The Weight

Show Notes: Rev. Dr. Bankole Akinbinu, senior pastor of Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a wealth of experience in nurturing a vibrant community of faith. In this episode, he shares his journey, the challenges he faced, and the vital principles that have shaped his ministry.  Rev. Akinbinu emphasizes that a vibrant ministry is rooted in community. He notes that the African Amer...

Show Notes: In this episode, Reverend Dr. Kevin Muriel shares his journey from Mississippi to Atlanta, his insights on racial reconciliation, leadership in the church, and the future of the United Methodist Church. A rich conversation on history, culture, and innovative leadership in faith communities. Resources: Cascade United Methodist Church - https://cascadeumc.org/ Candler School of Theology...

Did you know that The Weight now features a video format? You can watch every new episode on YouTube ! Show Notes: In this conversation, Jason Moore discusses the intersection of artificial intelligence and the church, exploring the historical context of technology in ministry, the ethical considerations of AI, and its practical applications. He emphasizes the importance of embracing technology wh...

Season 7 of The Weight will be coming soon!  We have been hard at work preparing a studio for a new video format of the podcast. While we won't have weekly episodes with this new format, we will still be bringing you the highest quality guests and conversations. Make sure you like and subscribe on YouTube so that you're notified when a new episode drops! The Weight YouTube

Show Notes: Cody Hickman joins Chris McAlilly and Eddie Rester as they wrap up the season with a thoughtful discussion on their favorite moments of past episodes. They reflect on Christ-centered leadership, the significance of mental health, and generational differences in the workplace. Join along for a lighthearted episode that concludes the season.  Resources: To learn more about Lover’s Lane U...

Show Notes: “It’s so interesting how grief shows itself in sometimes surprising ways that you just can't expect.” A New York Times best selling author and speaker Jen Hatmaker joins the Weight to discuss her new book, “Awake: A Memoir”. She shares her journey of unexpected divorce after twenty six years. Hatmaker discusses rebuilding her life, and the steps along the way. Resources: Get Jen H...

Show Notes: J.D. Walt, former dean of the chapel at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY, and founder of Seedbed, joins Chris and Eddie with a strong conversation about the gospel being a transformative force, rather than a self-improvement program. Walt dives into how sin is like cancer, and later discusses his newly released book on Romans. Resources: Learn more at Seedbed’s official website . Listen...

Show Notes: Not only is Matt Campbell a licensed psychologist, he’s also a friend of Eddie and Chris (and a member of Chris’s church—which also used to be Eddie’s church—in Oxford, MS). Matt has worked in private practice since 2003, and is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Mississippi Psychological Association, and the National register of Health Service Psychologists. He ea...

Show Notes: “Everybody in the system affects everybody else in the system.” Chris McAlilly and Eddie Rester dive into a thoughtful discussion about what it means to have a healthy church culture and leadership. They discuss everything from trust to gratitude to humor, while discussing their own personal experiences and with growing a strong team dynamic. Resources: Learn more at the Weight’s websi...

Show Notes: In this powerful discussion around faith, justice, and courage, Chris and Eddie sit down with Peter Storey, former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa and the South African Council of Churches. With over forty years of ministry, including serving as a prison chaplain on Robben Island, Peter shares firsthand experiences of following Jesus in the midst of apartheid and his...

Show Notes: Dr. Mark Chancey joins Eddie and Chris for an open and frank conversation about moral formation. Where should children learn about the Ten Commandments? Is it within families and the church or should it be put into public schools, as it has in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas? What are the implications of using religious symbols like the Ten Commandments to gain political influence? Mark...

Show Notes: Dr. Ted Campbell is a returning guest to The Weight, this time for an introduction into the Nicene Creed. 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which originally created the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that declares God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and affirms the divinity and humanity of Jesus. The Nicene Creed is one of the most widely used Christian c...

Show Notes: Suffering and pain are part of life. We all struggle with finding meaning in our suffering and the suffering of others. We all need help finding hope and encouragement in dark times, and one place we can find that hope is in prayer. It’s through prayer that we stand alongside our suffering friends and neighbors to offer them our attention and empathy. Prayer connects each of us in ways...

Show Notes: “I’m not necessarily a winner. Maybe I’m a loser that just never gave up.” No one would call Robert St. John a loser. A life-long Mississippian and a successful restaurateur and entrepreneur, Robert has turned his mistakes and failures into valuable learning experiences that push his desire to help others. In addition to being a restaurateur, Robert is also an author and philanthropist...

Show Notes: Eddie and Chris are joined by previous guest Austin Carty for the first part of a double episode about his new book, Some of the Words Are Theirs: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon . Preachers are human, and just like all of us, they are influenced by their past, their community, and their surroundings. Preaching is a form of self-discovery that not everyone experiences, but Austi...

Show Notes: Zach Lambert wants to give you a better way to interpret the Bible, so he wrote the book on it. In Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm Into a Tool of Healing , Zach helps us deconstruct four common lenses for reading the Bible that lead to harm and then offers four new lenses that promote healing and wholeness.  Zach is the Lead Pastor and founder of Restore Au...

Show Notes: Rev. Dr. Javier Viera is the President of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. A long-time friend of Eddie’s, Javier served in multiple roles in a congregational setting before becoming the Dean of Drew Theological School at Drew University. He earned his master of divinity from Duke Divinity School, a master of sacred theology from Yale Divinity School, and his do...

Show Notes: This episode is a special conversation between a father and son, two pastors in different eras of their ministerial careers. Chris is joined by his father (but not by Eddie), retired Bishop Bill McAlilly, to talk about Bill’s faith journey, his growth as a pastoral leader, and how he created and equipped leaders in his many congregations.  Bill is a retired bishop of the United Methodi...

Show Notes: Can science and faith exist together? If God created the world and then created people in God’s own image, why do we experience suffering? How do we reconcile the hard facts of science with the miraculous story of God’s own faithfulness and actions in the world? These are difficult but not impossible topics to explore, and today’s guest offers us a way into those hard conversations. Dr...

Show Notes: Humans are not machines, so why do we treat ourselves like we are? In this episode, Eddie and Chris are joined by Dr. Warren Kinghorn, a psychiatrist who focuses on a more holistic approach to mental health, and health in general. Warren looks beyond merely reducing or eliminating the symptoms, because we aren’t machines. We are beings who need nurture and care and love. He believes th...

Show Notes: Today’s guest, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, has a challenge for all of us: to engage the Bible more deeply, and to do that in a way that faithful to the historical context in which the scriptures were written. Jews during the Second Temple period were aware of the societal context in which they lived, just as we are aware of ours today. But because we don’t experience that ancient context in t...

Show Notes: Mark DeYmaz is a pastor, author, and champion of the multi-ethnic church movement. He spent eighteen years as a youth pastor in Little Rock, Arkansas, before stepping away to plant the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 where he continues to serve as Directional Leader. Mark has a clear vision for what the Church should look like: bringing diverse people together to walk, work,...

Show Notes: Dr. Corneilus Plantinga has a few words to say about gratitude, and it may just change your life--physically, spiritually, and emotionally. A habit of gratitude can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better. But the habit of gratitude also ties us together collectively, in community and in church. When there is genuine appreciation of an act of kindness or a loving word, the...

Show Notes: If you’re not hungry at the start of this episode, you probably will be by the end. And you’ll probably want to run down to Jackson, Mississippi to eat at Elvie’s. Hunter Evans is the owner of Elvie’s that serves seasonal dishes and highlights ingredients from local farmers. For Hunter, owning a restaurant is first about hospitality. He focuses on making connections with his patrons, a...

Shownotes: John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South . He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer...