Part of the Faith & Fire Conversation Series "Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Chaos." Panelists: Rabbi David Saperstein - Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Erica Littlewolf - Program Coordinator for Indigenous Visioning Circles, Mennonite Central Committee Mohamed Elsanousi - Execu…

Part of the Faith & Fire Conversation Series "Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Chaos." Panelists Dr. Loida Martell - VP of Academic Affairs and Dean and Professor of Constructive Theology, Lexington Theological Seminary Dr. Heidi A. Miller - Director and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, Pfeiffer University Moderator: Mi…

Part of the Faith & Fire Conversation Series "Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Chaos." Panelists: Derrick Lewis - National Field Organizer, NAACP Youth and College Division Abigail Scholar - Executive Director, Central Washington Justice for Our Neighbors Rev. Dr. Shazetta Thompson-Hill - Associate Pastor, Christian Chapel Temple…

Part of the Faith & Fire Conversation Series "Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Chaos." Panelists: Rev. Dr. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas - Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral Rev. Dr. Stacey Cole Wilson - Executive Minister of Justice and Service, Balt…

NCC's "Faith & Fire Conversations" series "Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Crisis” Panelists: • Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards: New Testament at North Park Seminary and author of “Might from the Margins” • Christian Brooks, MDiv, MSPPM: Representative for Domestic Issues, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Office of Public Witness • Rev. No…

Episode 3 of the Faith and Fire Conversations series “Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Crisis” Panelists Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, President and CEO of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer InstituteAmanda Tyler, Exec Director of Baptist Joint CommitteeRev. Dexter Udell Nutall, Sr. Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, Washington, DC…

Episode 2 of the Faith and Fire Conversations series “Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Crisis” Panelists Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer - General Minister and President, United Church of Christ Rev. William H. Lamar, IV - Sr. Pastor, Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC

Episode 1 of the Faith and Fire Conversations series “Chaos or Community: Courageous Conversations During Crisis” Panelists Reuben Eckels - Church World Service Rev. E. Michelle Lederer - General Committee on Religion and Race, United Methodist Church Rev. Dr. Angela Ravin-Anderson - Wheeler Ave. Baptist Church, Houston, TX…

On Wednesday we celebrated Earth Day, a day that has been celebrated every year since 1970 on April 22nd. It’s a day for raising awareness of human activity’s negative impact upon the earth and is a day for political action and civic participation as well. It’s the culmination of an entire month of focus on the environment, and for people of faith,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of life in the US and around the world. Every institution is affected, and the church is no exception. Colleges have sent students home, cleared out the classrooms, and are adapting to an online-only world. Churches have, for the most part, closed their doors on Sunday mornings and are strugglin…

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of life in the US and around the world. Every institution is affected, and the church is no exception. Colleges have sent students home, cleared out the classrooms, and are adapting to an online-only world. Churches have, for the most part, closed their doors on Sunday mornings and are strugglin…

As we ponder the horrors of the massacre of 49 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, we have to reckon with the fact that home-grown hatred and extremism has gone global. One of the great things about working with other faith groups is that we get to see how others view their mandate to fight hatred and extremism through the lens of their faith. Si…

Stop and think about it for a second: if you were to encourage churches to work together, wouldn’t it make sense to be reading the same translation of the Bible together? This has been one of the hallmarks of the ecumenical movement for decades, and this is receiving a special amount of attention. For the first time in 30 years, the New Revised Sta…

This week’s podcast is an encore presentation of my interview with Dru Johnson, author of “Human Rites: the Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments,” which is to be released on Thursday, February 21.

The quote goes like this: “The Death of Christianity within the United States has been a slow process, and it may very well be in its final throes. So I say, let the dead bury their dead.” Professor and speaker Miguel De La Torre has a new book out, and this always-challenging author is critiquing a Christianity that he says has sold its soul to wh…

How has your life been most changed, and where has God been most visible to you in that change? Social science suggests that relationships are the most likely to change our point of view, and if we are limited in the kinds of people we are in a relationship with, we’re more likely to see things as we always have. My guest today is Max Finberg. Max …

Greetings from the 2019 government shutdown! As I record this podcast, we’re in the middle of the longest government shutdown in history. The central issue of the shutdown is immigration, and the central object is a wall. My guest today is Noel Anderson, Grassroots Coordinator for Immigrants’ Rights for the United Church of Christ and Church World …

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 aspe…

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. Brenda…

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 tec…

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 most di…

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 to vo…

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. Thi…

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, Tex…

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 reme…

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 of us…

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 and 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 these…

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 believed s…

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 wit…

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. As t…

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 to …

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 rac…

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 embarrass…

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 Nath…

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 Churches. …

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 wit…

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. Today …

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 Kor…

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 and P…

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 theologi…

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 29th. …

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 wil…

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, corruption, …

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 again…

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 guests …

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 Dir…

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 empowering …

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 religious …

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 condemned th…