On this week's episode, we wanted to talk about some of the current stressors on our queer listeners. We discuss the Oklahoma University "bible essay" situation with Samantha Fulnecky, and the way that Conservative Christian grifters use the bible to leverage hatred for profit. We answer listener questions on how to talk to family members with regressive social views during the holidays. Finally, we talk to our queer listeners and make sure everyone in our community knows how beloved they are. And, as a bonus - this episode has all of the podcast super friends!

Show Notes:

1. https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/sport/soccer-world-cup-peace-prize-trump-intl
2. Assignment criteria: https://archive.is/Iiocy
3. The Paper Itself: https://archive.is/2Rog1
4. The TA and Teacher's Notes: https://archive.is/LT0r1
5. Media Strategy of the Fulnecky women: https://www.readtpa.com/p/same-script-different-target?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share
6. https://religionnews.com/2025/12/04/oklahoma-university-instructor-on-leave-after-failing-bible-based-essay-on-gender/
7. https://religionnews.com/2025/12/08/was-a-university-of-oklahoma-teacher-unjustly-punished-for-anti-christian-bias/

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

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 progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

In today's episode, Rev. Blair and Rev. Dr. Carter talk with Ben Stringer - an attorney and pastor in Springfield, Missouri. In 2024, Trump won Missouri with almost 20% over Harris. Though Springfield is often referred to as "having a church on every street," Progressive Christianity has often struggled to find advocates in the area.

We talk with Stringer about his experience growing up in a Conservative Baptist family, becoming a Civil Rights Lawyer to live out his calling as a Christian, how the courts are being used to help and hurt people in this turbulent time, and how he eventually heard the call to go into ministry late in his career. In this episode, Ben challenges us on how to define ministry, especially when living in a politically hostile environment. We also discuss how to be an authentic, effective advocate for Jesus' teachings in a world that tells us to do exactly the opposite (often, in the name of "Christianity").

This episode is dedicated to all of our red area listeners out there - we see you, we hear you, and you are not alone.

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

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 progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

If you're a Christian and you're American, you've probably been taught that socialism is unbiblical. That capitalism is God's chosen economic system. That Jesus would be against redistributing wealth, and the early church in the book of Acts was nothing more than a group of friends sharing their stuff. The election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani and Rev. Blair's viral TikTok in response to Mamdani's election, which appeared on Jesse Watters' nightly Fox News show, prompted us to ask: Should Christians be socialist? Are Christian ethics really at odds with socialism? Or have many of us been taught a version of Christianity that was blended with modern conservative political and economic ideologies that have little to do with the radical call of Jesus Christ? Digging into the bible, we question the idea of capitalism as God's chosen system, offering a different perspective on socialism explained through the lens of Christianity and faith.

Show Notes:

1. Dead Internet Theory Def - https://www.vice.com/en/article/dead-internet-theory-is-back-thanks-to-all-of-that-ai-slop/
2. What Makes Us Free- Throughline on NPR https://www.npr.org/2025/07/10/1255443727/what-makes-us-free-07-10-2025
3. Parable of the Talents- Matthew 25:14-30
4. Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard- Matthew 20:1-16
5. Sharing things in Common Acts 2:44-47
6. Ananais and Sapphira Acts 5:1-11
7. Working for Bread 2 Thessalonians 3:10
8. Good Fortune Movie- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/good_fortune
9. Leith Ross- I Can See the Future https://leithross.com/
10. Syrophoenecian Woman- Matthew 15:21-28

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

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 progressivechristians@theloftla.org.