God Help Us

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - First, we honor the lives of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and countless others who have died in the past months as a direct result of police brutality.  For resources on anti-racism from past episodes, visit anniemesaros.com/resources. Here are my top recs right here: So You Want to Talk about Race White Fragility The New Jim Crow Austin Channing Brown Brittany Packnett Cunningham Rachel Cargle No White Saviors Today’s episode with Carla Godwin is about listening for and listening to your inner howl of passion and following it to the work you are uniquely meant to offer this world. Carla is a writer, speaker, and leader who lives with her two kids in Minneapolis.  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: W/ Collective She is Called Podcast Women Who Run with the Wolves Dance of the Dissonant Daughter Christina Cleveland Tina Schermer Sellers Paula Williams Women After All FIND CARLA: Instagram Holy Writ podcast

Crystal Cheatham and I share a desire to end the extreme pendulum swings in our political culture and to find a way forward that is inclusive of traditionally marginalized groups and doesn’t ostracize and isolate conservatives in a way that makes them more isolated and more extreme. To that end, Crystal and I talk about running her member-funded app during the COVID pandemic, the need for responsible capitalism, resisting cancel culture, and practicing nonviolent communication.  Crystal has an MFA from Antioch University and is an LGBTQ rights activist with a focus on religious liberty. She is the founder of Our Bible App and The IDentity Kit, both of which provide resources for marginalized communities of faith. And she is the host of Lord Have Mercy, a podcast about God, sex and the Bible. Recommended Resources: Our Bible App Find Crystal: Crystalcheatham.com Crystal@ourbibleapp.com Instagram Facebook Twitter Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  Contact me at anniemesaros.com or on Instagram @GodHelpPod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  Since the global outbreak of COVID-19 over the past many weeks, our lives have been thrown into chaos, which looks different for everyone - even in our shared experience of pandemic. It’s all very disorienting and isolating.  In this episode, I talk with Michele Ward, associate pastor of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church in Baltimore, Maryland. We discuss what it’s been like for Michele’s congregation to shift to virtual meeting spaces. And we offer some ideas for creating spaces that feel sacred and grounding - whether you’re observing the Easter holiday, or just wanting some breathing room to mark the many joys and griefs of everyday life that feel extra heightened right now. If you are in need of soul care during this time, please contact me at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com. I’m happy to listen if you need someone to talk to over the phone. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Sacred Seasons Calendar Celtic Daily Prayer Series Soul Feast Women in Praise of the Sacred FIND MICHELE: Sermons Instagram Facebook - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

During COVID-19 and a great deal of social isolation, I want to let you know that I'm thinking about you and am available to offer soul care over the phone. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen. Shoot me an email at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com and we'll set up a time to chat. Take care, everyone.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  Lyvonne Proverbs is a black woman, a pastor, and a body- and sex-positive writer who is dedicated to tending to the mental, physical, sexual, and spiritual health of black women, for their own sake, and as an act of community justice in the US and in the world and invites white listeners to examine their own role in white supremecist, misogynistic power structures.  In this episode, Lyvonne and I talk about how trauma crops up and impacts our everyday lives and relationships and how that plays into politics, specifically public response to (former) Democratic primary candidates Mike Bloomberg, Liz Warren, and Pete Buttigieg. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: TED Talk by Kimberle Crenshaw on intersectionality TED Talk by Jackson Katz on male sexual violence Shawn Ginwright’s work on healing-centered engagement Alice Walker’s definition of “womanist” Sexuality and the Black Church: a Womanist Perspective Ebony Janice Moore FIND LYVONNE: Lyvonnep.com Instagram Twitter Online Learning Community - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Wherever it occurs and in whatever form it takes, abuse is about power and control and - whether in a church or the highest office of government - abuse results from a lack of accountability for our leaders. In this conversation with Rev. Ashley Easter, we discuss her theology of safety - that by understanding that all people are made in the image of God, we learn that we are all each other’s keepers. Acts of abuse as well as the mistreatment of survivors are not possible if we take seriously the value of each beloved human being, particularly the most vulnerable. Ashley is a Christian feminist, writer, speaker, television producer, news pundit, ordained reverend, and abuse-victim advocate who educates churches and secular communities on abuse. She is the founder of The Courage Conference for survivors of abuse and those who love them. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Spotlight the movie Pastor Lyvonne Proverbs Nonprofit organization GRACE: Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment FIND ASHLEY: Ashleyeaster.com Twitter Facebook Instagram Emerge Retreat - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - For the past several decades of American Evangelical culture, the Bible has been used as a weapon against queer people, banning or restricting their participation in many faith communities and denying their place in the world God created. Dr. Jun Young, communications expert, speaker, teacher, and consultant, to talk about a new ministry he’s founded: Beloved Arise supports LGTBQ+ youth of faith with resources, encouragement, and biblical teaching that affirms their identity. As a reference, there are six places in the bible where same-sex activity is mentioned: Genesis 19:5, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9, and I Timothy 1:10. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Matthew Vines’s case for biblical inclusion Seattle Times article on Jun and Crista Ministries Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality The Reformation Project Churchclarity.org FIND BELOVED ARISE: Belovedarise.org Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In anticipation of the upcoming winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, I’m here with ecotheologian and spiritual guide Mary DeJong. Mary is the founder of Waymarkers, which offers guidance and support for those who are ready to respond to the call to wander into the sacred wild, seeking wisdom from our interrelated web of life through retreats, pilgrimages, one-on-one and group rewilding guidance, writing, and speaking. Mary has a master’s in theology and culture from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology as well as post-graduate certificates in Religion and Ecology, EcoPsychology, and applied mythology. She and her family live in Seattle’s Rainier Valley in Columbia City. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Article by Mary on practicing biomimicry Seattle Times Hostile Waters series Praying with the Earth FIND MARY: Waymarkers.net Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - On this very special Thanksgiving episode, I invited Dr. Brian Bantum to help me identify and unpack our origin stories - from Adam and Eve to Thanksgiving. These are the narratives we all construct to help us understand the world around us as we experience it.  Brian is the Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Professor of Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago (though he lives in Seattle with his wife Gail Song, a Korean-American pastor, and their three sons.) Brian has his PhD from Duke University and considers how Christians encounter and speak about God as they make sense of their world. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Keri Day Wil Gafney Angela Parker Anne Joh Seattle Peoples Party Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery FIND BRIAN: Redeeming Mulatto The Death of Race Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In the first part of this very special episode, I join Coastland Commons for their monthly gathering to talk about the significance of personal story and the importance of trusting our instincts. In the first segment, Dani Forbess and I present in front of a live audience. In part two, I have a follow-up conversation with Dani as well as Zac Calvo and Kyle Turver, co-leaders of Coastland Commons. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Share a meal as a spiritual practice. Here are some suggested discussion questions: Who is your favorite literary character and what do you admire about them? Did anything in this podcast episode resonate with you? Do you have a story that you can safely share with the group? After hearing from someone, spend a moment in silence and then offer a word of gratitude or blessing to the person who shared The Half Has Never Been Told 1619 podcast FIND COASTLAND COMMONS: Coastlandcommons.org Facebook - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In this episode, I talk with Kerry Connelly about the pervasive lie of white supremacy - or what Kerry more accurately refers to as pseudo-supremacy, how our whiteness shows up in our daily interactions, and just a couple of the many ways that Christianity has perpetuated racist hierarchies, both historically and presently. Kerry is a writer, Certified Life Coach, author of the blog Jerseygirl, JESUS, and host of the podcast White on White, which reimagines white identity apart from pseudo-supremacy. Kerry is currently pursuing an MDiv at Christian Theological Seminary. She lives in New Jersey with her family.  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Rachel Cargle Layla Saad I’m Still Here So You Want to Talk About Race The Death of Race Reflect on the question, “How has my whiteness been invisible to me until now?” FIND KERRY: Kerryconnelly.com Good* White Racist - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In defining what kind of man he wants to be, Myles Markham decided to seek out strong feminist and postcolonial voices of women of color in opposition to the toxic masculinity he saw in the culture around him. I talk with him about his coming out journey, defining healthy masculinity, and finding belonging.  Myles is a community organizer, theology nerd, and is working on his MA in practical theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. He identifies as a trans-masculine mixed-race Asian American and Pacific Islander who is passionate about racial justice, LGBTQ inclusion, and building cross-identity coalitions that lead all of creation to experience health and wholeness. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Kwok Pui Lan Mayra Rivera Musa Dube White Guys on Campus FIND MYLES: Mylesmarkham.com Instagram Facebook myleskalei@gmail.com - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Anti-Jewish sentiment hides out in some of the most liberal Christian theologies - often portraying Jesus as a radical feminist an counter-cultural icon against a “backward” Jewish culture. In this episode, I talk with Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish New Testament scholar, about this Good-Jesus / Bad-Judaism binary, and other us-versus-them mentalities in public life. Rather than demonize those who are different from us, Amy-Jill encourages conversation and embracing genuine curiosity about their side of the story. We don’t have to believe the same thing in order to agree that loving your neighbor is important. Amy-Jill is a professor of Jewish Studies and New Testament studies at Vanderbilt and is a prolific author. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Jewish Annotated New Testament The Gospel of Luke Amy-Jill's series of Bible studies Amy-Jill's series of Children’s Books   - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - The Old Testament is a complicated, weird, beautiful, and at times infuriating collection of texts. In this episode, I talk with the Reverend Dr. J. P. Kang about the Old Testament and try to unpack what it is and what it isn’t - and how we see it used culturally and politically in the US today. J. P. is an Associate Pastor at Japanese Presbyterian Church of Seattle and an Affiliate member of the Theology Faculty at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, where he teaches biblical languages and literature.  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Grammar of God The Hebrew Bible Holy Resilience The Genesis of Good and Evil “The Bible’s #MeToo Problem” “Sexy Sunday School: Naughty Bible Translation” Bruce Metzger's New York Times obituary FIND J. P.: Jpresby.org - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - When I say crisis in the Catholic church, surely one major issue comes to mind. Rick Gaillardetz is a Catholic theologian who treats the sexual abuse perpetrated by priests as a symptom of more fundamental issues in the church, so I asked him to join me to talk about what needs to be done to get to the root of the problem. He identifies three deeper crises: clerical culture, authority, and gender and sexuality and advocates for reforms that address the root issues to prevent more violent and tragic symptoms from continuing to emerge. We also discuss the politics of demonization and the importance of disagreeing well. Rick is a Catholic lay theologian and a professor at Boston College who studies and teaches on the Catholic church. A husband and father of four, Rick has his PhD in theology and is a prolific author. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church Clericalism: the Death of Priesthood "To Serve the People of God" FIND RICK: Gaillardetz.com - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Throughout the history of Christianity, people have used the Bible to try to ban women from leading. In this episode of God Help Us, I talk with Pastor Kari Olson about what the Bible says about women having authority in the church and over men and what those implications might be for our social and political lives in a country steeped in Christian heritage. In this episode, Kari mentions the books Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans and Junia: First Woman Apostle by Eldon Jay Epp. For further reading, she recommends Young Clergy Women International’s online magazine and the Women’s Bible Commentary. You can find more content from Kari and reach out to her via fallspres.org and by following East Falls Presbyterian Church on Facebook. Two sites I mention in this episode are The Junia Project, a progressive site about egalitarian leadership - and Desiring God, a site by John Piper that promotes hierarchical gender roles. You can follow me at anniemesaros.com and email me at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com. You can also follow God Help Us on Facebook and Instagram @GodHelpPod. You can make a financial contribution to the podcast at patreon.com/anniemesaros.

Kelsey Wallace, a PhD student in the Bible and Cultures program at Drew Theological School, joins Annie to discuss the biblical story of Jephthah’s daughter as told in Judges 11:29-40. One of the many nameless women in the Bible who suffers terrible and senseless violence, Jephthah’s daughter has been largely forgotten by many of us. We offer a feminist reading of the story and relate it to the #MeToo movement and family separation at the US/Mexico border and even slip in an anecdote from Lindy West’s book, Shrill.  For further study on our topic, Kelsey recommends the Women’s Bible Commentary, a series of biblical commentaries by Bloomsbury Publishing called “The Feminist Companion To…”, and publications by the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. For more from Kelsey, visit kelseyerinwallace.com and follow her on Twitter @kwall03.  Find Annie’s work at anniemesaros.com, email the show at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com, and follow God Help Us on Instagram and Facebook @GodHelpPod. You can make a financial contribution to the podcast at patreon.com/anniemesaros.

In this episode, Annie talks empire with Dr. Angela Parker, a womanist scholar and assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Mercer University. Angela has a PhD in Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics with an emphasis on the New Testament and challenges her students to read the biblical text through the lens of life under the oppressive Roman empire and how that can shape its application today. Angela recommends a number of resources for further exploration - Racializing Jesus, by Shawn Kelley; Postcolonial Feminist Interpretations of the Bible, by Musa Dube; podcasts she has recorded with Dan Allender such as this one on power and hierarchy in biblical Corinth; and "Can't Stop the Feelings: Anger and Identity in Mark 6:17-29," an article she published in The Other Journal. Find Annie’s work at anniemesaros.com, email the show at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com, and follow God Help Us on Instagram and Facebook @GodHelpPod. You can make a financial contribution to the podcast at patreon.com/anniemesaros.

In this episode of God Help Us, join me and pastor Jen Jepsen about her church journey from perfectionism to disillusionment, to co-planting and pastoring a church. We talk about what church is, what it could be, and its inherently political nature. For more from Jen, check out her sermons at Left Hand Church, particularly their series called “We are Family.” You can also follow Left Hand on Facebook and find Jen’s blog at jenniferjepsen.org. Great resources for finding affirming, egalitarian churches in your area are The W/ Collective and Church Clarity. Find Annie’s work at anniemesaros.com, email the show at godhelp.podcast@gmail.com, and follow God Help Us on Instagram and Facebook @GodHelpPod. You can make a financial contribution to the podcast at patreon.com/anniemesaros.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Can women and queer people be church leaders? Christian congregations hold a wide variety of beliefs on both counts - but all too often, people experience a bait-and-switch, attending a church for months or even years before being denied a leadership role due to their gender and/or sexuality. Church Clarity is a crowd-sourced database that scores congregations based on their level of transparency. My guest, Sarah Ngu, is a co-founder of the site, and for her, clarity is a political act of redistributing power and holding industry leaders accountable. Sarah is a writer, speaker, ministry leader, co-founder of Church Clarity, and host of the Religious Socialism podcast. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Churchclarity.com Blog post on North Point Ministries FIND SARAH: Religioussocialism.org Sarahngu.com Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - As former conservative evangelical Christians, Michael Hidalgo and I used to believe that because Jesus is The Way, then all other faiths are inherently incorrect. That kind of belief can make it very difficult to form genuine and loving relationships with people of other faiths in which you can fully appreciate and respect the other person’s beliefs. In this episode, Michael and I discuss the challenges of our former faiths and what his journey has looked like as he has joined leaders of other faiths to work for justice in his city. Michael is the lead pastor of Denver Community Church, host of the Changing Faith Podcast, a member of his local Interfaith Alliance, and the author of two books: Unlost: Being Found by the One We Are Looking For, and Changing Faith: Questions, Doubts, and Choices about the Unchanging God. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace Mending the Divides FIND MICHAEL: Denverchurch.org Michael-hidalgo.com Instagram Facebook - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In this era of division, name-calling, and blame, Mike Purdy argues that civility is more important than ever. He and I talk about historical presidential relationships, the current president, and what it will take to successfully oust Trump in the upcoming election, ideally while truly living into our values for equity, justice, and care, not only in our actions, but maybe especially in our words. In this episode, presidential historian Mike Purdy joins Annie to talk about about civility in civic discourse and his new book, 101 Presidential Insults: What they Really Thought about Each Other and What It Means to Us. Mike is the founder of presidentialhistory.com. He writes, speaks, and podcasts on presidential history and politics and has been interviewed by and quoted in a variety of national and international media outlets. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: 101 Presidential Insults The Soul of America The Case for Civility - and Why Our Future Depends on It FIND MIKE: Presidentialhistory.com Twitter Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This episode is dedicated to the great Rachel Held Evans who passed away on May 4, 2019. Please hold her family in your hearts in the wake of their deep loss. Augustine was and remains a major figure in shaping the theological culture of Western Christianity. He’s a curious and often problematic figure whose legacy has perpetuated some harmful beliefs about original sin, and in particular sexuality and desire - and that’s why he’s worth knowing about. Lauren Sawyer has studied Augustine over several years and is here to talk about the nuances of his work. Lauren is a Ph.D. student in Christian Social Ethics at Drew Theological School. Her current research focuses on how women and LGBTQ folks develop moral agency under the constraints of white evangelical purity culture. She also works as Submissions Editor for the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Feminist Interpretations of Augustine Desire and Delight Confessions FIND LAUREN: Laurendsawyer.com Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Shame is a pervasive emotion that has the power to shape our sense of self as well as our relationships. Overcoming shame and learning to love ourselves (not just indulge ourselves) can free us to love others well - not only those closest to us, but strangers who are impacted by the ways we vote and participate in our global economy. Isaac Archuleta is a therapist, writer, speaker, founder of iAmClinic, and executive director of spiritual and relational formation at Q Christian Fellowship. FIND ISAAC: Qchristian.org Iamclinic.org info@iamclinic.org Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Jonathan Williams and I were both deeply entrenched in our conservative evangelicalism when we had close family members come out at LGBTQ+. Our lack of grace and understanding was not only a function of our privilege, but also very tied to our inability to grasp God’s grace for us. We also see this playing out politically in the US, in particular in white supremacist, anti-immigrant rhetoric. Both conflicts stem from a mindset that says, who the [bleep] do you think you are to deserve my acceptance? Jonathan is the lead pastor of Forefront Church in Brooklyn, New York, and author of She’s My Dad: A Father’s Transition and a Son’s Redemption. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Churchclarity.org SoulTypes: Matching Your Personality and Spiritual Path FIND JONATHAN: Jonathanswilliams.com Forefrontnyc.com TEDTalk She’s My Dad - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Conservative Christianity is often famous for ostracizing LGBTQ+ community members, something Amber Cantorna has personally experienced. Now married and in a supportive faith community and having a new family she has chosen for herself, Amber is here to talk with me about supporting other LGBTQ+ Christians in their coming out process. Amber is an advocate and author of Unashamed: A Coming Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians. She is the daughter of a Focus on the Family executive and she’s also gay. Unashamed is a culmination of her own experiences and the stories she’s encountered in her work helping people find freedom from shame and reconcile their faith and sexuality. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Ambercantorna.com/resources FIND AMBER: Ambercantorna.com Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - There are many nameless women in the Bible, a lot of whom suffer terrible and senseless violence. One of these women is Jephthah’s daughter, whose story is told in Judges 11:29-40 in the Old Testament, where her father sacrifices her to honor God. Jephthah’s daughter has been largely forgotten by many of us - including me! So Kelsey and I unpack the story and offer a feminist reading, relating it to the #MeToo movement and family separation at the US/Mexico border. Kelsey Wallace has her Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary and is a PhD student in the Bible and Cultures program at Drew Theological School. She is also in the process of being ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Women’s Bible Commentary “The Feminist Companion To…” Series Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion Shrill FIND KELSEY: Kelseyerinwallace.com Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This very special bonus episode of God Help Us was recorded with a live audience at Cedar & Spokes Coffee and Bar in Seattle on March 2, 2019 at an event we called Undoing: Decolonizing our Bodies and Sexuality. This is the audience Q&A session with Gabes Torres, Tina Schermer Sellers, and me. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Just Hospitality Making Room Friendship at the Margins Sex, God & the Conservative Church Pure Shameless Women Who Run with the Wolves FIND GABES: Gabestorres.com Patreon.com/gabestorres Facebook Instagram FIND TINA: Tinaschermersellers.com Instagram: @drtinashamelesssex and @instituteonintimacy Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This very special episode of God Help Us was recorded with a live audience at Cedar & Spokes Coffee and Bar in Seattle on March 2nd at an event we called Undoing: Decolonizing our Bodies and Sexuality, co-hosted by myself and Gabes Torres. This episode is the God Help Us segment of the evening in which I discuss the politics of the evangelical purity movement with sex therapist Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers. Tina is professor emeritus in Seattle Pacific University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, founder of the Northwest Institute on Intimacy, and the author of Sex, God & the Conservative Church. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Sex, Mom, and God Not Under My Roof The Male Brain The Female Brain FIND TINA: tinaschermersellers.com Instagram Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In episode 13, Ryan Mather and I discussed the harmful beliefs we all hold. In many ways, this episode is a follow-up to that one - in which I talk with Liz Kearny about power and spiritual authority. While Liz and I both get frustrated with people who say they just want to do “what the Bible says,” we realize we also have put our hope and responsibility into the hands of a different kind of spiritual authority - our political heroes. I personally have let my privilege drive my naïveté about the realities of injustice in our country, so I’m grateful that Liz is here to talk about owning her power as a pastor, our shared devotion to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and learning how to be our own political heroes. Liz is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA and serves in southwest Washington state as both a parish pastor and a hospital chaplain. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective The Road Back to You FIND LIZ: Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - A couple weeks ago, the US Supreme Court lifted injunctions on Trump’s ban on transgender people openly serving in the military, making it possible for the ban to go into effect as it’s challenged in lower courts. I wanted to hear Dr. Paula Stone Williams’s views on this issue, so on today’s episode, she shares a sociological perspective on creating enemies where none exist and the idea that egalitarian leadership models will save our species and our planet. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Queen of America The Righteous Mind This PBS documentary on Edward O. Wilson FIND PAULA: Paulastonewilliams.com 2019 TED Talk 2017 TEDx Mile High talk - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - From homophobic or patriarchal religious beliefs to voting against our own interests, it seems that we are all prone to believe things that really don’t serve us in any obvious way. To try to figure out why that might be, I talk with Ryan Mather about attachment theory and psychological defenses as tools for understanding ourselves and others - hopefully with curiosity and compassion. Ryan is a clinical psychologist and doctoral student at Adler University in Chicago. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Parenting from the Inside Out Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence Nancy McWilliams’s work - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Throughout the history of Christianity, people have used the Bible to try to ban women from leading. To address this fallacy, I talk with Pastor Kari Olson about what the Bible says about women having authority in the church and/or over men - and what those implications might be for our social and political lives as well, in a country steeped in Christian heritage. Kari has her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, is the pastor of East Falls Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA, and serves on the board of Young Clergy Women International. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again Junia: First Woman Apostle Young Clergy Women International’s online magazine Women’s Bible Commentary The Junia Project FIND KARI: fallspres.org Facebook Instagram - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Christianity was a major cover for economic colonization throughout history - and though it plays less of an over role now, colonization of non-Western countries by the US and other nations continues. Gabes Torres is here to talk about her experience growing up in the Philippines, moving to the US, and her work creating spaces for more generous and equitable hospitality. Gabes is a researcher, artist, theologian, speaker, and therapist-in-training. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Failed Missionary Podcast Just Hospitality FIND GABES: Gabestorres.com Soundcloud.com/gabestorres Patreon.com/gabestorres Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In this era when political and religious conservatisms often go hand in hand, it’s hard to know where to draw the line with churches involved in politics. Certainly if I agree with their politics, I expect and encourage overt activism. If I disagree with a church’s politics, I suddenly feel it’s entirely inappropriate for them to be involved in civic life. Pastor Jen Jepsen is here to help me talk and think through this issue and grapple with what church is and what it ought to be. At the time of recording, Jen was co-pastor of Left Hand Church in Longmont, Colorado - where she still lives with her family and collection of farm animals. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The W/ Collective Church Clarity FIND JEN: Jenniferjepsen.org - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This is the third and final installation in a miniseries focused on how we relate to each other and how we might choose to relate across political and religious differences. I talk with Pastor Dave Rohrer about practicing presence and to do that, we actually dive into our own relationship with each other and the larger context of the church community we used to be a part of. Our conversation is a lot of thinking out loud together about what happened and some of the social factors that were at play for us during a very difficult season. Dave is the pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Bothell, Washington. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: I invite you to reflect on and be curious about your relationships and what it means to be together with care and consideration for both ourselves and the other. FIND DAVE: Epcbothell.org - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This is part two of three in a series of episodes focused less on particular theologies and more on being conscious of our relationships and relational dynamics. From our families to our workplaces to our global communities, we are shaped and influenced by the systems in which we live and work and play, so to unpack these complex and influential dynamics, I talk with Derek McNeil about systems theory, thoughtful engagement, and gritty work that is deeply meaningful. Derek is president of The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and has his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a PhD in counseling psychology from Northwestern University. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Immunity to Change Anything by Meg Wheatley FIND DEREK: Text.Soul.Culture podcast - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - As you may know, the intention behind God Help Us is to better understand the ways that our country’s Christian heritage informs our present-day politics. But I’ve also been carrying another intention with me as I’ve worked on this podcast, and that’s to not only inform the political conversation in this country, but to change the nature of the conversation itself. My hope is that no matter what our beliefs or politics, that we could become a country of people who value understanding over being right and working together for the greater good than having our preferred party in power. Hopefully each episode supports this ideal, but I really want to emphasize that intention in today’s episode as well as the next two that are coming up. Really, this whole podcast is very experimental, but this little miniseries is even more so - three guests and I will take a look at some themes that are less about specific theological issues and more about things to be aware of in ourselves and the world we live in if we want to change our political culture. To start off this series, Matthias Roberts is here to talk about shame - what it is, how it functions interpersonally, and how we might work with our own shame to seek resilience and healing in order to stop putting it on other people. Matthias is a writer, podcaster, theologian, and therapist based in Seattle, WA. The next two episodes in the series will be on systems theory and practicing presence in the midst of disappointment, so there’s lots to look forward to. Thanks for being along for the ride! RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Power of Vulnerability FIND MATTHIAS: Matthiasroberts.com Instagram Queerology podcast - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In season 3 episode 2 of the Serial podcast, they profile Judge Gaul and his court, providing an excellent example of the white savior complex. My friend Aileen is a public defender in the juvenile court system and she’s here to talk about troubling beliefs that pervade our country’s criminal justice system. You may want to listen to the above episode of Serial before diving in to this one. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Washington Defender Association National Association for Public Defense Let's Get Free The New Jim Crow Just Mercy - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - This episode was recorded during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation proceedings, prior to his and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s hearings. To tackle the problematic issue of women who “ruin” men’s lives and get in the way of their aspirations, I talk with Jennie Spohr who is currently writing a historical novel about Jezebel - our favorite scapegoat. Jennie is a preacher and author. This episode is dedicated to Dr. Blasey Ford and the thousands of women who have come forward in the past year of #MeToo to bravely tell their stories privately and publicly. Thank you for your courage. No matter what happens in the coming days, in the telling of your story, you have made room for women to tap into their strength, find their voice, and change our collective narrative. We believe you and we stand with you. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Womenandthechurch.org The Red Tent The Secret Chord Octavia Butler Alice Walker FIND JENNIE: Jennielspohr.com Facebook Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - When justifying family separation at the border, then-US attorney general Jeff Sessions paraphrased a verse from Romans 13 in the Bible, saying, “Obey the laws of the government, because God has ordained the government for his purposes.” I turned to Dr. Angela Parker, a womanist new testament scholar, to help me unpack Sessions’ words and put them in the context of the new testament world under the Roman Empire and the prevalence of toxic masculinity of our US Empire today. Angela is assistant professor of new testament and Greek at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Georgia. She has a PhD in Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics with an emphasis on the New Testament.  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Racializing Jesus Postcolonial Feminist Interpretations of the Bible Podcasts Angela has recorded with Dan Allender, such as this one on power and hierarchy in biblical Corinth "Can't Stop the Feelings: Anger and Identity in Mark 6:17-29" - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In this era of deeply divided and divisive politics, Tim Burgess is an advocate for working toward the common good, so he’s here to talk with me about what that means in local as well as national politics. Tim is a business owner and former Seattle City Council member (and was briefly acting mayor) of Seattle. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: The Death of Democracy Costly Grace FIND TIM: Timburgess.com Twitter - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Christianity is (supposedly) all about love and acceptance, yet some of the loudest homophobic groups in our political arena are Christian. To unpack some of what that’s about, I talked with Heather Juul, a Christian lesbian woman, about her experiences growing up, coming out, and being Christian. Heather has her Master of Divinity from Seattle Pacific Seminary and is an artist, woman, Christian, and wife to her wife. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: “Nanette” FIND HEATHER: #IWillInstagramYourCat #IWillInstagramYourDog - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - In the intro episode of God Help Us with Carissa Leone, I realized I needed a clearer understanding of what it means to be Evangelical - in both the political and theological sense. So I invited Pastor Dave Rohrer, my favorite evangelical, to help me unpack this issue. Dave is the pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Bothell, Washington. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Stumbling on God FIND DAVE: Epcbothell.org - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.

Enjoying God Help Us? Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  - Here it is! The very first episode of my new podcast, God Help Us - in which I have conversations about the curious, frustrating, and often baffling relationship between Christianity and US politics. This is a podcast especially for people who are politically engaged but don't have a religious background and might feel at a loss to understand where the religious right is coming from. Every two weeks, I'll dive into the issues with a special guest to try to unpack the pertinent theological themes and pervasive beliefs at play. Carissa Leone joins me in this very special introductory episode to ask the questions she'd like me to explore in future episodes. Thank you for joining us! - I’m Annie Mesaros: a theologian, writer, spiritual guide, and host of this podcast. I offer coaching and facilitation for individuals and groups that are working to transform the world for good.  Learn more and contact me at anniemesaros.com. Follow the podcast on Instagram @godhelppod.