Love Your Neighbor

Ross Kane
  • 5.0 (10)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

A podcast exploring how healthy Christian politics begins in our congregations and neighborhoods. On each episode we discuss how local engagement in public life can become a spiritual practice that deepens our connection to each other and to God. Hosted by Ross Kane, pastor and professor at Virginia Theological Seminary.Produced by Adam Steele. Music by Eric Schnobrick and Ross Kane

  1. APR 9

    Loving Neighbors without Fear - Bishop Susan Goff

    What keeps congregations looking inward rather than also focusing on loving neighbors? There are all sorts of reasons—keeping the congregation going as an organization, keeping community fellowship strong, maintaining the building, the list goes on. Sometimes, though, fear keeps us from engaging our wider community. Not necessarily in the sense that we fear neighbors, but the fear that emerges from changing old habits, facing uncertainty, or entering transitions. How can we overcome fear and begin genuine discernment in how we love neighbors? Bishop Susan Goff shares inspiring stories and perspectives about how congregations can face the future with creativity rather than fear. This episode is full of grounded, practical advice for congregations in transition. Check out the episode about Church of the Resurrection’s affordable housing project, which Bishop Goff mentions!

    19 min

  2. MAR 5

    Scripture, Land, and Neighborhoods with Ellen Davis

    Neighborhoods are not only part of a wider town or city, but also part of an environmental ecosystem. How can we build neighborhoods that care for these ecosystems? How can we build towns and cities where humans care for their environment, nurturing God’s gift of creation, rather than acting destructively toward it? Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity School joins the podcast to discuss how scriptures approach such questions. Check out her books including Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament and Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture. More information on the sustainable burial practice of aquamation is available here.

    17 min

  3. FEB 4

    White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods with Greg Jarrell

    As we walk or drive around our neighborhoods, it can be easy to ignore their past, especially when the build environment of the past isn’t there anymore. But the ways neighborhoods have changed over the years profoundly shapes the present – they often haunt the present. How neighborhoods and cities in the United States took shape in the mid-20th century shaped the world we live in today, and churches played a major role in that shift. Greg Jarrell shows the central role White churches played in shaping neighborhoods during this period, and explores how Christians today can seek healing and repair for our cities and towns. Check out Greg’s book Our Trespasses and his album How Bright the Path on Apple Music or Spotify. The podcast episode on reparations that Greg mentioned is here.

    35 min

  4. JAN 7

    Telling Congregations' and Neighborhoods' Stories - Public History with Denise Meringolo

    Churches love to tell their stories, whether their founding, their accomplishments, or their connections with wider history. How can churches tell their full stories—not just the ones that make us feel good—and how can they be part of wider neighborhood efforts to tell their full histories? Public history has resources to help this process, and in this episode historian Denise Meringolo talks about how to tell such full stories. The way we tell our church’s stories has moral implications, and public history aids this process of morally reflective storytelling. Check out Dr. Meringolo’s books Museums, Monuments, and National Parks and Radical Roots. Looking for a public historian? Start by consulting a nearby college or university, or check out the National Council on Public History’s list of consultants.

    37 min

  5. 12/03/2025

    Breaking Predatory Lending Cycles - with Meghan Olsen Biebighauser of Exodus Lending

    Access to banking proves vital to participating in our economy, but many people have little or no access to mainstream banking. They sometimes have little choice but to take out predatory loans at extremely high interest rates—sometimes up to 400%. Exodus Lending in Minneapolis gives people an alternative banking tool to get out of predatory cycles. Ross talks with their co-founder Meghan Olsen Biebighauser about how the organization started, how it listened to neighbors, and how this ministry opened up other vibrant avenues for loving neighbors in their city. Hear a powerful example of congregational discernment about loving neighbors. Check out the work of Exodus Lending!

    31 min

  6. 11/03/2025

    When Christians Don't Love Neighbors with David French

    Love God and love neighbor are the two great commandments of Christianity given by Jesus. But what happens when Christians don’t love neighbors? What happens when loving neighbors becomes secondary for Christian public life rather than primary? David French explains the Christian right’s support for the MAGA movement, then offers an alternative vision for Christian engagement in public life based in faithful generosity toward neighbors. Check out his book Divided We Fall and see his columns in the New York Times. The David Hollinger book Ross mentioned is Christianity’s American Fate.

    22 min

  7. 10/02/2025

    Sean Rowe says Denominations Can Help Us Love Neighbors

    It’s easy to imagine loving neighbors as something focused locally, with denominations as broader bodies that span towns, cities, states, and even international borders. But might denominations have responsibilities not only to care for church institutions but also responsibilities for empowering works of love for local congregations? Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe discusses how denominations can empower local congregations for works of love and justice. Check out Bishop Rowe’s website. Check out Ross’s book which Bishop Rowe mentions, The Good News of Church Politics.

    21 min

  8. 09/05/2025

    Public-Private Partnerships and the Church – Opportunity or Pitfall? with PJ Hobbs

    In this episode we delve into how churches can engage in public-private partnerships without undermining their mission. The discussion with Peter John Hobbs, who directs community ministries for the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, covers the possibilities and challenges of such collaborations, the evolution of faith-based social services, and the importance of maintaining a humble, collaborative approach to address community needs. PJ mentioned the underappreciated theologian Douglas John Hall. Check out his book The Cross in Our Context.

    19 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

A podcast exploring how healthy Christian politics begins in our congregations and neighborhoods. On each episode we discuss how local engagement in public life can become a spiritual practice that deepens our connection to each other and to God. Hosted by Ross Kane, pastor and professor at Virginia Theological Seminary.Produced by Adam Steele. Music by Eric Schnobrick and Ross Kane

Information

  • Creator
    Ross Kane
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 Love Your Neighbor
  • Show Website
    Love Your Neighbor

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