Who is Jesus when most American Christians back Trump? (Wk 4: Jesus, the Outsider) - Sami DiPasquale, Val Buchanan

With last week's news about so many families still separated on the US-Mexico border we feel a renewed need to educate ourselves on what we can do and find hope for change in Jesus, the God who identifies with outsiders. Special guest Sami DiPasquale, who works on the border in El Paso & Ciudad Juarez, is interviewed by friend of BLC Val Buchanan, as we continue try to shift the American narrative about God away from white, conservative, Trump-backing evangelicalism.

Art by Tim Vermeulen.

John, LukeVincent BrackettOctober 27, 2020Who is Jesus when most American Christians back Trump?Comment

Who is Jesus when most American Christians back Trump? (Wk 1: The God Who Became Human) - Hayley Larson, Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

It should break our brains that the biggest reason we might get four more years of Donald Trump as president is American Christians. What if our church could help shift the narrative in our country about who God is, and whose side God is on? One of BLC’s resident theologians Hayley Larson leads us through our first starting point for answering the question "who is Jesus?" — the God who became human.

Art by Edward Knippers

Matthew, Luke, John, MarkVincent BrackettOctober 6, 2020Who is Jesus when most American Christians back Trump?Comment

From Reactivity to Spirituality - Vince Brackett

Across many traditions, mature, life-giving spirituality has often been understood as a move away from reactivity. That doesn’t mean removed or without emotion. It means deeply invested and affected, but in a way that is slowed down, wise, and aligned with our values. Jesus suggests we are loved and shaped away from reactivity by relationship with God.

Matthew, JohnVincent BrackettSeptember 22, 2020Comment

De-Centralizing the God of the Powerful, Part 2 - Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

Spiritual fulfillment is something human beings long for, but Jesus suggested it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich (or privileged) person to find it. Vince shares some of the more humbling experiences on his journey of finding spiritual fulfillment by learning to align himself with the oppressed, rather than with his privilege.

Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, JoshuaVincent BrackettAugust 25, 2020God of the OppressedComment

Feminist Theology - Hayley Larson, Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

BLC's Hayley Larson shares with us from both her personal story and professional studies how feminist language, images, and actions help us see the God Jesus reveals more fully, and how relying exclusively on male reference points is dangerous to faith.

Art by Kelly Latimore.

Jeremiah, Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, GenesisVincent BrackettAugust 18, 2020God of the OppressedComment

A Church-Outsider Perspective on Jesus - Maria Santillan, Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

With help from BLC’s Maria Santillan, we consider how, in the same way microaggressions reinforce systemic racism in America, spiritual microaggressions in church settings reinforce systemic marginalizing of people whose family or culture don’t pre-dispose them to understand or be able to navigate American churches. Our church considers this a fight for equity — for the important perspective of church outsiders, like Maria, to be valued in spiritual conversations.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, HebrewsVincent BrackettAugust 11, 2020God of the OppressedComment

Jesus & the Gospel from a Black Man's View - Leicester Mitchell, Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

Touching on a theology of liberation, joy, and suffering that connects Jesus' cross to the lynching of Black Americans, BLC's Leicester Mitchell helps us see Jesus and the Gospel through the lived experience of a Black man in America today.

Acts, John, Luke, Matthew, Mark, PsalmsVincent BrackettAugust 4, 2020God of the OppressedComment

Sin Theologies vs Liberation Theologies - Vince Brackett & Kyle Hanawalt

Vince and Kyle talk about why liberation theologies are what our country needs right now, why liberation theologies shine a clearer light on what is happening in Jesus on the Cross, and yet end with a surprisingly charitable view toward sin theologies.

Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, RomansVincent BrackettJuly 30, 2020God of the OppressedComment

De-Centralizing the God of the Powerful - Kyle Hanawalt, Vince Brackett

As we try to centralize the perspectives of oppressed voices on God and faith, part of what we must do is de-centralize the voices that have been dominant. Kyle, one of our pastors, shares some turning points in his life learning about God and faith, which each saw him leave behind a "God of the Powerful" and move closer to a "God of the Oppressed".

Exodus, Genesis, John, Luke, Matthew, MarkVincent BrackettJuly 28, 2020God of the OppressedComment

Seeing God as a Second-Generation Immigrant - Linda Kim, Vince Brackett, Kyle Hanawalt

Continuing our “God of the Oppressed” discussions, we learn from BLC's Linda Kim about seeing God from the perspective of a second-generation immigrant, formed by the overlap of family and environment.

Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, ExodusVincent BrackettJuly 21, 2020God of the OppressedComment