🎙️ 11. Rev. Joseph Yoo (Episcopal) – Reconstructing Faith After It All Falls Apart

Alexis Rice is joined by Rev. Joseph Yoo @joseph.yoo — a priest and writer whose honest, funny, and deeply human reflections have connected with millions online. Together, they explore what happens when the certainty of faith collapses, why deconstruction isn’t a trend but often a lonely and costly journey, and how healing, community, and curiosity can guide the process of rebuilding something real.

Joe shares stories from seminary, growing up as a pastor’s kid in an immigrant family, and navigating life as a Korean American priest in a denomination still learning to embrace diversity. This episode is for anyone who's asking, Can I still be a Christian if I don’t believe everything I used to? It’s for those who’ve lost their community but not their longing—and for those wondering if it’s possible to create a faith that feels honest, expansive, and rooted in love.

💡 Key Takeaways
• Deconstruction is holy—but it often hurts
• Rebuilding faith takes time, questions, and community
• Asian American Christians navigate unique tensions in certain church cultures
• You don’t need certainty to follow Jesus—just curiosity and love
• Social media ministry can be sacred, subversive, and healing

⛪ About Our Guest
Rev. Joseph Yoo @joseph.yoo is an Episcopal priest, speaker, and author based in Texas, where he pastors Mosaic Episcopal Church—an inclusive, LGBTQ+‑affirming spiritual home for skeptics, seekers, and the spiritually bruised.

Raised in both Korean and American church contexts, Rev. Joe has served in United Methodist and Episcopal traditions and brings a rare blend of cross-cultural insight, pastoral honesty, and wit. He’s the author of When the Saints Go Flying In, a collection of theological reflections rooted in personal story.

Joe holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He’s also a husband, dad, a pop culture junkie, and a reluctant TikTok star whose humor and depth have made him one of the internet’s most relatable clergy voices.

📚 Resources Mentioned
• When the Saints Go Flying In by Rev. Joseph Yoo
• Mosaic Episcopal Church — https://www.mosaicpearland.org/
• Brené Brown — IG @brenebrown                                                                                       • Joseph Yoo - https://josephyoo.com/
• Shane Claiborne - IG @

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About The Sacred Slope
Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.
Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.

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🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice
🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence
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Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control