The Progressive Christians Podcast

We've got the whole team back for this one! As you may have heard, this week Paula White likened Trump to Jesus (we know, right?). This outrageous statement sparked so much backlash from Christians, it was impossible for us to miss. This week, we don't just want to talk about her words, but WHY Evangelicals find it so important to do something so explicitly blasphemous. 
We also want to take this holy week to do some theological construction - where does Easter land in all this chaos? How can we use this time of spiritual rebirth as Progressive Christians? We hope this episode brings you some joy in these trying, yet holy, times.
Show Notes:
- Paula White Video 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iHjbG3jtHM (1:47-2:48 (end of the video))
- Artemis Mission Names Craters:
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-nasa-astronaut-names-moon-crater-for-late-wife/89488427007/
- Mamdani's Real Cost of Living Plan:
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/04/mayor-mamdani-releases-preliminary-citywide-racial-equity-plan-a 
The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians 
Please subscribe to the Love Your Neighbor newsletter, an outgrowth of this podcast community. It will be a way for us to create new relationships and deepen existing ones with people of faith who want to learn how to practice their faith in ways that align with their values of love, justice, and compassion. We hope to see you on Substack!
If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. 
#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion

We are thrilled to be joined by Pastor Joe Smith this week! We originally found Joe because of his work on Instagram, and quickly realized that his work combating White Christian Nationalism is essential to the work of Progressive Christianity. 
We had Joe on to discuss his journey as an Exvangelical pastor, his thoughts about the state of American Christian Nationalism, and how we can move forward with bringing the message of a homeless Palestinian socialist to the people who refuse to hear it.
Show Notes:
Find Joe - https://www.instagram.com/therealjoe.smith/ 
The Slippery Slope - https://slipperyslope.shop/
Homeowner calls ICE - 
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/maryland-homeowner-accused-calling-aiding-181658420.html
No Kings Protests - 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/03/28/no-kings-protests-marches-record-turnout/
The passage on the Syrophoenician woman - 
https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Mark%207:24%E2%80%9330&version=nrsv 
Dr Carter preaches on the Syrophoenician woman - 
https://theloftla.libsyn.com/loft-gathering-breaking-the-patriarchal-reading-of-the-bible 
The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians 
Please subscribe to the Love Your Neighbor newsletter, an outgrowth of this podcast community. It will be a way for us to create new relationships and deepen existing ones with people of faith who want to learn how to practice their faith in ways that align with their values of love, justice, and compassion. We hope to see you on Substack!
If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. 
#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion

We've been promising bonus content… Here it is! 
We were inspired to make this episode by Rev. Katie with the Young Adult group at Hyde Park Community UMC in Cincinnati, Ohio, who reached out to tell us they had been using our podcasts for some of their lessons. In honor of how much this means to us, this episode is dedicated to all of them! They wrote us some great questions that they've been dealing with while trying to deconstruct and reconstruct their Christianity into something that more closely mirrors Jesus. Please join us on this fun, less formal dive into our personal beliefs on some of the most difficult Progressive Christian topics.
Show Notes:
- This is the episode playlist that Rev. Kate Smith used with the young adult group:
28: Do Progressive Christians Believe in the Bible?
29: What is Sin and Why Do Most Conservatives Get it Wrong?
36: Failing the Group Project: The Problem with Evil with Dr. Becky Copeland
19: What Do Progressives Believe About Evangelism?
34: What Do Progressive Christians Believe About Salvation?
23: Women, Patriarchy, and the Bible with Claire McKeever-Burgett
3: What does progressive Christian masculinity look like
27: Sex, Gender, and Christian Theology
54: I Was a Christian Nationalist and Didn't Know It w/ April Ajoy
47: Debunking MAGA's Biblical Argument Against a Government Social Safety Net
38: How Do We Hold On to Hope in Times of Crisis? 
40: Why Are You (Still) A Christian? 
- Dr. Prathia Hall Biography:
 https://www.ugapress.org/9780820361710/freedom-faith/
- Dr Prathia Hall Sermons:
https://herringbonebooks.indielite.org/book/9780820361772 
- Elephant Seals: 
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/southern-elephant-seals-recover-in-southern-africa-but-global-picture-is-mixed/
- UK Geothermal Power: 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewzg77k721o 
The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians 
Please subscribe to the Love Your Neighbor newsletter, an outgrowth of this podcast community. It will be a way for us to create new relationships and deepen existing ones with people of faith who want to learn how to practice their faith in ways that align with their values of love, justice, and compassion. We hope to see you on Substack!
If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. 

#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion

When the Trump administration began its immigration crackdown in Chicago, teenage brothers Ben and Sam Luhmann became a part of a rapid-response network of volunteers that documents ICE raids and assists families of those detained in the arrests.
In the first half of this episode we talk with Ben and Sam about their activism and the role that their Christian faith played in inspiring them to put their faith into action. Then we chat with their mother Audrey and discuss how their faith journey and growing awareness of injustice led them all to reimagine what it means to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Show Notes:
- "Teens Tracking Ice" News Coverage: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yKSgM0G1xQ 
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2026/01/31/suburban-teen-brothers-on-ice-watch-in-minneapolis-this-is-nothing-like-chicago-this-is-so-much-worse
https://religionnews.com/2025/11/25/how-one-conservative-christian-family-is-pushing-back-against-ice/ 
- Audrey's Social Media:
https://x.com/LuhmannAudrey
https://www.instagram.com/audreyluhmann/
- Caste:
https://www.isabelwilkerson.com/
- The Tears of Things
https://thetearsofthings.com/
- EU bans destroying unsold clothes:
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-rules-stop-destruction-unsold-clothes-and-shoes-2026-02-09_en
The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians
Please subscribe to the Love Your Neighbor newsletter, an outgrowth of this podcast community. It will be a way for us to create new relationships and deepen existing ones with people of faith who want to learn how to practice their faith in ways that align with their values of love, justice, and compassion. We hope to see you on Substack!
If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. 
#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion

If you grew up in certain Christian circles, there is a specific type of music that we all know by heart. But why? Where did it come from? What messages might have been hidden inside this music? This week, we meet with Dr. Leah Payne, author of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You," to discuss the surprisingly long, dark, and conservative history of our modern "Contemporary Christian Music" genre.
If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct
Show Notes:
- Leah's website: https://www.drleahpayne.com/
- God Gave Rock and Roll To You: https://www.drleahpayne.com/god-gave-rock-and-roll 
- Ireland's UBI for Artists: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv389dnk5o
- Former Inmate Buys Prison: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/former-inmate-buys-prison 
The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected]. 
We have a Substack! Check us out here: https://substack.com/@theprogressivechristians?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page
The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians 
#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion