Fresh Progressive God Talk
Get a fresh take on God, spirit, faith, life, love, justice, and community. First Church Berkeley is an open and affirming, progressive Christian church in Berkeley, California, part of the United Church of Christ. We are committed to Jesus’ countercultural and life-giving path. We understand the life of spirit to be a journey, not a destination. Our podcast features the powerful preaching of several of the ministers on staff and special guests. More about the church at firstchurchberkeley.org.
Midwife Crisis • Molly Baskette
08-26-2018
Senior Minister Molly Baskette notices that each of the characters in the story of Moses' birth was only doing what one would expect in the situation. It was God’s weaving together of these individual actions that created the extraordinary event.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 23.04MB - Duration: 24:29 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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The Fierce Urgency of Now • Phil Porter
08-19-2018
Minister of Art & Communication Phil Porter suggests that some of the characteristics of progressive Christians have may prepare them for the difficult challenge of dealing with climate change,
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 21.82MB - Duration: 23:09 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Listen to the Wild • Ken Iha
08-12-2018
Guest preacher Ken Iha suggests that if we are made in God’s image, then surely the wildness of God is in us as well. That wildness includes imagination, creativity, problem-solving, wonder, awe, and delight.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 18.39MB - Duration: 19:24 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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How Big is Ze? • Trust Hilton
08-05-2018
How big is God? God is so big that Ze cannot be described by any single word (even a gender-neutral pronoun). Director of Youth Ministries Trust Hilton notes that every word we use for God is a metaphor, helping us to touch God’s power in different ways.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 13.48MB - Duration: 14:02 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Into the Woods • Phil Porter
07-22-2018
Minister of Art & Communication Phil Porter weaves together the story of Jesus temptation in the wilderness, personal tales and lessons from Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” to talk about challenge, danger, transformation, and resourcefulness.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 20.73MB - Duration: 21:57 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Changing Your Mind • Molly Baskette
07-15-2018
Senior Minister Molly Baskette cites recent scientific work on the effects of controlled doses of psychedelics to treat some mental illness, to explore the power of awe. Awe allows us to enter into a larger awareness that expands beyond ourselves.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 18.92MB - Duration: 19:58 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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God is Not Safe • Molly Baskette
07-08-2018
In the first of a sermon series called “The Wildness of God,” Senior Minister Molly Baskette explores the fragility of life and the power of God. Things get broken—we are broken. Yet God can do much with that brokenness.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 17.88MB - Duration: 18:50 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Glimpses of Grace • Trust Hilton & Youth
07-01-2018
Director of Youth Programs Trust Hilton and members of the senior high youth group, Winthrop, share their reflections on their recent work camp in Stockton, CA, and where they saw God in their experience.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 22.47MB - Duration: 23:51 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Shine On, Queer Church, Shine On • Rachel Bauman
06-24-2018
On Pride Sunday, Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman reflects on the gifts of queer folk can “shine” when they are included in faith communities and can fully claim God’s love.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 18.93MB - Duration: 19:59 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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Christ’s Love Compels Us • Molly Baskette
06-17-2018
Senior Minister Molly Baskette wonders aloud whether it is as easy and exclusive as it sounds to claim Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Savior or whether salvation is for the whole world—a “package deal” in which everyone is saved.
Filetype: MP3 - Size: 21.39MB - Duration: 22:40 m (128 kbps 44100 Hz)
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