Inverse Podcast

Kelly Denton-Borhaug has long been investigating how religion and violence collide in American war-culture. She teaches in the global religions department at Moravian University. She is the author of two books, U.S. War-Culture, Sacrifice and Salvation and, more recently, And Then Your Soul is Gone: Moral Injury and U.S. War-Culture. She recently wrote "Why Are So Many Military Brothers and Sisters Taking Their Own Lives?" for TomDispatch, com. See her faculty website for information about additional publications and podcasts about her work addressing religion and moral injury, theology, and ethics. Kelly Denton-Borhaug, Ph.D. (she/hers)Professor, Global Religions DepartmentCo-director, Peace and Justice Studies MinorExecutive Director, InFocus Centers of InvestigationMoravian Universityhttps://moravian.academia.edu/KellyDentonBorhaug   Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse  Inverse Podcast is produced by Jen Kinney @iamjenkinney With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

"A lifelong social activist, Obery Hendricks is one of the foremost commentators on the intersection of religion and political economy in America. He is the most widely read and perhaps the most influential African American biblical scholar writing today. His recent book, Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith (Beacon Press, 2021) has gathered wide acclaim. Cornel West calls him “one of the last few grand prophetic intellectuals.” A widely sought lecturer and media spokesperson, Dr. Hendricks’ appearances include CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox News, Fox Business News, the Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, NHK Japan Television, and the Bloomberg Network. He has provided running event commentary for National Public Radio, MSNBC, and the al-Jazeera and Aspire international television networks. Dr. Hendricks has served in the Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group at the U. S. Department of State under Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry; was a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Democratic National Committee, for whom he delivered the closing benediction at the 2008 Democratic Convention; served on the National Religious Leaders Advisory Committee of the 2008 Democratic Presidential campaign. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative in Washington, DC; has been an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for American Progress; was a Senior Fellow at The Opportunity Agenda social justice communications think tank; is on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Christian Socialism; and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Dr. Hendricks has been a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post and Salon.com, a former editorial advisor to the award-winning Tikkun magazine, and a contributing editor to The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. The Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation has called his work “the boldest post-colonial writing ever seen in Western biblical studies.” " -Columbia University   Follow Dr. Obery Hendricks on Twitter @oberyhendricks. Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse  Inverse Podcast is produced by Jen Kinney @iamjenkinney With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

The Rev. Wil Gafney, Ph.D. is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and of the Throne, a commentary on Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah in the Wisdom series; Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel; and co-editor of The Peoples’ Bible and The Peoples’ Companion to the Bible. She is the author of a Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church and translator of its biblical selections; the first two volumes, Year A and W (a stand-alone volume) are due in August. She is an Episcopal priest canonically resident in the Diocese of Pennsylvania and licensed in the Diocese of North Texas, and a former Army chaplain and congregational pastor in the AME Zion Church. A former member of the Dorshei Derekh Reconstructionist Minyan of the Germantown Jewish Center in Philadelphia, she has co-taught courses with and for the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Seminary in Wyncote, PA.   Follow Rev. Wil Gafney on Twitter @WilGafney and find her at www.wilgafney.com Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse  Inverse Podcast is produced by Jen Kinney @iamjenkinney With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

Mako Nagasawa joined Dr. Drew Hart and Jarrod McKenna to talk about Nonviolent Atonement. Mako Nagasawa grew up in Cerritos, CA, and went north to Stanford, where he studied Industrial Engineering and Public Policy, with a focus on education. He worked at Intel Corp for 6 years while serving a Spanish-speaking ministry to Mexican immigrants in East Palo Alto, CA. He married Ming in May 1999 and moved to Boston, MA. He then worked for two startup companies trying to bring technology and jobs to inner-city communities.  Mako earned a Master’s in Theological Studies from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in May 2019.  Since 2000, Mako, Ming, and their two children John and Zoe have lived among friends in a Christian intentional community house in a Black and Brown neighborhood in Dorchester. Mako has done campus ministry since 2001 and founded The Anástasis Center in 2014 (then called New Humanity Institute).    Follow Mako on Instagram @makonagasawa Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse  Inverse Podcast is produced by Jen Kinney @iamjenkinney With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

Melissa Florer- Bixler is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church, and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She spent time studying in Israel/Palestine, Kenya, and England. Much of her formation took place in the L'Arche community of Portland, OR. Now she prefers the Eno River and her garden in Raleigh, NC. She is the chair of L'Arche North Carolina and a steering committee member in broad-based organizing in her county. Melissa's writing has appeared in Christian Century, Sojourners, Geez, Anabaptist Witness, The Bias, Faith&Leadership, and Anabaptist Vision. From time to time she publishes academic writing. She and her spouse parent three children.   Follow Melissa on Twitter Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

This week, Dr. Drew Hart and Jarrod McKenna were joined by Danté Stewart to talk about his new book, Shoutin' In the Fire: An American Epistle. Danté is a writer and speaker whose voice has been featured on CNN, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, Comment Magazine, and more. As an up-and-coming voice, he writes and speaks into the areas of race, religion, and politics. He received his B.A. in Sociology from Clemson University. He is currently studying at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.    Follow Danté Stewart on Twitter https://twitter.com/stewartdantec?lang=en and Instagram hhttps://www.instagram.com/stewartdantec/ @stewartdantec. Learn more about his work at https://www.dantecstewart.com/about Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.

One year ago today, Dr. Drew Hart's book- Who Will Be A Witness was released into the world. In honor and celebration of that moment, we are re-releasing this bonus episode with Shane Claiborne.   "As a special bonus for our listeners, we have created a series to commemorate Inverse Podcast co-host Dr. Drew Hart's brand new book *Who Will Be a Witness: Igniting Activism For God's Justice, Love, and Deliverance.* In these additional episodes, we will interview friends and co-workers to discuss chapter by chapter Drew's new book. These conversations were recorded in community with friends from around the world as part of Inverse's ongoing work to create formation experiences that deepen our witness to God's justice, love, and deliverance. *Who Will Be a Witness* offers a vision for communities of faith to organize for deliverance and justice in their neighborhoods, states, and nation as an essential part of living out the call of Jesus. Drew provides incisive insights into Scripture and history, along with illuminating personal stories, to help us identify how the church's witness has become mangled by Christendom, white supremacy, and religious nationalism. He provides a wide range of options for congregations seeking to witness Jesus' ethic of love for and solidarity with the vulnerable. At a time when many feel disillusioned and distressed, Drew calls the church to action, offering a way forward that is deeply rooted in the life and witness of Jesus. Drew's testimony is powerful, personal, and profound, serving as a compass that points the church to the future and offers us a path toward meaningful social change and a more faithful witness to the way of Jesus. (Buy Drew's new book [here](http://https://www.amazon.com/Who-Will-Be-Witness-Deliverance/dp/1513806580/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=who+will+be+a+witness&qid=1599640684&s=books&sr=1-1).) This first conversation discusses the Introduction of Who Will Be a Witness with activist, author, and speaker Shane Claiborne. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence. Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Executing Grace, his classic The Irresistible Revolution, and his newest book, Beating Guns. He has been featured in a number of films, including "Another World Is Possible" and "Ordinary Radicals." His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame. Shane regularly speaks at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe. Follow Shane on [Twitter](http://https://twitter.com/ShaneClaiborne). Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://https://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://https://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna Song: *We Fly Free* by Julie Kerr

Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world-renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology. Dr. Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr. Jennings’ book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two-part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna. Brought to you by Jarrod McKenna & Drew Hart of Inverse Podcast

As we prepare for Season 6 of Inverse Podcast, we are going back in the archives to share some of our favorite episodes with you! Doctor Willie Jennings is a pastor, theologian, speaker, and world-renowned author, and the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Writing in the areas of liberation theologies, cultural identities, and anthropology, Dr Jennings has authored more than 40 scholarly essays and nearly two-dozen reviews, as well as essays on academic administration and blog posts for Religion Dispatches. Dr. Jennings is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches. He is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America. Dr Jennings’ book **The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race** (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the** Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate** (for the Belief Series, Westminster/John Knox) received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. **** Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled** After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging** (Eerdmans, 2020). Dr. Jennings is now working on a major monograph provisionally entitled **Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation **as well as finishing a book of poetry entitled **The Time of Possession**. A Calvin College graduate, Jennings received his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke. This is part one of a two-part conversation recorded in community with friends from all over the world. Part two will be released next week. Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna.

It was a pleasure to conclude our Subversive Seminary reading of The Nonviolent Atonement by J Denny Weaver with the author, himself. J. Denny Weaver is professor emeritus of Religion of Bluffton (Ohio) University where he taught in the Religion Department for thirty-one years. He has written more than a dozen books as well as many book chapters and articles in Anabaptist and systematic theology, with a particular interest on issues of violence and social justice in atonement and Christological imagery. Alongside his well-known books The Nonviolent Atonement and The Nonviolent God, his recent publications include God without Violence, second edition (Cascade Books, 2020) which has a new chapter on nonviolent activism, and additions on Black theology and the Doctrine of Discovery; and Nonviolent Word, co-authored with Gerald J. Mast (Pickwick Publications, 2020) which has chapters on how and why white churches should listen to Black churches, and on nonviolent activism. He is a member of Madison (Wisconsin) MennoniteChurch. Follow Drew Hart on Instagram and Twitter @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on Instagram and Twitter @jarrodmckenna. Discover our global community on Twitter and Instagram @inversepodcast. Become a Patron of Inverse at https://www.patreon.com/InVerse  Inverse is produced by Jen Kinney @iamjenkinney With thanks to David Andrew (@davidjandrew) for the ongoing use of his music in this podcast.