Noel Castellanos, CEO of the CCDA - Episode 28 - on living incarnationally among the poor, what's missing from the American Gospel and how to persevere in the thick of ministry despair

Noel Castellanos is the CEO of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and the author of Where the Cross Meets the Street: What Happens to the Neighborhood When God Is at the Center. Noah Filipiak interviews Noel about the downside of American Evangelicals being obsessed with going to heaven, but neglecting much of Jesus's example and teaching. Noel talks "behind the curtain" about the challenge of doing urban ministry, but also the call behind it and the purpose it brings. The CCDA National Conference is coming to Detroit, MI on October 4-7th, 2017 so be sure to save the date to join us. www.CCDA.org From August 20 - 30, 2016 CCDA practitioners walked a 150 mile pilgrimage from the border of Mexico and California––El Camino del Inmigrante––to share in solidarity with immigrants who are migrating across the world. You can follow walkers' blogs, stories and reflections along the way. ​ Recommended reading from Noel: Where the Cross Meets the Street: What Happens to the Neighborhood When God Is at the Center by Noel Castellanos Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective by Justo L. González The Future is Mestizo: Life Where Cultures Meet by Virgilio Elizondo Galilean Journey: The Mexican-American Promise by Virgilio Elizondo Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (on mass incarceration) The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (on mass incarceration) Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by M. Daniel Carrol R. Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate by Jenny Yang and Matthew Soerens