George talks with Mark Wingfield about their experience of becoming a fully inclusive church to people without regard to sexual or gender identity. Mark wrote a narrative style book about it, which was recently published, titled "Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality." They also talk about how Mark became an ally and friend to many transgender people and what that has meant to him.
Read MoreDo you ever feel torn between your commitment to truth and your desire to love people who are different from you, especially maybe those who are gay in your family or friends or in your church? Justin Lee has written a book called Torn and he'll be talking about how to move in a more loving direction, that doesn't sacrifice truth.
Read MoreYou won't want to miss a minute of this episode if you are concerned with the future of the church. Amy Butler offers some fierce criticism of the American church as well some ideas for how it can redeem itself.
Read MoreAmy Butler was the first female pastor of Riverside Church: the historic Protestant cathedral built by the Rockefellers in New York's Upper West Side. She is on Good God to talk about her time there--the good and the bad--and how it all came to an end. She also offers insights on being a woman in a male dominated role, and how we can do better for women in ministry.
Read MorePastor Gary Simpson of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York, joins George on his 30th anniversary at Wilshire Baptist in Dallas to talk about their shared experiences of long-term pastoral ministry, and what makes their churches so wonderful.
Read MoreWhat better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than pausing to reflect on the power and practice of gratitude? Today we are reposting two episodes with Diana Butler Bass about being grateful.
Read MoreAmanda Tyler started a movement called Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Listen to find out why this is so important today and what exactly it means to stand against Christian nationalism.
Read MoreMichelle Kinder is back on Good God to talk more about the nonprofit sector and how to do even more good by giving voice to people whose voices aren't heard enough, if at all. If you work in the nonprofit world or you support a nonprofit of any kind, you won't want to miss this conversation.
Read MoreHer title is: Gun Violence Prevention Minister. And she's the only minister like this that exists, anywhere. Listen to Deanna Hollas from Dallas talk about the importance of her ministry and her views on guns, the Second Amendment, and the prophet Isaiah's vision of a peaceable kingdom.
Read MoreJorge Zapata grew up on the Texas-Mexico border and lives there still, serving the refugees as they come to the area. He has firsthand insights about what it's like to be an immigrant from Central America and Mexico and how the rest of us, as U.S. citizens, can do better about welcoming them.
Read MoreMichelle Kinder is on Good God talking about her childhood in Guatemala as a third culture kid, and how her work led her to Dallas to lead a movement helping kids and families succeed.
Read MoreWhen Jews and Christians engage in interfaith dialogue, the most common questions asked are about Jesus. Jesus was Jewish, Jewish people respect Jesus, but Christians believe Jesus is the divine son of God. These views on Jesus become the point of departure between the two faiths. So how can you can be totally faithful to your religion and still understand and respect another? Watch or listen to George's conversation with Rabbi David Stern today on Good God.
Read MoreRabbi David Stern is on Good God today. Like George, he has been a prominent faith leader in Dallas for 30 years. Their friendship has deepened their respect for the similarities and differences between Christianity and Judaism. Listen as they discuss the roles of individual v. communal responsibility, the Ten Commandments, and how to keep "one foot on Sinai and one foot in the world."
Read MoreIn Christianity, it feels like denominational lines are becoming less important. Fellowship Southwest is a new organization that demonstrates this by connecting people of faith to the work of the church in the world, particularly these days to serve refugees on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Marv Knox is the coordinator of Fellowship, and he and George talk about this new kind of organization today on Good God.
Read MoreTerry Greenberg leads an effort in Dallas to reduce unintended teen pregnancy. She and George talk about the lead causes of teen pregnancies and how they can be avoided through conversation, education and the support of the faith community. Visit ntarupt.org and TalkAboutItDallas.com to learn about these local efforts.
Read MoreRobert Hunt is back on Good God talking about evangelism in a pluralistic world. How can Christians engage in relationships with people of other faiths or no faith and still offer what we believe is a life of beauty and truth?
Read MoreWhy is it so important for people of faith to have relationships with those of another faith tradition? Today, George continues a conversation with his good friend, Imam Omar Suleiman, about how they became friends and what that means for making a difference in their communities. George says: “To have gotten to know one another and to have a proximity to pain and to stand beside one another over time and to listen to one another made it morally impossible to be a responsible person and a religious leader and not to speak [about racial and religious injustice].”
Read MoreIf you feel behind on your fluency and understanding of the Muslim faith, start catching up today in this episode of Good God. Omar Suleiman, an imam and an activist who is very engaged in multifaith work in the Dallas area, talks about the origins of Islam, explains the nature of the Quran and how it's interpreted, and how Islam is historically closely connected with Christianity and Judaism.
Read MoreRobert Hunt, a United Methodist professor at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, explains the cultural implications of the United Methodist decision to adhere to traditionalist views of marriage practices. Dr. Hunt says that by excluding missiologists, people that are experts in global culture and the church, from the decision making process, the United Methodist church failed to understand the impact of inclusion or exclusion of the LGBTQ community.
Read MoreWhat's all the fuss in Dallas about Confederate monuments? What do they mean? Why should we care? We'll be talking with Gerald Britt from CitySquare about just that and other matters of race and public life in Dallas on Good God.
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