In response to the conflict and pain we are witnessing around the world, many of us are asking where we find hope, and how we are working to bring hope to others. My answer to both of these questions comes from the Seminary Reacts podcast, a special project we have been working on at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary through the Institute of Mennonite Studies.

I tend to be a pretty chronically online person, and I spend a lot of time on the Christian side of social media. There has been a significant shift in this space over the past few years, as more Christians witness a link between Christianity and nationalism, domination, and violence, and begin to say, “This is not the Jesus I know.” I witnessed Christians asking how we should respond to events in the world and how to follow Jesus in the ways of peace and justice, as I was also a student having these exact conversations in seminary classes. I wished to see more Mennonite voices join this conversation online and contribute to discussions about nonviolent action and an alternative understanding of the gospel, until I decided to join the conversation myself to bring this message of hope to others. 

On the Seminary Reacts podcast, we have invited professors affiliated with AMBS to join as guests and share their knowledge and passions with a wider online audience. We use the social media platform Reddit to pull stories and questions for our guests, and professors respond sharing from their expertise. Our conversations often include Jesus’s resistance to empire, the boldness of the early Anabaptists, and the beauty of the ordinary found in Mennonite theology. 

Alicia Maldanado-Zahra was our guest for an episode where we reacted to a Reddit post titled, “Christianity is a tool meant to be used by oppressors. It is not favorable to the oppressed.” She acknowledged those in positions of power using Christianity as a tool to cause harm and spoke to the way Jesus actually modeled for us to side with those experiencing harm, stating, “We can look at who Jesus uplifted…The intent of scripture was to live out the word of God. Live out the teaching of Jesus that pushed against oppression, and that uplifted the oppressed.” This project has already brought me hope, even though when I started, I intended for it to bring hope to others. I want to offer it to you as a space to find hope and explore ways to be a light in dark times.

Check out Seminary Reacts on YouTube, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts, and follow us on socials @seminaryreacts on Instagram and TikTok.