Radical Love Live Mark Dilcom and Kelly Wilson

This week Kelly talks with Lori Adams-Brown, who has an amazing story of resilience and healing after religious abuse from her work in a prominent megachurch. As this podcast is launching, the Southern Baptist Convention is having their annual meeting to talk about, among other things, the role of women in the church (and honestly, the role of women in life!) Lori is unique in that she has had a role of "Pastor" in a church that said it was pro-women, but found it was a front for exclusion, aggression, and abuse. In addition to her healing journey, Lori also talks about the work she does now, as a consultant and coach, bringing her spiritual lessons with her as she works for inclusion in that other sacred space--the workplace--and creating safe avenues for whistleblowers to make their voices heard.

Lori Adams-Brown is a business and nonprofit executive and inclusivity specialist with 30 years experience of living and working abroad in Central & South America, Asia and the San Francisco Bay Area. Lori is is a combination of international speaker, business executive, podcaster and relief and development expert. She hosts the popular podcast "A World of Difference," celebrating humanity’s unique differences and encouraging us all to make a difference around the world.

Dr. Ryan Joseph Allen, Author, Speaker, and Transformational Coach, talks with us about his life's journey, which began with depression, addiction, shame, and alienation, and led him through a rollercoaster of ups and downs before he connected with God through the most unlikely of evangelists: His drug dealer. Dr. Allen shares with us how his experiences inspired him to break destructive cycles, embrace his authentic self--including his LGBTQ+ sexual identity, and to work with others to support, motivate, and lead them to love. Allen is the author of "My Drug Dealer Brought Me to God," (available on Amazon and other booksellers) and works extensively in the nonprofit sector to help improve the lives of others.

Using Mark’s recent retreat at Holy Cross Monastery as a launching off place, we explore how mysticism, meditation, and contemplative traditions like monasticism can help answer questions, inform our beliefs, and offer insights into the divine that are deeper and more profound than those we find everyday churchgoing or scripture study alone.

How do you re-engage with God after deconstruction? How do you get over some of those major hurdles--the violence, exclusion, injustice and other problems that make traditional theology hard to swallow? Thomas Oord--theologian, writer, professor, and director of the Center for Open and Relational Theology--talks with us about the book that he and Tripp Fuller just released, God After Deconstruction. Together, these innovative theological minds systematically address the top problems that people have with modern Christianity, and take on each of them head-on. Oord offers thoughtful responses to many of the burning issues that are driving people away from churches, and presents some of the concepts of Open and Relational Theology, which many are finding as a reasonable yet faithful way of encountering God all over again.

This week we talk with none other than Rhett Wilson: layman, craftsman, family man, and the inheritor of a rich religious legacy of "the Donalds," a family of ministers, missionaries, and devout believers (all of whom in this case share a name)--and the expectations that come from a family heritage of deep devotion. (Side note: Rhett is also Kelly's nephew). Rhett gives an unvarnished look at his spiritual background, what aspects of it he ran away from, and what drew him back in. He also talks about what faith and ministry look like to him now, and how one can be a light to people without a ministry or theology degree, or even necessarily agreeing with them (hint: it may involve beers in the garage.)