Religious Socialism Podcast

In this episode, Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity podcast joins to talk faith that's beautiful enough to be called good news, a process vision of socialism, fiction and popculture as the fullest expressions of humanity, and miscellaneous nerdiness. Join us October 17–19 in Denver for theologybeer.camp ! Use the coupon code TAKEHEARTHOBBIT for $50 off your ticket. Email us at religioussocialism@gmail.com if you plan to come, we'd love to meet up.

This episode is a condensed recording of a live conversation between Andrew Wilkes, Gary Dorrien, and Andrew Wilkes exploring the power of the Black Social Gospel for the Civil Rights Movement through the present struggle for liberation and equity in the U.S. and beyond.

Jeff Wells joins the podcast to talk with us about the new book he coedited: Preaching the Uncontrolling Love of God: Sermons, Essays, and Worship Elements from the Perspective of Open, Relational, and Process Theology. Purchase his book! https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Uncontrolling-Love-God-Perspective/dp/1958670324 To speak with Jeff or join the mailing list, contact jefferywells.love@gmail.com Join us October 17–19 in Denver for theologybeer.camp ! Use the coupon code TAKEHEARTHOBBIT for $50 off your ticket. Sign up before June 1 for reduced ticket prices. Email us at religioussocialism@gmail.com if you plan to come, we'd love to meet up.

In this episode, we sit with Dr. Tim Conder and Dr. Daniel Rhodes of the Black Mountain School of Theology and Community to discuss a marxist, community-centered mode of theological research, organizing, and education. Visit their website at https://blackmountainschool.org

In this special episode, we visit the Debs Museum in Terre Haute, IN to speak with museum director Allison Duerk about the life and vision of the pioneering socialist Eugene V. Debs. Visit the Debs Museum and follow them on social media for events and updates. https://debsfoundation.org https://www.facebook.com/EugeneVDebsFoundation https://www.instagram.com/debsmuseum

In this episode, we interview activist Chuck Collins on his new novel, "Altar to an Erupting Sun." His book addresses the work of activism, the value of community, and the question of what tactics are on the table as we face the destruction of the planet. Find his book and more resources at chuckcollinswrites.com. Don't forget to join us for theologybeer.camp on October 19–21st. Use promo code HEARTGODPOD for a discounted ticket and to support this podcast. Hope to see you there!

Scholar, philosopher, and prolific author Dr. David Bentley Hart joins the podcast to discuss Bible translation as an act of resistance, the Christian sources and support for social democracy, and the moral demands of human and creaturely relations to care for one another. Don't forget to join us at Theology Beer Camp (www.theologybeer.camp) and use the promo code HEARTGODPOD for a discount! – Check out his New Testament translation (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300265705/the-new-testament/) – For essays on his theological and political ideas, check out "Theological Territories" (https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268107185/theological-territories/) – And per Hart's own request, check out his works of fiction like "Roland in Moonlight" (https://angelicopress.org/roland-in-moonlight-hart)

This episode explores the growing alliance between the U.S. and the Indian far right, the various appearances of Hindutva (Hindu Nationalism)in US public life, anti-caste discrimination, and how Hinduism and socialism can be mutually informed. For more on this topic, check out – Hindus for Human Rights @hindusforhumanrights www.hindusforhumanrights.org – Sadhana Coalition of Progressive Hindus @sadhanahindus www.sadhana.org

A bonus episode! Two different Q&A sessions with Joerg Rieger, Felipe Maia, and Jason Moore are bundled into this extra episode connected to Joerg's new book, "Theology in the Capitalocene." Listen for some great insights on religion, ecology, and solidarity in this turbulent era of creaturely life.

This episode is an edited version of a webinar built around Joerg Rieger's new book, Theology in the Capitalocene. He was joined by the incredible scholars Filipe Maia and Jason Moore. In the episode, we define the Capitalocene, upack the importance of class analysis for building solidarity, and close with a discussion of the intersectionality of all of these deeply related ideas. BIOS: - Joerg Rieger is a theologian, author, & speaker. He is the Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies. He is also the founding director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice. - Jason Moore is an author, editor, and professor. He is an environmental historian and historical geographer at Binghamton University, where he is professor of sociology and leads the World-Ecology Research Collective. - Filipe Maia is Assistant Professor of Theology at Boston University School of Theology where his research focuses on liberation theologies and philosophies, theology and economics, and the Christian eschatological imagination. LINKS: Joerg Rieger - Profile: https://divinity.vanderbilt.edu/people/bio/joerg-rieger - Website: https://www.joergrieger.com - New Book: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/productgroup/2056/Theology-in-the-Capitalocene Jason Moore - Essays: http://jasonwmoore.com - World-Ecology Research Network google doc sign-up: https://forms.gle/wgATH5KjsqsV5nMQ6 - Recent short essays: http://jasonwmoore.wordpress.com/ - World-Ecology Research Network: on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/worldecology/?ref=bookmarks on Academia: https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/World-Ecology Filipe Maia: - Profile: https://www.bu.edu/sth/profile/filipe-maia/ - New book: https://www.dukeupress.edu/trading-futures

In this interview with Dr. Wideline Seraphin, we discuss the decolonizing power of Haitian spirituality and the unique literacies of a group of Haitian transnational girls, discovering the necessity of including the whole self – mental, emotional, physical, social, & spiritual – in the work for liberation. Dr. Wideline Seraphin is Assistant Professor of Literacy Studies at UTA. Her research centers on the literate lives of Black immigrant girls, critical media literacy, and teacher education.

In this panel discussion, DSA members from several religious traditions share their perspectives on the importance of religion for sustaining, inspiring, and organizing political movement on the Left. Speakers for this event include Asad Dandia (Muslim), Ty Kiatathikom (Buddhist), Clyde Grubbs (Unitarian Universalist), Marie Venner (Catholic). This event was moderated by Nicole-Ann Lobo.

Welcome back comrades! In this segment, Ralph & Nicole-Ann kick off a new season for Heart of a Heartless World, catching up after a long hiatus and giving a preview of what is to come this year. It's a good dose of solidarity, spirituality, and of course, socialism – all the things that give us a little hope for the world.

Gary Dorrien's new book American Democratic Socialism is a comprehensive look at the deep roots, many of them religious, of democratic socialism in this country. Rev. Andrew Wilkes spoke with Professor Dorrien at a live event in New York City at Judson Memorial Church, where this podcast was recorded.

Seven Catholic plowshares activists entered Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in St. Mary’s, Georgia on April 4th, 2018. They went to make real the prophet Isaiah’s command to “beat swords into plowshares.” The seven chose to act on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who devoted his life to addressing what he called the “triple evils of militarism, racism, and materialism.” Carrying hammers and baby bottles of their own blood, the seven attempted to convert weapons of mass destruction. They hoped to call attention to the ways in which nuclear weapons kill every day, by their mere existence and maintenance. One of those seven, Mark Colville (pictured back right), talks with Colleen Shaddox about his resistance to the weapons economy and his life at Amistad Catholic Worker House in New Haven, Connecticut. Mark talks about how he and his comrades argued that their Catholic faith compelled them to act against Trident - a defense that the jury was never allowed to hear. Now he looks forward to serving his sentence for the action. As he says, much of the Bible was written inside a prison - what better place to read it?

Do we live in a secular age? Is capitalism a religion? In this episode, Stephen Crouch asks author and professor Eugene McCarraher about the "misenchanted" qualities of capitalist society. Dr. McCarraher is the author of the 800-page tome entitled, Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity (2019). During the episode, Dr. McCarraher discusses the shortcomings of Marxism and the Protestant work ethic, and suggests a better path forward through the anti-capitalist Romantic tradition with its "enchanted" view of the world. Dr. Eugene McCarraher is a Professor of Humanities and History at Villanova University and the author of Christian Critics: Religion and the Impasse in Modern American Social Thought. He has written for Dissent and The Nation and contributes regularly to Commonweal, The Hedgehog Review, and Raritan. His recent work, The Enchantments of Mammon: How Capitalism Became the Religion of Modernity, was supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.

This episode of Heart of a Heartless World features Travis Donoho and Jeremy McMahan. Travis is a professional labor union organizer and member of Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing Sangha. Jeremy is the producer of this podcast and a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and scholar. They discuss the relationship between socialism and Buddhism, how self care is essential for labor organizing, and why a lot of American Buddhists don't identify as socialists.

On Tuesday, February 16th, Charles Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke with Lawrence Ware, co-editor of "Ballad of an American," the first-ever graphic biography of Paul Robeson, about Robeson's relevance for today. Paul Robeson was the pre-eminent Black, left-wing figure of U.S. popular culture during the 1930s-40s. Concert singer, film actor, public personality, his "Ballad for Americans" was heard by millions of radio listeners. Idolized across large parts of Europe, his records heard widely in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Robeson was struck down by McCarthyism. His legend and his lessons remain. The event was co-sponsored by the Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus (AFROSOC) of DSA, the DSA Fund, and the International Committee of DSA, along with the Religion and Socialism Working Group of DSA. You can order the book from Rutgers University Press and receive a 30% discount on it and all books sitewide by using the code DSA RUP at checkout.

Matt Mazewski and Brendan Moore, both economics doctoral candidates and labor organizers, join “Heart of a Heartless World” to discuss the relationship between labor rights and the American Catholic Church. Matt and Brendan are interviewed by Nicole-Ann Lobo, and their conversation includes a brief history of Catholic social teaching and what papal encyclicals have to say about labor rights, the current state of American bishops and labor, the role of the Catholic Labor Network, and how Catholic higher education instutions are treating graduate student unions. Resources: Fratelli tutti Challenges the Utopia of Neoliberalism — https://christiansocialism.com/pope-francis-fratelli-tutti-socialism-capitalism/ The Catholic Labor Network — catholiclabor.org Gaudium et Spes Labor Report — http://catholiclabor.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GESAnnualReport2020.pdf The NLRB’s Theology of Labor — https://www.thestrikewave.com/original-content/religion-and-the-nlrb U.S. Bishops praise Biden’s actions on immigration — https://www.catholicsentinel.org/Content/Default/Homepage-Rotator/Article/US-bishops-praise-Biden-s-actions-on-immigration-/-3/382/41722 USCCB brief on Janus case — https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/Janus-v-American-Federation-of-State-16-1466-bsac-usccb-amicus.pdf

The spirit of black radical traditions, at their best, can turn the world upside down and help usher in a political economy of dignity, voice, and decision-making power for working-class communities. Liberationist streams of black radical spirituality are as contemporary as Alice Walker’s call for democratic socialist womanism, as old as Reverend George Washington Woodbey’s Black Baptist socialism and beyond. This discussion between Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rev. Sekou, artist, author, and public theologian, is part of an ongoing series on faith and socialism. In this conversation, Rev. Wilkes and Rev. Sekou talk about the ethical and religious streams within black radical traditions and the implications for our times

After exit polls from the November election showed 72% of voters wanted Medicare for All, Medicare for All Indiana and the Religious Socialism Committee of Central Indiana DSA convened on November 24th a Multifaith Forum on Medicare for All, recorded and available as our podcast episode. Panelists discussing their faith’s shared commitment to universal healthcare as a moral imperative included: Rabbi Jordana Chernow-Reader, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation; Rev. David W. Greene, Sr., Purpose of Life Ministries (Second Baptist) and President, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis; Hebah Kassem, Muslim Medicare for All Activist and DSA member; and Fr. Charles Allen, Episcopal Priest and Member, Religious Socialism Committee of Central Indiana DSA. The moderator was Fran Quigley, director of the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University McKinney School of Law and member of the Religious Socialism Working Group and Central Indiana DSA.

Jewish Traditions of Socialism Our latest episode of ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ is a recording of our October 26th webinar conversation between Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rabbi Andy Bachman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Project and former senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim, about how Jewish traditions of socialism, from Martin Buber’s reflections on Utopia to the labor organizing and organic intellectuals of the early twentieth century, have helped create a political economy where workers’ dignity and decision making power is prioritized and can, going forward, inform and inspire contemporary movements of religious socialism.

John D'Emilio joins "Heart of a Heartless World" to discuss the history of Bayard Rustin, a Quaker and democratic socialist who introduced nonviolent tactics to the civil rights movement and organized the March on Washington. After years of organizing protests, Rustin argued after Lyndon B. Johnson's election that the left needed to move "from protest to politics" and engage directly with the political system while building broad-based coalitions. In this episode John D'Emilio charts the similarities between Rustin's engagement with LBJ's administration and the left's challenge with an incoming Biden administration. John D’Emilio is a pioneer in the field of gay and lesbian studies and is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he taught in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and the Department of History. He is currently president of the board of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, a Chicago community-based LGBTQ history archives and cultural center. Resources: John D'Emilio, Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (2003): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo3644370.html Interview with John D'Emilio with Meagan Day, "Capitalism made gay identity possible. Now we must destroy capitalism." (2020): https://jacobinmag.com/2020/08/gay-identity-capitalism-lgbt John D'Emilio, "Capitalism and Gay Identity" (1983): https://sites.middlebury.edu/sexandsociety/files/2015/01/DEmilio-Capitalism-and-Gay-Identity.pdf John D'Emilio, Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives, (2020): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/Q/bo44312771.html

Our latest episode of ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ is a recording of a webinar DSA’s NYC chapter hosted with faith leaders on how American apocalyptic thinking gets in the way building a better future, how to decolonize the apocalypse, and the potential for societal transformation through a just transition towards ecosocialism. On October 13th Ryan Felder (3rd Year MDiv at Union Theological Seminary) facilitated the panel which included Rev. Chelsea MacMillan (interfaith minister, Extinction Rebellion Activist, and co-founder Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism), Shay O’Reily (Lutheran lay leader and climate organizer), and Nathan Albright (writer with The Flood and Catholic Worker). Our next webinar discussion will feature Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rev. Sekou, artist, author, and public theologian, in conversation about the ethical and religious streams of the Black radical tradition on Thursday, November 19th. For more information and to register: https://www.religioussocialism.org/next_religious_socialism_webinar_the_spirit_of_black_radical_traditions

Our latest episode of “Heart of a Heartless World” is a recording of our September 30th webinar conversation with Bhaskar Sunkara, founding publisher and editor of Jacobin magazine, and Rev. Andrew Wilkes. They discussed the role of religion and faith traditions within the wider socialist movement and Left politics.

Our latest episode of “Heart of a Heartless World” is a recording of our August 20 webinar between Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, about the campaign, its faith-rooted vision, and how the movement presents a concrete way to shift our political economy, uproot white supremacy, and expand the decision-making power of workers in a way that emerges from our religious and ethical traditions.

Our latest episode of "Heart of a Heartless World" is a recording of the latest webinar put on by the Religion & Socialist working group. On July 16th, Linda Sarsour, the co-founder of Until Freedom and former co-chair of the Women’s March, spoke with Rev. Andrew Wilkes, a pastor, policy director, and member of Religious Socialism’s editorial group, about how faith traditions can help undergird abolition, undo structural racism, and push toward a fundamental restructuring of our political economy. This Thursday, August 20th, at 7:30pm EDT, Rev. Wilkes will be in conversation with Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, on how to build an inclusive movement for economic justice. We hope you enjoy the podcast, and can join us at the webinar! Go here to RSVP: https://act.dsausa.org/survey/Building_Inclusive_Movement_Economic_Justice_Liz_Theoharris/

Kristin Jordan, aka KRJ, is a poet and activist in the Harlem community, where she has started an independent publishing company that focuses on Black and Latino literary activists. She is a member of DSA and is the Social Justice Chair for United Methodist Women at Salem Church, as well as being an active Buddhist. KRJ shares with us her years of experience in the Black Lives Matter and police accountability movements, and what opportunities and challenges she sees in the current wave of activism. She also talks about how her Christian and Buddhist practices complement each other, and about attending an event to support women candidates, only to discover that the candidate that should come forward was her! Now, KRJ is aiming to take her activism to City Hall as a candidate for New York City Council. Enjoy this conversation, and for more information check out https://kristinforharlem.com/

The latest episode of Heart of a Heartless World is an interview with Rev. Andrew Wilkes, longtime member of DSA, a contributor to the Religion and Socialism Working Group, and a writer for outlets such as The Huffington Post, The Guardian, Sojourners and others. A doctoral candidate in political science at the Graduate Center in the City University of New York and former Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute, Rev. Wilkes is co-pastor along with his wife Rev. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes at the Double Love Experience, www.doubleloveexperience.org We talk with Rev. Wilkes about the forthcoming event, “Faith, Abolition, and Socialism,” a panel discussion on Thursday, July 16th, 2020 at 7:30PM EDT. This is the first event in a conversation series organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s Religion and Socialism working group. Rev. Wilkes will be in conversation with Linda Sarsour, the co-founder of Until Freedom and former co-chair of the Women’s March, on how faith traditions can help undergird abolition, undo structural racism, and push toward a fundamental restructuring of our political economy. We hope you can join us! Go here to RSVP: https://www.dsausa.org/calendar/faith-abolition-and-socialism/

Imaan Javeed Podcast Notes Our latest episode of “Heart of a Heartless World” features an interview with Imaan Javeed, a writer and medical student, discussing the relationship between Islam and socialism. “There are so many different statements in the Quran and in the Hadith that clearly point to the goal of the society being to provide for the needs of everyone, and discussing how can we create a more just society. The Quran itself says, ‘Work towards justice, even if it means justice against yourself.’ So any step we take towards a more socialist society is taking a step towards that goal of being able to provide for everyone's needs. And it's just really clear as day.” “Another connection between Islam and socialism is that they are both ‘dirty words’ that are smeared by the media and the establishment . . . Much like socialism, Islam has this targeted misinformation campaign against it launched by powerful people. Education and teaching people what Islam is actually about and what socialism is actually about is an important way to fight back.” To read a recent Religious Socialism article profiling other Muslim socialists: https://www.religioussocialism.org/reducing_wealth_preserving_communal_goods_islam_socialism To learn more about Islam, Imaan Javeed suggests the following resources: · Human Rights in Islam and Common Misconceptions, https://islamhouse.com/en/books/50418/ · The Yaqeen Institute. https://yaqeeninstitute.org/research/ · Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, http://ispu.org

Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón on the Latinx community, sexuality, and the churches In this episode of the RS podcast, Heart in a Heartless World, our guest Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón is a medical anthropologist who trains African-American and Latinx activists to prevent HIV and AIDS in their communities. He is of Puerto Rican descent, an expert in Latino gay and bisexual culture and HIV, and is a Christian and socialist. He speaks to our host Elisa Batista on how all of his identities form his desire for a more humanitarian and just world. To follow Dr. Rivera Colón's work, go to the "Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes" podcast, the "Militant Tenderness" YouTube channel, and/or his Facebook page. Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/karl…es/id1477005233 Miltant Tenderness www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRJLMgB-Q-eGAZIAnDW5lg Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón Facebook www.facebook.com/edgar.riveracolon

Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón sobre la comunidad latinx, la sexualidad, y las iglesias En este capítulo del podcast RS, <> o Un corazón en un mundo sin corazón, nuestro invitado Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón es un antropólogo médico quien entrena a activistas afroamericanos y latinos en métodos de indagación para prevenir al VIH y SIDA en sus comunidades. Él es de raices puertorriqueñas, un experto en la cultura latina gay y bisexual y el VIH, y un cristiano y socialista. Él platica con nuestra locutora Elisa Batista como todos sus identidades forman su deseo para un mundo más humanitario y justo. Pueden seguir al Dr. Rivera Colón en su podcast Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes, por su canal de YouTube Miltant Tenderness y/o su página de Facebook. Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/karl-marx-ate-my-field-notes/id1477005233 Miltant Tenderness https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRJLMgB-Q-eGAZIAnDW5lg Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón Facebook https://www.facebook.com/edgar.riveracolon

In this episode of the RS podcast, Heart in a Heartless World,, our guest is Colleen Shaddox, a devout Roman Catholic, a committed socialist, and a veteran healthcare journalist. Shaddox’s articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and many other outlets. Along with her co-author Joanne Goldblum, Shaddox just completed a book on the everyday lives of persons living in poverty and the broken policies that cause their suffering. Shaddox is interviewed in this episode by the Religion and Socialism Working Group member Fran Quigley. They discuss the connection between Catholicism and socialism, what socialism has to say about the COVID-19 pandemic and access to healthcare, what progressive Christians should be doing in response to reactionary Christianity, and Colleen’s interesting paths to Roman Catholicism, socialism, and writing about healthcare. “It’s Matthew 25, right?” Shaddox says. “You're supposed to feed the hungry and care for the sick, and we don't do that under capitalism.” Some of Colleen Shaddox’s healthcare journalism can be found here, and her book can be pre-ordered here. Look on our website for more about DSA’s Religion and Socialism Working Group.

Daniel Soyer is professor at Fordham and a scholar of American Jewish history. He is a co-editor, along with Irena Klepfisz, of The Stars Bear Witness: The Jewish Labor Bund 1897 - 2017. Our interview with him is the second of a two-part series on the Jewish Labor Bund; it covers the origins and operations of the Bund in Eastern Europe, American Bundist history, as well as how Jewish immigrant communities formed the backbone of socialist political activity in NYC and throughout America. Our music is “Made and Broken” by Hugel. Support us on https://www.patreon.com/religioussocialismpodcast

Today, April 19th, is the 76th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was the largest single revolt by Jews during WWII and it was mostly organized by the Bund, a secular Jewish socialist movement. Irena Klepfisz was born in the Warsaw Ghetto and fled with her mother to the United States when she was eight. She is now a noted poet, writer, Yiddish translator, anti-occupation activist, known for her work in lesbian, feminist and Jewish spaces. This personal interview touches on Irena's childhood, the "zeitgeist" of American Jewish bundist life, coming out in the 1970's, her activism against Israel's occupation, and how she makes sense of the contemporary resurgence of interest in Yiddish. Part 2 of this interview series will feature Daniel Soyer, who will provide a historical and academic perspective on the Jewish Labor Bund.

How do we fight the demonic principalities behind climate change? Shay O’Reilly is an organizer for renewable energy in NYC, a DSA member, a Lutheran, and a graduate of UnionTheological Seminary. We chat with him on why he believes in demonic powers (see: white supremacy), why fighting climate change necessarily means fighting for socialism, how he got into environmental issues through anti-poverty work, as well as his experience of converting to Christianity shortly after coming out as trans and gay. Yes, it’s a packed episode! Follow him on Twitter @shaygabriel

This is an equal parts hilarious and insightful episode of Religious Socialism podcast. Kelli Dunham is an author, comedian and storyteller — she’s the founder of Queer Memoir, a storytelling series for the queer community and stand-up comedian. But in this podcast, she recounts her religious history — from her childhood attending drive-in churches in Florida, her time at a gay conversion camp, and seven years as a nun in the Missionaries of Charity. Between laughs, she reaches some poignant truths about similarities in the socialist ethic among churches and queer communities, and how laughter can be a healing force. See below to learn more about Kelli Dunham and the podcast: KelliDunham.com Religioussocialism.org/podcast Religious Socialism Podcast is hosted by Sarah Ngu and produced by Devin Briski. Our music is “Made and Broken” by Hugel.

Rabbi Michael Feinberg is the executive director of The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, whose goal is to build a long term alliance between the faith community and labor movements in New York City. He's spent decades as a multi-faith activist building diverse coalitions to advocate for workers' rights. In this interview, we discuss why he prefers the term "multi-faith" to "interfaith," what he learned from Father Daniel Berrigan's radical anti-nuclear protests, the heritage of Bundism (historical secular Jewish socialist movement), and what he thinks the role the faith community can play in the fight for worker's rights.

Memphis-based singer-songwriter Julien Baker's star is rising in the music world. She also identifies as queer, Christian, socialist — like our host, Sarah Ngu. There have been high-profile interviews with her by the New York Times, NPR, etc. mostly focusing on her music. But we wanted to focus on religion. This far-reaching interview explores the early influence of Christian hardcore and church groups, how she thinks about Acts and makes ethical purchasing decisions for herself and her crew, and her conversations with Trump-supporting family members in Appalachia. If you're a fan of Religious Socialism, please visit our Patreon page and support our podcast. We will also be posting the full, unedited 2-hour interview as an exclusive for our patrons. For each according to their ability, or give what you can! https://www.patreon.com/religioussocialismpodcast

Juan Carlos Ruiz is co-founder of the New Sanctuary Movement, a network of churches and synagogues that offer resources to undocumented immigrants in New York City. He began his career as a Catholic priest, but was excommunicated after getting involved with leftist politics in the Catholic Worker Movement. In this far-reaching interview, he discusses his work with immigrants in the Trump era, the effect that US intervention coupled with corporate interests have had on Mexico and Honduras, and the role that history should play in our discourse around immigrant rights. If you're interested in what Ruiz has to say, also check out his op-ed in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/17/undocumented-immigration-stories-human-rights-mexico-how-i-got-here Also, if you’re a fan of Religious Socialism, please visit our Patreon page and support our podcast. From each according to their ability, or give us what you can! https://www.patreon.com/religioussocialismpodcast

Avi Garelick wears many hats: he runs a Hebrew school associated with the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York city, he is active in Northern Manhattan is Not For Sale, an anti-gentrification group focused on Washington Heights and Inwood, and he's a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. In this interview, Garelick describes participating in a rent strike when his landlord turned off the heat, how his socialist philosophy informs his role as a manager at his job and how the Jewish concept of redemption guides his social justice activism. Photo by Noah Benus.

Dr. Debbie Almontaser is a Yemeni-American and Muslim community leader and activist, founder of the Bridging Cultures Group and the Khalil Gibran International Academy, a New York public school with an English and Arabic bi-lingual program. Almontaser discusses growing up in a largely white neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, rediscovering her Muslim faith in her 20s and making the decision to wear the hijab, the controversy that led to her resigning as head of Khalil Gibran Academy, and winning her ensuing wrongful termination lawsuit against the Department of Education. She also discusses how the aftermath of 9/11 prepared the Muslim community for the election of Donald Trump, and why she finds being called a "moderate Muslim" offensive. Photo cred from Twitter.

A conversation with Reverend Andrew Wilkes, a an African Methodist Episcopal pastor of young adults and social justice and leader in a black Christian community in Jamaica, Queens. Unlike some of our interviewees, Rev. Wilkes identifies as a democratic socialist, and has spent a lot of time working out those principles with his faith. He discusses why socialism is a theological commitment, what democratic socialist policies could look like in practice, why leftist politics has a race problem — and why joy is the most important feeling of Christianity. Photo cred: Huffpost.

A conversation with Reverend Khader El-Yateem, a native Palestinian and Lutheran pastor running for City Council for the 43rd District, which includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst. El-Yateem discusses growing up in the Greek Orthodox in Palestine, where he came to realize he was under two occupations: the Israeli Occupation, and the Greek occupation of the indigenous Palestinian Christian church. In this far-reaching interview, he talks about how being tortured by the Israeli Defense Forces taught him about faith, love and justice, what it's like to serve as a police liason for the Arab community in a time of Islamophobia and racial profiling, and why he finally decided to run for office after two decades as a pastor and community organizer in Bay Ridge. Photo cred from El-Yateem 2017.

A conversation with Reverent Ann Kansfield, pastor at Greenpoint Reformed Church and chaplain for the FDNY. Kansfield discusses how 9/11 prompted her to leave her finance job and join seminary, her feelings when her father went on trial for marrying her and her wife and had to step down as a theology professor, and what it's like to be the first woman and lesbian chaplain of the New York Fire Department. Photo cred from NYT.

A Conversation With Laura Barrett of Interfaith Worker Justice

Religion and Socialism Podcast Episode One - A Conversation with Professor Gary Dorrien

Jay Forth is a graduate from Duke Divinity, a director of homeless outreach at a nonprofit in DC, previously he was the executive director of Festival Center, a faith-based space for organizing. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sarah talks with Jay about a paper he published linking the book, The Making of the Indebted Man: An Essay on the Neoliberal Condition by Maurizio Lazzarato and Jonathan Edwards’s sermon on sinners in the hands of an angry God. He also shares what it was like to grow up with black Jamaican immigrant parents, tenant organizing, and why queerness should not be just an identity, seamlessly connecting threads from racism to queerness to capitalism to the gospel.

Maxine Phillips leads DSA’s religion and socialism working group nationally. She is a retired executive editor of Dissent, former DSA national director, and current volunteer editor of "Democratic Left." She has been part of DSA since the late 70's and oversaw the Religion & Socialism print newsletter for decades, which included articles from Cornel West, Arthur Waskow, and Dorothy Sollee. This interview captures lots of her insights on the differences between each generation of DSA, and reflections on the parallels and differences between church and socialist spaces.