15. Rev. Roberto Che Espinoza, PhD (Baptist) – Becoming Human With One Another

🎙 15. Rev. Roberto Che Espinoza (Baptist) – Becoming Human With One AnotherThis week, Alexis Rice welcomes Rev. Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, PhD (@drrobertoche), pastor, scholar, and founder of Activist Theology and Our Collective Becoming.Roberto’s life and ministry embody a theology rooted in interdependence, tenderness, and justice. A Latinx trans man, theologian, and ordained Baptist minister, Roberto has devoted his work to spiritual formation, collective liberation, and radical ethics. He invites us to rediscover the practices of Jesus—not as abstractions, but as embodied acts of eating, walking, storytelling, and living in community. Song: Stay Safe provided by singer-songwriter and ally, Derek Webb @derekwebb.Alexis and Roberto explore:Why oppositional politics fuels polarization—and how interdependence offers a better wayHow embodiment and presence can reshape theology and ethicsRoberto’s call story: growing up in poverty and violence, finding home in the church, surviving abuse, and reclaiming his call to ministryThe painful reality of being pushed out of churches for living prophetically, and the hope of interspiritual communityWhat it means to become a stone catcher in a world of violence toward queer and trans peopleHow proximity, care, and hospitality can disrupt cycles of fear and build true solidarity💡 Key TakeawaysEmbodied presence is the starting point for repairThe fruit of the Spirit—not fear or exclusion—must guide Christian communityTo follow Jesus is to risk proximity, solidarity, and radical loveFlourishing requires more than inclusion—it demands spaces where difference blooms⛪ About Our Guest Rev. Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza is a pastor, visiting professor, activist, and scholar. A Latinx trans man, Roberto works at the intersections of embodiment, decolonial thought, moral imagination, and justice-rooted theology. He holds a BA in Bible, an MTS in Ethics, and a PhD in Constructive Philosophical Theology. He founded Activist Theology and Our Collective Becoming, is a visiting professor at Duke Divinity, and speaks nationally and internationally on gender justice, faith, and politics. Roberto lives in upstate New York with his wife, Erin, where together they are building a life of tenderness, resistance, and sacred embodiment.📚 Resources MentionedActivist Theology & Body Becoming — @drrobertocheQueer Virtue — @elizabethedmanSurvival Songs album — @derekwebbHomebrewed Christianity — @theologynerdExvangelical — @brchastainStraight White American Jesus — @straightwhitejc & @bbonishiWork by Sarah Heath — @revsarahheathThe Bible for Normal People — @thebiblefornormalpeopleMay you find sacred ground, may the fruit of the Spirit guide you. If you’re longing for community, may you be encouraged to find one that embraces your full, questioning, beautiful selves.Support the showAbout The Sacred SlopeWhere the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.🎧 WATCH: YouTube / Spotify     LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere     FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky)🔗 Connect🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope 🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice 🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence 📬 Nominate a guest: [email protected]🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿Fruit of the Spirit:  ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control