Carter Warden is a former conservative pastor of 25 years, now openly atheist. Using the pseudonym “Adam Mann”, he was a founder of The Clergy Project, an on-line support group for clergy who no longer believe the doctrines of the churches they serve. “Adam” was one of the original five interviewees in the 2010 Dennett-LaScola article, “Preachers who are not Believers.” While still in ministry, he was interviewed undercover by ABC World News Tonight and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Last fa...
Mar 05, 2017•27 min
Tony Campolo has been a fixture in the evangelical Christian scene for decades. For the past 30 years his son, Bart has followed in his footsteps. Their brand of Christianity is evangelical (personal salvation through Jesus) but with an emphasis on social justice and care for least of these. Just over two years ago, Bart decided to tell his parents that he no longer could believe in God. Out of this painful and liberating revelation is their story, the film, Far From the Tree, and the book, Why ...
Feb 27, 2017•27 min
(This is the 52 minute podcast version for Beloved Community) In this episode we discuss a condition that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. It is a condition that is completely preventable. Hunger. Why are so many people in the world…why is anyone in the world malnourished? What can we do about it? The answer according to today’s guest is simple. We can end hunger by the force of law. John Teton is the director of the International Food Security Treaty. The Interna...
Feb 19, 2017•52 min
(This is the 27 minute podcast version for Progressive Spirit.) In this episode we discuss a condition that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. It is a condition that is completely preventable. Hunger. Why are so many people in the world…why is anyone in the world malnourished? What can we do about it? The answer according to today’s guest is simple. We can end hunger by the force of law. John Teton is the director of the International Food Security Treaty. The Inter...
Feb 19, 2017•27 min
This is the funniest book about the fear of hell I have read. Actress and comedian, Maggie Rowe, producer and performer of Comedy Central’s stage show sitnspin writes about her three month experience in an evangelical psychiatric institution. Diagnosed with a form of OCD known as scrupulosity she couldn’t shake the fear that she might not avoid hell. Maggie is not alone with this fear. She took her heaven and hell religion more seriously than many. Her book is Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual ...
Feb 12, 2017•27 min
Carol Howard Merritt is an author, speaker, and minister who grew up in a white evangelical church and with an unpredictable and sometimes violent father. These experiences shaped her view of a punitive, judgmental God. She writes from personal experience and as professional minister about spiritual wounds inflicted by the church and how people can heal from them in her latest book. In Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church, she discusses her...
Feb 05, 2017•27 min
Not many congregations have two out lesbians as a clergy team. They do that kind of thing in North Carolina. Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber is a trailblazer. She is author of several books that address the intersections among religion, the arts, gender and sexuality. She holds a Ph.D. in Art and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union. Dr. Yarber has been a clergywoman and professional artist since 1999. Her books include: Microagressions in Ministry: Confronting the Hidden Violence of Everyday Chu...
Jan 30, 2017•27 min
A Panel Discussion on Dismantling Racism On Tuesday, January 17th two Portland activists, Jo Ann Hardesty and Ibrahim Mubarak, spoke to five Beaverton congregations about racism. The presentation was entitled, “The Dream Under Siege: A Community Forum On Racism.” It was held at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Beaverton. Five Beaverton congregations: Murray Hills Christian Church, Christ United Methodist Church, Cedar Hills United Church of Christ, Spirit of Grace, and Southminster Presbyteri...
Jan 26, 2017•57 min
Dr. Catherine Meeks is a retired professor of socio-cultural studies at Wesleyan College. She is the editor of the newly released book, Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America. From the publisher: "This book is a report from the front, combining personal stories and theoretical and theological reflection with examples of the work of dismantling racism and methods for creating the much-needed “safe space” for dialogue on race to occur. Its aim is to demonstrate the ways in which a ...
Jan 22, 2017•27 min
Sister Maura Clarke, a Catholic nun and three other women were assassinated by the El Salvadoran government in December 1980. This was a government supported by the United States. What did Sister Maura do that resulted in her violent death? Under the context of Vatican II, liberation theology, and oppressive dictatorships, we hear a story of radical faith. Investigative journalist, Eileen Markey, whose work has appeared in New York Times, New York Magazine, Wall Street Journal, National Catholic...
Jan 15, 2017•27 min
53 years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his famous speech, “I Have A Dream.” What has happened to the dream of a Beloved Community? Host John Shuck speaks with three activists who have a proven track record on social change about King’s dream and how it has been hijacked. Dr. Catherine Meeks is a retired professor of socio-cultural studies at Wesleyan College. She is the editor of the newly released book, Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America. She serves the Epi...
Jan 13, 2017•54 min
Known as the superego or the judge, our inner critic is the voice in our heads that is hypercritical of everything we do and of who we are. The inner critic shames us and debilitates us. How do we become free of the inner critic? The answer is mindfulness, awareness, compassion, and practice. Mark Coleman, a meditation teacher and therapist, has written a book to help us become free of our inner critic, "Make Peace With Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Your Inner Criti...
Jan 08, 2017•27 min
Host John Shuck of KBOO in Portland, Oregon speaks with Penpa Tsering, the new Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Office of Tibet, based in Washington DC. He was elected to this post in May. Previously he was a member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile where he served as speaker since 2011. In this exclusive interview they discuss Tibet’s history, geography and spirituality. What does it mean to be a country-in-exile? How does a people who value spirituality above all else expr...
Jan 01, 2017•27 min
The Kamasutra brings to mind (and to Google searches) erotic and exotic sexual positions. OK, it is that. But it is much more. It is about the art of living. Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago, is a leading scholar in Hinduism and mythology. She has written over forty books including Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook, Translated from the Sanskrit, The Laws of Manu, and a new translation of the Kamasutra. Her latest is Red...
Dec 25, 2016•27 min
Robert Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas. He returns to Progressive Spirit to discuss his book, 'Plain Radical: Living, Loving, and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully.' He calls this book a “polemical memoir” in that it is a story of his mentor and friend, Jim Koplin, and their twenty-five year relationship. Thus it is a memoir. But it is polemical and political in that this relationship shaped Robert’s life and his radical views toward life. Ultim...
Dec 18, 2016•27 min
John Shuck, speaks with Penpa Tsering, U.S. Representative of the Dalai Lama, about Tibet's history, China's demographic aggression and exploitation of Tibet's natural resources, China's human rights abuses of the Tibetan people and how time is running out for Tibetan autonomy.
Dec 14, 2016•55 min
His guru told him to do it. So he listened. Thus the quest began for a hippie with a medical degree to become a key player in helping to eradicate smallpox, the deadliest disease in history. Larry Brilliant tells his story in Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst disease in History. After sitting at the feet of Martin Luther King at the University of Michigan in 1963, Larry Brilliant was swept up into the civil ri...
Dec 12, 2016•51 min
Sue Monk Kidd has written several novels including The Secret Life of Bees, The Mermaid Chair, and The Invention of Wings. Before the novels was the story of Sue Monk Kidd’s own journey, the Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine. The 20th anniversary edition of the Dance of the Dissident Daughter has just been released. She discusses how that book shaped her novels, the quest for the Sacred Feminine, her relationship with organized rel...
Dec 11, 2016•27 min
When many think of Tarot cards they think of a gypsy in a tent telling some rube that there is a stranger, tall, dark and handsome in her future. But Tarot is much more than fortune-telling and hocus pocus. It is a fun way to discover the "deep self." My guest, Kim Krans, author and writer from Portland, has created a beautiful Tarot card deck and accompanying guidebook, The Wild Unknown: Tarot Card and Guidebook. She finds her own path with the artistry and presents a deck that is visually arre...
Dec 04, 2016•27 min
This week I speak with someone who models activism, intellect and spirituality, Matthew Fox. Silenced by the Vatican for his views, he left the Catholic priesthood in the early 1980s. Matthew Fox is a theologian and activist who has written over 30 books. He has introduced millions of people to Creation Spirituality. His latest book, published in 2016 is called A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey. According to Fox, Merton was assassinated by the CIA. We will talk more abo...
Nov 27, 2016•27 min
Kenneth Briggs is a journalist and commentator who worked for many years as religion writer for Newsday and religion editor for the New York Times. He is the author of The Invisible Best Seller: Searching for the Bible in America. He has traveled the country talking to people about the Bible. Even as it is still a bestseller, few people know what is in it. What is the future of the Bible when it is stripped away of its supernaturalism and it no longer provides the overarching narrative for human...
Nov 20, 2016•27 min
The Beloved Community is show for activists: uniting mind, heart, and action. This month I speak with someone who models activism, intellect and spirituality, Matthew Fox. Silenced by the Vatican for his views, he left the Catholic priesthood in the early 1980s. Matthew Fox is a theologian and activist who has written over 30 books. He has introduced millions of people to Creation Spirituality. His latest book, published in 2016 is called A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journ...
Nov 13, 2016•54 min
Author Douglas Steere wrote: “To ‘listen’ another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another.” Listening is a lost art that is much in demand. Jim Petersen, counselor and retired pastor, calls listening “an act of love.” He has written a book about listening, Why Don’t We Listen Better? Communicating and Connecting in Relationships. This is the second edition of a book that provides wisdom and 30 listening...
Nov 11, 2016•27 min
President Barack Obama is concluding his second term and history will get the last word on his presidency. From his critics Obama is everything from a Muslim, a dictator, a socialist, and simply “the worst.” Today’s guest wants to get in some words of defense for President Obama. Mark Hannah is a veteran of the Kerry-Edwards and Obama for America presidential campaigns. As a public affairs and media analyst, Mark blogs for PBS and the Huffington Post and appears frequently on cable news programs...
Nov 06, 2016•27 min
Lisa Sharon Harper is the Chief Church Engagement Officer with Sojourners. Lisa has been leading trainings and helping mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good, with a focus on racial justice. Prior to joining Sojourners, Lisa was the founding executive director of New York Faith & Justice — an organization at the hub of a new ecumenical movement to end poverty in New York City. She has written five books including Left, Right and Christ: Evangelical Fai...
Oct 30, 2016•27 min
David Galston is a university chaplain, adjunct professor of philosophy at Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Academic Director at Westar Institute, and speaker at the Quest Learning Centre. David was on Progressive Spirit about three years ago. We discussed his book Embracing the Human Jesus: A Wisdom Path for Contemporary Christianity. Today we are discussing his newly released book, God’s Human Future: The Struggle to Define Theology Today. Check out his piece on Christian Atheism....
Oct 23, 2016•27 min
Amy Livingstone is the proprietor of Sacred Art Studio in Portland. Amy explores the intersection of theology, ancestral ways of knowing, environmentalism, and spiritual ecology. Her work is informed by her love for the earth and engagement with many forms of creative expression that include painting, sculpture, installation, and ceremony. We discuss the role of spirituality and sacred art in activism for the earth.
Oct 16, 2016•27 min
This is the election episode. I speak with Laurence Leamer author of The President’s Butler, a fictional account of a billionaire who decides to run for president. Afraid of Trump becoming president? Well, don’t be too thrilled about the alternative. Professor Mark Lewis Taylor of Princeton Seminary has written a couple of articles for Counterpunch in which he lays out the case for defeating both Trump and Clintonian Neo-Liberalism. It's about money. Corporations are spending over 16 million in ...
Oct 14, 2016•58 min
Becky Garrison returns to Progressive Spirit to talk about alternative spiritual communities. Secular church but not "church." Not religious but a place to connect, find meaning, do worthwhile things. We'll hear about The Portland Round--the visual arts, slam poetry, and music come together for intimacy and collaboration, Sex Positive Portland -- "members plan and host events centered around understanding and exploring all aspects of human sexuality, relationship styles, kink, gender and orienta...
Oct 09, 2016•27 min
Why was Christianity so odd in its time and how did it change the way we think of religion today? Larry Hurtado is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language, Literature,and Theology in the school of divinity at the University of Edinburgh. His research has focused on the origins and development of what he calls “devotion to Jesus” in earliest Christianity. He is an author of numerous books and an authority on the Gospels (esp. Gospel of Mark), the Apostle Paul, Early Christology, the Jewish B...
Oct 02, 2016•27 min
