Why Are You Persecuting Me?

On the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, this episode listens closely to Acts 26:9–21, Paul’s own account of his life as a persecutor and his encounter on the Damascus road. We explore how his experience of guilt, revelation, and self-preservation helped shape the Christ that dominates our written record, and how empire later learned to use that Pauline universe for control. From there, the reflection turns to the present: ICE and federal agents killing citizens in Minneapolis, Christian language wrapped around state force, and a fake Jesus held up as the mascot of a nationalist movement. Between Bread and Stone asks whether a Pauline church can still repent in deeds, not slogans, and what it would look like for communities today to hear Christ say, again, “Why are you persecuting me.” You are welcome here. Protected Speech | Views My Own Between Bread and Stone © 2026 Stephen Brewer. All rights reserved. Podcast audio and full text may be quoted for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Gospel text from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Get full access to Drawing the Line at percival84.substack.com/subscribe