Episode Summary:

Regina Cates joins me on the show to discuss her latest book The Real Conversations Jesus Wants Us to Have: A Call to Bravery, Peace, and Love. This episode is part memoir, part social commentary, and part call to action for those of us who grew up in religious fundamentalism and have found our way out to a bigger, broader, and more inclusive world.

I realize that a lot of our episodes lean toward the scholarly and the erudite, but this is not one of those. This conversation is personal, real, and raw. In fact, this is our 90th episode on Holy Heretics, and it may just be our most candid, open, and vulnerable conversation to date. You’ll learn about Regina’s early years as a young LGBTQIA girl, the abuse she suffered, and the way she protected her heart and soul in the midst of oppression. You’ll also learn what it looks like to set boundaries, fight oppression, and find yourself after leaving evangelicalism. This episode is a clarion call to wake up, to care for your body and soul as you recover from evangelical Christianity and all it’s oppressive forces.

Regina is an author, activist, podcaster, and founder of Romancing Your Soul, an organization that helps people develop lives of love, compassion, and purpose. Her first internationally bestselling book Lead with Your Heart: Creating a Life of Love, Compassion, and Purpose continues to be an inspiration to people who desire a more fulfilled life. Regina is followed by hundreds of thousands on social media who embrace her messages of kindness, compassion, and empathy for one another as equal members of our human family.

I think you will enjoy this conversation as Regina and I share our personal stories of leaving religious fundamentalism and finding faith, community, hope, and wholeness post-evangelicalism.

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Show notes:

http://www.sophiasociety.org/podcast/bravery-peace-self-love

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This episode was produced by The Sophia Society and written by Gary Alan Taylor.  Music is by Faith in Foxholes.