The interview with John Fugelsang featuring TCL founder and co-founder, Charles Toy and Rev. Mark Sandlin happened on Thursday, March 11, 2021! It went better than anyone expected. John is a pro. He asked all the right questions and engaged with Charles and Mark on a level that only he could have. John has been an ally of The Christian Left since its humble beginning as a Facebook group back in 2009. Charles tells the story of how their relationship began in the interview. We know you're going to enjoy listening and learning how your progressive Christian missionaries have been comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable lately. So grab a beverage, find a comfortable spot, and click on the arrow below to listen in. The interview is 30 minutes or so. After you've been inspired by their passion and commitment please read over the rest of the knowledge we've imparted in this blog piece. Then sign up for our email list and make a contribution to the ongoing mission of The Christian Left. We've been at this for almost 12 years and we'll go another 12 with your backing. Any amount helps. Sign up to make it monthly. We have a lot to accomplish. 
There are a few essays and videos mentioned in the interview that we link below for your convenience. The Real Origins of the Religious Right "They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was racism." Classic article from POLITICO by Randall Balmer, a must read to understand how the whole thing got started in the modern era. Randall Herbert Balmer (born October 22, 1954) is an American historian of American religion. He taught at Barnard College and Columbia University for twenty-seven years before moving to Dartmouth College in 2012, where he was named the Mandel Family Professor in the Arts & Sciences. He is also an Episcopal priest. He earned his PhD from Princeton University in 1985. TCL's Primary Blog Post About The History of The "Christian" Right Packed with links and related information! The Christian Left Website Clobbering “Biblical” Gay Bashing by Rev. Mark Sandlin (Co-founder of The Christian Left) TCL's Primary Blog Post About Homosexuality Packed with links and related information! The Bible Tells Us When A Fetus Becomes A Living Being (214K Likes) Seminal piece on abortion from The Christian Left TCL's Primary Blog Post On Abortion Packed with links and related information! "Christian" Right Messaging = Billion Dollar Empire This article is from 2017 but this gathering still happens on a regular basis. It's only one cog in the wheel of a multi-billion dollar messaging empire behind The "Christian" Right. The $1-Billion-a-Year Right-Wing Conspiracy You Haven’t Heard Of "Are you female, gay, non-Christian, or otherwise interested in the separation of church and state? Get to know The Gathering, a shadowy, powerful network of hard-right funders." YouTube Video of The First Standup Routine Charles Saw of John Fugelsang Charles talks about this video in the interview. Hilarious! John is everywhere on YouTube Link To Beth Moore Tweet Discussed In Interview Link to sermon by Rev. Mark Sandlin that got him sanctioned on social media for using "hate speech." The sermon was taken down and his ability to live stream was removed for a month. 
Below: Meme posted to The Christian Left Facebook page November of 2011
“Tell Me Everything,” with John Fugelsang, is broadcast on SiriusXM #127, 9pm-12mid ET (6pm-9pm Pacific), M-F.
It's the only radio show we listen to on a consistent basis. It's that good and John that good. You can sign up for a SiriusXM Premier Streaming subscription and get the first 3 months for $1.00. After that it’s $13.00/month. It's well worth it. The options for your listening enjoyment are virtually endless. 
Charles Toy is a disciple of Jesus. He decided to go all in with that role about 15 years ago when he realized that Jesus was the only person who was never going to leave him. He never looked back. He’s the founder of The Christian Left.
Charles is a husband, a dad, a son, a grandpa and a brother. He grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in a midsize university town, Corvallis, Oregon. He currently resides in the ‘Silicon Forest’ just down the street from Intel and Nike. He graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor's degree from the school of business. For his area of concentration he focused on marketing and advertising management. He learned about things like branding and integrated marketing communications. In 1994 he took a class called 'The Internet.' A ‘politics junkie’ for as long as he can remember he secured a minor in political science along the way. In his lifetime he’s been face to face with Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. He’s been in the same room as Ronald Reagan, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. In his professional life Charles has done it all. He’s been an account executive for an advertising agency, a marketing director for a textiles company and a national mortgage bank, and an account manager for a regional newspaper, a local radio station, and two separate television stations. At the peak of his career Charles was forced stay home and care for a family member. He wasn’t willing to let his education and experience go to waste so he decided he would serve as God’s marketing assistant. He secured the domain name of The Christian Left and founded the online ministry and community. He never looked back. In 2012 Charles and Rev. Mark Sandlin spearheaded an effort to form the nation's first progressive Christian Super PAC (political action committee) called 'Christians For A Change (CFAC).' The idea was that CFAC would serve as the political action arm of The Christian Left ministry, much like 'FRC Action' on the right, except different. Sadly, the idea was ahead of its time and CFAC dissolved from lack of funding.
Rev. Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He currently serves at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. He is a co-founder of The Christian Left. Mark also serves as the President and Acting Co-Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org. His blog, then known as The God Article, was named as one of the “Top Ten Christian Blogs.” Mark received The Associated Church Press’ Award of Excellence in 2012. His work has been published on “The Huffington Post,” “Sojourners,” “Time,” “Church World Services,” and even on the “Richard Dawkins Foundation.” He’s been featured on PBS’s Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and NPR’s The Story with Dick Gordon. He blogs at Rev. Mark Sandlin dot com.
John Fugelsang has been murdered on CSI, interviewed 2 Beatles on separate continents in the same week, and famously once got Mitt Romney's advisor to call Governor Romney an 'etch a sketch' on CNN. Actor, comedian & broadcaster John Fugelsang hosts 'Tell Me Everything" weekdays on SiriusXM Insight #127.
He recently performed in 'The Bill of Rights Concert" alongside Lewis Black & Dick Gregory which aired on AXS. He's also appeared at Montreal’s ‘Just for Laughs’ Festival, HBO’s U.S Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, hosted America's Funniest Home Videos for ABC and Bill Maher called him ‘one of my favorite comedians’. Film/TV credits include 'Price Check' opposite Parker Posey, "Becker," "Providence," "Coyote Ugly," the religious standup performance film "The Coexist Comedy Tour" (which won Best Documentary at the NYC Vision Fest film festival). He appears in the upcoming features "The Girl On The Train," "Maggie Black," and he plays two roles in the romantic comedy ‘The Whole Truth’ starring Elisabeth Rohm and Eric Roberts. He's interviewed Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Brian Wilson, Yoko Ono, Willie Nelson, Tony Bennett, Alan Rickman, Joey Ramone, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Bo Diddley, Stevie Nicks, Robbie Robertson, Ravi Shankar, Beyonce Knowles, Olivia Harrison, Garth Brooks, William Hurt, Helen Hunt, Ashanti, John Fogerty, William Shatner, Sen. Trent Lott, Sen. Tom Daschle, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ed Asner, Nile Rogers, Michael Moore, JK Simmons, Valerie Plame, Ethan Hawke, Brian Dennehy, Mavis Staples, Joel Grey, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Lily Tomlin, Dave Matthews, Terrence McNally, Stanley Tucci, Michael Shannon, Noel Gallagher, Jeff Daniels, Rita Moreno, & Carl Reiner. His interview with George Harrison included JF persuading George to play several songs on acoustic guitar. This proved to be George's final televised appearance and was broadcast as "The Last Performance." His 2015 film "Dream On," a road trip in search of the American Dream, was named "Best Documentary" at the NY Independent Film Festival. Directed by 2 time Oscar nominee Roger Weisberg, the film examines the current state of the American Dream while retracing the journey Alexis de Tocqueville made while writing 'Democracy in America.' The film features 200 interviews in 55 cities in 17 states, including Mike Huckabee, Barney Frank & Paul Krugman and premieres on PBS Election Day Eve. John's official website can be found here. 
Radical changes to the way social media platforms allow posts to be distributed threaten to snuff us out, cancel our work, and eliminate our ability to carry out our mission.
TCL is a place where Christian progressives and their allies can gather to support one another, discuss the issues of the day, and take action to advocate for oppressed people, those who Jesus called "The Least Of These." We're trying to work with the powers that be at social media companies but there are no guarantees. It is imperative that we build our email list immediately as an alternative way to communicate with the TCL community. Sign up for our email list today. It's important. The Christian Left is user supported. We're one of very few voices offering a counternarrative to the billion dollar empire of The "Christian" Right. We need dedicated people who believe in this mission to participate by backing our effort financially. Make a contribution today and sign up to make it monthly. Any amount helps. Here's how (click or tap here). “Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it. But I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.” – Anonymous Back to Facebook post _-_Waylon_Jennings.jpeg) We just felt like throwing on some Waylon Jennings and remembering the days when we all used to love each other … before we started ‘feudin’ like the Hatfields and McCoys.’ Is it just us or do we recall a time when we loved our brothers and sisters in the country and we thought they were pretty cool? Conversely, we country folk loved our brothers and sisters in the city and while they did things a little differently than us we loved them anyway and we thought they were pretty cool. Was it ever like that? Are we just looking at the past with rose-colored glasses? Can it ever be like that again? What would it take for the nation to move away from some of this nastiness towards one another? This great red-blue divide? We wish we had all the answers. We think we might have a few ideas though. Waylon played Ireland back in the day. Here’s what he had to say about it: “I think music is the only hope this world has of bringing people together. It’s the only thing that can bring ’em together under one roof. We go over to Ireland and play and there they are, there’s three different factions: the British, the Irish and the Irish Republican Army in this big coliseum and they’re getting along. When we start to leave they go back to fighting. It’s been going that way for all those years. But music definitely has healing powers.” So, what about a Live-Aid style concert broadcast all over the world? One where the goal is for progressives and conservatives to come together and celebrate the music we all love? What a great way to celebrate everyone finally being able to attend concerts again. Maybe a tour of the featured bands could follow. One with stops in New York City, Dublin, Ireland, and Luckenbach, Texas. Wouldn’t it be grand? Who would organize such a plan? Bob Geldof pulled off Live-Aid. Maybe Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would step up. Who knows? Maybe we could see Led Zeppelin play together one more time. Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love. We can dream ... Willie Nelson & Full Ensemble - Luckenbach, Texas (Live) Luckenbach, Texas (Studio Version) - Waylon Jennings |
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Charles Toy is the founding member of The Christian Left. We're sure you will enjoy his passion as well as his wit. Guest bloggers featured often.
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