In his new book, "More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew", CNN journalist John Blake shares an intimate story of his journey with race, faith, and forgiveness. In this interview we talk about racial identity, the usefulness of the term "racial reconciliation," and a bit about The Wire. John's book is now AVAILABLE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 11, 2023•56 min
Jordan Neely used to dress up and do Michael Jackson impersonations. But on May 1, 2023, a Marine veteran on a subway train put him in a chokehold that led to his death. Neely had allegedly been shouting on the train about how he was thirsty, hungry, and tired of his situation. Neely should not have been killed. He suffered from homelessness and mental illness and the system failed him, we failed him, long before the day of his death. We talk about why attacks against the houseless population sh...
May 09, 2023•59 min
In what is becoming a disturbing pattern in Christian higher education, I was contacted by another professor who was fired for her teachings about racial justice. Professor Julie Moore, formerly of Taylor University, taught a composition class with a racial justice theme. She's been doing this for years. But in January of 2023, her provost refused to renew her contract. As part of the paltry evidence for the dismissal, he cited a quote from me that Professor Moore used in the introduction to her...
May 01, 2023•56 min
Jon Ward is senior political correspondent for Yahoo News, author of Camelot's End: Kennedy v Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party (Twelve Books, 2019), and host of “The Long Game” podcast. Jon has covered American politics and culture for two decades, as a city desk reporter in Washington D.C., as a White House correspondent, and as a national affairs correspondent who has traveled the country to write about two presidential campaigns and the ideas and people animating our times...
Apr 11, 2023•49 min
The 2023 women's NCAA championship game broke records for viewership, and racist reactions also broke the internet. Two phenomenal players--Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese--used the same "can't see me" gesture during basketball games in the series. One player garnered almost no attention, or simply positive attention, for the gesture, while the other was lambasted. Can you guess the difference between the two? Caitlin Clark is white and Angel "Bayou Barbie" Reese is Black. In this podcast I break ...
Apr 04, 2023•23 min
Professor Samuel Joeckel has been teaching a unit on racial justice at Palm Beach Atlantic University for twelve years. He has been a faculty member at the school for 20 years. All of that came to an abrupt end when administrators at the school fired him for teaching about racial justice. This is the first interview Professor Sam gave after his dismissal. We talk about his initial reactions to the news, how his students have responded, and what all of this is teaching him about God and faith. Pl...
Mar 16, 2023•50 min
The twenty-one years that kept Rob separated from his wife, Fox, and their six sons was long enough. As Rob survived two decades at America's bloodiest penitentiary and Fox raised their sons solo, they never stopped fighting for Rob's freedom and for their futures against the statistical odds. All the while, it was love that carried them through. The Academy Award-nominated documentary Time introduced audiences to Fox and Rob, who riveted audiences with their relentless fight for each other and ...
Mar 15, 2023•32 min
Not only have we reduced Martin Luther King's vision to a single line from his "I Have a Dream" speech, we have also forgotten or ignored his vision for economic equity. In this episode I talk about King's economic agenda--one that he had from the beginning of his work as a pastor and moral philosopher all the way back in the 1950s and not just in the last few years of his life. We also get into how the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday came to be and a 15 year saga to get to sign the bill into la...
Jan 16, 2023•37 min
Some thoughts about the Jan 6th Committee’s final hearing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 20, 2022•24 min
Charlie Cobb is a living legend of the Civil Rights movement. He has been an editor, a journalist and founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists. He is a professor. He is the author of several books. And he was the field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi from 1962-1967. In this episode Jemar talks to him about his book “That Nonviolent Stuff Will Get You Killed” and the new online resources about the history of SNCC. Visit snc...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 11 min
White Nation Under God Episode 5: White Christian Nationalism is not merely a set of beliefs, it is a net that ensnares real people. At one time, Chuck Armstrong, a dedicated Christian, worked closely with far-right radio host and Congressional Medal of Honor winner (under Trump), Rush Limbaugh. As Armstrong matured in his faith and had more contact with marginalized and oppressed people, he realized he had been deceived into following a pernicious belief system. This is his journey into and out...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 5 min
White Nation Under God Episode 4: White Christian Nationalists use Christianity as cover for their anti-democratic and repressive ideology. So other Christians have the responsibility and opportunity to resist this misuse of their religion and present a better way. Thankfully, some leaders are doing just that. Amanda Tyler is the Executive Director of BJC, and her organization was instrumental in creating "Christians Against Christian Nationalism" a comprehensive resource for people of faith who...
Nov 26, 2022•50 min
White Nation Under God Episode 3: An attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021 forced the nation to pay attention to the rising wave of anti-democratic movements in the United States. With the Christian iconography of the event--from crosses to pictures of a European-looking Jesus--we also had to learn more about a topic unfamiliar to some--White Christian Nationalism. To help us understand WCN's influence on politics and the events of January 6, we are joined by Andrew Seidel, author of America...
Nov 23, 2022•53 min
White Nation Under God Episode 2: The attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021 presented glaring examples of White Christian Nationalism in action. But that was just one manifestation of how this ideology threatens has undermined our political process. Sociologists Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry explain how White Christian Nationalism threatens democracy based on research for their book The Flag and the Cross. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 19, 2022•1 hr
White Nation Under God Episode 1: White Christian nationalism is the greatest threat to democracy and the witness of the church in the United States. In this episode Dr. Jemar Tisby gives an introduction to the White Nation Under God series. You'll learn a basic definition of white Christian nationalism (WCN) , know how to spot it in action, list some common beliefs associated with WCN, and learn some of the historical roots of the ideology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
Nov 16, 2022•47 min
Coming (Very) Soon to Footnotes: White Nation Under God. Subscribe and get ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 15, 2022•2 min
A lot of people believe that evangelical voters are hopelessly lost to the Republican Party. Doug Pagitt, the Executive Director of Vote Common Good, has other ideas. His organization is traveling across the country seeking to persuade 5-10% of Republican voters to change their votes and elect candidates who will protect democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. In this conversation, you'll hear Doug speak passionately and personally about evangelicals. He is one. He's also a theorist who us...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 6 min
The Elaine Massacre is one of the bloodiest race riots in U.S. history. Yet it is a tragedy about which few people know. In this teach-in Dr. Jemar Tisby explains what happened over those fateful days in Arkansas in the Fall of 1919 when Black sharecroppers were targeted by white mobs. He explores the aftermath and the critical legal cases in subsequent years. And he sits down with filmmaker Nolan Dean of Cherry Street Productions to talk about "The Valley of Dry Bones," a documentary film proje...
Sep 30, 2022•45 min
An article following up on the viral "People Who Don't Have Any Questions" tweet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 26, 2022•13 min
A Black elf! A Black dwarven princess. Characters of Asian descent. And still, a mostly white cast. How is the new Lord of the Rings series doing on race? Why are so many trolls big mad that there’s diversity in Middle Earth? What opportunities and risks does the series face moving forward. Listen to two experts on race and appreciators of LOTR, Jemar Tisby and Nancy Wang Yuen, break it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 21, 2022•42 min
Every awards show has become a barometer of how much Hollywood has truly reckoned with race. This year’s Emmy Awards were no different. Jemar and Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist who studies race and pop culture, weigh in on the highs and lows of this year’s awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 19, 2022•46 min
Should the state put people to death? Does the death penalty deter crime? Does it bring healing to the victims? I talk with Sam Heath, manager of the Evangelical Network at Equal Justice USA, about these questions and more. He describes his experiences growing up as an evangelical and what he learned about the criminal legal system. Heath also explains the reasons why we should repeal the death penalty and what kinds of systems and policies should guide our approach to harm and healing. Links We...
Sep 08, 2022•37 min
If this is the civil rights movement of our day, then we have to utilize some of the tactics of the movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It's not enough simply to know about the anti-CRT crusade. We have to do something about it. We have to resist. But what can one person or a small group of people do in the face of such a widespread and coordinated movement? People concerned about racial justice have fought against steeper odds. They used the tactics of direct action, nonviolent protest to instigat...
Sep 03, 2022•50 min
When people try to block racial justice efforts, we tend to respond intellectually. We come up with arguments and rebuttals. But what's happening with racism is not just a battle against lies and misinformation, it is a spiritual struggle that requires a spiritual response. How should we think about and respond to the anti-CRT crusade through the lens of Scripture and the life of Jesus Christ? How do we relate to people who want to deny the truth of our racial history and get in the way of effor...
Sep 02, 2022•38 min
Despite our best efforts, Black people and other people of color still experience racism. The cumulative effects of these encounters, over a lifetime and over generations, can accurately be described as trauma. How do we process the specific pain that comes with racial discrimination? How can we heal and develop healthy self-care practices to endure racism? Sheila Wise Rowe is a Christian counselor, spiritual director, educator, writer, and speaker. She is also the author of Healing Racial Traum...
Sep 01, 2022•42 min
The anti-CRT crusade tries to prevent students from learning accurate history about racism in our society. This session pushes back against those efforts and explains how students and administrators can work together to build an antiracist culture at their schools. Dr. Christina Edmondson, a clinical psychologist and specialist in organizational culture, guides us. She is co-host of the Truth’s Table podcast and co-author of Faithful Antiracism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change. Follow her at...
Aug 31, 2022•35 min
Far right Christians and their anti-CRT crusade tend to suck up all the attention. But there are different Christian approaches to racism. Christians concerned about racism can look to Black Christians and their long history of resisting discrimination in the name of their faith. Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley is the Director of Black Church Studies at Truett Seminary and co-pastor of a multiethnic church. He explains what we need to learn from the Black church tradition. Follow him at @MalcolmBFoley. I...
Aug 30, 2022•31 min
An internecine controversy among historians spilled out into the broader public conversation. A term called "presentism" started trending on Twitter after the president of the American Historical Association, Dr. James Sweet, wrote an article asking if there was too much focus from historians on "contemporary social justice issues—race, gender, sexuality, nationalism, capitalism..." I speak with Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, who has his PhD in religious historical studies, to help explain what present...
Aug 23, 2022•42 min
The anti-CRT crusade operates through a complex web of organizations, individuals, and money. It's like a machine, or what we can call the anti-CRT industrial complex. If we want to counteract the negative efforts of those who oppose what they call Critical Race Theory, then we have to understand how this industrial complex operates. Katherine Stewart is an investigative journalist who asks the questions some don’t want to hear and exposes the truth we all need to. She is the author of The Power...
Aug 21, 2022•37 min
The ideology behind the anti-CRT crusade is white Christian Nationalism. More concerned with power than piety, the culture wars than Christ—what are the signs of white Christian Nationalism? How can you detect it and what can you do about it? Andrew Whitehead is a sociologist and Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives. He is also the co-author of Taking America Back for God. In this episode he explains the link between the anti-CRT crusade and the dangerous ideology of Christian N...
Aug 20, 2022•38 min
