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In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, TDBI President Rev. Rob Schenck talks with a scientist who writes under the pen name of Glory White. The author explains how her examination of common core questions answered by the world’s religions grew out of discussions with religious colleagues. Resources: TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram Visit the 50 Questions Website

TDBI President, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, talks with an extraordinary advocate of religious freedom and universal human rights, Dr. Aykan Erdemir, about increased anti-Semitism in the U.S. and globally. Rob and Aykan have known each other since they met at a symposium in Oxford, England, seven years ago. Dr. Aykan Erdemir is a former member of the Turkish Parliament, Director of International Affairs Research at Anti-Defamation League, and steering group member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB). Award winning analyst on Turkish politics, economy, and foreign policy with twenty-five-years of experience in academia, think tanks, and politics. Outspoken advocate for democracy, pluralism, rule of law, minority rights, and freedom of religion or belief in the Middle East and beyond. Frequent contributor to debates in global media outlets on foreign policy, security, illicit finance, sanctions, radical Islam, terrorism, extremism, and hate crimes. Resources: TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram   Visit Dr. Erdemir’s Website  Learn More about the Anti-Defamation League 

Interview with Michelle Warren

In this episode, Rev. Rob Schenck talks with Michael Hanegan. TDBI Senior Fellow Michael Hanegan developed our approach to the World Council of Churches, asking for the suspension of Patriarchate Krill. Hanegan is an interdisciplinary thinker, moral theologian, writer, and teacher. He holds Masters Degrees in Religious Education and Theological Studies and works as an Intellectual Property Architect. Resources: TDBI on Twitter  [https://twitter.com/tdbidc] TDBI on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tdbidc] TDBI on Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/tdbidc/] Visit Michael Hanegan’s Website [https://michaelhanegan.com/] Listen to Michael Hanegan’s TEDxColumbiaUniversity Talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_hanegan_interruption_as_social_change] Sign TDBI’s Petition to remove Moscow Patriarchate Krill from the World Council of Churches [https://tdbi.networkforgood.com/projects/158708-hold-corrupt-moscow-church-leaders-accountable]

Epi 74 – Interview with Mike Goldsworthy In this episode, the Rev. Rob Schenck speaks with Mike Goldsworthy, a ministry leader working in the spaces of deconstruction and reconstruction in post-evangelical communities. For 19 years, Mike served on staff with Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach, CA, with the last 11 of those years as the Lead Pastor. When he left that church, he shifted his focus to connecting and mentoring individuals and communities as they walk through transitions of deconstruction and reconstruction of their faith. He is an Adjunct Professor of Ministry and Bible at Hope International University and partners with Slingshot Group as a church staffing and coaching associate. What happens when one’s personal faith begins to theologically shift away from a church’s public stance? How do churches focus on the types of people they are forming? What would happen if Christianity wasn’t about making more Christians but helping humanity live a flourishing life together? Listen in as Rob and Mike discuss Bonhoeffer’s own struggles with church structure and reimagine a way for today’s “ecclesiastical homeless” to connect and build church communities in new forms and landscapes.  -- Resources:  TDBI on Twitter  TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram  Read Mike Goldsworthy’s website  Listen to Mike Goldsworthy’s Podcast  Follow Mike Goldsworthy on Instagram  Register for the Post-Evangelical Collective: 2022 Gathering

In this episode, the Rev. Rob Schenck discusses the interconnecting network of faith leaders working towards gun violence prevention, the nonviolence of Bonhoeffer, and the importance of depolarization within American society with Mark Beckwith, longtime friend of TDBI and co-chair of Faith Leaders for Ending Gun Violence. Mark has been working in this overlapping space of nonviolence reform throughout his career. He is the retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, co-founding the Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope and Peace, a network of religious leaders committed to reducing gang violence in the city. He also co-founded Bishops United Against Gun Violence in 2012, which has grown to a network of 100 bishops. Now retired, Mark has become part of the leadership team for Braver Angels, a movement that seeks to depolarize America. The organization stands at the intersection of faith and politics, offering a path towards reconciliation and seeing across the divide within our own organizations. In March, he also released the book, “Seeing the Unseen: Beyond Prejudices, Paradigms, and Party Lines” with Morehouse Publishing. How can gun violence prevention advocates and gun rights advocates begin to understand each other? What do we need to do to depolarize our faith communities and reconcile with each other? How does silence offer a holy response and a common language for prayer? Listen in as Rob and Mark grapple with the tensions within our communities and how Bonhoeffer’s experience with the Black church informed his outlook on suffering and nonviolence. --  Resources:  TDBI on Twitter  TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram  Learn More About Braver Angels Read Mark Beckwith’s Blog  Mark Beckwith on Facebook  Purchase Seeing the Unseen

In this episode, Rev. Rob Schenck speaks with manager of the Equal Justice USA Evangelical Network, Sam Heath. Sam uses his broad faith background to tell stories of justice and injustice in a holistic, truthful manner. Equal Justice USA works at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, and racial justice to elevate healing over retribution, meet the needs of survivors, advance racial equity, and build community safety. Though EJUSA is not a faith-based organization, Sam is the theological bridge from the organization to faith communities and tells us how he uses his faith as a measure to respond to unjust systems and violence. Is “an eye for an eye” a biblical response to injustice? What does our faith say about how we address the criminal justice system? How should the church respond when harm is done? What is cheap and costly grace in the criminal justice system? Listen to Rob and Sam discuss these topics in this episode! This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute  -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   Learn More About Equal Justice USA  Read Sam Heath’s Blog Sam Heath on Twitter 

In this podcast, Rob talks with Reverend Dr. Katharine about her fascinating family background, which includes visits to her home from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's twin sister, Sabine, and her Jewish husband, Gerhard Leibholz, whom Dietrich helped escape to safety in England. Rob and Katharine also explore where she sees Christians and the church during these turbulent times, and what she thinks about our moral obligations in view of what is happening in Ukraine and so many other places of conflict around the world. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute. -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter  TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson on Twitter Purchase God’s Troublemakers

In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck talks with an important person in his life, Gary Waldron. Gary lives in a Catholic Worker home in Tacoma, Washington, where he is actively engaged in ministry to marginalized people. The Tacoma Catholic Worker community is an intentional community that provides transitional housing and support to people experiencing homelessness, recent immigrants, and folks reintegrating after incarceration. Gary tells of what it is like to live in this community of radical hospitality and dedication to social justice. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram  Tacoma Catholic Worker 

Keeping with the life, times, and interests of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rob Schenck talks with Glen Bloomstrom of LivingWorks Suicide Prevention Centre about a critical subject that touched Bonhoeffer personally. Bloomstrom discusses how suicide has historically been dealt with and how faith leaders can thoughtfully and sensitively approach the topic. He tells us that faith leaders are significantly underprepared to deal with suicide in their communities and how LivingWorks’ training and simulations are helping fix that. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter  TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   LivingWorks Faith  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  You are not alone. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, seek help now.  800-273-8255

Russian Orthodox supreme head, Moscow Patriarch Kirill, has enabled Putin’s aggression against Ukraine by styling the military campaign as a religious crusade. Cerny believes the World Council of Churches should eject Kirill and the other members of the patriarchate for violating the moral and spiritual obligations to do good to all people.

In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck talks with ethicist, pastor, author, and advocate, Dr. David P. Gushee about his history in evangelicalism, his abandonment of the moniker, and his book Introducing Christian Ethics. Dr. Gushee discusses the profound impact Dietrich Bonhoeffer has on his ethics, as well as his hopes for the impact of this important book. Introducing Christian Ethics discusses issues like creation, patriarchy, white supremacy, abortion, sexuality, marriage, politics, crime, and more. If you find Christian ethics to be an important topic of conversation in today’s political and social climate, we encourage you to share this podcast and pre-order Dr. Gushee’s book in January 2022. Dr. David P. Gushee (PhD, Union Theological Seminary, New York) is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, and Chair of Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit (“Free University”) Amsterdam/IBTS. He is one of the world’s leading Christian scholars and is the elected Past-President of both the American Academy of Religion and Society of Christian Ethics. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute  -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   David Gushee on Twitter   David Gushee on Facebook  David Gushee on Instagram  

In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck talks with Chrissy Odean RN, BSN who recently graduated from nursing school into the COVID-19 pandemic. Odean describes her experience as an ICU nurse considering the heightened stress environment of the pandemic and varying responses from Christians. Chrissy Odean is a second career nurse licensed in the District of Columbia and Virginia. She started a nursing career in the ICU and is now working in the cardiovascular pre/post-procedural area, after having served ten years in the non-profit sector with employment in the U.S., and overseas as a public health missionary. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute  -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   CDC Guidelines

TDBI Senior Fellows read from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s 1943 letter, After Ten Years. Read “After Ten Years”: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506433387/After-Ten-Years After Ten Years: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Our Times by Victoria J. Barnett copyright © 2017 Fortress Press. Posted by permission. No further transmission of this material allowed without written permission from Fortress Press.

In this podcast, TDBI President and Founder, Rev. Rob Schenck talks with Adam about his outstanding book, A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community, intriguing background, and work at Sojourners, a committed group of Christians who work together to live a gospel life that integrates spiritual renewal and social justice. -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   Sojourners Homepage  A More Perfect Union Trailer Purchase A More Perfect Union  Rev. Adam Taylor on Twitter Rev. Adam Taylor on Facebook Rev. Adam Taylor on Instagram

In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck talks with TDBI Senior Fellow, Bishop Van Gayton, about the significance of his Pentecostal tradition and how God’s calling has manifested in his life. Dr. Van Gayton has over 40 years of experience as a professor, pastor, and conference speaker, teaching and training students and leaders all over the world.  With a desire to educate and be educated, Dr. Gayton holds a number of Master and Doctorate degrees in Theology, most recently receiving a Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary.  He has taught subjects such as Philosophy of Religion at Jamestown Community College, The African American Religious Experience at the University at Buffalo. -- Resources: TDBI on Twitter  TDBI on Facebook  TDBI on Instagram   Purchase The Good News For Racism 

In this special episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, TDBI’s President, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, and Executive Director, The Rev. Hope Christensen, sit down with “Mass” filmmaker, Fran Kranz, and renowned actor Ann Dowd to discuss their new, truth-telling film, “Mass.” The filmmaker and actor give us behind-the-scenes insight of decisions made on and off-set, and how they sought to communicate forgiveness, grief, and grace in such a tragic film. TDBI’s namesake, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, had a few things to say about forgiveness, grief, and grace. This conversation gets into the intersections of the virtues of our namesake and how they show up in tragedy. Fran Kranz tells us how he overcame the temptation of simplification that Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned us about – the temptation to label people as “good” or “bad” and miss the beautiful complexity that each human holds. -- “Mass” tells the story of two couples longing for understanding and connection. Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents (Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney and Ann Dowd) meet in the basement of a small church to talk privately in an attempt to move forward. In Kranz’ writing and directing debut, he thoughtfully examines their journey of grief, anger, and acceptance by coming face-to-face with the ones who have been left behind. This timely film is a powerful vision of loss, grief, and reconciliation. -- Resources: Mass Trailer  TDBI on Twitter   TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram TDBI Fall Giving Campaign

In this episode of Schenck Talks Bonhoeffer, TDBI Founder and President, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, introduces newly named Senior Fellow Dr. Joel Looper and his new book, Bonhoeffer's America: A Land without Reformation. As Coordinator for Shalom Mission Communities, a peace church fellowship near the southern border, Joel, his wife, Anali, and their new baby girl, Daniela Bea, are actively helping migrants, refugees, and immigrants, principally through Anali's practice as an immigration attorney. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Baylor University. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute. Links and Resources: Follow Dr. Looper on Twitter Buy Bonhoeffer's America: A Land without Reformation   Theopolitics – Substack by Joel Looper TDBI on Twitter TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram

Long-Time Evangelical Leaders Leave Mega Church Post Over Trump Loyalty Oath

Dr. Cremer specializes in religious nationalism, particularly western forms that include white supremacy, chauvinism, and Christian language, symbols, and monikers. He is working with colleagues at Oxford, Pembroke College, his alma mater, Cambridge, and numerous other institutions to address these issues. In this conversation with TDBI President, Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, Dr. Cremer talks about his professional and personal pursuit of this violent movement and how it has manifested itself in the United States and beyond. This episode is brought to you by The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute Links and Resources: Follow Tobias Cremer on Twitter Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy TDBI on Twitter TDBI on Facebook TDBI on Instagram