So let’s be honest. Doing a podcast about something as politically charged and divisive as critical race theory feels a bit risky. But it’s also the reason conversations like this one with Ed Uszynski, author of Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need to Know and Why It Matters, are so important. As people who are doing our best to follow Jesus in a complex world, we need safe spaces to explore and understand complicated ideas without having them hijacked by media pundits or 30-second sound bites.

When I first prepped for this episode, my idea was to do a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of CRT (which, btw, Ed spends 7 chapters unpacking in the book. I learned a TON about it’s origins, what it does and doesn’t mean and why it matters to the church), but as with any podcast, conversations have a way of taking on a life of their own. While Ed and I do talk about critical race theory, what we spend more time talking about is some of the broader questions it causes us to consider like our country’s racial history, systemic v. individual racism, our own defensiveness in conversations about race, cross cultural competency, ethnic indifference and the importance of listening and learning from those who are different from us.

Ed has been a trusted friend and voice in my life for more than 20 years. You’ll hear that in the podcast, but you’ll also hear how God has been weaving together his own story in a way that has uniquely prepared him for such a time as this. No matter where you find yourself in your own journey, I hope you’ll listen in as we continue to learn and grow together.