Ep. 63: Rethinking the Purpose of Spirituality in 2020

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EQ: What obligation do religious communities have in fighting injustice?

Guest: Dana Coggan is an "environmental advocate, community connector, youth advocate, minister."

Note to listeners: Last January we had Erin Jones on the show to discuss her take on evangelicalism and politics. Today we’re excited to invite Dana Coggan on our show to have a similar conversation but casting a wider net for understanding faith and spirituality.

In this episode we discuss the different between being spiritual and being religious. We share stories of how “the church” can both “shape and scare you.” In sharing our own experiences and hearing Dana’s perspective, we reference a handful of current events such as how organizations like Christianity Today, the Methodist Church, and the Mormon Church are struggling to stay relevant or speak out against injustice. 

References:

Champagne & Real Pain:

  • 🥂 Open and Affirming Churches

  • 👎🏻👎🏻 “Evangelicals” and Trump as Jesus; Mormon church abusing tax exemption

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: reconsider the notion of what religion looks like in your life. 

  • Annie: Educators, flex your compassion and empathy with your students from faiths and religious practices that differ from your own. 

  • Dana: Speak out against the displacement of local homeless community

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Ep. 39: Evangelicals Need to Come Out of Their Corners

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EQ:  How is Evangelicalism supporting white supremacy in American churches and government today and what do we do about it?

We are joined by Erin Jones, award-winning educator, independent education & systems consultant, public speaker, former candidate for State Superintendent (OSPI). As we unpack our essential question, we discuss the tension between faith and doubt, specifically that both are healthy. We wrestle with why so many people of faith unquestionably believe in their leadership (pastors) and are told to just “Do” rather than think about what they are doing. We explore the loaded nature of the word “evangelicalism” including how it’s changed meaning over time and gets interchanged with “Republicanism”. Evangelicalism has been boiled down to arguments about pro-life, gay marriage, guns, and voting for Trump. Erin also shares about her experience as a woman of color navigating white Evangelical churches. Finally, we discuss why it’s critical for Christians who don’t buy into the fear-mongering to come out of our silos and corners to engage in conversations about faith, religion and justice.

Related Readings:

Do Your Fudging Homework: