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#1779 Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided

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Mar 24, 2026

Guest

Michael Brooks Show / Liberation theology excerpt (clip)

Guest

Quaker representative (clip)

Hear a clip from The Michael Brooks Show on liberation theology, tracing its roots in solidarity and social struggle. A Quaker representative explains silent, creedless meetings where non-theists find reflection and community. Short segments explore secular assemblies, atheopagan seasonal ritual, and how ritual and mutual aid can replace lost church infrastructure.

04:01:57

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ANECDOTE

Sunday Assembly Mirrors Church Rituals Without God

Sunday Assembly models secular community by mirroring church rituals like singing and talks without dogma.
Pittsburgh Assembly uses tenants like Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More and organizes river cleanups so attendees build civic habits together.

insights

INSIGHT

Quaker Practice Lets Atheists Worship Without Belief

Quaker meetings can be non-theistic spaces because practice and testimonies matter more than creed.
The Quaker focus on silence, inward revelation, and testimonies like equality lets atheists participate and contribute ministry without doctrinal friction.

insights

INSIGHT

Left Loses By Not Replacing Church Infrastructure

The left loses ground when it lacks the communal infrastructure churches provide for everyday life.
Jay Tomlinson argues churches bundled social services, childcare, and noticing people weekly — secular groups rarely matched that embedded, repeatable community.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Why Humans Still Crave Ritual and Community

00:34 • 1min

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Pete Holmes Reframes God vs. Atheism

02:02 • 4min

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What Is Sunday Assembly?

05:46 • 2min

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Why Sunday Assembly Mirrors Church Rituals

07:55 • 1min

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Sunday Assembly and Civic Engagement

09:22 • 2min

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Atheist Quakers: Silence and the Inner Light

10:57 • 4min

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How Non-Theists Find Meaning in Quaker Meeting

14:32 • 5min

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Reading the Bible as Liberation: Garrison Hayes

19:53 • 5min

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A Personal Case for Staying Christian

24:48 • 5min

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Liberation Theology's Value for the Left

30:08 • 10min

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Defining Religion and Animism's Insight

Loss After Leaving Church: The Exvangelicals Story

52:13 • 3min

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The Left's Missing Community Infrastructure

55:05 • 4min

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Public Funding and Community Ownership

58:44 • 2min

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Reclaiming Religion for Socialist Politics

01:00:55 • 4min

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Prophetic Religion and Social Movements

01:04:29 • 4min

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Palestinian Liberation Theology: The Nakba's Impact

01:08:38 • 9min

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Liberation Theology: Origins and Key Claims

01:17:27 • 10min

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Liberation Theology Today: Margins and Praxis

01:27:28 • 8min

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How U.S. Secularism Shaped Religious Growth

01:35:50 • 9min

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1920s Split: Modernists vs. Fundamentalists

01:44:41 • 10min

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Evangelicalism's Political Alignment

01:54:52 • 9min

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Religion Inside Government and Theocratic Networks

02:03:47 • 10min

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Avoiding Othering in Political Storytelling

02:13:18 • 12min

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Religious Forms: Worship, Media, and Celebrity

02:24:49 • 9min

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Is There a Gen Z Religious Revival?

02:33:20 • 9min

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Atheopaganism: Four Pillars and Natural Cosmology

02:42:38 • 26min

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Designing Godless Ritual and Rites

03:09:06 • 3min

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Belief With and Without Religion: Althusser to Aliveness

03:12:02 • 7min

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Post-Atheism, Experiential Spirituality, and Practice

03:18:40 • 31min

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Liberation Theology's Cold War Repression

A Theology of Liberation (English translation noted in discussion)

History, Politics, and Salvation

Gustavo Gutiérrez

Gustavo Gutiérrez's 'A Theology of Liberation' reframes Christian teachings in light of the systemic oppression of the poor, arguing that theology must be attentive to social and economic justice and that the church has a role in promoting structural change. Grounded in the Latin American context, the book deploys both biblical exegesis and socio-economic critique, proposing the preferential option for the poor as a central ethical commitment. Its publication catalyzed grassroots ecclesial movements, base communities, and a theological method that privileges lived experience of the marginalized. The book's mixing of theological reflection with political analysis drew scrutiny from powerful institutions but also sustained transformative organizing across the Global South. It remains a key reference for scholars and activists at the intersection of religion and social justice.

#102349

Godless for Godless Sake

David Bolton (editor)

#4636

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

A Black Theology of Liberation

James Cone

Peter J Paris

Kelly Brown Douglas

James Cone's "A Black Theology of Liberation" is a seminal work in Black liberation theology, exploring the intersection of Christianity and the struggle for racial justice. Cone argues that the Christian faith must be understood and practiced within the context of the lived experiences of Black people in a racist society. He challenges traditional theological interpretations that ignore or downplay the reality of systemic racism and oppression. The book is a powerful call for social transformation and a reimagining of Christian theology that centers the experiences and perspectives of marginalized communities. Cone's work has had a profound impact on theological discourse and continues to inspire activists and scholars working for racial justice. His emphasis on the importance of love and solidarity in the fight against oppression remains relevant today.

#32357

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

The Exvangelicals

Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church

Sarah McCammon

The Exvangelicals is a deeply personal and rigorously reported book that explores the growing social movement of individuals leaving the white evangelical church. It delves into the personal stories of exvangelicals, including the author's own journey, and examines the cultural, social, and political impacts of this movement. The book offers insights into why many are questioning and leaving evangelicalism, often due to disillusionment with its stance on issues like Trumpism, LGBTQ+ rights, and racism.

Air Date: 3/24/2026

Today we explore what happens when people reject religious dogma but still hunger for ritual, meaning, and the concrete benefits of community. We'll hear from secular assemblies building "church without creed," atheist Quakers finding silence sacred, and a Caribbean thinker designing a naturalistic pagan practice built around science and seasonal ritual — all asking what religion can be when you strip away the supernatural.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: GOD IS NO-THING - Pete Holmes - Air Date 3-3-26

KP 2: Non-religious Americans Seek Community - All Things Considered - Air Date 1-28-24

KP 3: Why Atheists CAN Be Quakers. - Quake It Up - Air Date 8-30-25

KP 4: Why Are Black People Still Christian? - Garrison Hayes - Air Date 4-7-24

KP 5: What Is Liberation Theology & Can It Help The Left? (TMBS 145) - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 6-25-20

KP 6: Its Time To Rethink Religion Part 1 - Andrewism - Air Date 3-11-26

(00:49:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the Left's Community Crisis and What We Can Learn from Megachurches

DEEPER DIVES

(01:00:06) SECTION A: LIBERATION THEOLOGY

A1: Cornel West: Can Socialists Reclaim Christianity? - Jacobin - Air Date 3-4-26

A2: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation - The Magnificast - Air Date 10-30-23

A3: Brief: US V. Liberation Theology (Part 1) - Conspirituality - Air Date 11-1-25

A4: Visions of Freedom — Liberation Theology and Advent - Soul Search - Air Date 11-27-24

A5: The Sunday Interview: How Christianity Shaped America: Matthew Avery Sutton on Power, Evangelicals, and the "Chosen Land" Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 3-15-26

(01:44:22) SECTION B: WHY IS AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY SO CONSERVATIVE_

B1: How Conservatives Co-Opted Christianity - Second Thought - Air Date 9-24-21

B2: America's Christian Death Cult - Michael Burns - Air Date 12-15-25

B3: American Jihad - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-12-26

B4: Donald and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad War Plus Preston Sprinkle - The Holy Post - Air Date 3-11-26

B5: Holy Sh*t We're Doing a Holy War - Side Burns - Air Date 3-5-26

B6: You Don't Understand The Rapture | Jackie Kashian | Stay-Kashian - 800 Pound Gorilla Media - Air Date 1-30-23

(02:24:24) SECTION C: RELIGIOUS FORMS

C1: The Sunday Interview: How Christianity Shaped America: Matthew Avery Sutton on Power, Evangelicals, and the "Chosen Land" Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 3-15-26

C2: "There Is No Gen Z Religious Revival" | Religion For Breakfast Part 1 - Unsolicited Advice - Air Date 3-14-26

C3: Love Thy Neighbour? Dawn Foster on Religion and the Left Part 1 - Politics Theory Other - Air Date 4-21-19

C4: Melodie Roschman: Scholar of Right-wing Evangelical Christianity, Gender, and Popular Culture - Adventist Voices by Spectrum_ The Journal of the Adventist Forum - Air Date 2-13-25

C5: Its Time To Rethink Religion Part 2 - Andrewism - Air Date 3-11-26

(03:11:01) SECTION D: BELIEF, WITH AND WITHOUT RELIGION

D1: Christian Nationalism, Leftist Politics, and Hegelianism: The Need for a New Philosophy on the Left - Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought - Air Date 10-30-25

D2: "There Is No Gen Z Religious Revival" | Religion For Breakfast Part 2 - Unsolicited Advice - Air Date 3-14-26

D3: The World Is Always Ending - The Magnificast - Air Date 1-13-26

D4: Love Thy Neighbour? Dawn Foster on Religion and the Left Part 2 - Politics Theory Other - Air Date 4-21-19

D5: Red Star Ministry: Marxism, Theology, & The Human Condition - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 8-12-25

D6: Liberation Theology The Cold War - The Cold War - Air Date 9-6-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

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Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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