Acts 17: The Quiet Way
Temporada 1
por TJ Johnson
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, a long way from home. In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of sitting beside my mother as she died, the complicated longing for a mother that can remain with us throughout our lives, and how our earliest experiences of love can shape the way we imagine God. I also explore the unexpected role Mary, the mother of Jesus, played in helping me discover a God who had been there all along—holding, nurturing, giving birth to something new, and mothering this motherless child.
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Why would a Protestant pastor become so drawn to Mary? In this episode, I explore what Christianity may have lost by pushing Mary to the edges of our spiritual lives. I look briefly at the history of Marian devotion and the rosary, the Protestant Reformation’s concerns about excesses surrounding Mary, and the very different excesses that can shape American Christianity today—militant masculinity, domination, scapegoating, and fear. But this is ultimately not an argument about becoming more Catholic or less Protestant. It is an invitation for all Christians to rediscover the Mary we meet in Scripture: a woman who listens, questions, ponders, waits, nurtures, suffers, and remains open to God even when she does not fully understand what is happening. We need Mary more than ever—not as a replacement for Christ, but as a teacher who can help us recover tenderness, compassion, contemplation, courage, and the motherly dimensions of a God who transcends gender.
Why have transgender people become such a powerful target of fear, ridicule, and scapegoating? In this episode of Acts 17: The Quiet Way, I reflect on what I have witnessed in the church, the biblical witness of Matthew 19, Isaiah 56, and Acts 8, and Christ’s call to love people even when their stories perplex or challenge us. Trans people are not the enemy. Our understanding may remain incomplete, but our calling in Christ to love is never in doubt.
Episode Description Why have so many stopped listening to the church? We often answer that question by pointing to culture, politics, or growing secularism. But what if Scripture invites us to ask a different question? In this episode of Acts 17: The Quiet Way, we explore Paul's visit to Athens in Acts 17 and discover a different vision of Christian witness. Before Paul proclaimed Christ, he walked through the city. He observed. He listened. He even quoted the Greek poets before sharing the gospel. Along the way, we'll reflect on the wisdom of Proverbs and James, Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman, and why the contemplative tradition has transformed the way I understand faith, listening, and the public square. Perhaps faithful witness begins not by winning arguments, but by paying attention. Scripture Acts 17:16–34 Proverbs 18:13 Proverbs 29:20 James 1:19 John 4:19–24
Welcome to Acts 17: The Quiet Way. Why another Christian podcast? In this first episode, I share the vision behind this channel and why I believe the world doesn't need more religious noise—it needs people willing to pay attention. Inspired by Paul's encounter in Acts 17, we'll explore a way of following Jesus rooted in Scripture, contemplation, curiosity, and compassionate engagement with the world. My hope is to create a place where we can slow down, ask honest questions, and discover the deeper Voice beneath the noise. If this resonates with you, I'd be honored if you'd subscribe and join me for future conversations.