An eye-opening (and sometimes blunt) conversation about one woman’s discovery that not everything she learned about God and Sex growing up was necessarily what Jesus said, OR how things are done in the big city. We are grateful to Mattie Jo Cowsert, author of the new book God, Sex, and Rich People (Quoir Publishing), for taking the time to share her story with us, “shamelessly oversharing” about how she kept laughing and learning (even through some of the worst times) as her purity culture façade came undone and she found her authentic self underneath.

Mattie Jo was a pastor’s kid and proud purity ring wearer before she moved to New York City and experienced an unexpected worldview and identity implosion. Her popular blog God, Sex, and Rich People exposed the sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious realities of a young female EXvangelical navigating the diversity of the Big Apple, working for the 1%, and trying to have good sex without hating herself in the city that never sleeps (and never stops sleeping around). Mattie Jo has appeared on The New Evangelicals Podcast, IndoctriNation, and Talkin’ Politics and Religion without Killin Each Other, among many others. She was invited by author Linda Kay Klein to join the Voices and Faces + Breakfree Together collaboration writing cohort on Religious Trauma, one of only ten individuals across the US to be selected.

Tahtianna Fermin (she/her) has many roles, including being an ordained minister, community activist, and founder of Bridges4Life, an organization that helps the Transgender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community—work that is so...

Roger Wolsey wants to set your soul on fire! We’ve been huge fans of Wolsey’s “Kissing Fish Book” Facebook fan page for years, (inspired by his book “Kissing Fish: Christianity for People who Don’t Like Christianity”) where he curates a Progressive Christian forum that challenges fixed ideas about Christianity, so we were so grateful go get to talk with him about his current burning passions. His latest book, “Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices that Transform Lives” carries on his iconoclastic work and explores a more expansive view of love, society, and our possibilities to connect with the divine on a soul level.

Wolsey describes himself as a “Progressive Pastor, Spiritual Director, Speaker, Writer, Soul Friend, & Coach.” From his website: “I have been a speaker at The Wild Goose Festival (4 times), The Embrace Festival, The Lion and The Lamb Festival, and Christianity 21. I’ve blogged for Elephant Journal, Huffington Post, and now primarily for Patheos as “The Holy Kiss.” I’m the author of Discovering Fire, and Kissing Fish, and am the administrator of the Kissing Fish Facebook fan-page. I am also a contributing writer for the John Shelby Spong weekly newsletter “Progressing Spirit,” and serve on the Board of Directors of ProgressiveChristianity.org

Roger Wolsey
https://www.rogerwolsey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RogerWolseySoulCoach
https://www.facebook.com/KissingFishBook
https://www.instagram.com/rogerwolsey/

Leslie Nease, author of “Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian,” has been on an amazing journey, and we were blessed to be able to talk with her about it. Former Christian Radio Personality? Survivor Contestant? Publicly Celebrating People’s Deconstruction Journeys? Life & Faith Transitions Coach? Yep, she is all of those and more.

In Leslie’s words: “I was very active in Christian Media and Ministry for about 16 years. I was a Christian Radio Host, Podcaster, Writer, Speaker and I was also a contestant on Survivor China, where I was dubbed “Sister Christian” by my fellow tribe-mates. My journey on Survivor was probably the catalyst that made me begin to question some of my beliefs and theology, but it took awhile for me to fully jump into deconstruction. For the past 7 years, though, I have been deconstructing my beliefs ). Now, I’m speaking out publicly on my podcast, sharing stories of faith and faith transitions, hoping to get people to listen and learn from my guests and encouraging people to share their life and faith journeys.

What is the connection between religion and radicalization? When either one turns into dehumanizing others, there is quite an overlap between the two. This week we talk with online personality The Fallen Ape-Theist (formerly known as the Faithiest Atheist) about his spiritual journey that led him to a kind of faith-friendly-atheism that frustrates believers and non-believers alike (albeit with a great sense of humor), and more seriously, how his military and counter-terrorism experience taught him about the dehumanizing power of radicalization–whether through religion, politics, or any movement that goes to the extremes.

We talk about how our polarized society contributes to extreme views, how social media pours fuel on the fire, the first-hand experiences that he has had facing and disrupting radicalization, and the kind of community he maintains online, where people with differing views can talk with one another without thinking of others as less than human just because they disagree.

How do we talk with the people with whom we disagree the most? Especially in today’s toxic social, religious, and political environment, where disagreement is seen as treason and we’re all on the edge of being canceled? This week, we had our eyes opened when Justin Lee gave us some practical advice for how to communicate with those across the aisle–and why our old arguments have always failed so miserably.

Justin first appeared on our radar in the early 2000s, when the “Great Debate” on his blog about LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church broke new ground in showing that there is such a thing as a committed, faithful, gay Christian, and arguing that the Bible may not say exactly what we think it does about all queer relationships through all time and circumstances. That conversation turned into the popular book “Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate,” which was recently updated in a 2024 edition.

Justin has now turned his attention to an even bigger picture, focusing on the many ways that we disagree across different aspects of our society, and dives deep into the causes of our disagreements, why our old ways of arguing with one another often backfire and make the divine even wider, and practical tools and methods of having productive conversations with the people who disagree with us the most. His essential book on this topic is called “Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World”

Bio:
Justin Lee has been successfully bridging cultural divides for 25 years. He first developed his strategic dialogue techniques while working at the difficult intersection of faith and LGBTQ issues, where he became internationally known for helping heal family and community rifts. His book on that subject, Torn, is now one of the most widely read in the field.

Justin’s latest book, Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree With—and Maybe Even Change the World, draws on scientific research and real-world examples to apply these same techniques to today’s political and social conflicts. Follow Justin’s work at GeekyJustin.com.

Justin Lee
Website: https://geekyjustin.com/
Facebook: @geekyjustin
Instagram: @geekyjustinlee
Twitter/X: @geekyjustinlee

Daniel Henderson, the author of “The Spiritual Journey to Anti-Racism: A Travel Guide for White People” (Quoir Press) embodies the idea that solving racism is a White People problem, not a People Of Color problem. While many well-meaning White liberals have relied on People of Color for racial education and pathways to reconciliation, Henderson has been inspired by his beliefs to pro-actively use his platform to guide White people on dismantling the systems that continue to perpetuate racial inequality OURSELVES.

Our conversation covers Henderson’s background in education and religion, his transition from Evangelical to a system of belief that more authentically fit his conscience (chronicled in his earlier book “Confessions of a Recovering Evangelical,”), and how that transformation led to his mission to do the work of dismantling racism.

Henderson’s story of belief goes back as far as the moment in 1966, when he “went forward” at a Billy Graham Crusade to give his life to Christ, up through the moment 40 years later, in 2005, he walked away from the traditional Evangelical church for a more authentic faith. With a 40-year career as an educator, speaker, writer and historian, Henderson continues today to encourage others to find their faith, embrace doubt, ask hard questions, and find their own spiritual path.