Episodes

  • Remember your elders ft. Greg Esser

    Remember your elders ft. Greg Esser
    Dec 24 2024

    The following is some statistical data as it pertains to Maricopa County:

    • One in ten Americans aged 60 and older have experienced some form of elder abuse.
    • Women and those over the age of 80 are more likely to experience abuse as well as those with physical and health conditions. Two out of every three victims are women.
    • 90% of abusers are known to the victim and in almost 60% of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member.
    • According to Adult Protective Services data, there were 25,468 individual reports of vulnerable adult maltreatment in fiscal year 2022 – the highest number in the past five fiscal years.
    • In 2022, there were 14,805 reports in Maricopa County. So far this year, there have been 15,987 reports Maricopa County and 30,690 in the state. You can find more data here: https://des.az.gov/APSData.
    • If you think your elderly friend or relative has been victimized, please report it to law enforcement immediately. You can call 9-1-1, or report through one of these agencies:
    • AAA Region One Senior Helpline, call or text 24/7: 602-264-2255.
    • Adult Protective Services Hotline, 7 am to 7 pm, M-F: 1-877-SOS-ADULT 1-877-767-2385
    • Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116.
    • File a report with the State of Arizona online
    • at https://hssazapsprod.wellsky.com/assessments/?WebIntake=1F74FCDA-C6AB-4192-9CEE-F8D20DE98850

    To report abuse please email:
    seniorabuse@aag.gov.

    Visit https://www.azag.gov/issues/elder-affairs to learn more information.

    In an emergency: 9-1-1 or the police

    Non-emergency physical abuse: (877) SOS-ADULT or (877) 767-2385 - Adult Protective Services (APS)

    (602) 264-HELP or (602) 264-4357 - Area Agency on Aging 24hr Helpline

    (844) 894-4735 or (602) 542-2124 Attorney General's TASA Helpline

    For financial exploitation: (844) 894-4735 or (602) 542-2124 Attorney General's TASA Helpline
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    25 mins
  • What would Jesus do with ChatGPT?

    What would Jesus do with ChatGPT?
    Nov 19 2024
    In this episode of the Unsilent Church Podcast, we're continuing the practice of wrestling with important topics that impact the lives we and so many around us live. In this episode we wrestle with the inevitability of AI in preaching, along with one NBA player's decision to "give up basketball for full-time ministry." What would Jesus do with ChatGPT? Would OpenAI have come up with the Sermon on the Mount? And if given the option, do you need to choose between the NBA and full-time ministry? Is it not possible to do both? We wrestle with this and more on this episode of the Unsilent Church Podcast. Enjoy!
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    27 mins
  • Does Goodness equal Godliness?

    Does Goodness equal Godliness?
    Oct 16 2024
    In this episode of the UNSILENT Church, we address a number of issues, starting with the misconception of being a "good" Christian. In the early days when followers of Jesus were first called "Christians," it was because their actions were much clearer than those who did not follow the way. Today, is it still as easy to spot a Christian in the wild, simply by the good things they do or the kind things they say? Moreover, we also talk about the rise of megachurches, and with that, "Celebrity Christianity." Maybe more than ever before, followers of Jesus are amassing huge followings on the internet, but to an unfortunately high degree, many are falling into scandal. And it seems not to be missing very many? What does that say about the temptation that come from the authority innate within leading people? Are too many people becoming teachers and preachers? We talk about these and other issues in this episode of the Unsilent Church. Enjoy!
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    27 mins
  • "Who is your neighbor?" ft. Neighbors Table

    "Who is your neighbor?" ft. Neighbors Table
    Jun 25 2024
    If Jesus were to see the criminal justice system in America today, what kind of parable do you think he would tell? In this episode of the Unsilent Church, Chrystal McCowan and Joshua Coe join us from Neighbors Table, an organization that exists to equip local churches to see and serve the least among us—especially those in prison. We've done well in past years to talk and embrace the idea of reconciliation. But when it comes to justice, the conversation has been hardly embraced, if even empathized. Our hope is that this conversation brings more light to the truth that that which we have done to the least of these, we have done to Jesus, so that we when he is hungry, sick, naked, homeless or in prison, we would be there to both see him and embrace him.
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    30 mins
  • Black History is American History ft. Gizette Knight

    Black History is American History ft. Gizette Knight
    Jun 1 2024
    Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. In this episode, we have the privilege of holding a conversation with Gizette Knight, founder of the Black History Matters mural project that showcases key leaders in history who have contributed to American History in ways often overlooked. When I say the names Robert Smalls, Carter G. Woodson, or W.E.B. DuBois, Charles Harrison Mason, Richard Allen, Lemuel Haynes, Dorothy Vaughn, Percy Julian, Louis Latimer, and Otis Boykin. So much of Black History has falls through the cracks. Though it’s a necessity to call it Black History, people often forget that as it pertains to what Black people have contributed to America, it is indeed American history. From authors, military leaders, inventors, rocket scientists and pastors, Black men and women have been critical to the development of America as a nation. That’s what the Black History Matters Mural Project is all about. Gizette gives us the context of what led to its birth and how much work there’s still left to do. We talk about this and more on this episode of the Unsilent Church. Enjoy. 

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    25 mins
  • Are we in a Post-"Black" America?

    Are we in a Post-"Black" America?
    Apr 23 2024
    Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. This is our third episode talking about idea of a post-black America—and can something like that really exist. We’re in an election year at the time of this recording, and there’s no more effective way to force a conversation than to present people with two polar opposites and force them to choose. Psychologists use this tactic often for personality inventories like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.

Like those tests, an election with what feels like a choice between complete opposites, forces a kind of conversation amongst people with more freedoms to choose than ever before. Today, Black people have far more freedom to choose than this time 100 years ago, even a little over 50 years ago. Those choices are identifying in a way that make it more challenging today to put into words exactly what it means to “be Black.” 50-100 years ago, that answer would have been much easier, but with the increase in freedom, choice and thereby privilege, answering that question isn’t as easy as it once was. So in this episode of the Unsilent Church, we discuss our understanding of what it means to be black and the elements we believe need to be preserved regardless of how much more or less freedom, choice and privilege we gain (or lose) over the years.
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    31 mins
  • What Blackness can teach us about culture

    What Blackness can teach us about culture
    Mar 19 2024
    Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. We’re carrying forward our conversation from black history month talking about black identity in America how it has become more fluid in its essence. 

To be black in the country very much meant to push against the boundaries that were put around specific people in this country. That common experience, though wrongfully set, did create a culture that has been and will be celebrated for a long time. With that said, as those boundaries continually come down, that culture is shifting, which can be seen in the progression of media dating back to shows like Good Times, The Cosby Show and Family Matters, compared to more recent shows like Black-ish and BlackAF. 

 In this episode of the Unsilent Church, we talk about that shift and what it means, especially as we’re about enter an election season where those demographics will come into play and be the topic of many conversations. How should the church understand "Blackness," which is really a question of how the church should understand "culture." We talk about this among other things in this episode of the Unsilent Church podcast. Enjoy!
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    25 mins
  • "Does Blackness still matter?"

    "Does Blackness still matter?"
    Feb 19 2024
    Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. It’s black history month, and without apology, we’re going to celebrate that, so we’re starting a new season on the podcast titled, “The Souls of Black Folk.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because the name comes from the classic work by W.E.B. DuBois, and similar to the purpose of that book, in this episode, we’re talking about what it means to be Black in this country (United States America).

 For a long time, “being black,” though not exactly the same for everyone, in essence meant something to everyone. For better or for worse, being black was an integral attribute of ones existence in society and played a major role in their experience. 

A lot has changed since then, most of which includes more access to privilege than there ever has been for non-white people groups in this country. It begs the question, what does it mean to be black in America now? And does it still matter? 

 We talk about this among other things, in this episode of the Unsilent Church. Enjoy.
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    57 mins