Ep. 39: Evangelicals Need to Come Out of Their Corners

EQ:  How is Evangelicalism supporting white supremacy in American churches and government today and what do we do about it?

We are joined by Erin Jones, award-winning educator, independent education & systems consultant, public speaker, former candidate for State Superintendent (OSPI). As we unpack our essential question, we discuss the tension between faith and doubt, specifically that both are healthy. We wrestle with why so many people of faith unquestionably believe in their leadership (pastors) and are told to just “Do” rather than think about what they are doing. We explore the loaded nature of the word “evangelicalism” including how it’s changed meaning over time and gets interchanged with “Republicanism”. Evangelicalism has been boiled down to arguments about pro-life, gay marriage, guns, and voting for Trump. Erin also shares about her experience as a woman of color navigating white Evangelical churches. Finally, we discuss why it’s critical for Christians who don’t buy into the fear-mongering to come out of our silos and corners to engage in conversations about faith, religion and justice.

Related Readings:

• The New York Times: 11am Sunday is Our Most Segregated Hour

• America Jesuit Review: Sunday is Still the Most Segregated

• The New Yorker: Evangelicals of Color Fight Back

• “This is Not of God” New York Times

• Red Letter Christians

• Christian Social Justice Organization “Sojourners”

• From WA Post: The Walls Around Trump Are Crumbling: Evangelicals May His Last Resort

• The Trump Prophecy Movie

• The NY Times: Why Trump Reigns as King Cyrus

• John Pavlovitz  on Twitter & website “Stuff That Needs to Be Said”)

• Kaepernick and Just Do It Campaign

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Are You an Evangelical? Are You Sure? by Jennifer Kurtzleben for NPR.

• Hope: Jim Wallis America’s Original Sin

• Erin: Words Matter Podcast, Quick to Listen (liberal learning Christians), Living in Effect, Faith Factor

  • Ways to contact you: Email: erinjones93@gmail.com, Facebook: Erin Jones 2016, Instagram: erinin2016, Twitter: @erinjonesin2016

Ep. 16: Pagan Zines Save the World

Our EQ: How do white people appropriate religious traditions? How does religion shape social justice and why keeping an eye on American pagans matters?

We’re super excited about long time listener and friend Mandy Paradise joining us to explain Paganism in the NW, including how it fits into our current work of understanding and confronting white nationalism and supremacy. Find Mandy on Instagram or through her website The Anchor and the Star and check out her zines, including “Witches, Pagans, and Cultural Appropriation.” Other episode highlights:

• Some paganism/witchy basics for non-pagans--how do you bring folks together for ritual in a meaningful way?
• Free Witch Camp, The Crystal Cove, and Cresecent Moon Gifts
• The idea of white sanctuary in some pagan traditions and why it’s important to be aware of it. Check out this article Far Right & NeoPaganism
• Cultural appropriation of religious traditions (think the shelf of concrete Buddhas at Ross) and “Columbussing”
  • Read “On the Importance of Intersectional Witchcraft”

Timeless or Terrible:

• Dyeing your hair a warmer color
• Face Swap

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Mandy: Read "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder
• Annie: Watch “Kill the K Cup” on YouTube and be nicer to the planet.
• Hope: Go check out Mandy’s Instagram or website The Anchor and the Star.