Bare Marriage
Tired of Christian pat answers about marriage? The podcast that goes in-depth into marriage, parenting, and even sex--to see how we can live the passionate life we were meant for. Paired with Bare Marriage--the blog!
Episodes
What do we do with Bible passages that seem to portray God as indifferent to violence against women? Sheila sits down with Dr. Helen Paynter of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence to explore disturbing Old Testament stories, the historical context of biblical laws, and the difference between describing violence and endorsing it. Together, they consider how reading Scripture through the lens of Jesus can h...
Is Philippians 2 a biblical argument for male headship, or is it a call for ALL Christians to give up status and power in the way Jesus did? In this episode we unpack Kathy Keller’s teaching in “The Meaning of Marriage,” examining the assumptions behind complementarianism, the difference between sacrificial love and unequal authority, and what it really means to take Scripture seriously. Join us as...
What happens when women who simply want to serve Jesus keep running into barriers to ministry? First, Hannah Hunt joins us as we hear the remarkable stories behind Called to Serve. Then we talk with Dr. Adam Harbaugh about what it actually takes for churches to rethink theology, history, bylaws, and leadership structures around women in ministry. It's an episode about calling, courage, disruption, and the hopeful po...
Mica Miller’s Death and “The Sex Is For Men” Problem
The tragic Mica Miller documentary The Death of a Pastor’s Wife reveals a deeply evil pastor husband with entitled, misogynistic views about sex. But those views didn’t come out of nowhere. In this interview that Sheila did with Called to Peace Ministries, she connects the dots of how evangelical teaching around sex cent...
In this episode, we sit down with Dawn from The Minimal Mom to talk about the “dignity line,” a simple framework for recognizing if our relationships are characterized by respect, accountability, trust, and safety - and why patterns matter more than labels. We also dig into the complicated reality of marriage advice, boundaries, divorce, and the pressure Christian women can feel to keep trying no matter ...
What if many of the ideas we’ve been taught about “biblical womanhood” have a much stranger history than we realized? We sit down with historian & author Kristin Du Mez to unpack the fascinating—and sometimes surprising—story behind Christian womanhood, from Hannah Whittall Smith and Elisabeth Elliot to Christian fiction, publishing, blogging, and today’s influencer culture. W...
What if some of the messages we've absorbed about “what it means to be a woman” have less to do with the Bible and more to do with centuries of art, culture, and storytelling? Today we have a fascinating conversation with art historian Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt about five powerful visual tropes—the Venus, Maiden, Vessel, Mother, and Monster—and the surprising, life-giving counter-stories that ...
What if the Bible has been giving us maternal pictures of God all along—and we've simply been overlooking them? Today we talk with Elizabeth Berget, author of “Love Like a Mother,” about God's compassion, childbirth, motherhood, grief, protection, exhaustion, and the surprising ways women's embodied experiences can illuminate the character of God. Together, we explore how seeing God as both Father ...
What happens when “protecting women” actually leaves them with fewer choices, less financial security, and nowhere to go when a marriage becomes unsafe? Today we unpack the hidden risks behind certain conservative Christian teachings about gender, money, work, and submission before sitting down with Sally Hope to talk about abuse, faith, anger, healing, and her survivor resource "No Visible Scars." It&rs...
Bethany Jantzi and Dr. Merry Lin join us in taking a very close—and occasionally incredulous—look at Laura Doyle’s The Empowered Wife, unpacking its promises, “six intimacy skills,” and insistence that women can transform their marriages by changing themselves. They explore where self-care, respect, vulnerability, and intimacy can sound appealing while still becoming dangerous when they...
What happens when “Christlike manhood” starts sounding suspiciously like Victorian gender roles, male entitlement, and a whole lot of covert nudging? This rage-read of Eric Ludy’s “Warrior Poet Manhood” article unpacks the deeper assumptions behind a theology that tells women to manage, encourage, and even manipulate men into becoming better husbands while men remain in charge. We explo...
Buckle up for the final episode of our 3-part series on purity culture! In this episode we dig into what genuine accountability actually looks like when influential Christian leaders (namely Dannah Gresh) recognize the harm their teachings have caused. Through a thoughtful discussion of repentance, public responsibility, and the lasting impact of purity culture, we continue to ask why admitting specific mistakes rem...
What does Jesus actually mean when he tells us to judge a tree by its fruit - and what happens when we apply that idea to marriage and Christian teaching? Today Joanna, our resident statistician, joins us as we dig into the biblical meaning of “good fruit,” unpack the research behind our marriage studies, and explore what trust, spiritual fruit, and decision-making have to do with one another. We also we...
And….we’re BACK with a fresh new season of the Bare Marriage podcast! We’re kicking things off with a lively deep dive into the debate over purity culture, asking what happens when influential Christian voices revise their past teachings, redefine the terms, and rewrite the history of what they once taught. We unpack the difference between biblical chastity and shame-based purity culture, take on ...
In this season finale we take a dive into social media, examining the messages behind viral clips from popular marriage and church influencers, and challenge fear-based teachings about marriage, parenting, gender, and authority. Through our thoughtful (and often hilarious) analyses and lively discussion, we hope this conversation encourages you to pursue healthier, Christ-centered relationships rooted in mutual resp...
What does it actually mean to be a “good man” in today’s world—and does Christianity offer something deeper than dominance, leadership clichés, or internet manosphere culture? In this thoughtful and surprisingly hopeful conversation, Zachary Wagner joins us to unpack masculinity through the lens of the fruits of the Spirit, exploring everything from loneliness and power to marriage, self-cont...
What happens when you know the old “because I said so” parenting style isn’t healthy…but you also don’t want to raise entitled little tyrants? In this episode, parenting coach Wendy Snyder joins us for a deeply practical, heartfelt, (and hilariously honest) conversation about strong-willed kids, emotional regulation, yelling, boundaries, anxiety, and what healthy authority actually loo...
What if the “Billy Graham rule” (or the evangelical distortion of it) says more about fear than integrity? In this episode, Danielle Strickland helps us unpack the assumptions behind the idea that men and women can’t be alone together—and ask whether it protects integrity or quietly reinforces suspicion, segregation, and control. Drawing on Scripture, leadership research, and real-world churc...
Welcome to Part 2 of our breakdown of For Men Only! This episode dives headfirst into the sex chapter — and quickly exposes how shaky stats and selective storytelling create misleading narratives about libido and desire. We examine why women’s sexual desire is far more contextual — and relational — than the book admits. We unpack the myth of “on-demand” desire, challenge rigid sex...
In this episode, we dive into For Men Only, by Shaunti & Jeff Feldhahn, and let’s just say…we have many thoughts! We unpack some of its core claims about gender dynamics, communication, and emotional needs. Rebecca shares how this book impacted her first few months of marriage to Connor, and not in a good way!
We address major concerns with the book’s research methods, its reliance on broad gen...
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