The Academy Podcast

In this episode of The Academy Podcast, host Shalom Agtarap sits down with leaders from The Academy for Spiritual Formation Civil Rights Pilgrimage to reflect on the sacred work of remembrance, community, and spiritual transformation. Drawing from experiences across Alabama at sites central to the Civil Rights Movement, Safiyah Fosua, Kwasi Kena, Diana Cason, and Johnny Sears share how pilgrimage...

In this episode of  The Academy Podcast , host Shalom Agtarap sits down with scholar, teacher, and longtime Academy faculty member  Luther Smith  to explore how spiritual formation shapes the way we engage the world. Drawing deeply from the wisdom of Howard Thurman and the witness of those who have lived with their “backs against the wall,” Luther reflects on the inseparable connection between per...

In this conversation, host  Shalom Agtarap  is joined by  Frank Rogers , spiritual director, teacher, author, and co-director of the Center for Engaged Compassion. Drawing from decades of work in spiritual formation and compassion studies, Frank reflects on the sacred rhythms that sustain us, the restorative power of contemplative practice, and the call to embody compassion in a fractured world. T...

In this conversation, host  Shalom Agtarap  is joined by  Elaine Heath , theologian, spiritual director, and longtime faculty member of The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Drawing from her journey through contemplative spirituality, community life, and regenerative ministry, Elaine invites us into a rich conversation about grounding ourselves in God’s presence during times of chaos and change. To...

In this conversation, host Shalom Agtarap is joined by Dr. Shively Smith , Associate Professor of New Testament at Boston University School of Theology and faculty member for Academy #43 . Drawing from her deep scholarship and lived experience, Dr. Smith invites us into a conversation about New Testament spirituality —how Scripture forms both head and heart, and how faith takes shape in community....

In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by Cláudio Carvalhaes , a theologian, liturgist, performer, artist, and activist whose work bridges worship, ecology, and justice. In this conversation, we explore how formation—not just information—shapes a Christian life rooted in practice and theory, community and land. Cláudio invites us into sentipensar (to think-feel), reflecting on “traditio...

In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by  Beth Richardson . Beth Richardson is a longtime Upper Room writer, leader, worship designer, and spiritual guide whose journey with The Academy has reawakened her sacramental calling and shaped her ministry of hope, healing, and creativity. In this conversation, we explore how the rhythm of The Academy — prayer, worship, silence, learning, and...

In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by  Amy Oden —professor, theologian, and longtime Academy faculty member. Amy reflects on her first encounter with the Academy and how its rhythms of silence, spaciousness, and community reshaped her pedagogy and her life. She shares about her teaching on hospitality, Christian spiritualities, Protestant traditions, and mindfulness, weaving in voic...

We’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of  The Academy Podcast , a space for deep listening, spiritual insight, and meaningful conversation. Hosted by  Shalom Agtarap , a Two-Year Academy alum, the podcast will feature thoughtful interviews with Academy faculty, program leaders, and special guests who embody the Academy’s values of spiritual depth, justice, and community.  Each episode invites li...

In this episode of The Academy Podcast, we share an important update: a hiatus and reimagination of our podcast journey. Join host Shalom Agtarap as we reflect on the gifts of the new year, the wisdom of the Magi, and the importance of rest and discernment. While we pause to prayerfully envision the future of this offering, we encourage you to revisit past episodes and share your feedback in this...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Rubén Ortiz's teaching from the 2022 online Academy Day Apart retreat called “Hope in a Time of Despair: Advent Through Immigrant Eyes." In this episode, Rubén Ortiz shares his personal journey as a migrant, weaving together stories of family, faith, and transformation. Through the lenses of familia, nepantla (the in-between spaces), and diaspora, Rubén ref...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Barbara Brown Taylor's teaching from a Five-Day in Alabama in 2022. In this episode, Barbara reflects on the spiritual significance of twilight, exploring how this threshold time between light and dark mirrors our own journeys through faith, transformation, and the unknown. Join us for a compelling discussion as Barbara invites us to embrace the sacredness...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Molly Vetter's teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the topic, "Spirituality and Embodiment." In this episode, Molly Vetter reflects on the intersection of scripture, art, and spirituality, inviting listeners to see how sacred traditions and personal experiences converge in daily life. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that invites us to see our fa...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Juan Carlos Huertas' teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the topic, "Attentiveness to the Word." In this episode, Huertas dives into the rich world of prophetic literature, exploring how the ancient texts of the Bible connect to the realities of our lives today, emphasizing how scripture mirrors modern challenges in justice, leadership, and kinship. Join u...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Shively Smith's teaching from Academy #42 in 2023 on the profound spirituality of the New Testament. In this episode, Dr. Smith explores the diversity within early Christian texts, emphasizing how the spirit of new life and love was interpreted across various cultures, languages, and geographies. She encourages listeners to reflect on the spiritual and soci...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Lucretia Berry and Ben Bowell's teaching from an online Academy Day Apart in 2021 called, Courageous Curiosity: Cultivating an Antiracist Spirituality. In this enlightening conversation, Lucretia and Ben share their personal stories of Christian faith formation and its intersection with antiracism. Together, they offer profound insights into the importance...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Grace Imathiu teaching at the Indiana Five-Day in 2021. Grace illuminates the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, a title she challenges because parables cannot be contained. Grace explores the story through different lenses to reveal a God of reckless abundance who shows us how our life together could be despite our histories. Rev. Grace Imathiu...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Elaine Heath's understanding of neighborhood shalom. Her lecture from Academy 40 speaks to us of hopes and expectations, of well formed theology that is undone by lived experience. Knowing about Jesus and experiencing the compassion and presence of Jesus in the neighborhood is nothing short of transformational. Listen on, dear one, and as you listen, breath...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Claire K. McKeever-Burgett as she discusses the sacred people, places, and experiences that shaped her new book, Blessed are the Women. Step into the holy conversation of what it means to be - not just a woman - but human - one who is loved, and listened to by the Divine. Blessed indeed are the ones who hear women in the Bible for they, like Christ, will se...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Luther Smith's teaching from Academy 29 in Burlingame, CA. His lecture on "Faithfulness within Conflict" reminds us that conflict should be embraced as a pathway to healing. Ultimately, Dr. Smith invites us to deal with conflict because “Our obedience requires it." The question he asks us is, "will we engage conflict confidently and creatively, or will we f...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Ray Buckley's teaching from the 2021 Spiritual Formation in Today's World. His Lecture on Reconciliation. As an indigenous person in North America, Ray speaks with authority about what it takes to be reconciled across walls meant to keep people and creation apart. Let us consider what it will take for indigenous folks, and all historically marginalized peop...

This month, the Academy Podcast features Daniel Wolpert’s teaching from the 2021 online Academy Day Apart retreat called Drinking from Ancestral Wells: God’s Wisdom for the Work of the Present Age. Dan contrasts the wisdom of our ancestors with the destructive nature of colonization that cuts people off from God. He guides listeners to reconnect to their ancestors and allow that ancestral wisdom t...

This month, the Academy Podcast features a word from Alexia Salvatierra. The content comes from her lecture at last December’s online Academy Day Apart retreat called, “Hope in a Time of Despair.” Alexia explores the immigrant and refugee experience through the lens of hope, likening it to the hope of a woman in labor. They have faith that on the other side of the hardship, there is new life that...

This month’s episode of the Academy Podcast features teaching from Amy Oden on the topic of “Meeting God in Our Longing” from the 2021 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today’s World. Amy explores the art of discerning between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death by paying attention to our deepest longings. She emphasizes that in our fast-paced and noisy world, practicing mind...

In this month's episode, we hear from Safiyah Fosua. Safiyah was speaking on the topic of "Meeting God in Our Healing" from the 2021 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today's World, a one-year online program from The Academy. Safiyah shares the story of the Gadarene demoniac from the synoptic Gospels to help us understand how our relationship with fear is connected with our healing, both personally...