No American pastor has had greater length and depth of commitment to Palestinian justice than Rev. Donald Wagner of Chicago. His latest book is Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land (2022). In late January 2024, Don and our mutual longtime colleague Rev. Darrel Meyers of Los Angeles paid us a visit here in Oak View. We took the opp…

It has been over a year since I produced the last episode of this podcast. In that show I moderated a fascinating discussion about the Christian Doctrine of Discovery between Indigenous scholar of law, Steven Newcomb, and Archbishop Don Bolen of the Archdiocese of Regina. Today, I resurrect the show to take a critical look at Veterans Day with auth…

On Memorial Day 2022, Elaine & Ched interviewed Rose Berger, Senior Editor at Sojourners Magazine and veteran Catholic peace and justice activist. Rose was 48 hours back from a week-long international, interreligious Peace Delegation to Ukraine—the first such group to visit Kyiv since the Russian invasion began on Feb 24, 2022. The religious leader…

Bartcast 58, recorded Feb 14 2021, is another presentation from last year’s BKI: “ACTIVISTS OF COLOR AND INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY” is a wide-ranging panel conversation between Rev. Sue Park Hur (left), Dr. Jimi Valiente-Neighbours (second from left), and Linda QuiQuivix (second from right) and Jeannette Ban (right)—all activist-educators and dear frie…

Recorded live at the 2021 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute, Sat Feb 13, 2021.Alison McCrary is a tribal citizen of the Ani-Yun-Wiya United Cherokee Nation, a social justice movement lawyer, Catholic activist, restorative justice practitioner and an internationally sought-after speaker on social justice, spirituality and liberation.Alison currently serv…

Recorded July 15, 2021. Elaine and Ched offer a Bible study from Healing Haunted Histories (which is part of CLBSJ’s imprint at Wipf & Stock). Our comments are followed by a response from Maria De Freece Lawrence (Lenape) and Gretchen Thies Brokaw (Shinnecock), founding members of the Sweetwater Cultural Center, and a conversation about this indige…

In this show I moderate a fascinating conversation about the doctrine of discovery between Indigenous scholar of law Steven Newcomb and Roman Catholic Archbishop Don Bolen. The irony of the release date of this episode is thick. In what was Columbus Day in the United States, President Joe Biden issued a historic proclamation that the second Monday …

In this episode I talk with Shawnee-Lanape scholar of law and author Steven Newcomb. In 2008 Newcomb wrote his landmark book Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. In this show I talk with Newcomb about this doctrine and the connections that it has to the unmarked graves being found on residential school sites.…

In this episode we look at what it means to be a disciple of Christ and a settler through the lens of Elaine Enns and Ched Myers newest book Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization. Towards the end of the show we look at the vital role that reparations play in reconciliation, with a specific focus on the Land Back moveme…

What does it means for a privileged person to be a disciple of Jesus? This has been a question I have been wrestling with for some time now. In the next two shows I discuss this question with activists and political theologians Elaine Enns and Ched Myers. In this first episode we discuss Ched's book Who Will Roll Away the Stone?: Discipleship Queri…

In November 2020 Ched gave this brief (9 min) reflection for the Graduate Theological Union's Alumni in Conversation series, explaining concisely why BCM uses the rubric “discipleship at the intersection of seminary, sanctuary, streets and soil,” and what it means for our personal and political spiritual formation and activism.…

In today’s show I ask Professor Kahl to talk about her book on Galatians, one of St. Paul’s earliest writings. Commentators up to this day read Paul’s criticism of the LAW as a condemnation of the Jewish Torah. Such a critique has likely fanned the flames of anti-Semitism throughout the centuries. But what if Paul wasn’t talking about the Jewish la…

Join us on Render Unto Caesar as we hear from Dr. Brigitte Kahl, a German biblical scholar who unpacks the life of the Apostle Paul. She claims that new insights into his life and writings may reveal just how much the greatest Christian missionary has been misunderstood… And here’s a spoiler: his message may have been a lot more political than we t…

In 2020 Ched gave this devotional for the Nomad Podcast in the UK (www.nomadpodcast.co.uk). In this devotion, Ched takes us on a journey down the Ventura river, where he lives in California, and goes on to open up the radical political imagination of the many biblical visions of rivers, in a world where colonization and empire habitually steal wate…

Today’s show is the last part of a three part series with former US soldier Stan Goff. Stan has talked with us about his extensive military career, his conversion to Christianity, and his writings. Today Stan talks about the importance of a “conspiracy of friendship” in which he challenges “woke” folks to build bridges and open lines of communicati…

Since the invasion of Iraq there have been a growing number of biblical scholars who have been drawing provocative parallels between the Pax Romana and the Pax Americana. One person who understands this all to well is Stan Goff. As a soldier, Goff himself was an instrument of the Pax Americana, who went through a dramatic paradigm shift while on as…

Since the invasion of Iraq there have been a growing number of biblical scholars who have been drawing provocative parallels between the Pax Romana and the Pax Americana. One person who understands this all to well is Stan Goff. As a soldier, Goff himself was an instrument of the Pax Americana, who went through a dramatic paradigm shift while on as…

Elaine and Ched were interviewed in mid-January 2021 by Jamie Pitts, editor of the Anabaptist Witness journal, about Healing Haunted Histories. They discuss the background and motivations for this project, the evocative title, and major themes addressed in the volume.By Elaine Enns, Ched Myers

In this show we hear part of a presentation by Dr. Vandana Shiva, a scholar and seed-saving activist. From Dr. Shiva we transition to a conversation that I had with Dan Schmeiser, son of the late Percy Schmeiser. Percy Schmeiser was a small town farmer in the Canadian Prairies who fought a historic court battle with multinational agro giant Monsant…

In this episode I learn more about the Pope Francis sponsored event the Economy of Francesco. I talk with two young professionals about their thoughts on three of the event's presentation. One of the speakers is Dr. Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar and seed-saving activist. Her presentation will connect us to the next episode where I talk with Dan …

Michael Coren is a former conservative pundit and outspoken TV host who experienced a dramatic paradigm shift. I talk with Coren about this shift and a resulting book called Epiphany: A Christian’s Change of Heart and Mind Over Same-Sex Marriage. I encourage you to check out this episode and Coren’s book if you have a chance.…

This Bartcast is a 20 minute section of the memorial to Murphy Davis in early November. It features Ched and Elaine’s reflection on Murphy’s vocation as a “Charon” figure, who traversed back and forth across the Great River over 25 years, teaching us about life and death. The recording ends with a beautiful song by Robin and Linda Williams. We enco…

In honor of the All Saints triduum, Bartcast #51 features Ched’s reflections on his father, who passed away almost 30 years ago. He reads from a piece originally published in the mid-90s titled “Pulpo en su Tinta”; you can find it in the Appendix to his book Our God is Undocumented (https://www.bcm-net.org/resources/books). (20 min).We encourage yo…

Mauricio and Ched got together in August 2020 for a CLBSJ Scholar-Activist Encounter and discussed their work to create capacity for movement-building through arts, documentation and scholarship, and the way this work has shaped and been shaped by their faith.Mauricio is a BCM friend and Partner, former intern and is currently an Assistant Arts Pro…

Occasionally we feature guest voices on our Bartcast. We are pleased to introduce you to Mark Pestak from Cleveland. Mark is a longtime participant in Bible study at the Catholic Worker there, which along with the Los Angeles house, is exemplary in the Catholic Worker movement for its devotion to scripture study. This is a community Ched has visite…

On Summer Solstice 2020 Elaine & Ched led an online liturgy for our local Farm Church. As it was also Father’s Day and Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, we had a conversation with our friends and colleagues Harry and Germaine Lafond from the Muskeg Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan. The Lafonds talked about the importance of the Sundance among Plai…

On the Thursday morning of the BKI2020, Ched looked 'haunting' as it relates secrecy, lies and 'myths of innocence' plaguing our settler histories, and compares this to Jesus' diagnosis of, and unmasking of 'unclean spirits', both political (Mark 5) and personal (Mark 9). He looks further at Luke 11 (v24-26) and the twin healing stories in Mark (8:…

On the Wednesday morning of the 2020 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: Unsettling Histories | Decolonizing Discipleship | hukišunuškuy, Elaine again set the scene for the day's work by looking at the place where her ancestors came to and their complicity in the impacts on people of the not-vacant land, but a land under siege by government programs to d…

On the Tuesday morning of the 2020 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: Unsettling Histories | Decolonizing Discipleship | hukišunuškuy, the day's work was framed by Elaine as she told of her family's history, their former home places and the circumstances of their leaving Europe.By Elaine Enns

On the Tuesday morning of the 2020 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: Unsettling Histories | Decolonizing Discipleship | hukišunuškuy, Ched looked at 1 Kings 21 and Naboth's nahala.By Ched Myers

On the opening night of the 2020 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: Unsettling Histories | Decolonizing Discipleship | hukišunuškuy, Elaine and Ched set the scene with the presentation "The Nightmares of Sleeping Dogs"By Ched Myers & Elaine Enns

By June Lorenzo

By Elaine Enns

In June, 2013, Ched and Elaine interviewed Liz McAlister, a mentor and “mother of the movement” for peace and justice, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Jonah House, the Christian peacemaking community in Baltimore, MD Liz cofounded. This podcast is in honor of her 80th birthday, and in solidarity as she is awaiting sentencing as one of th…

Ched and Elaine’s comments to The Loft at Westwood United Methodist Church in L.A. on Sept 22, 2019, days after the Climate Strike, using Jesus’ parable of the ‘Defect-ive manager” as a foil.Image: Jan Luyken etching of the parable, Bowyer Bible.By Ched Myers & Elaine Enns

Ched recently spoke with Aussie friend of BCM Jarrod McKenna on his "Inverse" podcast. Ched covered the Exodus plagues narrative as a lens for viewing the current climate crisis. Jarrod's original podcast is here: https://inverse.podiant.co/e/ched-myers-exodus-extinction-rebellion-climatestrike-37bd816d66b7c0/ Image: Joseph Mallord William Turner -…

Recorded 2/18/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.” How western missions betrayed the clear instructions of Jesus, and how a commitment to hospitality received and given can change that longstanding colonizing pattern.By Ched Myers

Elaine Enns and Ched Myers: “When Kitsapawit Baptized Jesús in Matilija Creek.” Recorded 2/18/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.” A bible study experiment: a local recontextualization of Mark 1.By Ched Myers & Elaine Enns

Pastor Joe Manafo at Lakeview Church in Saskatoon, SK interviews Ched on April 28, 2019. He looks at 3 of the conflict stories in Mark 12, part of that church’s series on Mark's gospel and politics.By Ched Myers

Sherri Nozik of Sacred Space Interior Website (www.sacredspaceinterior.com) interviews Elaine Enns about restorative justice, the impact of intergenerational trauma on Settler communities and how Settlers can address our own privilege and brokenness in order to work for justice. Thanks to Sherri for sharing the interview with us.…

“Introduction to the 2019BKI Theme.” Recorded 2/18/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.”By Ched Myers & Elaine Enns

Recorded 2/21/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.” Rev. Jacobs’ plenary talked about how Native cultures offer medicine to sick White folk, and how Genesis 2 articulates an Indigenous perspective in asserting that God midwifed people born from Earth Mother.…

Dr Jimiliz Valiente-Neighbours, sociology prof at Pt. Loma Nazarene Univ., gave a sermon in March 2019 at PLNU chapel on the Magnificat during a series on Women and Ministry. This is an excellent 10 minute synopsis of global feminist liberation theology - and thanks to Jimi for sharing her presentation with BCM!…

Allyson Polman is a farmer, Catholic Worker and a member of the Four Necessity Valve Turners group who recently undertook a protest action against a tar-sands oil pipeline in Minnesota. BCM friend Tim Nafziger talked with Allyson who was recently visiting the Ventura River Watershed.By Tim Nafziger and Allyson Polman

Recorded 2/19/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.” Dr. Woodley’s plenary talk provided a foundation for the Institute’s week of exposure and discussion surrounding North America’s Indigenous peoples.By Dr Randy Woodley

Recorded 2/20/19 at the Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language.” Dr. Cordero’s plenary talk gave an overview of the tragic history of missionized California Indians and how it adversely affects the lives of unrecognized California natives today.By Jonathan Cordero

In this excerpt from our final BCM webinar in 2017: The Columbus Quincentenary as Turning Point in the Decolonization Struggle: A visit with Dr. Randy Woodley (chedmyers.org/2017/09/14/091217recordedwebinarsept2017/) - Ched and Elaine talk with Dr Randy Woodley about just a little of his work and life. This is a great preview to the 2019 Bartimaeus…

Passing through Oak View in late November 2018, Undertaking a sabbatical journey at a transition point in his life, Joshua Grace stopped by Oak View for a quiet chat with Elaine and Ched. Joshua's CV is too long to list her, but he is a long time friend of BCM, and a key member of the AMARDON team who puts on our Bartimaeus Institutes (bringing his…

Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, recently hosted Elaine and Ched. Listen in as pastors Ben and Chrissy talk with them about their personal and political journeys of faith (individually and together) and how they found themselves as activist-teacher-scholars dedicating their lives to the critical re-connection of sanctuary, seminar, stree…

This Bartcast features a sermon delivered by Elaine and Ched at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, on the occasion of their 75th anniversary. It is entitled “Political Bodies and Body Politics: Biblical Transgressions of Class/Race Divides.” It was given on 9/9/18 (16th Sun after Pent); the lectionary texts were Prov 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Ps…