Episodes
Monday Jan 01, 2018
Is Youth With a Mission a Cult?
Monday Jan 01, 2018
Monday Jan 01, 2018
In this episode of Sacred Tension, Scientology survivor Chris Shelton comes back onto the show to help me figure out if Youth With a Mission (YWAM) is a destructive cult. Youth With a Mission is one of the largest Christian mission organizations in the world, and I was a member for two painful years. In the process we talk about the marks of a destructive cult, trance states, the ubiquity of destructive ideas, and gay conversion therepy.
Monday Dec 25, 2017
A Queer Catholic Pentecostal Christmas
Monday Dec 25, 2017
Monday Dec 25, 2017
Merry Christmas! In this episode of Sacred Tension, we give you company during this miserable holiday by discussing Catholicism, the child sex abuse scandal, pentecostalism, and equality for LGBT people and women in the church.
Monday Dec 18, 2017
Being Queer in Christian School, Pt. 2
Monday Dec 18, 2017
Monday Dec 18, 2017
In part two of my conversation with drag queen Ida Carolina, we discuss what it was like being queer in Christian college. We explore the difficulties of navigating sexual orientation in a hostile environment, the survival skills we developed, and respectability politics.
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Gay Celibacy
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Monday Nov 27, 2017
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I discuss the harms of mandatory gay celibacy with blogger Patrick Gothman. Patrick shares what it was like growing up gay in the Catholic church, how he came to believe God requires him to be celibate for the rest of his life, and how and why he eventually walked away from that conviction.
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Grindhouse Theology
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I talk to the guys from the Grindhouse Theology blog about faith and horror. We discuss how decent people can appreciate horror, what horror reveals about ourselves, how horror connects to Christianity, and much more.
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Monday Nov 13, 2017
Right Wing Conspiracies
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Do gay people cause straight men to commit adultery? Is cannabalism rampent in Hollywood? Do drag queens have their way with your children? In this episode, Stephen and guest cohost Danielle explore the terrifying world of right wing conspiracies, and why they should alarm us. All articles and audio clips featured used with the permission of People For the American Way.
Monday Nov 06, 2017
When We Disagree
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Monday Nov 06, 2017
In this episode of Sacred Tension, my friend Danielle and I answer questions about coming out, why we stay in church, our favorite movies, the birth of Christ and, most of all, what to do when people we love disagree with us.
Monday Oct 30, 2017
The Nashville Statement, Pt 4
Monday Oct 30, 2017
Monday Oct 30, 2017
In this final installment of the Nashville Statement series, Matt and I deliriously wrap up our discussion. We go on some pretty serious tangents, including: why I hate the phrase "speaking the truth in love," the crazy things customers say to me at work, and how we've learned to live with doubt.
Monday Oct 23, 2017
The Nashville Statement, Pt 3
Monday Oct 23, 2017
Monday Oct 23, 2017
Matt Langston and I continue our reading of the Nashville Statement. In the process we discuss the harms perpetrated against gay people by the church, the disconnect Christians have with the LGBT community, and Matt shares his story of how he was kicked out of a Christian college for refusing to sign a document very similar to the Nashville Statement.
Monday Oct 16, 2017
The Nashville Statement, Pt. 2
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Matt Langston (of Eleventyseven fame) and I continue our read-through of the Nashville Statement. We discuss gender, transgenderism, gay celibacy, and the dangers of gender complementarianism. I also got a bit drunk.