The Leader’s Way

Brian McLaren joins us to share some of the riches from his new book Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. The conversation names a feeling many of us have in our current world and helps us locate hope in the midst of it all.

Professors Amy Carr and Christine Helmer join Hannah to talk about their new, timely book, Ordinary Faith in Polarized Times: Justification and the Pursuit of Justice. We take a moment in this season leading up to the presidential election to discuss high-conflict times and how we can move toward good conflict. We talk about how Christians can create space for conversation because of their status of belonging due to justification. We discuss how Christians can listen to each other, discuss hot-button issues, and navigate difference.

Executive Director of El Hogar Denise Vargas joins us to talk about entrepreneurship. She helps us think in an entrepreneurial way about ministry and grounds innovation in community. We also take a while to chat about Vargas’s life as a poet, to hear some of her poetry, and to talk about how poetry intersects with the work she does at El Hogar.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove joins us from the Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy. He describes the making of white, Christian nationalism and helps us see a different path forward, following the teachings of Jesus. He walks us through the reality of the New Right in the 1970s as a way for us to understand our positionality headed into the 2024 election.

Astrophysicist Graziella di Tulliio Zinn joins Brandon and Hannah to chat about the beauty of the stars, Graziella’s experience of being a Christian astronomer, the Big Bang, the theology of Disney’s movie Wish, UFOs, the ethics of space junk, astrology, prayer, and more.

Father Lizzie and Mother Laura join us to talk about their vocation stories, how they each ended up doing digital ministry (accidentally), and why they joined forces to create their new podcast, “And Also With You.”

Academic Dean of Westcott House Karen O’Donnell joins us from Cambridge for an intro to feminist theology. Dr. O’Donnell describes what feminist theology and trauma theology are, talks about her own journey into these fields, and considers where we go from here. Brandon, Hannah, and Karen (of course) also talk prayer and hope.

The 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, discusses church unity, vocation, and prayer. He shares insights on engaging in contemplative prayer, blending Buddhist practices with Christian traditions, and the transformative power of centering prayer in various settings. The episode explores finding hope amidst conflict and awakening to injustice, highlighting the impact of Bishop Rowan Williams' ministry.

Joy Marie Clarkson, PhD joins us to discuss her latest book You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer. Hannah, Brandon, and Joy talk about what metaphors are and why they’re so useful in preaching, theology, and life. They ponder how humans are more like trees than machines and explore the metaphor of love as disease. Clarkson tells the story of how she ended up with her social media presence, and she shares a bit about her other books The Clubhouse and Aggressively Happy.

The Rev’d Dr. Jamie Hawkey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, joins us to talk about dialogues between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. We discuss church unity, prayer in theology, and engaging the public through mysticism and the arts. Jamie, Brandon, and Hannah get a chance to talk about their shared love of Italy.