The Brown Line Church Podcast

Vince explores how mothers at their best open us to the humility and commitment found in the Hebrew Bible’s Ezekiel and Jeremiah when they insist “No more shall it be said…” in response to assumptions that must be overturned. (Photo by Manuel Rheinschmidt on Unsplash)Logical Consequences workshop: https://forms.gle/PqfDFwd8n9ke4hhW6 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

God is more “all-empowering mentor” than “all-powerful ruler”, even though it is “all-powerful ruler” types who tend to try claim divinity.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

A well-know parable of Jesus about money (often Americanized to be about something else) hits differently when understood in its proper context.Mutual Aid survey: http://brownlinechurch.org/surveyJoin our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Jesus’ famous “Good Samaritan” parable is powerful as an example, but perhaps even more powerful as a challenge. (Art: Van Gogh’s “Good Samaritan”)MUTUAL AID SURVEY: http://brownlinechurch.org/surveyJoin our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Jesus’ preferred method of teaching (parables) made sense in 1st Century Galilee, and it makes sense in 2026 America too!Mutual Aid Survey: http://brownlinechurch.org/surveyJoin our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince wants to “make Easter democratic again”, and help us discover hope in the process! Art by Izzy Spitz (book cover for Jesus & Justice, 2026)http://brownlinechurch.org/listen-to-teachings/260405 Mutual Aid 2026 survey: http://brownlinechurch.org/surveyJoin our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Did you know Palm Sunday was a demonstration of nonviolent resistance? For the last Sunday of Lent (and the day after No Kings protests across the US), Vince presents one more example of a liberative read of Jesus and the Bible. (Art: Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem by Paul Oman)http://brownlinechurch.org/listen-to-teachings/260329Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

All people know pain, which means healing solidarity is always possible, but some people experience more (or more intense) pain than others for systemic reasons, which presents obstacles to solidarity. Hayley and Vince continue our Liberation for Lent theme. (Image: Korean concept of “han” from book cover “The Wounded Heart of God” by Andrew Sung Park)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

When all land has been colonized, the new imperial frontier becomes our time and attention. Vince continues us in our effort to live ourselves into liberation thinking this Lent.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Continuing our Liberation for Lent theme, Hayley explores the connection between liberating our view of our own bodies and working toward bodily liberation for all. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Is faith just safe conversations about being good people in our private lives? What if the God Jesus shows is doing more in the world? Join us in giving up individualistic theologies for Lent, and turning instead toward liberation theologies.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We hope this helps you carve out a space of prayer today to begin Lent.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley explores how faith helps us tell beautiful stories of the inevitable rockiness in friendships, when technology enables constant storytelling but also shapes our storytelling to avoid the rockiness.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Q&A from community discussion around why friendship feels so hard in a technological age, and what we can do to be a part of the solution rather than the problem.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Our technological age makes so much in life easier and smoother, but it might also endanger deep friendship, and maybe that’s serious! What do we do? Vince shares from his own friendships, from the Gospel of John, and from the social sciences. (Image from Paper Trident)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

On the weekend America remembers Dr. King, Hayley and Vince talk about the power collective prayer in groups can have — from petition to protest, from ritual to refrain, from lament to lure.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Praying with someone can feel a bit more earnest or sincere than modern city people are used to, BUT there are ways to do it that can feel authentic to even the most savvy or knowing or hyper-self-conscious, and the connection it sparks is so worth it!Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In our first of three practical messages on prayer to begin the new year, Vince teaches on how to have a personal prayer life, bringing us to the charming brilliance of the 17th century kitchen worker and monk Brother Lawrence.Spiritual Pathways resource: http://brownlinechurch.org/spiritual-pathways Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley’s reflection after our community’s unique take on the traditional Anglican “Lessons & Carols”. (Art: The Word became flesh, by Edie Mae Herrel, 1978)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

What does it take to join God in “frustrating the ways of the wicked”? Hayley and Vince discuss for the third Sunday of Advent. (Art: Advent Candle by Lauren Plummer)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

For the second Sunday of Advent, Hayley and Vince encourage us to participate in the continued incarnation of God right here in our very particular moment of 2025 America. (Art: Swords into Plowshares by Cara B. Hochhalter)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Along with our usual time for music and prayer, we’re hosting our annual meeting (instead of a message) — a time for updates and questions about the financial side of running our church. All are welcome, whether you consider yourself a stakeholder in BLC or you’re just curious how this church does “family conversations”. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince and Kalif give a taster of the kinds of discussions happening in BLC’s Bible Study… for the people!BRUNCHES Sunday - Advent 2025https://forms.gle/QvErpBScu735WXH29 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Pulling together the ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the surprising depth of Australian kids cartoon “Bluey”, Vince shares about his complicated feelings around things like Veteran’s Day, as someone who is BOTH anti-military-industrial-complex AND grateful for the way the army saved his brother. (Bonhoeffer Icon by Kelly Latimore)SIGN UP FOR A BRUNCH NOV 30: https://forms.gle/QvErpBScu735WXH29 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley closes our series on question-asking by posing a question that’s been on her mind: “How do we stay sane right now?” Is a desire for balance and stability a fruitless pursuit in the midst of ongoing chaos? Radical acceptance may be our way forward together. (Image from Fallon Michael on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The questions we ask in life tend to reveal what we wish to see, both in our own lives and in the world around us. Hayley looks to the story of Jesus healing a woman in a crowd (Mark 5:25-34) to explore how our questions of longing bring about new possibilities. (Art: Threnouses, 2005, by Zoie Lafis)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The questions people in our community are asking aren’t solved with neat and tidy answers; they require ongoing courage, risk, direction. With help from Psalm 90 and Søren Kierkegaard (the Christian grandfather of Existential thought), Vince tries to offer some guidance. (Art: The Scream, 1893, by Edvard Munch)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley wants us to think about the questions we’re asking with our lives and our posture as we ask them, because our questions — not so much our answers — are how we live fully, fruitfully, meaningfully. (Photo by Jens Aber on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Against the backdrop of constant discussion of authoritarianism, free speech and political violence, Vince traces the way late modern culture can lead us toward a lonely competition tormented by coulds, or it can lead us toward deep experiences of consolation with others that make life worth living. How do we help point things toward the latter?Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince dig further into the shoulds and coulds that define life in the 21st century, with a look at how to balance the best practical offers to help out there: therapy, community, and spirituality. (Image from Sandie Clarke on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

With help from sociologist Byung-Chul Han and the Bible’s letter to the Romans, Vince unpacks some of the defining challenges of life in the 21st century, and what to do (and not do) about them. (Image: book cover for “The Burnout Society” by Byung-Chul Han)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In solidarity with working people on Labor Day weekend, a cohort of BLC folks report back to the church about their experience going through the “Solidarity Circles” course run by Vanderbilt University’s program in Religion & Justice. (Image from bioneers.org)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Week 3 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the ”Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. This week, we talk about one of the main reasons churches are meant to exist. (Photo by Olga Kovalski on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Week 2 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the “Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. For this week’s Bible passages, we talk truth-tellers and Vince brings up “Star Wars” again. (It’ll be worth it; he promises.)

Week 1 of BLC’s August church-culture experiment following the ”Revised Common Lectionary” for our inspiration. For this week’s Bible passages, think Luke Skywalker from ”Star Wars”…Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In preparation for BLC’s first Baptism service in years, Vince responds to some questions about the practice, prompted by sharing his story with baptism the previous week. (Photo by Luca Romano on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Whatever your feelings (or lack of feelings at all) around the Christian ritual of baptism, Vince has probably been in the same boat as you at some point over the last decade. What does it matter? What makes it beautiful and important? What makes it uncomfortable and problematic? Vince shares his journey of re-thinking, taking some space, and re-thinking again. (Photo by Luca Romano on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

What are the best cases from the Bible for supporting pride? Hayley and Vince discuss how today’s historically-new Christian perspectives that embrace queer identities and relationships can be seen as a maturing in Biblical interpretation, not a departing from the Bible. (Photo by minimdesignco on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Different contexts mean God will guide us in different ways to celebrate or stand up for queer pride. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

On Father’s Day, Hayley discusses what it means to commit to being family and a collective body. (Photo by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Like wind blowing leaves on a tree, God’s Spirit is unseen, but what can be seen are the effects of God’s Spirit. On Pentecost Sunday, Vince leads us in looking for those effects in our community. (Photo by Phix Nguyen on Unsplash)Bible study for the people sign up → http://brownlinechurch.org/small-groups Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince closes our series using attachment science to improve our relationships with God, by bringing in one last psychological framework to help us intentionally shape our images of God to be more like Jesus’ loving parent image.Sign up for Bible Study for the People → http://brownlinechurch.org/small-groupsJoin our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince cue up some community comments and questions from our last three weeks discussing how Attachment Science can help us improve our relationships with God.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Mother’s day is, perhaps, just the occasion to talk about trying to intentionally replace mixed-message, shame-inducing images of God with consistent, loving, mothering images of God. Vince continues our series applying Attachment Science to spirituality.Submit questions about attachment → https://forms.gle/BCB2RavyeFat5XQn8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Continuing our look at how Attachment Science can help us improve our relationships with God, Hayley and Vince turn our focus to anxious insecure attachment. (Art by Laura Porter for verywell.com)Submit your Attachment Questions! → https://forms.gle/BCB2RavyeFat5XQn8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We begin our look at how the framework of Attachment Science can help us improve our images of God, and, in turn, our relationships with God. First up, a focus on shut-down (or avoidant) insecure attachment with God.Attachment Question? Submit at:http://brownlinechurch.org/attachment Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We can tell intuitively that the most dominant stories framing our lives everyday are too empty and too unjust to be what life is all about. AND we can also tell intuitively when a story comes along that does capture what life is all about! Vince presents the New Testament's story of The Resurrection as one such story...Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In the face of hopelessness, is there only strength and weakness? Are values and virtue not worth standing for? Vince closes our effort to give up “giving up” (for Lent) with some encouragements beyond our modern pulls toward nihilism. (Art by Morgan Sorensen @see_machine)Good Friday RSVP → https://calendar.app.google/7X6ht3rZj5aSwQaj7Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

What do we do when we know we need communities and institutions to lean on, but they let us down? Hayley and Vince continue our Lenten tradition of giving up (for Lent) hidden beliefs that cause us to give up. (Art: Ethiopian Icon of Jesus washing disciples' feet)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Continuing our Lenten tradition of giving up hidden beliefs that aren't serving us, Vince explores how basically all working people today end up believing "it all comes down to me", and offers the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert as inspiration to not give up. (Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate