The Sacred Slope

Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender — those searching for healthier expressions of our global Christian faith and deconstructing harmful theology. Listen to conversations with pastors, priests, reverends, scholars, artists, and public voices from multiple denominations, cultures, backgrounds, and genders. Come to be challenged, healed, and begin again.

The Sacred Slope is a religion podcast hosted by Alexis Rice, with 95 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Alexis Rice hosts The Sacred Slope, a religion show with 95 episodes published.

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  Episode #61

  61. Lisa Sharon Harper (Episcopal) | White Supremacy, Evangelicalism & Decolonizing Christianity

  Sep 28, 20261h 4mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 61. Lisa Sharon Harper (Episcopal) | White Supremacy, Evangelicalism & Decolonizing Christianity What if the Christianity many Americans are deconstructing isn’t Christianity itself-but a version shaped by whiteness, empire, and power? Lisa Sharon Harper is a public theologian, author, activist, playwright, founder and president of FreedomRoad, and is currently discerning ordination in the Episcopal Church. Lisa traces the complicated history of American evangelicalism—from the Black church and abolitionist movements to fundamentalism, the Southern Baptist Convention, segregation, and the modern political power of white evangelicalism. Then she challenges one of the central ideas of modern faith deconstruction: Christianity was never a white faith. Jesus and the earliest Christians emerged from colonized people in the ancient Near East. Lisa argues that abandoning Christianity because of white Christian racism can leave the supremacy of Western Christianity itself uninterrogated. She doesn’t call us to deconstruct Christianity. She calls us to decolonize it. We explore Acts 2, implicit bias, the Black church, fundamentalism, Christian nationalism, religious certainty-and what happens when we rediscover Jesus outside the version of Christianity we inherited. Lisa leaves us with three words: “Seek brown Jesus.” ✨ GUEST + FOLLOW Lisa Sharon Harper (Episcopal) IG: @lisasharper Founder & President, FreedomRoad @freedomroad.us MENTIONED + RESOURCES Christena Cleveland (PhD) — IG: @christenacleveland Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee — IG: @ d_pgushee Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas — IG: @ revdrkbd Sojourners — Independent Christian magazine exploring faith, culture, politics & social justice. Lisa’s 2015 essay that opens this episode: “Four Easy Ways to Be a White Supremacist” https://sojo.net/magazine/septemberoctober-2015/four-easy-ways-be-white-supremacist Explore Sojourners: @ sojogram https://sojo.net ⛪ THE SACRED SLOPE LABS Three virtual labs, 2 options per lab, open to everyone, everywhere. Attend one, two, or all three. LAB 1: I Thought This Was Christianity October 22 & 23 LAB 2: Who Formed Us? November 5 & 6 LAB 3: Speaking Across the Faith Divide November 12 & 13 ️ Register: thesacredslope.com Listen all the way through for an Easter egg revealing our first guest speaker for Lab 1. ⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS 02:42 — White Supremacy: Explicit vs. Implicit Bias 09:56 — Meet Lisa Sharon Harper 12:23 — PhD in Womanist Ethics 18:56 — Evangelical ≠ Republican or Democrat 21:48 — What Does “Evangelical” Mean? 28:00 — The Black Church & Second Great Awakening 32:43 — Slaveholder Faith & American Christianity 36:38 — What’s Behind “Non-Denominational”? 41:36 — Should We Save Evangelicalism? 44:00 — Fundamentalism & Certainty 45:23 — What Happens After Deconstruction? 47:06 — Christianity Was Never a White Faith 52:51 — Decolonizing Acts 2 55:47 — “I’m Not for Deconstructing. I’m for Decolonizing.” 57:13 — “Seek Brown Jesus” 57:20 — Sacred Slope Labs + Easter Egg #LisaSharonHarper #DecolonizingChristianity #Deconstruction #Evangelicalism #ChristianNationalism Support the show About The Sacred Slope thesacredslope.com Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity. Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion. WATCH: YouTube / Spotify LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky) Connect Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope Hosted by Alexis Rice Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com Community Guidelines Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • joy • ☮️ peace • patience • kindness • goodness • faithfulness • gentleness • self-control

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  Episode #60

  60. Raised Pentecostal vs. United Methodist | Deconstruction, Doubt & Finding God Again with Colten Barnaby & Rev. Dr. S.C. Williams

  Sep 25, 20261h 30mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 60. Raised Pentecostal vs. United Methodist | Deconstruction, Doubt & Finding God Again with Colten Barnaby & Rev. Dr. S.C. Williams What happens when two Christians grow up in almost completely different versions of Christianity? Colten Barnaby grew up in a strict Oneness Holiness Pentecostal world, speaking in tongues at five years old and believing other Christians still needed to be saved. Rev. Dr. S.C. Williams grew up United Methodist, where he was encouraged to question, evolution wasn’t controversial, hell was rarely discussed, and faith was rooted more in grace than fear. Same Christianity? That question opens a fascinating conversation about Pentecostalism, United Methodism, deconstruction, religious trauma, progressive Christianity, evolution, scripture, doubt, Christian nationalism—and whether questioning your faith can actually bring you closer to God. Colten shares how studying theology and church history at Oral Roberts University complicated the certainty he grew up with. Instead of atheist professors destroying his faith, he encountered serious Christians who accepted evolution, disagreed theologically, and still respected one another. Today, Colten sometimes describes himself with a sentence that would have terrified his younger self: “I’m a Christian who doesn’t believe in God.” What does that even mean? Together, Colten and S.C. explore what remains when certainty disappears—and why seeking truth may matter more than protecting the theological system you inherited. They also discuss religious trauma, LGBTQ+ inclusion, harmful theology, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Christian nationalism, debating Doug Wilson, progressive Christianity, and one of the hardest questions for people rebuilding faith: How do you know who to trust again? And for anyone afraid deconstruction will lead them away from God: Maybe God is on the other side of your questions too. ✨ GUESTS + FOLLOW Colten Barnaby — Christian thinker and creator exploring theology, politics, philosophy, and faith after certainty. Rev. Dr. S.C. Williams — United Methodist pastor and creator exploring scripture, theology, church history, and harmful Christian teachings. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Brian Recker — IG: @berecker Tim Whitaker / The New Evangelicals — IG: @thenewevangelicals @timwhitakerspeaks Tripp Fuller — IG: @trippfuller Homebrewed Christianity — IG: @theologynerd Theology Beer Camp — IG: @theologybeercamp April Ajoy — IG: @aprilajoy THEOLOGY BEER CAMP Alexis, Colten, Tripp Fuller, and other Sacred Slope friends are headed to Theology Beer Camp in Kansas City, Missouri, October 8–10, 2026 —a gathering for people willing to ask big questions about God, Christianity, theology, culture, and the world without pretending they already have all the answers. In-person tickets are sold out, but virtual tickets are still available at theologybeer.camp . ⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS 07:29 — Meet Colten Barnaby & Rev. Dr. S.C. Williams 08:24 — Growing Up Oneness Pentecostal 11:45 — When Education Complicates Your Faith 14:20 — Pentecostal vs. United Methodist Christianity 17:15 — Religious Trauma & What the Church Owes People 19:02 — “I’m a Christian Who Doesn’t Believe in God” 23:48 — What Is God? 25:20 — Progressive Christianity & Questions 29:30 — Debating Doug Wilson 33:54 — Why S.C. Williams Does Theology Online 35:34 — Recognizing Harmful Theology 36:42 — Apostasy, Fear & Religious Trauma 43:00 — LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Reading the Bible Differently 44:35 — Reinterpreting Scripture 47:07 — Why Church Tradition Matters 51:34 — Doubt, Truth & Seeking God 01:02:40 — What Deconstruction Actually Looks Like 01:03:24 — Historical Context Changes Theology 01:06:04 — The Wesleyan Quadrilateral 01:09:49 — Reading Scripture Through Jesus 01:16:26 — Who Can You Trust After Religious Trauma? 01:21:40 — Can Doubt Bring You Closer to God? #Deconstruction #ProgressiveChristianity #Pentecostal #UnitedMethodist #ReligiousTrauma #FaithAndDoubt #Exvangelical #Christianity #TheSacredSlope Support the show About The Sacred Slope thesacredslope.com Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity. Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion. WATCH: YouTube / Spotify LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky) Connect Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope Hosted by Alexis Rice Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com Community Guidelines Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • joy • ☮️ peace • patience • kindness • goodness • faithfulness • gentleness • self-control

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  Episode #59

  59. Theology Beer Camp Preview (Ilia Delio, Tripp Fuller, Sarah Heath & Josh Patterson) | We Shocked a Theologian With What We Were Taught About Christianity

  Sep 23, 202635 minS2

  Send us Fan Mail 59. Theology Beer Camp Preview (Ilia Delio, Tripp Fuller, Sarah Heath & Josh Patterson) | We Shocked a Theologian With What We Were Taught About Christianity What happens when you tell a theologian what millions of American evangelicals were taught they had to believe in order to be Christian? Ilia Delio was shocked. She's not the only one. I have done this exercise with several pastors, theologians, scholars around the world outside of conservative fundamentalism and they are almost all shocked. And those in fundamentalism are shocked at the responses outside of conservative evangelicalism. So what's going on here? In this special Theology Beer Camp preview, Ilia Delio, Tripp Fuller, Sarah Heath, and Josh Patterson join Alexis Rice for a conversation about evangelical fundamentalism, deconstruction, Christian nationalism, science, evolution, curiosity, AI, and what happens when faith becomes bigger than the beliefs we inherited. The conversation begins with a simple experiment: Put your finger down if you were taught… That the snake in Genesis was a literal talking snake. That you needed to pray the sinner’s prayer to escape eternal conscious torment in hell. That the rapture could happen at any moment. That you cannot be gay and Christian. That women cannot be pastors. That evolution contradicts the Bible. That questioning any of this meant questioning God. Alexis and Josh put every finger down. Ilia, Tripp, and Sarah largely don’t. Ilia’s reaction? “My God… I can’t believe you guys really followed that stuff.” And then comes the question underneath this entire episode: “Is this stuff still going on?” Yes. And that disconnect matters. Together, they explore how Christians from different traditions can inherit radically different understandings of the same faith—and why people leaving conservative evangelicalism may have no idea that other faithful expressions of Christianity have been here all along. Tripp reflects on how 9/11, Islamophobia, war, and militaristic nationalism changed his relationship with the Christian world around him. Sarah shares what happened when she moved from a questioning Christian home in Canada into conservative evangelical culture in the American South—and why curiosity may be one of the most important things Christians can offer one another. Josh talks about letting go of theological finality and embracing the idea that being human means always becoming. And Ilia explores evolution, science, inner freedom, AI, and a God she understands not as a power over us, but as a presence and embrace within us. By the end, everyone has all ten fingers back up. They still don’t believe exactly the same things. They don’t need to. Because maybe changing your theology doesn’t mean losing your faith. Maybe asking questions isn’t something Christianity needs to fear. And maybe people who thought they had to choose between the Christianity they inherited and no Christianity at all need to hear something much simpler: Christianity is bigger than what you were taught. ✨ GUESTS + FOLLOW Ilia Delio Franciscan sister, theologian, scientist, and founder of the Center for Christogenesis IG: @centerforchristogenesis Tripp Fuller Theologian, author, host of Homebrewed Christianity , and founder of Theology Beer Camp IG: @trippfuller Homebrewed Christianity: @theologynerd Theology Beer Camp: @theologybeercamp Sarah Heath United Methodist pastor, author, speaker, creator, and professional asker of good questions IG: @revsarahheath Josh Patterson Theologian, podcaster, and host of (Re)thinking Faith Podcast IG: @rethinking_faith THEOLOGY BEER CAMP Alexis, Ilia, Tripp, Sarah, and Josh are headed to Theology Beer Camp in Kansas City, Missouri, October 8–10, 2026 —a gathering for people willing to ask big questions about God, Christianity, culture, science, and the world without pretending they already have all the answers. In-person tickets are sold out, but virtual tickets are still available at theologybeer.camp. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Andrew Whitehead — @andrewwhitehead Sociologist and author whose work examines Christian nationalism in the United States. ⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS 06:05 — The Experiment: Were We Even Taught the Same Christianity? 09:58 — Ilia’s Reaction: “You Really Followed That Stuff?” 11:50 — Growing Up Christian in Very Different Worlds 14:33 — When Evangelicalism Becomes the Only Christianity You Know 15:20 — Can Christians Believe Differently and Still Belong? 17:55 — Is God Bigger Than Our Beliefs? 19:59 — Evolution, Genesis & Faith 22:28 — What Happens to Faith After Deconstruction? 24:38 — Curiosity, Freedom & Making Room for Each Other 27:27 — AI, Christianity & What It Means to Be Human 30:02 — Can Science and Religion Learn to Talk to Each Other? 31:21 — After Deconstruction: What Do We Believe Now? #TheologyBeerCamp #IliaDelio #TrippFuller #SarahHeath #JoshPatterson #Deconstruction #ProgressiveChristianity #FaithAndDoubt #ChristianNationalism #ScienceAndReligion #TheSacredSlope Support the show About The Sacred Slope thesacredslope.com Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity. Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion. WATCH: YouTube / Spotify LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky) Connect Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope Hosted by Alexis Rice Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com Community Guidelines Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • joy • ☮️ peace • patience • kindness • goodness • faithfulness • gentleness • self-control

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  Episode #58

  58. Interfaith Comedy (Yasmin Elhady, Carmiya Weinraub & PT Bratton) | A Muslim, a Jew, and Two Christians Walk Into a Podcast

  Sep 21, 20261h 16mS2

  Send us Fan Mail 58. Interfaith Comedy (Yasmin Elhady, Carmiya Weinraub & PT Bratton) | A Muslim, a Jew, and Two Christians Walk Into a Podcast Comedians Yasmin Elhady, Carmiya Weinraub, and P. T. Bratton join Alexis Rice for an interfaith conversation about faith, comedy, stereotypes, friendship, and the questions people are often too nervous to ask out loud. Together, they are part of Interfaith Comedy , a nationally touring project that brings performers of different faith traditions together to laugh, challenge assumptions, and build real human connection. Carmiya, an observant Jewish comedian and founder of Interfaith Comedy, shares why she wanted Muslim performers in Jewish spaces - and herself in spaces beyond the Jewish community. Yasmin, an Egyptian American Muslim comedian and attorney, reflects on being welcomed to the United States as an asylum seeker by Catholic charities and on why faith, humility, pain, and comedy belong together. P. T., a Christian comedian, former pastor, and military veteran, brings humor and insight about Christian culture, church guilt, and the many ways people interpret the same sacred text. This conversation is not about convincing everyone to believe the same thing. It is about what happens when we stop talking about one another and start talking with one another. People become much harder to fear - and harder to hate - up close. ✨ Guests + Upcoming Shows Yasmin Elhady @yasminelhahahady Egyptian American comedian, attorney, speaker, and storyteller Known for Hulu’s Muslim Matchmaker and NBC’s True Story with Ed Helms and Randall Park Performed at the Kennedy Center Upcoming: Not Exactly a Nun at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., beginning September 25 Website + tickets | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Carmiya Weinraub @carmiya.w Observant Jewish comedian, producer, mother of five, and founder of Interfaith Comedy @interfaith.comedy. Creator of a nationally touring comedy project connecting audiences across faith traditions Interfaith Comedy PT Bratton @ptbrattoncomedy Comedian, storyteller, military veteran, and former pastor Has performed nationally, from comedy clubs to the Kennedy Center and the White House Website + upcoming shows #InterfaithComedy #YasminElhady #CarmiyaWeinraub #PTBratton #Interfaith #FaithAndComedy #TheSacredSlope Support the show About The Sacred Slope thesacredslope.com Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity. Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion. WATCH: YouTube / Spotify LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky) Connect Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope Hosted by Alexis Rice Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com Community Guidelines Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • joy • ☮️ peace • patience • kindness • goodness • faithfulness • gentleness • self-control

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  Episode #57

  57. Dr. Matthew Boedy (Baptist) | The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy

  Sep 17, 20261h 19mS2

  57. Matthew Boedy (Baptist) | The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy What if something many Christians dismiss as fringe is actually an organized framework for changing American culture? Religion. Family. Education. Government and military. Media. Arts and entertainment. Business. These are the Seven Mountains. Dr. Matthew Boedy, Baptist, professor, scholar of religious rhetoric and Christian nationalism, and author of The Seven Mountains Mandate , joins Alexis Rice to explain the history of the Seven Mountains Mandate and why he believes this movement matters far beyond conservative evangelicalism. Alexis grew up in evangelical Christianity. She knew about Christian schools, Christian media, Christian politics, Campus Crusade, apologetics and the culture wars. But she had never heard anyone explain that there were seven specific areas of culture Christians were supposed to influence or “take.” Matthew traces the framework back to Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and Lauren Cunningham of Youth With A Mission, and explains the later influence of Lance Wallnau. They talk about Turning Point USA, Project 2025, public schools, the Ten Commandments, spiritual warfare, pastors and politics, “marketplace apostles,” conspiracy thinking, social media, Christian media, and the difference between sharing your faith and seeking political or cultural power. But this conversation is also about Christianity itself. Matthew is Christian. Alexis is Christian. And the Christianity being discussed here is not all Christianity. What happens when one expression of Christianity becomes so visible that people begin confusing it with Christianity itself? And what responsibility do pastors, scholars, professors and other Christians have to make the larger Christian tradition visible? CHAPTERS 02:56 Introduction 04:12 What Is the Seven Mountains Mandate? 08:37 Understanding Christian Nationalism 17:39 How Large Is This Movement? 23:10 The Global Movement 27:10 Spiritual Warfare & Strategy 30:06 Which Christianity? 32:36 Media & Counterpoints 35:18 Mountain 1: Education 41:41 Ten Commandments in Schools 44:54 The California Narrative 47:21 Mountain 2: Government 49:58 Mountain 3: Religion 53:36 Mountain 4: Family 01:01:51 Mountain 5: Business 01:05:15 Mountain 6: Media 01:09:40 Mountain 7: Arts & Entertainment 01:13:11 Hope & What Comes Next ✨ Guest + Book Matthew Boedy The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy https://bookshop.org/shop/thesacredslope Professor, University of North Georgia Westminster John Knox Press Thanks to @aprilajoy, author of Star-Spangled Jesus , who makes a cameo in this episode, for alerting me through your book of the Seven Mountains Mandate #MatthewBoedy #SevenMountainsMandate #ChristianNationalism #Christianity Support the show About The Sacred Slope thesacredslope.com Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground. For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity. Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion. WATCH: YouTube / Spotify LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky) Connect Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope Hosted by Alexis Rice Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence Nominate a guest: alexis@thesacredslope.com Community Guidelines Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • joy • ☮️ peace • patience • kindness • goodness • faithfulness • gentleness • self-control

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