Inclusive Religion with Rev. Kelly Jane Caesar
With an increasing shift away from organized religion in our culture and a global crisis testing people’s faith, it makes sense that there are a lot of questions about how religion and spirituality will evolve as our society continues to change and become more diverse. We often hear about religion used as a reason for maintaining oppressive or exclusionary policies, behaviors and systems, but with an ever diversifying population, we’re seeing record numbers of people opt out of religion altogether. Today’s guest, Reverend Kelly Jane Caesar of the First Congregational Church of East Hartford, discusses how she very intentionally leads her congregation with open arms to welcome those who have been left behind or historically harmed in religious settings. She talks about her experience of embracing her calling to ministry while not necessarily fitting in the old-school, traditional mold of a church leader. Rev. Kelly Jane also shares her approach to stepping into her power and privilege to create and hold spaces of love and healing for others in exploring topics like race, religion and so much more. If you find yourself grappling with your spiritual beliefs at this moment in time or are curious as to where modern organized religion has the opportunity to evolve into, this episode is for you. For show notes and more info, visit nikkiinnocent.com/podcast