The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form The Loft LA
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- Religion & Spirituality
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The Loft is a progressive Christian community that is unapologetically inclusive. If you're curious about what a socially and politically progressive Christianity looks like, this podcast is for you.
There are two podcasts in this feed: our Gatherings and Conversations.
The Loft Gathering is the edited audio from our weekly Sunday gathering of people who are interested in following Jesus’ spiritual path of radical compassion.
The Loft Conversations is a follow-up podcast that grew out of the conversations taking place during worship at The Loft. Each episode uses themes from our Sunday gatherings as a starting point to further explore the intersections of Christian spirituality, politics, and culture.
Their are four values that inform and help form our community:
- Conversation is the center of our gatherings. We facilitate a conversational approach to thinking about and living out our faith together.
- Belonging defines who we are and aim to be. We are not isolated individuals but people who belong in divine grace.
- Compassion is God’s love in action. It is in serving and helping others – we actively take the good news out into our city and the world.
- Decolonization is our theological approach. We are committed to the ongoing work of decolonizing Christianity in order to better love and serve the world.
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Loft Gathering: Childhood Lessons on Love & Peace
In her book All About Love, bell hooks writes that we ought to “view our homes as our original school of love.” Love is essential for cultivating peace, so how might we intentionally teach it in our homes? How might we reimagine our church community as a school of love? What would it look like to teach young people how to cultivate the will and the courage to love, how to extend themselves to nurture their own or another’s spiritual growth? To help us answer these questions, we will be joined by Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy, whose most recent book, Jesus Learns to Glow, is a children’s book whose story offers some answers to the aforementioned questions.
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Loft Gathering: Peace with the Earth
Though our culture tends to teach and practice an approach to the natural world that seeks to control, tame, and extract resources, Jesus’ teaching suggests a different way: he asks us to “consider the lilies,” and learn from the birds. The Gospel beckons us toward a mutuality with the earth, honoring the integrity of creation.
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Loft Gathering: Peace & The Myth of Redemptive Violence
There is something inside all of us that longs for security, stability, and peace. However, human history reveals that we tend to try to meet this longing through coercion and force. This tendency has led us to view violence as a tool for peace rather than an obstacle that prevents peace. The spiritual path of Jesus reveals to us a pathway to peace beyond the myth that violence has the power to redeem or save us. Even after his own death, Jesus still whispers peace—and not once, but over and over again, speaking directly to the fears and insecurities that arise when choosing peace over domination.
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Tell Me The Truth, Not Just What I Want To Hear
What role might friendships play in our spiritual growth and formation?
In this episode, we explore how mature friendships can help us see the truth of who we are - even, and especially, when the truth hurts. -
Loft Gathering: Falling Upward
Among all of Jesus’ disciples, Peter’s spiritual pilgrimage is a good example of what it means to fall upward. Just before Jesus ascension into heaven, he finds Peter at the shoreline, casting his nets yet again. He turns to Peter and asks three times, “Do you love me?” as if each answer washes away Peter’s earlier three denials. To be sure, no matter how far we wander off our path during our spiritual pilgrimage, no matter if our faith is strong or weak, what we can give is our love.
Conversation Question – Are you able to name one or two people who have been a true mirror for you? If so, how has their friendship helped you?
www.TheLoftLA.org -
Loft Gathering: The Practice of Finding Hope
We invite you to join our Loft community in the Sanctuary for an Easter Sunday Celebration featuring the Singers of Soul Gospel Choir as we reflect on the hope we find in the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, Jesus’s question to Mary while standing at his empty tomb is the central question of Easter: Who—or what—are you looking for? What kind of Jesus are you looking for? What kind of Christianity are you looking for? Where do you see hope in the resurrection of Christ?
www.TheLoftLA.org
Customer Reviews
The perspective we need
Love this podcast. Always inspires me to think more deeply about my faith and God. Thank you!