Delgado Podcast Michael Delgado

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Hanna Reichel, an associate professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. In this interview, Dr. Reichel shares their unique journey of faith, from growing up in Germany with minister parents to exploring various religious communities..


Discover how Dr. Reichel's global perspective on faith informs their understanding of the universal nature of the church and its diverse expressions across cultural contexts. Dive into their experiences within Catholic and Protestant settings, where doctrinal differences posed challenges and opportunities for belonging.


Explore the intersection of theology with politics, economics, and justice as Dr. Reichel emphasizes the importance of inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals within religious communities. Gain insights into fostering understanding, making room for diverse identities, and creating environments of support.


This conversation delves into the complexities of faith and identity, highlighting the need for open dialogue and affirmation in religious spaces.


Topics:
00:00 Dr. Hanna Reischel: Academic research and theological interests
01:31 Global Faith Perspective & Diverse Expressions of Faith
03:52 Navigating Doctrinal Differences and Belonging in Faith Communities
07:07 Social Service Work in Argentina
08:30 Unpacking the Church's Role in Dictatorships and Colonialism
10:20 Theological Intersections with Politics, Social Justice, & Economics
12:03 Academic Research on Faith and Social Justice in Lebanon
15:27 Dealing with Dissatisfaction with Certain Churches
18:08 Challenges Faced by LGBTQ+ Believers and Non-Believers in Church
21:23 Affirmation and Expression of God's Love Through the Church"
22:56 Supporting LGBTQ+ Individuals in Your Local Congregation
25:55 On Writing "After Method: Queer Grace, Conceptual Design, and the Possibility of Theology"
29:27 The Language of Design Theory for Understanding Theology
32:37 The Weaponization of Sin: Marginalized Identities Discredited and Pathologized
33:28 Queer Theological Perspectives on Sin and Solidarity
34:38 Critical Theory and Pervasive Structures in Our World
36:58 Understanding Queer Grace & Queerness of God


Blog:
https://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/hanna-reichel/


YouTube:
https://youtu.be/j4kRMOL24gM

We’re honored to learn from Dr. Terri Daniel about her academic work on toxic theology as a contributing factor in complicated mourning and work as an interfaith chaplain.


Topics covered:
01:17 The Conference on Death, Grief & Belief
03:17 Toxic Theology as a Contributing Factor in Complicated Grief (Or Mourning)
05:22 The Atheist Purity Test
08:24 Complicated Grief in Relation to Toxic Theology
09:18 Dark Night of the Soul & Questioning God
12:00 Dealing with trauma (and feeling like God is not pleased with us)
12:30 Example of toxic theology in Christian movies
13:29 Interfaith chaplaincy and supporting hospice clients
17:45 Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development
20:05 Religious Critique of Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development
21:00 Evelyn Underhill’s 5 Stages of Mysticism & The Exodus Story
22:12 The Exodus Myth: Enslaved to Ego & Mystical Union
23:19 Fowler’s Stages, Managing Grief, and Religious Coping Scales
25:32 Making Meaning of Loss
27:54 When trauma leads to a faith deconstruction
31:13 Counseling those who are deconstructing (and need help processing trauma)
41:37 Why would a loving God ordain or allow traumatic events
46:49 How to become an interfaith chaplain & clinical pastoral education programs


You can watch the full episode on YouTube here.


Dr. Terri Daniel is an inter-spiritual hospice chaplain, end-of-life educator, and grief counselor certified in death, dying and bereavement by the Association of Death Education and Counseling and in trauma support by the International Association of Trauma Professionals.


She conducts workshops throughout the U.S. and is an adjunct instructor in thanatology and chaplaincy at Marian University, the University of Maryland and the Graduate Theological Union. She is also the founder of The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, and the Ask Doctor Death podcast.


Over the years Terri has helped hundreds of people learn to live, die and grieve more consciously. Her work is acclaimed by hospice professionals, spiritual seekers, counselors, theologians, and academics worldwide.


Learn more by checking Dr. Terri Daniel’s books, resources and conferences.


You can read a summary of this blog and get links to video clips here:
https://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/toxic-theology/

Father Kearns was a former fundamentalist who became the first openly transgender man ordained in the Old Catholic priesthood. He believes in the transformative power of story and has made it his life's work to explore the intersection of theology, church life, and creativity.


Father Kearns grew up in a rural area in the 80s and 90s when access to information and language around gender identity was limited. He struggled with his own gender dysphoria but didn't have the words to express it or anyone to know how to talk about it. As a result, he felt a sense of isolation and had to form his identity in a vacuum. This experience of not being able to name himself was alienating and made him feel like he was the only one in the world. It's a reason he became a writer and storyteller.


As he began to question his faith and re-examine his relationship with scripture, Father Kearns found it helpful to read books from theologians who were doing theology from a very particular place and were naming the place they were doing it from. He found this approach to be eye-opening and it helped him to better understand the context in which the Bible was written and how different lenses can affect how we read and interpret scripture.


Topics covered in this episode:


• Challenges of Identity Formation for Gender Minorities
• Puberty, Purity Culture & Gender Dysphoria
• Grappling with sexuality and sadness
• Leaving church communities. asking questions, and finding a new spiritual home
• Questioning evangelical doctrines and discovering older faith traditions
• Dispensationalism & Getting Left Behind
• Passion for scripture, going to seminary, and getting educated in church history
• How to read and understand the Bible with a beginner’s mindset
• John Dominic Crossan (Historian) and Marcus Borg (Pastor)
• On reading theology from different marginalized perspectives
• Empowering passages for LGBTQ+ Christians
• The power of reading in community (and seeing texts differently)


About Father Shannon T.L. Kearns:
Father Shannon Kearns is the co-founder of QueerTheology.com. His first book "In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey With Scripture " was just released from Eerdmaan’s books. He started and led Uprising Theatre Company for 6 years.


Shannon is a Humanitas New Voices Fellow for 2022 and was a recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 20/21 and he was a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2019 (in playwriting) and 2022 (in screenwriting) and a Finnovation Fellow for 2019/2020. He is a sought after speaker on transgender issues and religion as well as a skilled facilitator of a variety of workshops.


His work with Brian G. Murphy at QueerTheology.com has reached more than a million people all over the world through videos, articles, and online courses and community.


Subscribe to his newsletter here:
https://www.shannontlkearns.com/


Follow him:
https://twitter.com/shannontlkearns
https://www.facebook.com/shannontlkearns
https://www.instagram.com/shannontlkearns/


Shannon’s Patreon community:
http://www.patreon.com/shannontlkearns


Subscribe to Queer Theology podcast to learn more:
https://www.queertheology.com/listen/

We’re honored to learn from Dr. Matthew Ichichashi Potts about his book, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account, which is focused on understanding the practice of forgiveness in an unforgiving world.


In this episode, Dr. Potts shares:


• When forgiveness causes emotional distress
• Common misunderstandings about forgiveness
• When forgiveness causes shame for victims of abuse or trauma
• How does forgiveness help us love our enemy
• Forgiveness is an alternative to systems of justice that demand retaliation
• How can marginalized populations forgive systems of oppression?
• Charleston church attack and stories of forgiveness
• How to think about forgiveness (when you don’t want to forgive)
• Anti-Nazi theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler


Matthew Ichihashi Potts, MDiv ’08, PhD ’13, was appointed the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals in 2021. Matt has served on the faculty at Harvard Divinity School since 2013, and has focused his teaching on sacramental and moral theology, ministry and pastoral theology, religion and literature, and preaching.


He is the author of two books, Cormac McCarthy and the Signs of Sacrament: Literature, Theology, and the Moral of Stories (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Forgiveness: An Alternative Account (Yale University Press, 2022). He has also published scholarly essays in several leading journals and invited essay collections, and he sits on the editorial board of the journal Literature and Theology. He is also co-host of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

We’re honored to learn from Dr. M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas) about the key ethical concerns and social critiques of Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. It’s the topic of his book: The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today.


In this episode, Dr. Carroll shares:


• Understanding Amos, Isaiah, and Micah: Prophets on Ethics
• Comparing the social and ethical concerns of Isaiah, Micah, and Amos
• Being aware of idolatry in the church
• How church liturgy impact our ideas of God (and ways to worship)
• Why churches divide over what social justice issues to support
• The danger of religion being co-opted by political parties
• Understanding liberation theology


M. Daniel Carroll R. (PhD, University of Sheffield) is Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College and Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. He previously taught for many years at El Seminario Teológico Centroamericano in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and then at Denver Seminary, where he founded IDEAL, a Spanish language training program. Carroll is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including The Bible and Borders: Hearing God’s Word on Immigration, Wrestling with the Violence of God: Soundings in the Old Testament, and a major commentary on the book of Amos.

We’re honored to learn from Valerie Brown about ways to cultivate hope, compassion, and mindfulness amid seasons of grief and loss. It’s the topic of her book “Hope Leans Forward: Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening & Peace.”


In this episode, she shares:


• On writing "Hope Leans Forward" during a time of grief and loss
• Tending your grief
• Why we don't want to think about our pain
• Finding hope after dealing with trauma and pain
• There's power in naming our trauma and pain
• How Buddhism, meditation, and dharma rituals helped her hold pain
• How to dwell on our pain
• The practice of cultivating soul friendships
• How to find a soul friend (and taking inventory of your friends)
• Why it's easier to get angry rather than sit in our grief
• Tending our grief and finding wholeness
• How to explore our emotions
• How to create a habit of noticing


Valerie Brown is a Buddhist-Quaker Dharma teacher, facilitator, and executive coach. A former lawyer and lobbyist, she is co-director of Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership as well as founder and chief mindfulness officer of Lead Smart Coaching.


She is an ordained Buddhist Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, and is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher. In her leadership development and mindfulness practice, she focuses on diversity, social equity, and inclusion. Brown is an award-winning author whose books include The Road That Teaches and The Mindful School Leader with Kirsten Olsen. She holds a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.