Heathen

Carly Gelsinger is the author of the upcoming memoir "Once You Go In," a powerful story of shipwrecked faith. We got the early scoop and are excited to bring you this conversation with a former Pentecostal who is finding a new way.

"Success is making a good thing in a vile time." This thought from Myles E. Johnson was part of the inspiration for this week's episode, which is a collection of good things. Words we love, music and poetry to give perspective, comedy specials on Netflix that help us bear the unbearable. After what's been one of the harder weeks in a long season of hard weeks here in America, we invite you to join us for an hour of meditation on good things. It helped us; we hope it will you, too.

Alisha Jade just wants to know why she can't take the best parts from all religions and make her own? She describes herself as a seeker, and her curiosity has taken her all over the spiritual map. Today we're talking sex, yoga, post-election blues, and privilege with Alisha Jade.

Undoubtedly, sex is one of the most fraught aspects of life for folks coming out of oppressive, conservative, restrictive religion. That's why we're doing Sexisodes: episodes about sex that are here to untangle, unburden, and enlighten us about our bodies, our relationships, and more. In today's (very NSFW) conversation, we welcome fellow heathen Bird Ward who wants everyone to masturbate more.

Hi, heathens. It's been a week. We want you to know there is love for you. ♥ If you are well, take care of the family and friends you have. If you are numb or in pain, if you are struggling, if it feels too heavy: know that these podcasting nerds over here at Heathen headquarters love you. If you're able to ask for help—and there is NEVER any shame in asking for help—here are many ways you can do that:

Email us: [email protected]

Reach us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram: @heathenpodcast

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line: text 'HOME' to 741741

Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ folks: 1-866-488-7386

Or text 'TREVOR' to 1-202-304-1200 (M-F, 3-10pm EST)

We love you. ♥

Anissa Nishira Cornelius joins co-host Karyn Thurston for a conversation from the She Is Called conference in Denver. Join these theatre geeks on a journey from Anissa's Baptist upbringing in San Diego to her role as a birth worker in Oklahoma. Anissa shares her experience growing up black in predominately white evangelical circles and challenges us to consider: what if people let the 14-year old black girl who heard the voice of God lead?

(This conversation centers on sexual assault.) It's our first literally-on-the-road episode. We drove to Hollywood on a whim to be in the audience for the taping of comic/writer/actor/podcast host extraordinaire Cameron Esposito's new special called "Rape Jokes." It was a provocative, hilarious, beautiful evening that inspired a conversation we recorded in the car driving back to San Diego. Let's talk about the damage we've had to undo in our understanding of sexual assault after growing up in conservative evangelicalism.

Wendy Holland is a minister in the Disciples of Christ tradition and came to Heathen to share why she's still ministering after a lifetime of frustration over the direction of the church in America. Her journey has led her to belief in an inclusive gospel, and she's wrestled with—and answered for herself—why faith and Christian spiritual practice still matter if there's not a hell we need saving from. In what is probably the most wide-ranging Heathen conversation yet, Wendy shares her stories of marriage and divorce, adoption, sexual identity, working toward ordination as a woman, and a passion to rebrand the modern evangelical church as a place for everyone.

First things first: a trigger warning. We recognize the seriousness of alcohol and its effects in so many of our lives. Today's discussion centers around the cultural stigmas and attitudes towards alcohol in the evangelical systems we were brought up in and includes conversation and stories about our changing behavior and beliefs when it comes to drinking over the years. You may have good reason to skip this episode that focuses primarily on casual drinking, especially if you have struggles with alcoholism or are in recovery. Our hope today is to explore the fears and misgivings about alcohol that were especially reinforced by Christian culture.

Our guest today is Kristen Cairns, a bartender, friend of the podcast, and lovely person with her own story of apostasy after being raised by two pastors. Pour yourself a glass of something that's appropriate for you, and let's slide down another slippery slope: alcohol.

Eva Cruz Pena is exploring the boundaries of irreverence. In Heathen’s first all-woman episode, we’re following the winding path of her journey from Puerto Rico, where she grew up leading worship and being reminded her voice and questions were a bit “too much” for a good Christian girl, to her tenure as the only woman of color in a sea of bearded seminary students in Portland, OR, her time as a military chaplain, and the awakening of her inner goddess that shifted everything about the way she interprets the world. Motherhood, bodies, bras, blood, and un-becoming - today we’re running the gamut of what it means to be a woman awake in the world, with Eva as our wise, passionate guide.