The Progressive Christians Podcast

What happens when we die? In this episode, we discuss heaven and hell, grief, and why we grieve — from Halloween and All Saints' Day to Día de los Muertos and the pets we love.TAKE OUR 2026 LISTENER SURVEY — five minutes, and it shapes what we build next: https://forms.gle/wxMDyggsCGLkAcCY7If you grew up hearing Halloween is demonic, that grief means weak faith, or that questions about purgatory, heaven and hell, or animals and the afterlife are off-limits — this episode is for you. Dr. Carter, Rev. Blair and Julia trace the real history of Halloween: from Samhain to All Hallows Eve to All Saints Day and All Souls Day, why some churches build hell houses, and how festivals of the dead around the world practice remembrance. Then we have an honest - and difficult - conversation about what the Bible says about grief, how beliefs about the afterlife shape how we deal with grief, and how to grieve people and companion animals with hope instead of fear — including Dr. Carter's story of his chocolate lab, Sampson, and why love doesn't end.🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians Show Notes:https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-halloweenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/festivals-dead-around-world-180953160/ Prophetic Labrador: Expanding (Black) Theology by Overcoming the Invisibility of Animal Life and Death, by Rev. Dr. Carter - https://www.drchristophercarter.com/_files/ugd/7d0564_6e0e693c056f4eccb2a759bf1b645871.pdfThe Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].#progressivechristianity #grief #heavenandhell #halloween #allsaintsday #bible #faith #petsinheaven #progressive #christianpodcast

The midterm elections are four days out. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed's Senate race has become a referendum on whether a Muslim American can be treated as a full citizen. In California, Prop 40 asks voters whether billionaires pay a one-time tax to backfill the Medi-Cal funding the big beautiful bill took away. We cover both — plus the races and ballot measures in between.PLEASE TAKE OUR 2026 LISTENER SURVEY — five minutes, and it shapes what we build next: https://forms.gle/wxMDyggsCGLkAcCY7We discuss: the Islamophobic rhetoric aimed at El-Sayed, the Ilhan Omar raid and the citizenship conspiracy that keeps resurfacing, the Los Angeles mayor's race between Nithya Raman and Karen Bass, Adam Hamilton and the "religious Democrat" question, and Prop 40, Prop 41, and Prop 42 on the same ballot, and we make an argument about what loving your neighbor requires of you in a voting booth.Go Deeper!Our full interview with Abdul El-Sayed — what a Muslim Senate candidate taught us about "love your neighbor" Is James Talarico the game changer the right didn't expect?Billionaires vs. The Gospel: Why You Can't Serve BothShow Notes:Jesus & The Disinherited by Howard Thurman - https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.260684/mode/2upPeter Beinart Article on Islamophobia- https://peterbeinart.substack.com/p/islamophobia-and-antisemitism-arent?utm_source=substack&publication_id=105260&post_id=221841071&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=3hsepp&triedRedirect=trueSafeBAE Tool- https://www.positive.news/society/free-tool-helps-young-men-to-take-responsibility-for-sexual-harm/“Democrats Find God” on Today Explained podcast by Vox - https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcastDemocratic candidates must be bad Christians - https://religionnews.com/2026/10/22/democratic-candidates-must-be-bad-christians/🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].#midtermelections #prop40 #abdurelsayed #islamophobia #christiannationalism#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion #christianpodcast

Abdul El-Sayed is running to become the first Muslim U.S. Senator in American history — and he says his faith is a big part of why. In this full interview, the Michigan Democrat breaks down what "love your neighbor" actually looks like as public policy: how Christians can fight Islamophobia, why he champions Medicare for All, and what gives him hope heading into November 3.Please note that this is a replay of an episode we recorded the week of May 17th, so our political discussions focus on that news cycle. The general election is November 3, 2026.👉 Short on time? Start at 5:00 — Abdul on how Christians can fight Islamophobia.We've been asking for more interfaith collaboration on the podcast, and this conversation delivered. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed blew us away.Dr. El-Sayed has been vocal about how his religious worldview is part of his holistic philosophy—shaping his time growing up in America and his commitment to loving his neighbors. As he loves to remind us, Dr. Carter is from Michigan, and by the end of the episode, he had all of us considering moving to the Mitten.

Dr. Khyati Joshi grew up within the small Hindu community in Cobb County, Georgia, and the only Christianity she knew was the kind that told her she was going to hell.She's a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, author of White Christian Privilege, and host of the new podcast series Mixed from Axis Mundi. Her husband is a white Episcopalian, and they chose to raise their son in both traditions, in a country that keeps asking him to pick a side.This is a conversation about families that refuse to divide and label themselves for other people's comfort. About what the Black-white binary does to a kid who is both. About why she and her husband wanted integration, not a ping-pong match. About the language that finally let her explain her own childhood, and why she rejects the labels people keep putting on her son. And about the emotional tax mixed families pay for the rest of their lives.We also get into theology, race, religion, and politics, and why Christian nationalism keeps showing up in the middle of all of it — Christopher pushes back hard on whether "you can be both" actually survives anti-Black racism, and Dr. Joshi answers him directly. Stick around to the end for the census story that proves this has always been mixed.Listen to Mixed from Axis Mundi: https://www.axismundi.us/podcasts/mixedDr. Joshi on Substack: Mixed in America: https://khyatiyjoshi.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/profkjoshi/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkhyatijoshi/?isSelfProfile=trueFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKhyatiYJoshiShow Notes:https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/abdul-el-sayed-heckler-tommy 🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristiansThe Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion #christianpodcast

Is the death penalty anti-Christian? In this episode, we examine the Christa Pike case and discuss why state-sanctioned violence always fails Jesus' terms.Tennessee tried twice to execute Christa Pike on September 30th and failed. A week later, Pete Hegseth said he wanted the next military execution livestreamed. State violence is the throughline. We analyze the biblical arguments often used to support the death penalty, debunking common misinterpretations of scripture that attempt to justify state-sanctioned violence. Then we discuss the broader death penalty debate, tracing how the system of mass incarceration functions as a tool for controlling marginalized bodies. We examine the history of lynching in America, drawing on James Cone’s work to highlight the chilling parallels between historical racial terror and modern calls for public executions. We conclude with a look at the humanitarian crisis in ICE detention centers and how collective action can make a difference.Content note: this episode discusses botched executions, public executions, and lynching in America. Please listen mindfully.🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians Show NotesData on Botched Executions- https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executionsChristian Resistance to the Death Penalty- https://www.prisonfellowship.org/resources/advocacy/sentencing/the-death-penalty/CLUE Bond Fund- https://www.cluejustice.org/detained-immigrant-bond-fund/ Each Step Home: Supporting Families in Detention- https://eachstephome.org/ Catholic, evangelical leaders condemn public execution plan of Fort Hood gunman - https://religionnews.com/2026/10/09/head-of-u-s-catholic-bishops-conference-condemns-public-execution-plans-as-promoting-a-culture-of-death/The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].