Afleveringen
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Jesus’ way of radical compassion is, in fact, radical. In his parables on forgiveness and love, he encourages his followers to forgive those who have wronged them as many as seventy-seven times and to love their enemies! Given our polarized society, is this kind of compassion possible or even practical?
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Jesus’ path of radical compassion is not limited to grounding ourselves in the truth of our belovedness and recovering our compassionate core. In its truest form, compassion always moves us to compassionate care towards others. As we see in the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, compassion for others can break boundaries, dismantle stereotypes, heal, and transform both others and ourselves.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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Compassion can be misunderstood as mere tenderness or sentimentality. Self-compassion moves us to ask ourselves, “What do I need to help alleviate my suffering?” The answer to this question changes depending on the circumstances. Sometimes, we need to rest in our belovedness. At other times, when we need to protect or provide for ourselves and our loved ones, self-compassion can be fierce. We find an example of such fierce self-compassion in the story of the Prophet Miriam and the actions she takes to save her brother and, in the process, her people.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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The speeches of Dough Emhoff, President Barack Obama, and Gov. Tim Walls gave us a very different portrayal of masculinity and, unsurprisingly, raised the alarm of some Christian conservatives. In this episode, we discuss what progressive Christian masculinity can look like, and we critique the toxic masculinity of “biblical patriarchy.”
The books we mentioned in the podcast were:
The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr
Mediocre by Ijeoma OluoThe Loft Conversations podcast has now become The Progressive Christians Podcast - and has its own podcast feed! So please use the links below to subscribe to the new feed to keep up with the latest progressive theological discourse.
https://open.spotify.com/show/5HrRpHbClmrZrwMZPf8Huj
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-progressive-christians-podcast/id1763114936 -
The cultivation of compassion is a process of recovery—of retrieving the compassionate instinct that has become buried and obscured, either in the moment or over time. In this way, self-compassion, personal restoration, and healing are essential components of Jesus’ spiritual path of compassion. Our tradition teaches that every human being is created in the image of God, and thus, God’s compassionate instinct lives within us. We are most fully alive when we live from this essence.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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The persuasive power of the Black Church tradition has been center stage during the first two days of the Democratic National Convention. The speeches of Senator Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and Michelle and Barack Obama found their footing in the black preaching tradition. In this episode we discuss the connections between the Black Church tradition and progressive politics.
The Loft Conversations podcast has now become The Progressive Christians Podcast - and has its own podcast feed! So please use the links below to subscribe to the new feed to keep up with the latest progressive theological discourse.
https://open.spotify.com/show/5HrRpHbClmrZrwMZPf8Huj
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-progressive-christians-podcast/id1763114936 -
The cultivation of compassion is a process of recovery—of retrieving the compassionate instinct that has become buried and obscured, either in the moment or over time. In this way, self-compassion, personal restoration, and healing are essential components of Jesus’ spiritual path of compassion. Our tradition teaches that every human being is created in the image of God, and thus, God’s compassionate instinct lives within us. We are most fully alive when we live from this essence.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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Jesus’ spiritual path of compassion invites us to stay grounded in the truth of our belovedness. But all too often we become disconnected from this truth and forget. In moments of stress, anxiety, or loneliness we can even begin to think that perhaps we aren’t worthy of being loved. However, Jesus invites us to remember who we are and whose we are so that we can reground ourselves in the sacred Source of Compassion whenever we feel lost.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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The Loft Conversations podcast has now become The Progressive Christians Podcast - and has its own podcast feed. So please subscribe to the new feed to keep up with the latest progressive theological discourse. The show will continue to appear in The Loft Gathering feed for a few weeks.
Has Western Christianity weaponized marriage and made those who are single, especially women, feel as though they are “bad” Christians? What should progressive Christians think about the Harris/Walz ticket? And breakdancing at the Olympics - wow!
Mentioned in the podcast:
Funky Friday podcast featuring Kirk Franklin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbTAUsXheyg -
To practice a Christianity that models itself after Jesus’ teachings is to follow a spiritual path of transformative compassion. Indeed, compassion was fundamental to Jesus’ ministry and the primary lens through which he engaged his community. What might this compassion look like today? How might compassion transform our relationship to the Sacred, to our communities, and ourselves?
www.TheLoftLA.org
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This Sunday, Dr. Kyle Brooks leads us in an exploration of Ephesians 3:14-21, with emphasis on the 20th verse–which speaks to how God’s power within us enables us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Rev. Dr. Brooks, a native of Detroit, MI, serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. His work broadly explores the communicative conditions of religion, politics, and black expressive cultures. In his teaching, his courses reflect his wide-ranging interests within the realms of religious studies, theology, creative arts, and Africana studies.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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We are pleased to welcome Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe back to the Loft, to lead us further into a conversation about what evangelism can look like in our tradition and community. (Spoiler: Our conversation will lead to the communion table, because we believe in the abundance of grace.)
Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe is an ordained elder in the Cal Pac Annual Conference of the UMC. Rev. Blair has served at churches big and small, historic and brand new, in rural, suburban, and urban contexts across Southern California, Georgia, and Massachusetts. She is currently working on a PhD at Boston University with a focus on evangelism, contemporary missiology, and feminist practical theology.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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Believe it or not, there is a business story in the Bible. It’s about this small business that got $0 in revenue one night…until something happened and revenue went through the roof. Let’s be honest about work, money, and success for a little bit – the way that Jesus might want us to be for a Sunday morning.
James Kang is the co-founder of PASTORIA – something that he calls The Regenerative Innovation Company. He sees his purpose in life as seeing every life as healing and every person as a healer. Like his friend Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, he is a graduate of Claremont School of Theology, back when they both drove cars with only two doors on them. Today, James, along with his spouse, pretend to be in charge of their three children and five plants.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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We are pleased to welcome Rev. Kevin Kim Wright back to The Loft, to speak from the center on this last Sunday in Pride Month. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Rev. Kevin serves as Chief of Staff for the Point Foundation here in Los Angeles. In conversation with a double story of healing from the Gospel of Mark, he invites us to consider the ways we are invited to step out of powerlessness and into God’s opportunities.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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We are pleased to welcome Rev. Dr. Kyle Eugene Brooks as our guest preacher in the Loft. Rev. Dr. Brooks, a native of Detroit, MI, serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. His work broadly explores the communicative conditions of religion, politics, and black expressive cultures. In his teaching, his courses reflect his wide-ranging interests within the realms of religious studies, theology, creative arts, and Africana studies.
www.TheLoftLA.org
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As Christians, we are called to love our enemies and to practice nonviolent resistance. But is this commandment impractical or even dangerous for Christians who want to stand against the evils of "christian" nationalism?
We are taking a two month break while Dr. Carter is on research leave to work on his forthcoming book project. Loft Conversations will return in August. As we map out our series for the rest of this year please let us know if there is a topic that you would like us to discuss!
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