Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation

Transformative Wisdom 4th of July Special: Resilience of Indigenous Wisdom with Rev. Dr. Matthew Scraper

For the final Transformative Wisdom special of this season, Dora sat down with Faith in Public Life Chief Operations Officer Rev. Dr. Matthew Scraper to discuss the relationship between Christianity and indigenous traditions in his own story and our nation's history. Matthew Scraper is a seasoned nonprofit executive with a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry in Organizational Leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary.He recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, where he led strategic planning and managed financial oversight to support the organization’s goals and expand its reach. An ordained elder in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church, Matthew has a strong foundation in community and spiritual leadership, which he has demonstrated throughout his career. He has also served in various pastoral roles, supporting and guiding diverse communities through his ministry. In addition to his leadership roles, Matthew is a U.S. Army veteran, an experience that has honed his organizational and strategic skills. He is actively involved in the community, serving on boards and volunteering with organizations such as the First Americans Museum, where he contributes to initiatives that drive significant community impact.The Cross and the Trail: The Battle for Cherokee Spiritual SovereigntyTo see more episodes of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation and see more of Faith in Public Life Action's work visit www.fplaction.com

Transformative Wisdom Juneteenth Special: Liberation and Reproductive Health with Kritee Kanko

This Juneteenth, our Theologian in Residence is in conversation with Kritee Kanko on liberation and reproductive health. Together they share their experiences of building spaces for liberation and envision what freedom looks like, even under oppressive systems.Kritee is a Buddhist priest, Climate scientist, Zen teacher, Grief-Rage ceremony leader, and Love-Justice advocate and writer. She is the founding guiding teacher of Boundless in Motion and a cofounder of Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center. To see more episodes of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation and see more of Faith in Public Life Action's work visit www.fplaction.com

The Path Forward is Together with Sunita Viswanath

For our season finale of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation, I’m honored to welcome Sunita Viswanath, a longtime human rights leader whose life’s work has been grounded in the belief that faith must be deeply tied to social justice. Sunita has co-founded several organizations such as: the international human rights organization Women for Afghan Women and the Hindu social justice organization Sadhana.  She currently leads Hindus for Human Rights as co-founder and Executive Director. Sunita has been a trailblazer in mobilizing Hindu Americans to reclaim a progressive, inclusive spiritual practice. Her decades of activism from New York to Afghanistan, remind us that spirituality and social change are deeply intertwined. In our conversation, we talk about what it means to be a faith leader in politically volatile times, how to resist with conviction, and where we go from here.To see more episodes of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation and see more of Faith in Public Life Action's work visit www.fplaction.com

Creating Spaces of Inclusion with Idit Klein

Idit Klein is a visionary leader who has spent three decades at the forefront of movements for justice. As the founding president of Keshet, Idit has transformed the landscape of Jewish life by making LGBTQ+ equality not just a conversation, but a communal value and a call to action. From building national community programs for LGBTQ+ teens and serving as executive producer on a documentary film, to mobilizing Jewish communities nationwide, her work is a masterclass in what deep, lasting inclusion truly looks like. In our conversation, we talk about what it takes to move faith communities from performative to transformative, how to build coalitions across lines of difference, and what gives us hope in the face of rising attacks on our rights. To see more episodes of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation and see more of Faith in Public Life Action's work visit www.fplaction.com

Do Hard Things When Hard Things are Necessary with Imam Makram El-Amin

Imam Makram El-Amin, a steadfast voice for justice, dignity, and spiritual leadership in the heart of Minneapolis. For over two decades, Imam El-Amin has served his community through faith and action, guiding one of the city’s most vibrant masjids, addressing food insecurity and housing through leadership of the nonprofit Al Maa’uun, and showing up in moments of crisis with unwavering support. A student of the late Imam W. Deen Mohammed, his bridge-building across faiths and continents has taken him from the streets of Minneapolis to global stages with Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Pope John Paul II. In this episode, we talk about what it means to lead through uncertainty, how to respond when sacred spaces are under threat, and how faith can be a light in even the darkest times.To see more episodes of Wrestling Out Loud: Faith and Liberation and see more of Faith in Public Life Action's work visit www.fplaction.com