This Good Word With Steve Wiens

In this episode, I explain why I believe deconstruction and reconstruction are a healthy part of human development, how we see many examples of deconstruction and reconstruction in the bible, and why it's essential for human flourishing. Enjoy!

Are humans born with "original sin" or "original blessing?" How you understand where you come from (your origin story) drastically affects how you see yourself and the world around you. In this episode, I talk about where the doctrine of original sin came from and how it affects those who ascribe to it. Enjoy!

How do you perceive reality? Is life basically a system of scarcity, where it's all up to you to crank it up, make it happen, and dig deep? Or is life energized by a ground of being that keeps sending gift after gift to each one of us? How you perceive reality deeply affects your experience of reality.

Reverend Elizabeth Hagan is a graduate of Duke Divinity School, a multi-published author, and has been a pastor for 15 years. She saw the isolation, loneliness, and shame that remains unspoken when Christians shy away from difficult conversations on taboo topics. Elizabeth knew that the church could do better to foster a sense of acceptance and belonging. So she wrote Brave Church to open the door to the presence of God in difficult conversations. You can follow Elizabeth's work on her website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Tyler Sit is a pastor, author, and church planter of New City Church in South Minneapolis, a multi-racial church focused on environmental justice and centering marginalized voices. Tyler's new book, Staying Awake: The Gospel for Change Makers, is a practical exploration of Christianity for people who want to show up for justice and stay in the movement. Complete with stories, worksheets, poetry, and a commitment to centering queer people of color, this book is here to support you in staying awake: to God, to the evils of oppression, and to the world’s coming liberation.

Winn Collier just released A Burning in My Bones, the authorized biography of Pastor and author Eugene Peterson. It's a brilliantly written book about a centered pastor during a time when many pastors succumbed to a consumer-driven philosophy about church and spiritual development. Winn's spirit is gentle and his voice grounded me. We recorded this conversation during the week that Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer here in Minneapolis, and also just before the Derek Chauvin verdict was read, so I was scattered. Still, we had a robust conversation about what we both loved about Eugene Peterson. Enjoy.

Kevin Butcher is a dear friend of mine, and I loved this conversation. He just can't stop talking about God's expansive love, and I can't get enough of it. He was a Pastor for thirty-five years, but now he's the Founder and Executive Director of Rooted Ministries, a nonprofit that comes alongside isolated, wounded, discouraged pastors and their families. His brand new book is called Free: Rescued from Shame-Based Religion, Released into the Life-Giving Love of Jesus. I'd encourage you to pick it up today wherever you like to buy books. But if you order by clicking this link, you'll be supporting my favorite small bookstore, Hearts & Minds, owned and operated by Byron & Beth Borger. Just fill out the title and the author on their order page (it's easy) and they'll get it to you asap.

Kurt Willems is the founder and pastor of Pangea Church in Seattle, Washington. Also a writer, blogger, podcaster and speaker, he maintains the resource website Theology Curator and hosts the Theology Curator podcast. Kurt is passionate about taking dense ideas and communicating them in ways that are empowering for people in all walks of life. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and a master's degree in comparative religion from the University of Washington. His wife, Lauren, is a special education teacher. They have two young daughters. Check out his brand new book, Echoing Hope: How the Humanity of Jesus Redeems our Pain. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sarah Bessey is the author of the popular and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith, and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things. Her brand new book is a collection of meditations entitled A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Prayers for Renewal. She is a sought-after speaker at churches, conferences, and universities all around the world. Sarah is also the co-curator and co-host of the annual Evolving Faith Conference and she serves as president of the board for Heartline Ministries in Haiti. Sarah lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with her husband and their four children.

3000 Miles to Jesus follows the adventurous journey of three pilgrims who set off for Jerusalem in the 1400s. We’re invited to grab our staff and scrip and come along. Walking with these travelers of old, we hear their stories, gain nuggets of wisdom, and learn an important spiritual truth: all of life is a pilgrimage. The book draws on the rich history of the Christian faith to encourage us on our daily and lifelong walk with God. Author Lisa Deam writes of her inspiration for this book: “I discovered that in their travels, medieval pilgrims displayed qualities I wanted to emulate. They were patient. Faithful. Courageous. And inefficient—gloriously so. Pilgrims were in it for the long haul, risking everything to take a journey of faith. The conviction that drove them is one to which I daily aspire.” You can follow Lisa on her website, on Twitter, and on The Contemplative Writer. You can find out more about her book 3,000 Miles to Jesus here.

Greg Paul is a pastor and member, as well as the founder, of the Sanctuary community in Toronto. Sanctuary, a community in which people who are wealthy and people who are poor live, work, and share their experiences and resources on a daily basis, makes a priority of welcoming and caring for some of the most hurting and excluded people in Canada’s largest city, including people struggling with addiction, mental illness, prostitution, and homelessness. Greg is the author of the recently released Resurrecting Religion and several other award-winning books: Simply Open; Close Enough to Hear God Breathe; The Twenty-Piece Shuffle; and God In The Alley. His newest book, Queer Prophets, was released late fall 2020. He is the father of four children and married to Maggie, who has three children of her own. They have three grandchildren.

This is the second part of a two-part series that I created to help people engage in life as it really is, rather than life as we'd prefer it to be. Most of us are well aware of the things we'd like to change in our lives: maybe it's a number on a scale, or something about our job, or how we function in a relationship... come to think of it, what DON'T we want to change in 2020? In part 1, I talked about the importance of sitting in the discomfort of WHY we want those things to change before rushing to change them. Otherwise, we're just trading one type of discontent for another. In part 2, I talk about setting an intention to live life as it really is, and then naming the things you need to pursue in order to live well from that place of tension. Enjoy!

Most of us are well aware of the things we'd like to change in our lives: maybe it's a number on a scale, or something about our job, or how we function in a relationship... come to think of it, what DON'T we want to change in 2020? In this episode, I talk about the importance of sitting in the discomfort of WHY we want those things to change before rushing to change them. Otherwise, we're just trading one type of discontent for another. We need to start to see our actual lives - as they really are right now, not as we want them to be - as the curriculum we need for becoming who we really are. Enjoy.

Scott Erickson is a painter, artist, and author of several books, including Honest Advent. We had a wide-ranging conversation about Advent, his creative process, and how his faith has evolved over time. Enjoy!

Is it possible to hold strong opinions and beliefs AND learn to express them without alienating and dehumanizing those who disagree with you? Can you really engage and have a robust conversation where you disagree without getting triggered and traumatized? In this episode, I introduce four practices that will help you learn to engage in tough conversations with grace and passion and leave conversations feeling energized instead of defeated and angry. Enjoy.

I met Latifah Alattas last year when we started collaborating on a new project (The Fun Parts Podcast). I was immediately drawn to her creativity, her infectious laughter, and her commitment to honesty. She's a singer/songwriter who has written under many different monikers, including Moda Spira and Page CXVI. Latifah just released a new album called All (as Page CXVI). It's gorgeous, including old hymns she's rewritten to have gender-inclusive language and also some incredible original songs. You can check out Latifah's work at ModaSpira.com and PageCXVI.com, and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Enjoy!

I loved this conversation! Rebecca Bowers is an LGBTQIA affirming and inclusive therapist and advocate, living in southern Louisiana. She primarily works with clients who have gone through spiritual and religious trauma. She sees many clients who have experienced these specific traumas and works to help them reconcile and recover. Trigger warning: We talked a lot about the kinds of trauma that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience from religious institutions and how to move toward healing. Resources from Rebecca: Disclaimer: Each resource may not be right for each person. If something does not rest well within your body or your mind, then leave it for now. You do not have to agree with what is on the screen. Before diving into resources, tell a friend what you are thinking and ask for their support. If you have a therapist, send them an email and tell them you may need to unpack some of what you read in your next session. I highly recommend therapy, but therapy may not be right for you- do the best you can for yourself, and always try to offer kindness towards yourself. https://mywellbeing.com/ask-a-therapist//everything-you-need-to-know-about-religious-trauma https://ptsdacademy.com/category/ptsd-training/ptsd-resources-trauma-survivors/ https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/January-2020/5-Reminders-for-Survivors-of-Trauma https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/10-requests-for-church-leaders-from-a-sexual-abuse-survivor/

I recorded this episode based on a blog post I wrote a few years ago when the Me Too movement was just getting started. The blog was titled "An Ode to the Women Who are Too Much." We need to hear those voices, to hear their stories, and to stop telling women they are too much. Click here to read "An Ode to the Women Who are Too Much." I also mentioned Sue Monk Kidd's gorgeous new book, The Book of Longings. It's an imaginative story centered on the question, "What if Jesus had a wife?" The main character is Ana, the wife of Jesus, who had a voice that needed to be heard. And, as Sue Monk Kidd suggests in the Author's Note at the end of the book: if any woman's voice would have been silenced, if Jesus did have a wife, it certainly would have been hers. So, to the women who are "too much:" We need you. The song Bang (from the album Divorce by Moda Spira - a.k.a my friend Latifah Alattas) was used by permission.

Megan Westra is the host of a great podcast called The Podluck, and she's the author of a fantastic new book called Born Again and Again, which chronicles her evolving faith. Our conversation went everywhere from her super-conservative upbringing in the Southern Baptist Church to the questions she's currently still wrestling with. Click here to buy Megan's new book, Born Again and Again. Find out more about Megan by visiting her website - and make sure to follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Why is it that most of us listen to everybody else but neglect our own inner wisdom? Why don't we trust that voice? Is the heart (as the bible claims), really "deceitful above all things?" In this episode, I talk about how to learn to listen for your inner wisdom, how you can borrow true wisdom from others in order to find your own inner wisdom, and what we can learn about inner wisdom from a bizarre story called the 18th camel. Enjoy!