Chris Carlisle is an episcopal priest in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, where he worked for years as the university chaplain at University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Being surrounded by young students, who he says have become increasingly dubious of organized religion, imbued him with a bit of skepticism on how the church has chosen to address social issues in the 21st century. Known by many of the locals as “Happy Valley”, the area has a reputation for being a haven of liberalism and social acceptance. Despite its reputation, it is one of the most economically divided areas in the country. This truth is often obfuscated by the vibrant downtowns of cities like Amherst and Northampton, but neighboring cities like Holyoke, Greenfield and Springfield have struggled to recover from the exodus of factory workers of the last half century. In this episode, we take a look at what Carlisle calls a “return to the Christianity of Christ” and the work he’s been doing to uplift and amplify the stories of the poor in his community and beyond.
