Excavations with Connie Chen
Connie Chen
Conversations at the margins of faith. Excavations interviews scholars, survivors, and spiritual truth-tellers doing the work of recovering what religion buried: centering marginalized voices, bodies, and the theologies that were never supposed to survive. Hosted by Connie Chen.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 3, 2026 • 1h 50min
Queer God, Queer Sex: A Conversation with Ciarra Jones on Bodies, Pleasure, and Divine Love
What happens when you stop apologizing for your body and start reading it as sacred text? In this episode of Excavations, I sit down with Ciarra Jones (@thegardeningtheologian) to talk about what it actually means to reclaim the body after religious trauma. We go deep on queer sexual ethics, the theology of pleasure, disability justice, Eve as liberator, and why so much of Christian tradition has needed us to stay at war with our own flesh.This is a conversation for anyone who grew up being taught that their body was the problem and is starting to suspect the tradition was wrong.We cover:Queer theology and sexual ethicsEmbodiment, pleasure, and the sacred bodyDeconstruction and religious traumaDisability justice and theologyEve, death, rebirth, and what liberation actually costsSupport the show
Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 56min
The Shame Cycle: Sex, Sin, and Scripture
What happens when desire meets doctrine and neither will back down?In this episode of Excavations, Connie Chen sits down with Colten Barnaby for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about the tangled roots of faith, sexuality, and identity. They dig into what it means to grow up Christian with a body full of desires you've been taught to distrust, how worshiping a male God shapes the way we relate to ourselves and others, and why shame doesn't just disappear when you leave the pew.From trans theology to the violence embedded in liberation, this conversation refuses easy answers, and wrestles honestly with scripture, pleasure, body image, and the communities that formed (and sometimes deformed) us.Because you can't excavate your faith without excavating yourself.Connect with us:Colten Barnaby on Instagram, Tiktok, SubstackConnie Chen on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTubeHelp sustain my work and this podcast on PatreonSupport the show
Mar 5, 2026 • 1h 11min
Hospicing Whiteness: Learning How to Die So We Can Live
Dr. Tamice Spencer-Helms, a post-Christian scholar and public theologian exploring para-ontology and embodied practice. She uses hospice as a metaphor for letting whiteness die. Short, vivid conversations cover disembodiment, somatic grief, choosing depth over algorithmic fame, Black joy as disruption, composting identity, and building fugitive, embodied communities.
Jun 4, 2020 • 11min
8:46
From the perspective of an Asian American artist, I explore the Instagram blackout designed to prompt reflection and amplify black voices after the death of George Floyd.If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review here on iTunes and supporting me on Patreon. If you would like to suggest topics for future episodes or send in comments, please email excavationspodcast@gmail.com Website: www.connie-chen.comInstagram | Tiktok | Youtube Support the show
May 25, 2020 • 12min
Unclaimed Bodies
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Excavations, where I share my response to a photo I stumbled upon on April 9th, 2020 and have not been able to look away from since. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please consider leaving a review here on iTunes and supporting me on Patreon. If you would like to suggest topics for future episodes or send in comments, please email excavationspodcast@gmail.com Website: www.connie-chen.comInstagram | Tiktok | Youtube Support the show
