Son of a Preacher Man

He Got Up Anyway

The prophet Amos is told by the priest not to prophesy in Bethel—because it is “the sanctuary of the king.” But we know the deeper history of Bethel is that Jacob named it “the house of God.” What do you do when the king & the prophet...or God & government...have conflicting claims? And where does Romans 13 fit in? These are the pressing questions of the moment we are in, & this no-holds barred message from The Table explores them all.

Pastor Larry Crudup from Tabernacle Baptist Church in OKC joins us this week. How is the gospel good news, if it does not set free the oppressed? What does a gospel that liberates look like in this complex moment in history—in Oklahoma City, in America, in the world? What precisely should Christians believe we are “saved” from? And what exactly are we “saved” for?

From Jonathan Martin’s plenary session from the Water to Wine Gathering in St. Joseph, MO. Elisha demonstrates the prophetic task to which we are now all called—not to stand in the safe middle, but to stand in the dangerous in-between. Not standing for ourselves, our own people or interests, even for our own faith—but to stand in-between the world and her own self-destruction. The peace not only of “the people of God,” but of all people, is at stake at whether or not there is a people who are willing to stand in-between.

The Black Church tradition in America offers an alternative  perspective on how faith responds to trauma and pain, from what we often hear in popular culture. In this episode, CeCe Jones Davis offers an alternative to Exodus/leaving faith of “exfoliation,” and shares why she holds a spirituality “where you don’t throw anything away.”

In a time in which so many religious institutions are revealed as toxic and unhealthy, walking away from some kinds of faith systems is not only understandable, but necessary. But are there are other metaphors for what this process might entail other than “deconstruction?”

Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice.” Does the voice of God have a “sound?” A tone? How can we know THE voice, apart from all the other voices? From a message preached at The Table in Oklahoma City.

This is sermon Jonathan preached on Easter at The Table OKC.

In this far-ranging conversation with special guest singer/songwriter/Liturgists podcast co-host William Matthews at the Table OKC, we talk about black identity, the ways in which “God is black,” Star Trek and Spirituality, and hanging on to the story of the Church through pain and disillusionment.

This is the first sermon Jonathan preached at The Table, a new community in Oklahoma City. While the Table will have its own separate weekly podcast, we wanted to feature the first few messages for our loyal listeners here. How is it possible that God might call us to remember, and simultaneously to forget? What do you do when you want to stay connected to where you came from, but you feel Spirit tugging you into something new? These are the tensions we explore in this message on “continuity and discontinuity.”

Scott Erickson (aka, “Scott the Painter”) is an artist, author, speaker, & spiritual director. This week, Jonathan sits down with him for a vulnerable conversation with him on death & dying, suicide, how to not give up on yourself, & how bad eschatology literally, actually kills people.

In this 2 part series, Jonathan sits down with Luke and Christa Gifford to chat about divorce in our culture, how to discern when separation & divorce can be necessary, the redemption of marriage, how many Christians get married to have sex, & the ways God can redeem anything. Part 1 of this podcast is on Luke and Christa’s Head to Heart podcast, so make sure to check it out!

Julius Jones has been on death row in OK for just under 20 years. Actress Viola Davis produced a documentary on his story for ABC, The Last Defense, which presented compelling evidence both that Mr. Jones is innocent, and that his rights have been violated under both State and Federal constitutions. CeCe Jones Davis, last week’s guest and Teaching Pastor at the Table in Oklahoma City, was moved by his story and founded Justice for Julius, a criminal justice reform movement.  She returns to facilitate a conversation with Julius from death row.

For black history month, Jonathan sits down with CeCe Jones Davis, Teaching Pastor at The Table OKC, to talk about the power of sacred memory. Whoever owns the words owns the narrative, so what words we use—and how they connect or disconnect us from the stories of the people and places we come from—dictates the narrative, and dictates the future.

In part two of our conversation with author Rachel Held Evans, we tackle fundamentalism on the left, the fear of being “cancelled,” not being able to care equally about everything social media says you should care about, faithful ways both to stay and to leave a faith tradition, why twitter doesn’t work for spiritual formation, not putting ideas over people, staying tender/keeping your heart aligned with love in a violent age, and trying to figure out when & how to speak, & when not to speak. It all comes down to “wisdom and discernment.”