21. Malynda Hale (African Methodist Episcopal Church – AME) – Being the Good News

Alexis Rice welcomes artist-activist, writer, and Executive Director at The New Evangelicals @TheNewEvangelicals, Malynda Hale (@malyndahale) — raised in the joy and lift of the Black church. African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church is one of the oldest historically Black denominations in the U.S., born out of resistance, faith, and community. Malynda’s story is a beautiful window into this tradition. This conversation is a master class in a healthy, justice-shaped Christianity lived out loud.

With warmth and clarity, Malynda names what the left gets wrong about grace and messaging, shows how faith can inform politics without erasing pluralism, and invites us to be the good news.

🎧 Highlights:

• AME roots: joy, uplift, belonging, and why she never had to “deconstruct”
• Women preaching & leading without apology
• “Spreading” vs. being the good news
• Grace with standards: calling in without purity tests
• Better messaging for the broad middle
• Faith-informed politics without Christian nationalism
• Why diversity is a spiritual gift
• The story behind Malynda’s protest hymn “God and His Gun”

💬 Key Quotes

• “People are so focused on spreading the good news when they should be focused on being the good news.”

💡 Key Takeaways

• Love has teeth: grace is repair, responsibility, and welcome.
• Simpler, human-first messaging connects; policy is pastoral when it protects people.
• Pluralism strengthens witness: affirm your faith and your neighbor’s freedom.
• Measure faith by its fruit: what we practice online/offline forms the public’s view of Jesus.

👤 About Our Guest
Malynda Hale is a singer-songwriter, activist, writer, and cultural commentator whose work braids art and justice. She is the Executive Director of The New Evangelicals and creates spaces for honest dialogue on race, faith, and the common good. Don’t miss her powerful protest hymn “God and His Gun.”

📚 Resources & Mentions

• African Methodist Episcopal Church — @amechurchofficial
• The New Evangelicals — @thenewevangelicals
• Rep. James Talarico — @jamestalarico
• United Church of Christ — @unitedchurchofchrist
• Joan Osborne’s “What If God Was One of Us” — @joan_osborne
• Jimmy Kimmel (studio story) — @jimmykimmellive,
  @jimmykimmel

🎵 Music Notes

• God and His Gun Music Video used with permission from Malynda Hale

#Christianity #deconstruction #ProgressiveChristianity #OpenAndAffirming #LetHerLead #AMEChurch #AfricanMethodistEpiscopal #FaithInAction #BelovedCommunity
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