Description

When the news cycle feels like a constant gut punch, how do you keep chasing faith?  In this episode, Dorothy and Jason sit down with Sister Chris Schenk, CSJ, a nurse midwife turned church reformer, founding director of FutureChurch, and longtime National Catholic Reporter columnist to talk about finding God when the headlines are bleak, why doubt is part of faith, and why it’s absolutely okay to get mad at God. 

In This Episode

• Advent Week Two: Peace in a noisy world
  Jason and Dorothy reflect on Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers” – and why peace feels both fragile and essential right now.
• Journalists chasing faith  As two longtime news people, Dorothy and Jason talk honestly about reading hard headlines every day and how this podcast is changing the way they experience faith, trust, and even technical glitches.
• Meet “the radical nun” Sister Chris Schenk  Nurse midwife who served low-income families in Cleveland for years. Founding director of FutureChurch, an international church reform organization focused on lay participation and justice in the Church. One of three nuns featured in the award-winning documentary Radical Grace and a regular columnist for National Catholic Reporter. 
• Where is God when the headlines are so bleak?
  Sister Chris shares what pushed her to the edge of disbelief during the Vietnam and civil rights era, how a Jesuit mentor helped her reframe God and human freedom, and why she now sees her primary identity as rooted in faith rather than nationality.
• Good vs. evil, and why the arc still bends toward justice
  She reflects on Jesus facing corrupt political and religious systems, the long view of history, and why she still believes “good is bigger than evil” even when everything looks like it’s falling apart.
• “Good trouble” inside the Church
  From sanctuary work for Central American refugees to expanding Medicaid access for low-income pregnant women, Sister Chris talks about getting in “good trouble” for justice, and why she refuses to abandon the Church to its own sinfulness. 
• A very human vocation story
  How a Baptist friend, a deep season of depression, and a Perry Como love song all played a part in a deeper conversion moment that changed the trajectory of Sister Chris’ life.
• It’s okay to be angry with God
  Why many of us are more furious with God than we admit, and how naming that anger can actually open the door to a more honest relationship with the divine.
• Daily practices that keep her grounded
  Sister Chris shares her rhythm of Scripture, journaling, and centering prayer – and why two days without it leaves her “out of joint.” She also offers practical ideas for people who struggle to make space for God in a noisy life.
• Looking ahead: from nun to rabbi
  Jason and Dorothy tease next week’s episode with Rabbi Bradley Artson, recorded as Hanukkah approaches, and talk about what it means to spread light in a dark season.

Key Takeaways

• Faith isn’t a one-and-done decision; it’s daily work – every choice, every moment.
• You can question, doubt, and even be angry at God and still be deeply rooted in faith.
• Peacemaking is not passive; it’s an active stance in a world that often rewards power over compassion.
• The history of Christianity is far more inclusive of women’s leadership than many of us have been taught.
• Prayer, community, and honest conversation can lighten the heaviness of the news cycle and help us stay engaged without being consumed.

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