Many progressives often find themselves in communities where very few, if any, of their peers identify as religious, let alone as Christians. In America, many people associate the word “Christian” with the type of theological and political conservatism that has theologically justified historic harms against every minority group in our country. Yet, we have chosen to identify ourselves as Progressive Christians, making the word “Christian” deeply significant to our understanding of who we are. In this episode, we explain why we still refer to ourselves as Christians and explore why others, who don’t seem committed to acting Christ-like, still see themselves as Christians.

We want to hear from you! If you have a question you’d love for us to discuss on the pod, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

Show notes

1. https://bookshop.org/p/books/stages-of-faith-the-psychology-of-human-development-james-w-fowler/7943233
2. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-religion-of-whiteness-9780197746288?cc=us&lang=en&
3. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586030/how-fascism-works-by-jason-stanley/
4. https://www.hfg.org/grant_summaries/the-farm-killings/
5. https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/2267/Theories-of-Culture-A-New-Agenda-for-Theology
6. https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/0664233155/just-hospitality.aspx

We want to hear from you! If you have a question you’d like us to discuss on the pod, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

There is a lot of talk about fascism in politics today, but what is fascism, and how, if at all, does it impact our faith? In this episode, Everest, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss what fascism is, the role conservative Christianity is playing in supporting it in America, and how a progressive Christian vision of community can help us resist the lure of fascist thinking.

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

1. https://newtranscendentalist.medium.com/christofascism-by-dorothee-s%C3%B6lle-633273379b68
2. https://x.com/FrankLuntz/status/1911463710029488317
3. https://hazlitt.net/longreads/death-village

We have a new email address and we want to hear from you!

If you have a question you’d love for us to discuss on the pod, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

How do you hold onto hope when everything feels like, or actually is, falling apart? Given the state of US politics and the global lurch to the political right, how, if at all, are you holding onto hope? In this episode, we begin with a conversation about the Roman Catholic conclave and share our thoughts about what we hope for in a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Then we discuss how neo-apocalyptic conservative theology reinforces a social and economic selfishness that is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus. We end this episode discussing a progressive theology of hope and the practices we employ to cultivate hope.

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.