In this pre-season special, Bruce Reyes-Chow chats with Pastor Jacob Buchholz, a contestant on the new Fox reality show The Snake. They dive into Jacob’s role as a progressive Christian pastor on national TV, the show’s unique social dynamics, and his roots in Deaf ministry. An inspiring, thoughtful, and fun conversation about faith, visibility, and what it means to be human — even on reality TV.

Watch “The Snake”: Tuesdays on Fox and streaming the next on Hulu

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• 🔗 at Claremont United Church of Christ

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Teaser for the upcoming launch of The Amalgamation with Bruce Reyes-Chow coming May 2025

My name is Bruce Reyes-Chow, and you’ve found The Almagamation Podcast. Each episode, I chat with inspiring humans: activists, artists, academics, and adventurers as we joyfully and courageously co-conspire to make the world a more loving, compassionate, and just home for everyone.

Welcome to The Amalgamation.

Well, I had not originally planned on adding more episodes to The Amalgamation Podcast until it was fully ready to go. Sometimes, the world requires us to respond outside of our plans. So here's a little preview of what I will be doing in the Fall, to offer some ideas about those of you who are preaching on any given Sunday.

With the shooting and presumed assassination attempt of former President Trump, I think it would be irresponsible NOT to address this happening in worship tomorrow. I hope you have the courage and willingness to do so.

Here are some thoughts as you enter this space.

TRANSCRIPT

Have we paid attention to everything in the same manner? Certainly not, but that doesn't mean that one, necessarily, should deserve more or less humanity than the other. And the thing I would really focus on, though, tomorrow, is that violent rhetoric, when it escalates, what do we expect to happen? When we use this in, and this is across the board now, I will say, I think conservative folks tend to use it more and there's been violence on, on their side that is much more, I, I would think directed towards those who sit in a more progressive space. Huge generalizations. But at the same time, I've seen everybody kind of ramp up. And when, when do we ramp up? Some people would say, well, if you take the high road, if you decide to play by the rules or you decide to be, to dignify people, then they're not going to reciprocate that. Well, my compassion and love isn't given in a transactional manner. And so somebody seen that foolish, but I think that if I were to come back at somebody with the same level and tone and tactics that were emotionally, spiritually, politically violent, then this is what's going to happen. We've already seen it with Palestinians being attacked on the streets and in their homes, and killed because of who they are. We've seen, you know, economic violence. on, people who just simply wear a Palestinian flag. We certainly have seen, folks who have been antisemitic, they have been, anti-Islamic. There's all, all the things that happen. And at some point, we have to see humanity in one another enough that we don't, we don't exacerbate that, that we don't accelerate and, that we don't escalate violence in our words and actions.

Now that is not weak. That is not a weak position. That is a position I think of strength and of revolution because it goes against the way the world wants us to be. The world thrives on the economy of militarism and violence. And so the more we feed into that, the more that that part of humanity wins.

And I simply. We'll not let that happen. So as you step into the pulpit tomorrow, I don't think you have to feel like you need to calm people that you need to, make people feel good or bad about any particular thing. But I do think it's important for us to use that space in a way that helps people see the larger scheme of humanity.

And what about our current political situation benefits destruction and violence and evil, and how are we going to or not going to participate in that? Again, there is enough love and compassion to go around, and so we don't have to help evil and destruction win I pray for you all tomorrow that are stepping into that pulpit, let the spirit move, love your people, be transformed by your own words, and peace.

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