Forefront Podcast

Forefront Conversations with Margaret Kamitsuka

With the recent SCOTUS Dobbs decision, Christians who have long been declaring abortion to be Biblically condemned rejoiced as their conservative theology was validated. But does the Bible actually explicitly condemn abortion? In her book, "Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic," Margaret Kamitsuka uses rigorous academic research to debunk the assumption that the Bible is inflexibly anti-choice, examining the patriarchal structure that early church leaders established and that contemporary church leaders reaffirm to oppress and dehumanize pregnant people. ABOUT MARGARET Margaret Kamitsuka is Professor Emeritus at Oberlin College in Ohio. After getting her PhD in theology from Yale University, she taught at Oberlin College for over 20 years, where she focused on courses in gender and religion. Now she does research and writing in the area of theological ethics--specifically reproductive issues. Her most recent book is titled Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic, published in 2019. She and her coeditor have just completed a textbook that will come out later this year titled, The T & T Clark Reader on Abortion and Religion: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives. Margaret and her husband David are the parents of twin sons, now age 21. Legal and advocacy resources to further explore: Abortion Conversation Projects: http://www.abortionconversationprojects.org/mission-and- vision Catholics for Choice: https://www.catholicsforchoice.org/ Exhale: https://exhaleprovoice.org/pro-voice/ Faith Aloud: https://www.faithaloud.org/ Interfaith Voices for Reproductive Justice: https://www.iv4rj.org/ Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice: https://rrlc.thinkific.com/ Sister Song: https://www.sistersong.net/ Faith Voices for Reproductive Justice: https://faithvoicesforreproductivejustice.co.uk/

Our Values | Worship Re-Imagined

Angela Lockett-Colas, Forefront's Worship Pastor, explores what it means to Re-imagine Worship.

Coming Home | Redefining & Reclaiming Home

This sermon will focus on coming home - back to Forefront. Our church may have undergone some changes and may even have a different feel; however, it still has the same values and the same love. Exploring one of the Bible’s creation stories and the story of Cain and Abel, this sermon from Rev. Venida and Rev. Josh will be an opportunity for self-reflection as we redefine and reclaim home.

Coming Home | Finding Home After Death

Continuing our "Coming Home" series, Jonathan Williams joins Angela Lockett-Colas and Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins to bring a unique worship experience brings together sermon and song to convey a message of God's constant presence, comfort and grace during times of loss and grief.

Coming Home | Finding God For Yourself in Every Season

Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins continues our Coming Home Series by talking about the importance of adjusting one's life to the rhythms of the seasons in your life, and finding God for yourself in the midst of it all.

Coming Home | Finding Messy Progressive Religion

Rev. Josh Lee starts our Coming Home Series by highlighting the ways in which The Church has always been a messy progressive religion. He outlines how our views have progressed or differed throughout Scripture while also highlighting a disagreement had in the early church around the full inclusion of non-Jews. The Church of Jesus Christ has always been progressing, changing, adapting, and super freaking messy! But even amidst the mess some really beautiful things have been born when we allow ourselves to progress and embrace the mess!

The Path | Reconciling and Redefining

In our third and final sermon of "The Path" series, Rev. Josh Lee borrows from Father Richard Rohr on how he describes our spiritual path as one of order, disorder, and reorder. This cycle is the historical Christian journey. Rev. Josh then shares 5 Things he does to reorder (reconstruct) his life and faith when it becomes disordered (deconstructed). This very practical sermon is full of helpful tools and wisdom in your journey through your spiritual path!

The Path | Navigating Questions and Disbelief

In our second sermon of "The Path" series, Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins reminds us how we are confronted with a host of experiences on the path causing us to question and have doubts about how we will overcome. This sermon will be a reminder that we can come to God with our fears and concerns, and the presence and power of God can be comfort and healing, and work in miraculous ways as we journey on.

The Path | Losing My Religion

Have you at one time believed something so strongly you could hear no other perspective? But then over time you could hear what you wouldn’t before and see what you couldn’t see before? In this message Rev. Josh Lee starts our new series “The Path” by challenging us to consider where on the path do we find ourselves? Perhaps like Saul, just having recently lost our formerly held religious convictions or perhaps like Ananias being called to give sight and compassion to folks who have previously persecuted us because we remember what it was like to once be in their shoes.

What Forms Us | Chew On This

Ben Dubow, co-lead pastor of Riverfront Family Church in Hartford CT, asks "does scripture really matter today? Is it still relevant?" We explore how scripture can have practical impact on our lives. By exploring what scripture is not (and what it is) we can better embrace God's Word as being relevant and powerful in our day, without becoming dogmatic in our approach to scripture.