The Practice of Radical Belonging
A Coffee Break Conversation with Ben McBride
What does it really mean to belong to a place, to each other, even to our enemies? Many of us long for deeper connection in our neighborhoods and communities, but we’re not sure how to move forward, especially across lines of difference. In a polarized world, the work of building bridges can feel risky, exhausting, or even impossible.
In this Coffee Break conversation, Tim Soerens talks with Ben McBride, an activist, author of Troubling the Waters: The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging about the sacred and gritty work of practicing belonging in real life.
If you care about reconciliation, place-based faith, and neighborly courage, you’ll want to sit with this one.
What You’ll Hear in This Conversation
Belonging is not a destination, it’s a practice
Ben invites us to stop thinking of belonging as a warm fuzzy feeling and start practicing it as a daily discipline of co-creating space with those we perceive as “other.”Transformation begins in proximity
From moving into his grandmother’s old Oakland neighborhood to working with police officers, Ben shares how real change happens when we commit to presence even when it’s uncomfortable.Cathedral thinking in a TikTok culture
Patience, Ben reminds us, is part of the work. Belonging doesn’t happen overnight. It unfolds over years, even generations, like building a cathedral brick by brick.Three practices for everyday bridge-building
Learn Ben’s simple, powerful framework: build shared humanity, bridge across differences, and co-create the future together, even with those you deeply disagree with.
Watch the Preview Below 👇
“The solutions our neighborhoods need are already in the room. The question is, will we show up and co-create with the people who’ve been there all along?”
Take the Next Step
This isn’t just a conversation. It’s an invitation.
What would it look like to widen your circle this week? Not in theory, but in your actual life with real neighbors, co-workers, even enemies.
Who might you need to see more fully? What small act of welcome or curiosity could you offer today?
