Each week on the Praise Hands Podcast, join Robby Valderrama and learn from creative, cross-cultural solutionists at the American intersection of church, race, music, and economics.
“Praise Hands Podcast 50th Episode Party!” w/ Jackie The Educator, Barna Group’s Brooke Hempell, and more!
In honor of our 50th Episode, Robby chatted with past guests Jackie The Educator, DJ Chuang, Patrick Chappell, Lex The Advocate, Brooke Hempell, and Ricky Ortiz on a fun and laid-back Praise Hands Podcast 50th Episode Zoom Party, including a quick appearance from Robby’s wife Bria Jean Valderrama. Watch the Zoom on YouTube, or hear audio-only on your podcast app of choice.
“Cancel Culture and the Search for Truth” w/ Wendy Cunningham
“The culture of social media has made us bold in the wrong ways.” Wendy Cunningham
On January 5th, 2021, third-party voter Wendy Cunningham was a highly successful entrepreneur who was loved and respected by her business partners across the country. Two days later, after peacefully attending the January 6th rally in Washington DC, she was cut out of a lifelong friendship, labeled a racist, and had her family’s lone income source threatened by colleagues.
On this episode of the Praise Hands Podcast, hear Wendy open up about:
• Why a third-party voter like her made the trip to DC
• Her on-the-ground experience on January 6th
• What it’s like to be cancelled in cancel culture
Kingdom Innovation For A Brave New World w/ Doug Paul
“The church must shift from a mindset of being reformed to being reformers.”
As an innovation strategist, Doug Paul has advised Christian leaders across the US, and his book Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World provides a roadmap for church leaders who are eager to shift their ministry during a COVID-19 and post-COVID culture.
On this episode of the Praise Hands Podcast, hear Doug and Robby chat about:
• The relationship between diversity and creativity
• Predictions about the future of the church
• Systemic change in church, tech, & racial justice
“Jesus, Justice, and America” w/ Shane Claiborne
“What would it look like for love, not fear, to shape our policies?”
As an activist, author, and speaker, Shane Claiborne has shaped a generation’s view of Jesus and social change. His radical activism has led him to Iraq and Afghanistan (for anti-war efforts), jail (for homeless advocacy), Calcutta (for work with Mother Teresa), and to Washington DC, where today’s interview took place a few steps from The White House.
In this episode highlighting the 2020 Presidential Election, Shane shares:
• Why the death penalty is incompatible with Christian teaching
• How the American church has neglected the teachings of Jesus
• How restorative justice and forgiveness can fix the US prison system
“Why There’s Still Hope Beyond 2020” w/ Dr. Esau McCaulley
“What’s happened in 2020 can’t unresurrect Jesus.”
Dr. Esau McCaulley is an author, priest, and New Testament scholar whose work has been featured in outlets such the New York Times, Christianity Today, and the Washington Post. He completed his doctoral studies under the direction of N.T. Wright, and recently released his book “Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope”.
In this second episode of Season 4, Esau and Robby chat about:
• Why voting can be a profoundly Christian act
• How Christianity addresses the brokenness of the world
• Why we must articulate Christian beliefs in public conversations
“Worship Beyond Nationalism” w/ Dr. Rob Hewell
“The Christian faith is a narrative. Which narrative is shaping what I do every day?” Dr. Rob Hewell
Dr. Rob Hewell is the Professor of Worship and Director of Online Learning Initiatives for Ouachita Baptist University, and the author of the provocative and timely book “Worship Beyond Nationalism”.
In this opening episode of Praise Hands Podcast Season 4, Dr. Hewell and Robby Valderrama speak frankly about:
•The inherently political nature of Christian worship
•The priority of the Kingdom of God over earthly allegiances
•The tension of unity in the church and partisan convictions
“The New Frontiers Of Multicultural Theology” w/ Angie Kay Hong
“Believing that the way that I know God is the way that everybody should know God is called religiously-powered ethnocentrism.” Angie Kay Hong
Angie Kay Hong is a convener, a sought-after voice on issues of church and culture, and a worship leader with experience on staff everywhere from church plants to megachurch Willow Creek Community Church. Fresh off the heels of a summit of multicultural worship academics and practitioners, Angie and Robby speculate about the future of church music.
Listen now to hear Angie speak to:
• Evolving Strategies for Multicultural Worship
• The Christian Populism Of Martin Luther
• How Leaders Can Share Power In Healthy Ways
“How Atlanta Is Fighting Racism Through United Prayer” w/ Josh Clemons and Hazen Stevens of OneRace Movement
“There is a story of the church and its complicity with racism that must be known.” Josh Clemons
“Knowing the story of a person you care for causes you to want to change the systemic issues.” Hazen Stevens
As co-directors of Atlanta’s OneRace Movement, Josh Clemons and Hazen Stevens have seen firsthand how prayer and repentance can redeem even their city’s deepest wounds.
Hear them share on the following:
• Confronting Church Segregation And The Legacy Of The KKK
• Why The Gospel Demands Racial Justice
• The Power Of Multigenerational, Multicultural Friendships
“Miracles in the Music Industry” w/ Joshua Silverberg
Jesus didn’t have a healing ministry. He had a reconciliation ministry.... and one of the ways that manifests is physical healing.” Joshua Silverberg
What if miracles are waiting for us on the other side of our comfort zones? Joshua Silverberg never thought he’d write worship songs with artists like Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe, and Matt Redman. He also never imagined God would use someone like him to pray and see hundreds of people experience miraculous physical healings.
Discover new levels of faith and adventure as Joshua dives into the following subjects:
• An insider’s view of the worship music industry
• Why physical healing is a form of reconciliation
• Revealing the heart of Jesus through music and prayer
"We believe God exists in many dimensions: the physical, the spiritual, the digital, and we’ve experienced Him in the virtual." DJ Soto
Across the world, Virtual Reality (VR) enhances the way we work, learn, and play. And according to DJ Soto of VR Church, it may also be changing the way we encounter God.
Hear DJ address the following heavy-hitting topics:
• How VR helps eliminate physical and financial constraints to human connection
• The theology of digital church, including virtual water baptisms
• How VR's radically inclusive, decentralized platform is enabling marginalized groups to experience Christ
