The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form

Given the realities of suffering we see in our world – poverty, hunger, climate change, violence – there are many who see Christian hope as naive, as a way to avoid engaging in the realities of suffering. What does Christian hope look like in an age of nihilism? In today's gathering we will examine the role and importance of hope for the Christian faith. Question to Consider Before We Meet: How do...

What does it mean to be created in the image of God? The history of Christianity has shown us that Christian communities have historically struggled to view all humans as bearing the image of God equally – especially marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and those who identify as queer. This Sunday Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Dedrick Bonner as we learn about the challenges and...

We welcome Rev. Kimberly Scott to our center conversation with Pastor Molly, sharing about her theological work on practices of resilience, drawn from the wisdom of Queer Black Clergy Women. Her work invites us into practices of remembrance, hope, defiance, and action. Rev. Kimberly is a doctoral student at the Claremont School of Theology, and a United Methodist Elder. www. TheLoftLA.org

This Sunday, Rev. Kevin Kim Wright returns to The Loft for conversation with Pastor Molly, as they explore how the Holy Spirit's calling leads us to live out our faith. Currently Chief of Staff at The Point Foundation, an LGBTQ+ scholarship granting organization, he is an ordained Elder in the UMC. www. TheLoftLA.org

Despite our lack of engagement with the doctrine of the Trinity, I believe that it has continued to persist because it reveals something about the nature of God: a Divine and Dynamic relationship rooted in love. Join us this Sunday as we explore how we can take our place in God's divine dance. www. TheLoftLA.org

Why has there been a sudden increase in anti-trans legislation across the country? In this week's episode of Loft Conversations, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter examine the roots of the increased anti-trans political activism and how it's tied to a broader structure of religiously conservative theology. We also discuss the facts and popular fictions of gender-affirming care. We end the convers...

Last week, we discussed how our response to the inevitable suffering of human life can grow our faith. But what about manufactured suffering? What impact might that have on one's faith? This week Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Sarah Wilson, Executive Director of Harvest Home, a nonprofit whose mission is to transform the lives of homeless pregnant women and their children by providing housing,...

What is the difference between belief and faith? One definition that we discussed was that belief requires a lot of "religion," but faith asks us to construct a theology. In today's Loft Converations episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss the nature and meaning of faith for Christians and why some people fear asking the kind of questions or experiencing the type of life events that e...

What Christians are to believe and how those beliefs translate into actions have been the source of personal anxiety at a minimum and social conflict at its worst. The human desire for structure and clarity has led many Christians to develop theologies that fear difficult questions and demand blind assent. However, a mature theology should dare to raise questions on our quest for a deeper understa...

If we only use the same handful of metaphors to describe God, they hide the full wonder of divine love. So, this Sunday, we will talk about old and new metaphors for God; bring your poetic, prophetic imagination to help with the project. Plus, we share Holy Communion. www. TheLoftLA.org

How might we eat in ways that align with our moral and cultural values? This question will be the starting point for our gathering this Sunday. A few weeks ago we discussed the realities of our food system and the ways it profits from the manufacturing of suffering. This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Carter will share the three theologically informed eating practices that allow us to remain true to the princip...

In today's episode of Loft Conversations we discuss the "other work" that Rev. Dr. Carter attends to when he is not doing church work - food justice. We begin by discussing his book, The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice, and his motivation for writing it. Rev. Dr. Carter notes that the guiding question for the book was "how can I eat in ways that are in alignment with my moral an...

Rather than an excuse to set our focus in some heavenly realm, Jesus' resurrection helps us see God's presence here among us, on earth. www. TheLoftLA.org

In this weeks Loft Conversations episode we speak with Dedrick Bonner. Singer, actor, musician, producer - he has done it all! Dedrick founded a gospel choir, The Singers of Soul, and we have been blessed to have them sing at The Loft for the past few years. In this conversation, we discuss Dedrick's journey from Alabama to LA and the difficulties he has faced as a large Black gay man. We also dis...

How might we eat in ways that are in alignment with our moral and cultural values? How might we think theologically about our food choices and agricultural systems? These questions have shaped the trajectory of Rev. Dr. Carter's diet and his research the over the past 13 years. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we discuss how eating is a spiritual practice. Preparing For Sunday: Please be pr...

The question that Jesus poses to Mary 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 are you looking for? Where do you see hope in the resurrection of Christ? We invite you to join us this Easter Sunday as we finish our Lenten series, The Inward Journey and boldly proclaim the hope that we fi...

Jesus quotes the psalmist when he cries out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" His final lament gives voice to all those who have been forsaken—those who suffer injustice, those who are abandoned, those who are unjustly convicted. And yet, when we read this lament in light of his prayer in the garden of Gathsemene that God would "take this cup of suffering away from me" we s...

On Palm Sunday, our lenten journey brings us to the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem; the crowd cried "Hosanna," which means, "Save us." We, too, are hungry to be saved, eager to be liberated from the destructive power of violence and oppression. In conversation and at the communion table, we claim our part in a different way, a way of peace. www. TheLoftLA.org

In this week's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the tragic mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville. This was not an easy conversation for any of us, but it was necessary. We were joined by Kathleen Rogers, a member of the Loft community and Nashville native. Kathleen was connected to two of the victims and offers insight into how the community is processing and grieving th...

When Jesus and the disciples encounter a blind man, the disciples immediately ask, "Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" In our quest for healing Jesus encourages us to ask more precise questions; questions that reveal the interconnected nature of our existence. Read For Sunday: Howard Thurman's essay "The Subtleties of Pride" will inform our conversation on Sunda...

What happens when we center the unnamed in scripture or society? In today's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well. While the Samaritan Woman is not named in the gospel, the influence she had on her community and the theological discourse that surrounds her proves that she is a person that deserves our attention. We end our conversation discus...

Risk is an inevitable part of our quest for fulfillment. However, as Jesus and the Samaritan woman demonstrate, if we are to change our present circumstance we must not be daunted by fear of taking those risks. These two essays from Howard Thurman's Inward Journey will help inform our conversation on Sunday. Some questions that I would love for us to discuss during our gathering are: What are some...

In today's Loft Conversations episode, discuss the problem with the idea that life is supposed to be free of all types of suffering. Who thought of this idea and who had it benefited, who has it harmed? And then we end our conversation discussing what a realistic utopia would look like.

After his baptism, Jesus continues his Inward Journey in the wilderness. Wandering alone, he spent time in prayer in fasting as he sought clarity about what the next steps in his ministry should be. This time in the wilderness gave him the opportunity to discern what a meaningful life would be for him. The quest for a meaningful life is as old as humanity. From Adam and Eve to Jesus to today, all...

It's the season of Lent, and in today's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the importance of understanding Jesus the person by exploring the context of his community. How might his background as a poor Jewish subject of Roman colonial occupation have influenced his teachings? What does it mean to view Jesus as a religious subject vs. a religious object? And we end our conversation with a fasci...