Zera Today With Pastor Lorenzo Neal

It's the first day of February and Black Heritage Month. In 2023, this month is clouded by a governor banning AP Black History courses, five black Memphis police officers are charged with the murder of a black man (Tyre Nichols) and a state government attempting to take control of a predominately black major city in Mississippi. There's a lot to unpack on this first day of BHM so join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day. Connect with Dr. Neal on www.lorenzotneal.org and become a patron on Patreon-www.patreon.com/LorenzoTNeal

This is a test show for s2023

After having been away for a minute, Dr. Neal plays catch up with  the recent headlines of the robbery and follow up controversy of Bishop Lamar Whitehead and Bishop Patrick Wooten bashes Beyonce over lyrics and use of legendary Clark Sisters music sample. Listen and share across your social media. Become a patron-www,patreon.com/LorenzoTNeal

On Saturday, a white man entered a predominately black neighborhood grocery store and opened fire killing ten and wounding three. The perpetrator streamed his evil act on Twitch and also penned a manifesto that stated his belief in the white replacement conspiracy theory. Dr. Neal discusses this tragedy and the ramifications it will continue to have in the future. Today's episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Click the link to get your free month today https://skillshare.eqcm.net/L94gY

Instagram and Youtube social influencer Kevin Samuels passed away and many were celebrating and also spreading false information regarding the circumstances of his passing. Also, the US Department of Homeland Security recently established a "Disinformation Governance Board" to counter misinformation attacks by agencies and countries against American security. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day.  

For nearly 50 years, pro-life/anti-abortion activists have sought to overturn the Roe v Wade SCOTUS decision. On Monday, a draft copy of Justice Alito's majority opinion was leaked by media outlet Politico supposing that SCOTUS would be overturning the case setting up political fights regarding abortion access and rights across the country. This leak presents problems for both sides of the abortion or reproductive rights camps. What should we expect once the official decision is released and what are the implications of this leak on the integrity of the legal and systems in the country? Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day. 

Music has long been said to be the "universal language" connecting all humans together. Historically, black musical artists always found greater success outside of black audiences. This trend continued and morphed into mainstream musical genres incorporating black R&B and hip-hop rhythms into their genres. Recently following a performance at a CMT event, R&B artist Monica responded to a commenter who stated that "Country music is different. It's not Wakanda." She performed and actor Anthony Mackie served as host. CCM artist Chandler Moore is being rebuked for denying his culture and race to appeal to whites. This begs to question whether whites are truly comfortable with blacks in their predominate spaces or if they are simply virtue signaling to seem non-racist. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day

The 2022 Oscars Awards telecast audience was left in shock after Will Smith calmly walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock after Rock made a poorly received joke about Will's wife Jada. Although Smith apologized in his acceptance speech, there were mixed reactions from celebrities and others regarding the incident. The one thing that was clear, is that violence against black men is something that seems to be a sanctioned action and profitable for some. What can we do to change the image of black men and do celebrities get a pass when it comes to negative behaviors that bring negative reflections to the communities they represent? Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day

A report released in February 2022 claims that blacks are becoming non religious at a faster rate than any other ethnic group. This is not surprising when as recently as several weeks ago, some high profile blacks either left their religious communities or denounced faith altogether. Black Non-Believers founder Mandisa Thomas joins Dr. Neal once again to discuss how this is impacting black communities. 

Staying along the vein of the church in black history, I decided to venture into the archives and share a conversation with author and filmmaker Jeremiah Camara from 2016. Jeremiah Camara is the director and producer of the documentary film Contradiction: A Question of Faith, which examines the saturation of churches in African American communities coexisting with poverty and powerlessness. Contradiction can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video. Camara is the author of the books Holy Lockdown: Does The Church Limit Black Progress? and The New Doubting Thomas: The Bible, Black Folks & Blind Belief. Camara is also the creator of the widely watched YouTube video series Slave Sermons… a mini-movie series addressing the harmful effects of religion. His latest and upcoming documentary project is titled, Holy Hierarchy: The Religious Roots of Racism in America. Holy Hierarchy… explains how the presumptions of a Supreme Being in colonial America led to precepts and beliefs in supreme human beings and how these beliefs

The Holiness movement of the late 19th century spurred a new dimension of the black religious experience. At the forefront of this movement were CP Jones and CH Mason founders of the Church of Christ Holiness USA and the Church of God in Christ respectively. Author and Pastor Dr. CJ Rhodes joins Dr. Neal to discuss this rich history of the Black Holiness church movement and it's impact on the black church experience of the 20th century in his latest book "Deeper Still". 

Sexuality and sexual expression have long been a taboo topic of discusssion in the black church yet we have a number of black clergy and laypersons who fall into sexual immorality. Where does sexuality in all of its expressions fit into the black religious experience and how should the church accurately and properly breach this area of faith and family? Duchess Cashmere, a grio and performer joins Dr. Neal to discuss this topic. 

Since the pandemic began in 2020, thousands of people have chosen not to return to their employment for a number of reasons. As church worship services moved to virtual platforms, many clergy decided to make to move away from pastoral or church ministry. How will this "Great Clergy Resignation" impact the future of the church in a post pandemic world? What can be done to help pastors and other clergy find some degree of relief for the burdens that ministry brings? Plus Bishop Noel Jones and Nick Cannon make headlines for interesting reaasons. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day.

Last week two prominent Christian rappers made statements that shook up the American Christian world. Brady Godwin known as Phanatik of the Chrsitian rap group Cross Movement, says he sent a letter to his church withdrawing his membership and renouncing what he believed and shared for over 30 years. Grammy winning Christian rapper LeCrae wrote a tweet about leaving "politicized Christianity" that led to him losing a performance booking. While blacks are still the most religious group of Christians in America, many are beginning to deconstruct their faith or leave Christianity all together. How should pastors and church leaders address this burgeoning problem? Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day.

Dr,. Neal is back discussing various topics of the day including Pastor Todd's poor sermon illustration and why the Senate is stalling on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2021. Also get your copy of Dr. Neal's latest book "He Was Clean" now available on Amazon-https:/www.amzn.com/B09M4TF7FG and become a Patron-www.patreon.com/LorenzoTNeal

On December 11, 2021 a video of a man claiming to have taken the life of his girlfriend and proposing to do the same to his wife and himself went viral after he followed through with his threat. This action is just one of many that has occured and been on the rise since 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day and week.  

Black Love has been the celebrated chant for black celebrity relationships like Will and Jada Smith, Magic and Cookie Johnson, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, and the former epitome of black love Bill and Camille Cosby and Ruby Dee and Ozzie Davis (RIP to them both). Even the odd ones like Oprah Winfrey and Stedman are highlighted as 'relationship goals" for black women and some black men. The Black Church has used marriage as the key to community development and sustentation but has done little to provide support as some openly advocate against traditional family identity and values. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day

As if 2021 cannot get any stranger, there was plenty happening the last several days to make the world shake. Kanye West holds his first Sunday service since releasing his Donda album earlier this year. Pastor John Piper of Desiring God ministries explains how God uses ugliness as a grace gift. Finally, firm believers in Q Anon crowded the streets of downtown Dallas with the hopes of seeing a resurrected JFK, Jr and a restored Trump presidency. Join Dr. Neal as he discusses this and other topics of the day.   www.lorenzotneal.com Show sponsors are www.skillshare.com  Legalshield www.legalshield.com Become a patron-www.patreon.com/LorenzoTNeal

It's no secret that the church and the "Black Church" in particular is experiencing a significant shift across the board. For the black church explicitly, a recent research project reported that some 15% of black pastors are walking away from the profession and changing occupations. Also, Bishop TD Jakes has recived approval from Atlanta city officials to begin the development of a multi-use site on a former army base in the city. Join Dr. Neal discusses this and other topics of the day.

This show is somewhat of a makeup show for the last several on trending topics from the death of Colin Powell, vaccine mandates, and Jon Gruden's firing among other things. Support the show by becoming a patron on www.patreon.com/LorenzoTNeal