The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form

Saying "yes" rather than "no" to an invitation is much easier. A part of the pleasure of saying yes is knowing that someone wants you and wants to be in relationship with you in some way. To be sure, the spiritual practice of saying no is difficult. And yet, given the busyness of contemporary life, a "holy no" may be precisely what we need. Jesus encourages his followers to "stop worrying about to...

Television, film, Hollywood, and popular culture tell us that vigilante heroism is necessary to save us from ourselves. But is this true? In this episode, we discuss the myth of redemptive violence and our personal struggles with the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance.

The roots of war and conflict are apparent in how we are socialized to live our daily lives. American political and economic policies and our social imagination of the "other" entice us into a zero-sum game where mutual flourishing feels impossible. This way of thinking is inconsistent with the spiritual path of Jesus and his disciples. Instead, we are invited to wage peace within ourselves and be...

In her book All About Love , bell hooks writes that we ought to "view our homes as our original school of love." Love is essential for cultivating peace, so how might we intentionally teach it in our homes? How might we reimagine our church community as a school of love? What would it look like to teach young people how to cultivate the will and the courage to love, how to extend themselves to nur...

Though our culture tends to teach and practice an approach to the natural world that seeks to control, tame, and extract resources, Jesus' teaching suggests a different way: he asks us to "consider the lilies," and learn from the birds. The Gospel beckons us toward a mutuality with the earth, honoring the integrity of creation. www. TheLoftLA.org

There is something inside all of us that longs for security, stability, and peace. However, human history reveals that we tend to try to meet this longing through coercion and force. This tendency has led us to view violence as a tool for peace rather than an obstacle that prevents peace. The spiritual path of Jesus reveals to us a pathway to peace beyond the myth that violence has the power to re...

What role might friendships play in our spiritual growth and formation? In this episode, we explore how mature friendships can help us see the truth of who we are - even, and especially, when the truth hurts.

Among all of Jesus' disciples, Peter's spiritual pilgrimage is a good example of what it means to fall upward. Just before Jesus ascension into heaven, he finds Peter at the shoreline, casting his nets yet again. He turns to Peter and asks three times, "Do you love me?" as if each answer washes away Peter's earlier three denials. To be sure, no matter how far we wander off our path during our spir...

We invite you to join our Loft community in the Sanctuary for an Easter Sunday Celebration featuring the Singers of Soul Gospel Choir as we reflect on the hope we find in the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, Jesus's question to Mary while standing at his empty tomb is the central question of Easter: Who—or what—are you looking for? What kind of Jesus are you looking for? What kind of Christianity ar...

Rather than spending our time wondering why bad things happen to good people, how different would our faith be if we focused our energy on what to do when we experience suffering?

During the final week of his earthly life, Jesus enters Jerusalem to much fanfare. Moreover, Jesus began to speak more frequently about the purpose of his life and why living out of his purpose might cost him his life. Living with purpose connects us to our deepest sense of self and the Sacred. Join us this Sunday as we explore how we might practice living with a sense of purpose. www. TheLoftLA.o...

After leaving the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry of theological and social healing in earnest. While many welcomed his message and the community work he was doing, some of the most religious people bristled. Jesus taught and practiced a boundary-breaking love, and breaking boundaries almost always makes us uncomfortable. However, the spiritual path of Jesus invites us to hold a creative tens...

What does it mean to be a "progressive Christian?" How does attending a progressive Christian church inform your theology? Today's episode is the first of a two-part series of interviews with members and staff from The Loft community where we answer these and other questions. These episodes give you a glimpse of what it is like to worship in a community of people committed to following Jesus' spir...

After his baptism, Jesus continued his spiritual Pilgrimage in the wilderness. Wandering alone, he spent time in prayer and fasting as he sought clarity about the next steps in his ministry. His experience in the wilderness and the temptations he faced gave him insight into the obstacles we create that stifle our own spiritual formation. We are excited to be joined by Lola Davidson, Peer-to-Peer M...

Would you walk over 500 miles to discover the truth of who you are - the raw, naked, truth? In this episode we are joined by Rev. Anne Gardner to discuss her book And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago. Using the famed pilgrimage path as a backdrop, Gardner's memoir weaves together her personal narrative with the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges pre...

What does it mean to "fall upward?" How might our failings be the foundation for ongoing spiritual growth? In today's gathering we explore how the two halves of life work together to guide us on our pilgrimage towards the Divine. www. TheLoftLA.org

How do we as progressive Christians understand what it means to "be humuan" in light of our encounter with the Divine? In today's episode we discuss the principles of a progressive Christian theological anthroplogy and what our key take-aways were from this series.

Our life's journey is a combination of joy and suffering, hope and disappointment. And while no one enjoys suffering or disappointment, what we see in the life of Jesus is a practice of responding to such suffering in ways that allow us to grow in spiritual maturity. The pilgrimage that we call life will not always be easy, but as Jesus promises in Matthew, it can be light. This Sunday, we will be...

Jesus doesn't seek out trained rabbis and priests to be his disciples; instead, he calls a few Galilean fishermen to follow him and join his ministry. In this story, Simon Peter encounters Jesus after a long night of work, and despite his exhaustion, their encounter leaves him woken up to God, and gives him a new vision of what his life can become. www. TheLoftLA.org

The systems, structures, and churches in which we live our lives mirror the societies that made them. They are created and upheld by humans who carry biases, beliefs, and feelings of shame, just like we do. And while some of our systems have changed for the better over time, change is often difficult and not inevitable. We cannot talk about becoming an Unapologetically Inclusive community unless w...

We know that our Christian faith calls us to love ourselves. And yet self-love is often elusive - something we want to have but perpetually struggle with. Why? And how might progressive Christianity help us finally learn to love ourselves, regardless?

Being Unapologetically Inclusive forces us to ask how we are to live with one another in ways that foster self-love. To be sure, "it is not our differences that divide us. We cannot recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." Loving our bodies and the bodies of others is an invitation to make peace with bodily difference, and to live in solidarity with one another. Conversation Question:...

The foundational spiritual practice within Christianity is our commitment to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves, "all the law and the prophets rest on these commands," according to Jesus. But truly loving ourselves is often easier said than done. Radical self-love asks us to let go of our doubts about our worthiness for love and embrace the Divine command to see the image of God in ourselves an...

How might we practice being human in ways that enable us to love ourselves and heal from the psychological terror of colonial thinking? It won't be easy, but progressive theology can help us craft a renewed understanding of what it means to practice being human, one that fosters an anti-oppressive and liberative way of being in the world.

What does being created in the image of God mean for you? While Christianity teaches that all human beings are created in the image of God, in this sermon Rev. Dr. Carter explores the meaning behind this idea and how it is this relevant for us today.