Bradley Jersak is the Principle of St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick (Canada), a lecturer, the editor of Clarion-Journal, as well as Christianity Without the Religion, and his various books (Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction, A More Christlike God, A More Christlike Way, Her Gates Will Never Be Shut, among others), have been endorsed by the likes of Eugene Peterson, Fr. Richard Rohr and Steve Bell, and he has contributed to other collections alongside N.T. Wright, Rowan Williams, William Paul Young, and Miroslav Volf. Maybe what makes Dr. Jersak – though he usually goes by “Brad” – special is that he actually lives out what he espouses in word and deed. He is also delightful to converse with.
In this interview, and especially from his perspective as an editor, Brad shares about
-some experiences he has had as an editor (including the joy of offering a platform to the lesser-known),
-his appreciation of opposing viewpoints and perspectives,
-the importance of empathy, humility and trust-building,
-how to establish harmony despite differences of opinion; and
-how to read well
Names that Brad mentioned in the interview:
Felicia Murrell, Dan White Jr. Ron S. Dart, Archbishop Lazar (Puhalo), Cherith Fee Nordling, Father Kenneth Tanner, Bishop Chris E. W. Green, Father John Bear, Walter Brueggemann, Kallistos Ware, Rene Girard, Sergei Bulgakov, Valerie Kaur, Brian Zahnd, Munther Isaac, Mercy Aiken, The Trisagion prayer of the Orthodox Church.
Books mentioned:
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love (Valerie Kaur)
Jesus and the Disinherited (Howard Thurman)
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God (Brian Zahnd)
The Cross and the Lynching Tree (James Cohen)
To learn more about Brad, you can visit his website at https://bradjersak.com.