This is the third of a series of podcast episodes introducing to the world a new doctorate of ministry (DMin) study cohort to be hosted at Western Theological Seminary. The title of this series shares the name of the study cohort, "A New Reality in Belonging: Contemplation and Justice for All God's People." More information about the program of study can be found at https://contemplationandjustice.westernsem.edu.
In this episode Keith Reynolds offers a reading from Walter Brueggemann's Hope Restored: Biblical Imagination Against Empire, exploring Israel's vocation as servant, the poetry of Isaiah 42 and 52, and the invitation to be cruciform — to bear suffering not as individual heroism but as an abandonment to Christ's way in the world. Keith is joined by Cami Beecroft Mann, Michelle Loyd-Paige, and Josh Banner, who each bring their own understanding of the Brueggemann reading. They discuss podcasting as a democratizing force (drawing a parallel to the 12th-century Beguine movement), the distinction between redemptive and retributive energy, the Paschal Mystery as an eternal moment of participation, the danger of a church that avoids suffering, and lament as a first practical step into justice work. The conversation also touches on Pope Francis and Holy Week, parenting as a form of dying to self, reading outside one's own tradition, and the three-year schema of the cohort drawn from Brueggemann: Orientation, Disorientation, and Re-orientation.
Keith Reynolds can be followed on Instagram to learn more about his pending church plant. Cami Beecroft Mann: https://www.physiodivina.com. Michelle Loyd-Paige and her upcoming Fresh Anointing Conference: https://www.preachsista.org. Josh Banner: https://www.theinvitationcenter.org.
Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to support this podcast: https://theinvitationcenter.org/donations. Josh can be reached directly at that link and is available for one-on-one or group spiritual direction, to create and facilitate retreats, and to teach or consult for your church or organization on topics ranging from spiritual formation, contemplative spirituality, and racial justice.
00:00 Holy Tears of Lament
00:50 Podcast Welcome and Vision
03:06 Lectio Divina as Practice
06:10 Introducing Michelle and Cammie
11:50 Gathering in Gratitude
13:50 Why Lament Matters Now
17:00 Barbara Holmes Reading
20:16 Defining Lament Together
23:00 Gospel Music and Shared Grief
26:15 Hero Stories and Personal Lament
31:13 Creating Space for Sorrow
35:29 Lament Praise and Hope
42:46 Reconciliation Without Lament
44:23 Risky Speech and Prophetic Church
47:47 Trust the Lament
49:05 Grief Is Not Linear
49:55 Remain With Me
51:11 Presence Over Fixing
52:32 Conversation ends
53:42 Josh’s invites listeners to mediation in response to the episode
55:13 Closing thoughts about the DMin
All music is original, by Josh Banner
VIDEO
AUDIO