Voice of the Turtle

In Episode 8, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Dr. Brandon Crowley about his deep Baptist roots and ongoing exploration of Black queer hermeneutics and homiletics, Black queer church spaces, and the reality that many queer churches still preach dated, evangelical theologies in queer bodies. Crowley challenges listeners to tell the fuller story of Black Christian heteronormativity, and he urges...

In Episode 7, host Brian Henderson talks with Dr. Susan Shaw about her journey from cradle-roll Southern Baptist to "Baptist in exile" in the UCC, reflecting on her departure from the SBC over its anti-LGBTQ+ stance and her long commitment to feminist, queer-affirming theology. She traces how white patriarchy, Christian nationalism, and partisan politics have intensified attacks on LGBTQ+ people--...

In Episode 6, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Junia Joplin about her journey from Baptist life in the United States to serving as associate pastor at MCC Toronto, "Toronto’s historic and history-making queer church." Junia traces MCC Toronto’s pivotal role in LGBTQ+ justice, including its long legacy of AIDS ministry and Pride participation. She also contrasts Canada’s legal advances with its...

In Episode 5, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Paul Raushenbush about his journey as a gay Baptist minister shaped by congregations like Madison Avenue Baptist and Seattle First Baptist, where radically inclusive, welcoming, and affirming communities showed him “what church could be” and sustained him through ordination. Paul reflects on how seminary education and ministry have evolved toward...

In Episode 4, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Dr. Cliff Matthews, Jr., the pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a member of AWAB's Board of Directors. Cliff shares how Saint Luke became a "whosoever church" through a painstaking, congregational process that led to one of the most inclusive welcome statements in the Black Baptist context. Drawing on hi...

In Episode 3, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Dr. Cody Sanders, who reflects on his journey as a queer Baptist minister, including how finding explicitly queer-affirming church spaces transformed his sense of vocation and belonging. Cody reframes conversation away from defending LGBTQ+ inclusion and toward asking what churches can learn from queer and trans people. He names visibility, ongoin...

In Episode 2, host Brian Henderson talks with Rev. Dr. Rick Mixon, a longtime pastor, professor and pioneer in welcoming and affirming Baptist ministry. From a pivotal late-night gathering in a gay-friendly bar in 1973 to decades of organizing, retreats, worship and public witness, Rick reflects on charismatic leaders, behind-the-scenes heroes, and the sustaining power of community. Brian and Rick...

In Episode 1, host Brian Henderson introduces the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB). He interviews historian Dr. C. Delane Tew about its origins in 1970s American Baptist life, including a gay bar in Lincoln, Nebraska. The episode highlights courageous LGBTQ+ Baptists, committed allies, Baptist principles, and lessons for confronting today’s backlash against LGBTQ+ communities....

"Voice of the Turtle" is a new podcast from the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB), produced in partnership with Good Faith Media. The year 2026 brings some uncertainty for our LGBTQ+ family ... but we’ve been here before. Across eight episodes, we’re going to burrow our way through some of our history and talk to the people who made it ... and are still making it. "Voice of the...