The Brown Line Church Podcast

What does it take to join God in “frustrating the ways of the wicked”? Hayley and Vince discuss for the third Sunday of Advent. (Art: Advent Candle by Lauren Plummer) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

For the second Sunday of Advent, Hayley and Vince encourage us to participate in the continued incarnation of God right here in our very particular moment of 2025 America. (Art: Swords into Plowshares by Cara B. Hochhalter) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/don...

Along with our usual time for music and prayer, we’re hosting our annual meeting (instead of a message) — a time for updates and questions about the financial side of running our church. All are welcome, whether you consider yourself a stakeholder in BLC or you’re just curious how this church does “family conversations”. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechur...

Vince and Kalif give a taster of the kinds of discussions happening in BLC’s Bible Study… for the people! BRUNCHES Sunday - Advent 2025 https://forms.gle/QvErpBScu735WXH29 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Pulling together the ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the surprising depth of Australian kids cartoon “Bluey”, Vince shares about his complicated feelings around things like Veteran’s Day, as someone who is BOTH anti-military-industrial-complex AND grateful for the way the army saved his brother. (Bonhoeffer Icon by Kelly Latimore) SIGN UP FOR A BRUNCH NOV 30: https://forms.gle/QvErpBScu735WXH29...

Hayley closes our series on question-asking by posing a question that’s been on her mind: “How do we stay sane right now?” Is a desire for balance and stability a fruitless pursuit in the midst of ongoing chaos? Radical acceptance may be our way forward together. (Image from Fallon Michael on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Reso...

The questions we ask in life tend to reveal what we wish to see, both in our own lives and in the world around us. Hayley looks to the story of Jesus healing a woman in a crowd (Mark 5:25-34) to explore how our questions of longing bring about new possibilities. (Art: Threnouses, 2005, by Zoie Lafis) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resour...

The questions people in our community are asking aren’t solved with neat and tidy answers; they require ongoing courage, risk, direction. With help from Psalm 90 and Søren Kierkegaard (the Christian grandfather of Existential thought), Vince tries to offer some guidance. (Art: The Scream, 1893, by Edvard Munch) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/con...

Hayley wants us to think about the questions we’re asking with our lives and our posture as we ask them, because our questions — not so much our answers — are how we live fully, fruitfully, meaningfully. (Photo by Jens Aber on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinec...

Against the backdrop of constant discussion of authoritarianism, free speech and political violence, Vince traces the way late modern culture can lead us toward a lonely competition tormented by coulds, or it can lead us toward deep experiences of consolation with others that make life worth living. How do we help point things toward the latter? Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New h...

Hayley and Vince dig further into the shoulds and coulds that define life in the 21st century, with a look at how to balance the best practical offers to help out there: therapy, community, and spirituality. (Image from Sandie Clarke on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://...

With help from sociologist Byung-Chul Han and the Bible’s letter to the Romans, Vince unpacks some of the defining challenges of life in the 21st century, and what to do (and not do) about them. (Image: book cover for “The Burnout Society” by Byung-Chul Han) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Do...

In solidarity with working people on Labor Day weekend, a cohort of BLC folks report back to the church about their experience going through the “Solidarity Circles” course run by Vanderbilt University’s program in Religion & Justice. (Image from bioneers.org ) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resou...

Week 3 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the ”Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. This week, we talk about one of the main reasons churches are meant to exist. (Photo by Olga Kovalski on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/...

Week 2 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the “Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. For this week’s Bible passages, we talk truth-tellers and Vince brings up “Star Wars” again. (It’ll be worth it; he promises.)

Week 1 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the ”Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. For this week’s Bible passages, think Luke Skywalker from ”Star Wars”… Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In preparation for BLC’s first Baptism service in years, Vince responds to some questions about the practice, prompted by sharing his story with baptism the previous week. (Photo by Luca Romano on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Whatever your feelings (or lack of feelings at all) around the Christian ritual of baptism, Vince has probably been in the same boat as you at some point over the last decade. What does it matter? What makes it beautiful and important? What makes it uncomfortable and problematic? Vince shares his journey of re-thinking, taking some space, and re-thinking again. (Photo by Luca Romano on Unsplash) J...

What are the best cases from the Bible for supporting pride? Hayley and Vince discuss how today’s historically-new Christian perspectives that embrace queer identities and relationships can be seen as a maturing in Biblical interpretation, not a departing from the Bible. (Photo by minimdesignco on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect...

Different contexts mean God will guide us in different ways to celebrate or stand up for queer pride. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

On Father’s Day, Hayley discusses what it means to commit to being family and a collective body. (Photo by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Like wind blowing leaves on a tree, God’s Spirit is unseen, but what can be seen are the effects of God’s Spirit. On Pentecost Sunday, Vince leads us in looking for those effects in our community. (Photo by Phix Nguyen on Unsplash) Bible study for the people sign up → http://brownlinechurch.org/small-groups Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect...

Vince closes our series using attachment science to improve our relationships with God, by bringing in one last psychological framework to help us intentionally shape our images of God to be more like Jesus’ loving parent image. Sign up for Bible Study for the People → http://brownlinechurch.org/small-groups Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connec...

Hayley and Vince cue up some community comments and questions from our last three weeks discussing how Attachment Science can help us improve our relationships with God. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Mother’s day is, perhaps, just the occasion to talk about trying to intentionally replace mixed-message, shame-inducing images of God with consistent, loving, mothering images of God. Vince continues our series applying Attachment Science to spirituality. Submit questions about attachment → https://forms.gle/BCB2RavyeFat5XQn8 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlin...