Progressive Spirit

This week I speak with someone who models activism, intellect and spirituality, Matthew Fox. Silenced by the Vatican for his views, he left the Catholic priesthood in the early 1980s. Matthew Fox is a theologian and activist who has written over 30 books. He has introduced ... Read more

Kenneth Briggs is a journalist and commentator who worked for many years as religion writer for Newsday and religion editor for the New York Times. He is the author of The Invisible Best Seller: Searching for the Bible in America.   He has traveled the country talking to pe... Read more

Author Douglas Steere wrote: “To ‘listen’ another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another.”   Listening is a lost art that is much in demand.   Jim Petersen, counselor and retired ... Read more

President Barack Obama is concluding his second term and history will get the last word on his presidency.  From his critics Obama is everything from a Muslim, a dictator, a socialist, and simply “the worst.”  Today’s guest wants to get in some words of defense for Presiden... Read more

Lisa Sharon Harper is the Chief Church Engagement Officer with Sojourners. Lisa has been leading trainings and helping mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good, with a focus on racial justice. Prior to joining Sojourners, Lisa was the f... Read more

David Galston is a university chaplain, adjunct professor of philosophy at Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Academic Director at Westar Institute, and speaker at the Quest Learning Centre. David was on Progressive Spirit about three years ago. We discussed his ... Read more

Amy Livingstone is the proprietor of Sacred Art Studio in Portland. Amy explores the intersection of theology, ancestral ways of knowing, environmentalism, and spiritual ecology. Her work is informed by her love for the earth and engagement with many forms of creative expre... Read more

Becky Garrison returns to Progressive Spirit to talk about alternative spiritual communities. Secular church but not "church." Not religious but a place to connect, find meaning, do worthwhile things. We'll hear about The Portland Round--the visual arts, slam poetry, and ... Read more

Why was Christianity so odd in its time and how did it change the way we think of religion today? Larry Hurtado is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language, Literature,and Theology in the school of divinity at the University of Edinburgh.   His research has focused on ... Read more

Tom Krattenmaker is a writer specializing in religion in public life. He is the author of Onward Christian Athletes and The Evangelicals You Don’t Know. Formerly of Portland, he is now communications director at Yale Divinity School. He is not a believer in God or the super... Read more