Where Do We Go From Here?

This episode is for any Christian who wonders how many more ministry leaders we have to see fall from grace in the headlines. Katelyn Beaty uncovers the love for celebrity at the heart of our churches and ministry, and she has thoughts about how to overcome it.

We discuss:

• why Christians love celebrities
• the difference between how men and women use celebrity power
• Bill Hybels and Carl Lentz
• why we shouldn't rush to put leaders back into positions of spiritual authority

Katelyn Beaty joins us to talk about what Christians should watch out for next (her answer may surprise you), and it's available for partners only. Get it here along with a Purity Culture News episode about Andrew Thorburn's resignation as CEO of the Essendon football club in Melbourne.

Full show notes

Katelyn Beaty is a writer, journalist, editor, and keen observer of trends in the American church. She has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Religion News Service, Religion & Politics, and The Atlantic and has commented on faith and culture for CNN, ABC, NPR, the Associated Press, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She also cohosts the Saved by the City podcast (Religion News Service). Beaty previously served as print managing editor at Christianity Today and is the author of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits are Hurting the Church and A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World. Connect with Katelyn on Twitter and Instagram.

What does it mean to have a congruent life after purity culture? Therapy can help us get there, and Dr. Camden Morgante joins us to talk about how. We discuss:

• the impact of black and white thinking
• the benefits of mindfulness
• the long road of recovery

Plus listen all the way to the end for a special high-dollar giveaway for those of you who want purity culture coaching from Dr. Camden. Giveaway deadline is October 7, 2022, it's open world wide, and all you have to do is send an email to [email protected].

The Green Room is this week! Join us on Zoom on Thursday September 29 at 10pm EST/ September 30 Friday at noon in Australia by becoming a partner today for $3/USD.

Full show notes here

Dr. Camden Morgante is a licensed clinical psychologist and former college professor. She writes and speaks about relationships, sexuality, and faith and is a regular contributor to Christians for Biblical Equality's blog Mutuality. She is currently writing a book on the myths of purity culture. Camden also provides Coaching services for purity culture recovery, egalitarianism, and faith reconstruction. Camden lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, their daughter and son, and two rescue dogs. Connect with her on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Therapy after Purity Culture - have you been on the fence about it? We're here to convince you to give it a try. We know that purity culture can be experienced as a trauma, and therapist Jamie Williams is here to talk to us about:

• the impact of rigid thinking on our minds
• what happens when our bodies feel unsafe in religious spaces
• how to spot dysfunctional relationship patterns
• trauma re-enactments in dating
• EMDR and future templating

On Instagram and Twitter this week, we'll be sharing tips as well.

Full show notes here Join us as a partner to hear this week's conversation between Jess & Devi about some feel-good views and the heresies evangelicals in the US believe. For $3/month (USD) you'll get three exclusive episodes a month, and a ticket to the Green Room at the end of the month. Jamie Williams is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and the founder of Prosperity Counseling Services. With over 10 years of experience in helping others thrive through adversity, she has witnessed, professionally and personally, the growth we can all make with the right support and tools. Jamie has worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, mood swings, anger, relationship issues, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, mood disorders, postpartum symptoms, parenting problems, self-esteem and those who have experienced trauma in many forms. Her therapeutic approach combines Gestalt, Narrative, Jungian Analysis, Experiential, and trauma-focused counseling modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Jamie is also certified in and utilizes Integrative Somatic Parts Work and Neurofeedback. Jamie holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Child and Family studies from Arizona State University and a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling.She is also currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Saybrook University. Jamie is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) in the state of Texas (#69979). Connect with her on Instagram.

What do you wish you could say out loud about abortion? We get into it in this huge episode. There's a lot of yelling on both sides of the abortion conversation; we try to cut through the noise and double down on the parts of the abortion topic that Christians tend to ignore.

• What abortion and purity culture have to do with each other
• Christians and abortion: What are the realities?
• Historical, Medical, Legal, Global: What's going on?
• Interrogating the solutions proposed by those against abortion and for abortion

Full show notes here (over 15 links) Our partners got to hear a one-hour conversation with Dr. Olamide Ayoade-Alawi who is an economist researching the research about abortion. She gets into the data with us - what reduces abortions? What happens when abortion is restricted? We promise no one gets to feel comfortable after this conversation. Join us for $3/month to hear it and other weekly episodes about sexuality, faith, and pop culture.

Purity Culture was full of pseudo-theologies, and we get into one of them here: the Soul Tie. The idea that premarital sex forms a connection in the heavenlies, one that maybe can be broken, but also maybe not. Candice Marie Benbow joins us to talk Red Lip Theology, soul ties, sexuality, why she doesn't use the Bible to form her sexual ethics, and racism in purity culture. This is a provocative conversation that will give you lots to discuss with your friends.

Full show notes here

Partner with us to hear two new episodes this month: a romcom recap of How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days (with Jess!) and a Purity Culture News episode about happenings in the LGBTQ+ space inside the Anglican communion and the CRC denomination in the US. Join us for $3/month (USD) to hear exclusive content no one else gets to hear.

Candice Marie Benbow is a theologian, essayist, columnist, baker, and educator whose work gives voice to Black women's shared experiences of faith, healing, and wholeness. Named by Sojourners as one of "10 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2020," she has written for Essence, Glamour, The Root, and VICE. Candice holds degrees from Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke Divinity School. She is the author of the recently published Red Lip Theology. Connect with Candice on Instagram and Twitter

After #MeToo exploded on to the scene, it seemed like the dating landscape for women changed. Consent is a necessary floor, but what is the ceiling for our relationships? Is consent enough to provide the meaning sex might have in our lives? This is the provocative territory Christine Emba's new book Rethinking Sex invites us into. Listen in to see where we go.

:00 - Get to know Kelly Wolfe :15 - interview with Christine Emba :52 - Kelly & Devi debrief

Full show notes

We talk to Christine Emba about privacy and accountability, but it's only for our partners. Join us on the inside to get this and other exclusive episodes when you partner with us for $3/month (USD).

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Christine Emba is a columnist for The Washington Post writing about ideas and society. Prior, she was the Hilton Kramer Fellow in Criticism at the New Criterion and a deputy editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit, focusing on technology and innovation. Connect with her on Twitter

Jess sits down with a 30-something single friend, Emily, who is a convert to the world of app dating. Together, they share from their experiences dating via a variety of dating apps, talk red flags and share some advise. They look at 5 myths of app dating... is it safe? Are people lying to you? Lastly, how has COVID changed how app dating looks? Emily shares her thoughts on that too. If you're at all curious about online/app dating or already an app user, you won't want to miss this episode!

Full show notes

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Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to grooming and sexual assault.

Purity Culture is part of the reason why our secular and religious culture's still don't know what to do with abuse. We are so many years out from #MeToo and #ChurchToo but current events tell us we are not learning our lessons. Today we look at the grooming in the best selling novel The Time Traveller's Wife, recently adapted into a series for HBO, and the ongoing comeback of John Crist. We cover:

• Jess going on maternity leave
• The Time Traveller's Wife HBO series (spoiler alerts!)
• is what happens in this story grooming?
• What does purity culture have to do with John Crist?
• Crist's past two years in a three act structure
• What hope is there for alleged abusers?

Partner with us for $3/month to hear our romcom recap of 27 Dresses! You also get purity culture news, uncut interviews from guests, and a ticket here to the Green Room. Instagram Twitter

Full show notes here

If you believed your body was unsafe, the source of sin, what caused others to stumble, this episode is for you. With kindness and clarity, KJ Ramsey leads us back to a God who made us for safety. In this episode we learn that:

• there is no division between our minds and our bodies
• your body is the place where God personally resides
• it is impossible to trust without a felt sense of safety
• practices that help us regulate
• how to cue safety

Partner with us for $3/month to get a ticket to the Green Room! We meet on Friday July 1 (US, 10pm EST) and Saturday July 2 (Australia, 12pm AEDT) to talk all things purity culture recovery. Get a ticket here.

Full show notes here (including resources about tapping) Instagram Twitter

K.J. Ramsey is a trauma-informed licensed professional counselor and writer whose work offers space to see every part of our souls and stories as sacred. She holds degrees from Covenant College and Denver Seminary and is the author of This Too Shall Last. Her writing has been published in Christianity Today, RELEVANT, The Huffington Post, Health Central, Catalyst, and Fathom Magazine on the integration of theology, psychology, and spiritual formation. She and her husband, Ryan, live near Denver, Colorado. Connect with K.J. online at kjramsey.com and across social media @kjramseywrites.

If you've got a stack of wedding invitations giving you anxiety about the next few weeks, listen in. MaryB. Safrit helps singles navigate wedding season with humor and honesty. This episode covers:

• the cost - emotional and financial
• should you say yes to every wedding invite?
• navigating friend grief
• YOUR tips and stories about dealing with wedding season

Full show notes here (includes MaryB.'s pre-wedding reflection guide) Partner with us for $3/month (USD) to hear MaryB. talk about how singles can survive church life and those awkward conversations with partnered people. You also get a ticket to the Green Room next week plus weekly episodes of The Jess & Devi Show. MaryB. Safrit is an author, podcaster, and coach passionate about filling the gap between what the church offers and what single Christians need. She is the host of Unsuitable with MaryB. Safrit, a podcast on which she interviews single Christians about their lives and faith, and the author of The Single Christian's Church Survival Guide: How to Navigate Church Culture and Conversations Without Losing Your Mind, which is available on Amazon. She currently lives in New York City. Connect with her on Instagram