Kiese 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.

James K.A. 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.

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.

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.

Jemar Tisby 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.

In an age where the truth is increasingly being contorted to suit our agendas and desires for power, the challenge of a “Post Truth World” is more complex and difficult than we might imagine. Southern Methodist University Professor of Ethics, Dr. Stephen Long, joins us on The Weight for frank, in-depth conversation about the challenges of recovering the prioritization of truth in a political climate that yields it to desire for power.

We are joined by Emily Le Coz, the National Data and Investigative Editor at USA TODAY, as we continue our series on Faith and Politics. In this episode, we dig deeper into the role of journalism on both a local and national level, and we hear about the many layers of a journalist’s work in the fight for truth within the current context.

Luke Bretherton of Duke University 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.

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.

When we look at the Christian witness in the political spectrum, we find two major extremes: hyper-obsession or complete apathy from an attitude of escapism. In this election year, Christians must question how to engage politics without being consumed by it. Whether we like to admit it or not, the church does not exist outside of the public life, and for the sake of our neighbors most impacted by political policies, we must find a way to engage in politics without selling our souls to it. How can we achieve this at the local and national scale?

Arielle Estoria joins Eddie and Chris to discuss “Remember Her,” her recent poem honoring Breonna Taylor, empowering women to seek strength and fullness, struggling to find her authority as a woman in a patriarchal tradition, and the way in which performing arts give a voice to the voiceless. In all of her work, Arielle challenges her audience to not only hear her message, but encounter and apply it in a greater context.

Abortion is a multi-faceted, multi-layered issue that the church often fails to engage with the depth and compassion it requires. Regardless of one’s position on this issue, the stories of those who have struggled with this impossible decision have been discounted in the midst of political fervor. Poverty forces many vulnerable, marginalized women to grapple with the decision to have an abortion, yet this factor is often overlooked. How do we make space for grace, respect, and empathy in such a nuanced conversation?

Karen Partee of Texas Bank and Trust joins Eddie and Chris to discuss our ties to money as proof of self-worth, her passion for financial literacy, the importance of budgeting, and the ways parents can educate their children about money early in their lives. She explains that being conscientious about our financial decisions requires us to search the depths of our souls for the reasons we value our money and the purposes behind what we purchase. When we are honest with ourselves about what we love, desire, and value, we can better align our inner passions with the investments we make

Painter, writer, and performance speaker Scott Erickson joins Eddie and Chris joins Eddie and Chris to discuss the ways art can expand our view of religious traditions and Bible stories, connect us to God through uncovering our own stories, and draw out the most vulnerable parts of being human.

Author, speaker, and podcast host Tiffany Bluhm joins Eddie and Chris to discuss who Jesus called women to be, God’s holy heart for justice, the importance of representation, and how to have an invitational spirit in the church. Tiffany invites us to “call in, not call out” in an effort to humanize the people who think differently than we do. She speaks about how her deep passion for Jesus trickles out into every area of her ministry and acknowledges the divisive nature of Jesus during His ministerial context.

Artist Adrienne Brown-David joins Eddie and Chris to discuss the gift that art can give each one of us, the love she has for her daughters’ individuality, and the ways different forms of visual art make us feel. Adrienne acknowledges the way she must consider how her daughters are viewed by the world and the intersection she has always felt between her art and the larger social climate. They also speak about what it means to call Mississippi home and the importance of viewing Mississippi from both the inside and outside.

Former Secretary of the Navy and Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus joins Eddie and Chris to discuss how to maintain strong relationships in politics, the struggles he faced as an up-and-coming politician, the commitment we all need to make to public service, the effect of his family’s encouragement and wisdom, and the world he wants his daughters to thrive in. Mabus challenges us to act wisely on the current moment and consider the impact we can have wherever we are.

Dr. Ryan Danker joins Eddie and Chris to talk about the traditions and ideas that shaped John and Charles Wesley, the history surrounding the Church of England and the rise of Methodism, and the notion of entire sanctification. Danker calls us to consider the theological base of our politics, not the political base of our theology. Using history as his guide, Danker brings us a sense of peace for this current cultural moment and challenges us to live out our vocation as Christians united under the waters of baptism.

Jason Vickers of Asbury Theological Seminary talks with Eddie and Chris about the way all of us value conserving certain traditions and progressing toward a better future. They talk about the American South and the way Southern culture glamorizes rebellion. They discuss how all of us can have healthier, trusting conversations by opening our minds to understand why we value what we do.

Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley is a theologian, priest, and author of the new book "Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope." He joins Eddie and Chris to discuss how Christians can have open dialogue about riots and protests, and how white Christians can interpret the truth behind the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” They talk about specific passages in the Bible that point to the grief and rage Black Americans feel and where the cross of Christ fits into the scope of human emotion.