Since the birth of the church, there has been a branch of mysticism that has invited believers into deep and complex experiences with the divine. On this episode of the Red Church Door Podcast, Colin shares his recent exploration with the Christian mystics and welcomes this week's guest, Robert A. Jonas, M.T.S.

Jonas (as is he called by those who know him) is the founder and director of The Empty Bell, a contemplative sanctuary in Northampton, MA, with a special emphasis on Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and on the arts. Colin talks to Jonas about the intersection of Christianity and Eastern religious traditions meet, the impact of the Empty Bell in Christian and Buddhist dialogue, and the role Jonas's deep friendship with Henri Nouwen has had on his own faith journey.

Show Notes:

The Empty Bell: http://www.emptybell.org/

World Community for Christian Meditation: https://wccm.org/

Contemplative Outreach Center: https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org

On the third season premiere of the Red Church Door podcast, our host Colin Chapman sits down (on Zoom) with Polly Ingraham (https://www.pastorswifeblog.com), author, high school teacher, and wife to an Episcopal Bishop (the Rt. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal Church of New Hampshire).

Polly shares stories of how she and Bp. Rob met, what it is like to be married to a member of the Clergy when one was not raised in that faith, and what the Church might be able to learn from her experience.

After spending a year in the Memoir Incubator program at Grub Street in Boston, Polly recently completed a book manuscript about her life as a clergy spouse and the evolution of their unusual marriage and is actively seeking representation. (Note: In the episode, Colin mentions the manuscript as if it had a title and release date - this was an error.)

At the top of the show, Colin welcomes his own clergy partner, Christie Everett Chapman, as she reflects on how growing up as a pastor’s kid made the idea of marrying a clergy person unappealing.

Do Millennials and Baby Boomers view God differently? Does it matter? This week, Colin speaks with the Rev. Celeste Hemingson and the Rev. Greg Baker about the Baby Boomer and Millennial viewpoints and experiences of God, Jesus, and religion. What are the consequences of their differences? In what ways are they similar?

The Rev. Celeste Hemingson was ordained in 2003, after a 35 year career in management with the Social Security Administration. Rev. Celeste has lived in Hopkinton since 1987 and specializes in interim ministry. She is currently the Interim Rector of St. George's in Durham, NH. She also serves the Diocese of New Hampshire as Chaplain to retired clergy and spouses.

The Rev. Gregory Baker was ordained in July, 2020. He graduated from Yale Divinity School this past May and is answering his first call as Curate of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua, NH. Greg is also interested in the reform of the prison industrial complex and working with the incarcerated.