Best Pcusa podcasts we could find (Updated December 2018)
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Related podcasts: Religion Davis Lauren David Christianity Mcfeaters Nassau Nj Princeton Jersey Presbyterian J Religion & Spirituality Usa Spirituality Pc New Society Pcusa public [search 0]
This is the weekly podcast of the National Council of Churches. Enjoy the best features and interviews from insightful guests from across the ecumenical and interfaith movement.
Proclaiming Good News of God's Love in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit that makes a difference
Aside from going to church every Sunday, which I’m sure you do, and eagerly participating in the liturgy and ceremonies of worship, what are some other rituals you participate in on a regular basis? The author of “Human Rites,” spelled R-I-T-E-S, would like you to think about the rituals we live by, what they mean, and how they function in all ...…
Tomorrow is election day! And many are saying that this is the most consequential election in modern history. Today we’re once again hearing from our guest host, LaKesha Womack, as she interviews Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Founder of Grace and Race Ministries, and a former head of the Washington office for the National Council of Churches. Br ...…
Over the past few weeks we have been holding webinars, with mixed success, designed to help us learn better ways of getting out the vote. Our host for these webinars, LaKesha Womack, has interviewed experts on state and local elections, the importance of the Supreme Court, and has hosted a town hall at our Christian Unity Gathering. Due to some ...…
Awaken, confront, transform: that’s what we’re talking about when we say “ACT to End Racism.” Awakening to racism means listening to the difficult truths and confronting the racism in ourselves and our institutions. My guest this week is Rev. Dr. David Anderson Hooker. David has spent most of his career transforming conflicts in some of the mos ...…
What’s the most important thing you can do between now and November 6th? My guest today is LaKesha Womack, founder of the Womack Consulting Group, and leader of a series of webinars hosted by the National Council of Churches this fall. What’s the most important thing you can do between now and November 6th? You can make sure you’re registered t ...…
Last weekend marked the first anniversary of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, that took the life of Heather Heyer along with two police officers as well. In Washington, DC, where a rally was being planned by those who carried out the “Unite the Right” rally last year, tensions were high. But Charlottesville was prepared for the worst. ...…
Music by The Dick Goodwin Quintet, Columbia, SCIsaiah 43:16-21 The Message (MSG)This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves,The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— they lie down and then can’t get up; they’re snuffed out like so many candles:“Forget about what’s ...…
When it became clear that the families crossing into the United States from Mexico were being separated as part of a “zero-tolerance” policy, an outcry ensued that forced President Trump to backtrack. Did he really shut down this inhuman policy, or did it just get worse? Today we will hear from Rev. Aundreia Alexander about her trip to McAllen, ...…
It’s going to be a long time before we stop talking about the ACT to End Racism rally that took place in April, the launch of a multi-year initiative to end racism in our selves, our churches, and our institutions. On today’s podcast we begin sharing some of the powerful speeches that made up the program on April 4th. If you were there, you’ll ...…
Quick: when you are out in the city or on an airplane and notice someone wearing a turban and a beard, what is your first thought? How much do you know about the fifth largest monotheistic religion? My guest today is Gurwin Ahuja, founder of the “We Are Sikhs” campaign, a national campaign to help build awareness around a faith community most o ...…
When justice-seeking is at the center of one’s spirituality, community can sometimes be hard to find. That’s why a group of people set out to build that community, or at least give it a good, encouraging boost, by holding a festival in the mountains of North Carolina called “Wild Goose.” In today’s podcast, I speak with Brian McLaren, speaker a ...…
In today’s deeply divided society, it seems the church is not immune. Even as we in the National Council of Churches seek to find common ground among our 38 member communions, we are aware that churches within our fellowship are dealing with deep divisions of their own. Is there an ethic or set of practices that might be helpful in times like t ...…
In late July we heard from Phil Woodson, a pastor in Charlottesville, Virginia, who alerted us of a major action there on August 12. Today Charlottesville has become synonymous with the violence that erupted there as counter-protesters clashed with the “Unite the Right” rally. My guest today is a long-time friend who attended because she believ ...…
James 5:16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous is powerful and effective.Numbers 6:22-2722 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,24 The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the ...…
I John 3:16-18We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.…
Psalm 119:9-16How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word.With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments.I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes.With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth.I del ...…
As it seems to become more and more difficult to have discussions that cross party lines, the faith community has resources that could be models for every kind of difficult discussion. Going far beyond the typical models of dialogue, Gwynne Guibord is bringing people together from different faiths in Southern California. In this episode I speak ...…
As the war in Afghanistan continues into its 16th year, the United States continues down a course of continual warfare and blank-check funding of the American military. Use of force often seems as though it’s both a first and last resort. But the little-known US Institute of Peace maintains an important place in the American diplomatic sphere. ...…
Psalm 139O Lord, you have searched me and known me.You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.Such kn ...…
After hinting at it for weeks, President Trump this week announced his plan to do away with the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, over the next six months, as he urges Congress to take up the matter of replacing it with solid legislation. Activists fear that Congress, with an already full agenda, will not be able ...…
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:2-10
In recent months the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, has become a rallying point for groups on the farthest right reaches of American politics. Neo Nazis, Ku Klux Klan, and alt-Right groups are protesting the decision by the Charlottesville City Council to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, and this weekend a rally is scheduled in which these ...…
In July 2012, three protesters, an 84-year-old Catholic nun among them, broke into a secure facility in Oak Ridge, TN, where the United States stockpiles its highly enriched uranium. The break-in, in which fences were cut, slogans were painted, and human blood was poured on the facility’s walls, is widely known to be the most damaging and embar ...…
The weather is warm and it’s finally gardening season. Traveling through just about any community, you’ll see community gardens springing up everywhere, and churches are getting in on the act also! More than just a hobby, more and more congregations are seeing community gardens as a way of improving the lives of the poor. My guest this week is ...…
Many people think that the National Council of Churches is a top-down structure, but it’s not. The ecumenical movement is just that: a MOVEMENT, and it’s made up of people who believe that we’re better off focusing on our commonalities more than on our differences. Today we will talk with Don Anderson, head of the Rhode Island Council of Church ...…
While the nation was focused on the firing of FBI Director James Comey, a few other major news items were swept under the rug. One of those was a mishap at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a legacy of the Manhattan Project during World War II. Today we will talk with Paul Carroll, program officer of the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation concerned ...…
Have you ever considered that riding a bicycle might not be just a good way to exercise and get around town, but it might also be a good spiritual practice? Biking in the city may seem difficult and even treacherous to some, but author and ecumenist Laura Everett believes biking might be a key to unlocking a new awareness of God in the city. To ...…
During Ecumenical Advocacy Days, a delegation from the National Council of Churches in Korea came to visit the United States and meet with Senate offices and the State Department. Their message? Koreans, from both the North and South, are terrified of war. In this episode, we will talk with three leaders from the National Council of Churches in ...…
April is almost over, but it’s not too late to talk about Second Chance Month. Even a body as divided as the US Senate unanimously declared April as Second Chance Month, a month to focus on ways to help people pick up their lives again after a period of incarceration. This week we will talk to Craig DeRoche, Senior Vice President for Advocacy a ...…
Here is the audio recording of the NCC's pre-gathering event, "A Time to Break Silence." Below is the workshop description: Christians gathering at the 2017 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will be lifting their voices in response to what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the three triplets of Materialism, Militarism, and Racism. What is the theo ...…
The power of the march has been clearly demonstrated over the past few months with huge marches gathering in Washington, DC and New York City. But the real power has come when those marches take place across all the other cities in America, where a real nationwide movement is demonstrated. Coming up soon is the People's’ Climate March, April 29 ...…
In the days leading up to Holy Week, a chemical weapon attack against civilians has taken place in Syria, and the United States has attacked a Syrian airbase in retaliation. As cable news pundits celebrated the US attack as “beautiful” and “spectacular,” is there a particularly Christian way of viewing the violence in Syria? In this episode, we ...…
When we first started this podcast, we took a look at the problems that were occurring in Flint, Michigan, where the water has been unusable for years. A year later, things are improving, but the problems for Flint’s water aren’t over yet. This week we’ll talk with Ryan Cumming of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about Flint, corrupti ...…
Matthew 5:13-20“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, ...…
Since January, a rash of surprising and disturbing anti-Semitic incidents have taken place across the country, with Jewish centers being threatened and cemeteries vandalized. What’s behind this upsurge in anti-Semitism? Rabbi Jack Moline is the Director of the Interfaith Alliance, a national organization that stands on the front line fighting a ...…
The world’s various divisions seem to be growing and getting worse. Jesus once said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and as people become more divided, perhaps those who have been struggling the longest might have the most to teach us. Today we’ll talk again with Mae Cannon, director of Churches for Middle East Peace, who brings with her two gue ...…
Matthew 5:1-12When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the ...…
Matthew 4:12-2312 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across t ...…
As we wrap up our series on “the way forward,” we will talk about a subject that touches nearly everyone in the nation: health care. How will Congress and the President deal with the long-threatened repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and what are the ramifications for the poor across America? Our guest today is Sister Simone Campbell, Executive ...…
As we continue to consider the way forward, how will President-Elect Trump and Congress deal with issues of poverty? How will the churches continue to advocate for the poor across America? My guest for this important podcast is the Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune, Director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative, an organization dedicated to empower ...…
Isaiah 42:1-9Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.H ...…
The Constitution guarantees religious liberty in this country. Over the past few years, the debate has intensified over what religious freedom actually means. What does religious freedom mean today, what is the agenda behind the debate about it, and what does the future hold for this bedrock American value? My guest today will talk about religi ...…
John 1:1-14In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness ...…
The response to 9-11 by the Bush Administration included harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding, placing prisoners in tiny enclosed spaces, slamming them against walls, sensory deprivation, and a host of other cruelties that were condemned by the world as torture. The US Senate published a report almost two years ago that condemne ...…
Isaiah 52:7-10How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy;for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.Break forth together into singing, ...…
Matthew 1:18-25Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he ...…
With President-Elect Donald Trump’s famous campaign promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico and to deport millions of undocumented persons, it would seem that immigration was front and center, but today’s guest sees things differently. My guest is Wendy Feliz, Communications Director for the American Immigration Council. Wendy is here ...…
In a campaign that frequently promoted anti-immigrant rhetoric and called for the cessation of the inflow of refugees to the United States, one of the critical areas of Christian witness - the welcoming of the oppressed and the stranger - has suddenly come under intense scrutiny. As the church struggles to fulfill its calling to minister to the ...…
“Has the Bonhoeffer moment finally arrived?” This is a question recently asked by Dr. Stephen Haynes, one of the nation’s top scholars of the work and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian whose name is being evoked in many places today. My guest today posed this question in a recent article in the Huffington Post, in which he cri ...…
