Episode 213: Lisa Sharon Harper

This conversation with Lisa was recorded in June just a week after the bombing of Rafah – a refugee camp – a place that was supposed to provide safety from the war. In this conversation, Lisa Sharon Harper covers some incredibly important and challenging topics. We hear Lisa speak passionately about the need for humility - recognizing that we are not God, but rather are created in God's image and called to be stewards of the earth. She then dove deep into the current crisis in Israel and Palestine, expressing grave concerns about the potential for genocide and the urgent need for the international community to intervene. What really struck me was Lisa's call for the church to be a prophetic voice, speaking out against injustice even when it means challenging the actions of powerful nations. She challenges the simplistic theological views that have given Israel a "blank check," and instead urges us to apply biblical principles of justice, compassion, and care for all people. Ultimately, Lisa reminds us of the importance of dreaming and imagining a better future, rather than being deadened by the realities of authoritarianism and oppression. This is the kind of hopeful, prophetic witness that the world so desperately needs right now. Join us as we reckon with injustice and find ways to be peacemakers in our own contexts in conflicts around the world.

Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking consulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian whose writing, speaking, activism and training has sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. Lisa’s book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World--And How To Repair It All was named one of the “Best Books of 2022” and The Very Good Gospel was named 2016 “Book of the Year” by Englewood Review of Books. Lisa is a board member of The Justice Revival—the leading organization of the #Faith4ERA campaign. An Auburn Senior Fellow, Lisa is also proud to join the inaugural cohort of the Aspen Institute Racial Justice and Religion Collective. The Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day. Lisa is host of the Freedom Road Podcast, cohost of The FOUR Podcast and author of her weekly column, “The Truth Is…”, on Freedom Road Substack.

Lisa's Books:
Fortune
The Very Good Gospel

Lisa's Recommendation:
100 Years War on Palestine