Throughout history, Christianity has been used both to justify and resist countless acts of violence and widespread war. How can the Christian wisdom tradition be a conversation partner for the questions we have today about violence and nonviolence? Listen as Rev. Tyler Heston explores four stories about Jesus from the Gospels and how they’ve inspired people to think about violence, non violence, and faithful resistance.

Each of us carries the divine feminine within us. The desire to nurture our loved ones, humanity, and the earth - to curate safe space, to be a prophetic voice, and to leave our communities and home better than we found it. Listen as Rev. Dr. Letiah Fraser, Pakou Her, and Stephenie Godfroy celebrate our maternal instincts.

Theologians have long debated which is more crucial - action or contemplation. Thankfully, we also have examples of action and contemplation happening simultaneously. Listen as Rev Eric Garbison discusses ways we can be people of both action and contemplation.

Mysticism offers some very grounded ways to address trauma so that we can avoid its pitfalls and receive the gifts the mystic life offers. One such gift of mysticism is that it expands our language for God and helps us get rid of language that no longer suits the ways in which we relate to the Divine in and around us. Listen as Fr. Turbo Qualls of St Mary of Egypt Orthodox Christian Church explores God as Mystery.

Mystics are not just people who are religious hermits or people who live in monasteries. Mysticism can be cultivated by all in our everyday lives. Listen as we hear from Glenn Young, Assoc. Professor of Theology and Religious Studies. He will explore the history of mysticism through the voices of ancient mystics and give an overview of some of the principles of mysticism.

What if utopia isn't about a place of absolute perfection but is about what queer theorist Jose Munoz calls "an insistence on something else, something better, something dawning"? Listen as Rev. Tyler Heston leads a discussion exploring how queer thinkers and theologians say we can can insist on and practice "utopia" in our day-to-day lives in a way and how liberation theology is about more about orthopraxy (right practice) than it is orthodoxy (right belief).

The media often focuses on individual acts of violence, but seldom focus on the institutions that cause the vast majority of violence in our society. We recently welcomed Trinidad Raj Molina, board member of AIRR, and Samantha M. for a discussion about the liberation theology principle of calling out and addressing institutional violence.

Both religious and political structures are quick to blame the poor for their poverty, but the systems that produce poverty are seldom held accountable for wreaking havoc on millions. Listen in as Deth Im facilitates a discussion on structural sin, one of the core tenets of liberation theology.

Across the Americas in the 20th century, priests and theologians looked at Scripture through the eyes of the oppressed, and they rediscovered a gospel of liberation throughout the pages. Listen as Rev Letiah Fraser and Nick Pickrell lead a conversation about the tenets of liberation theology.

Healing and liberation are what social movements have been fighting for both in the past and the present. Listen in as we welcome Rev Dr Delesslyn Kennebrew, JD MDiv for a conversation about the intersection of healing, liberation, and spiritual communities.

As winter recedes, we explore the life and work of Assata Shakur and Fannie Lou Hamer as saints guiding us toward a new world. Listen as we welcome Kimmothy Cole as they facilitate an embodied ritual experience for leaving behind the season of waiting and moving into the rooting and opening of spring.

God uses all of the material of our lives for the healing of the world. Listen as we welcome Rev. Dionne Boyice (she/her/hers) who will explore the life of an unlikely saint, St. Julian the Hospitaller.

Won't you be my neighbor? And listen in as Rev. Letiah Fraser explores the life and wisdom of Rev. Fred Rogers. The life and work of Mr. Rogers invites us to wrestle with life’s essential questions through song, learn how to embrace our days with intention, approach learning with curiosity, embrace the hard realities of life with imagination and play, practice positive regard for self and others and develop a habit of gratitude.

What are the boundaries for “true” Christianity? Jane Schaberg was a feminist Biblical scholar who was willing to challenge Christian orthodoxy, and her study of Mary Magdalene led her to something she called “Magdalene Christianity,” a liberating alternative to the patriarchal tradition that has prevailed throughout the history of Christianity. Listen as Rev. Tyler Heston shares how Jane Schaberg is a saint to him and how her legacy can inspire us to conjure up new ideas of what Christianity might be.

Many saints are known by their interior spiritual practices, but often times the radical work they’ve done in the world gets whitewashed. Listen as we welcome Rev. Jeya So, co-pastor of Anchor City Church, a third culture church in San Diego, CA. She discusses the life and witness of Saint Yu Gwansun, a Korean freedom fighter and martyr from the Japanese Occupation of Korea, and invites us to reflect on how her story of fighting against colonialism and oppression can inform our own stories of moving towards God's love and justice.

The Advent season is the time when the whole community anticipates when justice and peace finally reign on earth. Listen to this interactive Christmas Eve service where we look at the communal implications of hope, peace, love, and joy. This gathering is co-facilitated by Rev. Letiah Fraser, Madi Parker, and Nick Pickrell.

What does ancestral lineage have to teach us about Sainthood? How might those of our own family line model the life of Jesus for us? Our Saint Series continues as we explore ancestral and family ties as a model of modern day saints in service and in love. Listen as Rev. Dr. Delesslyn Kennebrew, J.D., M.Div shares with us her own familial saints-- her paternal and maternal grandmother, Saint Theresa and Saint Mary.

What do the lives of various modern and ancient saints teach us about how to respond to the injustices we face today? How can their lives, and the life of Jesus, impact the ways we do hospitality and justice work in our current context? Join us on 11/22 from 6-7:30 online as Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen shares with us the life and work of author and activist Alice Walker, particularly looking at her text, The Gospel According to Shug.

Our society is constructed around the white supremacy characteristics of power hoarding and paternalism. This causes many to believe the myth of scarcity. Remember the rush for toilet paper and hand sanitizer? This causes those with influence and positions to hoard power and resources. These false narratives foster white saviorism and creates an atmosphere where power dynamics can remain unchecked and unchanged. Listen in as Victoria Litardo and Jeremy Ruzich facilitate a discussion about sharing power and creating practices that help debunk the myths of scarcity and control.

In our next to last gathering in our Antiracist Spirituality series, we will explore The Written Word and how white supremacy culture upholds the written standard of certain languages and credentials in our society. How can poetry and other verbal art forms take us out of our expectations and bring us an embodied way of connecting and communicating? How might we analyze our standards of being and expectation in the world to allow for more nuance and fluidity, honoring of more cultures? Listen in as poets Nika Renee and Madison Mae Parker share their own journey.