The Brave Nation movement pursues courage and wisdom to enact cultural reform in every sphere of influence. It often starts with a brave conversation in pursuit of truth from the heart of God that sets people free. As we unearth ancient mysteries, we find creative new language and application for our present day. Join us in this journey at leighsloan.com and bravenation.online!
Send us a text In this episode we explore with Leigh Sloan, Rodney Stark’s book, “The Rise of Christianity” as it relates to the transformation of culture during times of disease, pestilence and disaster. How can we let this inform how we live our daily lives during times of crisis? Anytime we have social upheaval, we have opportunities for impact.
Send us a text Leigh interviews George Martinez, former professor of Political Science and candidate for Anchorage Mayor, about the interaction between people’s attitudes in culture and laws that are made by the government. They explore questions such as: how do laws influence human behavior? And how does human behavior give rise to new laws in the United States? What can we learn from our history about the right time to introduce new legislation for the benefit of all? Which comes first, the le...
Send us a text Leigh discusses honing the art of perspective taking without removing the reality that ultimate Truth exists and is able to be discovered. Can two perspectives be equally valid at the same time? What are people really doing when expressing "their truth?"
Send us a text Join in as Leigh Sloan interviews Raquel Polanco on her life as a poet and spoken word artist, her take on the Super Bowl Halftime show, and how we can encourage better conversations in our culture. Stay until the end for an eloquent poem about empowering women in their own skin.
Send us a text Explore the history behind Christmas, from pagan rituals to Christian rites. From the period when Christmas was cancelled to the story of how a Christmas song halted a war. Love it or hate it, Christmas and how we celebrate it says a lot about who we are. Learn to become a cultural curator, rather than a blind sheep to whatever the customs culture throws our way. Listen all the way to the end for a little surprise!...
Send us a text Meet Paul Merkel, man who experienced all levels of prison security and lived to write about it in his book, "Stonegate: A Place Without Time." What is the culture of prison really like and what strategies helped Paul to survive? What can prison culture teach us about life outside of prison and how can we live life to the fullest today?
Send us a text In this episode we explore the concept of “cultural appropriation” or using another’s cultural items, clothing, traditions or food in a way that is inappropriate or demeaning to that culture. Is using another culture’s items ever appropriate? Should we emphasize our differences our our similarities? Should we value tradition or innovation? What can the past teach us about how we are to move forward with this issue into the future?...
Send us a text Leigh has a brave conversation with Alaska Native Yupik/Eskimo, Eleanor Roehl. Eleanor describes her experiences as a half-European, half-Yupik girl growing up in a small village and her transition to western society in a boarding school and beyond. Her challenging experiences give us insight into the sources and solutions for racism and prejudice. Eleanor gives us practical ways of recognizing prejudice in ourselves, to open ourselves up to learning from other cultures, and to ex...
Send us a text In this interview we compare the viewpoints of two men (Ceezar Martinson and James Primm) who have both served in the Alaska legislature, both been involved in the Democratic Party, and who are now both Christians with different political views. How does their faith inform how they see politics today? How can we act in ways that overcome political toxic tribalism?
Send us a text In this episode we kick of season 3 as we explore the concept of "toxic tribalism." We know that we humans are tribal creatures, but where and when can our sense of tribalism go toxic? Did toxic tribalism play a role in booting a sitting Alaskan judge from his recent position? Leigh brings in perspectives on the political right and left to begin our exploration of this timely topic. If we can learn to minimize the effects of toxic tribalism, maybe we can create more peace in our w...
Send us a text In this episode we sum up our discuss on where we've come as a society with male/female issues, where we're headed, and what are the biggest challenges facing men and women. Two women and two kids give their perspectives.
Send us a text This is the last segment of our men's panel discussing male and female dynamics. In this episode we delve into political perspectives behind the #metoo movement-- what it means for both men and women, parenting, and Christianity.
Send us a text 5 men discuss the word "toxic masculinity." What implications does this concept have for society? What does it really mean to be a man? Are there any better words we can use to describe manhood or the lack thereof?
Send us a text The issue of pornography goes so much deeper than what is seen on the surface. Let's dive deep with our men's panel on a topic that is often so shame laden that it's rarely discussed. Find out what this issue is like from a Christian man's perspective.
Send us a text Body image issues are not just issues for women. Join Leigh as she interviews 5 Christian men (Derek Chalifour, James Primm, Ben Drebert, Josh Samuels, and Dan Jurusz) on how they view women and their relationships with women. Connect with us on LeighSloan.com !
Send us a text In this second part of the conversation with Amanda and Nesha, we get real and vulnerable with brave topics such as porn use, sex in dating, and recovery from sexual abuse from a Christian lens. We also talk about how to broach this topic with our peers and with our children.
Send us a text We begin this honest conversation with Nesha Christy and Amanda Hartman, two young single Alaskan ladies on challenges with body image and self-perception. This is part one of a two part brave conversation.
Send us a text In this interview with pro-golfer and minister Byron Easterling, we talk about the power of conversation in our everyday lives. Byron helps us uncover what it means to invite God into your everyday conversations, making them life changing experiences for all. We also discuss his book, "Dream Big, Dream Often," on pursuing your dreams. Check out Byron Easterling on Soundcloud and Amazon!
Send us a text In this second part of the conversation with Pastor Rich Irwin (Refuge City Church) and James Marchetti (Radiant Church) we get into these two Anchorage pastors' views on women's roles in the church. This conversation has large implications for where we are headed as a church in our culture. We hope this conversation will inspire you to have important conversations like this where you live.
Send us a text Join Pastors James Marchetti (Radiant Church) and Rich Irwin (Refuge City Church) to discuss the differing views on the biblical roles of women. James is representing his complementarian view, while Rich carries the egalitarian view. This conversation is a great example of how we can disagree and maintain our love and respect for one another.
Send us a text What do people mean when they say "don't judge"? Does it mean we are supposed to suspend all judgement? If all judgement was suspended, what kind of world would it be? In this episode we explore Jesus' wisdom on judgement and interpret the wrong and right ways to use our sense of judgement for good in this world. See LeighSloan.com to connect with Leigh!
Send us a text This episode explores the different methods that people use to respond to the challenges of political and cultural unrest. There are some bad habits that we need to consider losing if we are going to move forward in creating a more peaceful society. And there are also new habits that will help us lean in to healthy conflict so that we can make peace, not just superficially "keep peace." Learn how the white glove, the boxing glove, and the green glove are already at work to shape t...
Send us a text If we think that our generation has mastered the use information, we need to think again. While we may distribute more information than ever before, we have not learned how to sufficiently decipher and interpret what we consume. This can lead to more confusion and a greater disparity in our opinions. In this episode, we'll explore the best ways to utilize the info coming at us. We'll also apply these principles to the freedom of speech issues being raised with the recent tragic ev...
Send us a text Have you noticed that our culture is moving toward the view that certain people have license to say certain things and others do not? These rules are not based on the logic of the words that come out of a persons mouth, but the perception of who the person is. Very few of us have considered or discussed the implications of this habit. Together, let's explore this "identity fallacy" so we can move on to better conversations....
Send us a text Continuing our conversation from the previous episode, we unpack further how our western society is pendulum swinging from a culture of excellence to a culture that is more and more obsessed with the plight of the underdog. Let's explore the impact that these subtle shifts are affecting us today and tomorrow.
Send us a text There are those that seem to have it all: beauty, brains, friends, and more. And then there are those on the low end of the pecking order. We love to see the underdog rise to wealth, beauty and fame. And we celebrate those at the top... sort of. This episode explores the dark side of being a top dog and why it may be more of a disadvantage after all. Visit me at LeighSloan.com !...
Send us a text The practice of blacklisting, shunning, shaming, and ostracizing has been with us for pretty much as long as history itself. In this episode, we'll explore the possible reasons we shame, what modern day shaming looks like, and how shaming impacts our culture. We'll interview Gene McConnell on how shaming impacted his life firsthand. Please see the notes for this show at LeighSloan.com . For more on Gene McConnell, visit authenticrelationshipsint.com ....
Send us a text You may have heard it said, "Talk is cheap." But the words we choose have power. The words we adopt into our vocabulary help shape our culture, while the words we discard say volumes about our values. Language is constantly changing, sometimes leaving us bewildered and confused. By being more cognizant of the words we use and why, we can intentionally shift the effectiveness of our communication and the trajectory of our culture. See the show notes at LeighSloan.com !...
