Overview: "Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins particularly." (Westminster Confession, Chapter 15.5,6, part two). Following James Choi’s article, Isaac and Austin discuss ways in which they see racism, particularly against Asians, in this unique season we live in. Listen in as they discuss: Is COVID-19 creating racism, or revealing it? Why is calling the Coronavirus a “Chinese virus” racist? What ...
Mar 25, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Overview: "O God, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you." (2 Chronicles 20:12). During the coronavirus outbreak, there has been panic, fear, and disruption to our lives, both individually and corporately as churches. But praise God, we're not the only Christians who have had to weather this kind of storm. On Nov. 3, 1918, Francis J. Grimké, pastor of 15th Street Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., preached a sermon to his church, which reopened after public gatherings were banned...
Mar 17, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Overview: Austin has a curious interaction while hosting a booth at a recent conference. This makes Isaac and Austin reflect on why exactly it is that we do what we do here at United? We Pray. Surely it’s not for cool points for being part of the “social justice fad”? Why do we care so much about this conversation as it pertains to God’s Church? Listen in as they discuss: How do we help our friends enter the hard conversation of race? How can we encourage confession instead of shame when it come...
Mar 04, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Overview: Isaac catches up with friend and original co-host Trillia Newbell! Isaac and Trillia talk Black History Month and how they and their families are celebrating it. Listen in as we discuss: How does understanding history help us understand our current historical moment? How does understanding history help us love our neighbor? Why do we have black history month? What are good ways to celebrate black history month? Support the show To learn more about United? We Pray, follow us on Instagra...
Feb 19, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Austin was surprised find out that one of his former bosses in Christian ministry was a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. Having been redeemed by the Lord from his former nature, Thomas Tarrants now shares with us insights into the ideology of his past. Support the show To learn more about United? We Pray, follow us on Instagram and keep exploring our website. Please consider rating the podcast on Apple Podcasts , and subscribe using your favorite podcast client to hear more!...
Feb 05, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Overview: Isaac has a new co-host! Isaac and Austin introduce season 5 and give a preview of what's to come. They take some time to mourn the death of Kobe Bryant, and discuss how it affects the African-American community. Austin also reflects on a recent talk he gave about race, and the outcome of it. Support the show To learn more about United? We Pray, follow us on Instagram and keep exploring our website. Please consider rating the podcast on Apple Podcasts , and subscribe using your favorit...
Jan 29, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Overview: “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11) Collin Hansen, Editorial Director of The Gospel Coalition, joins Isaac Adams to discuss the wounds of racism in the South. From the history of the University of Alabama football team to 16th Street Baptist Church, the brothers discuss how racism affects all facets of life. Most tragically, instead of being beacons of ...
Nov 06, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Overview: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) "Racial logic is the air we breathe." If this is true, how does this affect our understanding of race and racism? Why are these issues about more than personal, individual morality and how do we see them manifest in structures and systems? Moreover, how might Christians faithfully disrupt patterns of exclusion and injustice? Join Isaac Adams and David Leong as they talk about race, place, and their connection; liste...
Oct 23, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 30
"Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?" (Psalm 94:20) "Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust." Why is understanding songs of sorrow so important for our thinking about race? Why is lament so important that a third of Psalms are lament? Join Isaac Adams and Mark Vroegop as they answer these questions: What does the Scripture teach about the grace of lament? What is the importance of Christians understanding race? How does understanding the grace of l...
Oct 09, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 29
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1) Despite division over their alma maters, Thabiti Anyabwile and Isaac Adams come together to talk about hope and its importance for the work of racial reconciliation. The brothers considered these questions:• What do you do when the race conversation feels as if it’s moving backward rather than forward? • What...
Sep 25, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 28
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor." (Ecclesiastes 4:9) In this episode, the rest of the leadership team join Isaac to talk about what roles they play on the United? We Pray team, and why they do what they do. Support the show To learn more about United? We Pray, follow us on Instagram and keep exploring our website. Please consider rating the podcast on Apple Podcasts , and subscribe using your favorite podcast client to hear more!...
Sep 11, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 27
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6) How are you praying for the 2020 election? How might we as Christians prepare to speak about it with one another in a way that shows the world we are Jesus’ disciples? In this episode, Isaac Adams and Trillia Newbell team up again to discuss the heightened political animosity and polarization that too often characterizes Christians online. Yet as Christians we are ...
Jul 10, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 26
At the 2019 JUST Gospel Conference, John Onwuchekwa exposits one of the most puzzling and impactful stories of reconciliation in the Scriptures. Meditating on Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers, Onwuchekwa concludes that if you’re ever going to move past your past hurts, from frustration to forgiveness, you have to remember two things: 1) God’s part in your story and 2) Your place in His. We all want to move past our pasts, particularly the pain in our pasts. The world may offer vain comf...
Jun 19, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this special episode, we hear Isaac’s talk from the JUST Gospel conference, which took place in Atlanta this past May, and it was hosted by The Front Porch. In this talk he answers the question, “Can we be reconciled without prayer?” Standing on Scripture, such as John 17, Isaac offers two answers: 1) No and 2) Why would we want to? Why would we want a reconciliation born of the flesh but not the Spirit? Brothers and sisters, we wage war against Satan and his dominion. So, if you’ve ever been...
Jun 05, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In this episode, Isaac explains the break mid-season 3, forecasts a couple of sermons dropping on U?WP, and shares his poem of lament entitled: "Lord, I Cannot Fix this Brokenness." Here are the lyrics: Lord! I cannot fix this brokenness, Within the world, a thorny mess, Will war and sorrow win the day? Why has your justice so delayed? Lord! I cannot fix this brokenness, Within our churches, we confess: We divide o’er race and politics. How can, in Christ, these walls exist? Lord—forgive us for ...
May 29, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 23
"As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting." (2 Corinthians 7:9) Join Isaac Adams and Jemar Tisby as the two talk about politics, which so often combines race, religion, idolatry, and power. Still, Tisby maintains Christians are political creatures who need not shy away from politics. Tisby discusses the nature of systemic racism, and how it's too narrow a view to reduce racism down to personal animus. Rather than only seeing racism as outrigh...
Mar 06, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 22
FYI: This episode was originally recorded August 2018. Given that we pushed season three back to 2019, we had it scheduled to release in Spring 2019. Host: Isaac Adams and Trillia Newbell Overview: " Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:19-20). In this episode, Trillia Newbell and Isaac Adams sit with Mark Dever, Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington...
Feb 20, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Host: Isaac Adams Overview: But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. (Obadiah 12) Join Isaac as he heads to Kenya to talk with Pastor Ken Mbugua about tribalism and its hidden faults. Kenya, along with some of its churches, has wonderful diversity as there are 42 tribes there. And every five years Kenyan pastors of mult-ethnic churches are reminded of their di...
Feb 06, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Host: Isaac Adams Overview: "And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great." (Job 2:13) Come hear a man reckon with the hard history of his lineage: His family sold slaves. To kick off Season 3, Isaac Adams travels through Africa to pray with and learn from African pastors about race, the local church, and politics. In this episode, Isaac sits with Pastor Saidi Chishimba, a pastor in Zambia. Chishim...
Jan 23, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Host: Isaac Adams Overview: “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” - Samuel Chadwick Isaac gives us an overview of Season 3 and its focuses. We say goodbye to some old friends and hello to some new. Also, we’re hiring! Links & Show Notes: 1. Book: “ If God Is For Us: The Everlasting Truth of O...
Dec 19, 2018•7 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Host: Isaac Adams Guest: Jarvis Williams Overview: “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12) In this Summer Special, Isaac Adams sits with Jarvis Wil...
Aug 08, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Overview: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In the Season 2 Finale, Trillia and Isaac reflect upon God’s grace throughout another season of United? We Pray. They reflect upon 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 — “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This verse b...
Jun 06, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Guest: Duke Kwon Overview: “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11) Should our conversations about race and the church only be black and white? What is lost if we don’t have a wider conversation, and what is gained from having a broader conversation that includes those of other ethnicities? Korean-American pastor Duke Kw...
May 23, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Hosts: Isaac Adams Guest: John Perkins Overview: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Fifty years later to the day, Isaac Adams sat with Dr. John Perkins, an 87-year-old civil rights activist, a few blocks from where Dr. King was killed. There, Isaac heard Perkins’ reflections on race and the church in light of his work and MLK Jr.’s legacy. Originally, Isaac and John we...
Apr 11, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Guest: Dr. Michael Emerson Overview: "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." (James 1:19) In this episode, Trillia Newbell and Isaac Adams talk with Michael Emerson, one of the authors of the seminal work, Divided by Faith. Published nearly 20 years ago, Divided by Faith examines evangelicals and the problem of race from a sociological perspective. What personal and professional experiences led Dr...
Mar 28, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Overview: Colorblindness is the theory that if we ignore race, then racial problems will eventually cease. Is this term and theory helpful or unhelpful. Why or why not? How is it present in our culture, and how is it present in our churches? Join Isaac Adams and Trillia Newbell as they discuss colorblindness and why the idea keeps appearing in Christian conversations about race? In this conversation, Trillia and Isaac discuss how colorblindness has been e...
Mar 14, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Overview: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 13:9) In this episode, Trillia and Isaac talk and pray about the goal of racial reconciliation. Why is it helpful or unhelpful? What isn’t the goal of racial reconciliation? Join us in prayer. And as you do, consider what we suggest the goal of reconciliation is: NOT THIS: We begin this episode by focusing on the fact that the goal of reconciliation is not merely appea...
Feb 28, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Guest: SharDavia Walker Overview: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9) In the opening to season two, Trillia Newbell and Isaac Adams talk and pray with SharDavia Walker about interracial marriages—the beauty of them and the difficulty of them in and outside the church. How do you humbly and honestly navigate conversations with family who don’t approve of interracial relationships? Does the Bible speak about interraci...
Feb 14, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 9
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12b) Taking racial struggles to the throne, United? We Pray is a podcast that calls for prayer about racial divisions in churches. With all that could be said about race and the church, why have a podcast on prayer? Here are four reasons: 1. The Bible commands prayer. 2. Church History commends prayer. 3. Pastors know about prayer. 4. Christians agree on prayer. And so we pray. We’d love for you to join us for this second sea...
Feb 07, 2018•7 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Hosts: Isaac Adams & Trillia Newbell Guest: Jasmine Holmes Overview: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2) In the season finale, Trillia Newbell and Isaac Adams reflect on the first season of United? We Pray, and they speak with Jasmine Holmes about safe places. In the race conversation, at times, someone will say something unhelpful or down...
Dec 27, 2017•46 min•Season 1Ep. 8
