Christians For A Free Palestine w Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart

Christians For A Free Palestine w Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart

This episode throws the “keep it light” rule directly into the fire and tackles some of the most contested conversations of our time: Palestine, Zionism, colonialism, empire, nationalism, and white supremacy. We explore how systems of power frame justice as controversial while presenting domination, occupation, and violence as unfortunate but “complicated” realities. Along the way, we examine how history is sanitized, narratives are controlled, and dissent is often treated as more dangerous than the harm being protested. At its core, this conversation is about questioning the stories we inherit and asking who benefits from them remaining unchallenged. From imperialism and propaganda to selective memory and political rhetoric, we unpack how modern systems maintain power through fear, confusion, and historical erasure. If you’ve ever felt like the official narrative leaves out crucial pieces of the story, this episode is for you. Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, a daughter of Detroit, is a Black queer preacher, teacher, movement strategist, and justice advocate. She is an adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University and also serves as the first-ever Strategic Partnerships Director at Political Research Associates (PRA), a social justice research and strategy center that provides strategic insights and actionable research that identifies, disrupts, and competes with movements and institutions that undermine democracy, justice, and human rights. In 2021, Rev. Naomi founded Salt | Yeast | Light, an organization that develops spaces of spiritual education, disruption, reflection, transformation, and public action. Naomi serves as the Board Chair of Pride in the Pews, and also a member of the board of SIECUS. Additionally, she serves on the Faith Advisory Council of Americans United for Separation of Church & State and volunteers her time with Christians for a Free Palestine. You can find her on Instagram @oholyshift as well as on Threads If folks want to book her, they can email: hellorevnaomi@gmail.com [hellorevnaomi@gmail.com] Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

The Fallacies of Christian Zionism w Elli Reynolds

What happens when nationalism, empire, and religion become so deeply intertwined that violence begins to look holy? In this episode, we examine the relationship between anti-imperialism, immigration enforcement, colonial power structures, and the political machinery that sustains them. From conversations surrounding ICE and state violence to the global consequences of militarized nationalism, we explore how fear and power are often packaged as morality, security, or even divine obligation. A major focus of this discussion is the ideology of Christian Zionism and the ways it has been weaponized to support imperialism, colonial expansion, and endless political conflict while simultaneously reinforcing harmful antisemitic narratives beneath the surface. Together, we unpack how theology can be manipulated into a political tool, why criticism of empire is often reframed as disloyalty or heresy, and how systems of domination rely on religious certainty to justify oppression. This episode challenges simplistic narratives and asks difficult questions about faith, power, nationalism, and what solidarity looks like in a world shaped by occupation, fear, and control. Elli Reynolds is an aspiring journalist, documenting power, protest, & occupation. You can find them on Instagram @elli_documents or on TikTok @elli_documents. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life w Billie & Paul Hoard

Why do humans recoil so strongly from things we perceive as “unclean,” immoral, or socially contaminating — even when those reactions make absolutely no logical sense? In this episode, we dive into the psychology of disgust, moral contamination, and the invisible boundaries humans obsessively create between pure and impure, acceptable and unacceptable, “us” and “them.” From religion and purity culture to gender norms and social stigma, we explore how fear and shame are often used to police behavior and maintain control. But disgust isn’t always destructive. Sometimes the very things that unsettle us force us to confront deeper truths about identity, morality, vulnerability, and what it means to be human. This conversation examines why people cling so tightly to moral superiority, how cultures weaponize disgust to create outsiders, and whether the things that make us uncomfortable might also be the things capable of transforming us. Billie Hoard is a trans woman, a high school history teacher, an author, and something of an Anabaptist radical. A consummate generalist, she holds an MA in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and she writes on topics ranging from fairy tales and C. S. Lewis to theology and philosophy. She and her brother, Paul Hoard, are the authors of Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. billieiswriting.substack.com [http://billieiswriting.substack.com] Paul Hoard, PhD, LMHC, is a licensed counselor, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and associate professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, as well as a board member for the Center for Christianity and Psychoanalysis. His scholarship focuses on Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, sexuality, white-body supremacy, perpetration-induced traumatic stress, and the theological logic of disgust. He has spoken and published internationally on topics including purity culture, trauma, eucontamination, and the intersections of theology and psychoanalysis. In addition to his academic and clinical work, Dr. Hoard is a co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Praxplay, an AI-powered training platform designed to help counseling students develop clinical skill through simulated client interactions. He is the co-author, with his sister Billie Hoard, of the book Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. https://paulhoard.substack.com/ [https://paulhoard.substack.com/] ; Praxplay [https://praxplay.com/] startup for counselor training; Center for Christianity and Psychoanalysis [https://centerforchristianityandpsychoanalysis.org/] Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Your Matter Matters w Will Rose

In a world flooded with information, distractions, and algorithm-driven certainty, how do we genuinely pursue truth without getting lost in the noise? This episode explores the interconnectedness of science, faith, ethics, technology, history, and spirituality, challenging the idea that these worlds must exist in opposition to one another. Instead of settling for simplistic binaries, we lean into curiosity, nuance, and the uncomfortable reality that truth is often far more complex than we’d like it to be. Can faith and science coexist, or have we been conditioned to see them as enemies? From questions about meaning and morality to the ways identity shapes our understanding of reality, this conversation examines why humans cling so tightly to certainty in an increasingly fragmented world. Think of it like an endless debate between Star Wars and Star Trek fans—except the stakes are existential, and nobody gets a lightsaber. We are joined today by pastor Will Rose; a Lutheran pastor, Theology Beer Camp enthusiast, and one of the hosts of Systematic Geekology and Across the Bifrost, the Mighty Thor Podcast. He is a co-host on the new podcast limited series Your Matter Matters with Thomas Johnston. You can also find him on Instagram @willnrose. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Cultural Gaslighting of American Mothers w Sandra Maurer

Motherhood in America is often sold as a beautiful, fulfilling dream wrapped in matching family photos and inspirational coffee mugs. The reality, however, tends to involve exhaustion, impossible expectations, political whiplash, and a society that insists everything is “fine” while mothers quietly drown beneath the weight of it all. In this episode of the G&G Podcast, we unpack the cultural gaslighting surrounding American motherhood — the constant messaging that women should feel grateful, fulfilled, and supported despite systems that often leave them isolated, overworked, and blamed for struggling. From reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy to economic instability, immigrant family fears, childcare costs, and the emotional labor mothers are expected to absorb without complaint, this conversation examines the widening gap between public narratives and lived reality. Why are mothers expected to function as emotional shock absorbers for society while receiving so little structural support in return? And what does that disconnect do to a person psychologically over time? Joining the conversation is Sandra Maurer, a licensed professional clinical counselor and reproductive mental health specialist from Minnesota, who helps explore the mental and emotional toll these contradictions create. Together, we discuss chronic stress, anxiety, societal conditioning, maternal identity, and the impossible balancing act many women are pressured to perform every day. If you’ve ever felt like the messaging around motherhood sounds suspiciously different from what mothers are actually experiencing, this episode is for you. Because sometimes the most destabilizing part of dysfunction is being told you’re overreacting to it. American Mother-load is Sandra Maurer's future book that she is hoping to get out later in 2026. IG: @mn_therapist TT: @mn_therapist Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS