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CW: As a heads up, Aaron describes the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which includes mention of rape. If this is a tender subject for you, please take care while listening.  This week, Mary B is joined by biblical scholars Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi to discuss their upcoming book Serving Up Scripture: How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself and Others. The book offers accessible tools for interpreting scripture with care, curiosity, and context. Rather than a black and white understanding of the text as right or wrong, Bashaw and Higashi invite readers to ask important questions of the text: What genre is this? Who wrote it, and under what circumstances? Who benefits from this interpretation, and which social relationships are being privileged? They also encourage theological reflection, asking what a passage suggests about God. Using cooking as a guiding metaphor, Serving Up Scripture treats biblical texts as ingredients to create a meaningful interpretation. In this conversation, Mary, Jen, and Aaron explore how this approach can help defang interpretations of the Bible that have been used to harm others. As Higashi, quoting St. Augustine, reminds us, “any understanding of the Bible that increases the two fold love between human beings and each other, or human beings and God is a good interpretation.” Jennifer Garcia Bashaw is a professor at Campbell University and an ordained Baptist minister. She has a PhD in New Testament from Fuller Seminary and is the author of Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims and John for Normal People: A Guide through the Drama and Depth of the Fourth Gospel. Aaron Higashi is a public Bible scholar with a PhD in biblical interpretation from Chicago Theological Seminary. He writes Bible commentaries, including 1 & 2 Samuel for Normal People: A Guide to Prophets, Kings, and Some Pretty Terrible Men, and answers Bible questions on Instagram at @abhigashi. Preorder your copy of Serving Up Scripture wherever you buy books. Follow Jen on Instagram @jgbashaw and Aaron on TikTok @aaron.higashi and Instagram @abhigashi. Jennifer and Aaron's other books are available; just search for each of their names wherever you buy books.  This is our last Found Family episode for a couple of months! I am taking a much-needed break. Feel free to peruse old episodes or join the very free Found Family crew over on Substack for a free monthly message from me.  Support the show

Rose Marie Berger, Senior Editor of Sojourners magazine, is a Catholic peace activist and poet who has worked within social justice movements for more than 40 years. She is the volume editor of Light for the Way: Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World and joins MaryB. to discuss how the book extends the conversations long discussed within the Sojourners community, out into the world while asking what it means to live authentically in this day and age.  This discussion explores several paradoxes: the need for isolation and contemplation in order to better serve community, the gifts and deep flaws that exist simultaneously within the established church, and the ways faith can deepen through disillusionment. MaryB. and Rose’s conversation invites listeners to understand that learning to live with these paradoxes is an essential part of growth. Rose Marie Berger is a Catholic poet, writer, and peace activist who has worked for social change movements for 40 years. She is poetry editor and senior editor for Sojourners, a magazine whose mission is to inspire hope and action by articulating the biblical call to social justice. She has traveled to Ukraine, Colombia, Bosnia, and elsewhere to support faith-rooted peacemaking. Rose is active in the global Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She is co-editor of Advancing Nonviolence and Just Peace in the Church and World and has presented several times on nonviolence at the Vatican. Her poetry has appeared in Watershed Discipleship: Reinhabiting a Bioregional Faith and Practice and Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together. Rose has spent her life engaged in faith-based activism, advocacy journalism, and pastoral leadership. Rose was born at 319.08 ppm CO2 and raised in the American River watershed, in traditional Nisenan-Maidu territory. She lives in Oak View, Calif., with her wife Heidi Thompson.  Light for the Way is available today wherever you buy books! Follow Sojourners on IG @sojogram. Follow Rose on Bluesky @rmberger.bsky.social Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of The Found Family Cheat Sheet! Support the show

Shelby Forsythia, a grief coach and author of Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving, joins Mary B to offer practical guidance on how to show up for people in grief. When unsure of the “right” words, many people default to silence rather than risk saying the wrong thing, often leaving grievers feeling isolated.  Shelby’s work aims to interrupt that pattern. The title of her book is structured around three simple statements: Of course. I’m here. Right now. These serve as guideposts for offering genuine, supportive language. Shelby also explores the idea of collateral grief, the secondary losses that often accompany a primary grief event, such as routines, relationships, or imagined futures.  Together, Mary B and Shelby examine a form of grief that is frequently minimized in our culture: the grief that follows the end of a friendship or relationship. Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions. Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine. Preorder your copy of Of Course I'm Here Right Now wherever you buy books. Get your hands on the many resources Shelby offers at shelbyforsythia.com.  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

Mary B is joined by Kat Armas to discuss her new book, Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World. This episode begins with Armas offering an invocation — as she does at the start of each chapter of her latest book. Her invocation is aptly a liturgy for resisting empire. Armas focuses on the important of community as resistance because as she says, “friendship… is the death of empire.” It is in community where one finds new ways to resist and care for their neighbor. Empire insidiously convinces us to think in binary and Armas urges the listener to hold on to complexity in a world that often demands simplicity. Kat Armas (MDiv, MAT, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a Cuban American writer and podcaster and the recipient of Fuller Seminary's Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing. She is pursuing a ThM at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Armas is the author of three books, Abuelita Faith, Sacred Belonging, and Liturgies for Resisting Empire. She has written for Christianity Today, Sojourners, Relevant, Christians for Biblical Equality, Fuller Youth Institute, Fathom magazine, and Missio Alliance. Get Liturgies for Resisting Empire wherever you buy books (check Baker Books to see if it's still on sale there!). Follow Kat on socials @kat_armas. Check out Kat's Substack at katarmas.substack.com Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show

CW: abortion Mary B is joined by Dr. Sara Moslener to discuss her new book After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America. Moslener traces her journey from a high school defender of purity culture to a scholar with a nuanced understanding of how the myth of purity has helped mask elements of white supremacy as Christian values. She reflects on the power of myth as a storytelling tool that — depending on its intent — can yield positive or harmful results. Mary B relates this to the ways myths are being used by the most powerful in this country to attack trans folks. Moselener urges that although much of her research is from the point of view of white women, sexual purity must be considered in an intersectional way.  Sara J. Moslener (she/her) is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion at Central Michigan University. She is the author of Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence and creator of the podcast Pure White: Sexual Purity and White Supremacy. She lives in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, with her best friend and soulmate, Gibson the Chug. You can get After Purity wherever you buy books. Follow Sara on Substack at afterpurity.substack.com.  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show

This week Mary B welcomes Angela Herrington to discuss her new book Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy. What begins as a discussion about favorite witches develops into a nuanced conversation about what it means to give oneself the same nurturing that women so often give to those they mother. In other words, we must learn how to mother ourselves. Herrington questions what baggage—rooted in Christian patriarchy—we’ve been carrying around that continues to cause us harm. Caring for ourselves allows us the capacity to care for others in whatever way we can. We cannot fix all of the world’s problems, but we can help our neighbor and to do that we must help ourselves.  Angela Herrington is a spiritual coach and seminary-trained online pastor who has spent more than a decade helping people break free from toxic religious culture. She is the host of The Deconstructing Faith Summit, a Lark’s Song Certified Life Coach, and a dynamic conference speaker. Her work has been featured in The New Republic, Religion News Service, Hope for Women magazine, and Authority Magazine.   Angela and her unique online ministry are featured in Lyz Lenz’s 2019 book God Land: Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America. She has published articles in Hope for Women and HOPE is Now magazines. Angela is the author of Deconstruct Your Faith Without Losing Yourself and Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods.  She is also a wife, a mom to 5, and a proud resident of Marion, Indiana, with her family when they’re not traveling the US in their RV. Get all the good stuff on Angela's website, angelajherrington.com. Order Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods wherever you buy books, and if you want Angela to pop into your book club, reach out! Angela is on social media @angelajherrington  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

This week Mary B is joined by her dear friends Elizabeth Delgado Black, the Co-founder & CEO of Kaleidoscope Ministries, and Logan Morrison, Kaleidoscope’s Community Outreach Coordinator & Trans Ministry Specialist. Being part of one another’s found family themselves, Elizabeth and Logan share some of the joy of the family life they’ve forged together, as well as the lessons learned.  In this episode they chat with Mary B about Kaleidescope’s upcoming Trans Prayer March which will be held in multiple locations around the country, and stand out as a place of gathering in joy when so often trans folks are forced to gather in grief and mourning. They discuss the importance of centering trans experiences, trans voices, and the needs of the trans community right now. As Elizabeth says, “What good are my needs being met, if my siblings are suffering.” Elizabeth Black (she/her) is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kaleidoscope, an LGBTQ+ mission organization in New York City. An evangelist, theologian, and minister, Elizabeth longs to see Queer people experience social and spiritual justice and liberation in their unique fullness. Originally from Baltimore, MD, she received a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies from Washington Bible College before earning a Master’s in Contextual Theology from All Nations Christian College in the UK. Her work centers on BIPOC transgender theologies of kinship, alongside writing and speaking on LGBTQ+ mission and evangelism. Elizabeth’s scholarship is featured in Christlike Acceptance Across Deep Difference: Constructive Conversations on Sexuality and Gender. Beyond her ministry, Elizabeth is a proud wife and mother of two young boys, living in a household woven together with her husband, children, and two beautiful friends who are chosen family.    Logan Morrison (he/him) serves as the Trans Care Specialist and Community Outreach Coordinator at Kaleidoscope. He holds a Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership. He pursued collegiate soccer coaching for six years following his education and grew a passion for building mentoring relationships with young people exploring topics of faith, sexuality, gender, and purpose. Logan saw the need of showing the radical love of Jesus to the marginalized, and particularly the Queer and Trans community, and took the step into sharing his own story as a Trans man and using it for God’s glory in mission. Logan lives with his chosen family in New York City, including three dogs.  Follow Kaleidoscope on social media @kaleidoscope.usa. Join the Trans Prayer March by checking out locations and info at kaleidoscopeusa.org. Support Kaleidoscope and their Trans Care Ministry at kaleidoscope.org as well. Liz is on Instagram @lizlblack ,and you can buy Christlike Acceptance Across Deep Difference wherever you buy books.  Join the Found Family crew on Substack and get your free copy of The Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show

Today, Kaitlin Curtice and I talk about getting to the root of what we believe.  Kaitlin B. Curtice is an Indigenous poet-storyteller, a public speaker, and the award-winning author of Native and Living Resistance. She has written for Sojourners, Religion News Service, On Being, Oprah Daily, and The Liminality Journal, and her work has been featured on CBS and in USA Today. A citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin speaks on topics such as colonialism in faith communities, interfaith relationships, and the intersection of spirituality and identity, and she has collaborated with The Aspen Institute and Chautauqua Institution. She lives near Philadelphia with her family. You can buy Everything Is a Story wherever you buy books. Subscribe to Kaitlin's Substack, The Liminality Journal at kaitlincurtice.substack.com. Follow Kaitlin on IG @kaitlincurtice.  Join the Found Family crew on Substack and get your free copy of The Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

Today, Brian G. Murphy and I talk about how queerness can enrich everyone's faith.  Brian G. Murphy is an organizer, author, and certified relationship coach helping LGBTQ+ and polyamorous people build thriving relationships on their own terms without shame or "shoulds." As co-founder of QueerTheology.com, the longest-running LGBTQ+ spirituality podcast and the first explicitly queer online community, Brian supports LGBTQ+ spiritual seekers in integrating sex, gender, and spirit to rebuild their faith and live into their values. He is a sought-after speaker at colleges, churches, and conferences across the country and his work has been featured in Vice, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, The Advocate, Upworthy, and NBC News. Brian is the author of Love Beyond Monogamy and co-author of Queers The Word. His next book, Reading The Bible Through Queer Eyes, co-authored with Shannon TL Kearns, will published by HarperOne in spring 2026  Get Love Beyond Monogamy wherever you buy books. Get the bonuses Brian mentioned at thisisbgm.com/book. You can follow Brian on socials @thisisbgm.  Join the Found Family crew on Substack and get your free copy of The Found Family Cheat Sheet. Support the show

Today, Jaye Brix and I talk about their journey from evangelical pastor to tattoo artist.  Jaye Brix (they/she) is a tattoo artist, songwriter, and content creator whose work explores the intersections of creativity, identity, and healing. A former evangelical pastor who came out as Nonbinary in her 30s, Jaye now uses her platforms to speak candidly about deconstruction, queer joy, and reclaiming faith beyond the boundaries that once confined them. You can follow Jaye on Instagram and TikTok @jbrix_art and find the links to all her other offerings at the link in their bio.  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show

Today, Joash Thomas is back on Found Family, and we're talking about how Jesus’ story starts in the margins—and why that matters for us today.  Rev. Joash P. Thomas (MACL, MACS, Dallas Theological Seminary; MPS, The George Washington University) is a public theologian and a highly sought-after international speaker. Born and raised in India, he ran a political consulting and lobbying firm in the United States before working as an international human rights leader. He is an ordained minister in the Diocese of St. Anthony in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches and lives in a multiethnic community in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Pre-order your copy of The Justice of Jesus wherever you buy books. Follow Joash on the 'gram @joashpthomas and on Substack at Jesus, Justice, and Joash.  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

Today's guest and I discuss the nuance of relationships and spaces where love and harm coexist.  Lauren Smallcomb is a certified Mind-Body Practitioner whose journey as a healer began at 20 when she became a registered nurse, dedicating a decade to caring for patients in the ER. She later expanded her expertise to become a birth doula and, eventually, a nutritional therapist. In 2020, after making the difficult decision to walk away from a dysfunctional family system, Lauren embarked on a transformative process of rebuilding her mind and body through brain retraining and trauma healing. This journey inspired her to become a certified Mind-Body Practitioner. Her newfound sense of empowerment prompted Lauren and her therapist husband to establish Flourish Therapy, with the intention of helping others heal and thrive after childhood trauma. Born and raised in upstate New York, they now make their home in Northern Thailand with their children, two dogs, and a cat.  Golden Child is available on Amazon and at flourishtherpy.co. You can get Lauren's "101+ Doses of Courage" on their site as well. Follow Lauren on Instagram and Facebook @flourish_therapy.  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

Today, I have TWO guests for y'all, and we discuss love and prayer as calls to action, not just nice ideas.  Rev. Liz Theoharis and Charon Hribar are both anti-poverty activists. Liz is the founder and director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. She has been arrested for praying on the steps of the Supreme Court as part of a series of protests against poverty and racism. Charon also serves at the Kairos Center and the Poor People's Campaign. She is a song leader who helps empower communities to integrate arts into their efforts for justice. Get your copy of We Pray Freedom wherever you buy books. Follow the Kairos Center on all the socials @kairoscenternyc. Sign up for the newsletter at kairoscenter.org. Join the Freedom Church of the Poor for Sunday Service online at 6 PM Eastern or Bible Study on Wednesdays at 6 PM Eastern by signing up on the Kairos Center's website.  Join the Found Faily crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show

Today, Zach W. Lambert and I talk about embracing an expansive Christianity. Zach W. Lambert (he/him) is the lead pastor and founder of Restore, a church in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, Restore has grown from a launch team of five people in 2015 to more than one thousand members today. He holds a master of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is pursuing his doctorate at Duke Divinity School. Zach is the cofounder of the Post Evangelical Collective and serves on the boards of the Austin Church Planting Network and the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network. Zach and his wife, Amy, met each other in the sixth grade, fell in love at seventeen, and got married at twenty-one. They love watching live music, discovering local Mexican food places, and playing with their two boys. You can preorder Better Ways to Read the Bible wherever you buy books. Follow Zach on all the socials and on Substack @zachwlambert. When in doubt, find any and all info on his website, zachwlambert.org. (Hi, I said the wrong url in the outro. This one is correct!)  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet.  Support the show

Today, Ray Low and I talk about welcoming diverse perspectives on the Bible. Pastor Ray graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree and is currently serving in New York City as Director of Community Engagement and Spiritual Formation at Kaleidoscope, a local and multiethnic ministry that exists to bridge the gap between the Church and the LGBTQ+ community through missional and pastoral care. Support Kaleidoscope's Jesus at Pride campaign by becoming a one-time or monthly donor at kaleidoscopeusa.org. Follow Kaleidoscope on socials @kaleidoscope.usa  Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet!  Support the show