Shows / The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
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. This podcast features edited audio from our weekly Sunday gathering of people interested in following Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion. Regardless of your race, gender, class, sexuality, or where you fall on the spectrum of belief or unbelief, you are welcome at The Loft. Their are four…
Episodes
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Reading the Quran from a Muslim Feminist Perspective
How people of faith are supposed to read and engage sacred texts is one of the most controversial topics of our time. To be sure, this controversy extends…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: Are Ancient Sacred Texts Still Useful? And Some Thoughts on MLK
This week's conversation is the first of a series of conversations on Sacred Texts. So many of us progressive Christians struggle with the Bible. We question…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
"The Lost Art of Scripture" – Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter
In our society, sacred texts are seen, at best, as irrelevant and, at worst, as an excuse to incite violence, hatred, and division. So what value, if any, can…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
"Specific and Expansive" – Rev. Molly Vetter
We start 2023 with an initiation of sorts: a declaration of belovedness and a dip in the Jordan River with Jesus and John. In Jesus' baptism, we hear voices of…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversions: What Conversations Would You Like To Hear This Year?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As we enter into a new year, we want to thank you all for your support and encouragement during these early stages of the…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: "We Are The Occupiers:" Reading Mary's Prayer of Love, Resistance, and Liberation.
This week's conversation centers on the stories of Mary and Elizabeth and what their story can teach us about love, faith, and solidarity. In a moment of…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
We Ought To See God In Each Other
This week we return to Mary's experience. After receiving the news from the angel, she retreats to her cousin Elizabeth's house. When Mary arrives (perhaps…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversions: Calling in Call Out Culture
What is the purpose of calling someone out? Do you think calling out is effective at achieving its goals? If you have ever been called out, how did it make you…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
We Can Choose a Better Way
As far as Joseph knows, his new wife has been unfaithful to him and broken their marriage contract. And yet, instead of punishment, he chooses not to publicly…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: Compassion & Fear
"Do not be afraid" is one of the most common statements in the bible. "Do not be afraid" appears 365 times - one for each day of the year. And yet, fear is a…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Generation to Generation: God Meets Us In Our Fear
"When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, she is perplexed and confused—and no doubt, afraid. And yet, the angel's news is: "Do not be afraid." Do not be afraid…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Storytelling is embedded in the Christian tradition. We use stories to help us make meaning out of our lives and the world around us. So what stories has the…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Generation to Generation: Storytelling
This week is the first Sunday of Advent, the period in the Christian calendar when we prepare for and celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. We are beginning…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: The Spirituality of Consumerism
How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? This question has guided our conversations the past few weeks, and in today's…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Live Generously: Attachment, Detachment, & Consumerism
American culture is, in many ways, a consumer culture. But what does it mean to be a consumer, and is being a consumer necessarily a bad thing? To be sure…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: Money and Christian Desire
We pick up today's conversation where we left off last week - we're still talking about money, desire, and American capitalism. The very basis of our free…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations - For the Love of Money
How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? Unfortunately, most of the time when church leaders speak about money it is…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Live Generously: Freedom and Markets
How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? Throughout the biblical text, we find stories that demonstrate the important…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations - Conversations and Spiritual Formation
Conversation is at the center of our gatherings in The Loft; it's the way we do worship. In today's conversation we discuss why conversations about theology…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft 101: Conversation
Conversation is at the center of our gatherings in The Loft; it's the way we do worship. On this final Sunday of our Loft 101 series, we turn to a well-known…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations: Belonging & Theological "passing"
What is the difference between feeling welcomed within and belonging to a community? All of us have a core group of people that we feel close to, but what…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Westwood 101: Belonging
All of us have a core group of people whom we feel a particular kinship with. Jesus was no exception. Whether it was the twelve disciples, Mary, Martha, or…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations - Deconstructing or Decolonizing Christianity?
There is a lot of conversation happening on social media about theological deconstruction these days. People making arguments for it, and others pushing back…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft 101: Decolonization
Jesus was a Jew who was born and died in subjugation to Roman Empire. His body was and remains marked by gender, culture, and religion. Given this, we need to…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft Conversations - Compassion and its shadow-sides
Let's be honest, sometimes it isn't easy to be compassionate. At our best, we are constantly striving to follow the spiritual path of radical compassion that…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loft 101: Compassion
One morning as he and his disciples were walking, Jesus asked his closest friends a piercing question – "who do you say that I am?" As followers of the…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Change My Mind
In a political moment of intense polarization, and in a faith tradition where "hold on to your faith" is often read as an invitation to do battle against other…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Living & Dying by the Sword (or Gun)
Gun culture is an American tradition with deep roots. It seems that every few years, after the tragic loss of life on a mass scale, we debate, yet again, about…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Homecoming Concert: Finding Freedom In Love
In this series, we have explored loves meaning by giving love words. We settled on a definition of love as the will to extend yourself, to nurture your own or…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Childhood Love Lessons
In her book All About Love, bell hooks writes that whether our homes are happy or troubled, our families functional or dysfunctional our homes are our original…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Queer Love
Every person experiences love in ways unique to them. Yet, as we have learned, our experiences of love as children and young adults inform how we think about…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Masculinity, Love, & Patriarchy
Among men in our contemporary society, our longing for love is often implicitly stated. So, when love is discussed the discussions are usually driven by women…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Communion: The Female Search for Love
In our society, the majority of discussions about love are driven by women. Women are encouraged to learn how to love, seek love - and in turn confront their…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Love and Community
Every person experiences love in ways unique to them. Yet, as we have learned throughout this series, our experiences of love as a child inform how we think…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Love and Greed
When I think about what our culture teaches us about love, I don't immediately think about it being something that's in opposition to greed. Yet, the deeper we…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Loving (or At Least Not Hating) Our Enemies
Let's be honest, some people are difficult to love, especially if they have harmed us or our community. Not loving these people feels like the right thing to…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
When We Fail to Love
Love is essential to human flourishing, it is a powerful remedy for our soul. And yet, despite our awareness of the power of love, we live in a society where…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
The Gift of Love
In our previous sermon, we defined love as the will to extend yourself for the purpose of nurturing your own or another's spiritual growth. Love is an act of…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Giving Love Words
Everyone wants to know more about love. We want to know what it means to love, and what we can do in our everyday lives to love and be loved. Yet, outside of…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Queer Theology in Post-Roe America
The overturning of Roe v. Wade will have devastating consequences for millions of people in America. The loss of constitutionally protected bodily autonomy…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Created in the Image and Likeness of God
That human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (imago Dei) has been a fundamental theological pillar in the history of Christianity. However…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Queer Theology Beyond Apologetics
Christian apologetics is an ancient form of Christian speech that developed as a way to respond to "pagan" Romans who were skeptical of certain Christian…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Eucharistic Solidarity
June is Pride month and our sermon series, Queer Theology, will center the thought and work of LGBTQ+ theologians, activists, and scholars. As Pastor Molly…
The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast FormI Am An Institutionalist and a Revolutionary – Randall Miller, Ph.D.
"Where Do We Go From Here, UMC?" is a weekly podcast featuring conversations between Rev. Molly Vetter and denominational leaders about the challenges ahead as…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Finding Joy in the Struggle
Joy doesn't wait for our struggles to be over. This Sunday, we dig into our Advent scriptures, drawing out Mary's song: Mary "rejoices" in this iconic…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Compassion & Acceptance: The Antidotes for Toxic Joy
Howard Thurman penned an essay titled "Joy is of Many Kinds" where he discusses the various ways in which we experience joy. After reading his essay, I wonder…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Joy As Resistance
With all that is going on in our country and in the world, it is understandable if we feel like there is little to be joyful about. In these moments I find it…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Joy As
How do you define joy? In a country designed to offer instant gratification to those who can afford it, joy could be understood as something that we all can…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Curiosity / Doubt plus Earth Day Prayers
Rev. Molly Vetter with Rev. Kevin Kim Wright On this Sunday after Easter, we will spend some time with St. Thomas the Apostle, patron saint of all of us who…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Reconnecting to Wonder: Prayer as Deep Listening
In Modern culture we are taught that for something to be "real" it must be something that we can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell. Anything that is beyond the…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Reconnecting to our Mystic: Listening to our Parts
We often have a "cast of characters" living inside our heads that love to carry on endless conversations — each from their own perspective. The chatter of our…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Reconnecting to our Breath: Listening to our Bodies
Our sacred texts connect the breath of God with our own aliveness—God blew breath into us at creation and we continue to breathe all of creation in and out of…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Reconnecting to Scripture: Listening for the Word
The Wisdom tradition within Christianity invites us to love knowledge, especially the self-knowledge that comes from examining ourselves in relationship to the…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Love Never Ends
This Sunday, we finish our sermon series "Love Never Ends" by discussing how love is not only a spiritual gift but also the greatest gift that we can give to…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Letting the Oppressed Go Free
We welcome Mandy McDow back to the Loft this Sunday; Senior Pastor at Los Angeles First UMC (a church without a building), Mandy brings fresh depth and insight…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
The Gifts of Diversity
We encourage you to join Pastor Molly and Ryan Parker in conversation this Sunday, as we attempt to make sense of what all it means for us that we are given…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Well Pleased
What does it mean to claim an identity as God's beloved children? And how does it change us to believe that God finds pleasure in us? Join the conversation and…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
A Holy Mystery Meant For Everyone
One of the words New Testament writers use to describe Christ's gift to the world translates pretty literally as "mystery." I treasure how this description…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Housing the Holy - Week 5
This Sunday we finish our sermon series "Housing the Holy." This series used the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point and asked us…
- The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form
Housing the Holy - Week 4
This Sunday, Pastor Molly will join me in the center as we continue our advent worship series "Housing the Holy," and we will also be joined by the Singers of…