with my work by making space for me to share more contemplative (and slightly theologically spicy) conversations and reflections like this - to ultimately stretch our imaginations in ancient, precolonial, and Empire-resisting ways that benefit all our marginalized neighbours. Someone who recently upgraded to being a Paid Subscriber shared how much they appreciate the way my content bridges academic wisdom with everyday Christian living. I’d be so grateful for your support as a Paid Subscriber! Masala Chai Theology with Fr. Joash P. Thomas is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. As sidekicks to their parents’ and churches’ ambitions, missionary kids (MKs) face questions many white Christians eventually ask: about God’s calling, sacrifice, faith, privilege, racism, abuse, and what belonging means. In The Missionary Kids, Fletcher reveals how MKs have intimate access to the movement’s logic, longings, and ideals. With penetrating research, sly wit, and an empathic gaze, Fletcher lays bare complicated emotions and troublesome truths. She investigates how calling, multiculturalism, saints, and indispensability can distract white American Christians from their own tradition’s sins and failures. Drawing on her experience as a Southern Baptist MK in Kenya, on conversations with other missionary kids, and on the work of psychologists, historians, missiologists, and researchers, Fletcher paints an intricate portrait of family life on the front lines of the missionary movement. From boarding school to war zones, and from sexual assault by adult missionaries to fending for themselves so as not to distract from the work of the Lord, MKs bear the weight of their parents’ choices and their churches’ ideals. Fletcher delves into the “missionary industrial complex” that shapes the lives of missionary families, listening to MKs speak of the vexing, wordless longing for the places they’ve lived. For many years, few people sought out MKs’ real voices. God had called their parents to do great things, so the kids were beside the point. But the children of missionaries are beneficiaries of evangelicalism’s rewards and victims of its failings. Get full access to Masala Chai Theology with Father Joash at joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe [https://joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Make Church Churchy Again: Justice, Pentecostalism & the Sacraments

A little over three years ago, in one of the most challenging seasons of life and ministry, I had dinner in Calgary, AB with Fr. David S Harvey [https://substack.com/profile/58754530-david-s-harvey] where I invited his wisdom and guidance. I remember him saying to me, “I wonder if you should be discerning the priesthood too. I can tell you love the Church and the work you do in the justice space is lonely. I think you need a clergy community to sustain you in ministry.” Three years later, this February, Fr. David bore witness to my ordination into the priesthood as one of my priest mentors. There wouldn’t be a ‘Father Joash’ today if it weren’t for Father David seeing a priest in me and inviting me to discern the priesthood. Turns out, the priesthood is exactly what I need to ground me in my ministry as a public theologian, author, and itinerant minister today. As I say in my endorsement for his forthcoming book (A Fire in Our Ears [https://a.co/d/0fJxGj54]), Rev. Dr. David Harvey has been one of the most profound theological influences on my life and gets key real estate in the acknowledgments section of my book (The Justice of Jesus [https://linktr.ee/joashpthomas]) for exactly this reason. Needless to say, it was so great having Fr. David on Masala Chai Theology alongside his Associate Teaching Pastor, Cody Matchett [https://substack.com/profile/101889383-cody-matchett], a brilliant Bible scholar and co-author of Revelation for the Rest of Us [https://a.co/d/0gbNmdle] alongside Dr. Scot McKnight [https://substack.com/profile/27107797-scot-mcknight] and a PhD candidate under Dr. Michael F. Bird [https://substack.com/profile/31255712-michael-f-bird]. Watch this conversation as Fr. David, Pastor Cody, and I unpack our Pentecostal heritage and connect it with our journeys towards Jesus and justice through the ancient sacraments of the Global Church. I get to have a lot of special conversations with a lot of incredible folks at Masala Chai Theology but this had to be the most spirited conversation I’ve ever had here - something reflected in the spirited chat room. If you enjoyed this unique conversation, do get Fr. David and Pastor Cody’s newly released book, Hearing in the Dark: Reflections on Christian Spiritual Formation [https://a.co/d/071jAK0J] which has more convergence, justice-oriented and Pentecostal-sacramental wisdom from them like this. What questions do you have for us as you watch this? PS: Paid Subscribers allow me to keep unique Masala Chai Theology conversations like this free and accessible to all by contributing towards key life expenses and ministry costs. If this conversation blessed you, would you consider becoming a Paid Subscriber today? Less than 2% of my overall subscribers are Paid Subscribers and I’d love to see that go up to 3% - especially in this season of key ministry transitions where I’m taking a significant pay cut to make more time for deep writing, speaking and teaching work like this. Thank you in advance for your ministry partnership! Masala Chai Theology with Fr. Joash P. Thomas is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Masala Chai Theology with Father Joash at joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe [https://joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Masala Chai Theology: Decolonizing Christian Zionism with Dr. Mark Braverman

Such an enlightening conversation with Dr. Mark Braverman, an internationally renowned peacemaker who grew up Jewish and was introduced to Jesus by Palestinian Christians persevering under the boot of Empire. We discuss how Christian Zionism (the number one theological killer / software of Palestinians - including Palestinian Christians and children) is anti-semitic and colonial in its roots. To learn more from Dr. Braverman’s wisdom on this very relevant topic, you can take his summer school course [http://ssu.ca/summerschool] at St. Stephen’s University this May, titled ‘Zionism, the Church’s Colonial Legacy, and the Palestinian Call’. Register here [http://ssu.ca/summerschool]! Course description: With Palestine as the entry point, we will focus on the church's struggle to reclaim the core of the gospel given its historical entanglement with colonialism and Empire. We will train a critical theory lens on Christian Zionism in light of the philojudaic revisionism that theologians and church leaders have undertaken in the post-holocaust era. We will enter deeply into the kairos theology of the South African church struggle and the flowering of Palestinian kairos theology, and understand the weapon-ization of antisemitism in the context of Christian nationalism through the lenses of scripture, public theology & church history. You can also follow along with Mark Braverman [https://substack.com/profile/619720-mark-braverman] on his newly launched Substack for more of his insights and wisdom. Get full access to Masala Chai Theology with Father Joash at joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe [https://joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Masala Chai Theology: Bonhoeffer, AI & Liberation Theology with Dr. Jon Coutts

Hey friends - I wanted to introduce to you my dear friend - Canadian theologian and pastor, Dr. Jon Coutts [https://substack.com/profile/40888454-jon-coutts] who is teaching some fascinating courses on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and AI’s connexus with Empire / Authoritarianism at St. Stephen’s University’s (SSU) Summer School program this Summer - two timely courses for our time that are sure to open up your worlds! SSU Summer School [https://www.ssu.ca/summerschool] is online and open to anyone who wants to audit or take a class for graduate level credit. Do watch this conversation and sign up here [https://www.ssu.ca/summerschool] whenever you’re ready. Here are the course descriptions for the two courses: Theology in Turmoil: The Life and Thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer This is a study of the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as it grew against the grain of early twentieth century German nationalism and American racism. Through lectures and text discussions, students will learn about Bonhoeffer’s historical context and his political theology, thereby enabling them to consider how they engage the world today. DATES: MAY 17 – AUGUST 8, 2026 A.I. vs Humanity: A Theology of Technology This is a study of the theologies of humanity and of technology through the lens of modern developments in AI, or Artificial Intelligence. The particular AI in view will be that of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs), analyzed in light of theological anthropology, disability theology, and political theology. DATES: MAY 17 – AUGUST 8, 2026 About Dr. Jon Coutts: Jon Coutts lives in Calgary where he has pastored and taught theology in a leading seminary for many years. Prior to this, he pastored churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and most recently taught ethics in England. He is the author of the SCM Studyguide to Church Leadership and of A Shared Mercy, a book on forgiveness in the church published with IVP. Get full access to Masala Chai Theology with Father Joash at joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe [https://joashpthomas.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]