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For our 50th (!) full episode, we decided to record something that several people have asked us for - a summary episode dedicated to the premise of Reclamation Faith. In these 40 minutes, we attempt a (somewhat rambling) comprehensive discussion of the problems we see facing Christianity in our current historical moment, as well as some of the ways we hope to speak to those problems. These are our hopes for reclaiming the story of God in our lives and for our world (just a small thing, we know). 

This week Josh and Alison take a brief look at Maundy Thursday, that oft-overlooked day of Holy Week, and see how it is absolutely crucial in our understanding of God's love and the call we have to love people in the same fashion as Jesus. Too often this day is neglected because we lack a practical understanding of servanthood and sacrificial love. However, getting to the core of what Jesus does can open up new ways of thinking about the call to love God and love others.BTW, about the title: If you don't know "Monday Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas, shame on you ;) 

This week on the Reclamation Faith podcast, we (Josh and Alison) talk about one of our favorite recent movies, Encanto, and how it can function as a wonderful extended metaphor for the process of deconstruction! In this movie, we see the process of feeling unsettled with a system, trying to fix things, experiencing deeper brokenness, and even losing the heart of what gave that system life - sounds like how many of us have experienced Christianity in recent years! Give it a listen, and let us know if you think we're on point or off base! 

This week we have another mini-musing, or a short reflection recorded on a week where we don't have time for a full episode! This musing looks back on our last episode about church silence, and asks whether we contradict our passion for a non-individualistic gospel when we say that the church doesn't "value individuals" but instead focuses on the whole.  What we observe is that individualism in our theology actually ends up harming individuals MORE than a more communal portrait of faith.  We hope you enjoy this short (and at times very cheesy) conversation! 

In this week's episode, Josh and Alison discuss the idea of secrecy, and the ramifications of when secrecy is weaponized to protect the powerful at the expense of those who have been harmed or victimized in institutional religion. While we only scratch the surface, we reflect on why churches choose to keep secrets, how they justify those decisions, and how we can begin to seek healing and helping in response to this problem. 

At Reclamation we have a tradition of interviewing each other on our birthdays (or, at least its' a tradition after this episode)! This week, Josh turns 38...errr....or is it 9.5?...it's confusing. But anyway, Alison interviews Josh on the past year, deconstruction, and how to keep going when you're in a long season of doubt and wrestling. Quick Note: If you want to skip to the more general (less personal) part of the "interview" you might move ahead to about the 18 minute mark. 

In Reclamation's first "mini-musing" we (Josh and Alison) respond to a question about how to discern when we've heard from the Holy Spirit. Though commonly treated as a mysterious messenger that comes and goes, the presence of the Spirit is more a promise than a possibility. We briefly reflect on how we've treated hearing from the Spirit, and what can free us to be more trusting in our approach to this question.

This week, we look at the idea of reclaiming the universal audience of the story of God. Too much of contemporary Christianity has framed the biblical narrative in a way where Jesus exists just for Christians, or those who will become Christians. In reality, as we trace the movement of God throughout narrative history, we see that God's story has always been for everyone. If we make the story about us, we create and "us vs. them" worldview that denies the very real work of redemption that God desires for all people across time and place. 

This week, Alison and Josh discuss the exhaustion that many of us are facing in this current moment, and how reclaiming faith might contribute to OR alleviate some of the tiredness that we are experiencing. What does it mean to take breaks, slow down, and find rest when the world is in upheaval? How do we hear the words from Jesus about being "weary and heavy-burdened" when we are wrestling with what we believe? For anyone who is tired, we hope this discussion provides some commiseration, and possibly even some refreshment for you! 

In the midst of faith crises and questioning our relationship to Christianity, it is extremely valuable to take a historical view of the forces that have shaped what we believe and why. In this episode, Josh and Alison tackle the roots of American Christian fundamentalism and how modern evangelicalism is built upon much of the same foundation. Seeing our relationship to fundamentalism can actually be hopeful as we wrestle with our beliefs, because we can dig out those specific roots while searching for a broader, more historic faith to draw from as we seek God's story.

In this episode, Josh and Alison talk about some of the desires behind Reclamation and where the idea originated. We use a big ol' extended metaphor of cooking and "chefs vs. home cooks" to talk about our hearts behind this project, and the ways people can find authentic faith through learning to reclaim homegrown spirituality.  

In our first episode of 2022, Alison and Josh reflect on New Year's resolutions and how they have spiritual overlap with the ways we view growth and formation in the Christian faith. In Christian circles, there is almost an obsession in modern times with "growth." When growth is a pressure rooted in shame or feelings of "not being enough" then the idea of progress becomes debilitating and destructive. However, when we see growth as something that happens outside of ourselves, discovering more of who God is, then we can find freedom and joy in the process. 

In our last week of Advent, we reflect on the oddness of the Christmas story, and just how completely unexpected the whole situation of Christ's birth was in the context of Israel's expectations. It is important, in a world where Christmas has become warmly familiar, to recapture the weirdness of this event so that we  can see the radical ramifications of the incarnation, and learn to celebrate when our own experiences of God don't fit the religious mold of our society. 

This week in our Advent series, we take a look at the absolute necessity of the female voice in the birth narrative of Jesus, and the time leading up to the Christmas event. Too often neglected in Evangelical circles, this centering of women and their joy, wisdom, and faithfulness is essential to a full picture of the inauguration of the incarnate Christ. When we don't have this fully realized picture of these women and vital roles/voices they offer, then we lose more than we realize in our faith and culture today. 

Josh and Alison continue the Advent-themed series this week, looking at concepts at the heart of the season that are often overlooked by Evangelical churches, and what impact that has on faith. This week, we dive deeper into the idea that Christmas doesn't really "fit" the conservative worldview, and how some pretty odd things can happen from pulpits and leaders around Advent as a result. Rather than try to sell people Jesus in this time of year, the idea of Immanuel, or God with us, is a helpful and beautiful corrective.

We're back after a long, long time away with a jump into the Advent season! This week, Josh and Alison look at the topic of expectation, or hopeful longing, and how a disregard for this element of Advent and the Christian story impacts our ability to deal with the hardships of our lives and world. If we can relearn what it means to wait on God, it can help us navigate the complexity of life and the tension of faith, and Advent is a season where this practice can be front-and-center in our spiritual lives. 

In this week's episode, I (Josh) get to interview Alison about her year as part of our attempt at a birthday interview tradition! Among other topics, Alison shares about the hardships and opportunities that she's found in this past year, discusses starting a new upcoming job, and makes a few ridiculous claims about Oreo cookies and summer pie baking. I hope she doesn't read this...

(To be clear, that's Critical Race Theory, Southern Baptist Convention, and Why The Friction?!) This week, Josh and Alison reflect on some interested conversations that arose at the annual Southern Baptist Convention around critical race theory, and use that to reflect on some of the misses and misunderstandings within American Evangelicalism as a whole. Why, we wonder, is it so difficult for Christians to wrap our minds around systemic sin and injustice, or to look for solutions (...other than individuals 'trying harder' to do good)? What we want to discover, by looking at current events and some history, is how the American understanding of the gospel has been limited and stunted in a way that many of us are finding disturbing and no longer adequate to address the problems we see in our lives and world. 

This week, Josh and Alison are thrilled to share a recent interview with Meghan Tschanz. Meghan is a former missionary, host of the Faith and Feminism podcast, blogger, and author of the recently-released book Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice. In her book (and the interview) Meghan draws connections between the injustices she witnessed against women around the globe with damaging power differentials and patriarchal norms that she witnessed in her evangelical upbringing. This is an interview that challenges our assumptions and calls us to see the ways these systems work together to further abuses in our world.

This week, we are so excited to share an interview with Justin R. Phillips, author of the recently-released book Know Your Place: Helping White, Southern Evangelicals Cope with the End of The(ir) World. In our conversation, we dive into the realities of disembodiment and what a disembodied faith has meant for Christian understandings of white supremacy and racial justice. Justin shares about how his social location and the recognition of his own embodiment led to a position of compassionate engagement with racial justice, and how we too can re-evaluate our theology to see the embodied Jesus meeting people in the fight for justice and equality.