Rev. Caffie Risher is a Christian pastor and grief counselor who is deeply aware of the presence of toxic theology in scripture and in the teachings of the church. She infuses her ministry for the bereaved with clear, critical thinking and a non-dogmatic approach to spirituality in the process of grief and mourning.
Caffie has early recollections of walking dirt roads in the south with her grandmother Jessie Mae where they would take care of relatives and community members when there was a death in the family or if someone was sick and needed help. Both her mother, Earlene Williams Risher, and grandmother taught her Christ-care, compassion, and pastoral concern for others at an early age.
For Caffie, it is life’s experiences, her own mortality, death of loved ones, personal loss, grief, educational experiences, and certifications that have all shaped and equipped her for this journey to minister hope and healing to those who are hurting.
In 2002 she was appointed to the position of “Minority Scholar” teaching public speaking and introduction to business courses at Passaic County Community College. Eighteen years later she holds the position of a tenured Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator of Public Speaking in the Fine and Performing Arts Department. She teaches Public Speaking, Business Communication, Business Writing, and Death and Dying courses. She also serves as chair of the Distinguished Lecturer Series and faculty advisor to the Power in Christ Christian Club who won the Emerging Club Award for excellent campus involvement and exceptional leadership.
Prior to this, she held a post at New York Theological Seminary where she taught for several years in the Certificate of Ministry program.
For more on this topic, read this article:
Does the Hebrew Bible Sanctify Mass Murder… and Disregard the Resulting Trauma?
EP 36: Medical Aid in Dying: A Chaplain’s Perspective
EP 35: A Veterinarian Talks About Euthanasia for Animals
EP 34: The Yucky Stuff
EP 33: Dr. Korie Leigh - Helping Children Manage Grief and Loss
EP 31: Ken Doka PhD - Grief and Resilience- Part Two
EP 30: Robert Neimeyer, PhD - Grief and Resilience - Part One
EP 29: There Are No Stages of Grief - BONUS EPISODE
EP 28: What Dying Children Know
EP 27: What Happens When we DON'T Die?
EP: 26 - To Infinity and Beyond - with Peter Panagore, MDiv
EP 23: Separating Myth From Meaning - With Joshua Bowen, PhD
EP 25: Leaving Religion: A Step-by-Step Guide with Clint Heacock PhD
EP. 24: Spiritual But Not Religious - with Dr. Terri Daniel
EP 22: The Thinking Atheist - with Seth Andrews
EP 21: Near-Death Experiences: A Feedback Loop of Cultural Influence - with Dr. Gregory Shushan
BONUS EPISODE - Why We're So Interested in Death
EP 20: Thank God I'm Atheist - with Dan Beecher
EP19: Ultra Orthodox
EP 18: In the Realm of Death and Dreaming
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