The Living Church Podcast

How can church leaders pursue justice with discernment and theological depth? Pastors often find themselves in a frustrating place when it comes to pursuing justice in their parishes and communities. There's often a divide or at least a tension between two groups: those who do not want to overthink or "overtheologize" it until the moment to act is past; and those who feel wary of action without substantial, theological, and contextual discernment pieces to help.With respect to all the practical concerns here, this is a false divide. Hopefully, today's conversation might help us start to find a way across.We'll talk about leadership, Christian freedom, and political will; challenging presuppositions about authority and building and empowering community bit by bit; various angles and ways of being strategic; and a bit about Catholic social teaching that might help Anglican and Episcopal leaders get "unstuck" from fixed religious and politcal categories to discern more holistic paths of faithful action.Our guests are The Rev. Canon Natalie Arendse and Dr. Elisabeth Kincaid. Natalie is currently chaplain to Whitsunday Anglican School in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. She is honorary Canon in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and former head of St. John's Leadership Academy in Cape Town, a formation program for lay and ordained leaders. Elisabeth is director of Baylor University's Institute for Faith and Learning and Associate Professor of Ethics, Faith and Culture at George W. Truett Seminary. She's also author of the new book, Law from Below: How the Thought of Francisco Suárez, SJ, Can Renew Contemporary Legal Engagements.Now grab your thinking caps and your work boots as we discover a bit more about how prayer and politics, bible studies and social justice, can (and do) go together.Give to support this podcastRegister for a Living Church ConferenceAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

There's a powerful group of women who you may not know are in your church. They handle your prayer requests. They support your priest. They may help with Sunday school, coffee hour, or missions. And they are an inspiring example of the understated power of simple service. These women are the Daughters of the King. The Order of the Daughters of the King is a vowed order for women who are communicants of Episcopal Churches or churches in the historic episcopate. They currently include women around the world in the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic traditions.Daughters take vows to obey the two Rules of The Order: the Rule of Prayer and the Rule of Service. They aid local clergy and parishes in prayer and evangelism, and do it while wearing a simple silver cross, the cross of The Order. Our guest today is Dr. Grace Sears, past president and archivist of the Order of the Daughters of the King, and past editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross. She is also past vice president of the board of The Living Church Foundation.We'll talk today about being taken by surprise by a calling, learning leadership, navigating controversial times, and what happens when the Holy Spirit falls in a business meeting.What can we take from a group of women who simply vow to pray and serve together, no matter their own season of life, or what's going on the life of the church or the world?Give to support this podcastJoin us at the Awe and Presence worship and arts conferenceLearn more about the Good Shepherds conference Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How should ministers of the gospel engage politics from the pulpit? Today’s episode is from a panel at the RadVo 2025 conference on politics and preaching: the if, why, and how.Panelists discuss discernment, formation, and what preaching is for, and give examples of how the gospel of Jesus forms people who can be both responsive and resilient to political challenges and change.Panelists include:The Rev. Dr. Annette Brownlee, professor emerita of pastoral theology and the former chaplain at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. She has served the life of the church widely in both the academy and in parish ministry, and she's the author of Preaching Jesus Christ Today: Six Questions for Moving from Scripture to Sermon as well as “The Responsibility of the Church to the State in an Era of Mass Migration.”The Rev. Tish Harrison Warren, writer and priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She's the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night, which won Christianity Today's book of the year awards (2018 and 2022). She has also been a columnist for the New York Times and Christianity Today, and is a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum.Dr. Joe Mangina, professor of theology at Wycliff College at the University of Toronto. He is the former editor of Pro Ecclesia, the ecumenical journal of theology, and has served on the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue for Canada. He is the author of several books, including a commentary in the book of Revelation with Brazos Theological Commentary series.The panel is moderated by the Rev. Dr. Matthew Olver, executive director of The Living Church.Thanks to RadVo and Church of the Incarnation in Dallas who hosted this panel.From the Bible, to the ballot box, to meditating come-to-Jesus meetings between parishioners fighting on Facebook, we hope you enjoy the conversation.--From this episode:RadVo 2027From the ads:Get 85% off a Living Church subscriptionGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

With love, wit, and a laugh, Jane Austen brought human drama to the drawing room. We love her for it. It also gave her away as a Christian.On December 16, 1775, the Anglican clergy family of Austens welcomed their youngest daughter, who would grow to become one of the world’s greatest novelists and, as we’ll discuss today, a profound Christian; a loving and lively friend, sister, and aunt; a scholar of human nature; and an expert on how the virtues and vices that make or break us reveal themselves in the everyday. She was also, for the record, hilarious.Today’s conversation is part of our annual Cozy Christmas Chat series, and our guests are Haley Stewart and the Rev. Dr. David Goodhew.Haley is a Catholic author and the editor of Word on Fire Votive. She was cohost of the popular Fountains of Carrots podcast, and is the author of Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life, The Grace of Enough, and The Sister Seraphina Mysteries.David is Vicar of St Barnabas Church, Middlesbrough, England and Visiting Fellow of St Johns College, Durham University. He is widely published, with five volumes on modern Christianity and church growth. But he has also written several excellent and entertaining essays on Jane Austen’s life and faith that you can read at livingchurch.org/covenant.Today we encounter Jane Austen via Dante’s Inferno, learn from her on the virtues, unpack the popularity of Bridgerton, critique film adaptations, and learn about the personal practices of prayer that rooted Jane’s genius. And, from Mr. Darcy who can’t bear to be laughed at, to Emma with little to trouble or vex her, we discuss how humor, used with compassion, can be an expression of love.We hope you enjoy this cozy Christmas conversation!From this episode:David’s articles on Jane AustenHaley’s books on Jane, etc.Haley’s Sister Seraphina MysteriesHaley’s podcastHaley’s SubstackFrom the ads:Shop Living Church ResourcesPastoral Ministrations of the PriestSubscribe to The Living Church magazineDonate to the Living ChurchAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What do wise and practical partnerships with immigrant communities look like?Today’s episode is from a conversation we co-hosted with The Episcopal Parish Network to explore how congregations can engage more faithfully and effectively with immigrant and refugee neighbors.We dip into a bit of theology here. But we concentrate on strategic application, legal context, and pastoral insights for building authentic relationships and deepening mission.We discuss:Legal landscapes around immigration—what’s true, what’s not true, how it affects ministry.Pastoral care that is culturally responsive instead of awkward or well-meaningly clueless.Cooperating with ethnic leaders to support and empower immigrants and their families.Practical tips to try.This conversation is about bridges across borders: discerning the opportunities God has put in front of you, making a solid plan, and accepting the time and help it takes to build bridges that last.Our guests today are: The Rev. Dr. Samira Izadi Page, founder and executive director of Gateway of Grace, Dallas, Texas.James Montana, Esq., principal and immigration lawyer at James Montana Law, Falls Church, Virginia.The Rev. Christian Anderson, vicar at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Stuart, Florida.The Rev. Jaime Briceño, rector at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Berwyn, Illinois.From this episode:Watch the videoList of recommended legal and ministry resourcesFrom the ads:Shop Living Church ResourcesPastoral Ministrations of the PriestSubscribe to The Living Church magazineDonate to the Living ChurchAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What can we learn from surprising encounters between Catholics and Pentecostals?In 1906, in a no-count Los Angeles storefront, a one-eyed preacher named William Seymour, son of former slaves, began leading services on Azuza Street.Azuza Street has gone down in history as the catalyst of the Pentecostal movement, one of the largest groups of Christians in the world today. But it’s also had deep impact on much older traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church. Charismatic Catholics owe much to brothers and sisters whose practices may make them scratch their heads. On the other hand, maybe you've noticed the—could we call it?— "revival" among free-church Christians in interest in liturgy, tradition, and the sacraments.This is just the generous way God works, giving us encounters we would never have found for ourselves, with him and one another, and helping us share our gifts and appreciate the gifts of others, across time, space, and difference.Today we’ll hear from a Roman Catholic missioner and a Pentecostal theologian who have been walking together this surprising road of Christian unity, and we’ll hear some of their stories.Nathan Smith serves as the Director of Ecumenism for Glenmary Home Missioners and as a consultant for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. In his ministry, he seeks to foster reconciliation between the Catholic Church, Evangelicals and Pentecostals. He also served with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity at the 2024 Global Christian Forum gathering.The Rev. Dr. David Han is the Dean of the Faculty at Pentecostal Theological Seminary and is involved in various ecumenical activities such as the Global Christian Forum, the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, the International Pentecostal and Anglican Commission, and the Catholic and Pentecostal Dialogue in the United States.Now hold on to your rosaries. But stay ready to shout amen. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Ministries and dialogues we mention:Global Christian ForumGlenmary Home MissionersUS Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious AffairsDicastery for Promoting Christian UnityInternational Pentecostal and Anglican CommissionCatholic and Pentecostal Dialogue--Shop Living Church BooksAttend a Living Church eventGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How can decorating a Crèche draw us to a place of divine encounter?We are approaching yet another Advent season, a season of making space to wait on God.Maybe you’re good at making that space. Like a cat, you have no problem flopping down where you are, stretching your legs, and letting Jesus take the wheel.Or maybe you’re addicted—like most of us—to work, to control and productivity, to entertainment, perhaps even to podcasts!—and Advent feels like a struggle.Or maybe you’re working three jobs because you have to, and maintaining an interior grasp of God’s love, in the midst of the crazy, is what slowing down means for you.But sometimes being still is not something you choose. It’s thrust upon you. When you’re not able to go anywhere or do anything much, Advent is life, whether you ask for it or not.That’s where our guest today found herself. And in that long, involuntary long season of Advent, as she reflected on her life and grew a garden, the journey brought her to writing a little Advent book about nature, the seasons, and the tradition of manger scenes where she grew up in Provence, France, and how she found Jesus there.Our guest today is Sylvie Vanhoozer. Sylvie is a certified botanic artist, retired French teacher, and author of two books of nature sketches and meditations: The Art of Living in Advent: 28 Days of Joyful Waiting as well as The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints. Here are some French words we use today: Crèche: manger sceneSantons: “little saints”; clay figurines based on ordinary people Terroir: a people’s land and all the life in itNow remind yourself where you’ve stored away your Nativity set. Because after this conversation you might want to get it out. Perhaps it will help you remember, receive, and share the gospel over the next few weeks.More from Sylvie:theartoflivinginseason.comThe Art of Living in Advent, discount code IVPPOD20 for 20% off plus free shipping!From the ads:Shop Living Church BooksGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This bonus episode of the podcast responds to the launch of a Global Anglican Communion, which would be separate from the Anglican Communion as we have known it.There are Anglicans rejoicing over this news. Anglicans grieving over this news. Anglicans who don’t know what to think. And a lot of Anglicans who may not know what’s going on, or may not know what this has to do with them.Today, we explore some of these feelings and questions, and pose some questions of our own.On Oct 16, a communiqué email went out from a conservative, international fellowship of Anglican churches, representing several major Anglican provinces worldwide, known as GAFCON. (There are a lot of acronyms in this episode, but we will spell them out as we go.) This communiqué dropped into people’s inboxes with the title “The Future Has Arrived.” Here are a few introductory paragraphs:“The first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) gathered in 2008 in Jerusalem to prayerfully respond to the abandonment of the Scriptures by some of the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, and to seek their repentance.“In the absence of such repentance, we have been prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion.“Today, that future has arrived.”Then follow 8 resolutions for establishing a Global Anglican Communion separate from the Anglican Communion and the Instruments of Communion.TLC editor Mark Michael and executive director Matthew Olver join podcast host Amber Noel to ask questions about the meaning and contents of this communiqué, its language and propositions, the history that led up to it, its timing in light of current leadership scandals in the ACNA, and what people who want to move forward with GAFCON might be risking, particularly leaders from the Global South, or what they may still need to know. We also direct specific questions to GAFCON leaders themselves.And we invite you to join us. If you are a leader in the Anglican Communion, in GAFCON, in the ACNA, or in the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, and you have something you want to ask, share, or correct in response to this podcast, please get in touch: ambernoel@livingchurch.org. We have questions and critiques, but we also want to understand better what’s going on, and why, and how we can receive needed renewal and reformation together.Thanks for listening to this conversation. And if you have something to bring to the table, we hope to hear from you.From this episode:Resources from GAFCON:Oct 16 “The Future Has Arrived” communiquéThe Jerusalem Declaration (founding document of GAFCON)Bishop Paul Donison’s interview on the Stand Firm podcastBishop Laurent Mbanda's podcast interviewResources from The Living Church:Analysis: GAFCON Creates Global Anglican Communion‘You Have Broken My Heart’—A Letter to My Siblings in GAFCONPoggo Responds to GAFCON Communion LaunchThe Inside Story on GAFCON’s CommuniquéGSFA Leader Questions GAFCON CommuniquéPodcast: Who Cares About Communion? with Christopher WellsOther resources:Nairobi-Cairo Proposals (IASCUFO)Chemin Neuf’s “Prayer for Christian Unity”From the ads:Shop Living Church BooksGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What does faith have to do with fiction? Can romance teach us something about God's presence in imaginary worlds?Today’s episode is a conversation with novelist H.S. Cross, recorded live at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, GA, as part of their Sunday Night Sessions. We talk with Heather about 1920s Oxford; love stories and their theological significance; what it’s like to create and then watch your creations surprise you. We discuss the importance of play; why skipping the hard parts risks a story no longer feeling “real”; and the need to “Hold your nerve and not rush the ending.” And finally, since her novel is a messy and complicated romance, in some parts, as she puts it, “rated R" for sexuality, what does it mean, in this kind of story, to “tell the truth” or to get caught “writing while Christian”?H.S. Cross has been a tutor and a writer and is the author of three novels: Wilberforce, Grievous, and her latest novel, Amanda.Now rock your best Oxford bags and handkerchief hemline. We’re heading to the 1920’s where we’ll meet a couple of God-haunted lovers, the woman who created them, and discover what faith has to do with fiction. We hope you enjoy the conversation.From this episode:Watch this conversation on YouTubeAmanda and other books by H.S. CrossAssociate for Youth and Young Adults job posting at St. John’s Savannah (October 2025)Related podcast episodes:Christmas chat with Heather CrossMusic and ministry with Jon JamesonFrom the ads: Shop Living Church BooksAttend a Living Church eventOther events you might enjoy:Nashotah House intensive course on “The Prayer Book Tradition” (January 2026)The Anglican Way Conference (February 2026)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How does Nicaea speak to social and political life today?In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Nicaea’s 1700th birthday party all year long. Theology, church politics, Christian unity, we’re here for all of it. This is one of two episodes this year focusing specifically on Nicaea itself. Our first one was in January: Learning from Nicaea with Lewis Ayers.Today, we'll learn how we live with Nicaea. We're joined by Catholic theologian Peter Casarella and Pentecostal theologian Daniela Augustine for an ecumenical chat about the council and its importance for the church and world today.We’ll consider time travel, uncover some things about Nicaea I never knew, explore political and social implications of the council, and make 1700th birthday speeches. And if you ever asked yourself what Nicaea has to do with the Bolshevik Revolution or American empire, today’s your lucky day.Dr. Daniela Augustine is Professor of Theological Ethics at Lee University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at the University of Birmingham in the UK.Dr. Peter Casarella is Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School and one of the founders of the Catholic Initiative at Duke.Now, whether you’ve been at this party a long time, or just coming in and wondering what it’s all about, we hope you enjoy the conversation.--Attend a Living Church eventGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Why read poetry? If poetry is esoteric, confusing, and time-consuming, why bother? Our guest today, Dr. Abram Van Engen, has a strong case for why poetry isn't esoteric at all, but extremely useful, concrete, relational, enjoyable, and meaningful, not just for you, but for the Church.His latest book is called Word Made Fresh, an Invitation to Poetry for the Church. Today we’ll discuss: the point of poetry and why anyone should bother reading it, how to read a poem, what it might mean that Scripture is full of poetry, what church leaders learn from the art of being apt, and what the heck a poem even is.Whether you're a "poetry person" or not, this conversation may just get you jazzed up about the ability of a poem to invite our attention in a special way, delight us, deepen us; even give us a little cross-training in the kind of attention we hope to develop in life with God.Abram is Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities, Chair of the English Department, and Professor of Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also the director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics. His new book on poetry as spiritual practice, Word Made Fresh, won the 2024 Christianity Today award for art and poetry.Now whether you dislike it, or you believe poetry, like the world, "is charged with the grandeur of God" (a little Gerard Manley Hopkins for you), we hope you enjoy the conversation.Attend a Living Church eventCheck out Abram’s book. Use promo code LIVINGCHURCH40 for 40% off. (Through the end of 2025. Valid for books shipped to U.S. addresses only.)Give to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Today we're talking tea. Why? Well, we’re an Anglican podcast. Need we say more?Knowing how to share and make a good cup of tea translates around the globe. Whether it’s hospitality or work-life balance, tea has played a significant role in leadership, conversation, and parish life. Today we meet an amazing Christian woman who knows all about tea, why it's special, and how God can use tea time as an opportunity for ministry and leadership lessons. Her name is Jackie James.Jackie is a certified Tea Sommelier and founder at The London Tea Merchant. She’s also the former owner of the London Tea Room in St. Louis, Missouri.We’ll hear today about her journey from a Jesus Freak preacher’s kid in the U.K. to a businesswoman in midwest America.We'll learn a bit about the slow art, challenging business, and fascinating science of tea, and where she has found God at work in it all. How can we stop and share time? How do you run the show, and let things go? How can unlearning self-preserving habits with difficult staff members lead to strength, vulnerability, and grace?Now get your scones and Victoria Sponge cake ready, because we’re about to have a "jam" session on finding the Lord’s work in a hot cuppa.We hope you enjoy the conversation.SPECIAL discount code LTMSHOP for 5% off at the London Tea MerchantAttend a Living Church eventGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Before there were Protestants, there were Moravians.In 1415, a Roman Catholic priest named Jan Hus was burned at the stake in Prague for promoting a vernacular liturgy, clergy marriage, and the elimination of indulgences. If he had been born just a few decades later, he might have found a friend in Martin Luther. But instead we know him as the forerunner of a pre-Protestant reforming movement that became the Moravian Church.Moravians have a unique and robust culture, a fascinating history, and were some of the first and strongest voices for Christian unity, before the ecumenical movement even began.Who are the Moravians? What are they about? Why do they love Anglicans, and what can we learn from each other?Today’s episode is part of our Full Communion Partner series.You can find our other Full Communion Partner episodes here:https://livingchurch.org/podcasts/reformation-politics-and-friendship-with-matthew-riegel/https://livingchurch.org/podcasts/old-church-new-callings-with-magnus-persson/Our first guest is the Rev. Derek French, pastor of Nazareth Moravian Church in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and co-chair of the Moravian-Episcopal Coordinating Committee.And our second guest is the Rt. Rev. M. Blair Couch, bishop in the Moravian Church. She is also on the Lutheran-Anglican-Moravian Coordinating Committe in Canada and the Moravian-Episcopal Coordinating Committee in the U.S.Now pour yourself a German beer. We’re going to hang out with some Christians who from persecuted European beginings quickly found their place among the peacemakers. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Attend a Living Church eventGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Most Christians won't be part of a monastic community. But that doesn't mean they're not influenced by one.How do those who have taken the habit live their vocations from the monastery into the world around them? And what about the rest of us? What can we learn, whether lay or ordained, from the disciplines and wisdom of monastics? Today we’ll hear from three Anglicans whose vocations have been shaped by Benedictine monasticism in different ways. We'll learn about the 6th-century Rule of St. Benedict and how it continues to discipline and nurture Christian life in the 21st century. Our first guest is Sister Greta Ronningen. Sr. Greta is a co-founder of Community of Divine Love, an Episcopal monastery in the Benedictine tradition located in San Gabriel, California. She is also an Episcopal priest, prison chaplain, retreat leader, and writer, and the author of Free on the Inside: Finding God Behind Bars.Our second guest is the Rev. Canon Bryan Biba. Bryan is assistant rector at Christ Church Anglican in Savannah, Georgia, and canon for leadership for the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He is also an oblate of the Order of St. Benedict at St. John’s Abbey, a Roman Catholic monastery in Collegeville, Minnesota.Our third guest is Annie Hodges. Annie is a supply chain manager by day and an Episcopal podcaster by night. With her sister Kate Greer, she hosts The Average Episcopalian podcast, tackling the mystery of faith with reason and humor through the lens of the church they love.Whether you’re into wimples, cinctures, and Birkenstocks, or following Jesus without the telltale garments, here’s to holy habits of all kinds. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Attend a Living Church eventBook Bryan mentioned: Benedictine Daily PrayerBook Annie mentioned: St. Benedict's ToolboxGive to support this podcastAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What do pilgrimage, tiny bridges, and time machines have to do with Christian unity?Today we'll be looking at the ministry of the Anglican Centre in Rome, a hub of ecumenical meeting, dialogue, and fellowship in the Eternal City.The Anglican Centre was founded in 1966, during the watershed of ecumenical engagement that followed the Second Vatican Council. It hosts lectures, exhibitions, special courses, and other public events that foster deeper understanding between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. It also works closely with the Catholic lay community St. Egidio, in projects that serve the poor and disadvantaged in Rome. We'll be hearing from its new Director, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Ball. Our conversation will cover his own journey into ecumenical ministry, the Anglican Centre's mission today, and what his own calling might bring to the Centre. We also talk about the importance of pilgrimage and imagine Christianity 100 years from now.Bishop Anthony is also Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Holy See. He's served in many capacities, including as a diplomat, as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Heads of the Orthodox Churches in Syria and Lebanon, as Rowan Williams's chaplain, as Bishop of North Africa, as canon steward of Westminster Abbey and as Archdeacon of Westminster.Give to support this podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What do bluegrass, bourbon, and Bible have in common? How about a group of Hillbilly Thomists? Today, we share an episode from the Signal Award-winning podcast, No Small Endeavor. Produced by PRX and Great Feeling Studios, No Small Endeavor explores what it means to live a good life.In this episode, you’ll hear from the Hillbilly Thomists, the Billboard-charting bluegrass band made up entirely of Catholic Dominican Friars. They talk about their theology and vocation, as well as how they manage life on the road as priests who have taken a vow of poverty. Plus, they give live performances of some of their finest songs.When they are not contemplating, studying, and preaching, the Hillbilly Thomists are writing songs. They've released four albums includingHillbilly Thomists, Living for the Other Side, Holy Ghost Power, andMarigold. Marigold spent 3 weeks on the Billboard bluegrass charts, debuting at #2. The friars also have a Christmas album in the works.Proceeds from album sales, donations, and merchandise sales allow the friars to continue to produce and perform music, while providing ongoing support to the formation of friars at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.Thanks to No Small Endeavor for sharing this episode with us.For other episodes like this one, follow No Small Endeavor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.Learn more about the Hillbilly ThomistsLearn more about No Small EndeavorAttend a Living Church conferenceGive to support this podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What can Christians on the right and left continue to learn about the experience and discipleship of trans people and those with gender incongruence?Today we'll be looking into some of the tough questions of transgender anthropology and pastoral care. But instead of debating directly over the questions (Should we use preferred pronouns? What is just legislation? How do we talk to kids? To affirm, or not to affirm?), we concentrate on how to care for people.Our two guests today, while not in substantial theological disagreement about trans topics, bring to their different experiences, approaches, and relationships lots of much-needed nuance, and some timely new questions, to a conversation grounded in traditional Christian theology.Can we question aspects of trans-anthropology as needed, or question current rhetoric or practices, but in the cause of charity, honesty, and human flourishing rather than against it? How do the right and left get caught in echo chambers here? How do we affirm the flawed gifts of the human body, while engaging its most painful experiences? How can we learn better to love and trust people?Our guests today are Dr. Abigail Favale and Pieter Valk. Abby is a writer and professor in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. She has an academic background in gender studies and feminist literary criticism, and now writes and teaches on topics related to women and gender from a Catholic perspective. Her latest book is The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory. Pieter is a sought-after author and speaker on discernment, vocational singleness, and LGBT+ topics. Pieter is also the Founder and Director ofEquip, the leading coaching and training solution for theologically-traditional churches aspiring to be places where LGBT+ people thrive according to God's wisdom. He is also a teacher and diaconate explorer in the Anglican Church in North America.Pieter's Christianity Today article with stats from the Us Versus Us reportAbby's websitePieter's websiteRegister for a Living Church conferenceGive to support this podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Today is a conversation between a pastor and a farmer. What might working the land, protecting local economies, and nurturing Christian communities have in common?We'll be speaking with Mary Berry, executive director of the Berry Center, and daughter of poet, farmer, and essayist Wendell Berry. My fellow interviewer today is the Rev. Clint Wilson, rector of St. Francis in the Fields, Harrods Creek, KY, not far from the Berry Center. We talk about joy of hard work, and hard work that is good work. Growing up with Wendell Berry as a dad. Faith and farming. Decisions to live with or against a given landscape. What is home? How do you make a home and dedicate yourself to it? The thick fabric of a place, and how work might be interwoven with neighbors, family, and seasons.What does it mean to actually "Love your neighbor as yourself"? We'll also touch on special challenges the suburbs pose to meaningful life together.Mary Berry, Executive Director of The Berry Center, grew up at Lanes Landing Farm in Henry County, KY. She has farmed for a living in Henry County, and started The Berry Center in 2011 to continue the agricultural work of John Berry, Sr. and his sons, author Wendell Berry and former Kentucky state senator, the late John M. Berry, Jr. The Berry Center focuses on issues confronting small farming families in Kentucky and around the country.Hear Mary speak at the Living Church conferenceLearn more about the Berry Center or Home Place MeatGive to support this podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

With the death of Pope Francis, today's bonus episode is a reflection on his ministry, particularly as it relates to Christian unity.Fr. Matthew Olver and Amber Noel chat with Fr. Martin Browne, who serves at the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian unity. Martin shares his first impressions of the pope and what it was like working for him. We discuss the pope's choices and charisms, his passion for shared leadership with other Christians, his inability and refusal to fit into a political box, and the fruit this has borne in personal relationships and the global scene, as well as some of the hype, frustration, and bewilderment in the wake of Francis' leadership style and its very public preference for the poor. We'll also chat a bit about the movie, Conclave, and what it might get right and wrong about how the new pope will be selected.The Rev. Martin Browne, OSB, is a Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. He currently lives at the Primatial Abbey of Sant' Anselmo in Rome, and serves as an official in the Western Section of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. In the Dicastery he is the desk officer for relations with the Anglican Communion and the World Methodist Council. He is also responsible, in collaboration with the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, for the preparation of the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. He serves as the Catholic Co-Secretary of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commision for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).A brief note on when we recorded this: it was just after the pope's death and before his funeral. So take any details or speculations about the funeral proceedings with a grain of salt.TLC Podcast: Dispatch from RomeArticle: "Pope Francis and the Power of the Symbolic"Give to support this podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How can Christian leaders face the "overwhelm" of our times, in politics and national life, in personal life and relationships, and in ministry? We live in an age of what our guest today calls "polycrisis." Issues interconnect, pile on, and come hard and fast, faster than we can fix or, often, respond to in a thoughtful or Christian way.How do we avoid either inaction or anxiousness?We'll seek what our guest today calls "apocalyptic clarity." And we'll ask, "How do we recognize what's true, despite appearances, resist what's false, and participate joyfully in what God is doing?" This turns out to be a helpful window to perspective and practical decision making in a 21st-century Christian life. Our guest today is the Rev. Dr. Jesse Zink, principal of Montreal Diocesan Theological College and canon theologian in the Diocese of Montreal. And we'll be discussing his latest book, Faithful, Hopeful, Creative: 15 Theses for Christian Witness in a Crisis-Shaped World. He's also the author of four books about Christian history and global Christianity, as well as an introduction to theology and mission in the Episcopal Church called A Faith for the Future. Jesse's bio and booksStudy guide for Faithful, Creative, HopefulBook Jesse mentioned: What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands