Front Row

Nov 01 2024 60 ep. 45 mins 8
Front Row Podcast artwork

FaithandReason Front Row gives you closeup access to leading thinkers, theologians, organizers, and activists. Hear thoughtful insights on how history and theology intersect with the issues driving our world. Grab a seat and join us on the Front Row.

  Religion & Spirituality  Society & Culture
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Christians Against Christianity Episode 4: Unholy Alliances

Nov 01 2024 37 mins  
American Evangelicals have allied themselves with weapon manufacturers and big businesses, despite scriptural exhortations against just such behavior. In this episode, the panelists strip away the biblical façade, helping listeners understand the true nature of this alliance undergirding so much modern conservative thought. Dr. Hendricks, Dr. Sinclair, and Rev. Laarman discuss the

Christians Against Christianity Episode 3: Demonizing in God's Name

Oct 17 2024 30 mins  
American evangelicals often consider their political opponents as demons who oppose God. Worse still, they cast immigrants, minorities, and the vulnerable the same way. Dr. Hendricks, Dr. Sinclair, and Rev. Laarman discuss what a real Bible-centered ethic looks like. They also dig into many of the ways that evangelicals are weaponizing misunderstandings of the Bible, from the anti

Christians Against Christianity Episode 2: The Abortion Obsession

Aug 26 2024 36 mins  
In the second part of this series, Dr. Obery Hendricks, Dr. Charlene Sinclair, and Peter Laarman take a deep dive into what white Christian nationalists actually worship: power, wealth, and (most of all) whiteness.  American evangelicals were once in broad alignment with other groups in regard to abortion. Now they are overwhelmingly aligned with the Catholic bishops, with the

Christians Against Christianity. Episode 1: Genuflecting at Strange Altars

Jul 29 2024 41 mins  
A deep dive into what white Christian nationalists actually worship: power, wealth, and (most of all) whiteness. They discuss what's new and dangerous in the very close alliance between this cohort and would-be dictator Donald Trump. Dr. Hendricks, a respected biblical scholar, observes how far removed the white evangelical values are from the actual values of the Jesus of the gosp

REVELATION: Vengeance and Sacrificial Bloodshed

Feb 27 2024 26 mins  
Who do we expect to be the one to turn the other cheek? In our democracy, our ideals envision a give and take of compromise. In reality, however, we often expect Black people and other people of color to bear the majority of the sacrifice. Meanwhile, white power structures have been historically less likely to accept any loss – symbolic or material. Looking to a worldwide view,

REVELATION: Texts of Terror in A New Age of Terrorism

Feb 15 2024 25 mins  
"How does Revelation fit with our awareness of the non-violent historical Jesus?" One could start by reflecting on Netanyahu's recent speech in Hebrew, referring to the biblical injunction to kill the Amalekites: women and children along with the men. We could go from there to homegrown texts of terror. The Turner Diaries. The Left Behind series. And, again in reference to Black

REVELATION: Whose Apocalypse?

Feb 01 2024 24 mins  
It might seem that the Greek word, Apocalypse, is on everyone’s lips these days, from environmentalists to the Extreme Right. Guests Peter Laarman and Charlene Sinclair share their different perspectives in confronting and challenging the ascending violence of “the war in heaven,” where Jesus judges the whole world. You must ask yourself: How does this maniacal, murderous, te

Revisiting Marcus Borg Pt. 3: Today’s Progressive Christians

Feb 18 2022 44 mins  
In the third part of this series, we analyze the death of Jesus, revisit Marcus Borg's final lectures, and uncover the many ways Progressive Christians can support advocacy and activism in their communities. Join our discussion with Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson and Peter Laarman for an exciting dialogue about the faith, advocacy, and the implications for Christianity’s future.

Revisiting Marcus Borg Pt. 2: Moving the Church Forward

Feb 11 2022 40 mins  
Is God’s love patriarchal? How do young people perceive the church? Does the interpretation of Jesus’ death as “payment” stand in the way of connecting with the gospel? In the second part of this series, we probe these questions and revisit Marcus Borg's final lectures with Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson and Peter Laarman. Listen at home or share with your class for an excitin

Revisiting Marcus Borg, with Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson and Peter Laarman - Part 1

Feb 03 2022 40 mins  
We revisit Marcus Borg’s final lectures with Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson and Peter Laarman and discuss the implications for Christianity’s future. Beginning with an excerpt from Borg’s lecture on the Cross, the conversation expands into a discussion about how the core symbolisms of Christianity may be changing in unprecedented ways.