The Prophetic Resistance Podcast

Mary Novak serves as the Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice . She is a lawyer, educator, chaplain, spiritual director, restorative justice practitioner, and activist who has worked in Catholic contexts for decades. Before leading NETWORK, Mary served as a Mission Integrator and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C. In this role, she...

Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson is an activist, philanthropist, and public theologian who pursues a vision of a community marked by justice, peace, and love. As the president & CEO of the Children's Defense Fund  (CDF) and CDF Action Council, he advocates for children's well-being at the intersection of faith and justice. Previously, he pastored St. John's Church (The Beloved Community) , a multiracial co...

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III  is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL ,  and is a Senior Fellow with Auburn Seminary . In this episode, we discuss themes from his new book, Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times . We explore the reality of the Darkness and how Black spiritualities have historically engaged in the darkest moments in our h...

Amanda Tyle r is the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C, she is also the lead organizer for Christians Against Christian Nationalism . Amanda also co-hosts the Respecting Religion series on the BJC Podcast, and she is an advisor to Faith in Action in developing a curriculum to confront white Christian nationalism. In this episode, we discuss...

Just a note that this episode discusses sexual abuse and briefly mentions suicide.  If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741 Romal Tune is passionate about teaching others how to heal the wounds of their past. He uses the power of storytelling to bring about meaningful change. Romal is the author of three books: God's Graffiti, Love is an...

Jonah Pesner is a Rabbi whose work encourages Jewish communities to reach across race, class, and faith lines while campaigning for social justice. He serves as the Director of the Religious Action Center and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Pesner co-edited " Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: Our Jewish Obligation to Justice. "   In this episode, we explore his...

Aurelia Davila Pratt is a pastor, writer and sacred spacemaker. She is the lead pastor of Peace of Christ Church, Austin TX . An ordained Baptist minister, she is the chair of the board for  Nevertheless She Preached , a national, ecumenical preaching event designed to elevate the voices of women on the margins. She is the co-host with Rev. Britanny Graves of the Nuance Tea Podcast. Aurelia is the...

It has been a long time coming, but Season 7 begins August 16. Check out this short greeting from our host, Michael-Ray Mathews. He reflects on the podcast hiatus and the theme for Season 7: Multifaith Solidarity.

In this episode, we are in conversation with Pastor Rhonda Thomas, executive director for Faith in Florida. She was the state-wide campaign director for the Let My People Vote campaign, and she helped to ensure the voting rights were returned to returning citizens. She runs the biggest, the baddest, and the most well-funded Souls to the Polls program in the country. Pastor Rhonda has a passion to...

The Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould is no stranger to the podcast. She is now the senior faith strategist with Faith in Action. Today, we revisit her first appearance during our beta launch in advance of the 2016 general election. We talked about the work she was leading in Missouri and the power of her mother's story to inspire her commitment to organizing, activism, and voting.

Midterm elections are less than 100 days away, and the Prophetic Resistance Podcast is kicking off our Rise + Vote series — co-hosted by my dear sister the Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould — to explore all the ways our votes are both sacred and powerful.   I can think of no better way to kick off this series than with this week's guest, my friend and colleague, Rev. Nicole Barnes. Nicole is the national v...

In this episode, we welcome my very dear brother, Simran Jeet Singh, father, runner, scholar, and executive director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. We talk about his Sikh faith, religious pluralism, and his latest book, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life which just hit the shelves last week. We explore his upbringing in San Antonio, Texas, the clo...

In this episode, we welcome the Reverend Doctor Emma Jordan-Simpson, the new president of Auburn Seminary in New York.  We discuss how her upbringing and grounding in the Black Church tradition have informed her approach to pastoral care, as well as her focus on the needs of children to help them thrive. In the recent wake of the tragedies in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Orange County, and Uvalde, we talk a...

Today's guest is Dr. Maureen O'Connell, an associate professor of theology at LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a clergy leader with POWER Interfaith . Maureen recently released a book titled, "Undoing the Knots: Five Generations of American Catholic Anti-Blackness." Maureen and I dig into the history behind the book, including how Irish Catholics learned to define themselves as Americans by...

Hey, Fam! We are pleased to highlight another episode from our cousin project, The Four, a podcast I co-host as part of fearsome faith foursome including Jacqui Lewis, Lisa Sharon Harper and Otis Moss III.

The Prophetic Resistance Podcast has a first cousin!! We are pleased to bring you the inaugural episode of The Four - a fearsome faith foursome talkin Black Life, Love, Power and Joy. This podcast is for everyone. I co-host this podcast with dear friends who have all been guests on the Prophetic Resistance Podcast: Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church in New York, Lisa Sharon Harper o...

We are pleased to bring you a special episode from our kindred project, Revolutionary Faith, hosted by Rev. Alvin Herring, executive director of Faith in Action. In this episode, Alvin speaks with Leigh Butler, CEO of Akina and Stephanie Roberts, Co-Founder. Akina is a hub for Black mothers and women who are eagerly searching for community, connection, and information resulting in better outcomes...

Welcome to Season 6. In this inaugural episode we welcome back Dr. Leah Gunning Francis, Dean at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. A scholar-activist, Dr. Gunning Francis has been featured in the PBS Documentary The Talk: Race in America and the 2021 Sundance film, Ferguson Rises: A Racial Healing Documentary . In this episode, we dig into her new book, Faith After Ferguson: Resilien...

Our winter hiatus is almost over!  And season 6 will drop in your feed on March 16th.

Today's guest is Rev. Jen Bailey, an ordained minister, public theologian, and national leader in the multi-faith movement for justice. She is also the founder and executive director of the Faith Matters Network,  a Womanist-led organization equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment. This episode explored...

As we mark 20 years since 9/11, we are releasing an episode that we first recorded with Valarie Kaur in 2020, after the launch of her book, See No Stranger . The book is both a practical guide to changing the world and a very personal and communal chronicle of our lives since 9/11.  And the paperback just dropped . This week, our host Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews joined Valarie, Rev. Traci Blackmon, S...

This August - and every August - Michael Brown, Jr. and Ferguson, Missouri are heavy on my mind. August 9th was the anniversary of Mike's death to police-sanctioned violence. My flesh recalls the uprising that followed and the demands of young activists that those of us in faith leadership positions show up in the streets of Ferguson, and stand up for all Black Lives. As we navigate through a glob...

Our guest today is Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes , author of I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation , and Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength , and contributor to the book A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal. Dr. Barnes, is a clinical psychologist, public theologian, ecumenical minister, and university and seminary pro...

Our guest is Robert P. Jones, the CEO and Founder of Public Religion Research Institute, and the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity," as well as,  "The End of White Christian America . Robby's research, analysis and storytelling unpacks the history of the institutional white church in the production of white supremacy in our culture.  Robby and Rev. Mi...

Breathe Again is a mid-season reflection by Prophetic Resistance host Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews. As the weight of the pandemic causes our collective pendulum to swing from chaos to calm and we search for sure footing in a world colored by so many "new normals," this short recording encourages us to meditate, reflect and feel all the feelings. It a reminder to breathe.