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Our Favorite 'Friday Conversations' Of 2015

Krystina Martinez
/
KERA News
T.D. Jakes, pastor of Potters' House, in July 2015.

Each Friday, we bring in newsmakers and other interesting people talk with them about hot topics from gay marriage to race to politics.

Megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes talked about addressing violent incidents like Baltimore and Charleston from the pulpit. Beck Weathers talked about surviving Mount Everest and seeing his story played out on the big screen. A North Texas professor talked about the Black Twitter community.

From pastors and adventurers to gay marriage and race, no person or topic was hands-off in our Friday Conversation.

Here are some of our favorite conversations of 2015:

Gay Marriage and Religion

New Pastor Arrives At LGBTQ-Inclusive Church At Pivotal Moment For Dallas

“The church needs to in some ways do a massive repentance job and say, ‘We’re sorry for misleading you away from the words of Jesus to the words of what we want this world to look like,' which is, in some ways, the dominant culture of white male, middle class, heterosexual society." 

Powerhouse Pastor T.D. Jakes On Charleston, Same-Sex Marriage And Movie Ambitions

"I don’t think Christians or clergy understand that the Supreme Court does not debate scripture; they debate the Constitution, which is what they’re supposed to do.” 

The New Bishop Of The Dallas Episcopal Diocese On Adapting To A Changing Culture

Race

From Paula Deen To Baltimore Unrest: Exploring The Role Of Black Twitter

“We have the opportunity to hear multiple narratives. We’re not ultimately relying on news media to tell us what’s happening on the street.”

Inside A Sickening Moment In Dallas History: A Public Hanging Of A Black Man

“I read all the city council minutes of February of that year to when the arch was dismantled and they never talk about the lynching. They never talk about it.”  

Adventurers

He’s A Marathon Pioneer, But Tony Reed’s Biggest Goal: More Black Marathoners 

“I decided to set a lifetime goal of averaging three miles a day of running. I felt if I did that, I could avoid having to take insulin. In January, I ran my 40,000th mile, and at 60 years old, I’m still not on insulin.”

Beck Weathers On Surviving Mount Everest: ‘I’d Do It Again In A Heartbeat’

“All in all, if I had to do it again, every pain, every misery, every bit of suffering that comes from it, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” 

You can also explore the 20 most popular KERANews.org stories of 2015

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.