Saved by the City artwork

Saved by the City

104 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 97 ratings

Roxy and Katelyn grew up in the white evangelical American heartland. Both were warned moving to a supposed bastion of secular culture would be dangerous to their faith. While navigating a city where people sleep in on Sunday mornings and the chaste motto “true love waits” isn’t a thing, the two have found a renewed, vibrant faith that has been both strengthened and stretched in the metropolis.

Christianity Religion & Spirituality evagelicalism metropolis faithful christ saved worship new york city faith women religion
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Episodes

Asking Better Questions + Krista Tippett

March 28, 2024 00:02 - 55 minutes

This episode, Katelyn and Roxy are joined by the GOAT, the legend who arguably started the spiritual podcasting genre, the longtime host of On Being, Krista Tippett. This wide-ranging conversation lingers on some of the more salient questions of our time: What is the role of faith in a technological era? Does religion only divide? How can spiritual practices make a difference in a world that needs action? GUEST: Krista Tippett is a journalist and Peabody Award-winning broadcaster. She create...

Has Politics Poisoned Our Souls? + Michael Wear

March 21, 2024 12:06 - 46 minutes

Another year. Another election heckscape. Would you talk politics on a first date? Nope. No, definitely not. What about on a 10th? Heck no. In this economy? Americans are not happy with the political landscape at the moment and the general mood going into the 2024 election is, to put it mildly, dread. We're exhausted and this presidential race is a rinse and repeat cycle that it seems no one really wants. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy wade into the shark infested waters of partisan politi...

Seeking Besties in a Romance-Obsessed World + Laura Tremaine

March 14, 2024 00:47 - 51 minutes

Maybe the real soulmates are the friends we met along the way. As marriage has become the end-all, be-all relationship, friendships have been relegated to the "nice to have" category. But at a time when loneliness is being labeled an epidemic, we wonder if this paradigm hasn't stranded us all on islands of our own making. Katelyn and Roxy look at the significant role friendships have played in our lives — especially as single adult women — and ask how we can continue to cultivate intentional ...

Blowing Up the Evangelical Bro Code

March 07, 2024 13:20 - 45 minutes

We're all living inside the code. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy recount their brushes with the evangelical bro code — that malignant workplace milieu of religion mixed with patriarchy mixed with entitlement. We discuss the nearly two hundred responses women sent to Katelyn on the topic and unpack the Three B's of the Evangelical Bro Code: Breadwinner Bias, The Billy Graham Rule and Bullying. In the end, we wonder: should women even work in male-led evangelical spaces? Is it worth it?

The World According to GOOP + Rina Raphael

February 28, 2024 23:40 - 47 minutes

That's poog spelled backward. The wellness industry has scope creep. Is it about health? Self-care? Spirituality? Mud masks? Yes, yes, yes, yes — and so much more. One thing it all seems to have in common though is that it costs money. Marketed primarily to women and promising solutions to every woe, wellness is more in the category of faith than science, but that doesn't keep millions of Americans from seeking their salvation in it ... to the tune of $4.4 trillion a year. On this episode, Ka...

When God Met Country + Rob Reiner & Dan Partland

February 22, 2024 02:34 - 48 minutes

The Jesus thing always gets in the way. Did you ever think Rob Reiner — director of such favorites as "When Harry Met Sally," "Princess Bride" and "Spinal Tap" — would make a movie about Christian nationalism? Inconceivable, right? Well, that word doesn't mean what you think it means and yes, he did. The documentary, "God & Country," directed by Dan Partland and produced by Reiner, is based on the book "Power Worshipers" by Katherine Stewart and features a who's who of Christian thinkers (lef...

ApocryFUN: A Midwinter Series with Tyler Huckabee + Ep. 5: Left Behind

February 08, 2024 00:12 - 47 minutes

The son has come and you've been ... On each episode of this show, we talk about a popular, influential — or at least lucrative — Christian book from the 90s or 2000s (you know, our era). We discuss how the book shaped American Christianity, our own personal faith journeys, and how it has aged in our current dystopian Christian Nationalist hellscape. In this episode, Roxy reads Left Behind for the first time and reports back to Tyler. We dig into a word salad of eschatological terms and an ab...

ApocryFUN: A Midwinter Series with Tyler Huckabee + Ep. 4: Desiring God

February 01, 2024 05:01 - 37 minutes

Are you happy enough? On each episode of this show, we talk about a popular, influential — or at least lucrative — Christian book from the 90s or 2000s (you know, our era). We discuss how the book shaped American Christianity, our own personal faith journeys, and how it has aged in our current dystopian Christian Nationalist hellscape. In this episode, Tyler and Roxy wonder who is the most hedonistic of them all — like, in a Christian sense. In 1986, John Piper wrote Desiring God and introduc...

ApocryFUN: A Midwinter Series with Tyler Huckabee + Ep. 3: Purpose Driven Life

January 25, 2024 05:01 - 50 minutes

This podcast will change your life. On each episode of this show, we talk about a popular, influential — or at least lucrative — Christian book from the 90s or 2000s (you know, our era). We discuss how the book shaped American Christianity, our own personal faith journeys, and how it has aged in our current dystopian Christian Nationalist hellscape. In this episode, Tyler and Roxy travel back in time to an era of 5 step growth strategies, acronyms for all things and Hawaiian shirts. AKA South...

ApocryFUN: A Midwinter Series with Tyler Huckabee + Ep. 2: Wild at Heart

January 18, 2024 05:01 - 50 minutes

Paintball never looked so holy. On each episode of this show, we talk about a popular, influential — or at least lucrative — Christian book from the 90s or 2000s (you know, our era). We discuss how the book shaped American Christianity, our own personal faith journeys, and how it has aged in our current dystopian Christian Nationalist hellscape. In this episode, Tyler and Roxy become the men God created them to be with Wild at Heart, John Eldredge’s 2001 bestseller that challenged dudes to ro...

ApocryFUN: A Midwinter Series with Tyler Huckabee + Ep. 1: Blue Like Jazz

January 11, 2024 05:01 - 41 minutes

Cozy up for this time traveling book club. On each episode of this show, we talk about a popular, influential — or at least lucrative — Christian book from the 90s or 2000s (you know, our era). We discuss how the book shaped American Christianity, our own personal faith journeys, and how it has aged in our current dystopian Christian Nationalist hellscape. This episode, Tyler and Roxy move into the liminal faith space of Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller’s 2003 word-of-mouth bestseller that intro...

Self-Help Wisdom You Won't See on Instagram + Liz Forkin Bohannon

December 21, 2023 05:01 - 53 minutes

Decadent December is coming to a close and bills are due. Every year, we all get a little excited for what a new start could bring — who could I be this year? Surely this year, I'll do the thing. Or stop doing the thing. Or change everything. Right? When it comes to making goals, setting intentions, naming desires, we're as all-in as anybody ... but we also have a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to the marketing machine that self-help has become. Somehow, we doubt all the wisdom we n...

Grief Is Hell. Friends Make It Less Awful. + J.S. Park

December 14, 2023 05:01 - 46 minutes

Be good to your people. The holidays are hard for the grieving. This year, as Roxy and her family walk through their first Christmas without her dad, we wanted to do an episode on what has helped get them through. Well, who has helped really. This is an episode on the power of community and friendship when life hands you loss. Katelyn and Roxy are also joined by J.S. Park, a hospital chaplain who has counseled thousands of patients and their families through terminal illnesses, devastating di...

Nashville: The One That Got Away

December 07, 2023 05:01 - 43 minutes

It's the new evangelical Vatican y'all. Before there was New York City, both Katelyn and Roxy flirted with Nashville. The draw was real: deep friendship, like-minded value systems, shared faith, the prospect of financial stability. But something never quite clicked. Nashville felt maybe a little ... too comfortable, too safe, even a bit stifling. In this episode, Katelyn and Roxy imagine what could have been. We also do a deep dive into who Nashville has become in our years apart — and how ch...

Mushrooms and Misbehaving Men + Gloria Purvis on Black Lives Matter

November 30, 2023 05:01 - 48 minutes

The range of a religion reporter. This week, we ask ourselves: would we do mushrooms for research? Plus, a journey from Kansas to Tennessee to California and their multiple misbehaving men in ministry. Katelyn and Roxy discuss the similarities and patterns present in congregations where clergy can get away with almost anything. And we're joined by guest Gloria Purvis, a Black Catholic scholar who lost her job at a prominent Catholic radio network in 2020 after speaking out about the killings ...

Best of: The Revolutionary Power of a Shared Meal + Alissa Wilkinson

November 23, 2023 03:13 - 45 minutes

For this Thanksgiving, we return to a favorite episode about food, hosting and the power of conversations around a dinner table.

The Menfolk Aren't Doing So Hot. Why Should We Care?

November 16, 2023 05:01 - 43 minutes

It's a mancession. Or, as one woman put it to our guest today, "men are in their flop era." Men are lagging behind women in almost every measure of success today — from mental health, to education levels, to employment, to sexual satisfaction. What's going on? Katelyn and Roxy are joined (once again!) by columnist and author Christine Emba to discuss this masculinity crisis — and why it should matter to women.  Plus: a dudely data dump. GUEST: Christine Emba is a columnist and member of the ...

Why I Chose to Have a Baby on My Own + Annie Parsons

November 09, 2023 05:00 - 54 minutes

When the clock keeps ticking, you gotta get picking ... a sperm donor, that is. Ok, but really, as more and more women are single into their late thirties and early forties, the option to have a child through in vitro fertilization becomes a very live question. As much as forty may be the new twenty, the biological timeline for many women still looms large. If you're someone who wants to bear children, waiting for the right partner may feel like a dead end. Or, as our guest today puts it, tha...

You Don't Have to Perform for God (Thank God) + Karen Wright Marsh

November 02, 2023 04:01 - 50 minutes

But it is better if you get spiritual in the mornings. For a very long time, spending time with God felt a bit like a chore to be checked off. Remember quiet times? One year Bible reading plans? On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy discussing finding rhythms and rituals that actually work for connecting with God — no guilt attached. And, bonus, actually became morning people along the way. We can't believe it either! Plus, Karen Wright Marsh helps us find inspiration for our daily devotions from...

On Israel, Gaza and the Hope for Peace + Greg Khalil

October 26, 2023 04:01 - 51 minutes

"Seek peace and pursue it — especially when it seems impossible." Inspired by these words of his father, our guest today has been working to bring peace in the Holy Land since the early 2000s. The last few weeks have been an onslaught of horrifying news from Israel and Gaza — thousands upon thousands dead, hundreds held hostage, hundreds of thousands displaced. And, here, in America a rush to make sense of it — to clearly name the good guy and the bad guy, to further entrench lines in the san...

Childhood Faith: The Cringe, The Cute, The Complicated + Esau McCaulley

October 19, 2023 14:11 - 52 minutes

What's on your Jesus Island? Church, God, Christianity — they made up a core part of our identity as kids. In other words, we definitely had a Jesus Island. And, yes, that's a reference to Pixar's highly relatable "Inside Out." This episode of the podcast is full of them. Katelyn and Roxy plumb the depths of their childhood faith and discuss how those core memories continue to shape their faith today (or not!). We are joined by Esau McCaulley who shares some of his core faith memories as a ki...

What’s With All the Fresh Scorn for Single Women?

October 12, 2023 04:01 - 35 minutes

Why can't you just let us be happy? Recent internet pile ons have made it clear there are a whole lot of people out there — including some academics and sociologists, as well as all the incels — who believe single women are ruining society. Not an exaggeration. Marriage rates are down, birth rates are down, men are reporting all time lows in mental health and happiness — especially single men — and it's all because women have just gotten too picky. Or that they prefer cats and shakshuka to ma...

Our Bizarro New World Where Russell Moore Is a 'Liberal' + Russell Moore

October 05, 2023 04:06 - 47 minutes

And if Russell Moore is a liberal, then what the heck are we? Our first guest for season six has us thinking about institutions. An exciting lead for a season opener, you say? It is! In part because this guest now leads an institution, Christianity Today, that both Katelyn and Roxy have some history with. But, not too long ago, he was an SBC bigwig — the president of its Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission — before, well, a lot of things went down. In 2015 ... and 2016 ... and pretty much...

The Consultant feat. Weird Religion • Leah Payne & Brian Doak

June 22, 2023 04:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

When you put religion on TV, you have to get religion consultants. Why even bother being accurate? Does Jesus look at someone to be healed with compassion—or anger? We end with a conversation about the term “minoritized” (vs. “minority”). Review of Brian’s appearance on a Travel Channel show debunking a Phoenician inscription “Horror Shows Like Mayfair Witches Hire Occult Consultant” The Chosen: “Jesus Heals at the Pool” (clip) Jesus’s anger problem in Mark 1:41 (for the opposi...

The Nationalists feat. Weird Religion • Leah Payne & Brian Doak

June 15, 2023 04:00 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

Saved By The City is proud to present an episode for the excellent podcast Weird Religion! In which our guests Leah Payne & Brian Doak discuss Deuteronomy Ch. 32, Moses Sings, and how Republicans want a Christian Nation. Moses sings a song that takes us…deep into the problem of Christian nationalism. Come for the most secretly controversial passage in the Bible; stay for Leah trying to be a therapist for Brian on the problem of hating Christian nationalism but fearing that we need...

What the New Hillsong Doc Gets Right ... and Wrong + Janice Lagata

June 08, 2023 04:00 - 50 minutes

... and very messy. It's not everyday Saved by the City hosts Katelyn and Roxy get invited to be on documentaries, but it is every Hillsong documentary. The latest documentary treatment of the global megachurch’s descent into scandal recently premiered on FX and Hulu. And it featured our very own Ms. Beaty with some real zingers. It also featured Carl Lentz. Like a lot of Carl Lentz. The disgraced former pastor of Hillsong NYC took center stage once again and not everyone is happy about it. W...

The Women Who Ran with Jesus + Nijay K. Gupta

June 01, 2023 04:00 - 48 minutes

Mary, the mentor of Jesus. A lifetime of Bible reading and the women who surrounded Jesus still feel so flat, so much a part of the flannel graph background. Why? In this episode, Katelyn and Roxy explore how their perceptions of the women in the New Testament were formed and why it's still so difficult to conceive of them as real, three-dimensional people. They are joined by New Testament scholar, Nijay K. Gupta, who offers more than a few clues about how and why the women around Jesus becam...

A Personality Test Extravaganza!

May 25, 2023 04:00 - 45 minutes

ENTP! 2 wing 3! Let's talk about you and me! We'll admit, a podcast episode all about our personalities might be a bit self-indulgent. But also fun! So bear with us as we dive headfirst into the various and sundry methods for categorizing oneself. This week, Katelyn and Roxy go old school (Myers-Briggs), new school (StrengthsFinder) and a little woo-woo (Enneagram, just kidding, don't come after us). Plus, a journey into the desert with our spiritual guide — and podcast producer — Jonathan Wo...

What Churches Lose When Women Don't Lead + Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond & Rev. Dr. Serene Jones

May 18, 2023 04:00 - 48 minutes

Let's go shatter a glass steeple or two, shall we? When it comes to women in ministry, the gains have been ever so gradual. And at the top levels of leadership — from seminary faculty and deans to senior clergy positions — women seem to have hit a wall. Fewer than 25 percent of seminary faculty and deans are women, as are 11 percent of presidents, according to the Association of Theological Schools. This week Katelyn and Roxy are joined by two of those rarities — the Rev. Drs. Lakeesha Walron...

We Got It From Our Moms + Marcie Alvis Walker (Creator of Black Coffee With White Friends)

May 11, 2023 04:00 - 54 minutes

You sound like your mother. Is an essential project of a daughter's life trying to understand her mother? On this episode of the podcast — on this week of Mother's Day — we reflect on the lessons we learned from our moms, how we saw them as teens, how we see them now (SPOILER: it's changed). Plus, we are joined by Marcie Alvis Walker in a wide ranging conversation about the power of motherhood — for good and ill — and the generational legacies we carry as daughters who sometimes become mother...

Is Youth Group Good for Teen Girls? + Sheila Wray Gregoire

May 04, 2023 04:02 - 53 minutes

Two words: chubby bunny. From the games that were downright gross to the Mountain Dew fueled lock-ins, youth group culture was its own special kinda weird. But was it good? On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy reminiscence on the lessons we learned as teens in our church basements (we shared a certain oldest daughter perfectionism that youth group culture seemed to heighten, even spiritualize). We're joined by author and researcher Sheila Wray Gregoire who shares some of her findings on how yout...

Who Is In? Who Is Out? Why Evangelicals Love Gatekeeping + Isaac B. Sharp

April 27, 2023 04:00 - 48 minutes

It's an evangelical origin story. Who are the evangelicals? It's a contested question with a long history of answers — answers that depend largely on who is holding the mic at any given time. In this episode of the podcast, Katelyn and Roxy examine our own roles within the traditional gatekeeping institutions of evangelicalism and reflect on how we feel about them now. We are joined by Isaac B. Sharp for a tour of evangelicalism's defining decades and how the movement was shaped in part by wh...

Would the Proverbs 31 Woman Get Botox? + Jamie B. Golden

April 20, 2023 04:00 - 51 minutes

Maybe beauty could be a little less fleeting? This week, Katelyn and Roxy dive face-first into the prickly subject of cosmetic procedures. They're not just for Hollywood stars and Dallas housewives anymore. But just because everyone is getting a little work done, should we? Would the Proverbs 31 woman — the biblical model for all things feminine — go under the knife? The laser? The needle? All this, plus skin care guru Jamie B. Golden on the do's and don'ts (and maybes) on your dermatologist'...

Should Megachurch Pastors Make Mega Moolah?

April 13, 2023 04:01 - 37 minutes

Living large on the Lord. $150,000 on a three-day luxury retreat in Cancun. $37,000 on flowers. $13,000 on high tea. $16,000 on custom skateboards. These are just a few of the line items recently uncovered in Hillsong financial statements. Last month, a leader in Australia’s Parliament, armed with 17 binders full of documents, accused Hillsong leaders of breaking financial laws in Australia and beyond, specifically of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. We figured: we've covered sex and ...

Our Churchiest Episode Ever + Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

April 06, 2023 04:00 - 45 minutes

Sometimes going through the motions is the whole point. On this episode, which drops amid Holy Week, Roxy and Katelyn reflect on the beauty, meaning, and mystery they have found in the church liturgy. Instead of feeling rote, the rhythms and prayers of the church have become nourishing for us. Kind of like a favorite meal. They are joined by the Most Rev. Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the Anglican Communion. He talks about his approach to ...

We're STILL Deprogramming from '90s Diet Culture + Cole Arthur Riley

March 30, 2023 03:59 - 48 minutes

But did the era of heroin chic ever really end? Low rise jeans are trying to make a comeback — does that mean the bodies that look good in them must too? (Aka: teensy tiny itty bitty very flat stomach bodies.) On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy explore how the body ideals promoted during our teen years are still informing the way we see our adult bodies. We look at how some things have changed — because there has been some progress! — and how others have stayed frustratingly toxic. Plus, we're...

Rethinking Our Drinking + Sarah Bessey

March 23, 2023 04:00 - 44 minutes

Let's get a drink sometime! New York's a drinking town. Happy hours. Boozy brunches. Martinis and oysters. The city's social life revolves around artisan cocktails and bubbly toasts and late night dive bars. And while the pandemic may have put a screeching halt to the social side of that life, it didn't stop the flow of booze. Restaurants offered craft cocktails to go, the sidewalks became open carry and delivery drinks were an app away. Drinking went from social to solo and it was during tha...

Faith After Gothard + Jinger Duggar Vuolo

March 16, 2023 04:11 - 48 minutes

Watch out for the Cabbage Patch Kids! Katelyn and Roxy are back for a new season of Saved By the City and are joined by guest Jinger Duggar Vuolo. Listeners may know her as one of the siblings on the reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting," or maybe from the "Free Jinger" movement online. In addition to her childhood being well-documented, Jinger also grew up within a Christian movement that was, shall we say, a bit … strict. As followers of Bill Gothard and his Institute of Basic Life Princip...

Why 'Interfaith' Isn't a Dirty Word +Simran Jeet Singh

December 22, 2022 12:52 - 49 minutes

Happy holidays! In New York City, the phrase has nothing to do with a culture war and everything to do with being a good neighbor. A recent NY Times article describes the city as "a swirling kaleidoscope of faiths," and living within that colorful milieu has profoundly shaped our posture toward other religions. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy discuss the ways New York City has exposed us to the beauty and wisdom of other faith traditions, while introducing us to the importance of interfaith...

2022 in Review: Books! TV! Friendship! Dates! Weird Subway Stuff! + New Year's Goals

December 15, 2022 05:05 - 33 minutes

The year is not over yet but we're ready to hand in the verdict. This week, Katelyn and Roxy reflect on the year that was 2022 (better than 2020!) and share some highlights and lowlights in various categories. Favorite book? Check. Favorite TV show? Yep. Favorite friendship moment? Yes please. Strangest thing you saw on the subway? Of course. Plus, we share some goals for ourselves — and the podcast! — as we look toward 2023.

We're OVER the Pastor Power Plays + Diane Langberg

December 08, 2022 05:00 - 50 minutes

It's been 2000 years. Enough already. Abusing power is an ancient genre of sin — and using religion to justify abuse is perhaps the oldest trick in that book. We know it won't stop with this podcast episode, but, here we go anyway. Katelyn and Roxy address some of the difficulties of identifying spiritual abuse (no, it isn't just "church hurt") and examine how it has manifested in a few more recent and notable scandals. Veteran psychologist and expert on religious trauma, Diane Langberg, join...

You Asked. We Answered. (Now We Have a Vulnerability Hangover)

December 01, 2022 05:10 - 50 minutes

Silly, shallow, serious, interstellar … we said we’d take any and all of your questions. And we get some good ones! Katelyn has been on jury duty. We had Thanksgiving break. Roxy is on vacation this week. So it seemed like a good time to let our listeners do some of the work for us. We took to social media to seek your "ask me anything" — AMA — style questions. And we totally go there. Plus, here to deliver your questions (and a few of his own) is a very special guest, out from behind the cur...

Why 'She Said' Is a Must-See + Alissa Wilkinson and Christine Emba

November 24, 2022 05:15 - 50 minutes

We do love a journalism movie. It's been five years since the NY Times exposé of Harvey Weinstein sparked the global #MeToo movement. And the new movie, "She Said," documents the two-steps-forward, one-step-back work of investigative reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor in uncovering the extent of Weinstein's abuses.  "Pump it into my veins," is how Katelyn describes the movie.  On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy discuss the new movie, the book it's based on, and where we are now. GUESTS: C...

The Midterms and the Myth of the Unmarried Woman + Karen Gonzalez on Immigration

November 17, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes

Unmarried women are ruining everything!  At least according to some people who went to Twitter, Fox News, and God only knows where else to bemoan last week's midterm election results — placing a large share of their disappointment at the feet of unmarried women, who broke strongly for Democrats. Suffice it to say, their words were not very nice. Anyway, politics aside, we think their vitriol was misguided — and we have the data to prove it! On this week's episode, Katelyn and Roxy dive into s...

The 7 Worst Things to Tell Your Single Friends

November 10, 2022 05:05 - 41 minutes

You're still young! You're too picky! Just put yourself out there more! We've heard some doozies. And, while most friends are well-meaning (if occasionally passive-aggressive), they aren't always aware of how these phrases can bump against some tender spots. You've heard of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," but in this episode, Katelyn and Roxy bring you ... How to Lose Your Single Friends in 10 Words (Or Less). But, not to worry, we don't want to leave you feeling speechless. We also offer som...

We Thought We'd Be Moms. What We Think Now. + Erin S. Lane

November 03, 2022 04:10 - 52 minutes

It's the motherlode episode. Most women of a certain age (our age) have kids. They just do. And we don't. Living in that reality can be complicated — it's fun to be an "auntie," but it's not the same as being a mom — there's grief and there's gain. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy grapple with their own winding paths to life without kids. We share what's it's meant to mourn that loss while finding ways to embrace the gifts of a childfree life. We're joined by Erin S. Lane who helps us challe...

Is My Church a Cult? & Other Spooky Questions + Sam Kestenbaum

October 26, 2022 04:00 - 47 minutes

Is this real blood we're drinking? There's an old joke that a religion is a cult plus time. So are we just late comers to a very old cult? Katelyn and Roxy explore this plus all the other scary things — like aging! — in our All Hallow's Eve episode. And religion reporter Sam Kestenbaum joins to talk vampires, mummies, QAnon devotees, and groups with some cult-y vibes (including maybe ... some of the churches we've attended). GUEST: Sam Kestenbaum is a religion reporter who has written for Th...

How Christian Nationalism Became a Main Character in the Midterms + Jack Jenkins

October 19, 2022 08:30 - 51 minutes

The midterms ... truly the spookiest season of them all. Everyone seems to be talking about Christian nationalism right now. The phrase is in the air. And, while, there's plenty of focus on the evangelical vote every election cycle, this is not quite the same.  Religion News Service, and especially religion and politics correspondent Jack Jenkins, has long been covering this new iteration of Christian nationalism. So, for this special episode, in the run up to the midterms, Roxy talks with Ja...

Men and Women Can Be Friends! Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. Depends.

October 12, 2022 03:17 - 36 minutes

Can men and women just be friends or does the sex always get in the way? Billy Graham and Billy Crystal both seemed to believe the answer was: nope and yes, always. A rare instance of overlap in the evangelical-Hollywood Venn diagram, perhaps. But maybe it shouldn't be? In this episode, Katelyn and Roxy discuss their own friendships with men: when and how they've worked — and why they sometimes haven't. And we explore the vision Christianity offers for non-romantic, opposite sex relationships...

My Utmost Anxiety for His Highest + Charles Marsh

October 05, 2022 05:08 - 47 minutes

Oh, the pressure of perfection. Is there anyone who reads the Bible with the intensity of an evangelical 12-year-old? So asks Charles Marsh, our guest for this episode and the author of "Evangelical Anxiety: A Memoir." We resonate. Katelyn and Roxy reflect on the amped up nature of an evangelical upbringing, recalling childhood fantasies of martyrdom, the high stakes proposal of eternal salvation or damnation, and Christian bumper stickers. GUEST: Charles Marsh is a professor of religious st...

Guests

Kat Armas
1 Episode

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