In this episode, Chris and Eddie talk to Dr. Monica Coleman, professor of African Studies at the University of Delaware and ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Monica’s memoir “Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith” addresses the intersections of mental illness, faith, race, and family trauma. She speaks to her rejection of and return to God, how losing her faith was a critical step to experiencing God in a brand new way, and the impact of loving friendships throughout her highs and lows. Throughout this conversation, we pray you find hope in the loyalty of God and find grace for your own story.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Russell Moore, the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Moore’s recent article “Losing Our Religion” addresses the ways many churches do not seem to believe what they teach and the reasons many have chosen to disaffiliate from the church. Moore speaks of the ways in which he was disillusioned as a fifteen year old by Bible Belt Christianity, his journey back through fear to a genuine faith, and his courage to stand for mercy and justice in the public square. Throughout this conversation and in his work, Moore poses a hopeful vision for the future of the church rooted in the promises of Jesus rather than cultural agendas.

There comes a time in each child’s life when their role begins to shift in relation to their parents. Many daughters expand their definition of mothering when caring for their own mothers, as they learn to navigate the tension of reincorporating a loved one into a new familial environment. When forced to confront the realities of motherhood in a different light, these daughters and mothers need time for introspection to engage with the expansiveness of motherhood’s demands and joys.

Chris and Eddie talk to Julie Dotterweich Gunby, a certified nurse midwife who has delivered over 1,000 babies. Julie describes the vocation of midwifery as a way of positioning oneself to help women articulate what it means for them to birth well. She speaks to the constraints that women face when sharing their needs and desires in the midst of preparing for mothering, and she shares the importance of creating space for women to reflect upon generations of mothers who came before them. Julie encourages mothers and future mothers that they can birth with greatness of soul no matter the circumstances.

Rev. Elizabeth Hagan shares her story of infertility with us and gives us a clearer understanding of the layers of grief that come with this struggle that most do not recognize. Specifically, she speaks about ways that communities of faith can become some of the least safe places for people to deal with the struggle. Even so, Hagan also shines a light on how God’s grace can guide people through the struggle and how the desires we have to create families are God-given and should not be given up on. This conversation is purposed to inspire us all toward a more loving way of coming alongside those who struggle with this weighty topic of birth and motherhood.

In this Holy Week episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Kavin Rowe, author of Christianity’s Surprise: A Sure and Certain Hope. Rowe discusses the missing sense of imagination in American Christianity, how God’s promises for the future reach into the present, the interconnectedness of humanity, and how Christian institutions have evolved over time.

Makoto Fujimura explains how the power, mystery, and depth of art drive us to ask deeper questions. He introduces his spiritual discipline of “slow art,” speaks to the nuances of tradition, and ponders the ways art can liberate us in our cultural context. Fujimura gives us space to identify where we meet Jesus in both making and consuming. This conversation speaks to the healing gift of art as culture care, rather than a commodity.

Aimee Nezhukumatahil 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.

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?