Has Faith Increased, Decreased In Our Society, And Should We Care? with Dr. Amber Mattingly

Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk

Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world!

On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Dr. Reverend Amber Mattingly to discuss her background, journey, and faith in our society today. Amber starts by discussing how our society needs to see and hear each other. She received a doctorate in compassionate leadership studies and emphasized the power of pausing when we have certain emotions or resistance to things. Instead of meeting that emotion or rising to it, we can ask good questions and be a better listener for each other.

Next, one of her favorite stories in the Bible is of Hagar and she names God “the God who sees.” This story reminds Amber that no one is outside the power of God’s love. She received her Master of Divinity degree in 2002 from George W. Truett Theological Seminary and completed her Doctor of Ministry degree at Claremont School of Theology in California. She wants to provide that safe space to engage in spiritual dialogue. She is reverend at Woodlands Christian Church in Texas and has two children with her husband, who is also a reverend doctor. Amber shares her background that led to ministry. She experienced many different Christian denominations which gave her more respect for different denominations. She felt a call to ministry senior year at Baylor and was recruited by her future husband for seminary school in Texas!

In addition, Amber discusses how Jesus never said to go to a specific denomination and that there is no right church, but we are all a part of the body of Christ. She wrote a book called, “A Leap of (Inter)Faith” which was started in her doctoral program at Claremont. She met a Tibetan Buddhist monk in class and they chose each other for a project to learn about different faith traditions. They interviewed each other and did a project with a group of Buddhists and Christians together, and gave them a Christian meditation. They measured their spiritual growth at the end of the practice through a compassion-based scale and they found a rise in self-compassion and for others. Amber also references Richard Rohr and the Center for Action & Contemplation as having a positive impact on her life.

Also, they discuss faith now in our society and she apologizes for church hurt when she meets people, asks questions, and listens to their life experiences. She shares the importance of pausing and taking the time to figure out our uncomfortable feelings and reactions to things. There is power in breath work and even the name Yahweh is the sound of our breath. She thinks our society is less religious and now more spiritual because of being hurt in the church. However, God is working in this world but we have to have eyes to see it and ears to hear it.

When someone says they don’t believe in God and they have complete resistance, then it’s not the right time to say anything because they won’t interpret anything you say as loving and kind. She honors their experience by asking questions and talking about community. She suggests people read the gospels when first reading the Bible and the Psalms if they want the human experience of God.

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