Coming Out Christian - A LOVEboldly Podcast

What if you could tell your whole story in just six words? Tyler Chernesky is a storyteller, writer, placemaker, and strategist with a resume that defies easy categorization: pastor, art gallery co-director, mixed-media collage artist, Six-Word Memoirs resource developer, and currently Executive Director of Community Happens Here, a neighborhood-focused nonprofit dedicated to connecting neighbors...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 13 Guest: Rev. Charles Unique What does it look like when ministry and justice aren't two separate callings — but one? Rev. Charles Unique is a gender anarchist, organizer, and ordained clergy whose life work centers the dismantling of oppressive systems and the liberation of marginalized communities. With over a decade of community-rooted experience, Charl...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 12 Guest: Rev. Julia Joyce-Miesse What happens when a life of healing — as a nurse, as a priest, as a mother, as a spouse — finally includes healing yourself? Rev. Julia Joyce-Miesse is a cradle Episcopalian, a registered emergency nurse of 23 years, and an ordained priest whose call to healing has taken many forms. Formed in the Episcopal Church in Charles...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 11 Guest: Pastor Rory Chumney What does faith look like when it's built for the people the church has always left out? Pastor Rory Chumney is a Queer, trans man, seminary student, professional activist, and Christian Anarchist. Rory grew up in a deeply Christian Nationalist, evangelical environment before leaving the church in his teens. He describes the ne...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 10 Guest: Rev. Tyler Moquin-Lee What does it look like to lead an affirming congregation — and to do it with joy? Rev. Tyler Moquin-Lee (he/him) is the Pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (ELCA) on the west side of Cincinnati, where he has served for three years. Beyond his congregation, Tyler is deeply invested in his community, serving on the board of My...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 9 Guest: Gwendolyn DeRosa What if the church's teaching on sex and bodies has been doing more harm than good and what would it look like to tell a different story? Gwendolyn "Gwen" DeRosa (she/they) is a storyteller, queer theologian, and community builder with a passion for inclusive faith. As Director of Student Ministries at King Avenue United Methodist...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 8 Guest: Anna Ray What does it look like to grow up Queer, Biracial, and Christian — and actually feel seen by your church? Anna Ray (she/her) is a dynamic leader and community connector whose career has spanned insurance underwriting, executive and nonprofit administration, event management, and catering. Originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis, Anna ea...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 7 Guest: Rev. Dale Lykins What happens when a pastor spends 30 years serving the church — and then realizes the church isn't serving the people it's meant to reach? Rev. Dale Lykins gave more than three decades to United Methodist ministry before stepping away to found The Open Table, an inclusive and affirming community where people are welcomed exactly as...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 6 | Guest: Rev. Jim Keat What does it mean to use the internet for good — and what does faith look like in a digital world? Rev. Jim Keat is the Minister of Digital Worship & Education at The Riverside Church in New York City and Director of Online Innovation at the Convergence Network , where he creates original content, cultivates online faith communi...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 5 | Guest: Rev. Benjamin Perry When's the last time you let yourself cry — and what did you do with it? Rev. Benjamin Perry is an ordained minister, award-winning writer, and the author of Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter . His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Slate, and Religion News Service, and he's been featured by the BBC, TIME, N...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 4 Guest: David Hayward, The NakedPastor What do you do when the institution you've given your life to no longer has room for who you're becoming? David Hayward — known online as The NakedPastor — spent nearly 30 years in ministry before leaving the church in 2010 and stepping into a new kind of calling: using his work as a cartoonist, artist, and writer to...

Coming Out Christian | Season 1, Episode 1 (Re-Release) "A Coincidental Easter" One year ago, two hosts, a microphone, and a coincidence of calendars launched something none of us knew we needed. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Coming Out Christian, we're re-releasing the episode that started it all. In this inaugural episode, hosts Siobhan Boyd-Nelson and Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp introduce...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 3 Guest: Rev. Charles Graves, IV The church has made progress on LGBTQIA+ inclusion — but what happens when the conversation goes deeper than who's welcome at the table? Rev. Charles Graves, IV is the Fourteenth Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a seventh-generation Episcopalian, and a member of the Executive Council of the Episcopa...

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 2 Guest: Rev. Tim Kobler What do tattoos, beekeeping, and campus ministry have in common? More than you might think — and the Rev. Tim Kobler is here to connect the dots. Tim is the Director of the Wesley Foundation at the University of Michigan, where he has served since 2018. With 33 years in full-time ministry and 24 years focused specifically on campus...

Season 3, Episode 1 Guest: Karen Hewitt What happens when a pastor's kid raised in the Pentecostal church begins to ask bigger questions about faith, identity, belonging, and what it means to truly be seen? Karen Hewitt is a catalyst for connection, belonging, and transformation, centering Black and queer wisdom in their work as a leadership developer, culture builder, community organizer, and mul...

Episode 9: His Eye is on the Sparrow with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson From a 1905 hymnal to a show-stopping Sister Act 2 moment, we explore how "His Eye is on the Sparrow" offers comfort across generations, including for those living with mental illness. Ben and Siobhan celebrate Civilla D. Martin and Charles H. Gabriel's beloved "His Eye is on the Sparrow," tracing its jo...

Episode 8: Reckless Love with hosts the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson "Reckless Love" became a worship phenomenon—but when divine pursuit is painted in violent, relentless terms, what messages are young women in evangelical churches absorbing about love? Ben and Siobhan dive deep into Cory Asbury's "Reckless Love," exploring both the songwriter's complicated journey through the Ch...

Episode 7: On Eagle's Wings with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson From presidential speeches to Pavarotti's funeral—how did a Catholic seminarian's psalm setting become one of Christianity's most beloved hymns? And what happens when we shift from "you" to "we"? Ben and Siobhan soar into Fr. Michael Joncas' "On Eagle's Wings," exploring why this psalm-based hymn has captured hea...

Episode 6: Oh Happy Day with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson Two centuries, two continents, two radically different visions of joy—how did an 18th-century British non-conformist hymn become a 1969 gospel-pop crossover hit? Ben and Siobhan explore the remarkable transformation of "Oh Happy Day" across time, culture, and genre. We trace the song from Philip Doodridge's 18th-cent...

Episode 5: "See a Victory" with hosts the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson A platinum-certified megachurch anthem promises victory over suffering, but what theology of pain lurks beneath the repetition? We examine Elevation Worship's Billboard hit and ask: does God ordain our struggles? Ben and Siobhan take on "See a Victory" by Elevation Worship, unpacking both the song's massive co...

Episode 4: Onward Christian Soldiers with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson From a Pentecost children's march to a Salvation Army battle cry, how did "Onward Christian Soldiers" become synonymous with militant Christianity? And can new lyrics redeem this controversial hymn? Ben and Siobhan march into the complicated history of Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould's "Onward Christian Soldier...

Episode 3: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson Can a meditation on grace transcend its source? We wade into the deep waters of Hillsong's global phenomenon "Oceans," exploring how a song from a controversial megachurch became a modern worship staple. Ben and Siobhan navigate the complexities of "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United, ex...

Episode 2: Awesome God with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson Rich Mullins called it one of his "worst written songs," so why did "Awesome God" become a 90s youth group anthem that still resonates today? We explore the complicated legacy of contemporary Christian music's most unlikely hit. Episode Description: Ben and Siobhan get nostalgic about the contemporary Christian music...

Episode 1: Amazing Grace with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson One of Christianity's most beloved hymns was written by a slave trader, but the story is far more complex than redemption folklore suggests. Join us as we unpack the troubling history, theological tensions, and enduring power of "Amazing Grace." Episode Description: In our inaugural episode, Ben and Siobhan dive dee...

Season 2, Episode 16 - "My Savage(-ish) Year." For the last two episodes of Season 2, Siobhan and Ben take turns interviewing each other as "special guests." In this episode, Ben discusses his background in the Roman Catholic church and his journey to ministry, ordained and otherwise, in advocacy and pastoral settings. The LOVEboldly Devotion for 2026 is available now at https://www.loveboldly.net...