This episode features Rick Ufford-Chase.  Rick worked as a mission worker for twenty years on the U.S./Mexico border, supporting migrants and refugees and developing educational programs for people of faith who are interested in the complexities and challenges of the border region. Rick served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCUSA from 2004 to 2006. He is currently the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and the Co-Director (with his wife, Kitty) of Stony Point Conference Center. Rick has been deeply interested in the intersection between our faith, the challenge of responding to violence in our time, and the work of partnering with those from other religious traditions to protect and extend basic human rights to all people.

Rick is leading the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship delegation to Israel/Palestine next January 3-17. There is a grant that will subsidize more than half the cost of the trip for every participant, so the total, out-of-pocket expense should be under $2,000 including airfare. More information for anyone who would like to join this trip can be found athttp://presbypeacefellowship.org/content/january-2014-middle-east-witness-delegation#.UYBWOqUQ_0A.

Download using this link or listen using the player below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Rick_Ufford-Chase.mp3

Carol speaks with David H. Jensen, author of God, Desire, and a Theology of Human Sexuality.  David desires to connect the basic Christian beliefs to the day-to-day living of individuals. His book examines human sexuality in light of Christian faith and doctrine. Jensen moves beyond the hot-button social debate about sexual orientation and sexual practices to look for healing. You are invited to explore human sexuality from a new biblical perspective.

Download using link or just listen below…

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/David_Jensen.mp3

Join Carol and Derrick as they are talking to D. Mark Davis author of “Left Behind and Loving It: A Cheeky Look At the End Times.”  This podcast interview was recorded just days after the Boston Marathon Bombing.  Reflections on how we process tragic events are interwoven with a unique perspective on end times theology.

Click on the link below to download or listen using the player below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/D_Mark_Davis.mp3

Join Carol and Derrick as they speak with Lia Scholl, author of I Heart Sex Workers.  Lia brings her years of experience to help us see the sex worker industry through new eyes.  Issues of choice, agency, and human trafficking are explored along with real talk on how Christians can minister to this unique population.  This may not be an episode that you want to listen with your kids… just sayin’.

Click here to download or listen below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Lia_Scholl.mp3

Host Derrick Weston takes us on a trip down memory lane with a look back at the very first episode of God Complex Radio.  The charter co-hosts Bruce and Carol have a lot to say about the state of the church in 2009 and a lot of unique music to share as well!  Enjoy!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/VintageGCR-Episode_1.mp3

Break out the confetti…. It’s the 75th episode! In this episode, we are talking about authentic ministry for the needs and concerns of veterans and their families. Derrick and Carol are talking with Amy Blumenshine, one of the authors of “Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal: Pastoral Care and Ministry With Service Members Returning From War.” You can also access resources for veterans’ ministry, including healing rituals from this book at http://www.mpls-synod.org/programs/vets.

Download using the link below or listen using the player below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Amy_Blumenshine.mp3

Ruth Everhart is our guest. She has been a pilgrim in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.  Ruth served as a pastor 22 years and she’s also the author of the book Chasing the Divine in the Holy Land.  You can read more about her at RuthEverhart.com. One of her amazon reviews says that her book is like Eat, Pray, Love for people who go to church.

In this episode, we talk about the value of pilgrimage.  We also spend some time reflecting on the experience of other types of shared journeys.

Download using the link below or listen using the player below.  And you can always subscribe via iTunes!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Ruth_Everhart.mp3

Join Derrick Weston and guest co-host Anna Woofenden as they speak with Mark Linsenmayer. Mark is the founder and co-host of  The Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast and blog. He is a writer and musician who attended graduate school in philosophy at the University of Texas in the 90′s but quit academia for several years before coming back to re-explore classic philosophy texts through the podcast. His areas of specialty in his graduate work were in continental philosophy and philosophy of mind.

The Partially Examined Life has recorded several discussions on topics in the philosophy of religion, including on arguments for the existence of God, the New Atheists, the liberal Protestantism of Friedrich Schleiermacher, and the psychology of the the self and faith of Soren Kierkegaard.

How have images of Christ formed our faith and the ways in which we understand one another? How have pictures been used in our racial history? Why are images of Jesus so important? We invited Edward J. Blum to talk about some of these questions.

Dr. Blum is an associate professor of history at San Diego State University and the author of several award-winning books on religion and race in the United States. His latest book, co-authored with Paul Harvey, is The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America. Ed also edits Then and Now, a weekly blog for the Christian Century,

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Ed_Blum.mp3

Ben Crawford is a founding partner of Epipheo. Epipheo uses video and social media to translate meaning and communicate the stories behind companies and their products. His vision for Epipheo is to reveal truth in a way that changes people’s lives. Clients include Facebook, Google and Visa. Prior to Epipheo, Ben launched a blackjack team that notoriously took millions from casinos over the course of seven years and was featured in the documentary Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians.  Join Carol and Derrick as they explore issues of vocation, call, and of course… gambling!

Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians – Trailer from Connell Creations on Vimeo.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/gcr/Ben_Crawford.mp3