Many of our church practices lean solely into getting people to a salvation confession moment, or we focus unevenly on loving others, and even sometimes, we are so justice-focused that we miss calling people to follow Jesus. These foci divide us from other churches, denominations, and each other, especially in high-tension political seasons. In this episode, Justin Taylor talks with Paula Dannielle about how these three may actually go together and form a world we have yet to experience. Let's listen together now to strengthen this cord.

Today's guest is Justin Taylor. Justin was born and raised in South Africa and came to Charlotte, NC, to marry his true love, Amber, who grew up at Carmel Baptist Church, where Justin now serves as the Worship Pastor. They’ve been married for 16 years and have three boys. Justin is passionate about worship that is God-glorifying, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Theologically-rich, and Scripture-soaked. The congregation would sing together their heads, yes, but from the heart!

Connect with Justin at justint@carmelbaptist.org

Get today's music and more Carmel Baptist Church on Spotify

Connect with Paula Dannielle on https://www.instagram.com/paula_dannielle/ or at pdannielle@pauladannielle.com

Connect with Cohesion or at connect@cohesionclt.org

Follow Above the Divide on https://www.instagram.com/above_the_divide/

Read more:

Great Commandment in Matthew 22:34-40

Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20

Great Requirement in Micah 6:8

In this episode, we’ll discuss what it means to “love thy neighbor.” Can we use voting to love our neighbors well? What do we do when voting in our neighbors' best interest may not be in ours? Who gets to define loving—the giver or the recipient? Love is a complicated term that we need to consider a little more. And this episode talks about why, how, and if that belongs in the voting booth.

Pastor Barrington Johnson is an inspirational beacon of spiritual guidance, serving as the Senior Pastor of New Zion Church in Charlotte, NC. He married his high-school sweetheart, Tameka, and was blessed with three children: Barrington II, Anderson, and Emberlynn. Pastor Barrington has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Science and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministries from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Pastor Barrington’s transparent and relatable teaching style resonates deeply, bridging the gap between scripture and contemporary life and allowing him to meet people where they are.

Resources from today's show:

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV
• Luke 10:25-37
• Hellerman, Joseph H., When the Church was a Family

Connect with Barrington Johnson: bjohnson@insidenewzion.org

Get information about New Zion and plan a visit!

Connect with Paula Dannielle on Instagram or at mailto:pdannielle@pauladannielle.com

Connect with Cohesion: mailto:connect@cohesionclt.org

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In this episode, we’ll discuss whether pastors should engage in political topics or partisanship from the pulpit and why. Is it the responsibility of pastors to address political topics or partisanship to a mass audience? What are some best practices for doing so? What are some of the pitfalls?

Today's guest is Casey Crimmins, the COO of FORCLT and co-founder of Multiply Church, where he leads a local church community that gathers in homes. Before becoming a pastor, Casey worked in the corporate sector for GE Capital for ten years. Casey graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Accounting and spent time studying theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Charlotte from 2015-2017. Casey is married to Tanya Crimmins, raising four incredible children whose energy never seems to cease.

Connect with Casey Crimmins on LinkedIn or at casey.crimmins@gmail.com

Connect with Paula Dannielle on Instagram or at pdannielle@pauladannielle.com

Connect with Cohesion or at connect@cohesionclt.org

Follow Above the Divide on YouTube or Instagram

Meet the host of Above the Divide, Paula Dannielle! Paula is the lead pastor of Cohesion, a church in Charlotte, NC, passionate about creating community, unifying the Body, and equipping people. Having grown up in leadership in the church, Paula has seen it ALL! She has seen all the ugliness that divides us and the many ways and reasons we should be coming together. Starting this week, Above the Divide will release new episodes that discuss divisive issues and helpful solutions. Subscribe today and set a reminder to join us.

Make sure to subscribe and set a reminder because Above the Divide starts Tuesday, September 17th!