Gravity Commons Podcast

On the cusp of a new year, Christy talks with Ben and Matt about what it means to create a "rule of life" that is helpful and freeing, rather than burdensome. Connect with Gravity Commons: Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated...

As the year draws to a close, Christy, Ben, and Matt open some Christmas gifts and talk about some of the "gifts" of 2024. Merry Christmas, everyone! Connect with Gravity Commons: Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links ea...

Ben, Matt, and Christy continue their discussion from last week of a few post-election commitments that are crystalizing for them as they contemplate what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the coming season. Here are the commitments we discuss in this episode (listen to Part 1 for the ones at the beginning of the list): Stay awake. Don’t numb your longing for the world to be made right. Ke...

Ben, Matt, and Christy discuss a few post-election commitments that are crystalizing for them as they contemplate what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the coming season. Here are the commitments we discuss in this episode (more coming in Part 2): Stay awake. Don’t numb your longing for the world to be made right. Keep caring for one another. Keep telling the truth about systems of injust...

Matt and Ben reflect on a practical question from a listener on how to resist the power of Mammon in a specific situation. Show Notes: Matt Tebbe on the Liminal Living Podcast Sheryllin Ifill's article on practical ways to respond to the election . Connect with Gravity Commons: Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Jo...

Christy, Matt, and Ben discuss what they're learning about navigating difficult relationships during the holidays post-election. Connect with Gravity Commons: Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a future episode. Join the Gravity Community to interact with other listeners, and get our list of curated links each week to all things edi...

Christy, Matt, and Ben discuss the virtues of participating in book clubs, and some of the goodness that has emerged from the new Gravity Book Club. (We are selecting our next book right now, by the way!) Let us know what you think we should read and discuss together. Connect with Gravity Commons: Leave us a message or ask a question  about this or any other episode and we'll answer it on a fu...

We talked with Dr. Thomas J. Oord about the recent heresy trial he underwent in his denomination for LGBTQ+ affirmation, what led him to fully affirm LGBTQ+ people, and many of the issues and questions that come up when discussing human sexuality. Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning author, having written...

In this impromptu bonus episode, Matt Tebbe convenes a panel of pastors to discuss the spiritual, emotional and social implications of a second Donald Trump presidency. They explore personal reflections on identity, the challenges of fostering unity in diverse communities, and the importance of recognizing and addressing systemic issues such as racism and immigration. The discussion emphasizes the...

We talk with Pastor Timothy McCain about how to have healthy, honest conversations with those different from us. Timothy's new book is Honest Conversations: Talking to Understand; Not to Win , which explores how to have conversations across differences in culture, experience, and lifestyle. Whether you want to learn more about someone's culture as you share a meal or have a more intense co...

We talk with Hebrew Bible scholar Jacob L. Wright about why no other ancient society produced anything like the Bible: a testimony of survival, but also an unparalleled achievement in human history. Wright's book Why the Bible Began: An Alternative History of Scripture and Its Origins was on The New Yorkers BEST OF 2023 list, as well as one of the best five books on religion according to Publi...

Pastor and writer Joel A. Bowman, Sr. joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on thinking about and practicing politics through the lens of Christian faith. We touch on the upcoming presidential election, the history and theology of the Black church tradition, and the culture war. Rev. Joel A. Bowman, Sr. is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and has been in ministry for 29 years. He is the founder and...

Spiritual director, podcast host, and author Emily P. Freeman joins us to talk about what to do when you start to feel a shift and must decide if it's time to make a change, and how to know when the time is right. Emily's book How to Walk Into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away helps us begin to uncover the silent, nuanced, and hidden arrows for anyone asking que...

We talked with Chuck DeGroat about how to heal from the hidden hurt of what's happened to us that we couldn't control. His new book Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself—and to God—When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering is available today. Chuck DeGroat is a professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, where he...

Professor Grace Ji-Sun Kim join us to talk about the historical origins and theological implications of how the olive-skinned Jesus "became white" and how the invisible, infinite God became a white male. In her book When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity , she outlines how the myth of the white male God has had a devastating effect as it enabled Christian...

Author and mental health advocate Chris Morris has battled depression and suicidality his entire adult life: the grief of unrelenting illness, the shame of struggling, and the pain of poor guidance. In his book Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward , he shares how he has dealt with these challenges--and invites you to do the same, no matter your diagn...

Professor David Gushee is back on the podcast to talk about how the moral teachings of Jesus can help those who feel the old version of their faith is no longer working to cultivate a more examined and robust faith. In Gushee's new book, The Moral Teachings of Jesus: Radical Instruction in the Will of God , he examines forty teachings of Jesus, drawn from all four New Testament Gospels, to cla...

We talked with podcaster, theology nerd, and former pastor Josh Patterson about leaving the pastorate, starting his (Re)thinking Faith podcast, working a "secular" job, and why he's looking forward to Theology Beer Camp (Oct 17-19 in Denver - join us and register using our code GRAVITYHOBBIT to get $50 off registration!). Joshua Patterson is the founder and host of the (Re)thinking Fai...

We continue our series with Jon DePue (co-author of  Beyond Justification: Liberating Paul’s Gospel ) about how to interpret specific scripture passages and theological ideas in the new "liberated" way he outlines in the book. Today we talk about "faith" - what does Paul actually mean when he talks about faith? What does it mean for us to have faith? Jon DePue is a graduate of Duke...

We talked with podcaster and theology nerd Tripp Fuller about the history, mistakes, and legacy of the emerging church movement of the early 2000s, the state of the church and theology right now, and why he's excited about Theology Beer Camp this fall (Oct 17-19 in Denver). Tripp Fuller likes the LA Lakers, beer camps, Illia Delio, the Church, philosophy, Battlestar Galactica and LOTR, podcast...

Khristi Lauren Adams's faith was first shaped by her experiences as a Black girl--learning about Scripture from her grandmother, Mama Hattie; "playing church" with her seven cousins over summer vacation; and grieving the murder of her sixteen-year-old friend when she was just fifteen. In Womanish Theology: Discovering God Through the Lens of Black Girlhood , Adams reflects on those exp...

Registered psychologist and award-winning researcher Hillary McBride joins us to talk about all things embodied. In her latest book Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body , McBride offers an experiential guide--centered on prompts, activities, and opportunities for reflection--to support readers who want to practice embodiment. Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psych...

We talk with writer and artist Jenai Auman about the experience of being left out or pushed out of the church, and how to find spiritual rest and belonging in a God who loves, restores, and blesses the outcast and the marginalized. In her book Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized , Jenai draws on her experience growing up as a biracial kid in the A...

Today we start a new regular series on the podcast, based on our conversation a couple months ago with Jon DePue about Liberating the Gospel from Mere Justification . The paradigm shift in  Beyond Justification: Liberating Paul’s Gospel (the book Jon co-authored with Douglas Campbell) is such a big one for most of us that we thought it'd be helpful to talk regularly with Jon about how to inter...

After twenty years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global pandemic, protests against racial violence, and frequent shootings, more Americans than ever are living with the effects of trauma. Our conversation with Army veteran and Episcopal priest David Peters helps us see the good news that Jesus was born and died in a traumatized world, and his story speaks forever to wounded people worldwide. P...