John Pavlovitz: "Exit Interview: The Pastor I Wish I'd Been"

What if the most creative people in the world would never call themselves artists? In this inspiring TheoEd Talk, artist, author, and Black Men Smile® founder Carlton Mackey offers a new definition of creativity: the courageous response to limitations.Carlton tells the story of his grandmother, Miss Pearl of Blackshear, Georgia. She was a domestic worker and head cook with a sixth-grade education who raised him after his mother’s death and could “take and put” anything into something delicious. Through her, he came to see creativity as a sacred force at work in mothers, grandmothers, teachers, and people with their backs against the wall. Drawing on Genesis, where God’s first act is to create, and Howard Thurman’s wisdom, Carlton shares how the 2014 killing of Michael Brown led to an idea that woke him up at 4 a.m. That idea became Black Men Smile, a movement amplifying the revolutionary power of Black joy.

Through movement and laughter, Rev. Dr. Lewis takes listeners on a journey through the history of liberation through dance and invites them into a dance partnership with God. Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023 ⁠Click here to download discussion guide⁠ Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Twin brothers and long-time Disney performance artists Clay and Cliff reflect on their upbringing in a small town and how the arts programs at their church provided a safe space for them to express themselves as young gay people Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023 ⁠Click here to download discussion guide⁠ Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Rev. Dr. Luke Powery dives into the issues of race through a theology of dust, challenging listeners to think beyond our racial identities and acknowledge our need for one another. Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023 ⁠Click here to download discussion guide⁠ Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Executive Director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry of the UMC, Rev. Dr. Muñoz argues that worship spaces and the way we behave in them have been largely shaped by whiteness and calls for more authentic liturgy in worship. Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023 ⁠Click here to download discussion guide⁠ Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Through reflections on his own fundamentalist upbringing and faith journey, Brian McLaren encourages listeners to continue growing in their faith in a way that allows them to embrace where they have come from and be gentle with their past selves. Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023 Click here to download discussion guide Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Author and former youth pastor John Pavlovitz explains why he wishes he would have been more open about his doubts and questions as a pastor. First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023 Download the discussion guide Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

In memory of her great-grandmother Leah Ballard who lived in slavery, Lisa Sharon Harper preaches the good news of God's liberation. First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023 Download the discussion guide Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Researcher and parent Dr. Kara Powell lifts up three questions that teenagers today (and all of us) are asking and provides insights into how church leaders and parents can address these questions. First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023 Download the discussion guide Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds

Using biological processes of human vision as an analogy, Rev. Dr. José Irizarry lifts up the expansive vision God has for us. First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023 Download the discussion guide Music: Wake by LynneMusic, licensed through NeoSounds