Saved by the City

We pledged the pledge. We made the promise. Purity culture failed to deliver. What now?Purity culture was at its height while we were growing up — and the teachings made an impact. But what to do now, decades later, when the promises and threats of purity culture no longer hold the same sway? And when the harms appear to so dramatically outweigh any good? In this episode, we wrestle with what a "Christian" sexual ethic really looks like — long after the teenage hormones have abated. Christine Emba joins the episode to unflinchingly look at the impacts of purity culture — but also to imagine where to go from here.Purity culture felt like an end all. So how do we imagine what's beyond?GUESTS: Christine Emba is an editor and columnist for the Washington Post. She is the author of the forthcoming "Rethinking Sex: A Provocation" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How come nobody has a 'meet cute' anymore?Gone it seems are the days of accidentally brushing a stranger's hand while you both reach for the single copy of the same book at the library, only to lock eyes and "just know." Algorithms have replaced butterflies. And swiping right so rarely leads to starry eyes. In this episode, Katelyn and Roxy ask: is it even possible to meet someone in real life anymore?Enter: Heather Thompson Day, the "queen of matchmaking," who weighs in with some much needed optimism and more than a few surprising stats. And Katelyn and Roxy play a round of their own matchmaking game.GUESTS: Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication and rhetoric at Colorado Christian University. She is the author of six books, including the forthcoming It's Not Your Turn: What to Do While You're Waiting for Your Breakthrough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christians will listen to a woman on TV but not a woman in the pulpit. What's up with that?We grew up seeing plenty of examples of women in power suits — from Hollywood to Wall Street, they were shattering glass ceilings and defying expectations. This new cultural norm fed big dreams and big ambitions for girls coming of age in the 1980s and '90s. But the 2000s have revealed a darker reality — from wage gaps to sexual harassment, the workplace for women is still far from ideal. Beyond that, the myth women can have it all — domestic bliss and career success — has proved as much paralyzing pressure as endless potential. Not to mention the conflicting messages we hear from church and culture. After all, one place many women are still not allowed is the pulpit. What's an ambitious woman to do?In this episode, Fox News host Shannon Bream joins us to talk ambition and devotion — and how the women of the Bible have offered her guidance and inspiration. And The Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond offers a glimpse into her journey from small-town Texas to big-city pastor.GUESTS: Shannon Bream is an American journalist and lawyer. She is the host of FOX News @ Night and author of The Women of the Bible Speak The Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond is president of New York Theological Seminary and the executive pastor and chief of staff at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices