Zera Today With Pastor Lorenzo Neal

As rioting erupts in the city of Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, the black church is struggling to find the right voice to speak for and to them. The younger generation does not want to hear the voices of yesterday and are yearning for fresh voices to speak to their angst and anger. One such voice is Jamal Bryant, Pastor of Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore. He has been pushed to the forefront of a growing Black Lives Matter movement. How can the black church help find and nurture the new prophetic voices of today? Is there a need for new prophetic voices or is it time for the black church to settle? Join Pastor Neal for this and other topics.

On Monday the New Republic Magazine released an essay from Dr. Michael Eric Dyson openly rebuking his former mentor and friend Dr. Cornel West. The article created a firestorm across social media as the two giants of black public intellectuals have been assailing each other primarily over their views of President Barack Obama. Both men have created a significant voice in the black world as scholars, prophets and commentators on the perils of the black world. How does this rift affect the black community and the black church? Is there room for black intellectuals in today's post modern world? To read the article visit herehttp://www.newrepublic.com/article/121550/cornel-wests-rise-fall-our-most-exciting-black-scholar-ghost. To learn more about Dr. Dyson visit www.michaelericdyson.com, to learn more about Dr. West visit

The 21st century has afforded churches and preachers with unprecedented opportunities. These include television shows, social media outlets, and even social and political influences. What if God did not validate the church or the preacher to have the spotlight? Aside from vagrant immorality and flamboyance, how can you discern if a ministry or preacher's calling is invalid in God's sight? What are signs you should look for to determine when preachers are in search of validation? Tune in with Pastor Neal to find out this and more.

Jesus had loyal disciples who even after he died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, managed to keep his story alive through their gospel narratives. Fans of rapper and producer Kanye West seemingly now have the opportunity to do the same with the new Book of Yeezus. The Book of Yeezus: A Bible for the Modern Day, is being described as a novelty table book celebrating the grandeur of mega-icon Kanye West. It retells the book of Genesis replacing the word God with Kanye or Yeezus. It was deemed by it's creator in this manner: "This book wasn’t made to make fun at Kanye, or really even show or undying devotion towards him. Book of Yeezus is simply an exposition. It’s adding an original twist to something ancient and important in order to capture new meaning. We are trying to cast our spotlight towards the way cultural icons have come to be the contemporary spiritual figures in our information culture." Pastor Neal discusses the issues of modern spirituality and the Black concept of God. Is this book

Did the Indiana legislature go too far to protect their perceived loss of religious freedom? What's wrong with that bill and others like it? How protected are you and your children from predators in the church? A Memphis Sunday School teacher did the worse kind of violation to one of his students. This week, churches across the world will be celebrating the day denoted as the ressurection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. Many churches will fill auditoriums and pack stadiums for their "Ressurection Sunday" services. In other places, people will do the "Seven Last Words" or will re-enact the last moments of Jesus. While scripture is clear that he was not the only person to be raised from the dead, why will millions of churches and billions of believers celebrate his ressurection? How and why should we celebrate the ressurection of Jesus Join Pastor Neal as he discusses this and more.

Having been in the preaching ministry since a pre-teen, I've learned quite a lot and have matured even more since then. I have come to discover that young ministers (not just young in age) find it difficult to maintain a healthy spiritual, social, and educational life. I have privilege of serving as a ministry trainer now and have suggestions to those who are young in ministry or on the edge of being burned out in ministry. They are: Challenge Yourself, Question Yourself, and Respect Yourself. I'll be breaking all of those down on today's show so feel free to join in the discussion.

Are you saved, sanctified, and spirit filled or are you a misinformed consumer of church fallacies? Today churches are built around the drive, vision, and especially the charisma of pastors seeking to create their brand. Ministries are being created and franchised out just like fast food restaurants leaving many believers shuffling to find the right church brand or fit for them. In the process, they are becoming more and more biblically illiterate and participating in fallacies of false hopes of prosperity, salvation, and possibly even eternal life. Join Pastor Neal for another great discussion on Zera Today.

March is Women's History Month and women who made great contributions to the world are being recognized around the world. Women play a major role in the life and ministry of the church. If we were to be candid, women run the church yet are still highly oppressed because the church still functions as a patriarchial organization. What can be done to help create a more liberating role for women in the church? Is recognizing their gifts as pastors, prophetesses, and teachers enough to accomplish this? Join Pastor Neal for another lively discussion and dialogue on Zera Today.

The Black Christian church community is still behind when it comes to dealing with the issue of mental health. For many individuals, the church is used as a coping mechanism for the emotional and mental stress they experience. While this may help some, there are still many who silently suffer from mental health issues that go unaddressed. Dr. Tynisha Drennon, a licensed pastoral counselor, educator, and minister is the founder of Brighter Day Counseling Services and Clinical Pastoral Education resident at Einstein Health Systems in Philadelpha, PA. joins Pastor Neal to discuss how to care for one's mental and spiritual health. To learn more about Rev. Dr. Drennon visit her website at www.tcdministries.org and to learn more about A Brighter Day Counseling Services visit http://www.abrighterdaypa.com/ This promises to be another exciting show so make sure you tune in!

Lent has come once again. Many Christians will give up something for the next 40 days as a means of symbolic sacrifice. Will you be using these days for sacrifice, renewal and revival or will you just let it be another fleeting season.

As we focus on the achievements of blacks during the 19th and 20th centuries, we are neglecting the history being made in the 21st century. This history however is not one of firsts but one mostly of loss and myths. Join Pastor Neal as he explores how the myths of matryrdom of blacks as portrayed through media is attempting to distort black history by redefining it through the lens of class and wealth inequality.

In 1961 a new Progressive Baptist Convention was formed because it promoted those who were actively engaged in the American Civil RIghts movement. Today a new schism is happening and it is one that creating just as much fuss as the Baptist schism of 1961. Across the country, blacks are leaving the comfort of religious experiences through the church for authentic quests for meaning and spirituality. This is more evident in the Millenials generation (those 25 years of age and younger). This group is actually engaging a more radicalized identity as blacks and non-church members They are calling for more social justice and less institutionalized religious expression. How should the older church deal with them? Is there a need for blacks to forge new paths in religious and spiriual expression? Do we need that "Ole Time Religion" that was good for mama and papa and should be good enough for us? Join Pastor Neal for this and other lively topics on Zera Today.

Welcome to another year of Zera Today with Pastor Lorenzo Neal. A video of a preacher bragging about bullying a youth during church has gone viral. Did his own words do more harm than help? Also Atlanta's mayor has terminated the fire chief Kelvin Cochran for a book the chief wrote denouncing homosexuality? Did the chief cross the lines of church and state separation? Is this a case of war against Christianity? Join in the discussion of this and more with Pastor Neal.

This week churches across the world will be presenting pageants and plays depicting the birth of Jesus. While it has been proven to be incorrect, so many fight to retain the symbols of Christmas without acknowledging the purpose of Christmas. How does the Christmas myth stand against other myths about god-men. Why do pastors continue perpetuating the nativity scene as the actual event? Join Pastor Neal as he discusses this and other topics on Zera Today.

There aren't many people who don't have a desire to revisit the "good ole days." The days when everything seemed simpler and lives seemed in order. The contemporary church is in danger of missing out on serious ministry opportunities in the present because of a nostalgia for the past. Some are still hoping for that new revival moment like the ones kindled during the Great Awakening and the Post War years. It is this very nostalgia that is holding some churches hostage from true ministry today. How can the church move beyond the nostalgia of yesterday and be empowered for a new ministry? It's time to replace the old wineskins with new ones. Join Pastor Neal for this and other topics.

Last week, young Andrew Caldwell was both ridiculed and parodied for his pronunciation of being delivered from homosexuality during the 107th COGIC Holy Convocation. Since he became a public figure, the tides have turned and there are reports of the entire fiasco being a sham. A pastor refuses to allow the funeral of a member because of not tithing. How can believers be proactive against scams and shams brought on by pastors, or other people in the church? Join Pastor Neal for a lively discussion on this and other topics of the day.

This week witnessed much news in the church community. The COGIC Convocation in St. Louis launched viral videos. The tragic death of Dr. Myles Munroe, and dissolution of Mars Hill Church has raised alot of questions regarding ministry leadership. It is a fact that many churches struggle replacing pastors and leadership teams after a loss including deaths, resignations or terminations. Many more simply close their doors forever. What can be done to ensure quality leadership succession?  Join Pastor Lorenzo Neal as he discusses this and other topics on Zera Today

 Recently, 29 year old Brittany Maynard, who went on social media discussing her plans to end her own life because of her terminal illness, reopened the discussion of assisted suicide. Several years ago, some evangelical clergy and politicians fought to keep Terri Schiavo alive on life support for over a decade. Many churches have clear stances on issues regarding life, but there is still some unclarity on where the church stands regarding assisted death. Does the Bible address the issue of assisted death? How should churches approach dying with dignity without creating more fear and distress for individuals and families of those struggling with terminal illness and the desire to die? Join Pastor Neal for this empowering and enlightening topic.

* REBROADCAST* If you tried listening to the Zera Today broadcast this morning, we experienced major technical difficulties with our system so people only heard the commercials and not the commentary. We will reschedule the show for tomorrow and apologize for the inconvenience. I was all into it too! Technology! LOL! Coming back off break, Pastor Lorenzo Neal returns with discussions on current topics including domestic violence, breast cancer awareness month and how the black church leadership can handle incidents of violence among church leadership and celebrities. Pastor Neal also discusses how the November midterm elections could affect the black church and black community

Many of us have seen or heard some bad preachers that we questioned their "calling". One church in Arkansas failed to properly investigate their pastor and discovered that he is a Level 3 registered sex offender who changed his identity and entered the ministry. His members were outraged when they made the discovery but if they had done some simple background check, their dilemma could have been avoided. What can churches do to prevent preaching fraud from occuring today? Join Pastor Neal to discuss this and other topics of the day.