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Peace, Love, & Understanding

Peace, Love, & Understanding

Written by: Steve Dehner
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About this listen

 Welcome to my podcast, Peace, Love, & Understanding. I am a believer, wandering in the wilderness, rethinking and re-examining some long-held beliefs. Wandering, but not lost. In the meantime, I want to be with other not-lost wanderers. I'm a Christian who believes that the words and the work of Jesus are just as relevant to the 21st century as they were to the first century. I believe he speaks to us and to all our concerns, life and death and everything in between: ideas, art, beauty, nature, work, play, books, movies, music, history, governance -- everything -- and most importantly, our connection to him and to one another. But I think his people are in a shambles. The edifice of institutional Christianity is crumbling, not in its foundation, but from the top, where leaders and shepherds have turned so much of the beautiful thing Jesus created and intends for us into a political action committee, and a religious empire, and a business franchise. I’ve been thinking hard about how people who love and follow Jesus can perhaps help clean up this mess, see and think more clearly, listen more, and return to the beauty and simplicity of the life and the work -- and the mission -- that Jesus calls us to. If that piques your interest, why don’t you listen in? I am talking with people who are speaking the truth in love, or least the glimpses of truth that they have found and we can benefit from. I want to dialog rather than debate, in hopes of finding a better way forward for our faith in this century. Regardless of your journey or your beliefs, you're invited to join us. I think it'll be interesting. And I think it'll be fun. Come check us out.Steve Dehner Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • We're between Seasons

    We're between Seasons
    Jan 7 2023
    My hiatus is longer than planned, but I will return.
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    2 mins
  • BRB

    BRB
    Oct 2 2022
    Announcing the show is on hiatus for the month of October, 2022.
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    3 mins
  • Is BLM a Marxist Movement?

    Is BLM a Marxist Movement?
    Sep 20 2022
    White opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement are trying to discredit the movement by calling attention to BLM's -- the organization’s -- Marxist connections, but these charges are simply a way to provide an excuse for dismissing the movement by labeling its core philosophy Marxist, an ideology most Americans reject.Wikipedia, 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.Politifact, July 21, 2020, Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist movement? BLACK LIVES MATTER……. What We Believe Formerly found at: https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/ "Four years ago, what is now known as the Black Lives Matter Global Network began to organize. It started out as a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission was to build local power and to intervene when violence was inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. In the years since, we’ve committed to struggling together and to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive. Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and antiBlack racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state. Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many. Ferguson helped to catalyze a movement to which we’ve all helped give life. Organizers who call this network home have ousted anti-Black politicians, won critical legislation to benefit Black lives, and changed the terms of the debate on Blackness around the world. Through movement and relationship building, we have also helped catalyze other movements and shifted culture with an eye toward the dangerous impacts of anti-Blackness. These are the results of our collective efforts. The Black Lives Matter Global Network is as powerful as it is because of our membership, our partners, our supporters, our staff, and you. Our continued commitment to liberation for all Black people means we are continuing the work of our ancestors and fighting for our collective freedom because it is our duty. Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported. We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities. We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting. We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others. We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world. We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location. We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence. We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered. We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts. We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work. We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one ...
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    22 mins
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