A God We Could Believe In

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.How toxic is traditionalist teaching on gender, and is there a nuanced way to navigate the conversation around trans-inclusion in church spaces?Also, how did we end up recording an episode twice without realising?!Coming upOur final episode in the series will be released on Monday 13 April where we take stock and examine if we can reclaim a more positive, inclusive view of human sexuality.A Q&A will follow, and we know we’ve still only scratched the surface of this topic so there will be more ad hoc episodes to follow. Please get in touch if there’s anything we’ve not touched on that you’d like to hear about.About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

We take a deeper dive into the Bible to look at how gender and sexuality is talked about in scripture and its interpretation.Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.The dominant viewpoint within many church traditions is that there are two genders, male and female, and that men should play the leading role. If this is the hierarchy God intended, why do so many people not fit the mould? Can church communities create space for people who don’t conform to traditional gender roles?A quick parish noticeWe are really aware that many listeners will want us to cover LGBTQ+ inclusion in church communities. We’re keen to talk about it too, but as a team we know we’re lacking the kind of lived experience needed to do the conversation justice. With that in mind, we will be returning to the topic soon, in conversation with people who can speak directly from their lives so please stay tuned.Coming upPart 2 will be released next Monday 23 March. We’ll be taking a deeper dive into the Bible to look at how gender and sexuality is talked about in scripture and its interpretation.Our Q&A will then follow on Monday 30 March. Please get your questions on gender and sexuality by this Friday 20th March to feature - you can message us via our Substack, Facebook or Instagram. You can also email us at agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.com.About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.The dominant viewpoint within many church traditions is that there are two genders, male and female, and that men should play the leading role. If this is the hierarchy God intended, why do so many people not fit the mould? Can church communities create space for people who don’t conform to traditional gender roles?A quick parish notice We are really aware that many listeners will want us to cover LGBTQ+ inclusion in church communities. We’re keen to talk about it too, but as a team we know we’re lacking the kind of lived experience needed to do the conversation justice. With that in mind, we will be returning to the topic soon, in conversation with people who can speak directly from their lives so please stay tuned.Coming upPart 2 will be released next Monday 23 March. We’ll be taking a deeper dive into the Bible to look at how gender and sexuality is talked about in scripture and its interpretation.Our Q&A will then follow on Monday 30 March. Please get your questions on gender and sexuality by this Friday 20th March to feature - you can message us via our Substack, Facebook or Instagram. You can also email us at agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.com.About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

Rachel Hall, poet and former social worker offering lived-experience perspectives on sexuality and youth work. Conversations cover sex toys as tools for reclaiming sexuality and reducing shame. They debate ethical porn, consent, online harms, safeguarding young people, and how churches and youth workers should respond.

Rachel Hall, poet and former social worker, reflects on shame, disability and secret conversations about sexuality. Simon Hall, practical theologian and youth worker, offers pastoral, practical takes on relationships and church teaching. Charlotte Naylor-Davis, biblical scholar, brings scripture analysis to sexual ethics. They discuss silence around pleasure, gendered sex education, media portrayals, biblical readings, and reclaiming bodily agency.

They tackle why abusive behaviour can flourish inside churches and how cultures and structures can enable harm. They outline warning signs of grooming and when pastoral bonds become unsafe. Practical steps for safeguarding small and large communities are discussed, plus how transparency, boundaries and legal changes can help rebuild trust.

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.We discuss how theology, patriarchy and Christian cultures conspire to create the conditions that silence victims and expedite redemption for abusers.What does this modelling say for abuse within our own relationships and has the theology of forgiveness become an accomplice? And what needs to change to make our churches safe spaces where abusers can’t hide in plain sight?Coming upOur next Q&A episode is on Monday 2 February, so if you’d like to ask a question on anything you’ve heard from the podcast so far, then make sure you get your question to us by Friday 23 January to feature. Contact us via email, social media or our Substack page.Episode 7 – Do Christians just need a good wank? – is released on Monday 16 February. Now that the average age of marriage in western societies north of 30, is sexual purity really worth two decades of bottled up urges and internalised shame? Perhaps we all might be better off for enjoying a good shame-free wank every now and then.About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.Can God-talk ever be redeemed from patriarchy? Where have we seen patriarchy at work in our lives and are there any positive principles for relationships we can derive from the Bible in spite of its patriarchal context?Coming upEpisode 6 – Why do abusers thrive in church – is released on Monday 19 January. Is there something inherent to Christianity that means that abusive preachers can hide in plain sight? Why are we still surprised? We examine a few recent examples to explore if its just a few bad apples, or the canary in the coalmine of a wider system of abuse.About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.We get to the heart of the matter, exploring patriarchy and what it means for the Christian worldview. Did God really put men in charge? Is God even male? Can Christianity be redeemed from a hierarchy that consistently privileges and places men over women.Coming upOur next Q&A episode is on Monday 5th January, so if you’d like to ask a question on anything you’ve heard from the podcast so far, then make sure you get your question to us by Friday 26 December to feature. Contact us via email, social media or our Substack page.Episode 6 – Why do abusers thrive in Church? – is released on Monday 19 January. High profile churches across the world have been rocked by stories of abuse and cover-ups at the very heart of their organisations. We ask why, instead of siding with victims and survivors, the first instinct of these institutions is to close ranks?About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe

Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.We’re picking up your questions on marriage since Biblical times and tying up loose ends from our last few episodes. We explore Jesus’s teaching on divorce and how we should read that today. We’ll be unpicking ideas like ‘soul ties’ and ‘becoming one flesh’ - the implication that sex between two people creates an eternal spiritual bond.Charlotte and Simon also get chance to share their thoughts on our episode with Lauren Jackson - Talking with young people about sex. They reflect on some important ideas Lauren raised, including ‘should’ stories and ‘emotionally safe’ sex.Coming upEpisode 5 – We need to talk about patriarchy – is released on Monday 22 December. Patriarchy is the invisible thread that has run through all of our conversations so far. Can our relationships ever be truly equitable under a patriarchal system?About A God We Could Believe In:A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you.New episodes are released every other Monday.Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.comStay in touchEmail: agodwecouldbelievein@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe