This is part one of the fourth conversation in 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, Joshua Banner offers a reading from Willie James Jennings' commentary on the Book of Acts, exploring the preface's dedication to Reverend Dr. William Barber Jr. and the Moral Monday movement, alongside Nicole Hannah-Jones' piece "What It Means to Be a White Race Traitor."
Josh is joined by Michelle Loyd-Paige, Cami Beecroft Mann, and Keith Reynolds first to recap the three-year schema of the DMin cohort as orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. They go on to consider spiritual direction as entrustment and sacred communion rather than power or authority; the history and legacy of civil rights activism, including the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner; the concept of the "white race traitor"; the difference between advocacy rooted in rage versus advocacy rooted in strategy and systems-level change; and the need for a "both/and" posture that holds space for righteous indignation alongside contemplative discernment. The conversation also touches on raising children with a fighting spirit, the isolation white advocates for racial justice can feel within their own churches, and the importance of building spaces where people don't feel alone in this work.
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00:00 Introduction and Prophetic Invitation
04:51 Welcome to the Extended Conversation
07:34 Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation
12:42 Spiritual Direction as Sacred Entrustment, Not Power
19:19 Willie James Jennings and "A New Reality in Belonging"
23:12 Civil Rights History and the "White Race Traitor"
26:11 Reading Jennings' Introduction to Acts
27:35 Confrontation with Scripture
34:05 Choices in Advocacy: Two Types of Activism
45:53 Learning How to Organize for Justice
49:07 Closing Reflections from Michelle
50:19 Support The Invitation Center
51:44 Closing Scripture and Blessing
All music is original, by Josh Banner.
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