Life on Side B

We are back! We missed you! Josh is back with Eve Tushnet who has some big news to share especially for Catholic listeners. Also Josh has good news about Season 6. We can't wait to be back with you soon for Season 6!

All six cohosts hop on a call together to discuss this past season, what they have learned about reclaiming and very important news about season six and the future of the podcast. 

Dr. Nate Collins, President of Revoice, is on the podcast for the first time to talk with Henry and Elizabeth about what it looks like to reclaim joy in the midst of life's circumstances. 

Elizabeth and Josh are joined by Ed Shaw from Living Out to talk about reclaiming identity. Check out the Living Out Podcast as well as Ed's book, "Same-Sex Attraction and the Church".

Eve is back with us as she unpacks with Josh and Ashley the reality behind sanctification, transformation and growing in holiness. God calls us to grow in our faith but what does this look like.   Check out Eve's newest book called Tenderness if you are interested in learning more. 

We are continuing the reclaiming theme as Josh and Ashley talk with Janelle Look and Alex Shippee about prayer ministry.    You can contact Janelle or Alex by emailing janelle@revoice.org. Also the code for $10 off Revoice registration is: RevoicePod   Finally, support Linden Hope's Kickstarter before November 22 through the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lindseyhope/songs-for-the-bees-a-gay-womans-journey-of-faith

Dr. Julia Sadusky is back on the podcast talking with Josh about both her last book that she wrote with Dr. Mark Yarhouse on Trans Identity and Faith as well as her new solo authored book called "Talking to Your Kids about Sex." This is a question we get a lot from our parents who listen so it was great to have her on. 

Henry and Josh sit down to talk about the phrase "grace and truth." This is a phrase often used within Christian conversations around sexuality. Is there truth to this phrase? How has it been misused? Also why does it seem to only be used in this conversation? Henry and Josh talk through their experiences with this phrase and what it might look like to reclaim the truth of it.

Bekah and Henry get together to talk about reclaiming family, how to engage with your family of origin and what it looks like to create chosen family. 

The recording from our live episode at Revoice 23 is finally here. Recording in the month of June, we thought it only appropriate to talk about reclaiming Pride. What is our place in pride as Side B Christians? There are a lot of gold moments in this episode and our intern, Jacob, joins us as the host! 

To finish out our mini-series, Bekah and Grant get together to talk about glorification. What are we moving toward? Will we still be queer in the Kingdom? Also hear Josh's spontaneous drop in to give a thought. You know he can't stay away from a theological discussion.  

This is the third episode in our four part mini-series on the Gospel arch and how it relates to the queer experience. Elizabeth and Henry take us to church on what it means to be saved by Jesus, bringing wisdom from their experience as black and latino queer people. The conversation was so good that Josh could not help but step into the episode for a bit.

We were a little delayed in getting this episode posted but it is finally here! Josh and Bekah are joined by our intern Jacob to talk about the theology around sin and the Fall and how it relates to our experiences as queer Christians. 

We are starting a min-series for the next four episodes looking at the theology around the topics of creation, fall, redemption, and glorification and how they relate to the queer experience. In this episode, Ashley, Grant and Josh talk about the theology of creation, the Image of God and queerness.

Josh talks with Ashley and Elizabeth about their experiences of femininity and what is biblical femininity.    The resources mentioned in this episode include:  Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home by Jonalyn Grace Fincher The Biblical World of Gender: The Daily Lives of Ancient Women and Men Redeeming Sex by Debra Hirsch https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnk-QGNJWSv/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Henry and Grant get together to kiki about experiences of masculinity. Gay men are often seen as lacking in masculinity. How do we reclaim it? Don't miss their conversation which includes crop tops, fitness and nipples.    You can see the video that Henry mentions at the beginning here.

Elizabeth and Grant go live from the Brian Eckstein Podcast Stage at QCF 2023! They talk about what it looks like to reclaim intimacy as queer Christians and more specifically Side B Christians. Is intimacy primarily about sex? What does intimacy look like outside sexual relationships? What can the broader LGBT+ Christian community glean from the experience of Side B Christians with intimacy? The cohosts share from their experience and engage with questions from the audience. Thanks to QCF for having us once again!

Season 5 is finally here! After a delay in recording, the cohosts are back to talk about our new season theme: reclaiming. What does it look like to take ahold of the truth of the things that have been weaponized against us?

The cohosts recorded a live episode at Revoice 22 to finish out the season. We ran into some technical difficulties so the cohosts recorded some extra content during a retreat. They talk about what they learned this season and answer questions from the audience. Listen till the end to hear some exciting announcements!

For our last patron chosen episode of the season, Kristyn Komarnicki joins Josh, Grant, and Henry to talk about relationships across belief spectrums. Kristyn works as the director of dialogue and convening at Christians for Social Action and she is the creator of Oriented to Love dialogues about sexual/gender diversity in the church. Kristyn gathers Christians of different sexual orientations, gender identities, and theological convictions together so they can begin to know, understand, and love each other, in search of a unity that is deeper than agreement. Josh, Grant and Henry have all participated (or "gone through" as we say in the episode) in Oriented to Love dialogues. We engage with her on what she has learned from these dialogues about building relationships with people that belief differently than us.

As we draw close to the end of our season, Henry and Grant talk with our friend Gabriel about resilience and living with HIV. They discuss "poster child" culture in churches, what it is like to live with HIV today and much more.

Dean is back with us! His episode in Season 1 (S1E4 | Dean on Mixed-Orientation Marriage) has stood as a fan favorite episode. Today, he is back on the podcast with Ashley and Henry to give us a life update which includes that fact that he and Lisa have now divorced. Dean gifts us with his vulnerability as he shares about the resilience in his own life through the past few years. We cannot talk about marriage without also talking about the reality of divorce. Thank you, Dean, for the gifts that you continue to give to our community.

Wes Hill is back and John Starke joins us as well! Bekah and Ashley talk with them about prayer and how it plays into resilience. 

Elizabeth and Bekah sit down with the legendary straight ally, Misty Irons. Misty has been advocating for and standing in the line of fire for queer people in the church for multiple decades. Her work for our community means she has in many ways shared in the church hurt and marginalization that too often happens to queer people in faith settings. Elizabeth, Bekah, and Misty come together in this episode to discuss the difficult question, "Should I stay or should I leave my church?" They each share some of their experience related to this complex question. We hope it can help give you some insights if and when you process these questions around finding a church home, especially after experiencing church hurt. 

Grant talks with artist Joel Briggs about creativity and storytelling in art and how they all help us live with resilience. Joel Briggs is a fine arts painter based in San Diego, California. He works predominantly in contemporary figurative representational oil painting. His work currently explores the intersection of traditional religious symbolism with the present-day embodied experiences of shame and sexuality. His work can be found on Instagram @joelbriggspaints

In this episode, Elizabeth sits down with our good friends Adelynn and Ben to talk about their experiences of faith and gender as trans Christians. They discuss transitioning, dysphoria, the trans feminine experience and what they would love to see change in the trans conversation occurring in Christian faith communities.    Important note for those new to the trans conversation: Side B is a theological view specifically on sexual ethics and marriage, not gender identity. Therefore Side B Christians have diverse views on gender identity and trans Christians in Side B spaces express their gender in diverse ways. Conversations like these are important opportunities for our cisgender listeners and community members to take a posture of humility and listen. 

This week's episode topic was picked by our patrons. Josh and Ashley are talking with Keifer Lucchi, a missionary in Central Europe, and Jesse White, a university student preparing to go into missions in East Asia. From navigating missions organizations to cultural contexts, all four of them share about their experiences in missions from Latin America to Europe to Asia. Thank you to our patrons who chose this topic!

Art Pereira is back and talking with Elizabeth about the committed friendships in his life. Elizabeth also shares about important committed friendships in her life as well. What does commitment look like in friendship especially when it is with a friend who is or plans to marry? What does resilience look like in relationships? 

Johana Marie Williams has returned to the podcast to talk with Bekah and Grant about processing doubt and deconstruction. Deconstruction especially has been a main topic of discussion recently. So how do we engage this discussion around faith and sexuality? What do we do when we find ourselves in the midst of a time of deconstruction? Listen now to hear our cohosts and Johana Marie share from their experiences.

Mary, our cohost from Season 2, is BACK! She has returned home to Life on Side B to talk with Ashley, Grant, and Josh about how we engage with queer media as Side B Christians. What media most impacted us? How do we engage it when our values are different? What counts as queer baiting? This episode gets a little unhinged but we hope you enjoy this special Pride month episode.

This episode has been a long time coming. Grant talks with Collin, Michelle, and Will about asexuality and grey sexuality. They cover various aspects of their experiences as ace Christians pursuing celibacy. 

Paolo Errico joins Josh this week to talk about sexual integrity. How does it differ from sexual purity? How does the closet work against the process of integrity in queer lives? How do we restore integrity when our lives begin to compartmentalize? Paolo and Josh share vulnerably from each of their experiences pursuing sexual integrity and we hope it can be helpful for you all.    Here are the books that were mentioned in the episode: The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas Tenderness by Eve Tushnet

This is a conversation we have been looking forward to for a long time. Many of you know of Jackie Hill Perry. Today, Elizabeth, Henry and Ashley are sitting down with her to talk about her newest book, Holier Than Thou, plus the intersection of faith and sexuality and how she navigates conversations on racial justice.

Lesli is back and talking with Henry and Bekah about grief - grief over the loss of their wife, the loss of sexual intimacy in a life of celibacy, and the pain of church hurt. There is so much wisdom packed in this episode. Lesli shares how embracing grief helps us embrace God. 

Josh is talking this week with Sarah Claire Smith, a licensed mental health counselor and the soul care director at Providencia WPB, where Josh attends. Sarah Claire shares about what is means to listen to your own story in order to process trauma and pain so that we can better engage in healthy community.    The book Sarah Clair quotes is My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

Today, Ashley, Elizabeth and Josh are getting "back to basics," discussing the question: "What do we wish we would have known back when we came out and entered Side B spaces for the first time?" 

This week, Greg Piken is joining us from SoCal and sharing insights as a counselor on how to build emotional resilience in our lives. Josh and Bekah talk with him about working through breakdowns, processing second adolescence, and how to support each other in a community such as the Side B LGBT+ Christian community which has high levels of trauma. 

This week, Bridget Eileen Rivera is back and talking with Henry about her new book, Heavy Burdens. You can tell from his questions that Henry has read this book more than once! They have a great conversation. Pick up your copy of Heavy Burdens today!

This week, we are sharing the recording from the live episode we did at the Q Christian Fellowship conference last month (January 2022). Elizabeth and Grant talk together about confronting shame as queer Christians and especially as Side B Christians. Thank you to everyone who attended and sent in questions!

We are finally back for Season 4! The cohosts are together again and talking about our season theme: the road to resilience. This is probably the most bible references we have ever made on the podcast so get ready. We hope you enjoy it.

As we get ready for Season 4, we wanted to take this chance to get to know Elizabeth a little more. Josh and Elizabeth sit down to chat about her journey, her newly formed ministry called Kaleidoscope, and what it looks like to share your faith with others as a Christian who is queer and Side B. Learn more about Elizabeth on our team page at lifeonsideb.com/ourteam

Por fin, publicamos nuestro segundo capitulo en español. En este capitulo, Ashley habla con Jan de Puerto Rico sobre su experiencia de ser un cristiano gay y célibe. Hablan de todo un poco, incluyendo como pertenecer a la comunidad en la distancia (cultural, fisica, de lenguaje, etc). 

The cohost team got together in person while attending Revoice 2021 last week and talked about Season 3, what impacted us most, and what we learned. It was great to have multiple friends and listeners We have a lot of exciting news and can't wait for you to hear!   1:21 - Begin discussion on Season 3 25:00 - Announcing Sarah's departure 30:58 - Announcing Elizabeth as a new cohost 44:32 - Milk & Honey Podcast Announcement

As we promised earlier in the season, Scott Herr is joining Grant to talk about being gay and Catholic as we were unable to include a Catholic voice in the Faith Tradition Diversity episode. Scott shares about his experience converting to Catholicism and how his sexual identity and faith relate to each other within the framework of Catholicism.

We are getting close to the end of season 3. Sarah is talking with Johana-Marie and Shelby about their experience of faith, sexuality, and gender as queer black women. Each of these wisdom has amazing wisdom in what they share.   Johana-Marie mentions an article called "Black is My Gender" by Hari Ziyad. Here is the link to check it out: https://afropunk.com/2017/07/my-gender-is-black/

Gregg Webb is back with us, joined as well by his long time friend Michelle. As we talked about being Side B in ministry in our last episode, it seemed only fitting to talk about what it is like being Side B outside vocational ministry. Sarah talks with Gregg and Michelle about what it is like to navigate sexuality and faith in their work environments.

The Brilliant Bee Patrons chose another episode topic and the winner was: Being Queer in Ministry. So today, Bekah is talking with Anderson McGee about his experience as an openly gay pastor. Does being in vocational ministry make it easier or harder to be Side B? Anderson has been Co-Pastor, with his wife Sarah, of Trinity Family Midtown since December 2016 and co-Executive Director of Love Wins.:LGBT - a ministry of Trinity Family Midtown Church of the Nazarene, making Christ-like disciples in the LGBTQ+ Community by engaging the culture and equipping the Church.

Lesli Hudson-Reynolds is back as a guest cohost and talking with Lo about trans* inclusion. For this episode, we wanted to have a discussion with only trans voices and without the necessity to "cis-splain". This means we gave Lesli and Lo the freedom to talk about whatever they would like to discuss without needing to explain or define anything for cisgender listeners. If you would like an episode to listen to as an introduction to the trans conversation, we recommend going back and listening to S1E6 | Lesli on Being Genderqueer.

This is the last episode for the season on Side B globally and Bekah is talking with Adrian who lives with Hungary. Christian Johnston is also back and sharing from his experience as an American who lived in Poland. They discuss Adrian's experience as a British gay man living in Hungary, how the sexuality discussion looks in different parts of Europe compared to North America, and much more.

Greg Coles is back on the podcast and he is talking with Henry, Grant, and Josh about his new book - No Longer Strangers. This episode was delightful! Order your copy of No Longer Strangers here: Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/No-Longer-Strangers-Belonging-Alienation/dp/0830847901 Barnes and Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-longer-strangers-gregory-coles/1137334317 IVP Press - https://www.ivpress.com/no-longer-strangers Hear more about what Greg is up to on his website: https://www.gregorycoles.com/

In this week's episode, Josh and Ashley are talking with Lucas about his experience of being Side B in Brazil. We talk about what the conversation around faith, sexuality and gender looks like in Brazil, how Exodus looks different and/or similar than Exodus looked in the States, and Lucas' experience of coming out in Brazil. Here are resources in Portuguese which Lucas mentioned as well as others which he put together for anyone interested: RECURSOS SELECIONADOS EM PORTUGUÊS   Informativo Os Lados da Questão (The Sides Framework, in Portuguese) https://bit.ly/4Lados Gálatas 3:28 (Instagram) https://instagram.com/galatas328/ Exodus no Brasil e na América Latina (matérias) https://apublica.org/especial/nega-te-a-ti-mesmo/   Ortodoxo (Lado B) Vivendo em Comunhão https://instagram.com/vivemcomunhao/ Conflictu (podcast) https://twitter.com/conflictucast Documento de LoveWins.:LGBT https://trinityfamilyonline.org/s/Documento-de-Posico-das-Testemunhas-Fieis-portugues.pdf   Conservador (Lado Y) Andréa Vargas https://youtube.com/embed/IWDFu0QASUw Íris Projeto https://facebook.com/irisprojetoficial Courage Brasil https://youtube.com/c/CourageBrasil/videos   Progressista (Lado A) Giovanni Alecrim https://medium.com/de-casa-em-casa/entender-e-acolher-75409c7e8174 Aceitos pelo Reino https://youtube.com/channel/UC1XyP0xqirKqIX9b-YvfOwA/videos?sort=da Evangélicxs pela Diversidade https://novosdialogos.com/author/evangelicxs/   PUBLICAÇÕES SELECIONADAS EM PORTUGUÊS (It should be notes that not all the links in the section are to official downloads for the resources) Ed Shaw https://www.amazon.com.br/Atracao-Pessoas-Mesmo-Sexo-Plausibilidade-ebook/dp/B07DPW73TF/ Pedro Dulci https://tuxdoc.com/download/identidade-e-sexualidade-pedro-dulci_pdf Álvaro Pestana https://www.scribd.com/document/494642611/SEMPRE-ME-PERGUNTAM-Capitulo-14-Deus-aprova-a-homossexualidade Sam Allberry https://www.amazon.com.br/Deus-contra-homossexuais-homossexualidade-ebook/dp/B08BRF5RG3/ Marília de Camargo César http://lelivros.love/book/baixar-livro-entre-a-cruz-e-o-arco-iris-marilia-de-camargo-cesar-em-pdf-epub-e-mobi-ou-ler-online/ Jackie Hill Perry https://www.amazon.com.br/Garota-gay-bom-Deus-historia-ebook/dp/B08WJKKBLC/ Wunibald Müller https://www.estantevirtual.com.br/livros/wunibald-muller/pessoas-homossexuais/2269424382 Aelredo de Rievaulx https://www.cultordelivros.com.br/produto/amizade-espiritual-oracao-pastoral-78391 Frederico Lourenço https://docero.com.br/doc/nxecn8x