Benders of the Arc
20 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said that "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." But does it bend by itself like a rainbow coming to earth? Or does it bend when people and social movements grab hold of that arc and bend it towards justice? We will explore this and many other questions in this series and we invite you to join us on this adventure and exploration of social change.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 18: Churches for Middle East Peace (Part 1)
February 03, 2024 00:00 - 28 minutes - 18.1 MBRev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) fo...
Episode 19: Churches for Middle East Peace (Part 2)
February 03, 2024 00:00 - 24 minutes - 15.4 MBRev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) fo...
Episode 17: Rev. Mark Davidson, Executive Director of Voices for Justice in Palestine
January 04, 2024 00:00 - 50 minutes - 33.6 MBRev. Mark Davidson is the Executive Director of Voices for Justice in Palestine. Mark was shaped for social justice work early in his life. His father was a person of moral courage whose faith led him to stand in solidarity with victims of injustice. His parents were professors at the Beirut College for Women in the 1960s. At the age of 7, he witnessed the squalor and desperation of the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, filled with those who had been ethnically cleansed from thei...
Episode 16: A Tour of Birmingham, AL history with Clay Cornelius
October 08, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 37.1 MBIf you are anything like me, you like to think of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s & 60s as a movement that helped our country achieve, maybe not the entire dream that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described, but at least something that was closer to that dream, something that showed we were on the right path toward fulfilling that dream. After all, didn’t the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act get passed and implemented by the government? Haven’t we seen great strides i...
Episode 15: A Tour of Montgomery, AL history with Wanda Battle
September 05, 2023 00:00 - 54 minutes - 30.1 MBMy guest today is Wanda Battle, a Montgomery, Alabama native, great Jalimuso, female Griot, talented singer and master storyteller. She is the former tour director of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pastored for almost 6 years while he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She is now the founder and CEO of Legendary Tours LLC. She has a passion for human and civil rights, and social justice. She is no stranger to the his...
Episode 14: Young Adult Conscientious Objectors
August 18, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 40.1 MBVery few of us have asked ourselves what we believe about the use of violence and war. If we don’t take time to ask those questions, we will most likely adopt the values of our very pro-violence culture. That is why I wanted to talk with three very unique young adults about their decision to declare themselves to be conscientious objectors to war through the Presbyterian Church’s program for recognizing conscientious objectors. Without a doubt, I have found this conversation with th...
Episode 13: From MP to Conscientious Objector
August 12, 2023 00:00 - 55 minutes - 37.1 MBSpencer Goldstein is a Military Police officer turned pacifist and conscientious objector. Spencer is a graduate from West Point and has his masters in biblical exposition. He began to think differently about peacemaking through the disability community who taught him that God's love for all people is grand and one centered on peace. Spencer began to read the words of Jesus who talks of peace, love of enemy, and forgiveness through the eyes of marginalized people and decided he coul...
Episode 12: Why Be a Pacifist?
May 04, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 40.9 MBFor those of us who grew up in the age of Dr. King or during the Vietnam War, pacifism made a lot of sense. And even if you didn't grow up in that era, pacifism can still make sense, especially in light of the ever-expanding US military budget which takes up more than 50% of the federal discretionary budget. But in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how can pacifism be justified? Join me in a conversation with three guests: Rev. Mark Davidson, Rev. Ben Daniel and Rev. Dr. Dav...
Episode 11: What Can Be Done to Prevent Gun Violence?
March 28, 2023 00:00 - 12 minutes - 46 MBAs I write this, another mass shooting has occurred in Nashville, TN. Three children and three adults were gunned down. In this episode we will be talking about guns, gun violence and most importantly, gun violence prevention. This episode was recorded on March 8th of 2023 and already, less than 3 months into the year, there have already been more than 100 mass shootings in our country. Statistics on gun violence seem to only go in one direction, up. For context, here are a few st...
Episode 10: Christianity, Nonviolence & War
February 02, 2023 00:00 - 57 minutes - 32.3 MBThis episode is a reprise of a webinar that the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship produced in March of 2022 in response to and out of concern for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As Christians we claim to follow the Prince of Peace and yet, we have to admit, the Christian church has been involved in and/or supported the Crusades and many wars throughout history. Ask almost any Christian and they will tell you they believe in peace and nonviolence. And yet, in times of war, especially when ...
Episode 9: Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll: "Can't Check Straight with a Crooked Stick"
July 22, 2021 00:00 - 45 minutes - 32.3 MBI met the Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll when we both traveled to northern Minnesota in early June 2021 to support the water protectors who are resisting the building of a pipeline, called Line 3, that will bring even more dirty tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Great Lakes. We were both there as part of an interfaith delegation in support of the Indigenous leaders who are putting their bodies on line to stop the building of this pipeline that will cut right through the treaty lan...
Episode 8: Winona LaDuke: Indigenous Activist, Author, and Water Protector
June 10, 2021 00:00 - 59 minutes - 14.8 MBWinona LaDuke speaking at the Treaty People Gathering in Minnesota in June of 2021
Juneteenth 2020 Family BBQ Record Party
June 19, 2020 00:00 - 37 minutes - 50.4 MBCelebrate Juneteenth with personal reflections, deeply connected music and joyful jams that celebrate freedom. Collette Lynner presents a playlist of Soul, R&B, & Gospel expressions of love, gratitude and jubilation to honor her family and declare that all Black Lives Matter.
The First LGBTQ Marriage - Part 1
April 08, 2020 00:00 - 27 minutes - 19.5 MBThe next two episodes are dedicated to the efforts by people of the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, a member of the Presbyterian Church USA, to make their denomination a more welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ people. Listen to this interview with Derrick Kikuchi, Craig Wiesner, and the Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson.
The First LGBTQ Marriage - Part 2
April 08, 2020 00:00 - 49 minutes - 34.6 MBThis second of two episodes are dedicated to the efforts by people of the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, a member of the Presbyterian Church USA, to make their denomination a more welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ people. Listen to this interview with Derrick Kikuchi, Craig Wiesner, and the Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson.
Episode 4: Samina Sundas of American Muslim Voice
January 12, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 43 MBSamina Sundas of American Muslim Voice has been working tirelessly to reach out to the community, to those in need and to speak out whenever others are threatened or in need.
Episode 4 Samina Sundas of American Muslim Voice
January 12, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 85 MBSamina works tirelessly for justice, peace and interfaith cooperation and support.
The Day Worker Center of Mountain View
November 07, 2019 00:00 - 41 minutes - 29.5 MBIn this episode of BOTA, The Day Worker Center of Mountain View, we interview Maria Marroquin, the Executive Director of the Day Worker Center. Organizations like the Day Worker Center are on the front lines of resisting the xenophobia and racism while also providing an invaluable service to their clients. During a single summer month, the DWC connected 1,365 jobs between workers and employers which allowed them to earn almost $162,000. Many of the clients of the DWC are recent immig...
What Accompaniment Looks Like
September 25, 2019 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MBIn this interview with two members of congregations in the Presbytery of San Jose, we discuss what accompaniment looks like and how it helps to support immigrants who are in need.
Kent State Shooting Revisited
July 15, 2019 03:04 - 51 minutes - 38 MBBOTA interviews Joe Lewis who was one of the students shot on May 4th, 1970 when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on peaceful student demonstrators.