In this episode of The Community Garden, I’m joined by Connie Chen—an MDiv-educated theologian from Harvard, artist, and disability rights activist—for a conversation about what access, embodiment, and dignity reveal about the kind of communities we’re actually called to build. Follow Connie @Connie

Together, we explore how theology has too often been used to justify exclusion—and how disability justice helps us imagine something more honest, more spacious, and more humane. We talk about bodies, systems, creativity, belonging, and what it means to move from “accommodating people” to transforming the environments we share.

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by public theologian Kristian Smith to talk about his new book Question Your Answers — a powerful invitation to rethink the way we approach faith, certainty, and spiritual growth.

Together we explore why deconstruction alone isn’t enough, the limits of binary thinking, how sin-consciousness shapes our spirituality, and what it means to read the Bible as a library of human voices rather than a single unquestionable authority.

We also talk about spiritual bypassing, the grief that comes with losing certainty, and why the work of liberation in our spiritual lives doesn’t end with asking questions — it begins there.

If you’ve ever wrestled with faith, power, or what it means to rebuild a spiritual life after certainty collapses, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, I sit down with powerhouse theologian, Tamice Spencer Helms, M.A/ThM @blackmodernmystic. In this episode, we discuss Hush Harbors, Black, Queer Spirituality, and their book, Faith Unleavened!

Tamice Spencer-Helms (they/she) is the founder of The Black Modern Mystic, a theo-activist, speaker, pastor, and scholar-practitioner based in Richmond, Virginia. With two master’s degrees in theology and leadership and a doctorate in Social Transformation, Tamice’s work merges spiritual practice, cultural critique, and liberative theology. They lead public speaking, workshops, retreats, and spiritual direction rooted in womanist thought, soulful leadership, and queer liberation. Tamice is also the author of Faith Unleavened, a manifesto for those reimagining the sacred on their own terms. Follow Tamice on their social platforms to stay up to date on all their amazing work. @blackmodermystic on all platforms!