Naming the Power Behind Oppression

Empire isn't just a government or a political system. It's a spirit- a way of seeing the world that forms our fears, our desires, and even our assumptions about God. In this episode, we explore how the spirit of empire shapes identity, divides communities, distorts Christian faith, and infiltrates the church without being noticed. And we ask what it means to follow Jesus with a Kingdom imagination instead: a life rooted in hope, not fear. Drawing on Scripture, history, and spiritual formation, this episode invites listeners to see the world- and themselves- through a different lens.

Links:

• Website:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠⁠⁠
• Email: ⁠⁠⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠⁠⁠
• Substack: https://substack.com/@truthandway

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter morning.

In this Holy Week journey, we walk slowly through the three days that reveal the truth about our world and the hope at the center of the Christian story. We confront the violence of empire at the cross, sit honestly in the silence and disorientation of Holy Saturday, and stand with the women at the empty tomb as new creation breaks open. Drawing from Scripture and Moltmann's theology of hope, we explore what resurrection really means for a world shaped by fear- and what it looks like to live as people of hope today. Maranatha.

Links:

• Website:⁠⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Email: ⁠⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@truthandway

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

St. Patrick's story is not myth- it is a collision between empire, exile, and the liberating Gospel of Jesus. In this special episode, we revisit Patrick's true witness, trace Ireland's centuries under domination, and examine how Irish-Americans shifted from resisting empire to defending it. Through history, theology, and personal reflection, we expose the powers that shape our imagination and rediscover a faith that refuses to bow to nationalism. A timely St. Patrick's Day call to return to our roots and embrace the Kingdom path of compassion, justice, and hope.

Links:

• Website:⁠⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Email: ⁠⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@truthandway

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

The Seven Mountains Mandate has become one of the most influential- and least understood- forces shaping Christian nationalism today. In this episode, we explore where the Seven Mountains idea came from, why it spread so quickly through charismatic and evangelical circles, and how it re-frames Christianity around conquest instead of Christ. Far from being a harmless call to "influence culture," the Seven Mountains Mandate is a blueprint for religious domination. We contrast this empire-shaped vision with the way of Jesus, who rejected the temptation of power and chose the path of self-giving love. If you've ever wondered how faith can be twisted into a political strategy, or how to stay centered in hope when the church is drawn toward control, this episode will give clarity, grounding, and a deeper understanding of what faithful discipleship looks like today.

Links:

• Website:⁠⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Email: ⁠⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@truthandway

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

Introduction Series- Part 4

A grounded walk through Scripture's true spiritual landscape: exile. We draw from Israel's story, Jesus' teachings, the early church, and Revelation to show why Christians were never meant to rule empire, but to outlast it. Exile becomes not a crisis but a calling, and faithfulness becomes our quiet resistance.

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠
• Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@truthandway

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

Introduction Series- Part 3

A clear-eyed look at how nearly every denomination inherited an imperial blueprint rather than Jesus' design. We trace the habits Christendom gave us- hierarchy, control, respectability- and contrast them with the small, open, table-shaped community Jesus imagined. A vision of the church not as we've known it, but as Scripture has always promised

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

Introduction Series- Part 2

A plain-speech exploration of why Christian hope doesn't depend on reclaiming cultural power. We expose the myth of a "Christian nation," name the wounds of late-stage Christendom, and show why the hope of Jesus-resurrection, new creation, and the Kingdom- can only grow once empire stops pretending to be our home.

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version

Introduction Series- Part 1

A plain-speech history from the early church to Christendom to today's civil religion. We trace the five levers that bent the church toward power- sword, altar, law, treasury, time- name the real gifts and real costs, and explain why the way of Jesus (cross, table, truth) can't be welded to the state.

Links:

• Website: https://www.truthandway.org
• Email: mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org

Credits:

• Music: 'Passage Of Time' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
• Scripture: Revised Standard Version