Episode 54: Sexual Orientation and the Church (part 2) with B.T. Harman
Release Date: 04/04/2019
Episode 82:What I Learned from Listening (Year Two)
A Year of Listening
It’s the last episode of 2019 and Colleen is sharing what she learned this year from listening to all her guests. This year provided so much food for thought as she listened and learned from a variety of people. Find out what were the most popular episodes and which ones have stuck with Colleen long after the microphone was turned off.
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Episode 80: The Upsides and Pitfalls of the Enneagram with Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan
A Year of Listening
In this episode we talk Enneagram, or rather the pros and cons of this ancient self-knowledge tool. Colleen chats with two friends, Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan, about why they love the Enneagram, how its current popularity has effected its use, and what can be problematic about the Enneagram. Whether you’ve been doing a deep dive into the Enneagram for months, or you’ve just started wondering what the heck it is, this conversation will help you to understand the highest and best uses of the Ennea
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Episode 79: A Conversation About the Role of Government with Mike Lindberg
A Year of Listening
This week Colleen sits down with her long time friend, Mike Lindberg, to discuss the role of government. Mike and Colleen think differently about a lot and over time they’ve come to realize their differences of opinion may root in what they each believe about the truest and best role of government. So they hashed it out, dialoguing about government overreach, who to trust to solve problems and provide aid, and whether the government or the private sector would be more effective.
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Episode 78: A Conversation about "Mismatching" Students to Listen Across Divides
A Year of Listening
Mismatch is helping teachers connect their students with classrooms across the country and giving students opportunities for discourse about the polarizing issues. On this episode Colleen learns about Mismatch technology with its founder Kristin Hansen and then speaks with educator Kent Lenci about his experience using the technology in the classroom. Kent and Colleen discuss his students' experience and how he helps students foster skills to work with people who think differently than themselves.
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Episode 77: Transracial Adoption and Parenting with Anna Jordan
A Year of Listening
This week’s discussion is about transracial adoption and parenting. Guest Anna Jordan is a writer and educator as well as a mom to three, including a son who came to her family through adoption. Anna and Colleen discuss Anna’s family’s story, the unique challenges that face transracial families, and how the conversation around transracial adoption has changed in the last 30 or so years. They also delve into adoption ethics and what family’s need to consider before diving into transracial adopt
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Episode 76: From Listening to Working Together with Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin
A Year of Listening
Today we have two special guests. Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin are two colleagues who are using their incredible experience helping people to listen across divides for heal our country. In this episode we discuss how people can move from listening to understand towards working together for change. This is a conversation about how we have productive conversations, what compromise is and isn’t and the roles both good conversation and activism play in any social movement.
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Episode 75: A Conversation about the "Love Anyway" Film
A Year of Listening
This week’s episode features a discussion with guest Charity McClure about the new film, "Love Anyway", about the organization Preemptive Love. Jeremy and Jessica started Preemptive Love Coalition during the middle of the Iraq War in in 2008. Over the past decade they have been a non-profit on the front lines, providing relief and serving and working for peace in conflict rich areas of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine and Israel, Korea and at the Mexico/U.S. border.
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Episode 74: A Conversation about Outrage Culture with Tommy Powell
A Year of Listening
This week’s episode is a little different. Over the next few months we will be hosting a series of dialogues with friends and listeners around topics of disagreement. In an effort to practice what we preach about engaging polarizing topics with compassion, civility and nuance, we’re going to be doing just that. This week I sat down with my husband Tommy to discuss the idea of “outrage culture.”
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Episode 73: Polyamory with the Triad Family
A Year of Listening
This week we the Triad family is here to discuss polyamory and their family. Katie, Luis and Raquel are a polyamorous family From Baltimore, Maryland. We discuss the backlash they received for their choice to pursue this lifestyle, what challenges do they face and why they choose each other despite those challenges. You may not agree with their unconventional family dynamic but it’s worth listening if only to challenge pre-conceived notions and judgements.
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Episode 72: Listening Across Differences with Tracy Hollister
A Year of Listening
To celebrate International Day of Listening we have a special episode today with Tracy Hollister about listening across differences. Tracy and I chat about her work with Living Room Conversations, the relationships she has developed across political and cultural divides, and why listening to people with whom we disagree requires great courage.
info_outlineWe are continuing our conversation this week around sexual orientation and the church with B.T. Harman. B.T. is the creator and author of the website Blue Babies Pink: A Southern Coming Out Story in 44 episodes. First as a blog, and then later in podcast form, BBP details B.T.’s story as a young man growing up in the church and coming to terms with his sexual orientation as a gay man. B.T. is a freelance content-creator for millennials and the brands that serve them. His consulting work focuses on brand strategy, design, marketing, social media, leadership, and more.
B.T. and Colleen chat about how he went from denying his orientation, to a commitment to celibacy to finally taking an affirming stance and getting married himself. They also discuss whether this is an issue in which faithful Christians can disagree and how you can love and support affirming brothers and sisters whether or not you agree with them.
Connect with B.T. Listen to the Blue Babies Pink podcast or read the blog. You can also find B.T. on his website or follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He’s a great follow!
Year of Action
Do, as B.T. says, the work on this issue. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of sexual orientation in the church, whether you are affirming of gay marriage or not, seek out the story of a gay christian. Seek out many stories, as it is all deeply personal and nuanced. Suspend your opinion on the issue and seek out the story of someone who maybe falls on the opposite side of you theologically. Try to understand where they are coming from and the path they’ve walked. As BT said, do everything you possibly can to empathize from a human connection.
Also discussed in the episode:
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott