The Weight

Chris and Eddie are joined by Aimee Nezhukumatahil, author of Barnes and Noble’s 2020 Book of the Year, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Whimsical and introspective, this book inspires the reader to look to the natural world for guidance, curiosity, and delight. Aimee’s work has been integrated into high school, college, and university curriculum as part of contemporary poetry, environmental studies, women’s studies, and Asian-American literature classes. Currently, Aimee teaches environmental literature and poetry writing in the MFA program of the University of Mississippi. Aimee discusses the gift of attention as the highest form of prayer, her perception of wealth and privilege in relation to her upbringing, and what the diverse, multifaceted nature of creation says about each of us. She challenges listeners to carve out time for stillness and careful attention in order to recognize the beauty in everything. This conversation reveals the precious mysteries of God’s nature and the ways our love for God constantly prompts a response of awe and wonder.Check out Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s book World of Wonders here:https://aimeenez.net Follow Aimee on social media:https://www.facebook.com/AimeeNezhukumatathil https://twitter.com/aimeenezhttps://www.instagram.com/aimee_nezhukumatathil/ 

Chris and Eddie are joined by Kiese Laymon, a black southern writer, born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. He is the author of the best-selling memoir “Heavy,” a deeply honest reflection on his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. The winner of multiple awards, including the Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction, Laymon’s writing in “Heavy” and other works exhibits a profound usage of prose and ability to enter into his memories to bring forward a voice that speaks to the experiences of Mississippi, specifically of black Mississippians.Laymon speaks about the important role his grandmother plays in his life, the way in which the influences of our upbringing remain a part of us no matter what changes may come, and the incredible ability of art to unleash heavy truths from things we keep secret. This conversation, but more specifically Laymon’s art, speaks directly to the complexities of Mississippi in a way that helps listeners seek more understanding not just of one state, but an entire nation. Resources:Follow Kiese Laymon on the web:https://www.kieselaymon.com Check out Kiese Laymon’s memoir Heavy here:https://www.kieselaymon.com/heavy Follow Kiese on social media:https://twitter.com/KieseLaymonhttps://www.instagram.com/kieselaymon/

Christians spend a lot of time talking about what is true or exploring goodness, but we do not spend as much time exploring beauty, aesthetics, and the arts. In a world full of content curated to our specific taste, we need more time and space to fill our souls with the kind of art that breaks open our curiosity and makes us come alive. Where does God meet us in the beauty of our imagination? How does art and culture shape our desires and longings?In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by James K.A. Smith, Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University and Editor-in-Chief of Image Journal. Smith aspires to bridge the gap between the academy, society, and church, and he discusses the art of culture-making as it relates to the Christian faith. Smith recognizes the tension between the view of culture as the result of a broken world and God’s vision for culture as creational good, and he calls us to recognize that we all take part in framing culture.Smith believes that what we make of the world is much more of a reflection of what we want for the world than how we think about the world. He invites us to create habits of putting ourselves in the way of things we don’t understand and making ourselves available to be encountered. By expanding our imagination, we give our souls space to carefully consider the stories we carry in our bones and the ways that those stories frame our culture.Follow James K.A. Smith on the web:https://jameskasmith.com Check out James K.A. Smith’s books here:https://jameskasmith.com/books/ Read James K.A. Smith’s article Healing the Imagination: Art Lessons from James BaldwinFollow James K.A. Smith on social media:https://twitter.com/james_ka_smith https://www.facebook.com/jameskasmith 

The year 2020 was a strong reminder that racism is not a simple problem of the past, and it cannot be met with simple solutions. At its core, racism diminishes the image of God in people of color, keeping them from living in the fullness that was God’s vision for humanity. How can we bring about true equity in our communities, churches, and in our nation? What are the practical steps that we can take now to bring about flourishing and reconciliation?In this episode, Chris and Eddie talk to Nate Paulk and Demetrius Short, two men who have partnered together to create a shared space for meaningful community in the East Nashville area. Paulk and Short operate out of radical hospitality for their neighbors and have turned their ears toward the concerns and hopes of their community to foster spaces where people of all races can thrive. Paulk and Short discuss the importance of uncovering implicit biases, ways we can ensure that diversity is not just a box to check off, what it looks like to establish trust, and how our natural curiosity can lead to greater conversations about how to love our neighbors better.If you would like to donate to Trinity Community Commons’ fire relief fund, you can access the fundraiser here.Learn more about Trinity Community Commons hereFollow Trinity Community Commons on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/trinitycommunitycommons/ Learn more about Transformation Life Center hereFollow Transformation Life Center on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Transformation-Life-Center-101602571394990 Check out Demetrius Short’s bio here:http://transformationlifecenter.org/about-tlc/our-founder Follow Demetrius Short on social media:https://www.facebook.com/demetrius.short 

The year 2020 was a strong reminder that racism is not a simple problem of the past, and it cannot be met with simple solutions. At its core, racism diminishes the image of God in people of color, keeping them from living in the fullness that was God’s vision for humanity. How can we bring about true equity in our communities, churches, and in our nation? What are the practical steps that we can take now to bring about flourishing and reconciliation?The Christian faith in America has never known a time when it has not wrestled with matters of race. These issues are a living, conscious reality for the whole life of the faith across denominations, and in order for us to make sustainable progress, we must move from silence to accountability and action within our church walls. In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Gregory Palmer and Bill McAlilly, two United Methodist Bishops who share a deep friendship that has been strengthened by honest and dynamic conversations about race and the church. Bishop Palmer and Bishop McAlilly urge us to think critically about what it looks like to love our neighbors, reflect honestly upon our history as a church and as a nation, and participate in multi-racial groups to discuss issues of race in a way that humanizes all of us. Learn more about Bishop Gregory Palmer hereLearn more about Bishop Bill McAlilly hereCheck out Bishop McAlilly’s blog here:https://bishopbillmcalilly.com Follow Bishop Palmer on social media:https://twitter.com/WOCBishop Follow Bishop McAlilly on social media:https://www.facebook.com/billmcalilly https://twitter.com/BillMcAlilly 

The year 2020 was a strong reminder that racism is not a simple problem of the past, and it cannot be met with simple solutions. At its core, racism diminishes the image of God in people of color, keeping them from living in the fullness that was God’s vision for humanity. How can we bring about true equity in our communities, churches, and in our nation? What are the practical steps that we can take now to bring about flourishing and reconciliation?Jemar Tisby, bestselling author of The Color of Compromise and president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, believes that racial reconciliation must be a relational effort grounded in self-awareness, and it must move beyond knowledge and ideas. In the fight against racism, Tisby sees the need for three essential components: awareness, relationships, and commitment. In his new book, How to Fight Racism, Tisby equips Christians with the tools needed to dismantle the systems and structures that keep people of color from flourishing.He joins Eddie and Chris to talk about his hope for the church to mobilize to action instead of complicity and passivity, the ways that we can use our money wisely to help bridge economic disparities, and the power of truth-telling and confession. He calls Christians to foster welcoming communities where people of color are not just offered a seat at the white table, but honored, respected, and uplifted as leaders made in the image of God.Follow Jemar Tisby on the web: https://jemartisby.com Check out Jemar’s book How to Fight Racism hereOrder Jemar’s book The Color of Compromise here

We, as individuals and as a people, need to consider how we have let politics replace truth with power. In an age where the truth is increasingly being contorted to suit our agendas and desires, the challenge of a “Post Truth World” is more complex and difficult than we might imagine. It requires a response that isn’t driven by grasping for some earthly power, but rooted in deep discernment. How can the Church take a stand against the stranglehold of mistruths in our politics?Joining us for the last conversation of our Faith & Politics series is Dr. Stephen Long, Professor of Ethics at Southern Methodist University. A scholar and United Methodist minister, Long works in the intersection between theology and ethics and has published over fifty essays and fourteen books on theology and ethics including the book “Truth Telling in a Post-Truth World.” Dr. Long joins Chris and Eddie to engage a frank, complex conversation that beckons us toward a deeper conversation on politics than is offered through the 24 hour news cycle and social media. Recorded the day after the insurrection at the United States Capitol, they reflect on the event as an example of the deep-seeded issue of prioritization of power and the depths to which truth continues to be under attack by the current political climate.   Resources:Learn more about Dr. Steve Long here.Check out Dr. Steve Long’s book Truth Telling in a Post-Truth World here.Follow Dr. Steve Long on social media:https://www.facebook.com/dstephen.long https://twitter.com/dstephenlong Episode Links:https://linktr.ee/theweightpod

As we kick off a new season of The Weight, we want to take a deeper dive into important topics that the Church should be discussing. We begin with a series on Faith & Politics that will engage multiple perspectives on the role that politics plays in the Christian life.In this cultural moment, many are prone to rejecting truth and data in favor of partisan opinion. With so much of our news tailored to our points of view, journalists face significant obstacles in their pursuits to report our history as it is unfolding. Many churches exist within a thick social fabric where business, public policy, and the press coexist. In a faith that is rooted in truth, respect, and grace, how can Christians more readily embrace the truth, instead of opting for conspiracy theories and fake news? In this episode, Chris and Eddie talk with Emily Le Coz, the National Data and Investigative Editor at USA TODAY. She talks through her experiences with working in local journalism in both Tupelo and Jackson, and she explains the ways in which journalists mediate the relationship between truth and power. Le Coz acknowledges how local news has been drowned out by national news outlets, social media, and even unknown sources.Le Coz advocates for better education about who journalists are and the work that they do. Le Coz acknowledges how we often operate out of a culture of animosity and fear surrounding journalism, and she hopes that more investment in local news will break those stereotypes. By nurturing a true set of facts, Le Coz believes that journalists invite us into understanding who we are in this cultural moment. In order for the church to contribute to flourishing within the community, Christians must treat journalists with respect as the work to tell a complete story over time. Resources:Check out articles from Emily Le Coz here.Learn more about Emily Le Coz here.Follow Emily Le Coz on Social Media:https://www.facebook.com/emily.lecoz https://twitter.com/emily_lecoz Episode Links:https://linktr.ee/theweightpod

As we kick off a new season of The Weight, we want to take a deeper dive into important topics that the Church should be discussing. We begin with a series on Faith & Politics that will engage multiple perspectives on the role that politics plays in the Christian life.It goes without saying that political discourse is taboo in many pockets of the Christian Church. Even as this taboo remains prevalent, there does seem to be an increasing awareness in a hyper connected world of how political realities can impact the livelihoods of the neighbors we are called to love. Having been compelled by such awareness, how can Christians develop a vision of how to faithfully engage with democracy?Joining us to talk about this is Luke Bretherton, Robert E. Cushman Professor of Moral and Political Theology and senior fellow of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. A scholar of Christian ethics and moral theology, he is the author of multiple books on these topics including “Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy.” Originally from Britain, he earned his Ph.D from the University of London and taught at King’s College before taking his appointment at Duke.Bretherton joins Chris and Eddie to think more deeply about what Christian engagement with democracy can look like by looking to history, scripture, and theology. They discuss how politics are an intrinsic part of our daily lives that manifest not just in DC, but in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. This conversation helps us consider not just what a more holistic understanding of politics can do for Christians, but how the Church can recognize and take ownership of what it has to offer to democracy. Resources:Learn more about Dr. Bretherton at his Duke University scholar profileCheck out Dr. Bretherton’s written works, including “Christ and the Common Life”Follow Dr. Bretherton on Twitter 

In this episode, Chris, Eddie, and Cody discuss the trajectory of the conversations on The Weight over the past year. Beginning with their discussion with two church leaders on the United Methodist conversation about human sexuality, Eddie and Chris dove into a breadth of nuanced topics from grief to body image to social justice. In the midst of a difficult year, they found a common thread of hope and humility as they engaged with guests from many different backgrounds and viewpoints. As they look toward 2021, Eddie and Chris hope to focus more attention on drawing out specific topics over a series of episodes. The Weight will continue to create a space where honesty and humility will break down the caricatures and stereotypes we often make of one another. In the new year, Eddie and Chris will keep engaging the larger cultural moment in a thoughtful, faithful, robust way and also in a culturally critical way. The Weight will be a place to ponder what makes the wisdom of Christian tradition an important piece of a conversation about what will make the world more beautiful, good, and true moving forward.