A teenage African American boy is shot by an elderly man in Kansas City. Ralph Yarl went to the wrong house by mistake and was shot twice by an 84-year-old gentleman. Why did this happen? Was it gun violence? Racism? Pastor Dennis talks about the loss of trust in our society and how the church should respond. At the Intersection Video (the video this episode is based on) A Knock at the Door by Dennis Sanders Bowling in Fear by Brianne Wolf Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Is racism intractable in American society? Or is racism just a thing of the past and we need to “get over” race? Colorblindness and antiracism are the leading ways of looking at race in America, but neither has been effective in addressing racial tensions in the United States. Colorblindness ignores the realities of race and in doing so ignores the history of injustice. Antiracism centers racial concerns to such an extent that it alienates people who need to be involved in the process. In this episode, sociologist George Yancey joins the podcast to talk about how colorblindness and antiracism fall short in tackling the issue of race and offers a third way- mutual accountability - as a way where we can move from racial division to racial reconciliation. Show notes: George Yancey’s website Beyond Racial Division book Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Why do you belong to a certain denomination or church? How did you get there? In this episode, I chat with Doug Skinner, a retired pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We talk about how someone who grew up Episcopalian became a Disciple, the current state of the denomination and the tradition’s future. Show Notes: Why I Am Disciples of Christ- A blog post by Doug Skinner Disciples 3.0 - A 2015 article I wrote Episode 53 with Doug on Communion and Racial Justice Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Due to problems with my podcast recording platform, this is another solo episode using a video from my series At the Intersection (formerly the Weekly Check-in). In this episode, we look at a meme and an essay that doubts Jesus died for our sins. Pastor Dennis thinks we need to have a wider understanding of what sin is all about to understand the meaning of the cross. Show notes: What if Crucifixion Is Not Salvific? by Miguel de la Torre The Fall Takes Place Not in Eden But at Mt. Sinai by Jason Micheli Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast episode, Dennis Sanders, the host of "Church and Main," expresses his frustration with the responses to the recent school shooting in Nashville. He criticizes the "thoughts and prayers" response as uncaring and un-American but also acknowledges the importance of prayer as a basis for action. Dennis emphasizes the need for prayer in the face of great evil and the responsibility to craft policies that will answer the cries of millions of children in our country. He encourages listeners to spend less time on social media and more time on their knees in prayer. Show notes: In the Face of Tragedy, Petitioning God Is an Act of Faith by David French The Bulletin Podcast from Christianity Today ( had a good episode on the Nashville Shooting) Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

“We know how to be a Disciple in a town full of Baptists.” That was what the head of the search committee said to Pastor Dawn Darwin Weaks they asked her and her husband to consider being co-pastors at First Christian Church in Odessa, Texas. Their saying yes to the church put both pastors and the congregation on a journey of revitalization, renewal, and a renaming: from First Christian Church to Connection Christian Church. In this episode, I talk to Dawn about the story of Connection, her book which chronicles the journey, and how long-established Mainline Protestant churches can find new life and new mission if they listen to the movements of the Holy Spirit. Show notes Connection Christian Church of Odessa Dawn’s Webpage Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church (Dawn’s Book) Episode 132 with Ben Crosby Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

This wasn’t a planned episode, but here it is because a certain podcast recording program decided to eat two of Dennis’ interviews. So, while Dennis works on redoing those episodes, here is one of his videos focusing on John 4 and the story of Woman at the Well and what this passage has to say about churches welcoming, , , bisexual and transgender people. Show notes: Why Inclusion Matters (video) Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Superman. Spiderman. Green Lantern. Wonder Woman. Black Panther. Critics tend to think that media based on comic book characters doesn’t really grapple with weighty matters like faith, politics or race, but they are wrong. Some of the blockbuster films, television shows and of course comics aren’t just entertainment, they can also talk about important issues of the day all in the guise of people who wear tights. In this episode, we talk to Drew McIntyre, the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC who is a comic book aficionado about how comics or graphic novels communicate on a deeper level to their fans. Drew’s Twitter Twitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmain Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain Website: https://churchandmain.org/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

In this solo episode, I read the story I wrote in Substack and Medium about how white evangelicals are not the major factor in the rise of Donald Trump. The real story is more complex and very uncomfortable. These Are Not the Evangelicals You Are Looking For by Dennis Sanders In Today’s Political Arena, White Evangelicals Aren’t the Big Story by Musa al-Gharbi Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for reading Church and Main. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

If you are part of a mainline Protestant denomination, you know that decline has been part of the story for over 50 years. And yet, at times people act like this isn’t a problem. Why is that? Why can’t we admit there is a problem and then come up with solutions that can help struggling congregations? In this episode, I chat with Episcopal priest Ben Crosby. We talk about the article he wrote on his Substack about church decline. Ben is currently a Ph.D. student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec in Canada where he is also the Honorary Associate Priest at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal. On why church decline conversations are so frustrating- by Ben Crosby Lunging, Flailing, Mispunching- by Terry Eagleton (Ben talked about this article in the interview) Will the ELCA be Gone in 30 Years?- by Dwight Zscheile On MAID and the Canadian Church- by Ben Crosby (an article about the Canadian mainline church and Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying law) Ben’s Twitter Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for reading Church and Main. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe