Reports from the Spiritual Frontier
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 15 ratingsTelling the Stories of Those Who Live and Work on the Spiritual Margins
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Episodes
Climate Changed Podcast
June 07, 2022 15:49 - 5 minutes - 13.4 MBBen is co-hosting a new podcast, “Climate Changed”, about finding faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world, with in-depth interviews with activists, poets, philosophers, and others about how we can make sense of the climate-changed moment we’re in. Subscribe to the new podcast here: https://climatechanged.podbean.com/ Check out the first two episodes when they’re released [...]
Ben Yosua-Davis – Five Years of Reports From the Spiritual Frontier
December 11, 2020 15:53 - 56 minutes - 45.9 MBJoin us for our final episode, as Beth Estock interviews Ben about his experience over five years of hosting Reports From the Spiritual Frontier. Episode Highlights Include: What changes and patterns Ben has seen over his five years hosting Reports Why American Christendom is done COVID-19 as a moment of reckoning for the country and [...]
Imagine a New Planet- Bill McKibben and Rev. Lennox Yearwood
December 02, 2020 21:59 - 1 hour - 33.2 MBJoin us for a recording of Ben’s conversation with Bill Mckibben, founder of 350.org and Rev. Lennox Yearwood, founder of the Hip Hop Caucus as part of the BTS Center’s series, “Unlocking Possibility: Catalyzing Spiritual Imagination in Uncertain Times”. Episode Highlights Include The connection between racial justice and climate justice How climate change is a [...]
Imagine a New Church: Emily Scott and Heber Brown
November 20, 2020 17:51 - 68.2 MBJoin us for a recording of Ben’s conversation with Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III of The Black Church Food Security Network and Pastor Emily Scott of Dream and Visions to imagine a new church, as part of the BTS Center’s series, “Unlocking Possibility: Catalyzing Spiritual Imagination in Uncertain Times”. Episode Highlights Include: Stories of possibilities [...]
Casper ter Kuile and Erica Williams Simon – Imagine a New Democracy
November 12, 2020 17:54 - 1 hour - 69 MBJoin us for a recording of Ben’s conversation with Casper ter Kuile and Erica Williams Simon about Imagining a new Democracy, as part of the BTS Center’s series, “Unlocking Possibility: Catalyzing Spiritual Imagination in Uncertain Times”. And, in case you didn’t hear the news in our previous episode, we’ll be wrapping up this podcast at [...]
Rob Hopkins and Dominique Christina – Unlocking Possibility in Uncertain Times
October 23, 2020 20:58 - 1 hour - 35.1 MBJoin us for a recording of Ben’s conversation with Rob Hopkins and Dominique Christina about the art and practice of imagination in uncertain times in the BTS Center’s series, “Unlocking Possibility: Catalyzing Spiritual Imagination in Uncertain Times”. Episode Highlights Include: Why imagination is so important and so hard to access in our current moment Re-imagining [...]
[Bonus] Ciona Rouse: Open Sunday Mornings and Supportive Friends
August 13, 2020 17:58 - 8 minutes - 4.46 MBJoin us for a little more of our conversation with Ciona Rouse, as she shares about the gift of open Sunday mornings and supportive friends. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out our full conversation with Ciona, “Resting On A Limb On the Tree of Knowledge”. Support us by: Subscribing to us on Apple [...]
[Updated] Ciona Rouse – Resting on A Limb of the Tree of Knowledge
August 07, 2020 15:10 - 1 hour - 37.9 MBJoin us for an updated conversation with poet Ciona Rouse, first about her experience of the pandemic and our national reckoning with racism, and then about her journey from cradle United Methodist and pastor’s kid out of Christianity. Episode Highlights Include: Ciona’s upbringing as a pastor’s kid and her experience as a denominational employee Her vocation as [...]
[Bonus] Ophelia Hu-Kinney – Her Relationship with Methodism
July 30, 2020 17:44 - 6 minutes - 3.64 MBJoin us for a little more of our conversation with Ophelia Hu-Kinney, as she shares about why she’s United Methodist. If you haven’t heard our full conversation with Ophelia, make sure to check it out: “Why Not Take A Leap of Faith For Once?” Support us by: Subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever [...]
[Updated] Ophelia Hu-Kinney – “Why Not Take a Leap of Faith For Once?”
July 29, 2020 20:56 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBJoin us for an updated conversation conversation with Ophelia Hu-Kinney, of Queering the Kindom and the Reconciling Ministries Network, about what she’s learned over the course of thee pandemic, about her journey into Christianity in early adulthood and her continual process of re-conversion. Episode Highlights Include: “I referred to myself as an atheist who wanted [...]
Elaine Heath and Wayne Jacobsen In Dialogue
July 25, 2020 18:07 - 58 minutes - 33.3 MBJoin us for a dialogue between Elaine Heath and Wayne Jacobsen, as they dialogue about the common ground and meaningful differences in their understandings of what it means to be part of authentic spiritual community. Episode Highlights Include: What does it mean to be connected to the Church? The role of structure and accountability The [...]
[Updated] Wayne Jacobsen – Finding Community Beyond Congregational Christianity
July 23, 2020 15:55 - 1 hour - 48.4 MBJoin us for a post-pandemic, updated conversation with Wayne Jacobsen, as he shares his journey out of congregational Christianity into a different way of being church and what these last few months have taught him about God and being in community with one another. Episode Highlights Include: “You may have left the congregation, but how [...]
[Updated] Elaine Heath – Renewing the Tradition Behind the Tradition
July 21, 2020 17:27 - 1 hour - 44 MBJoin us for an updated conversation with Elaine Heath of the Missional Wisdom Foundation and the Community At Spring Forest, as she shares about what COVID-19 and protests around racial injustice have taught her about spiritual community; as well as about her journey into United Methodism and a contemplative path for institutional renewal. Episode Highlights [...]
[Announcement] The Summer (Re-)Series for Reports
July 08, 2020 19:59 - 1 minute - 872 KBBen has a quick announcement about new(ish) episodes coming out for the podcast starting next week. Take a minute (yes, literally one minute) to hear more!
Kenda Creasy-Dean and Paul Nixon: The Future of Faith Communities After COVID-19
June 17, 2020 21:06 - 53 minutes - 34.5 MBJoin us for a recording of Ben’s conversation with Kenda Creasy-Dean of Princeton Seminary and Paul Nixon of the Epicenter Group for a frank discussion of the future of faith communities after COVID-19. This is the finale for our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining ways that faith [...]
[Coronavirus] Kapya John Kaoma – Pandemic in Perspective
June 07, 2020 18:10 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBJoin us for a conversation with activist, scholar, and pastor Rev. Dr. Kapya John Kaoma about what we can learn about resilience and joy in times of uncertainty and suffering from our sisters and brothers in the global south. This continues our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining [...]
Casper Ter Kuile: Religious and Non-Religious Spirituality During COVID-19
May 17, 2020 15:06 - 52 minutes - 39.1 MBJoin us for a conversation with Casper Ter Kuile of The Sacred Design Lab about religious and non-religious spirituality during our pandemic, including what it means to create meaning and mark time in moments of spiritual disorientation. Casper Ter Kuile is host of the award-winning podcaster and researcher, whose work has been featured in the [...]
[Coronavirus] – Let’s (Not) Return to Normal
May 09, 2020 19:16 - 55 minutes - 35.4 MBJoin us for a conversation highlighting our host, Ben Yosua-Davis, and Dr. Elizabeth Parsons as featured guests on a recording of the BTS Center’s Zoom Meetup, “Let’s (Not) Return to Normal”, exploring what this pandemic has revealed about our country and our faith communities and what it would look like to create a better normal [...]
[Coronavirus] Melissa Yosua-Davis – Weathering a Pandemic on an Island
April 24, 2020 16:31 - 24 minutes - 19 MBJoin us for a conversation between Ben (our host!) and Melissa (his spouse!) as they talk about what it’s like to weather a pandemic while living on an island. This continues our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining ways that faith communities can respond well in this COVID-19 [...]
[Coronavirus] Andrea Lingle – Parenting During COVID-19
April 09, 2020 19:39 - 21 minutes - 13.5 MBJoin us for a conversation with Andrea Lingle, mother of four and staff writer with the Missional Wisdom Foundation, about parenting during COVID-19. This continues our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining ways that faith communities can respond well in this COVID-19 moment. Support us by: Subscribing to [...]
[Coronavirus] Paul Nixon – What Happens When the Church Gets Kicked Out of the Building?
April 03, 2020 15:56 - 22 minutes - 13.9 MBJoin us for a conversation with Paul Nixon of the Epicenter Group, as he shares about how the Coronavirus presents opportunities for renewal for churches. This continues our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining ways that faith communities can respond well in this COVID-19 moment. If you need [...]
[Coronavirus] Rev. Carolyn Lambert- Meaning-Filled Funerals during COVID-19
April 01, 2020 18:17 - 20 minutes - 13 MBJoin us for a conversation with Rev. Carolyn Lambert about leading families through grief and ritual, especially through the practice of funerals, in the time of the Coronavirus. This continues our series, “Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus”, in collaboration with the BTS Center, examining ways that faith communities can respond well in this COVID-19 moment. [...]
[Coronavirus] Rabbi Eli Freedman – Backyard Weddings and Other Life Cycles During COVID-19
March 27, 2020 09:26 - 21 minutes - 14.2 MBJoin us for a conversation with Rabbi Eli Freedman of Congregation Rodeph Shalom about life cycle events during COVID-19. Hear him share about his experience hosting a backyard wedding, the constraint and creativity of funerals, weddings, and other life events during a time of social distancing, and what faith leaders should be aware of when [...]
[Coronavirus] Beth Estock – Fearlessly Loving Leadership During COVID-19
March 20, 2020 16:46 - 17 minutes - 10.8 MBJoin us for a conversation with Beth Estock about fearlessly loving leadership during COVID-19. She talks about her personal experience with having COVID-19, how individuals and faith communities need to embrace grounding practices as this moves from a short-term crisis to a longer term reality, and the beautiful opportunities this can open up for faith [...]
[Coronavirus] Dr. Alex Gee – The Black Church and COVID-19
March 19, 2020 17:16 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBJoin us for a conversation with Dr. Alex Gee of Fountain of Life Covenant Church, the Black Like Me podcast, and the Justified Anger Coaltion as talks about the black church and COVID-19, how the most stressed churches are being asked to do the most right now, and what white allies can do to help. [...]
[Coronavirus] Dan Wolpert – Staying Spiritually Grounded
March 18, 2020 16:21 - 17 minutes - 10.2 MBJoin us for a conversation with Dan Wolpert of the Minnesota Institute for Contemplation And Healing talk about how to stay spiritually grounded. Hear him share about how leaders can stay spiritually grounded, how they can offer the same for their congregations, and experience an imaginative contemplative exercise that you can use in your context. [...]
[Coronavirus] Wendy Hudson – The 101’s of Digital Community
March 17, 2020 04:35 - 12 minutes - 7.79 MBJoin us for a conversation with Wendy Hudson of Two Rivers Church about the 101’s of Digital Community. Hear her share the basics for shifting worship online, how to digitize the rest of your congregation’s life, including offering care to members, while still being engaged in advocacy and care for your wider community. This week, [...]
[Announcement] Creativity, Compassion, and the Coronavirus
March 16, 2020 12:09 - 1 minute - 1 MBThis week, in collaboration with the BTS Center, Reports will be releasing a special series on creative, compassionate responses to the Coronavirus for faith leaders and faith communities. Hear a series of short, 20 minute conversations about the 101’s of moving your community to a digital space, how to stay spiritually grounded, how to best [...]
Ciona Rouse – Resting on A Limb Of the Tree of Knowledge
March 11, 2020 09:04 - 49 minutes - 28.9 MBJoin us for a conversation with poet Ciona Rouse about her journey from cradle United Methodist and pastor’s kid out of Christianity. Episode Highlights Include: Ciona’s upbringing as a pastor’s kid and her experience as a denominational employee Her vocation as a writer and “God as author” “It struck me that I had spent my [...]
Ophelia Hu-Kinney – “Why Not Take a Leap of Faith for Once?”
March 11, 2020 09:02 - 59 minutes - 37.2 MBJoin us for a conversation with Ophelia Hu-Kinney, of Queering the Kindom and the Reconciling Ministries Network, about her journey into Christianity in early adulthood and her continual process of reconversion. Episode Highlights Include: “I referred to myself as an atheist who wanted to be proven wrong.” Her conversion experience in an evangelical Christian college [...]
Elaine Heath – Renewing the Tradition Behind the Tradition
March 11, 2020 09:01 - 1 hour - 37.6 MBJoin us for a conversation with Elaine Heath of the Missional Wisdom Foundation and the Community At Spring Forest, about her journey into United Methodism and a contemplative path for institutional renewal. Episode Highlights Include: How her childhood was a cross between Hillbilly Elegy and Glass Castle “I don’t know about that, but I know [...]
Wayne Jacobsen – Finding Church Beyond Congregational Christianity
March 11, 2020 09:00 - 53 minutes - 40.7 MBJoin us for a conversation with Wayne Jacobsen, as he shares his journey out of congregational Christianity into a different way of being church. Episode Highlights Include: “You may have left the congregation, but how did you leave the church?” The importance of relational structures over institutional structures “Who does God want to be in [...]
Why I Stayed/Why I Left Trailer
February 25, 2020 14:47 - 1 minute - 1.54 MBCheck out the trailer for our opening series on 2020, “Why I Stayed/Why I Left”, examining all the different choices people are making about their spiritual commitments in our new religious reality, with guests Wayne Jacobsen, Elaine Heath, Ophelia Hu-Kinney, and Ciona Rouse. We’ll be releasing all our conversations on Wednesday, March 11th, and stay [...]
Ben Yosua-Davis – Sitting Until You Find Space
January 11, 2020 14:21 - 45 minutes - 36.9 MBJoin us for our holiday-delayed end-of-the-year conversation, where Beth Estock interviews Ben Yosua-Davis (the host!) about his experience hosting Reports From the Spiritual Frontier in 2019, his plans for 2020, and what it’s like to live on an island. Episode Highlights Include: The Joys of Backbreaking Manual Labor What Islands Teach Us About God Why [...]
Rabbi Mike Moskowtiz – Why An Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Advocates For Transgender Inclusion
December 18, 2019 17:21 - 48 minutes - 29.4 MBJoin us for a conversation with Rabbi Mike Moskowitz of Congregation Beith Simchat Torah as he shares his experience as an ultra-Orthodox rabbi advocating for transgender inclusion. Episode Highlights Include: (Or better yet, just look at Steve Silbert’s amazing sketchnote!) Why Mike is a self-identified religious fundamentalist and religiously non-cforming Why G-D is an all [...]
[Guest Episode] Neighbor Next Door Podcast: Mike Mather
November 27, 2019 16:01 - 32 minutes - 25.3 MBJoin us for a guest episode from one of our favorite podcasts, Neighbor Next Door, as hosts Adam Barlow-Thompson and Matthew Johnson of the Neighboring Movement interview Mike Mather of Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. You’ll also hear about our campaign to fund a fifth season of Reports. Short version is that we’ve [...]
Sarah Heath – Being A Pastor and Your Fully Authentic Self
November 20, 2019 16:20 - 50 minutes - 35.3 MBJoin us for a conversation with Sarah Heath of Costa Mesa United Methodist Church. Episode Highlights Include: What it means to say “This is who I am.” Rob Bell and Fifty People In A Room Being a pastor without being a type Making space to be yourself and for your community to be itself Creating [...]
Dr. Alex Gee – What White Christian Progressives Need To Know About Race
November 13, 2019 17:30 - 1 hour - 40.1 MBJoin us for a conversation with Dr. Alex Gee, of the Justified Anger Coalition in Madison, WI; and the Black Like Me podcast. Episode Highlights Include: Why we can’t know American Christianity apart from the impact of slavery Woke white supremacy Why white Christians need to stop rescuing and start listening Why the sky isn’t [...]
Dani Watkins – Pathways Out of Poverty at Citylink Center
November 06, 2019 16:59 - 48 minutes - 30 MBJoin us for a conversation with Dani Watkins, Director of Programming for Citylink Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Episode Highlights Include: Ubuntu and the Wisdom of the Poor What it means when clients say, “I can’t ask for help because it hurts too much” Why the founding churches chose collaboration over building their own programs The [...]
JoJo Ledgister – The Architecture of Reconciliation
October 23, 2019 15:36 - 49 minutes - 31.7 MBJoin us for a conversation with Jojo Legister, Executive Director of Fearless Dialogues. Episode Highlights Include: How peace and reconciliation were woven into JoJo’s family What it means to “tend the space between us” The false starts and valuable learning from the early years of Fearless Dialogues Ways to design spaces for true encounter around [...]
[Bonus] Greg Ellison II: Family Threads
October 16, 2019 13:57 - 7 minutes - 4.91 MBJoin us for a little more of our conversation with Gregory Ellison II, author, NPR guest, professor at Candler School of Theology, and founder of Fearless Dialogues, which has invited over 60,000 people into fearless encounter with one another as he talks about his grandmother, his parents, and how their threads weave into his ministry [...]
Gregory Ellison II: Fearlessly Encountering God and Each Other
October 11, 2019 15:16 - 49 minutes - 50.7 MBJoin us for a conversation with Gregory Ellison II, author, NPR guest, professor at Candler School of Theology, and founder of Fearless Dialogues, which has invited over 60,000 people into fearless encounter with one another. Episode Highlights Include: How Greg’s family shaped him to be the person he is today Why he founded Fearless Dialogues [...]
[Bonus] Carlos Reyes-Rodriguez: How Anglo Communities Can Show Hospitality to the Migrant
October 04, 2019 14:10 - 3 minutes - 1.85 MBJoin us for a little more of our conversation with Carlos Reyes-Rodriguez, as he talks about what it means for anglo communities to show hospitality to the migrant. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out our full conversation with Carlos, The DREAMers are the prophets. Support us by: Subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts [...]
Carlos Reyes-Rodriguez – The DREAMers are the Prophets
September 26, 2019 16:14 - 51 minutes - 29 MBJoin us for a conversation a conversation with Carlos Reyes-Rodriguez, founder of La Caminante, working youth who are part of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. He’s a Deacon and Coordinator of Hispanic-Latino Ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church Episode Highlights Include: His journey from a reforming journalist in Colombia [...]
Brian Kemp-Schlemmer [Updated] Gun-Toting Protesters and Sustainable Ministry
September 04, 2019 14:17 - 58 minutes - 37 MBJoin us for our updated conversation with Brian Kemp-Schlemmer of City Square Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Episode Highlights Include: [Update] Inviting Gun-Toting protestors to the conversation [Update] The challenge of community and personal sustainability City-Shaped Churches Would I Pastor if I wasn’t Paid? The difference between inputs and outputs Support us by: Subscribing to us [...]
Hannah Terry [Updated] – Refugees, Apartment Buildings, and the Work of God
August 22, 2019 17:42 - 1 hour - 38 MBJoin us for our updated conversation with Hannah Terry of FAM Houston. Episode Highlights Include: [Update] How FAM Houston has grown and what Hannah has learned What happens when people from different walks of life begin to encounter each other The Missional Wisdom Foundation and living in intentional community Bridge building with refugees in apartment [...]
Stephanie Price [Updated] – Growing God’s Goodness on the Land
August 07, 2019 15:58 - 56 minutes - 27.4 MBJoin us for our updated conversation with Stephanie Price of The Land, an outdoor faith community in Aurora, Colorado. Episode Highlights Include: What happens when dreams meet bureaucracy The practice of patience How God has an answer for Stephanie’s every excuse Learning to lean into the unknown How to love your people more than an [...]
[Bonus] David Bailey – Imaginative Decentering
July 17, 2019 10:02 - 6 minutes - 4.64 MBJoin us for a little more of our conversation with David Bailey, Executive Director of Arrabon, where he talks about what it means for people of privilege to de-center themselves during the work of community building. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out our full conversation with David, Reconciling Communities Across Class and Race. [...]
David Bailey – Reconciling Communities Across Race and Class
July 10, 2019 10:58 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBJoin us for a conversation with David Bailey, Executive Director of Arrabon, an organization that equips churches for the work of reconciliation. Episode Highlights Include: What a Biblical vision for reconciliation looks like (and how to be realistic about outcomes) Practicing reconciliation for youth through music The challenge of decentering ourselves in community, both in [...]
[Updated] Sean Steele – God’s Offensive Generosity
June 26, 2019 16:27 - 1 hour - 44.2 MBJoin us for an updated re-release of our conversation with Sean Steele of St. Isidore’s Episcopal Church in Houston, TX. Episode Highlights Include: [New] Why Sean uses the term “midwife” rather than “church planter” to describe his work What it means to create brave space for excluded people The offensive generosity of free laundry, free [...]