Finding Hope

What does real power look like? In this episode, Rabbi Treu and Dr. Carter move beyond politics and authority to examine power as responsibility, representation, and relationship. Drawing on experiences from the Holocaust Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and research on leadership and belonging, they explore how communities can move from despair to possibility. Their conclusion is both simple and challenging: hope grows when we strengthen one another.

Episode 3 begins with listener questions—Do Jews believe in God? What do they believe about Jesus?—and opens into a candid interfaith conversation about theology, difference, and shared ground. From there, the discussion turns to a deeper question: what is the difference between real hope and simple denial? Through personal stories, scripture, and lived experience, Rabbi Treu and Dr. Carter explore why hope is not wishful thinking, but a discipline rooted in truth, courage, and action.

Rev. Dr. Carter and Rabbi Treu explore one of the biggest theological differences between Judaism and Christianity: sin and salvation . Are humans born sinful, or created fundamentally good? What does forgiveness mean in each tradition? In this wide-ranging conversation, the rabbi and pastor compare Christian teachings about grace and salvation through Jesus with Jewish ideas of repentance and tikkun olam . From the Golden Calf and broken tablets to personal stories about forgiveness and reconciliation, they explore how each tradition understands brokenness and repair. Along the way they take on one of the hardest religious questions: why do bad things happen to good people ? And in the end, they return to explore : where does hope come from when life gives us more questions than answers?

In this inaugural episode, a black pastor and white rabbi sit down for the first time to talk in unscripted honesty about why they are doing this and the path that led them to each other and this conversation. Along the way they explore what hope actually means, how faith traditions define us, and how ordinary acts can become spiritual ones. This episode opens the door to their emerging friendship and sets the tone for the series in truth-telling, curiosity, and the conviction that hope is something we build together. (Note: this is an extended episode. Future episodes will be a bit shorter.)

How do we stay informed without losing hope? How do we stay connected without becoming overwhelmed? In this clip from the first episode of our new podcast, as we explore the despair so many feel right now, we also laugh together… because maybe we aren’t all so ready to unplug just yet! This is what "Finding Hope" is all about. Two people of different faiths become friends and explore together our shared humanity, finding hope together. Turn your notifications on. Mark your calendar. Tell somebody! See you at 6 am on February 17.