We believe the Church is alive, and we're keeping our finger on the pulse. Priest Pulse hosted by Father Benjamin Gildas and Fr. Colin Chapman looks at relevant issues in the Episcopal Church and around the world with prayer, humor, and thoughtfulness.

Welcome back from our summer break: it's the Priest Pulse back-to-school episode!

In the roundtable segment, Dr. Karyn Wiseman and Dr. Elesha Coffman discuss the struggles of seminary institutions and the future of religious education. We talk about Dr. Coffman's article on Religious Dispatches "Are We Entering the End Times for Mainline Seminaries?" We also play a game of "Pokemon or Early Church Heretic."

Colin interviews Dr. Derek Olsen about his book "Inwardly Digest: the Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life," how he found the Episcopal Church as a Lutheran, being a clergy spouse and lay theologian, and more.

Ben and Colin get the Last Word and discuss cultural shifts that effect the future of parishes and the priesthood.

 

Article by Dr. Elesha Coffman http://religiondispatches.org/are-we-entering-the-end-times-for-mainline-seminaries/

Dr. Karyn Wiseman on Twitter @txpreach

Dr. Derek Olsen's book Inwardly Digest: http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2183/inwardly-digest.aspx

Pokemon or Early Church Heretic Game: https://www.buzzfeed.com/haltheyounger/quiz-pokamon-or-early-church-heretic-2he7m

 

Direct download: Reading_and_Righting_and_Heretic_-.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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John Pattison and C. Christopher Smith join Fr. Benjamin Gildas to discuss their book "Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus." With all of the talk of church attendance decline in the Episcopal Church and mainline denominations, the language of the "slow food movement" offers some helpful corrections and might spark the imagination of churches into thinking about God's abundance. We discuss Asset Based Community Development, God's economy, abundance, scarcity, and much more.

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B00HUCPSE4&asin=B00HUCPSE4&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm

Direct download: Slow_Church_Rich_Soil_feat._John_Pa.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 7:27pm EDT
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Carla Barnhill from Sparkhouse Family and Nurya Love Parish from Grow Christians join Fr. Benjamin Gildas to discuss discipling and faith formation at home and how congregations can support and equip parents. What resources are there for parents to raise young children? Is it important to take Christian education and family ministry from Sunday morning into the home? At a time when mainline protestant denominations are in decline, these issues of faith building at home are centrally important. Its crucial that we equip parents to spark faith and grow Christians.

www.growchristians.org

https://www.wearesparkhouse.org/

Direct download: Sparking_Faith_Growing_Christians.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 8:36pm EDT
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Its a Popping Collars Takeover episode with Greg and Liz joining Fr. Ben to discuss environmentalism, science denial, and bringing the millenial generation back to church. In this episode we also change the elements of the Eucharist to kale chips and IPA. 

https://poppingcollarspodcast.com/

@poppingcollars

 

Direct download: Kale_Chips_and_IPA_-_Roundtable_4_f.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 3:18pm EDT
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The Rev. Cn. Daniel G.P. Gutierrez sits down with Fr. Benjamin Gildas to discuss being called as the next bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, his hopes for ministry and the Church, and his love of baseball. Bishop-elect Gutierrez was elected May 16, 2016 by the convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania as the next diocesan bishop and so will be the newest member of the Episcopal Church House of Bishops.

The Rev. Cn. Daniel Gutierrez's blog is here: http://ashepherdinthefield.blogspot.com/

www.diopa.org

Thanks to Canon Gutierrez and the Diocese of Pennsylvania for your cooperation in producing this episode.

Check us out at patreon.com where you can be a monthly patron and keep our show free.

Thanks for listening!

Direct download: Now_is_the_Time_-_an_Interview_with.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 4:00am EDT
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Kira Schlesinger and Joshua Hearne join our digital roundtable to discuss the new brand of so-called religious liberty and protection laws trending in a dozen or more states. Mississippi just passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, and Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia just vetoed a similar law. Proponents say these laws exist to protect the already existing religious freedoms granted by the first amendment, but are they necessary or do they reinforce or legalize discrimination? We discuss the philosophical shift in some anabaptist denominations toward church and state relations. Josh gives us a list of ways Baptists in Virginia were punished or killed for their faith just a few centuries ago. In the lightning round, Colin, Kira, and Josh propose new laws for their ministry contexts.

Music provided by Awaking Mercury: http://awakingmercury.com/

Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3100099&ty=h&u=3100099

Show links:

http://graceandmain.org/

http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Prayer-Prayers-Grace-Fellowship/dp/0692578129/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460039298&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Pattern+of+Prayer

@kmays

http://calledtoendure.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/opinion/how-covenants-make-us.html

Direct download: Give_Me_Liberty_or_Give_Me_a_Drink.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 10:33am EDT
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This is a special episode for National Poetry Month and the feast day of John Donne, Anglican Divine. Accomplished poet and author Blaine C. Martin joins Fr. Benjamin Gildas to talk about the metaphysical poets such as John Donne and George Herbert, as well as spirituality in modern poetry. Included is an exercept from Lucille Clifton's collection "Blessing the Boats." 

David Henson's blog post: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidhenson/2016/03/be-a-poet-not-a-preacher-during-holy-week-why-worldpoetryday-matters-to-the-church/

Find Blaine C. Martin:

"A Whole Armada of Loss" available Plan B Press http://www.planbpress.com/store/p12/A_Whole_Armada_of_Loss_-_Martin,_Blaine.html

www.facebook.com/blainecmartin

http://bcmartinpoet.wix.com/home

@bcmartinpoet

Direct download: Donne_da_dun_dun_Donne_feat._Blaine.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 11:36am EDT
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You are invited to join a conversation about innovative ministries and
missional communities in The Episcopal Church. This new conference takes place April 15-16 in Alexandria, VA at the Virginia Theological Seminary and is sponsored by the diocese of Texas, Washington, and Virginia. Featuring speakers such as Stephanie Spellers, Jay Sidebotham, Winnie Varghese, and many more, Missional Voices will connect church leaders, students, entrepreneurs, artists, community organizers, non-profit leaders, church planters, and everyday innovators from around The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

www.missionalvoices.com

Direct download: Missional_Voices_Conference_Invitati.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 11:37am EDT
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Two of three Lent Madness Distinguished Celebrity Bloggers join Ben and Colin at the digital roundtable. In this episode guests Laurie Brock and Megan Castellan discuss with us: Donald Trump vs. The Episcopal Church, Lenten disciplines, and Fox's live musical adaptation of the Passion. We also play a lightning round game of "Marry, Martyr, Monastery," and our guests have to choose saints to marry martyr, or spend a lifetime with in a monastery. 

 

How would a Donald Trump vs. the Episcopal Church battle play out? Does the Pope have the right to determine a "good Christian" vs. a "bad Christian" and good Christian behavior? 

What kinds of Lenten disciplines do our guests take on? Is Lent changing?

What do you think of Fox's live musical Passion hosted by Tyler Perry? Is this like Jesus Christ Superstar, or different for some reason? Should networks like Fox be telling the Gospel stories?

Which saints would you want to spend a lifetime with in a monastery?

Direct download: Marry_Martyr_Monastery_-_Roundtabl.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 9:48pm EDT
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The Rev. Kyle Oliver, Digital Missioner for the Virginia Theological Seminary and former host of the Easter People podcast, sits down with Fr. Benjamin Gildas at Amalgam Comics in Philadelphia to talk about the future of formation and proclamation. We discuss the upcoming e-Formation conference at VTS in June, the 2016 Forma conference, Episcopal podcasting, and getting churches into the digital age.

http://www.eformationvts.org/

Also don't miss the Missional Voices conference at VTS:

http://www.missionalvoices.com/

Recorded on location at Amalgam Comics:

https://www.facebook.com/amalgamphilly/

 

Direct download: The_Digital_Mission_Field_feat._Kyle.mp3
Category:religion -- posted at: 11:33pm EDT
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