|
ARTISTFIRST IS THE REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ARTISTFIRST, INC. |
|
Listen LIVE in 3 Different Formats
Most non-Android cell phones can use MP3 and OGG links above. Android link also works on most cell phones of any make. PAST SHOWS & PODCASTS ARE BELOW |
~ New Shows LIVE Second Wednesdays 8pm Eastern Time ~
Hear All Past Shows Below
Today in America, many Christians feel disillusioned as they watch the faith they hold dear being used to further a worldly political agenda. It is as if our religion has been taken hostage: forcibly wedded to a particular political ideology or economic system, or stripped down to a couple of hot-button issues, like abortion and same-sex marriage, as though to oppose these alone were the sum of our faith. Ironically, in our efforts to “take back America,” we have ourselves been taken captive by the prevailing culture and politics of imperialism, greed, racism, and xenophobia that surround us. And so the struggle for the soul of a nation has also become a struggle for the soul of the church. How can we regain a political voice that is neither power-hungry nor passive, neither conservative nor liberal, but simply Christ-like in its concern for justice and the poor?
|
|
Host S. J. Munson is a retired pastor, as well as a writer and Bible teacher. He received a B.A. in English from Princeton University, along with a prize for fiction. His call to full-time ministry came while he was working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. He went on to receive an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, with a concentration in New Testament Greek. His novel The Treasure of Israel (2011) tracks the fate of the ancient treasure of the Jerusalem Temple as well as the Evangelical response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His most recent book, Christ Held Hostage: The Hijacking of American Christianity (2013), describes how the church can move beyond partisan politics and narrow “hot-button” Christianity to a broader, more Christ-like agenda that seeks a more just society for all.
Contact
Pastor Munson:
MajoringintheMajors@gmail.com |
~ Books by Pastor SJ Munson ~
|
The Treasure of Israel
|
The Hijacking of American Christianity
|
PAST SHOW ARCHIVES/PODCASTS
2 Ways to listen to pat shows:
1. Click DATE to "Stream" show (it will play like the radio) or . . .
2. "Right Click" on DATE then select "Save Target As" (or similar "Save Link" etc.) and a copy of the show will download to your device.
Give Us Barabbas!
In honor of Good Friday and Easter, which we recently celebrated, host SJ Munson reads an original short story, which gives us a front-row seat to the Passion Narrative, particularly tracking a man named Barabbas, a notorious terrorist who somehow finds his destiny inextricably linked to that of another man they called Jesus of Nazareth.
How to Interpret the Bible Responsibly
Many people open the Bible and immediately get confused. What is it talking about? Who is talking here and why? Is this one book or 66 books under one cover? Should I take this passage literally? Others try to apply it straight away and get bogged down because they've skipped a very important first step. Believe it or not, the Bible was intended to make sense. Join us as we talk about some very simple and logical steps for how to interpret the Bible responsibly.
God's Kingdom Economy: Learning to Give Generously
Have you ever wondered why it seems God gives some people great wealth and
others virtually nothing? Why is it that so often the more people have, the more
selfish they are? What does the Bible say about the unequal distribution of
wealth? What is the New Testament's standard for giving? Tithing? Beyond
tithing? In this broadcast we'll talk about these and other questions and find
out what it means to be generous. (No, this is not an appeal for donations!
There will be no such appeal on this or any of my broadcasts.)
The Co-opting of Christ: All This and Heaven, Too?
Loving Our Enemies
Although we always ask our closest loved-ones what they want for Christmas,
ironically, it's the Birthday-Boy himself who often goes without. What do you
get the Son of God, who has everything, for Christmas? Well, the answer may
surprise us. For each of us, this may mean something different, but could it
have something to do with forgiving our enemies, a message which is at the very
heart of Christ's gospel?
Part 2: Hastening Armageddon? What's Behind the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Hastening Armageddon? What's Behind the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Reducing the Threat of Islamic Terrorism Worldwide: A Christian Perspective
As we mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, we look at the growth of Islamic terrorism and ask the question "why?" Where does it come from and what does it have to do with Western colonialism? Since we claim to be a "Christian nation," what would it look like if the U.S. took a more decidedly Christian approach to combat terrorism?
Vested Interest
What would you do if you knew that one of the products you buy regularly is produced using unfair labor practices, such as sweatshop labor or even slavery? Do you have investments or retirement accounts? Do you know how these monies are invested? Do you know where the clothing you buy comes from and how it is produced? What would happen if we considered that every purchase we make, from T-shirts to 401(k)s, makes a statement regarding how we care about people.
The following websites can help you get started on your way to ethical
purchasing:
https://www.greenamerica.org/
http://www.ussif.org/
https://faastinternational.org/
Thermostat Christianity
In his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (1963), the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. wrote, There was a time when the church was very
powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being
deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the
church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and
principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed
the mores of society.
The white evangelical church in America is generous; we're good at
giving things to the poor. We have food ministries, we send
missionaries overseas to dig wells and build schools. We forget,
however, that in addition to giving to the poor, God also requires
us to speak up on behalf of the poor and to work to undo systemic
injustices. Why does the church seem to be more of a lapdog for the
status quo instead of a champion of justice? What would happen if
the church today really began speaking out against injustice and
working to create a just society for all?
Did Jesus Rage against the Machine?
Is it ever justifiable from a biblical perspective to rebel against
authority. Should Christians ever engage in violence or take up arms
against their own government? Did Jesus ever "rage against the
machine"? These are all valid questions and very pertinent today now
that both our Constitution and our democracy are under threat and
many Christians are being weaponized by propaganda to promote
fascist goals. What does the Bible have to say about this, and, more
particularly, from a New Testament standpoint, what does Jesus say?
|
|
Parenting and Climate Change: Being a Good Parent in a Changing World Dr. Elizabeth Cripps, PhD.
|
|
The Last Straw
Anger and Christianity may seem to have little in common, and yet
there are times when I believe we are meant to get angry, especially
at the injustices around us. Have you ever experienced a "last
straw" moment? Many of the heroes in the Bible did. Where did they
draw the line?
|
|
March 8, 2023 Show Kristen A. Jenson How to Keep Our Kids Safe from Internet Porn As with so many areas of digital media, new
technology continues to develop faster than our society’s
ability to cope with it. This is certainly true with the area
of internet pornography. It is estimated that the average
person is bombarded with at least ten thousand digital images
every day, many of them inappropriate, making our children
extremely vulnerable-- and often purposely targeted by the
porn industry. |
|
|
February 8, 2023 Show Dr. Chawkat Moucarry Islam on Trial |
The Earth Is the Lord's
"Creation Care," is something we all should take seriously, especially
if we claim to cherish God's Word. Pastor Rick Warren says that caring
for the earth should be a "no brainer" for Christians. So why do so
many Christians find themselves on the opposite side of the
environmentalism debate? What are some practical things we all can do
to start caring for the earth.
Born to Shop?
There's nothing like the Christmas season to make
us ponder our materialism as a culture. Along with messages of
"Peace on earth," we hear the relentless drumbeat of Madison Avenue:
"Buy, buy, buy!" "More, more, more!" or "Buy this and you'll be
cool." Was it always this way? Does it have to be this way? In the
spirit of this season, the apostle John offers us an alternative, an
antidote to the consumption-crazed culture we live in.
The Tyranny of the Righteous:
Why does the Religious Right always seek political power?
Historically, what inevitably happens when they get that power? Is
the U.S.--or has it ever been-- a "Christian nation"? What would
that mean? What would happen if Christians really followed the
example of our Master?
|
|
October 12, 2022 Show Jonny Rashid
Does Jesus Takes Sides?
In today’s politically divided church we often hear pastors preaching unity and mutual acceptance and affirmation, as if harmony within the church is the most important thing, more important even than truth and faithfulness to the demands of the gospel. What does it mean that Jesus takes the side of the poor and oppressed? And what are the ramifications for us as Christians? Jonny Rashid is a graduate of Temple Univ and Palmer Theological Seminary and for 12 years has served as pastor for Circle of Hope, an Anabaptist cell church, in Philadelphia, PA. He is the son of parents who emigrated from Egypt as well as an abolitionist and a housing activist. He blogs at jonnyrashid.com, and hosts the popular Circle of Hope's Resist and Restore podcast. He is the author of a new book JesusTakes a Side: Embracing the Political Demands of the Gospel. |
|
|
 September
14, 2022 ShowBev Sellars They Called Me Number One: The
Horrors of Native American Residential Schools |
|
Rev. Dr. John Dickson Wrestling with Good and Evil: an
Honest History of the Church |
|
|
 July
13, 2022 Show
Mako Nagasawa Abortion Policy and Christian Ethics: |
|
|
June 8, 2022 Show
Special Guest: Desmond Meade Discrimination and Disenfranchisement: the plight of returning citizens From employment and housing to voting rights and fines, returning citizens (formerly convicted persons) in the U.S. face discrimination and numerous roadblocks in their efforts to reintegrate into society. Their plight has received more attention in recent years with the growing efforts in many States to restrict voting rights.
Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many such obstacles to eventually become Executive Director of the Florida Right Restoration Coalition and lead a successful campaign to re-enfranchise 1.4 million returning citizens in Florida. His efforts led to his being named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, as well as a McArthur Genius Fellow. Find out more at Floridarrc.com. |
|
|
 May
11, 2022 ShowThe Flag and the Cross It’s been well over a year since the Jan 6 uprising at the US Capitol, and our nation is still struggling to understand how this could have happened and who was responsible. It is a national wound that has not been healed. Here to talk about White Christian Nationalism, which was at the center of the insurrection, is Philip S. Gorski, Phd, Professor of Sociology at Yale University, a comparative and historical sociologist who writes on religion and politics in early modern and modern Europe and North America. His work has been featured and discussed in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and other national media outlets. He is the author of American Babylon: Christianity and Democracy Before and After Trump (2020), American Covenant: A History of Civil Religion from the Puritans to the Present (2017), and, most recently, he is coauthor with Samuel Perry of The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy (2022). |
The Church Goes to War
As the war in Ukraine rages on, one might ask, where is the church? 75% of Americans condemn the Russian invasion, but lest we forget, the U.S. has been guilty of similar imperialistic incursions. What should be the Christian's attitude toward war? How should prayer, protest, and even active resistance play a role in our response?
|
|
Two weeks ago Russia shocked the world by invading neighboring Ukraine. The invasion has been particularly alarming because of its ferocity and the possibility of its spilling over into a wider East-West conflict. Here to talk about the invasion and the background behind it is Dr. Paul D'Anieri, PhD, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author of several books on Russian-Ukrainian relations, including The Sources of Russia’s Great Power Politics: Ukraine and the Challenge to the European Order, (2018; with Taras Kuzio); Orange Revolution and Aftermath: Mobilization, Apathy, and the State in Ukraine (2010); Understanding Ukrainian Politics: Power, Politics and Institutional Design (2007) and Economic Interdependence in Ukrainian-Russian Relations (1999). His book Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War (Cambridge University Press, 2019) traces the roots of conflict to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. |
|
Dr. Thomas Gabor Gun Violence in America:
Is There a Solution? |
|
|
 January
12, 2022 ShowDr. Stephen Marche
The Next Civil War?
Last week our nation marked the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Some say the attack has little political or historical significance. Others believe that it just may have been the opening salvo of America's Second Civil War. Dr. Stephen Marche is a Canadian novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator. He is the author of The Hunger of the Wolf (2015) and How Shakespeare Changed Everything (2011). He currently writes A Thousand Words about Our Culture, a monthly column for Esquire magazine, in addition to opinion pieces for The Atlantic Monthly, New York Times Magazine, and Salon. His latest book is The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future (Simon & Schuster, 2022). |
|
Just Plain Decent Folk: How the Church Turns a Blind Eye to Racism and Poverty |
|
As Christians American Evangelicals give a lot to the poor but often neglect to speak on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. We may spend time and energy giving gifts to the needy, establishing ministries that help the less fortunate, but then we go into the voting booth and help to elect leaders who advance policies that perpetuate poverty and injustice around the world. Why in church do we teach our children to sing, "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight...," yet we support politicians who are avowedly racist and do the dirty work to keep us "plain decent folk" in power? In this broadcast Pastor S J Munson addresses the need for white Christians to learn to share power and wealth and to help build a society in which each member is valued and cared for. |
|
|
Special Guest: Dr. Randall Balmer The Racist Roots of the Religious Right There's an accepted mythology surrounding the founding of the Religious Right: it paints conservative evangelicals rising with righteous indignation around the issue of legal abortion following the Roe v. Wade decision (1973) and becoming a powerful political movement. Actually, the roots of the Religious Right lie not in the advancement of biblical values but in their opposition to court-ordered desegregation. Our guest is the Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer, professor of religion at Dartmouth College and the author of Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right. Dr. Balmer also taught religious history at Columbia university for 27 years. He is the author of many books, including God in the White House, The Making of Evangelicalism, and Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, which was made into an award-winning PBS documentary. |
Loosing the Chains of Injustice
In Isaiah 58 the Lord challenges his people to address issues of injustice in their nation. What does God require of us and how can we build a just society? Is America an empire? Has imperial hubris blinded us to the suffering of others? How can we as Christians stop abetting the spirit of empire and start challenging it? In this broadcast Rev. S J Munson addresses the biblical call to live radical, counter-cultural lives that speak truth to power and champion the downtrodden.
Living Outside the Camp: Christians and Political Parties
Should Christians be involved in politics? What about political
parties? What do the so-called "culture wars" really demand of us as believers?
What does it really mean to be "pro-life"? In this personal journey host S J
Munson discusses the destructive nature of partisanship, both for this country
and the church, and how Christians can adopt a less partisan and more biblical
political agenda.
|
|
Alison Weir If Americans Knew: Fact-checking US Media Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Journalist Alison Weir is executive
director of If Americans Knew – a nonpartisan think-tank that
focuses on the US connection to Israel-Palestine – and
President of the National Interest – founded by former US
Congress members and diplomats to advocate for US Middle East
policies that serve the US national interest.
https://ifamericansknew.org/ |
|
|
July 14, 2021 Show Dedrick Asante-Muhammed Building a More Just Economy: Systemic
Racism and Economic Inequality To read more about Mr. Asante-Muhammed,
check out his blog at |
|
Conspiracy Theories and the New Assault on Democracy: From the earliest days of our Republic, America has always been a home for conspiracy theorists. More recently, however, a new batch of conspiracies has permeated our society at every level and now threatens to pull down democracy itself! What is different about these conspiracies that makes them so menacing and can we as a nation combat them? Our guests are Dr. Russell Muirhead, PhD and Dr. Nancy Rosenblum, PhD, authors of A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy (Princeton). Russell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College and the author of The Promise of Party in a Polarized Age (Harvard), among other books. Nancy L. Rosenblum is the Senator Joseph Clark Research Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government emerita at Harvard University. Her books include Good Neighbors: The Democracy of Everyday Life in America (Princeton). |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
White Supremacy and the Church: Since the 2016 election millions of people in and outside the church have been confused and/or appalled by what they see as a growing and unholy union between American Christianity and white supremacy. This relationship is nothing new, of course; we are simply getting a closer look at it. To help us understand the historical roots of this phenomenon is our guest Dr. Robert P. Jones. Robert P. Jones is the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. Jones writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic online, NBC Think, and other outlets. He is frequently featured in major national media, such as CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University and a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion |
|
|
How to Become Anti-Racist |
|
|
 February
10, 2021 Show
Dr. Kristin DuMez, Author of Jesus and John Wayne |
|
Andrew Whitehead Christian Nationalism,
Part 2: Andrew L. Whitehead is an
Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the
Association of Religion Data Archives (theARDA.com)
at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture
at Indiana University- Perdue University Indianapolis.
Whitehead’s research focuses on how religion both shapes and
is shaped by contemporary American culture. He is the author
of
Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the
United States (Oxford University Press, 2020) and over
three dozen peer-reviewed journal articles. In 2019 his
co-authored article “Make America Christian Again: Christian
Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in the 2016
Presidential Election” (Sociology of Religion, 2018) won the
Distinguished Article Award for both the Association for the
Sociology of Religion and the Society for the Scientific Study
of Religion. Whitehead’s research has been featured across
several national outlets including The New Yorker, The
Washington Post, CNN Today, Salon, and The Guardian and he is
routinely contacted for perspective on religion and politics
from national and international news media. Along with his
work on Christian nationalism, Whitehead’s current research
focus also explores childhood disability and religion. |
|
ANDREW L. SEIDEL America's Founding Myth: Many Americans like to refer to this country as a "Christian nation." They look back to its founding, which they claim was steeped in Christianity and the Bible. America's mythic past has served as a justification for everything from war and imperialism to intolerance and racism. Are we really a Christian nation? And is this concept even American, even Christian? ANDREW L. SEIDEL is a constitutional and civil rights attorney, author, and activist. He has a B.S. in neuroscience and a few law degrees, each with academic honors and awards. Publisher's Weekly called his first book, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is un-American, a “furious debut,” in which Seidel delivers a “fervent takedown” of the claim that America is a Christian nation. Seidel made national news when a Tennessee preacher burned The Founding Myth and posted the video online. As a lawyer at the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Andrew defends that founding American value: the separation of state and church. His next book, Weaponizing Religious Freedom, will hit shelves in 2022. You can find him on social media @AndrewLSeidel. |
|
Special Guest: Steven Hassan The Cult of Trump? Many pundits predicted the 2020 election would be a rout, a thorough repudiation of Trumpism. Instead, it was a real squeaker. How did this happen? What kind of hold does this President have over his followers and why is he so effective at eliciting such loyalty? Our guest Steven Hassan, an expert on cult mind control, has some answers. Steven Hassan M.A., M.Ed, LMHC, NCC is a world renowned expert on undue influence and cults, a mental health professional, speaker, consultant, author, and educator. He has been helping people leave destructive cults since 1976 after he was deprogrammed from Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. He is the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. He has authored four books including Combating Cult Mind Control, Freedom of Mind, and The Cult of Trump, a peer-reviewed journal article, other articles, text-book chapters, and weekly blogs. He has developed assessment, intervention, and recovery approaches, and co-developed a curriculum. He frequently speaks to advocacy groups, legal and mental health professional organizations, psychiatry training programs, think tanks, and government entities combating destructive cults, human trafficking, and extremism. He provides intervention, recovery, and expert consulting services. His work has translations in 10 languages. He is frequently interviewed and cited. Freedom of Mind Resource Center https://freedomofmind.com/ |
|
Special Guest: Chawkat Moucarry Islam and Western Society
|
|
Special Guest: Chawkat Moucarry Arabs and Christians in Dialogue:
|
|
Special Guest: Dean S. Seneca, MPH, MCURP
COVID-19 and Native American Populations: A Follow-Up
Interview
During the interview Dean mentions the urgent importance of contact-tracing in controlling pandemics. If you would like Dean to contact you regarding training your community to create a contact-tracing task force, feel free to call or text him at 716.222.1974 or message him at his website: https://www.senecascientificsolutions.com/ You can also donate to the following organizations currently addressing infrastructure problems among Navajo & Hopi communities: Navajo Water Project: https://www.navajowaterproject.org/
Navajo/Hopi COVID Relief Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/NHFC19Relief?viewupdates=1&rcid=r01-15888055823-c8b875240d054fb8&utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_email%2B1137-update-supporters-v5b
Navajo/Hopi Community Relief Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/navajo-hopi-community-relief?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR2O1APG01lFvYJMqpOO7JIw9_7Fb5an2ePeNBcFZncM3gI88ODqBLwWzKQ
In addition to writing your US Senator or Representative, if
you are interested in gathering signatures for a petition to
move Congress to seriously address the deplorable
infrastructure problems on the Navajo and other Native
American reservations, you can send your completed petitions
to:
For Senate: https://www.indian.senate.gov/contact
For House of Representatives: https://naturalresources.house.gov/contact/contact-us
|
 July
8, 2020 Show
Special Guest:
Andrew Comiskey |
|
|
|
 June
10, 2020 ShowElaine Howard Ecklund, PhD. Faith and Science? Do they need each other? |
|
Special Guest: Dean S. Seneca, MPH, MCURP U.S. Native American Populations and COVID-19
|
|
Special Guest: Robert Kolb Martin Luther and Today's Pandemic On this month's show we interview one of the foremost Lutheran scholars of our day, Robert Kolb. Listen in as we explore what the great 16th-century reformer Martin Luther has to say about pandemics and self-isolation, as well as other contemporary topics. Robert Kolb graduated from Concordia Seminary (Master of Divinity 1967, Master of Sacred Theology, 1968) and the University of Wisconsin (Ph.D. 1973). After serving as director of the Center for Reformation in Saint Louis (1973-1977), he assumed a professorship in religion and in history at Concordia College, Saint Paul, Minnesota (1977-1993) before returning to head the Institute for Mission Studies at Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, and teach systematic theology there (1993- 2009). From 1994 to 2006 he spent three months each year teaching abroad, chiefly in post-Soviet countries. Former associate editor and co-editor of The Sixteenth Century (1973-1997), he has continued to publish in the field of Reformation studies since his retirement. Recent books include Luther’s Treatise On Christian Freedom and Its Legacy (2019); Luther’s Wittenberg World: The Reformer’s Family, Friends, Followers, and Foes (2018); with Carl R. Trueman, Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation (2017); Martin Luther and the Enduring Word of God: The Wittenberg School and its Scripture-Centered Proclamation (2016); Luther and the Stories of God: Biblical Narratives as a Foundation for Christian Living (2012); and with Charles P. Arand and James A. Nestingen, The Lutheran Confessions, History and Theology of the Book of Concord (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012). With Timothy Wengert, he edited The Book of Concord, the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (2000), and with Irene Dingel and Lubomir Batka, he edited The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology (2014). |
|
|
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a historian, writer, and professor emeritus in Ethic Studies at California State University. She is author or editor of 15 books, including Roots of Resistance: A History of Land Tenure in New Mexico and the literary memoir trilogy: Red Dirt: Growing Up Okie; Outlaw Woman: A Memoir of the War Years, 1960-1975; and Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War, and her award winning 2014 book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. Her most recent book is Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment. Forthcoming is a book on the US claim to be “a nation of immigrants
www.reddirtsite.com
|
|
|
John Wurzelmann John Wurzelmann is a retired physician living in Chapel Hill. As a member of the Holocaust Speaker's Bureau, he relates the story of his father, a teenage Polish Jew who escaped from a slave labor camp, and fought with the resistance in southern Poland. Eventually, upon returning home, he learned that his entire family had been murdered. Dr. Wurzelmann hopes to provide some context for this tragedy, and invites the listener to consider the causes and consequences of bigotry.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |
|
|
Half a Gospel? Over a century and a half ago, the church
in America began to divide in its efforts to grapple with the
stresses caused by Modernism. Even today the rift is still not
healed, with conservatives tending to focus inward,
emphasizing personal holiness and the inerrancy of Scripture,
and liberals focusing outward, emphasizing a social gospel
that seeks to transform society. Searching for a church, the
seeker is often forced to choose between evangelism or social
concern, a highly personal kind of faith almost devoid of
social conscience or social concern that frequently lacks Holy
Spirit power. These are false dichotomies that should not
exist. Why can't we have it all? Why do we have to be
"either/or" Christians instead of "both/and"? On this
broadcast we'll look at the history of this division and look
for solutions to help bridge the gap. |
|
|
Special Guest: Dr. Joe Feagin Systemic Racism and the Case for Reparations Our guest: Dr. Joe Feagin, the Distinguished Professor in sociology at Texas A & M University, has done much internationally recognized research on U.S. racism, sexism, and urban political economy issues. He has written 73 scholarly books and 200-plus scholarly articles in his social science areas. His books include Systemic Racism (Routledge 2006); Liberation Sociology (3rd ed., Paradigm 2014); White Party, White Government (Routledge 2012); The White Racial Frame (2nd ed., Routledge 2013); Latinos Facing Racism (Routledge 2014); How Blacks Built America (Routledge 2015); Elite White Men Ruling (Routledge, 2017); Racist America (4th ed., Routledge 2018); and Rethinking Diversity Frameworks in Higher Education (2020). He is the recipient of a 2012 Soka Gakkai International-USA Social Justice Award, the 2013 American Association for Affirmative Action’s Arthur Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award, and three major American Sociological Association awards: W. E. B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award, the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award (for research in the African American scholarly tradition), and the Public Understanding of Sociology Award. He was the 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association. |
|
|
How to Make Your Church More Racially Diverse In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
remarked that 11:00 Sunday mornings was "the most segregated
hour in the nation." After almost 60 years one wonders why the
church seems to have made so little progress in confronting
the legacy of racism. Today, 90% of white Christians still
worship in all-white churches, and 90% of blacks still worship
is all-black churches, and the most shocking thing is that we
seem to be okay with the arrangement! |
|
|
Occitan: One language's fight to be heard Special Guest: Dr. Philippe Martel
|
|
|
Losing One's Faith?: The Stage Theory of Spiritual Development |
|
|
 The
Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox
serves as President/C.E.O. of The Evangelical Environmental Network and speaks nationally on creation care, especially on the environmental life threatening impacts on the poor and defenseless. Rev. Hescox co-authored Creation Care: The Evangelical’s Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment with Paul Douglas, published numerous articles and contributed to Sacred Acts: How Churches are working together to Protect Earth’s Climate by New Society Publishers. He has testified before Congress, appeared on CNN, NPR, PRI and numerous radio programs both Christian and secular. Named one of the ten Environmental Religious Saints in the Huffington Post, Mitch lead the 300 mile Creation Care Walk from West Virginia to Washington, DC and the 80 mile Gulf Coast Prayer Walk during the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. Mitch led EEN to successful championing of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and guided the EEN team to inspire comments for various rules and regulations. He serves on the National Association of Evangelicals Board of Directors. For more information, check out www.creationcare.org . |
|
|
Levi Rickert Levi Rickert is an American Indian journalist. A tribal citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Rickert founded Native News Online, a daily American Indian news publication where he serves as publisher and editor. Since its founding, Native News Online has grown into one of the most popular American Indian media websites in the U.S. As a journalist he has covered important events that impact Indian Country, including White House tribal nations conferences, Congressional hearings, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and the Standing Rock resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline. His passion is to help improve the lives of Indigenous peoples. Rickert is the author of several published essays. His most recent, “Indian Pride” appears inVoice on the Water: Great Lakes Native America Now, (Northern Michigan University Press). He also co-produced Our Fires Still Burn: The Native American Experience, a documentary film shown on PBS.
www.nativenewsonline.netwww.artistfirst.com |
|
|
Mallory Black
Mallory is an award-winning freelance writer, having produced stories exploring Native American community health, culture and the environment that were published by the Native Health News Alliance, Native Peoples Magazine and the American Heart Association’s Voices for Healthy Kids Initiative. |
|
|
Special Guest: Jared A. Brock
|
|
|
Special Guest: Zohra Sarwari Zohra Sarwari is an author of 15 books, author of 3 Homeschooling Curriculum's, international speaker, entrepreneur, publisher, and a homeschool teacher to her kids. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, a Master's Degree in Business Administration, and she is currently taking classes towards a Master's Degree Islamic Studies. Her passion is teaching Muslims to become the best they can be, while teaching Non-Muslims about the true Islam. She spends her time teaching her kids, taking classes, speaking, and coaching. |
What
ever happened to the treasure of the Jerusalem temple looted by
the Romans in AD 70? Its fate is shrouded in mystery, danger,
and death.... Former art historian Michael Grammaticus, Jr. has
inherited an ancient and dangerous secret--and it seems he is
the last to know! When his parents are killed under suspicious
circumstances, he travels to Rome to investigate, and the clues
lead him to a fascinating world of ancient art, medieval
manuscripts, and a dangerous mix of religion and international
politics. Descended from an endless line of Greek scholars, he
can't resist being drawn into their cryptic world, and soon the
same relentless forces that destroyed his father begin to hound
Michael as well. He discovers not only that his father had been
an outspoken advocate for Palestinian Christians, but also that
one of his ancestors was the bearer of a secret that continues
to haunt his family-- a riddle regarding the whereabouts of the
coveted treasure of the Jerusalem temple. This journey of
discovery also becomes one of faith, as the cynical and
disillusioned Michael undergoes a harrowing tribulation that
leads him not only to the reasons for his father's death, but
also to something far greater than the temple treasure itself. A
delight for lovers of fiction, art and ancient history-- and for
anyone who ever wondered what really happened to that treasure!
Click Title For Book
Today
in America, many Christians feel disillusioned as they watch the
faith they hold dear being used to further a worldly political
agenda. It is as if our religion has been taken hostage:
forcibly wedded to a particular political ideology or economic
system, or stripped down to a couple of hot-button issues, like
abortion and same-sex marriage, as though to oppose these were
the sum of our faith. Ironically, in our efforts to “take back
America,” we have ourselves been taken captive by the prevailing
culture and politics of imperialism, greed, racism, and
xenophobia that surround us. And so the struggle for the soul of
a nation has also become a struggle for the soul of the church.
How can we regain a political voice that is neither power-hungry
nor passive, neither conservative nor liberal, but simply
Christ-like in its concern for justice and the poor?
Evangelical pastor and author S. J. Munson explores these issues
from the perspective of both the Bible and history. What these
have to say will both surprise and challenge us. Each
chapter includes questions for group discussion or personal
reflection, and a prayer. A great book for small groups or
individual study! Click Title For Book
%20copy.jpg)
.jpg)
