Part 2 of our Lenten Series

What have you been trained not to see? That's the question underneath John 9 — one of the most politically charged healing stories in the Gospels. Jesus refuses the blame narrative, heals a man the system had written off, and suddenly the authorities have a problem. Not with the blindness. With the sight. This episode is about dangerous vision — what it looks like, what it costs, and why it's the only place healing actually begins.

The Unlearning Empire Lenten Series:

You don't have to leave your questions at the door. Unlearning Empire from Missiongathering Christian Church is for the deconstructing, the doubting, the righteously angry, and the quietly hopeful. Each week we dig into Scripture with honesty about power — and dare to believe that love is stronger than the systems that shaped us. Whoever you are, however you got here — you belong.

This Week's Episode:

Empire runs on your silence. Missiongathering doesn't. Unlearning Empire is a podcast from Missiongathering Christian Church for people who are done pretending faith means keeping your head down. Every week we name what shaped us — the myths about power, worth, and who matters — and practice a different way together. Queer-affirming. Justice-rooted. Radically honest.

Join us for a weekly podcast from Missiongathering Christian Church. We're a queer-affirming, justice-rooted community doing the hard work of unlearning what empire taught us about God, each other, and ourselves. New episodes every week. Bring your whole self.

The first temptation was not hunger.
It was distrust.

This episode traces the lie of scarcity from Eden to empire to modern capitalism—and follows Jesus into the wilderness to confront it head-on. It explores fasting as resistance, mutual aid over charity, and what it means to trust God enough to release what you fear losing.

Scarcity is taught.
Enough is holy.
And trust is a practice.

Ashes don't just remind you that you'll die.
They expose the lie that empire is eternal.

This episode reframes Ash Wednesday as a communal, political, and spiritual act of resistance. It explores why lament is dangerous, why performative faith serves power, and why remembering you are dust is actually good news.

You are not alone.
You are not exempt.
And empire does not get the final word.

Before you continue, I want to prepare you for a moment of lament.
This isn't about shock or spectacle—it's about telling the truth in God's presence.
You'll hear grief named, harm acknowledged, and lives remembered.
If at any point you need to pause, breathe, or step away, that's okay.
Lament is simply honest prayer—bringing what is heavy into the light,
trusting that God draws near to the brokenhearted.

A reflection on faith, grief, and moral responsibility

In a season marked by loss, confusion, and deep questions about who we are becoming, Rev. Andrew Shipley offers a long-form reflection grounded in Scripture, theology, and pastoral care.

This episode invites listeners to slow down and consider how faith speaks into moments of communal pain—how truth, lament, and responsibility have always been part of the biblical story, and why silence has consequences for our spiritual health.

Rather than quick answers or hot takes, this conversation makes space for grief, honesty, and courage, drawing on voices from the Christian tradition to explore what it means to choose life, dignity, and faithfulness in difficult times.

For those seeking a thoughtful, prayerful response rooted in love of neighbor and hope for renewal, this episode offers a steady and compassionate guide.

Who Evil Always Asks Us to Sacrifice

Every system reveals its true values by who it protects—and who it doesn't.

In this episode, Rev. Andrew Shipley explores the painful but necessary question of how religious communities have sacrificed the vulnerable in the name of strength, unity, and survival. Grounded in theology, history, and lived experience, this conversation names how scapegoating functions in churches—and why protection is not optional in the way of Jesus.

With clarity and compassion, this episode challenges the myth that faith requires silence or endurance of harm, and affirms that structures which prevent abuse are acts of love.

For women who have been asked to carry the cost so others could remain comfortable, this is a reclaiming of truth: any faith that requires someone to be unsafe is not the gospel.