Saved by the City

Wife? Nope. Mother? Nope. Great cook? Well ... working on it.We both grew up in homes that felt more egalitarian — there wasn't an emphasis on gender roles or an elevation of a "traditional" family model. However, somewhere along the way, we began to encounter ideas from church and Christian culture about what a "godly" woman looked like. This maven of domesticity kept a clean home, a well-fed brood and a satisfied spouse. She was queen of her home but submissive to her husband. And she was smoking hot. In this episode, we unpack some of our own lingering baggage around this female Christian ideal and talk to author and historian Beth Allison Barr about why "biblical womanhood" isn't really all that biblical. Plus, a special appearance from a fan-favorite guest.Feminism and Christianity are often pitted against each other. But the Bible isn't the reason why.GUESTS: Beth Allison Barr, author of "The Making of Biblical Womanhood" and professor of history at Baylor University The Rev. Ben DeHart, vicar of The Parish of Calvary-St.George’s and co-host of the podcast "Our Triune Pod"

Things NYC is: fast, impatient, loud, exciting, sparkly, instantly gratifying. Things it is not: a monastery.When we moved here, we heard from a lot of evangelical friends and family that New York City could be damaging to our faith. Most of their warnings had to do with how secular and hedonistic the city is — all those worldly temptations. But, honestly, what we've found most wearing on our faith is the pace and noise of the city. Both of us long for and value a robust interior spiritual life. But New York is such an exterior city — a show-off city. Who has time for devotions amid all this distraction? We talk to fellow New Yorker Father James Martin about how he manages to cultivate quiet, spiritual disciplines that seem so at odds with the energy of the city. Plus, we learn all about the practice of "sound bathing," from religion journalist Liz Kineke.Talking to God in Gotham isn't impossible. It just takes a lot of intentionality. And maybe a gong.Our guests this week: The Rev. James Martin: Jesuit priest, editor at large for America Magazine, author of "Learning to Pray" and "Jesus: A Pilgrimage," consultor to the Dicastery for Communication Liz Kineke: Broadcast and print journalist on the faith and religion beat, formerly with CBS Religion. Read Liz's article that inspired her interview on the podcast: Joyful noise or meditative hum, sound resets the mind for faith.

NYC is an incredibly diverse city — it's also an incredibly divided one. In the wake of so much racial reckoning in this country, Katelyn and Roxy wrestle with their role as white women. What does it mean for white women to be good allies in anti-racist work (without centering themselves)? The hosts speak with author, activist and teacher Lisa Sharon Harper about how to “show up” for conversations on race and Katelyn and Roxy take on her assignment to understand their own family history.Every step toward anti-racism is an important step. Lisa Sharon Harper has wisdom to hear, and Roxy and Katelyn have whiteness to explore. Honored Guest: The Ruby Woo Pilgrimage — a sacred journey through the intersectional story of the struggle of women for equality in the U.S. Check it out: @RubyWooPilgrim and the #RubyWooPilgrimage Also Lisa Sharon Harper of Freedom Road — former chief church engagement officer of Sojourners and prolific writer, speaker and grass-tops organizer. She founded Freedom Road in 2017 and set out to assemble an equally prolific and diverse team of leading experts, advocates and trainers dedicated to shrinking “The Narrative Gap” And David Favarolo — Director of Curatorial Affairs at Lower East Side Tenement Museum There are so many voices to learn from as you seek to understand racism and the role of whiteness in society — and in our own lives — here are 15 BIPOC Christian women Katelyn and Roxy have been listening to and learning from: Austin Channing Brown Anthea Butler Kaitlin Curtice Karen Gonzalez Marlena Graves Lisa Sharon Harper Kathy Khang Jacqui Lewis Latasha Morrison Trillia Newbell Sandra Maria Van Opstal Michelle Ami Reyes Micky ScottBey Jones Heather Thompson Day Nikki Toyama-Szeto

In New York, it's easy to feel behind on all the fashion trends. (Even during a pandemic, some people out walking their dog have way cooler sweats than you.) NYC fashion is certainly fabulous, but is it as meaningless as chasing after the wind? Fashion journalist Whitney Bauck tells us why clothing is about so much more than the runway — and why thrifting might be the future.

There's a stereotype out there that NYC is a secular, godless, pothole. The 80 percent of New Yorkers who believe in God would disagree. We talk to two women, one Jewish, one Muslim, about how they embody their own faiths, before nerding out on some numbers.Check out this exploration of the markers that attend women of faith - and how deeply misunderstood they are.

From Jesus Freak to freaked out.In this episode, we grapple with "the e-word" and why we struggle to claim the evangelical label. Having grown up fully immersed in that culture and going on to dedicate much of our careers to the movement, we examine our disillusionment and disappointment with its trajectory — and where we go next.The past five years revealed fractures and hypocrisies that betrayed so much of what we — and a generation of millennial Christians — grew up being taught. Now we wonder: Is evangelicalism worth saving?Plus: We go on an adventure to Washington Square Park to hear what some of our New York City neighbors think about the word "evangelical."

It's a question both of us have gotten sometimes on dates! But it's a good question, one we ask ourselves a lot. We hear Robert Monson's quite unusual path into Christian faith (hint: a voice speaks) and unpack the problem of Christianese.In the end it’s about how a condescending question asked in a less than kind way can still lead to a bit of soul-searching.GUESTS: Robert J Monson - co-host of the 3 Black Men Podcast

We've had our fair share of first dates in NYC--some good, some kind of terrible. We talk to journalist Jon Birger about why women like us might need to ditch the online dating apps. Then we talk to a priest about *his* dating life.This episode addresses the natural tension between a culture that encourages experimentation and adventurousness, with an upbringing of ingrained reticence and 'purity'.GUESTS: Jon Birger, author of Make Your Move, The New Science of Dating and why Women Are In Charge The Reverend Ben DeHart, Associate Pastor of The Parish Of Calvary-St.George's

Katelyn and Roxy talk about the messages they received from fellow Christians when they decided to move to NYC. They heard fear… that they’d lose their faith or be indoctrinated with secular progressive culture. What they found in NYC as Christians is more complex.This episode addresses deep-seated beliefs among evangelicals, about big cities, secular culture, and their neighbors.GUESTS: Dr. Phillip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History and Co-Director, Program on Historical Studies of Religion Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond of the New York Theological Seminary Karen Beaty & Sharon Stone

A sneak peek at the upcoming podcast from RNS