Gravity Commons Podcast

“Phil from Philly” emailed us with a question about some of the specifics about what it looks like to love enemies. In this episode we reflect on his question, along with issues of power, abuse, conflict, justice, and love. Show notes / links: Join us for an Enneagram Transformation Workshop in Fredericktown, Missouri on March […] The post On Loving Enemies: A Question From a Listener appeared fir...

*CONTENT WARNING*: domestic abuse, pornography, rape. Sheila Gregoire and Sarah McDugal discuss some of the harmful myths about sex and marriage that are perpetuated by Christians, especially those under the moniker “purity culture,” and ways toward a more healthy and holistic view of bodies, sex. and marriage. This was a liberating Gravity Commons LIVE conversation […] The post Sheila Gregoire &a...

We talk with Gravity Leadership Podcast co-founder Ben Sternke about 5 important things he’s learned in ministry so far. This is part of an ongoing series called "5 Things I've Learned." We want to hear from you! Let us know what you wish you knew when you started out in ministry. Email us at podcast@gravityleadership.com […] The post Ben Sternke: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 20 Years of...

We talk with Gravity Leadership Podcast co-host Christy Penley about 5 important things she’s learned in ministry so far. This is part of an ongoing series called "5 Things I've Learned." Two things are fun about this conversation: 1) Christy actually shares 6 things instead of 5, which is very on-brand for her, and 2) […] The post Christy Penley: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 20 Years of...

Many have listened with great interest to the Christianity Today podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,exposing the leadership abuses of Mark Driscoll and the fallout among the members of his church. On this episode we will take a closer look at how the podcast itself functions in the same cultural and theological world […] The post What’s Missing From the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast? appe...

Allyson McKinney Timm and Meghan Tschanz (from Justice Revival) join us to discuss the ongoing struggle for women to have constitutionally protected equality, and why this is a fundamentally Christian concern. Justice Revival provides churches and seminaries with innovative, quality education that explores the importance of human rights to a Christian understanding of justice. Links: […] The post...

In our first Gravity Commons LIVE conversation (with our Gravity Commons community), we talked with David Gushee about his upcoming book Introducing Christian Ethics: Core Convictions for Christians Today. David has taken his many years of teaching and experience to offer a fresh vision of the Christian moral life for today’s turbulent world. This unique […] The post David Gushee: Christian Ethics...

Author and communicator Carlene Hill Byron helps us understand the mounting dilemmas that pastors and churches face around mental health, and how the church can become a healing community for its members in pain. Her book is Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith, and Showing Up for One Another. Carlene Hill Byron is a fundraiser […] The post Carlene Hill Byron: Covid, Mental Health, Faith, and Comm...

Leading activist and author Lisa Sharon Harper spent three decades researching ten generations of her family history through DNA research, oral histories, interviews and genealogy, and in her new book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World--and How to Repair It All, Harper draws on her lifelong journey to know her family's history […] The post Lisa Sharon Harper: How Racism Broke the...

Clinical psychologist Rod Wilson explains how three “sacred sayings” can transform our leadership and the world. In his book Thank you. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More, he offers three practices--gratitude, remorse, and care--as pathways to real human communication, connection, and reconciliation, and provides a practical, inclusive, and relationally-focused resource for those want to become better […] Th...

Tara Beth Leach joined us to talk about her new book, Radiant Church: Restoring the Credibility of Our Witness. Tara Beth also shared about her tumultuous personal and professional life over the last two years. Tara Beth Leach is a pastor, preacher of the Word, and writer. She speaks widely at conferences, retreats, and universities […] The post Tara Beth Leach: Restoring the Credibility of the Ch...

Gravity Co-founder Matt Tebbe shared his most crucial learnings in his first 20 years of ministry. This is the first of an ongoing series we’re starting called “5 Things I’ve Learned.” We want to hear from you! Let us know what you wish you knew when you started out in ministry. Email us at podcast@gravityleadership.com […] The post Matt Tebbe: 5 Things I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Ministry appeare...

We talked with Curt Thompson about his new book The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community, which suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be seen and known. Curt integrates interpersonal neurobiology, Christian spirituality, and theology to help us reckon with what it means to be human, […] The post Curt Thompson: How Naming Desire Leads t...

Many of us have a complicated relationship with our body. Some of us feel ashamed of our bodies. Some of our bodies are riddled with stress, pain, and trauma. Racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, etc. have told some of us that we don’t have the right kind of body. Psychologist and researcher Hillary McBride join us […] The post Hillary McBride: Learning to Listen to the Wisdom of Your Body appeared fi...

Prolific New Testament scholar Craig Keener joins us to talk about modern miracles. Through numerous stories, his new book, Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World, demonstrates the miraculous works of God, which have been part of the experience of the church around the world since Christianity began, continue into the […] The post Craig Keener: God’s Supernatural Work in...

What is the role of emotions in Christian discipleship? Many of us have learned to mistrust or ignore our emotions, but this creates a constricted and rigid spirituality. Becky Castle Miller helps us understand what emotions are and aren’t, how Jesus embodies human emotion, and why naming and working with our emotions is central to […] The post Becky Castle Miller on the Role of Emotions in Christ...

Contemplative prayer is nice, sure, but is it really necessary? Pastor AJ Sherrill thinks so (we do, too). In his new book Being with God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer, AJ shows us how contemplative prayer is crucial not only for spiritual growth in the modern world, but also contributes to our […] The post AJ Sherrill on the Necessity and Neurology of Contemplat...

What do you do when it seems like everybody else is getting their dreams and you’re not? Heather Thompson Day helps us know what we can do to shape ourselves while waiting, so we are ready when it’s our turn. We had a fun, wide-ranging conversation with Heather about the themes from her new book […] The post Heather Day: What to Do When It’s Not Your Turn appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Adve...

Dr. Angie Ward joins us to discuss her new project, When the Universe Cracks: Living as God’s People in Times of Crisis. We chatted about the need in our present cultural moment to navigate crisis faithfully, and how to draw on our Scriptures, tradition, and church history to do so. Dr. Angie Ward brings three […] The post Dr. Angie Ward: Living as God’s People in Times of Crisis appeared first on...

Meghan Tschanz talks with us about her journey of befriending oppressed and exploited women across the globe, and how she noticed a connection between the worst kinds of abuse of women and the systems her childhood church had taught. (Trigger warning: sexual assault.) Meghan’s book Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice is her […] The post Meghan Tschanz: Resisting Oppression By Li...

Many LGBTQ people face overwhelming challenges in navigating faith, gender, and sexuality. Author and speaker Bridget Eileen Rivera joins us to talk about the harm and pain that LGBTQ Christians have experienced in the church, and how churches can develop a better pastoral approach. Bridget’s book is Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm […] The post Bridget Eileen Rivera: How...

What if some of our greatest theologians aren’t normally recognized as theologians at all? Second-generation Cuban American Kat Armas joins us to talk about how marginalized and overlooked voices–mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters–have more to teach us about following God than we realize. Kat’s book is Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us […] The post Kat Armas: What Women...

Nearly everyone knows someone on the autism spectrum, yet most of what people think they know about autism is wrong. Author, poet, and professor Daniel Bowman Jr. joins us for a conversation on how autism and other neurodiversities interact with our faith and relationships, and how neurodiversity can be received as a gift to ourselves […] The post Daniel Bowman Jr. on Autism, Faith, and the Gifts...

Bethany Dearborn Hiser joins us to talk about the importance of soul care for pastors, therapists, chaplains, and others who work closely with the suffering of others, how soul care is different from “pampering” yourself (which often requires affluence), and how to pay closer attention to the health of our souls as we seek to […] The post Bethany Dearborn Hiser: Soul Care For Wounded Healers appea...

Longtime friend of Gravity Brian Zahnd returns to chat about his new book, When Everything’s on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes. As is usual with Brian, we got into some unexpected territory and loved every second of it. Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian […] The post Brian Zahnd Deconstructs Deconstruction appeared first on Gravity...