TheoEd Podcast

Through movement and laughter, Rev. Dr. Lewis takes listeners on a journey through the history of liberation through dance and invites them into a dance partnership with God.

Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023

Twin brothers and long-time Disney performance artists Clay and Cliff reflect on their upbringing in a small town and how the arts programs at their church provided a safe space for them to express themselves as young gay people

Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023

Rev. Dr. Luke Powery dives into the issues of race through a theology of dust, challenging listeners to think beyond our racial identities and acknowledge our need for one another.

Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023

Executive Director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry of the UMC, Rev. Dr. Muñoz argues that worship spaces and the way we behave in them have been largely shaped by whiteness and calls for more authentic liturgy in worship.

Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023

Through reflections on his own fundamentalist upbringing and faith journey, Brian McLaren encourages listeners to continue growing in their faith in a way that allows them to embrace where they have come from and be gentle with their past selves.

Talk first delivered at TheoEd Orlando in September 2023

Author and former youth pastor John Pavlovitz explains why he wishes he would have been more open about his doubts and questions as a pastor.

First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023

In memory of her great-grandmother Leah Ballard who lived in slavery, Lisa Sharon Harper preaches the good news of God's liberation.

First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023

Researcher and parent Dr. Kara Powell lifts up three questions that teenagers today (and all of us) are asking and provides insights into how church leaders and parents can address these questions.

First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023

Using biological processes of human vision as an analogy, Rev. Dr. José Irizarry lifts up the expansive vision God has for us.

First delivered at TheoEd Austin in February 2023

Rev. Dr. Gregory Ellison, professor of pastoral care at Emory University and founder and executive director of Fearless Dialogues, joins us to dive deeper into his 2017 TheoEd Talk, "The Picture of an Activist?" Listen to his talk on episode 1 of this podcast.

Show notes:

In this moving talk, Dr. Mason walks his listeners through a history of what he calls “toxic religion and toxic politics” and then proposes a way to reframe our understanding of religious violence by looking to the eternal kingdom of Jesus.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2022

Dr. Ebby Arnold, post-doctoral fellow for the Candler Foundry and coordinator for the TheoEd Graduate Prize, joins us to discuss this prize. Janine and Ebby talk about the how PhD students and TheoEd talks can support each other and celebrate the rich diversity of voices represented in the TheoEd Talks archive.

Reflecting on his own experiences growing up in segregated Detroit, Dr. Wallis provides a brief history of racism in the United States and makes an impassioned religious argument against structural racism and White Christian nationalism.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2022

Dr. Du Mez describes her process of studying the history of White evangelicalism for her best-selling book, “Jesus and John Wayne,” and challenges her listeners to dig deeper into and be honest about our own religious histories.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2022

In this moving testimony of her own experience with addiction, Dr. Carlier implores faith leaders to practice vulnerability and brokenness in the church sanctuary so that all may feel welcome in that space.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2022

Trisha Cousino, a committed TheoEd student volunteer, joins us to discuss student involvement in TheoEd Talks events and how students can utilize TheoEd resources. Trisha serves as Assistant Director of Residence Life and student Involvement and Advocacy at Saint Mary’s College and is pursuing a PhD in Religion and Practice at Fordham University.

Show notes:

Dr. Roger Nam, former financial analyst and professor of Hebrew Bible, joins us to dive deeper into his fall 2022 TheoEd Talk entitled “Money, Wealth, and the Bible.” Listen to his talk on our most recent podcast episode.

Show notes:

Former financial analyst and professor of Hebrew Bible Dr. Nam walks his listeners through the ways the Bible conceptualizes wealth, from God’s covenant with Abraham to the teachings of Jesus, and challenges us to acknowledge the differences between ancient economies and our own.

Recorded in September 2022

Bishop Wright challenges his listeners to think of leadership as a “delivery system for love” and provides insights into how to develop the leadership skills necessary to best love our neighbors.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2022

Dr. Miroslav Volf, founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, argues that God’s purpose in creating the world was to make a home for all and provides insights on how we can join in that work.

First delivered at TheoEd Charlotte in February 2022

Founding Director of TheoEd, Ryan Bonfiglio, joins us to discuss the origins of TheoEd, how TheoEd events are put together, and some funny memories he has of past events.

Drawing on her personal experiences growing up in the church and her grandmother’s kitchen, Dr. Yolanda Pierce challenges us to reconsider what it means to be a theologian and what sources of theology we should honor.

First delivered at TheoEd Charlotte in February 2022.

Dr. Patrick Reyes, senior director of learning design at the Forum for Theological Exploration and author of Nobody Cries When We Die and The Purpose Gap, joins us to dive deeper into his February 2019 TheoEd Talk entitled “Wanted Dead or Alive.” Listen to his talk on episode 7 of the TheoEd Podcast.

Show notes:

In this passionate talk, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III presents innovative, inclusive, and environmentally conscious ways the church can partner with God in bringing about community transformation.

First delivered at TheoEd Charlotte in February 2022.

Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above, a non-profit in Charlotte, North Carolina dedicated to eradicating homelessness, joins us to dive deeper into the big ideas of her February 2022 TheoEd Talk entitled “On the Other Side of Judgment.” Listen to her talk on episode 23 of the TheoEd Podcast.

Show notes:

CEO of Roof Above Liz Clasen-Kelley shares stories of her work to end homelessness and challenges us to think about this issue in a new, loving, and non-judgmental way.

First delivered at TheoEd Charlotte in February 2022. 

How do we respond to uncertainty? Rather than deny it or simply try to survive it, Rev. Olu Brown, lead Pastor at Impact Church in Atlanta, offers three fundamental truths that can help us embrace uncertainty.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2021.

Dean of the Chapel at Spelman College, Rev. Dr. Neichelle Guidry, asks questions core to our faith and humanity, including why it can be hard set limits, embrace rest, and extend grace to ourselves after failures and mistakes.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2021.

Doug Shipman, Founding CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, examines the complex history of racial reconciliation in America and what it looks like to pursue reconciliation at a personal and corporate level.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2021.

Drawing on her experience as a clinical psychologist and professor of practical theology, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes diagnoses whiteness as the hidden wound that lies at the heart of racism and racial injustice.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2021.

Drawing on Barna research and their own marriage, Jeff and André Shinabarger, co-hosts of the podcast Love or Work, ask, “Is it possible to change the world, stay in love, and raise a healthy family?”

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2020.

A distinguished womanist biblical interpreter, Dr. Wil Gafney reveals the Bible’s use of masculine and feminine imagery for God and how it invites us to look beyond traditional gender categories.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2020.

What does it look like to address poverty in ways both faithful and effective? Shawn Duncan, Director of The Lupton Center, reimagines traditional approaches to charity and mission.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2020.

Therapist and author Hillary McBride illumines how recovering a positive view of our bodies is crucial to self-understanding, empathy for others, and a commitment to justice.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2020.

A new leading voice in racial justice, Austin Channing Brown offers a compelling look at what the journey towards justice entails in an era of rising racial hostility.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2019.

In his provocative talk, Ted Smith, Professor of Preaching and Ethics at Candler School of Theology, considers how and why we are called to devote our lives to things that do not last.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2019.

A storyteller and minister, Mihee Kim-Kort reflects on how learning her mother tongue (Korean) opened up new ways of understanding God, culture, and her own vocation.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2019.

Acclaimed journalist Jonathan Merritt explores what it takes to talk about faith in ways that are honest, authentic, and understandable in an increasingly pluralistic society.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in September 2019.

With compelling vulnerability, podcaster and author Mike McHargue de-stigmatizes suicide and calls the church to be on the front lines of addressing the crisis of suicide in our society.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2019.

Award-winning author Diana Butler Bass explores how cultivating lives of gratitude can help us more deeply experience the transformative and subversive reign of God.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2019.

Old Testament scholar Pete Enns shows how the Bible, rather than giving simple answers about faith and life, models for us a process of reimagining the way in which God communes with humanity.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2019.

What does it mean that God calls each of us to life? Latinx practical theologian Patrick Reyes explores the idea of vocation through the lens of the biblical story of Hagar and Ishmael.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2019.

Activist Shane Claiborne probes what it would look like for the church to rediscover its calling to stand for life and love in the midst of the challenges of poverty and gun violence.

First delivered at TheoEd Atlanta in February 2018.