Profane Faith

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-good https://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/LBRolsky https://cca.rutgers.edu/people/fellows/fellows-details/165-affiliated-fellows/167-affiliated-fellows-2020-2021/578-l-benjamin-rolsky https://a.co/d/cQLXDU8 www.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-hendricks https://oberyhendricksphd.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Jesus-Rediscovering-Revolutionary-Teachings/dp/0385516657 https://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-politics https://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/79aOHxB Website: https://imnatashasmith.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/imnatashasmith/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/imnatashasmith Natasha'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/aejohnsonphd https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/The-Summer-of-2020 https://x.com/amandanelledgar https://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/