It all started when…
From Lemuel: Without Works began with the Presidential Debates of 2008. I had seen several claims made from the Evangelical Right supporting Romney and validating his wealth and discriminatory and prohibitive policies. This was inconsistent with the Christian faith. My son was exposed to it, and I felt it was giving him a wrong impression of the faith. As an exercise I had him read the Gospel of Luke, to become familiar with the words of Jesus as he spoke them, rather than how they were misinterpreted by hypocritical Church leaders and conservative politicians.
After he finished the Gospel, I asked my son what he understood from his reading. He replied like a guileless 10 year old: "Jesus sure doesn't know much about Christianity. He is always talking about the poor!"
This podcast is an antidote to the misconceptions about Christianity spread by the far right. They have created a version of the faith that alienates, estranges, and rejects people. This is direct opposition to the acceptance I find in the teachings of Jesus. Without Works means to inform the unchurched, the agnostic, and the lapsed Christian what this great faith is, and build an understanding.
From Amity: After over a decade of listening to podcasts and a year of producing a show with very basic production, it was time to branch into a show that requires more complex production. This desire collided with the couch conversations that Lemuel and I were having about current events and my extreme ire with hypocrisy and inequality. I want to use my privilege and skill base to speak up and speak out. Though I do not identify as Christian, I see plenty of Christians in my life who are as disgusted as I am by the way it’s being used to damage my country and my fellow humans. And so we make this show, to revive faith and do something good.
