Sunday School for Misfits with Dr Selina Stone

In this special episode for Mother's Day, my cousin Jessica Grizzle ( @grizzleabode ) joins me for a conversation to celebrate our own mothers, and discuss the reality of delayed motherhood, IVF and the challenge of holding on to faith in the face of delayed hopes. We keep the conversation light and humorous, but also get into the difficulties of longing, loss and disappointment. Trigger warni...

We carry on this season with a conversation about friendships with one of my oldest and best friends who I met through church. In this wide ranging conversation we discuss the importance of honesty, understanding changing seasons, and dealing with friendships that cross boundaries....

In this episode we explore the idea of God having a plan for your life. This message can deeply impact girls and women who want to be 'good' and to please God and everyone else. In what ways can this be empowering, and how might it create anxiety? This episode addresses the stress of decision making, what happens when unexpected things happen, and how to better understand God's intentions for us a...

In this episode I take a break from the church girls series to reflect on Lent which has started this week. This is not something all of us grew up with, but I examine what it means beyond giving up things, and what it how it might be relevant for those of us living without what we need and hope for. Lent is made for the misfits, as so often we live in a constant awareness of what is wrong, and ho...

In part 2 of the conversation from last week, we continue exploring the story of our special guest discussing the unexpected twists and turns of marriage. We discuss ending a marriage, revising 'the list' of what you need in a partner, and finding the courage to love again.

This episode is the first in a two-part conversation about marriage. Our anonymous guest tells the story of her journey of looking for a partner, finding one, and then navigating unexpected challenges. We discuss the expectations we inherited from our parents, figuring out what you need in a partner, and how it feels to fight for a marriage alone. *Trigger Warning:* body shaming (17:40-19:20, 21:1...

Welcome to episode 5 which deals with one of the most challenging topics for many people in church - sex, celibacy and 'fornication.' I discuss the overly simple and often repressive sexual rules we can inherit from church upbringings, the very happy celibate nun I once met,  and why everyone is so bothered about sex outside of marriage.

This series continues with an honest conversation about the joys of serving church communities and the risks of exploitation and spiritual manipulation. Reflecting on our experiences in our black pentecostal church and in white evangelical spaces, we process what we have experienced, and survived.

In this episode I explore the models of womanhood we often see emphasised in the bible: the perfect Mary and the bad Jezebel. But can women really be categorised like this? What do we do when we do not fit in either box or do not want to?

This episode features professional dancer, dance teacher and social entrepreneur Romanah Buchanan (@romanahzb). In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about dance ministry outfits, yoga demons (lol), and learning to embrace and be in tune with our bodies in all circumstances. *Trigger warning* this episode deals with themes of pregnancy, birth and postpartum wellbeing which may be difficult for...

Welcome to Season 2 entitled 'For Church Girls'!  In this season we take a break from talking about doctrine, to look at the experiences and stories of women within black pentecostal and evangelical circles. In this episode I introduce this season and share bits of my own story of figuring on what it means to be a woman, wrestling with theology, sexism and figuring out life when it doesn't fi...

In this final episode of season 1, I speak about what Advent teaches us about waiting, and what new things we might learn from the Christmas story about divine surprises, and our invitation to stand in solidarity with those who find themselves having 'no room'. 

In this episode, I talk about power - how we understand God's and our own, and how power plays out between genders, often due to theology. We look at the Hebrew midwives who inspire us by using their limited power to resist an evil empire. *Trigger warning*: rape theme 5:51 - 9:47

In this episode I explore the impact of the western dualisms on our worldview especially the ideas of sacred v secular and the body v the spiritual. I talk about throwing away my RnB CDs, the importance of integrating emotions and seeing the whole world as a space for divine experiences.

This episode explores the dangers of chasing spiritual gifts and blindly trusting those who have them PLUS what it means for us to work with the Spirit to create a more socially just world. *Trigger warning* - Brief mention of conversion therapy and forced prayer for physical disability (26:58-27:25)

In this weeks episode I ask: why we can be so quick to accept and spiritualise suffering? I share some thoughts on building resilience, using our voices to tell the truth about our pain, and using our agency to choose joy.

In this episode I talk with my good friend Carlton Turner about colonial christianity in the Caribbean, carnival, and tensions between faith, culture and Black self-identity.

Many of us were taught to see the cross as necessary due to God's wrath regarding our personal sin but what impact does this have, especially for those of us who bear the brunt of systemic sin, and how else have christians understood the cross? 

In this episode I discuss Jesus as a poor brown man, salvation beyond personal moral issues, and the woman he saves from being stoned.

This episode explores the impact of the images we have of God, especially the complex idea of God as 'father' and the disappointments we often face. 

This is an introduction to the podcast, with a little bit about your host, why critical exploration of faith is important and how we can learn to respect different perspectives and stories.

Welcome to Sunday School for Misfits!