Below the Upper Room

Below the Upper Room

Are you interested in talking about theology but wish the convos were more fun and inviting and less exclusive and discouraging? Tune into Below the Upper Room! Childhood besties and women in ministry Adrianna and Mackenzie discuss their faith, dive into the history of the church, and explore scripture. Join them as they learn, deconstruct, and combat toxic theology from an open and inclusive perspective. The table is open, all are welcome!

  1. 03/28/2024

    Hitting the Books

    The gals are back again! Adrianna and Kenzie gather to discuss Lent, St. Patrick's Day, and pop princesses. The gals then dive into ways that some Oklahoma politicians flirt with Christian nationalism, banned books, and the little things we can do to try and make things better. Sources: https://time.com/6300200/how-oklahoma-became-ground-zero-in-the-war-over-church-state-separation/ https://tulsaworld.com/news/community/sand-springs/drummond-warns-of-spreading-christian-nationalism-in-public-schools/article_f95abd5c-2905-11ee-99b8-4bc13fe9ac8d.html https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/01/25/ou-professor-explains-christian-nationalism-and-why-it-is-wrong-for-oklahoma/72315873007/ https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-education/2023/07/17/the-republican-who-sees-christian-nationalism-seeping-into-public-schools-00106533 https://www.oklahoman.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oklahoman.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Freligion%2F2024%2F01%2F11%2Fjackson-lahmeyer-white-christian-nationalism-studies-faithful-america-list%2F71343530007%2F https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/opinion/religion-schools-constitution-oklahoma.html https://okcfox.com/news/local/organization-head-calls-ryan-walters-a-christian-nationalist-cautions-against-religious-indoctrination-at-public-schools-annie-laurie-gaylor-ffr-freedom-from-religion-foundation-oklahoma-state-superintendent-instruction-republican-islamic-republic-iran https://www.aol.com/white-christian-nationalism-danger-democracy-120114983.html https://abcnews.go.com/US/oklahoma-education-superintendent-ryan-walters-fire-anti-lgbtq/story?id=107626475 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/oklahoma-principal-drag-queen-resigns-ryan-walters-pressure-rcna138132 https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-education-superintendent-walters-libs-tiktok-raichik-4db2bcb9d8e0582f67329f6879bdf6ba https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/02/27/ryan-walters-fight-over-library-books-at-oklahoma-district-what-we-know/72685988007/ https://www.the74million.org/article/the-mystery-of-ryan-walters-how-a-beloved-history-teacher-became-oklahomas-culture-warrior-in-chief/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/02/us/nex-benedict-oklahoma-doe-investigation/index.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oklahoma-lawmakers-advocates-work-to-bring-chaplains-to-public-schools-despite-setbacks/ar-BB1jsJs7?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=babf5534d0d54e20b6da220a693d4a9b&ei=57 https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/february-web-only/what-is-christian-nationalism.html https://www.newsweek.com/christian-nationalism-history-us-marjorie-taylor-greene-1729187 https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/ https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/06/22/walters-faith-committee-wants-ten-commandments-in-every-public-classroom/ https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/01/30/oklahoma-teacher-sues-ryan-walters-defamation-after-bonus-paid-in-error/72405753007/ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/us/oklahoma-nonbinary-student-superintendent.html https://oklahomawatch.org/2024/03/13/state-dollars-prop-walters-national-media-blitz/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXdwYN5xCYQ

  2. 01/22/2024

    The Many Mega Churches of Tulsa

    Adrianna and Mackenzie discuss which of their 2024 predictions cam true. The gals then discuss the similarities and differences between their many home town mega churches. The gals ask the tough questions: Why are there so many mega churches in Tulsa? How did these mega churches come to be? And how accurate is The Righteous Gemstones? Sources: ⁠https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entryname=RELIGION⁠ ⁠https://www.life.church/who-we-are/?utm_source=life.church&utm_medium=website&utm_content=MoreMenu-WhoWeAre&utm_campaign=Life.Church⁠ ⁠http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cgi-bin/mega/db.pl?db=default&uid=default&view_records=1&ID=*&sb=4&State=OK⁠ ⁠https://ktul.com/news/local/new-life-ranch-purchases-dry-gulch-from-church-on-the-move-opens-for-fall-retreats⁠ ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gospel_Bill_Show⁠ ⁠https://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/guts-church-pastor-did-a-180-turn-in-his-20s/article_c6f2a6c1-450f-5b8b-9833-c06087281f0c.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20called%20it%20Guts%2C%E2%80%9D,the%20guts%20to%20serve%20me%3F⁠ ⁠https://gutschurch.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=BO021⁠ ⁠https://www.rbtc.org/about/⁠ ⁠https://www.bostonavenue.org/⁠ ⁠https://asburytulsa.org/⁠ ⁠https://ktul.com/news/local/asbury-church-formally-separates-from-united-methodist-denomination-immediately-congregation-new-senior-pastor-harrison-separation-mission-jesus-members-dalton-religious-religion⁠ ⁠https://www.victory.college/⁠ ⁠https://www.rbtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RBTC-128770-Student-Handbook-2020-2021_.pdf⁠ ⁠https://www.thisamericanlife.org/304/heretics

About

Are you interested in talking about theology but wish the convos were more fun and inviting and less exclusive and discouraging? Tune into Below the Upper Room! Childhood besties and women in ministry Adrianna and Mackenzie discuss their faith, dive into the history of the church, and explore scripture. Join them as they learn, deconstruct, and combat toxic theology from an open and inclusive perspective. The table is open, all are welcome!