The Evolving Faith Podcast Are You Prepared to Die? with William Matthews
William Matthews opens by asking a powerful question: Are you prepared to die? He describes the nature of horror films and draws parallels to the experience of being Black in America. He then takes us to the story of Mary of Bethany, who publicly challenged patriarchy and social norms by publicly mourning Jesus before his death. William tells listeners that power, whether religious or political, does not reward you for doing the right thing, only for reinforcing its system of violence against marginalized bodies. So when we do the work of dismantling these systems, we need to be prepared to die. William concludes by saying that America is living in a collective horror story, and he challenges us to name the beast among us. To do this, we have to have radical compassion for the marginalized and vehemently oppose dehumanizing rhetoric. And remember that Jesus, the liberator, was anointed to die. Following William’s talk, Jeff and Sarah discuss America’s true original sin, listening to narratives besides our own, and what comes next once we’ve heard them.