Episodes
Religion vs. Spirituality
What does it mean when someone says they are "spiritual, but not religious"? Can you be religious and not spiritual? Can you be both? This week, Paula and Jill do a deep dive on these two terms, the ways they are similar, the ways they are distinct, and their overlaps and intersections (sacred intersections, one might say). They also discuss why counselors should understand the differences and the mental health benefits of both, and how harm can occur when religion forgets about spirituality.
Examining How the Church Treats Singles
Alternate Title: "Remember Jesus? He was Single!" With important considerations for both singles and non-singles, Jill and Paula discuss the ways church can be an isolating experience for singles. Discussion topics include the question of if singleness is a problem to be solved (spoiler alert: NO! We should stop problematizing singleness), how church systems can create an unwelcome environment for singles and make singles feel "less than" and the pressure to couple up to feel included in the church--with some twisty side roads along the way.
The Religious Harm of Christian Nationalism
Join us as we discuss American Christian Nationalism and the danger it poses to faith and to patriotism. Jill and Paula journey through the meaning of Christian Nationalism, the mental health impacts, the twisting and misuse of power and control by both religious leaders and politicians, the U-turns we hope to see, and perhaps some road rage moments along the way...
Self Care & Sabbath
This week brings a mini episode from Jill on self care and sabbath practices. What are your go-to self-care or sabbath practices? We are grateful for our roadies and listeners and the opportunity to be on this journey together! We would love to hear from you: your hopes and dreams for future episode topics, questions, Sacred intersections in your life and anything else you'd like to share with us!
Resolution Roadblocks
It's the 4th week of January: how are your New Years' resolutions coming along? Paula and Jill reflect on the concepts of New Years' Resolutions, bettering oneself, the idea of earning God's love and ways that the Church might be putting some roadblocks in the way of loving ourselves so we can love others. Roadies are in for a little bit of theology from our friend John Calvin, a few mentions of running shoes and sports bras, pop culture influences from The DaVinci Code and Saved!, vision boards and words of the year and plenty more.
Reflections on MLK Day, 2021
Paula reflects on the impact and witness of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and the sacred intersection we meet honoring his legacy in January of 2021.
When Sanctuary Becomes Abuser:
Join us as we discuss ways Christian theology has been twisted to justify domestic violence and how some responses of churches can create more harm and experiences of abuse for victims of domestic abuse/intimate partner violence. We also provide U-Turns for ways churches can support people in situations of domestic abuse/IPV in safe, loving, and Biblical ways.
Listener Questions & Comments: What’s on your mind?
We thought about taking this week off for the holidays, but we have received so many thoughtful and thought-provoking messages from our listeners that we decided to take some time to share some of your comments and questions about our episodes so far.
Racism & the Church: just beginning our conversation
In the first of what will be an ongoing topic for Sacred Intersections, Jill and Paula discuss some ways the Church has contributed to systemic racism and the need for white Christians to acknowledge this harm. We also discuss ways white Christians can and should be taking on the work of racial reconciliation.
Check out our website where we will publish a list of resources and links on the topic of race and racism:
https://www.sacredintersectionspodcast.com/
COVID: When “Faith Over Fear” Becomes Dangerous
You may have heard the phrase "Faith Over Fear" a lot lately. Jill and Paula reflect on how this term has been used to shame people away from loving our neighbors, the ways legitimate fears and God's gifts through science have been demonized, the mental health impact of living in a pandemic, and other ways the Church may have contributed to harm regarding the Covid pandemic.
Let us know what you think!
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, reactions, responses, suggestions for future episode topics… whatever you’d like! We can’t wait to connect with you! We really like you!
After taking a moment to give some context to our lengthy hiatus, we do a deep dive into the phenomenon of religious deconstruction: what it is, how it might be approached from a biblical perspective or a mental health perspective, and we wonder together why and how some are threatened by it.