Shows
In Conversation With..... An Ideos Institute/ (Re)union Project PodcastIn Conversation With... Angela WeszelyIn the recent election, abortion access was a significant topic, ballot measure, and factor in voting choices. Not only is the country deeply divided on this issue, so too is the American church. In this conversation, Ideos’ Greg Arthur speaks with Angela Wesley, CEO of ProGrace, about the organization's mission to create a Jesus-centered approach to the complex issues surrounding abortion and unintended pregnancies that moves beyond the categories of being pro-choice or pro-life.
They discuss the importance of empathy, grace, and community support in addressing these sensitive topics, emphasizing the need for the church to be a...2024-11-2146 min
The ProGrace PodcastMichael Wear on Moving Forward Post-Election as ChristiansMichael Wear joins Angela for a conversation about how we should move forward after the election as grace-filled Christians. Their discussion dives into how to make the most of this moment by offering a positive vision for life: not just fending off the bad but pursuing the good. How can we tap into the grace that God offers each of us to be humble in our interactions and imagine positive possibilities for the future?
Guest Bio:Micheal Wear is founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based i...2024-11-1937 min
The ProGrace PodcastAnswering Your Questions: Abortion Conversations during this Election SeasonIn this episode of The ProGrace Podcast, Angela recaps some of our previous guests' most helpful advice as we enter the last few weeks of a contentious election season. Hear from Kaitlyn Scheiss, Skye Jethani, Andrew Hanauer, Christy Vines, Amy Peeler, and Laura McAlpine on ways we can prioritize people instead of politics.
Episodes featured: Andrew Hanauer from One America Movement: https://www.prograce.org/podcasts/the-prograce-podcast/episodes/2148861711
Kaitlyn Schiess, author and speaker: https://www.prograce.org/podcasts/the-prograce-podcast/episodes/2148628778
Dr. Amy Peeler: https://www.prograce.org/podcasts/the-prograce-podcast/episodes/21483419172024-10-1543 min
The ProGrace PodcastAndrew Hanauer, President and CEO of the One America Movement, on restoring unity to a divided AmericaOur world seems to become more divided by the day. We are ending relationships over differences in opinion on political matters. How can we restore unity to our families and communities? In this episode, Angela talks with Andrew Hanauer, the President and CEO of the One America Movement, an organization founded by faith leaders to fight toxic polarization, about how faith communities and leaders can work to model unity during increasingly divisive times. In Andrew’s words: “politics will not fill the Spiritual holes in our lives,” but he believes that Scripture holds the answers we seek. Many of us fee...2024-09-1740 min
The ProGrace PodcastHow to navigate political divisiveness around abortion: hope, encouragement, and answers with Angela Weszely, CEO of ProGraceThings are heating up politically and socially as the United States prepares for a presidential election, and abortion is on everyone’s minds and ballots. You may be feeling overwhelmed, worn out, or stuck. What is Jesus asking us to do when it comes to abortion, and how should we, as Christians, behave during the politically divisive season we are in now? In this episode, Angela Weszely speaks from the heart about what this tense climate means for us as Christians, how we can engage in a way that makes people feel safe and represents Jesus, and why we sho...2024-08-2029 min
The ProGrace PodcastKaitlyn Schiess, author and speaker on how prioritizing Biblical theology and spiritual formation helps us engage politically In this episode, author and Holy Post co-host Kaitlyn Schiess breaks down what it means to be a politically responsible Christian. As a theologian, Kaitlyn understands both the Biblical importance and limitations of legislation to solve the problems we are faced with, as well as the fine line we must walk between the two. In this conversation, she and Angela break down the questions that many of us have about how to be politically active in a way that respects and reflects our faith, the pull of political parties on our identity, and how to keep our priorities in t...2024-05-2145 min
The ProGrace PodcastAndrea Leigh Capuyan, ED of Laurel Pregnancy Center, on how grace and her experience shape her work with people during and after unintended pregnancyAndrea Leigh Capuyan, Executive Director of the LPC in the Baltimore/Washington DC metro area and ProGrace Equip learning community member, discusses how her life experience and grace changed how she and her organization operate. Rejecting industry norms and standards, Andrea has allowed her own experience and faith, as well as the ProGrace community and resources, to guide her toward a more empathetic and loving standard of care in her organization.Andrea faced an unintended pregnancy at 25, not at a time in her life in which she felt capable of raising a child. Her own experiences, both...2024-04-1641 min
The ProGrace PodcastKristen Lonberger, COO of Living Alternatives, on Valuing Women Within a Christian Pregnancy CenterIn this episode, Angela talks to Christian Pregnancy Center COO Kristen Lonberger of Living Alternatives about their center’s desire to treat their clients in a way that is congruent with their faith. They discuss how the practices of traditional pregnancy centers can make women feel shame and guilt, and how the staff at Living Alternatives has worked to ensure that their practices are both ethical and representative of Jesus. Guest BioKristen Lonberger is Chief Operations Officer for Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center; a faith-based non-profit organization that serves Illinois and Indiana. She holds a bac...2024-03-1937 min
The Holy Post605: Market-Driven Christianity & Abortion Beyond Politics with Angela WeszelyA new book argues that the rise and decline of the Contemporary Christian Music industry helps explain the political idolatry of many Christians, and Karen Swallow Prior says the biblical manhood industry is a scam. These stories lead Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn to discuss whether American evangelicalism is defined more by consumer markets than by theology. Angie Weszely, the CEO of ProGrace, is back to talk about how the church can actually create a culture of life after the overturning of Roe. She says we need to stop seeing abortion as primarily a political and legal issue, and instead...2024-02-211h 30
The ProGrace PodcastWhy I Have Hope for 2024In this episode, Angela discusses her recent experience participating in the National Day of Dialogue (NDOD) 2024. The event taught practical tools for having more constructive conversations. She explains the ABCs of Constructive Dialogue and how she learned to use them to increase understanding. She also recounts a time she used these skills in conversation with someone who held opposing views and how the conversation resulted in understanding, empathy, and even friendship. This episode will give you the hope and encouragement to navigate this election year and grow your faith in these divisive times.
Show Notes:
Download...2024-01-1640 minThe ProGrace PodcastDr. Amy Peeler: Celebrating God’s Affirmation of Women in the Advent StoryGuest: Dr. Amy PeelerTo have new conversations about abortion, we need to step inside people’s stories. Women specifically can sometimes wonder where they can find their place in the story of God's family. We’re celebrating this season of Advent by exploring how the coming of Jesus to reconcile God and humanity begins with a pregnancy story. Join Angela and her guest, Dr. Amy Peeler, the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College, a priest in the Episcopal Church (USA), and the author of Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans, 2022). They unpa...2023-12-1252 minThe ProGrace PodcastLisa Fields: How Theology Can Lead to Grace-filled Conversations Across DividesGuest: Lisa Fields, Founder and CEO Jude 3 Project
Experiences, hurt, and trauma always filter how we receive information. So, if we ignore people's lived experiences, we miss the opportunity for connection that leads to transformation. In this episode, Angela sits with Lisa Fields, Founder and CEO of The Jude 3 Project, about the importance of having conversations around divisive issues like abortion and racial divides in the church. They discuss the need for Christians to model their approach after Jesus, not politics, and to listen to others' experiences with empathy and understanding. They also emphasize the importance of...2023-11-1447 minThe ProGrace PodcastRev. Dr. Alvin Sanders: The Urban Church as a Place of Healing and Impact“We’re in a time where people need healing, and the Church is the answer for that. Jesus is the answer, but [knowing] Jesus through the Church is critical. [If pastors only] knew how much people needed the Church—not the politics of the Church, not all of the theology of the Church, but just the Church in action.” Thoughts on Mission & Ministry FROM LEADERS IN URBAN CHURCHES & COMMUNITIES, Page 12 Pastors have a God-given opportunity to lead their church to impact communities for the common good. Listen as Angela welcomes Dr. Alvin Sanders, President and CEO of World Impa...2023-10-1741 minThe ProGrace PodcastSkye Jethani: Can We Be Honest? Creating an Environment of Safety in Our ChurchesResearch shows that many people in our culture have positive personal experiences with individual Christians in their lives but a negative perception of Christian institutions and how they interact in the public square. How do we bridge that gap and show up differently on contentious issues like abortion, especially after the overturn of Roe v. Wade? In this episode, Angela welcomes her friend, noted author, speaker, former pastor, and host of the Holy Post Podcast, Skye Jethani. Listen as they discuss his book What if Jesus Was Serious About the Church and explain how the political abortion debate fuels...2023-09-1949 minThe ProGrace PodcastRev. Dr. Darice Wright: Visiting Barbieland, part 2 - Grace: The Common Theme for ReconciliationAngela interviews Rev. Dr. Darice Wright, Associate Pastor of Life Church in suburban Chicago, for an eye-opening conversation on her work to help pastors disciple people in racial reconciliation - and how she discovered that extending grace is essential to healing. They discuss how we can apply grace to discussions on gender, the political divide, and how we, the Church, show up for those who experience unintended pregnancy and abortion. Together they go back to Barbieland to uncover themes art can reveal about this cultural moment and how we can catalyze God's way of doing and being in our...2023-08-221h 00The ProGrace PodcastSimone Halpin: Visiting Barbieland – Is the Barbie Movie Political or a Story About Bridge Building?A nonpolitical discussion about the Barbie movie is important because it touches many people. It's sparking a cultural conversation about how women and men relate to each other, which must be healthy if we're going to have conversations that lead to empathy and understanding of divisive social issues like abortion that the Church is called to address. Listen in as Angela and her special guest Simone Halpin, CEO of Naomi House, unpack their takeaways from the Barbie Movie and connect it to their personal stories. Using art and comedy, can the movie be one tool to help u...2023-08-1557 minThe ProGrace PodcastChristy Vines: How to Move from Debate to Dialogue Through the Power of StoriesWhat’s in a story? We all have one. Hearing a person’s story requires listening to understand and identify the connecting points. What if we stopped the back and forth in the abortion debate to emphatically listen to the other side? In this episode, Angela sits down with Christy Vines, President and CEO of Ideos Institute, who introduces us to how she and her team use Empathic Intelligence (EmQ) to transform spaces of division. The results advance empathy, transform systems, and inspire solutions. As with the ProGrace approach to help Christians think, talk, and engage differently in unintended pregnanc...2023-07-1841 minThe ProGrace PodcastMeeting at A Place of Empathy in Abortion ConversationsAre you a person who wrestles with how conversations about abortion are happening (or not happening) in our churches? If so, listen as Angela unpacks how Christians can find common ground aside from political binary views and meet from a place of empathy based on her journey. If we believe that God loves the woman and the child equally, how can we focus on what we agree on, position the Church as the solution, and open safe spaces to meet people where they are?
Resources:
Barna Group: Openness to Jesus Isn’t the Problem—the Church Is, M...2023-06-2032 minThe ProGrace PodcastAbortion Conversations Without Politics: Now is the time to reimagine how Christians respond to abortion.If you don't feel at home in either Pro-Life or Pro-Choice, welcome to the ProGrace podcast. Angela Weszely, CEO and co-founder of ProGrace invites you into a conversation on how to rise above the political divide and develop a compassionate approach. She founded ProGrace to equip Christians with a new way to think, talk, and engage around abortion so we can create safe spaces for conversations. Let's model our approach after Jesus, not politics.
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2023-05-2332 min