The Sacred Slope

🎙️ 30. Jen Hatmaker (Relaxed in the love of Jesus) and Awake Alexis Rice welcomes NYT Bestselling author, podcaster, and spiritual trailblazer Jen Hatmaker (@jenhatmaker) for a tender, fierce, and raw conversation about her new memoir Awake. It's about the collapse of her marriage, and the systems that helped build the house that fell. Together they unpack patriarchy, purity culture, codepend...

🎙️ 29. Pastor Josh Scott – (Non-Denominational, Progressive, Open & Affirming) The Kind of Pastor I Wish I’d Had Growing Up  What if the pastor you grew up with had made room for your questions instead of your fear? In this episode, Pastor Josh Scott (@josh_a_scott) shares how a kid raised in conservative Free Will Baptist Appalachia —where reading the NIV was considered “progressive”—became o...

🎙️ 28. Rev. Joash P. Thomas (Saint Thomas Christian / Evangelical Anglican tradition) – The Justice of Jesus & Decolonizing Our Faith Who taught me my theology - and who is missing from the table? From his roots in the ancient St. Thomas Christian tradition in India, through white American evangelicalism and Georgia Republican politics, to ministry in Canada, Rev. Joash shares how reclaiming h...

🎙️ 27. Mike Maeshiro (Ex-evangelical pastor) – God Made Me Gay: Healing from Spiritual Harm Growing up evangelical, Mike was taught that being gay was sinful, dangerous, and something God would eventually “fix.” Today, he’s an ex-evangelical pastor helping thousands heal from spiritual trauma and rediscover a God who delights in them. In this episode, Mike shares his story with honesty, humor, and...

🎙️ 26. Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw (Bible Scholar) – Wrestling with Scripture Beyond Literalism When “Bible-believing” meant literalism and inerrancy, many of us thought that was the only Christian option. Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw—New Testament scholar, professor, and church practitioner—opens the door to a bigger, older, more beautiful Christian story. We unpack why inerrancy & literalism ar...

🎙️ 25. Bishop Guðrún Karls Helgudottir (Church of Iceland) – A Nation Led by Women, and a Bishop Who Says Queer People Should Be Safe in Christianity When a nation is led by women at the highest levels - the President, the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Reykjavík, the National Police Commissioner, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Bishop of Iceland - something becomes visible: women in power...

🎙️ 24. Rev. Gerlyn Henry (Anglican Church of Canada) – Communion over Control: The Faith that Frees When faith becomes about control instead of communion, something sacred is lost.  Reverend Gerlyn Henry (@gerlynhenry)—an Indian-Canadian Anglican priest whose social media content about Jesus, justice, and women in ministry has reached millions and gathered hundreds of thousands of followers—joins...

🎙️ 23. John Fugelsang (Aspiring Christian) – Separation of Church & Hate Alexis Rice welcomes comedian, author, and radio host John Fugelsang (@johnfugelsang) — whose blend of humor, history, and theology cuts through America’s culture-war fog. His NYT bestseller Separation of Church and Hate challenges both the weaponization of Christianity and the silence that enables it. With his trademark...

🎙️ 22. Pastor Joe Graves (United Methodist) – The Progressive Planter: Finding (and Building) the Church You Wish Existed When so many are walking away from church, Pastor and Author Joe Graves (@ josephdavidgraves ) is reimagining what it can be—clear, inclusive, justice-rooted, and grounded in grace. From launching free stores and violence-reduction funds to writing The Progressive Planter , Joe...

🎙️ 21. Malynda Hale (African Methodist Episcopal Church – AME) – Being the Good News Alexis Rice welcomes artist-activist, writer, and Executive Director at The New Evangelicals @TheNewEvangelicals, Malynda Hale (@malyndahale) — raised in the joy and lift of the Black church. African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church is one of the oldest historically Black denominations in the U.S., born out of res...

🎙️ 20. Brian Recker (Ex-Evangelical Pastor) – Hell Bent on Reclaiming Love Alexis Rice welcomes Brian Recker (@berecker) — former evangelical pastor, founding voice of Beloved on Substack, and author of Hellbent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love (out Sept 30) 👉 Order on ThriftBooks With honesty and pastoral clarity, Brian explores why hell-talk became the cen...

🎙 19. Sara Groves (Singer-Songwriter) – Faith, Fruit of the Spirit & a License to Love 🕊️ Reconciling Faith | 💜 Fruit of the Spirit | 🌱 Culture Care > Culture War | 🧠 Mental Health & Church This episode is for anyone holding grief, doubt, and hope at the same time—longing to keep Jesus at the center when public witness fractures. It’s for those learning to absorb harm without returni...

🎙️18. Rev. Helen (Church of England) – From St. Phoebe to Today: Women as Leaders, Science & a Kinder Christianity Alexis Rice welcomes Rev. Helen —a Church of England priest serving at St. Margaret’s, Ipswich—and our first guest from outside the United States . With warmth, candor, and a fierce pastoral heart, Rev. Helen shares how her late-in-life call to ministry grew from community, story,...

🎙️ 17. Pastor Paul Drees (Lutheran) - Grace, Power & the Future of the Church This week, Alexis Rice welcomes Pastor Paul Drees (@pastorpauldrees) —a Lutheran pastor of a local church. His online ministry, begun in 2021 in response to church trauma and toxic theology , has since reached 90M+ video views and drawn 650K+ followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Together, Alexis...

🎙  16. Tim Whitaker – Rebuilding Faith Beyond Fundamentalism This week, Alexis welcomes Tim Whitaker @timwhitakerspeaks , founder and host of The New Evangelicals@thenewevangelicals , a digital-first community holding space for honesty, justice, and theological exploration. Tim’s story mirrors so many of ours: deep roots in white evangelical subculture, then courageous questions the old answers co...

🎙  15. Rev. Roberto Che Espinoza (Baptist) – Becoming Human With One Another This week, Alexis Rice welcomes Rev. Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, PhD (@drrobertoche), pastor, scholar, and founder of Activist Theology and Our Collective Becoming. Roberto’s life and ministry embody a theology rooted in interdependence, tenderness, and justice. A Latinx trans man, theologian, and ordained Baptist minister,...

🎙 14: Better Ways to Read the Bible — with Pastor Zach Lambert This week, Alexis Rice welcomes Pastor Zach W. Lambert (@zachwlambert), founding pastor of Restore Austin and author of Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing . Zach’s work calls us to examine the lenses we bring to Scripture. He argues that the Bible itself isn’t the problem—it’s the harmfu...

🎙 13. Semler (Singer-Songwriter) – Faith, Queerness, and Why Sometimes the Most Rebellious Act of All Is Staying 🌈 Faith & Courage | Music as Resistance Semler @gracebaldridge made history when their independent release Preacher’s Kid became the first openly queer Christian album to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts—an accomplishment they repeated with Late Bloomer . Semler has toured n...

🎙 12. Pastor Joe Smith (Non-Denominational) - Reclaiming Faith from Christian Nationalism Alexis Rice is joined by Pastor Joe Smith IG @therealjoe.smith — a bold and unflinching voice reclaiming Christianity from white Christian nationalism, spiritual manipulation, and cultural complacency. Known for his viral sermons and fearless online ministry, Joe shares his journey from fundamentalism to libe...

🎙️ 11. Rev. Joseph Yoo (Episcopal) – Reconstructing Faith After It All Falls Apart Alexis Rice is joined by Rev. Joseph Yoo @joseph.yoo — a priest and writer whose honest, funny, and deeply human reflections have connected with millions online. Together, they explore what happens when the certainty of faith collapses, why deconstruction isn’t a trend but often a lonely and costly journey, and how...

🎙️ 10. Jon Guerra (Singer-Songwriter) – Restoring Wonder and Finding God in the Quie t This episode is for anyone aching for a faith that welcomes mystery and makes space for honest lament. It’s for the ones who crave connection with God but can’t stomach the noise of easy answers—or who need permission to slow down, to rest, and to bring their whole, complicated selves to the sacred. It’s also a...

🎙️ 9. Jeremy Steele (United Methodist) – A Deep Skeptic and Also a Pastor Talks About How to Not Suck as a Christian How to Not Suck as a Christian — with Jeremy Steele Alexis is joined by Jeremy Steele — bestselling author, viral TikTok creator, and United Methodist pastor known for radical honesty and spiritual skepticism. Jeremy’s online community, NotChurch, is a safe harbor for agnostics, mys...

🎙️ 8. Christi Bolaños (Non-Denominational) – A Testimony of Bravery, Anger, and Reclaiming a Bigger God Alexis is joined by Christi Bolaños — an ER nurse, adoptive mom of seven, and lifelong Christian whose fierce love for Jesus has carried her through heartbreak, injustice, and a faith that had to break open to hold it all. In this episode, Christi shares how moments of childhood courage shaped h...

🎙️ 7. Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail (Episcopal) – God Didn’t Make Us to Hate Us Alexis is joined by Rev. Lizzie — an Episcopal priest, digital minister, & founding vicar of Jubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX. Her new devotional, God Didn’t Make Us to Hate Us , is a healing and pastoral 40-day companion for those reclaiming their faith after spiritual harm. They explore how deconstruction can le...

🎙️ 6. Derek Webb (Singer-Songwriter) – Holding Complexity: Queer Solidarity, Art, and Faith After Certainty 🕊️ Music as Resistance | Queer Solidarity | Faith After Certainty This episode is for anyone who's ever tried to sort through the rubble of their faith and wondered if anything worth keeping could survive. It’s for the ones who still ache for Jesus but can’t return to the version they w...