Lively Conversation, Expert Research: Season Two of The (Im)partial Church

by PAUL SCHREIBER

Siblings Gerard and Janine Bolling are back as hosts for The (Im)partial Church podcast, which launched its second season Feb. 6. This year’s ten episodes will expand on season one’s perceptive exchanges on living out our Christian faith in meaningful and engaging ways. As ministry leaders, educators, and church workers, the Bollings will address relational issues ranging from racial diversity and inclusion to engaging in cross-cultural conversations and community building.

Helping the Bollings in season two will be subject-area experts who speak to various issues. Also in the mix will be relevant findings from Barna Group—the research powerhouse that has partnered with LHM in creating several ministry resources in the last few years. While there will be personal stories from the Bollings’ life and ministry, there will also be data from a Barna study called Beyond Diversity on racial dynamics, which features expert interviews, wide input from focus groups, and two large surveys.

Barna researcher Brooke Hempell noted there’s a cultural narrative, sometimes prominent inside the church, that says we’ve gotten past civil rights issues and that to continue to drill down on these things is to be overly divisive and not loving. She said the research “discovered that’s completely not the case. In fact, the more that we forget the past or forget to look at the past, the more hurt begins to fester.” She added that it’s vital to contemplate our history, to examine our hearts, and to work toward reconciliation.

Season two will follow this direction.

“What I hope to take away from this season is just really understanding … the character of God—who we think God is, and who God shows us who He actually is,” Professor Janine Bolling said. To that, Dr. Gerard Bolling added, “I’m also excited to take some of our old vocabulary … and then apply it over and against this topic … the SOS that we’ve learned in Sunday school: how God sees our sin, but He also shows our Savior.”

Throughout season two, these ideas will be carried forward. As the Bollings navigate The (Im)partial Church through turbulent cultural and societal issues, they show us that hope is on the horizon. With the characteristic love of Christ that flavors their conversations with humor and grace, they help us see that in Jesus, though the work may be hard, greater reconciliation is possible. Visit lhm.org/podcasts to listen. u

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