If you’re like me, a child of the 80s, you grew up watching Star Wars. I understood a lot about Star Wars but what I didn’t understand at the time was how political it was. The empire and the rebellion. Resistance. Fighting for the underdog and the oppressed. Fighting for an alternative way of being that is not dictated by empire.
One of my goals with this podcast is to create a diverse platform of voices within the church. Voices on the margins. Artists on the margins. Theologians on the margins. One of those important voices is author and Cuban-American theologian Kat Armas. One of my favorite books this year is her new book Liturgies for Resisting Empire.
This is a conversation about reimagination. Decolonization. Reclaiming agency. Seeing the beauty in humanity in dehumanizing times.
There’s a lot here, but the entire conversation is worth your time if you like to be challenged, stretched, and gain perspective from a different vantage point in a global and diverse Christianity.
Topics Covered:
- The importance of listening to marginalized people
- Deconstruction vs Decolonization
- How the Bible is co-opted in support of various political agendas
- Why The United States of America can’t be de-colonized
- How to resist empire
- Global missions and colonialism
- How to care for those who have deconstructed their faith
Resources Mentioned:
- Show Sponsor: Planning Center
- Liturgies for Resisting Empire by Kat Armas
- Abuelita Faith by Kat Armas
- Sacred Belonging by Kat Armas
- Bewilderment by Richard Powers
Show Sponsor: Planning Center
This episode is brought to you by Planning Center, helping you sync all your ministry details across your whole church.
Planning Center has become so essential to how I manage a team, that it’s almost impossible to consider local church ministry without it anymore.
Today, I want to leave you with a PCO pro-tip.
Does this sound like a familiar situation? It’s the end of the week. You’re about to leave the office when you suddenly think: Did all of our volunteers confirm for Sunday? You scroll through the schedule and sure enough—there’s a gap.
Instead of allowing yourself to spiral into a panic, try this:
In Services, Planning Center has gap alerts. Turn them on, and you’ll get a heads-up days before service if positions are still unfilled or unconfirmed. No more end of the week scrambling.
Speaking of less scrambling, did you know you can access everything you need for rehearsals right from the Service media player on your phone? Lyrics, chord charts, arrangement notes—it’s all right there, so you’re not hunting for files in the middle of hitting those power chords.
To see what else you can do to make your Sundays easier, go to planningcenter.com/blog.
