Reclaiming the Garden

In this episode, we have a conversation about how we've been doing the past few months (sometimes not so great but we're doing our best), we share our reactions to the absolute bullshit going on in the federal government (do something Dems!!! And fuck the white man billionaires running everything), and we also share stories about our respective work in youth development and therapy as a way to end the episode on a lighter note–the kids are alright, and we as folks in helping professions can support them through this.We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

To celebrate four (!) years of the pod and April's 27th birthday, we had a conversation with April's Mama Beth Little! Beth shares about her upbringing at a Methodist church in Maryland, and how she ended up choosing to bring her family to “nondenominational” churches (was not the politics or theology, but the more casual atmosphere and contemporary music) in the early 2000s. April and Beth reflect on how their spiritual journeys impacted each other, including the car conversation where Beth became LGBTQ+ affirming before April did. And of course we discuss the political clusterfuck that is the United States right now.You can find Beth (and her husband Ron) on Bluesky @beth-ron1987.We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we get down and dirty and nerdy with the Hebrew Bible text known as Ruth. What seems like a heterosexual love story to evangelicals (between Ruth and Boaz) actually has a lot of queerness in it–two women, Ruth and Naomi, who profess their commitment to one another, and Boaz, who never expresses desire for Ruth or any other woman, only a duty to his family line. We explore the ways in which this narrative embraces non-normative family structures and the complicated aspects of Ruth and Naomi's relationship as well (was there possible exploitation of Ruth for Naomi's financial gain?). We also talk about the story's message of welcoming the foreigner and how Ruth directly contrasts with other biblical texts that prohibit the marriage of foreign women with Israelites. Oh, and of course, April brings up the stupid Panera sermon metaphor. There were no asiago bagels on the threshing floor, young adults pastor!Bibliography: “Un-Straightening Boaz in Ruth Scholarship” by Brett Krutzsch“Even unto this Bitter Loving”: Unhappiness and Backward Feelings in Ruth, by Rhiannon Graybillhttps://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-31-2/commentary-on-ruth-11-18-3 https://www.wilgafney.com/2024/07/21/how-long-o-lord-is-a-womanish-question/ “Traffic Violations” by Fulata Lusigu MoyoWe have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with writer and Anabaptist radical Billie Hoard! Billie talks about her faith journey growing up evangelical in the 80s, how she learned to ask questions without needing to reach a certain conclusion, and how she realized she was a trans woman. Billie also discusses her experience in the Vineyard Church movement and how the church where “everyone gets to play” kicked her out of leadership due to her stance of affirming LGBTQ+ people (boo!!!). You can find Billie on Instagram and Bluesky @billieiswriting and on her Substack. Want to join us at QCF in Atlanta next week? Use the code BIBLE DYKES to receive 10% off in-person registration: https://www.qcfconf.org/  Registration link for Eucontamination Dinner on Wednesday Jan. 22nd: https://www.qcfconf.org/liturgy-of-eucontamination  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a chat with our friends Andy and Briana about what happened this year in the worlds of religion, faith, and politics . In the midst of the daunting rise of christofascism and other forms of oppression, we find strength in how our communities are stepping up to care for one another. We also share personal important moments that happened in each of our lives this year.  Want to join us at QCF Conf from Jan. 23-26th? Use the code BIBLE DYKES to receive 10% off in-person registration: https://www.qcfconf.org/  RNS article: https://religionnews.com/2024/12/27/the-top-10-religion-stories-of-2024-whats-old-is-news-again/  Briana's published short story: https://www.hauntedwordspress.com/issues  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we discuss the theological concept of the Trinity–God as Creator of the universe, Jesus of Nazareth, and the Holy Spirit. April gives the historical context for how the early church wrestled to explain their experiences with God within their own cultural context, and how folks argued over words in the creeds–some of it was about conviction, but it was also a power struggle. Ultimately, the early church and all Christians since have been grasping at language to a Mystery that cannot be defined. April and Anna find resonance in the idea that God is love, so of course God would be a community of self-giving and receiving love with Themself–and God invites us to join in that ecstatic dance of Love. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, April and Anna pour out our anger and grief over the 2024 election in which the majority of voters chose a fascist rapist to lead the country. We talk about how we've been checking in with our queer kin and other loved ones this past week, and how we are balancing our well-founded fears about the future with our hopes that our communities will fight for each other's safety and well-being. While being realistic about the hard work that lies ahead of us (white people, step up and leverage your privilege!), we also cannot give in to doomerism because it's like rapture theology that leads people to feel helpless.We are not going to be silent, we're here and we're queer and we will not let Christian Nationalists take away our joy and resilience. If you are craving community, consider going to the Q Christian Fellowship Conference in January (not sponsored): https://www.qcfconf.org/  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with PhD student, progressive Christian, and April's token straight best friend, Reagan Page! Reagan talks about her upbringing in liberal Christianity, her time in Seattle as a UMC service fellow, and her thoughts on the state of our country and the upcoming presidential election. Just like us, she has a lot of concerns going into November, especially around what political violence may happen no matter what the outcome is,  but Reagan is also hopeful about people continuing to connect to their local communities and starting social change from the ground up.Go and vote if you haven't yet, and keep in mind your marginalized neighbors as you fill out the ballot! We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with author Brandon Flanery! He shares his journey of going from being a YWAM evangelist in Germany yelling on street corners about how he “escaped homosexuality” to accepting his queerness as a blessing and exploring his spirituality. You can find Brandon on Instagram @flanbran. You can find links to purchase his book, Stumbling: A Sassy Memoir about Coming Out of Evangelicalism, on his website. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we go through one of April's papers she wrote in grad school. We explore perspectives on Jesus' death and on corresponding atonement theories (or lack thereof) from Black, feminist, and womanist theologians to work towards a non-violent, liberative Christology of the cross. April wrote this for all the people who have been harmed by the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement theory (that on the cross, God's wrath was placed on Jesus in our place as a way to atone for our sins), and its often complementary belief that our suffering in this life is redemptive or caused by God ("just like Jesus'"). We reject this view of a child-abuser god and put forth ways in which we can see the cross as a call to solidarity with the marginalized, as an example of the evil that empire can do, and how God's response to the crucifixion (resurrection, not more violence) is a Divine proclamation that God does not desire for us to suffer, but to flourish. Bibliography: Cone, James. The Cross and the Lynching Tree. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2011. Copeland, M. Shawn. Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African-American Religious Experience. New York: Orbis Books, 2018. Douglas, Kelly Brown. Stand Your Ground; Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2015. Evans, Rachel Held. “We argue over metaphors…” rachelheldevans.com. April 22, 2011. https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/cross-argue-metaphors?rq=metaphor Mennenga, Mason (@masonmennenga). “My only atonement theory is a rejection of atonement theories altogether. Because of my reading of Delores Williams, the *only* theological meaning I can…” Twitter. February 7, 2020, 11:35 AM. https://twitter.com/masonmennenga/status/1225865668354027520 Ruether, Rosemary Radford. “Suffering and Redemption.” In Introducing Redemption in Christian Feminism. Introductions in Feminist Theology. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 1998. Williams, Delores. Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2013. Young, Frances. Construing the Cross: Type, Sign, Symbol, Word, Action. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2015. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with our wonderful friend the Rev. Mel K! Mel talks about their denominationally promiscuous upbringing, their studies in social work and life as a foster parent, and her recent ordination in the Progressive Christian Alliance. We also talk about the importance of comprehensive sex ed, and Anna and Mel talk about some of their experiences as social workers, and their doggos. And of course we talk some shit about evangelicalism! You can find Mel on Instagram @holyqueerit.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

A note on content for this ep: CSA and other abuse There are many cults or high-control groups that are rooted in Christianity or are Christian-adjacent (and some groups toe the line of being one…*coughHillsongcough*). In this episode, we give an overview of just a handful of them: Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, the FLDS, Twin Flames Universe, and self-help scammers like Jodi Hildebrandt. We explore the ways these groups harm the people in them and the people who leave them with medical neglect, shunning, abuse, and manipulation. To learn more about these cults and other high control groups, check out the resources below! Resources mentioned in this episode: Knowing Better Owen Morgan (Telltale)  ExJW Panda Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey on Netflix Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer Escaping Twin Flames on Netflix BITE Model Cults to Consciousness Jordan and McKay, ex-Mormons We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd and @April_TheWriter. Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we share our thoughts on the 1946 documentary, which tells the story of how the word “homosexuality” did not appear in an English Bible until the 1946 Revised Standard Version. With the help of researchers Kathy Baldock (incredible ally!!!) and Ed Oxford, director Rocky Roggio shows how the translation team took two words in Greek and mistakenly translated them to “homosexuality,” and this choice greatly impacted future Bibles and theologies. We talk about how we appreciated Rev. David Fearon's courageous journey of questioning the translation committee's decision and writing to them about it, and coming out later in life when Kathy befriended him (it is never too late!). We are so grateful for the work that everyone in this project put into it, and we think that its storytelling and reliable data has the power to change lives and families for the better. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

We are back y'all! And now our podcast has TWO Master's degrees behind it, bringing theology and social work knowledge to you to help you on your journey of deconstructing faith and living into who God made you to be. In this episode April shares about getting her Master of Arts in Theology and Culture: Community Development, Anna talks about her new doggo, and we chat a bit about some of the major stories that have circulated in the exvangelical/fundie snark spaces: Harrison Butker's commencement speech, and Bethany and Dav Beal's now-interfaith marriage. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with theologian, podcaster, YouTuber, and King of #Exvangelical Twitter, Mason Mennenga!! Mason shares about listening to VeggieTales CDs and other typical evangelical kid/teen experiences (conferences, youth group, all the ccm!) he had as the Good Christian Boy. In college, he started researching what the Bible actually said about sexual ethics and orientation, how we are even supposed to approach reading the Bible (seriously does not equal literally), as well as looking into other doubts/questions he had. He discovered the Progressive Christian Cinematic Universe and Process Theology and went down the lovely slippery slope. Mason gives the best definition of process theology April has ever heard (there's much more to it but these are the two key points): the future is open to all kinds of possibilities, and everything is in relationship with each other. Mason hopes in his podcasts and other content to be what Rachel Held Evans was to him and so many people: a person who gives us space to question and explore, who vulnerably shares stories in the hopes that it lets other people know they are not alone.  You can find Mason on Instagram and Twitter @masonmennenga. You can find links to all the wonderful things he does here. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode (despite some technical difficulties on April's end) we have a conversation with the Co-Executive Director of Operations for Transmission Ministry Collective, Dr. Miche van Essen! Miche shares about her faith journey of growing up Jewish and how she ended up meeting Jesus and became a pastor in an evangelical church. As she was coming into her identity as a transgender woman, she found the support groups at Transmission Ministry Collective and got very involved and is now stewarding the work of creating space for trans and gender expansive Christians (we love to see it!), and she talks about her experience in the organization. We also wrestle with what it means to be living on stolen Native land and how to be aware of the “invisible layers” of oppression that we all participate in. Anna also talks about some important Armenian history, we discuss the history of protests against war and the current University protests in support of Palestine, and April and Anna reflect on the incredibly racist and cringey “activity” in kindergarten where we dressed up as Native Americans (yikes!!!). You can find Miche on Instagram @michevanessen. Find out more of TMC here: https://transmissionministry.com/ We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with Myles Markham, a queer and transgender advocate who currently works for Trans Lifeline and serves on the board of directors for Transmission Ministry Collective! Myles shares his journey of growing up in the deep South and how he has expanded his faith over time. We get into some nerdy theological conversations as well. You can find Myles on Instagram @a_million_myles, and you can learn more about the work they do on their website: https://www.mylesmarkham.com/  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with one of the principal actresses in the Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio, Ashley Wool! She also happens to be an autistic progressive Christian and a theology nerd, so of course us neurodivergent theater nerds had to invite her to the pod. Ashley shares about becoming a Christian as a young adult and resonating with Jesus' teachings in the Gospels, how we should lead with love and shouldn't dehumanize the people we disagree with. She talks about her journey of being in HTDiO and we discuss the ways the show is revolutionary for accessibility and autistic representation in the musical theater industry despite its short run (we need more federal funding for the arts, damn this late stage capitalist hellscape!). Ashley also talks about meeting Lin-Manuel MIranda! You can find Ashley on social media @ashley_wool. She encourages people to support their local theater productions! We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

Note: the dolphin noises that come up in a section of this episode are to take out some identifying information about April's old church that she doesn't want made public In this episode, we have a conversation with Tim Whitaker, founder of the non-profit The New Evangelicals, an inclusive, Jesus-centered community that holds space for those marginalized by the evangelical church. Tim talks about his upbringing in conservative churches and his way of living “counter-culturally” within it (listening to hardcore punk Christian bands and wearing “abortion is homicide” t-shirts) and how his faith started to shift over time, realizing so many church practices have actually been stolen from “pagan” religions, being appalled by the evangelical support of Trump in the 2016 election-onward, and finally getting kicked out of his church when he started TNE. We talk about how witchy Christianity can be sometimes (how is “open your Bible to a random page, that's God's message for you” that much different from Tarot?). Tim discusses how he tries to use his privilege as a “theobro-passing” white guy to go into Christian Nationalist spaces to understand why people are being radicalized and what harmful narratives and conspiracy theories are being pushed there–and to fight back against that misinformation with reliable data. Tim also shares his journey of becoming LGBTQ+ affirming. We are so excited about the work that TNE is doing! You can find Tim/TNE on Instagram and other platforms @thenewevangelicals (you should check out the Facebook group!). You can donate to them here (and see a complete financial statement here). We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with LGBTQ+ Mindset Coach and host of the Queer Consciousness Podcast, Kit Sargent! They reflect on their experience of this year's QCF Conference and talk about their “fundie lite” upbringing (they had a True Love Waits Ring!). We discuss the sexualization of prepubescent girls' bodies and all the things that are wrong with that.They talk about their experience of realizing their queer identity (crushing on best friends and totally being oblivious to that), and questioning and examining their beliefs in order to find their true self during the pandemic, and how The Lavender Mafia podcast helped them come out (shout out to Jess Grace Garcia and Jonathan Quinn!). We talk about how the Bible is living and active which means by its nature the way we interact with it changes over time, and how Jesus is the Word of God, not the Bible. We also talk about reclaiming our divinity–we are spiritual beings having an integrated mind-body-spirit human experience. Kit shares about the work they do as a mindset coach to help LGBTQ+ people figure out who they really are. You can find Kit on Instagram @sargent.says and their podcast here. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

Note: there is discussion of child abuse in this episode In this episode, we have a conversation with our friend Starchild, a queer autistic somatic psychotherapist, poet, musician, mystic, and ex-pastor. Starchild talks about their Southern Baptist upbringing, their journey from autistic Wonder Church Boy to renegade mystic to inclusive orthodox Methodist to the joyful queer ecstatic dance enthusiast they are now. Starchild shares some of their wonderful poetry and talks about their experiences of knowing God's grace and love deep in their body, and connecting with God as Mother and the earth as God's body. You can find Starchild on Instagram @starchilddruid. You can listen to their album Dolly for President here: https://open.spotify.com/album/6cO7ZNbMxKss3AziN6qArd?si=rgtiga62SVWiEQEx5XA9FQ. You can also find them on Facebook with their other name, Morgan Guyton. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we reflect upon what's happened in the faith/religion/spirituality and deconstruction world in 2023 with our dear friends Briana and Artie (who, along with us, make up the QCF Squad group chat). We talk about the Asbury Revival, the Pope's recent “LGBTQ Blessing” statement, the Ruby Franke case, and the queer Christian music wins (Semler and Flamy Grant making history, hell yeah!). We also discuss the Shiny Happy People Documentary (as well as the two books by Duggar daughters released this year) and the increasing awareness about religious trauma in our culture (more therapists specializing in this is a good thing!). April gives her annual UMC update– lots more congregations are leaving the denomination, but hopefully in 2024 full LGBTQ+ inclusion may be possible. We also discuss the conflict in Israel-Palestine and the way social media has played a role in spreading awareness.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we talk about three conspiracy theories that are unfortunately very popular in many Christian communities: The “War on Christmas,” Zionism, and QAnon. While poking fun at the ridiculous nature of these beliefs that are not rooted in reality (Taylor Swift being named TIME person of the year is part of a 2024 election scheme, apparently!), we also discuss the real threat these fear-mongering ideologies pose to democracy and liberation, and how we should approach loved ones who fall prey to these conspiracies. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, author, speaker and LGBTQ+ advocate Jennifer Knapp! Jennifer shares her faith journey, her career in the contemporary Christian music industry, and the burnout that led to her leaving it. She also talks about her coming out journey and the ways she has advocated for LGBTQ+ people in the church. We have some nerdy theological conversations as well about the wonderful act of bringing our full selves, “the gift of you,” to God.  You can find Jennifer on Instagram @jenniferknappmusic, and you can support her work on Patreon. We're excited for her to re-record her first albums, among other projects! We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

A note about this episode's content: we discuss disordered eating and body image issues, if you're not in a good place to listen, take care of yourself! During a month where many of us host feasts (that are rooted in a history of colonization), we're talking about theologies of food, and food ethics. Anna and April share stories of struggling with body image and unhealthy policing of our food choices in our teenage and early young adult years, and how those feelings likely arose from purity culture. We talk about how our experiences of eating communally, moments of hospitality and communion, helped to heal some of these conflicts, along with our changes in theology about our bodies. How we talk about bodies and pleasure impacts not just sexual desire but how we view food as well. Without making judgments about anyone's food choices (yay for bodily autonomy and not shaming people!), we discuss the ways we can make sustainable, ethical choices about food with the options we have available to us, and how we can be aware of the food injustices/insecurities that exist in our communities and do what we can to help our neighbors.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with YouTubers (and damn good researchers on fundamentalist Christianity) the Reverend Jen and King James of Fundie Fridays! Jen and James share how they grew up non-religious but adjacent (literally and figuratively) to religion in their conservative hometowns in Missouri. Anna and April share our own stories that resonate with some of their experiences. There are also just a looooot of rabbit holes that we go down, and of course we talk some shit about fundies (fuck Michael Tait!). Link to Fundie Fridays: https://www.youtube.com/@FundieFridays/videos  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, April and Anna discuss our experiences of how disability and neurodivergence were viewed in the churches we grew up in and how those views changed as we came to realize our own neurodivergence and grapple with ableist theologies. April was planning on discussing more of her realization that she is autistic but her frazzled brain just didn't; she does have a post about it on her Substack, linked below. We discuss Jesus' healings of sick and disabled people and how to read those in an anti-ableist lens; Jesus was restoring them to community in the only way that was possible in their context, allowing them to be ritually clean and free to go to the Temple. Today, we can follow in Jesus' path by advocating for accessibility and affordable healthcare for all; it is our systems that are broken, not people's bodies or minds.  Autistic Pro-Choice YouTuber discusses the ethical nuances of Down Syndrome testing and abortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJGg85tQZRo  April's Substack Post about realizing she is autistic: https://aprilthewriter.substack.com/p/learning-to-love-how-my-mind-and  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with therapist, podcaster, author, and theologian Matthias Roberts! He shares his faith journey of being raised in a non-affirming church, then going to Side B (queer-folks-are-called-to-celibacy) theology as he came to terms with being gay, to realizing that LGBTQ+ Christians existed and that he could have a romantic partner and still be Christian. He also talks about his new book (available anywhere books are sold starting on October 3rd, link below for pre-order/purchase), Holy Runaways: Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion. We're so excited about this book and the ways it breaks down what has happened to so many of us–religious trauma, and deconstruction–and how we can rebuild our faith in creative ways. You can find Matthias on Instagram and Twitter (no, we're not calling it the other thing) @matthiasroberts. You can listen to his podcast, Queerology, wherever you listen to podcasts, and can follow @queerologypod on Instagram and Twitter. Preorder/purchase his book here: https://matthiasroberts.com/holyrunaways/  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we get down and dirty and nerdy with Paul's long Epistle (letter) to the Romans (more specifically, the early Christian community there). This text has been used to justify bigotry towards LGBTQ+ people and the awful doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement, and to manipulate people into converting, but it also has empowering passages about the love of God, and guidance on how to live in community in the midst of conflicts of belief–the church has been in theological disputes since the very beginning. The very passage that is used against LGBTQ+ people in Romans 1 is a set-up of Paul's message that we should not judge or hold ourselves up as being superior to others! Paul also talks about how our salvation is from the faithfulness of Jesus, not necessarily faith “in” Jesus. Yes, you can't necessarily get away from the language Paul uses about sacrifice and Jesus' death, but this is his interpretation and what he believed would be the best way to present the Gospel to his audience. The beauty of the Gospel is that it can mean multiple things across different cultural contexts, but it all connects back to the goodness and love of Jesus. Resources: James Brownson's book Bible, Gender Sexuality (take what you want, leave the anti-polyamory and anti premarital sex stuff) We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with our friend and political scientist Chalen Aleong! Chalen shares his faith journey and feeling like he was “too religious for queer people and too queer for religious people” and how he got involved with Q Christian Fellowship. We also discuss the Barbie movie and the weird conservative response to it, and how the movie actually shows how the patriarchy and purity culture harms both men and women (fuck the Bill Graham rule, man!! Let men and women and everyone be friends!). We also discuss the challenges and joys of faith deconstruction and how Chalen has navigated relationships with people he disagrees with politically.

In this episode, we discuss our first impressions of the apocrypha–both the texts that come from the Greek Old Testament that some Christians hold as canon Scripture (such as Sirach, Judith, or 1 Maccabees) and the early Christian texts that did not get canonized in the New Testament (such as several strange Infancy Gospels, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and the Acts of Paul and Thecla). These texts serve as a reminder that the history of the Christian tradition has always been varied and contested and never as simple as our youth pastors made it out to be. There's so much more to explore, but we hope this introduction encourages you to go and learn more. The YouTube video Anna mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idqPwX1XQOg  All the Apocrypha we read can either be found in an online Bible that includes the Greek Old Testament apocrypha or by searching Google for the non-canonical Christian text. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with queer, autistic, leftist Christian pastor Chloe Specht! She shares about growing up as a pastor's kid in the holiness/Church of God movement, pursuing ordination in that tradition (which technically ordains women but not really in practice) and wanting to bring about change, and then realizing it wasn't where she felt belonging (because they basically kicked her out, gross!). She also talks about being “a person of her own creation,” how she realized she's autistic, and her journey from disembodiment to having a faith where she can bring her full self as a pastor in a Disciples of Christ church in Kentucky. And, as we sometimes do, we talk some shit about the God's Not Dead movies. Also, the God's Not Dead drinking game we mention in the outro is still in the brainstorming process, look for it on our Instagram in the next few weeks… You can find Chloe on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @chloejspecht.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we discuss a topic that April wrote a 15 page paper about over her spring term: what is the human being fully alive, in light of God/the Divine? We explore what it means to be humans made in the image of God, what it means to bring the fullness of ourselves to God and one another and live authentically, and how the sharing of our stories and our diversity celebrated in community can lead to collective human flourishing and liberation (and April gushes a little about Jesus). We also discuss the specific gifts of neurodivergent and queer people that can contribute to human flourishing, and bring up the works of April's many conversation partners, which are listed below. Bibliography: Boff, Leonardo. “Trinity.” Systematic Theology: Perspectives from Liberation Theology.  Edited by Jon Sobrino and Ignacio Ellacuria. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996. Cheng, Patrick. Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology. New York: Seabury Books,  2011. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Bloomsbury  Academic, 2018. Gunton, Colin. “Trinity, Ontology and Anthropology: Towards a Renewal of the Doctrine of the  Imago Dei.” Persons, Divine and Human: King's College Essays in Theological  Anthropology. Edited by Christoph Schwöbel and Colin Gunton. Edinburgh: T&T Clark,  1991. Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions, 2013. Kim, Grace Ji-Sun and Susan M. Shaw. Intersectional Theology: An Introductory Guide.  Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2018. Leidenhag, Joanna. “Autism, Doxology, and the Nature of Christian Worship.” Journal of  Disability & Religion 26, no. 2 (2022). Leidenhag, Joanna. “The Challenge of Autism for Relational Approaches to Theological  Anthropology.” International Journal of Systematic Theology 23, no. 1 (January 2021). Little, April. “Who is God?” Unpublished paper, The Seattle School of Theology and  Psychology, 2023. Mayfield, D. L. “A Good Christian Woman.” Healing is My Special Interest. June 13 2023.  https://dlmayfield.substack.com/p/a-good-christian-woman This post is locked behind a  subscriber paywall. Mayfield, D. L. “Are You a Religious Fundamentalist?” Healing is My Special Interest. August  23 2022. https://dlmayfield.substack.com/p/are-you-a-religious-fundamentalist.  Mayfield, D. L. “Burnout, in 3 acts.” Healing is My Special Interest. September 13, 2022. https://dlmayfield.substack.com/p/burnout-in-3-acts This post is locked behind a  subscriber paywall. Miles, Sara. Take This Bread. New York: Ballantine Books, 2007 Old Saint Paul's Edinburgh, “Autism, Theology, and Life in the Church.” Streamed live  on February 16, 2022, YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAm1P5F1yzM&t=6437s   Rapley, Stewart. Autistic Thinking in the Life of the Church. London: SCM Press, 2021. Rohr, Richard. The Universal Christ. New York: Convergent Books, 2019 Romero, Oscar. The Violence of Love. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. Translated by James  R. Brockman. Tonstad, Linn. Queer Theology. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2018.

In this episode, we have a conversation with Ugandan humanitarian, educator and human rights defender Samson Turinawe! He shares his experience of becoming a Pentecostal preacher and then being excommunicated after he started preaching about accepting LGBTQ+ people and he shares his experience of realizing he is gay. He discusses the dire state of LGBTQ+ people's safety and well-being in Uganda after the recent passing of a law that requires landlords to report to the police folks they suspect to be LGBTQ+. The work that Turinawe does at Universal Love Alliance provides support to LGBTQ+ folks and other marginalized folks in need, and you can find out how to get involved on their website (linked below). We must stand in solidarity with our Ugandan siblings because none of us are free until all of us are free, and we are so grateful for the brave and necessary work that Samson and Universal Love Alliance are doing! https://www.universallovealliance.org/  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we discuss many examples of LGBTQ+ folks in religious history, from gay nuns to a non-binary Quaker in the 1800s to the deeply prayerful Marsha P. Johnson, and all kinds of other queer saints. April also brings up some of her favorite LGBTQ+ Christian scholars such as Marcella Althaus-Reid and Patrick Cheng. We encourage folks to look at the two main websites we used, LGBTQ Religious Archives Network (which contains profiles on folks from many different religious traditions) and QSpirit! Resources: https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/  https://qspirit.net/  Strange Aeons on Gay Nuns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRty_UFx8uE  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzyuYjIsYFE&t Jessica Kelgren-Fozard on The Public Universal Friend:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vTQE7G648Q&list=PLhADVL2AiGX8NqRXFmtBzIuTc5V88k4eH&index=17&t  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode (our 50th!!!), we have a conversation with Karen Huckaby, co-founder of The Reclaim Therapy Collective, a group of therapists specializing in helping folks heal from adverse religious experiences and spiritual trauma. Karen shares about her faith background and her intense experiences of evangelizing to people on the beach, her journey of questioning that led her to become a therapist, and the ways she has found healing and has helped others to reconnect with their full selves.  You can find The Reclaim Therapy Collective on their Instagram @thereclaimtherapycollective and on Facebook or their website.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a more casual (but still passionate) discussion about current events, which inevitably was centered on the legislative and cultural attack on trans and gender-expansive people in the United States and the conservative moral panic over “wokeness.” We also discuss our disappointment with Megan Phelps-Roper's podcast that paints J. K Rowling in a positive light, and April discusses DL Mayfield's Substack post about the connection of ABA therapy for autistic people to conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people. Savy Writes Books YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SAVYLEISER/videos DL's Newsletter: https://dlmayfield.substack.com/ We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with freelance writer, film producer and playwright Peter Fenton! Peter talks about his experiences as a gay man in the evangelical church, including his time as a Christian camp counselor, and how he came to terms with accepting himself and how he has explored his evolving faith through his writing. We are so excited for Peter's play, Abandon All Hope, to make its Off Broadway debut in June!!!! You can follow Peter on Instagram and Twitter @peterfent. You can support the GoFundMe for Peter's show here.  We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we get down and dirty and nerdy with Paul's letter to Philemon, his shortest letter in the New Testament. We discuss the historical background and the gaps that the letter doesn't tell us (why do people assume Philemon's slave Onesimus was the one in the wrong?). We also rant about how Paul could have been clearer in his words that slavery is wrong. Although we can take some moral lessons from this letter (the example of deep friendship between Onesimus and Paul), it is important to remember that this was written to a specific person about an interpersonal conflict that we don't know all the details about (and it definitely doesn't mean that when you forgive you have to bring that person back into your life, yikes!). We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with our dear friend, bookstagrammer and aspiring author Briana Michelle Meyer!!! Briana talks to us about her upbringing at a Christian school, her love of literature and how that has impacted her faith, and her life as a teacher in South Korea. We'll be cheering her on as she goes to grad school in London in the fall! You can find Briana on Instagram @brianamichellemeyer and on Twitter @margoroths. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop  Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

Just in time for the release of Greg Laurie's vanity film that erases Lonnie Frisbee's queer identity (Jesus Revolution), we're talking about films with religious (mostly Christian) themes! We discuss the God's Not Dead and Left Behind movies, the Jesus Camp documentary, and films that explore religion in more nuanced ways, like Boy Erased, Philomena, Carrie, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and more. Here's the Buzzfeed article we mentioned: https://www.buzzfeed.com/matthewhuff/25-films-that-discuss-religious-trauma?fbclid=IwAR3xr1HbD3xphPxnnV2YFJn3EZ0CzmQIQw8carVt3omZZIJJJn4yJLLIDug We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with worship pastor and queer Christian podcaster Jess Grace Garcia at the 2023 Q Christian Fellowship Conference! Jess talks about their faith journey and with it their evolving relationship with worship music. Likewise, we also dive into Jess' journeys with gender and sexuality and how it has impacted their life, and we learn about the amazing concept of “Do be do.” You can find Jess on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @jessgracegarcia. You can find the podcast they host with Jonathan Quinn, Lavender Mafia, wherever you listen to podcasts. And of course, if you want some affirming worship music in your life, you can find Q Worship Collective on Instagram and Spotify! We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, April and Anna share our coming out stories (which are still always unfolding, never one and done). From our first crushes and “oh my God, how did you not know” moments, to the times we first spoke aloud that we might be queer, to openly living our joyfully queer lives, we talk about our journey towards accepting ourselves and having the bravery to start telling others. We hope that in being out and proud now, we invite folks to share their stories and bring their full selves. April's post about her mom becoming LGBTQ+ affirming: https://aprilthewriter.substack.com/p/i-cant-look-at-that-and-call-it-wrong We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, Anna and April recount our experiences at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference. We got to meet (and hug!) so many dear friends in-person for the first time, hear talks from folks we admire, goof around in DC, hit up gay bars, and of course do a live podcast show! It was so much fun (even when we felt exhausted at times) and we can't wait until we can be together with our queer Christian fam again. If you want to sign up for a QCF Community Group, here's a link: https://www.qchristian.org/community/signup If you want to come to conf next year, here's the link to register: https://www.qcfconf.org/ We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with author and religious studies scholar/professor Brad Onishi (who also is a co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast)! Brad talks about his upbringing in evangelical spaces in California, his journey from being a youth pastor to deconstructing to becoming a scholar on white Christian Nationalism, and also a little about his experiences in Paris (April gets excited whenever she has an excuse to talk to people about Paris). You can find Brad on Instagram @bbonishi and Twitter @BradleyOnishi . Here is the link to purchase his book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism–And What Comes Next: https://www.bradonishi.com/books/. You can listen to his podcast Straight White American Jesus on all podcast platforms and follow the pod's Insta @straightwhitejc. Other books mentioned in this episode: “Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right” by Lisa McGirr “From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism” by Darren Dochuk We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

We're back with our podcast pals Jordyn and Sara for another year-in-review! We talk about Tish Harrison Warren's terrible not-Anglican New York Times takes, God is Grey's problematic treatment of Jo Luehmann that left a bad taste in our mouths, the bureaucratic nightmare that is the United Methodist Church split, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the amazing anthems of Maddie Zahm for us burnt-out Good Christian Girls, the chaos of Elon Musk buying Twitter, and more. We hope y'all have a Happy New Year and are so excited for what's in store in 2023! We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee and more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rtgardenpodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, Anna and April draw from our respective academic disciplines (social work and theology) and Sara Miles' memoir Take This Bread to discuss strategies for how to sustain ourselves in the work of healing and justice, including neurodivergent-friendly alternatives to meditation. Sara Miles' connection to bodily spiritual experience, her conviction that her “body was connected literally and mysteriously to other bodies and loved without reason” and the grace she experienced through communion led her to start a food pantry through her church that empowered the people who came there to engage in it themselves, to feed others as they had been fed–it's a story of creating beauty and justice in the midst of the messiness of community. April and Anna also reflect on what we've learned in grad school so far. Link to QCF Conference Podcasters Page; check out who else is on the stage at conf!: https://www.qcfconf.org/podcaststage We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee or mug here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/RTGardenPodcast/shop Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with Baptist pastor Dana and ordained Hindu Fred, who are happily married. They share their beautiful story of finding each other through a dating app and connecting over a shared love of spirituality despite their differing beliefs. They discuss their life together and how they take part in each others' spiritual traditions/practices and how that cross-fertilization has been helpful for them. We also unpack Paul's often misused words in 2 Corinthians about “being unequally yoked with non-believers”; like Dana says, it's not about having the same faith but having deep faith. Rachel Held Evans' blog post interview with Dana and Fred: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/ask-an-interfaith-couple-response We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee or mug here: https://reclaiming-the-garden.creator-spring.com/ Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we, along with our friends Celia and Colleen from Assemblies of Pop Podcast, share our memories of Christian music and the culture created around it (music festivals, etc): we talk about TobyMac, Family Force 5, DC Talk, Dara Maclean, the big worship bands like Hillsong and Bethel, and other artists of various genres that have been lumped into the Christian label. We discuss how our relationship to Christian and/or worship music changed as we went through faith deconstruction, and the kinds of music we enjoy listening to now (we can listen to “secular” pop music and other things our parents or our own evangelical selves would not allow us to listen to!). We also chat a little bit about hymns at the end, because discovering the richness of worship music that existed before the 1960/70s to the present has been helpful to the spiritual growth of several of us. Here is a playlist that has the Christian music we still like (whether for the nostalgia or genuine appreciation) and other tunes we've been enjoying these days: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/42oWcyynPYAtrbpgEYoos9?si=c44f0d5706b14ba1 We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee or mug here: https://reclaiming-the-garden.creator-spring.com/ Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In this episode, we have a conversation with mystical theologian and author of Bad Theology Kills, Kevin Garcia! Kevin shares their spiritual journey from being in ex-gay ministry to finding wholeness in queer identity and finding God in their body, in other people, and in practices such as yoga. We get into some pretty deep theological discussions (April tries to articulate her Christology) and talk about what makes us feel alive with wonder, whether that be in a church community or somewhere completely different. We hope this conversation inspires you to sit in the mystery and find spiritual practices that are good for your well-being. You can find Kevin on Instagram and Twitter @theKevinGarcia. Their podcasts, A Tiny Revolution and Your Favorite Aunts, can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. You can purchase their book here. We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee or mug here: https://reclaiming-the-garden.creator-spring.com/ Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!

In honor of this spooky month, this episode is all about what scares evangelical Christians to death (but we forgot to even really talk much about Halloween–oops!). From cuss words to the “devil's lettuce” to feminist theory to children's media not being superheteronormative (Baby Bear from Sesame Street can't have a doll, he's a boy!!!), we discuss why these “scandalous” things are actually not that scary, and often can be good things! Rachel Held Evans' blog post on Owen Strachan's absurd response to a Sesame Street bear puppet owning a doll: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/guys-dolls-legalism-own-strachan-biblical-manhood?rq=guys%20and%20dolls We have merch! Get your Bible Dyke Energy Tee or mug here: https://reclaiming-the-garden.creator-spring.com/ Our social media: @reclaimingthegarden on Insta, @RtGardenPodcast on Twitter, and Reclaiming the Garden on Facebook. Our personal accounts: @thatpunchabletheaternerd, @April_TheWriter (April is on Twitter and Insta). Also, our podcast account follows a bunch of awesome folks + podcasts in the exvangelical/deconstruction world and progressive Christian world, so if you're looking for more resources, that's a great place to start!