Snarky Faith

The role of leadership within the church shouldn't be a controversial topic (or require a penis). If we followed the ways of Christ, leadership would look more like service. Yet, over 2000 years of church history seems to indicate Christianity has its priorities messed up. From the patriarchy devaluing and crushing women in the church to congregations that worship their pastor as a celebrity, the church has a terrible track record in regards to leadership and service. One of the key areas that continues to facilitate this sickness is the hierarchy structure of leadership. Joining me today is my good friend, Joel Varner, who trains churches and communities on how to recapture the missional nature of the Gospels. We'll talk about what church leadership should look like if it's ever going to be a healthy practice. Joel is one of those people that has greatly impacted my life as a friend and I always love our conversations. Today, you get to enjoy one of those chats between friends that's honest and with no agenda as we talk about where we've been in ministry and what the future of faith communities could look like without hierarchy, yet primed to serve. Enjoy. For more on Forge America go here: https://www.forgeamerica.com/ For more on Forge Albany go here: https://www.forgealbany.org/ Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Buller Slowing down is not easy. It almost seems antithetical to the way life moves. In culture, we're told to do more, be more, and achieve more. When do we find time to rest? It's even worse when it comes to faith. Religion tells us we're not enough and often guilts us into more business and action under the guise of volunteering and serving. Rarely are we told to rest and slow down. It's also not a rhythm that's often taught or encouraged. If our lives seem to be in perpetual motion, burnout may be around the corner. For me, I've had seasons of life when burning the candle at both ends became normalcy. I'd lose myself in the doing, so much that there's nothing left in me to be. These times call stopping to regain perspective and reconnect with ourselves and our souls. Finding balance in ourselves helps us to be balanced when encountering others. It grounds us and reminds us of what is important. So if the rest returns us to ourselves, why do we avoid it. Join me today, as I give you permission to slow down and collect yourself. Grab a moment to breathe and remember who you are and where you're going. We'll talk through the rhythms of Jesus and how they can ground us. We'll also look into the wisdom of other writers and mystics as they call us to be still.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Much breath has been spent on this show talking about the intersection between politics and religion. Typically, when mentioned it's in the negative and is a perversion of the faith for the sake of power. Think the Moral Majority or anything MAGA for perfect examples of that. Too often, as progressives, do we play it conservative in this regard because we don't want to want our faith to trample on others. Though there are ways we can get involved with politics and not lose our souls in the process. There's a balance that can be achieved. Joining me today is The Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford and her passion is political theology. Political Theology involves applying theological concepts and ideas to politics and policy. Marcia has a unique perspective and voice. Her ministry has been in Southwest Detroit’s Latinx population—an international port with an aggressive regional ICE director. Dr. Ledford is a civil rights attorney representing society’s most marginalized. She's also an Episcopal priest that founded Political Theology Matters, LLC, to help the faithful develop public theology mission and broadcast messaging for greater social justice. In our talk, Marcia walks us through the spirituality of resistance and the deep implications of social justice work to the Gospel. It's an essential talk and at an apt time because as the pandemic is slowly ending, our work and advocacy need to ramp up if we are to help secure the rights of all people. This is a time when practicing political theology is key because there are issues with equality, immigration, and voting rights on the horizon. Stay awake and stay engaged.   Link Love and Extras: Marcia founded Political Theology Matters: politicaltheologymatters.com You can contact Marcia: marcia@miptm.com Marcia recommends these books for further reading: Forgotten Dead by Carrigan and Webb Spirituality of Resistance by Roger S. Gottlieb   Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"It’s just death and resurrection, over and over again, day after day, as God reaches down into our deepest graves and with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead wrests us from our pride, our apathy, our fear, our prejudice, our anger, our hurt, and our despair." -Rachel Held Evans Standing in the aftermath of Easter, it's easy to be cynical as we look at what the church has become. Jesus initiated a beautiful, powerful mission fueled by love and grace. In return, we created the church which seems to be more consumed with self-worship than reverence. With Easter Sunday being a spectacle and Christianity being the mechanism that upholds that spectacle, it's easy to see that something went wrong in the process of walking out the mission that Jesus intended. When we have over-spiritualized simple concepts like love and compassion, no wonder we've lost the plot.  For me, the best way to get back on track is to remember when God showed up in my life. Instead of turning Jesus into philosophy, theology, or even something transcendent, we miss the simplicity of the Gospel. As Christians, we are called to be "little Christs;" because that's exactly what the word Christian means. We are meant to be small versions of Jesus that inhabits real space and time to make a difference in the lives of others. I know it's easy to lose that, but we can't. Christianity is simple, but our laziness or lack of desire to live a selfless existence has made it complex.  So how do we get it back? Easy, we need to remember those times when people showed up and were Jesus to us. Join me today, as I talk about the aftermath of Easter and the places I've seen Jesus tangibly show up in my life via the actions of others. Let's not over-spiritualize Christianity, when our chief call is to love and serve others. Everything beyond that is gravy. We'll also use Easter as a tool to look for other saints that have walked in the ways of Jesus as we take a glimpse into the life of Rachel Held Evans. She was a force to be reckoned with and wrapped with truth and honest questions. Easter doesn't need to be a rerun of the same story every year. The story of Jesus continues to be lived out by others that follow his ways. It's a beautiful reminder that we are still necessary to be the hands and feet of the Kingdom of God.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is not the Easter episode you expected, but it may be the episode that you need to hear. Here we are again at Jesus's annual coming-out party and the American church is still clueless as to why Easter should matter. It's not a Sunday morning extravaganza or the Super Bowl of Christianity. It's also isn't merely another High Holy Day on the liturgical calendar either. Christianity has gone through the motions for so long that we forgot what we were doing. The clergy and leadership may have not noticed this, but the congregants have. Gallup polls indicate that church attendance is down below 50% in America, the first time in 8 decades. Some will blame this trend on the pandemic, but many congregants have merely used COVID as an excuse to leave and not come back. This Easter let us be honest. The church is fucked. Harsh? Maybe, but its decline shouldn't be blamed on culture as Christianity tends to do. The blame lays squarely on church leadership for losing the plot and forgetting why the church should exist. Easter is a reminder of what we're called to return to. Easter calls us to a higher ethic of living drenched in service, sacrifice, and love. Jesus's death at the hand of political and religious oppressors is a wake-up call to the church that it has, in many ways, become the oppressor. Join me today as I take wisdom from Jesus, Moses, and Lil Nas X to discuss a potential path of reconciliation for the church and its original mission. How does it all fit together? How can we unfuck the church? Listen to find out. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Prolific author, teacher, podcaster, Keith Giles joins us today to talk about reading scripture correctly, atonement theory, and his new book, Jesus Unforsaken. The book challenges many assumptions was it asks the essential question, "what if Jesus didn't die to save us from God?" Jesus Unforsaken is an essential read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, devouring it over two days. In the book, Giles takes a deep dive into the doctrine of atonement, grabbing the bull by its penal substitutionary horns. Keith has a way of writing that is detailed and methodical, yet very accessible and easy to follow. For too long has Christianity been force-feeding us the image of an angry God whose wrath can only be quenched with a blood sacrifice. It's a pagan idea at its core and thankfully Giles returns us to scripture to show us that atonement theories are not the Gospel. Jesus saves us from our sins, not from God. This book is a terrific read that reminds us of the hopeful and loving God seen through the image of Jesus that becomes incarnated into the world through those that walk out his ways. Join us today for a fun, fascinating, and far-reaching conversation with Keith Giles. He's a terrific voice that needs to be heard and it's always a blast to have him on the show. Enjoy Buy Keith's new book, Jesus Unforsaken on Amazon here!  You can find all of Keith's books on Amazon. Here's Keith's blog on Patheos and you can always find him on the Heretic Happy Hour podcast. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"The very sight of God causes delight. At the sight of God the mind can do nothing but delight."  ~ Thomas Aquinas Most days, I'm mired in the push and pull of life and I don't think I know what the sight of God looks like. It's easy to get busy. It's easy to get tired. It's easy to get distracted. Then, before you know it, you're miles down the road but felt like you were asleep at the wheel. When life gets on cruise control, you're headed for something insidious; normalcy. In processing and walking out faith, forward progress is the goal, but the deeper you dive into the ontological nature of being, growing awareness is key. When we fall into routines, it's easy to end up living someone else's life or someone else's faith. For those of us that were raised in the capitalistic church where faith was processed in a cookie-cutter assembly line, it's easy to learn the motions and go through them. That may feel good for a while, but over time, we become spiritually blind and can easily lose the plot of our faith. The routine gets mastered and we think we know all the answers, but for some reason, no one's asking the questions. Then life moves on. Much like freshwater, we must remain in motion to avoid stagnation and complacency. Today, we'll discuss spiritual blindness which usually manifests itself when people double down on missing the point. Following the ways of Christ shouldn't be so hard. They should lead towards freedom, healing, restoration, and new life. If you're not in a process of renewal, growth, or change, you're missing out. Many of us avoid change because we fear it, but that's not what we fear. We fear loss. Just remember that the first step to something new begins with not wanting to stay where you're at. There's more to delight in if we can embrace awareness and acceptance. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While conservatives are having a cancel-culture-fever-dream over Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head, and whatever else they're faking outrage over, insidious things are happening on the state level of government. This is why we need to talk about H.R. 1. and why it's important for all Americans - especially ones that claim to the Christian faith. With all this talk of canceling, there are many GOP-controlled states quickly working to make it harder to vote. Winning elections by getting the most votes is problematic to conservatives who see their power and influence waning. This is where voter-suppression and gerrymandering slip in and people are disenfranchised. You'd think the right for everyone to vote in representative democracy would be something that matters both sides. Now, what does this have to do with the ways of Jesus and why would we be discussing this on a show about faith? Great question. We'll be unpacking that today on the show because love and equality are near and dear to the heart of Christ. Removing someone's right to vote is in effect silencing their voice and removing their ability to be heard and represented. The kingdom of God doesn't see you through the lens of a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, paycheck or even your belief system. Jesus merely engages us as children of God. All deserve dignity, respect, a voice, and a seat at the table. If we're called to love both our neighbors and our enemies, we should also make sure they have the right to vote. H.R. 1 which has passed the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to "expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics, limit partisan gerrymandering, and create new ethics rules for federal officeholders." If our neighbors matter to us, then we should make sure all have the right and access to voting. To strip that right is to dehumanize citizens. This isn't simply about politics, it's about the America we want to see moving forward. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Preacher's Kid by Semler, whose artist name is Grace Baldridge, hit No. 1 on Tuesday (Feb. 9) in Apple's iTunes store. It marked the first time an LGBTQ+ artist has topped the album sales in Christian music.  Preacher's Kid isn't your typical worship album. It carries a parental advisory for explicit lyrics and speaks openly and rawly about Baldridge's evolving faith since her youth. For me, it was like fresh air in an industry that has come to be defined by blandness and homogeny. Semler was the first Christian artist, I've appreciated in years. Her honesty is reminiscent of David' messy, beautiful truth captured in Psalms.  For so long has Christian art been whitewashed and tamed. It's been far too long since we've heard something so truthful and it feels even feels dangerous in its truth-telling. The album is, as Baldriged puts it, “a project about coming out as a queer person of faith.” The album was also a personal project produced without a label and industry marketing dollars but became a grassroots movement. This album is a hopeful sign that Christianity is slowly changing, but it's also a reminder that we have far to go before we can be a faith that's affirming and loving of all people.  Join me today as I unpack this album with Semler and delve deeper into her work and advocacy. It's a great conversation with someone whose story needs to be heard. For more:  Stream Preacher's Kid on Spotify Buy Preacher's Kid on iTunes: Follow Grace's on social media here: https://linktr.ee/gracesemlerbaldridge Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Another week, another public sex scandal for the Christian church. With the posthumous news of Ravi Zacharias being a predatory creep and rapist, we see another pastor with a platform fall. For a group that claims to have the truth, they don't know how to deal with sex. It's easy to blame celebrity culture on the powerful failing publicly, but I believe that's cheating to distract from the real problem. Blaming pastoral celebrities merely sweeps the public symptoms of a deeper cause under the rug. It's just an easy way to get the church back to business as usual and changes nothing. This isn't an issue of having bad apples, it's one of bad theology. From purity culture to repression, misogyny, and guilt, Christianity doesn't have the best historical track record for healthily talking about sex. I think that should change. For too long has sex been used as a tool and a weapon within Evangelicalism used to control and shame. Through this warped lens, women are seen as pure objects of desire and men are the aggressors fueled by lust. Sex is framed in utilitarian terms to serve the head of the household (ie men) and grow the family. Rarely is sex spoken of being as life-giving, deeply intimate, and profoundly spiritual. Through the banner of purity and theology, we have boxed sex into a corner and sought to control and tame it. Though it's not really for the sake of purity or theology, it's driven by fear. Out of fear, we limit how we approach sex and in turn, we limit how we view God. Christianity needs a more healthy and God-affirming way to speak about sex. When you wrap sex in fear and religion, you get systems that create and sustain predatory abuse. This was never what God intended. Here are my questions for you: If humans are created by God and in God's image, what does sex say about God? What do sex and its transcendence nature speak of an Almighty? The answers to these questions won't fit easily into a dogmatic system, but they will lead you on a journey into something much more interesting.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.