All Recordings from Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

Episode 3 Notes
We’ve aggregated helpful resources and additional information about the religious writings, practices, symbols and thinkers discussed in this episode.


Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

(King James Version)


Deuteronomy 29:13-14
And not with you alone do I make this covenant and this oath, but with the one who stands here with us this day before me, the eternal, our God, and also with the one who is not here with us this day.

(Tanakh, tr. R. Jurovics)


Deuteronomy 30:14
No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

(New Revised Standard Version)


Romans 10:8-9
But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

(New Revised Standard Version)


The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

(Luke 10:25-37, New Revised Standard Version)



Exodus 19:6
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

(Tanakh, tr. R. Jurovics)


Amos 9:7
Are you not like the Cushites to me, O people of Israel? Says the Eternal. Did I not bring Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

(Tanakh, tr. R. Jurovics)


Putting God Second: How to Save Religion from Itself, by Donniel Hartman


Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi)
Also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, this collects rabbinic discussion/commentary on the Jewish written compilation of the previous four centuries of oral tradition known as the Mishnah, compiled in Syria Palaestina at Tiberias and Caesarea (c. 350 - 400 CE).


John 13:4
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

(New Revised Standard Version)


Maundy Thursday
The beginning of the Triduum, or three holy days leading up to Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, Maundy Thursday commemorates both Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet and the Last Supper, when Jesus instituted the practice of Holy Eaucharist, one of the two major sacraments in Christianity. The word “maundy” refers to the practice of foot-washing.


Holiness Code
You shall be holy, for I the Eternal your God am Holy.
(Leviticus 19:2, Tanakh, tr. R. Jurovics)


Monism
Monism is the idea that the entire universe and all of reality is made up of the same substance and essence – divinity. The concept of monism appears in various forms across the world dating back to early Greek, Persian and Indian philosophies, as well as in the teachings of some Hasidic masters.

In this episode, Rabbi Raachel and Bishop Sam look to the scriptures of Judaism and Christianity to explain the importance of embracing spiritual permeability as a way to explore our own faith and to understand and be enriched by the faith traditions of others. They visit Mt. Sinai, the Tower of Babel, Jewish and Episcopal worship services, corporate and individual prayer, and the idea of translation–both literal and figurative.


Episode 2 Notes
We’ve aggregated helpful resources and additional information about the religious writings, practices, symbols and thinkers discussed in this episode. We hope you’ll take the time to read them and learn a little bit more about an unfamiliar faith tradition–or maybe even your own.


God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know - Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
This is the book referenced by Rabbi Raachel when she spoke about Mt. Sinai as an always-on transmitter to which we are not always attuned.


The Tower of Babel
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

(Genesis 11:1-9, New Revised Standard Version)


Tzitzit, Tallit and Worship
The "strings" Rabbi Raachel referenced are what are called tzitzit, the fringes on the corners of the tallit (prayer shawl) worn during worship. In many Jewish communities, it is a custom to wrap the tzitzit from a corner of the tallit around a little finger, which is then raised to point out the Torah scroll on its return to the ark after reading during the worship service: "THIS is the Torah, which Moses placed before the Children of Israel, by the mouth of God, by the hand of Moses."


The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.


Jacob
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’

Genesis 28:10-17, New Revised Standard Version)


The Burning Bush
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

(Exodus 3:1-6, New Revised Standard Version)

To Differ is Divine grew out of the ongoing interfaith conversations between Bishop Sam Rodman, the bishop diocesan of North Carolina, and Rabbi Raachel Jurovics, the Diocese’s rabbi-in-residence and former leader of Yavneh: A Jewish Renewal Community in Raleigh. As Rabbi Raachel says, “If God wanted us all to be the same, we would all be the same. If it serves the divine purpose that we differ in our religious practices, then we have a responsibility to respond to that with an open heart.” In this first episode, they explore what we’re calling spiritual permeability, the invitation to look at the texts and practices of our respective faith traditions as a conversation between different expressions of God. Embracing spiritual permeability invites us not only into the life of the Spirit but into a dialogue as people of faith in a time of great divisions in the world. We believe these conversations are part of the divine gift.

Episode Notes: To Differ Is Divine
We’ve aggregated helpful resources and additional information about the religious writings, practices, symbols and thinkers discussed in this episode. We hope you’ll take the time to read them and learn a little bit more about an unfamiliar faith tradition–or maybe even your own.


Ma'Ariv Aravim
Ma’ariv Aravim is the first blessing before the Shema and generally the opening prayer of the Evening Service, or Ma’ariv. It is considered to be the parallel prayer to Yotzer Or, which is recited in the same place during the morning service (Shacharit). Just as Yotzer Or speaks of the coming of light, Ma’ariv Aravim speaks of the coming of darkness. These are considered the first preparatory blessings for the recitation of Shema and affirm our appreciation for God's Creation. Ma’ariv Aravim is a praise of God for bringing on the darkness, controlling the day and night, for ordering the stars in heaven, and for the seasons. While it is preferable to recite Ma’ariv after dusk, it is permissible to recite this blessing any time after sunset, even if dusk has not occurred yet:


Calendar of Saints
Like a few other Christian denominations, The Episcopal Church recognizes saints. Some–the St. Luke’s, St. Mary’s and St. Matthew’s of the early Church–are included in the Book of Common Prayer with special collects (prayers), psalms and other readings from Scripture assigned to them. Others who have been added to the calendar of saints within the last couple centuries, including familiar names like Pauli Murray, are included in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, a liturgical resource where you can find prayers and a short biographical sketch for each person commemorated. New commemorations may be added to the calendar with the approval of two General Conventions, the triennial gathering of The Episcopal Church. Unlike the Catholic church, evidence of miracles is not required for inclusion, just exemplary Christian witness.

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 6: Trusting the Process

In the season finale of "Roundtables on Race," our season-long look at the intersection of race and voting rights culminates in a conversation about building trust in the system in which we cast our votes. Host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by Justice Bob Orr, current Republican and former justice of the NC State Supreme Court, and Mayor Jennifer Roberts, a current Democrat and former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Together, they are working as part of the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution program by undertaking the “The North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe, and Secure Elections,” otherwise known as the “Trusted Elections Tour," a bi-partisan effort to explain the election process, answer questions and provide appropriate ways to resolve any questions or disputes. Most importantly, the tour is intended to ensure everyone is able to vote and can trust that their vote counted and mattered.

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 5: The Role and Impact of the Courts

Among the many facets related to race and voting rights, one element front and center in today’s headlines is the role and impact of the courts. Historically and today, court decisions have had - and continue to have - a clear and decisive impact on a person's ability to vote, especially people of color. In this episode, host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by two guests who are actively involved in this work with tremendous insight to share: returning guest Professor Irving Joyner, award-winning professor of law at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law and legal commentator for local, state and national media; and Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of the bestselling and award-winning books White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide and One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy.

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 4: The State of Voting on College Campuses

Young adults have always had a significant presence in the voting process and social justice movements, and that presence is only increasing, with young adult voter turnout reaching record levels in 2018. With 2022 midterm elections approaching, we take a look at the state of voting on college campuses and the issues on the forefront of voters' minds. Host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by the Rev. Kevin Matthews, who for more than 15 years has served as the Episcopal chaplain for St. Mary’s House in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Carmen Liñero-Lopez, program manager for the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition's Ask Every Student Initiative.
(And thank you for understanding the technical glitches we encountered during recording happen!)

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 3: Facts and Myths of Voter Suppression

Following Episode 2's exploration of the systemic issues that might interfere with a person's right to vote, in this third installment of our look at race and voting rights, we discuss the more overt aspects of voter suppression – what those efforts are, some of the misinformation around them, and what each of us can do to help ensure everyone with the right to vote is able to do so. Host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by Karen Brinson Bell, executive director for the NC State Board of Elections, and Professor Rebecca Theobald, assistant professor of research at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs and the head of the GeoCivics project.

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 2: Barriers and Impact Factors

In this second episode of our season-long look at race and voting rights, we take a look at some of the systemic barriers and impact factors related to race and voting. Host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by Professor Irving Joyner, professor of law at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law and legal commentator for local, state and national media; and Kevin Briggs, a research fellow with The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations.

Season 2: Race and Voting Rights
Episode 1: Historical Context and Contemporary Trends

Roundtables on Race is back for its second season, taking a look at Race and Voting Rights. In the season premiere, host the Rev. Kathy Walker leads a discussion that takes a look back at the history of voting rights and how it compares with contemporary trends. She is joined by guests Professor Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina; a contributor to OldNorthStatePolitics.com and the co-author of The New Politics of the Old South and The Future Ain't What It Used to Be; Professor Robert Korstad, emeritus professor of Public Policy and History at Duke University, and Professor Jemes Leloudis, associate dean for Honors and the Director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Professors Korstad and Leloudis are the co-authors of Fragile Democracy: The Struggle Over Race and Voting Rights in North Carolina.

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 6: Addressing the Past

In the Season One finale of “Roundtables on Race,” the Rev. Kathy Walker discusses news outlets that are examining their past and future, especially around race-related news coverage. She is joined by two guests who are leaders in organizations that are proving to be leaders themselves in addressing past actions: Dave DeWitt, feature news editor for WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio and NPR affiliate in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, co-host of the podcast “Tested,” and member of WUNC’s Inclusion Diversity Equity Accountability (I.D.E.A.) committee; and Sewell Chan, editorial board chair and editorial page editor for the Los Angeles Times, and soon-to-be editor in chief for the Texas Tribune.

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 5: The Audience

In this week’s episode of “Roundtables on Race,” the Rev. Kathy Walker hosts a conversation on the relationship between news media and us, the audience and the consumers of information. She is joined by guests whose expertise in this field is unparalleled: Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of both the American Press Institute and the Media Insight Project; Jeffrey Gottfried, senior researcher at Pew Research Center; and Jacob Nelson, assistant professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and author of Imagined Audiences: How Journalists Perceive and Pursue the Public.

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 4: Setting the Tone

In this episode of "Roundtables on Race," host the Rev. Kathy Walker explores the media's role and responsibility in "setting the tone," especially in respect to potential conversations news reports can encourage. She is joined by guests Paul Cuadros, an award-winning investigative reporter, author and professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media; Ralph Shaw, morning host at WTOB radio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, whose decades-long career includes time as a news director, assignment editor, reporter, news anchor and contract news correspondent in both radio and television; and Skip Foster, former president and publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat, during whose 30-year career he was often called a consummate newsman.

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 3: Representation in the Newsroom

In this episode of "Roundtables on Race," host the Rev. Kathy Walker discusses representation in the newsroom and the difference it makes in reporting. She is joined by two guests whose careers in the news have ranged from the local to the national. Bervette Carree is the news director at ABC11-WTVD in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Her nearly 20-year career has included time as an executive producer at NBC and CBS affiliates as well as lead producer at CNN and HLN in Atlanta. Adrian Walker is an associate editor and columnist at the Boston Globe, whose 30-year career includes being an integral part of the Globe’s 2017 Pulitzer-finalist team and their series on race in the Boston area. (And if you noticed a similarity in name with our host, yes, there is a relation – Kathy and Adrian are siblings!)

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 2: The Making of a Journalist

In this episode of "Roundtables on Race," host the Rev. Kathy Walker explores training and what goes in to the making of a journalist. She's joined by two guests who have a deep knowledge of and a hand in educating budding journalists: Dr. Tracy Everbach, professor at the University of North Texas' Mayborn School of Journalism and author of Testing Tolerance: Addressing Controversy in The Journalism and Mass Communication Classroom; and Dean Susan King, dean of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media and former reporter and news anchor whose career included serving as a White House correspondent for ABC News and reporting for CBS, NBC and CNN, as well as hosting the “Diane Rehm Show” and “Talk of the Nation” for National Public Radio.

Season 1: Race and the News Media
Episode 1: A Look at History

Welcome to Roundtables on Race, the podcast that seeks to explore the relationship between race and the many facets of our society. With your host, the Rev. Kathy Walker, we’re excited to begin our season of exploration of race and the news media. It’s not just the first episode of the season, but our very first episode of the podcast, and we’re glad you’re on this journey with us.

In this episode, we start our conversation on race and the news media with a look back at the historical context. By gaining a deeper understanding of how people of color have been portrayed in the past, we’ll be better able over the course of this season to see how historical actions have influenced – and continue to influence – the news media today. We’re delighted to be joined today by two guests with a wealth of knowledge on this topic: Dr. Trevy McDonald, associate professor and the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media; and Professor Andrew Rojecki, professor of communication and political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and co-author of the award-winning The Black Image in the White Mind.

Welcome to "Roundtables on Race," the podcast that seeks to explore the relationship between race and the many facets of our society.

In our pilot episode, we explore how to have difficult conversations no matter what the topic. Host the Rev. Kathy Walker is joined by the Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church (known to many as the "Royal Wedding Preacher"), the Rev. Charles Robinson, founder of The Project for Deeper Understanding, and Father Christian Anderson, co-host of "A Priest and a Rabbi."

Welcome to Season 3 of And Also With Y'all! We're excited to bring you a new theme: Finding Foundations. Why "Finding Foundations"? Because when you find yourself in the front half of life, you find yourself in (fill in the blank). When faced with multiple “firsts” -- big and small -- young adults are challenged to make defining decisions about who they are, who they want to be, what kind of life they want to lead, what kinds of people and what kinds of things they want in their life, and where faith, God and the calling to a Christian life might fit in it all. Featured guests will share their stories about how those first experiences have shaped their being and journey of faith in young adulthood. Thanks a lot for listening!

In this episode, we check in with Mawethu Ncaca as part 2 of "checking in with the curates." Mawethu opens up about his spiritual landscape growing up in South Africa. We caught up on how life has been in ministry during the pandemic and what keeps him grounded. Learn more about the curates and their ministry at reimaginingcuracies.org/the-curates/.

What is a "curate"? In this episode, Caleb and James catch up with Amanda and Philip - two of the three folks in the Reimagining Curacies program. They currently serve parishes in Chapel Hill and Durham. More info on the program can be found at: https://reimaginingcuracies.org/the-curates/."