Still Christian: Recent Episodes
Katelyn Dixon, Sarah Almodovar
Welcome to the Still Christian podcast, where we retrace our steps through Evangelical culture--finding a new path forward without abandoning our faith.
Join friends Sarah and Katie as they take a deep dive into how we got here and how to be "Still Christian" in the midst of cultural and spiritual brokenness.
What about the missionary kids? In our final episode of Season 5, Church Kids: Where Are They Now? , we chat with Holly Berkley Fletcher about a particular subset of church kids--those who grew up overseas on the evangelical mission field and are navigating life in the USA as adults today.
In her book The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism, Holly paints a compelling picture of the implicit harm that occurs when white evangelical missionaries try to cut and paste an American version of the Christian faith onto another culture. Through bravely sharing her story as a missionary kid, Holly invites all of us into a faith that is driven by curiosity, justice, honesty instead of fear and control.
P.S. Still Christian will return with our next season, Begin Again, in the fall. Stay tuned!
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Buy the book!
Holly's Substack
What change might we witness in future generations of young people if adult Christians emphasized unconditional belonging over the pressure to believe 'correctly'?
In her book Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation, author and former camp speaker Cara Meredith wrestles with the complicated legacy of Christian camps in America.
Throughout our conversation, Cara offers a loving critique that celebrates the joys of Christian camp life while also calling such camps to a higher standard ministry, for the sake of our youth and the people who lead them.
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Find the book here!
Cara's Substack!
Cara's Instagram!
In life and in faith, downsizing is a necessary process that helps us move from one phase of growth to the next. Amid what can often feel like a disorienting process, what's okay to let go of and what should we hold on to?
Join us and Michelle Van Loon, author of Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism's Nonessentials, as we explore releasing the accumulated baggage of religion in order to step into a truer, simpler expression of our faith.
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Buy the book!
Check out Michelle's Substack!
Find her on Instagram!
How do we rebuild trust in God, ourselves, and others after life-shattering betrayal? In her travel memoir Tiger in a Lifeboat , Lauren Cibene invites us to accompany her through India as she experiences recovery and homecoming in the beauty of unfamiliar places.
We talk with Lauren about what it looks like to come home to yourself with courage and integrity after things fall apart.
Our number one takeaway? Hang in there, church kidz; we're gonna be alright.
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Check it out:
Lauren's Substack!
Buy the Book!
Instagram!
Is it possible to find a balanced approach between conservative and progressive beliefs?
We believe it is—especially after interviewing author and pastor Nicholas McDonald about his treasure of a book, The Light in Our Eyes: Rediscovering the Love, Beauty, and Freedom of Jesus in an Age of Disillusionment. Whew—can we get an Amen?
In this interview, Nicholas guides us through an exploration of the roots of the distinctly American Evangelical movement, concluding that our most compelling witness may be the fact that because we belong to Jesus, we belong to each other—in spite of all that could divide us.
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Check it out:
Nicholas’s Substack!
Buy the book!
We’re low key thrilled to introduce the Still Christian Podcast’s fifth season! Church Kidz: Where Are They Now? follows the stories of ordinary Evangelical church kids who grew up going to Sunday school. As adults, they’re wrestling with how to appreciate their childhood faith heritage while embracing the new thing God is doing in their lives and churches.
If you find yourself having grown up in the American Evangelical church and also wanting to experience more breadth and depth to your faith, you’re not alone. Each author and ministry leader featured in Season 5 offers a unique perspective on what it looks like to live out authentic faith in today’s spiritual and cultural climate.
More than anything, we hope these stories inspire you tokeep pressing in to Jesus—the source and goal of our faith.
So buckle up, Church Kidz. . . there are beautiful things ahead.
On this final episode of the Embodied Faith series, Sarah and Katie reflect on what they’ve learned about how to live out their faith in a more embodied way with God, self, and others. Our bodies are messy and fragile, but they are also vessels that beautifully reflect the glory and goodness of God.
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Season 5 set to premiere January 2026!
What does the way our bodies function tell us about God’s design for humanity? We invite you to pull up a chair as Sarah, Katie, and reproductive health nurse Lindsey explore what it looks like to celebrate the goodness of God by learning to embrace the body in all its complexity.
Although many who grew up in Western Evangelical circles were taught to be suspicious of the body, this episode is a gentle, corrective invitation into holy curiosity regarding the body's beautiful design.
Topics covered:
- The role of community in faith and health
- Women's reproductive cycles exemplifying rhythms of exertion and rest
- Misconceptions in women's health education
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Be sure to follow us on Instagram @stillchristianpodcast!
What does embodied faith look like after experiencing the trauma of abuse?
In our conversation with the author of Cradled in the Arms of Compassion and professor of Spiritual Formation Dr. Frank Rogers Jr., we explore the sanctity of embodiment in light of the Incarnation of Jesus, who redeems our experiences of harm and holds us with infinite compassion.
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To learn more about Frank's work and order his book: GO HERE!
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*Trigger warning: The subject matter of this episode is finding healing after the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, along with grappling with the pain of death by suicide. Please use discretion when listening.
How do we become people who embody confidence when life does its best to tear us down? Spoiler alert: the answer is Jesus. Join co-hosts Sarah and Katie as we talk with confidence coach Ashley Henriott about her new book: Confidence Is an Inside Job, which offers readers a path to confidence that is based in the grounded security we find only in the deep, deep love of Jesus.
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Ashley's website!
Ashley's book!
In this special episode, we interview author Liz Charlotte Grant about her new book, Knock at the Sky. Together we wonder,
-Is it possible to have a view of the Bible that's authoritative but not authoritarian?
-Is doubt a problem, or could it be the place we meet the God who's been seeking us all along?
-What does it look like to love and know God in and through our imperfect bodies?
For those seeking a revivifying way to relate to the Bible and the God we find in its pages, listen, lean in, and be refreshed.
Find Liz's work here!
Substack: thempathylist.com
Book: Knock at the Sky
This episode features our wisdom-packed conversation with certified Enneagram coach Drew Dixon. Together, we explore this question:
- How can the Enneagram be a helpful spiritual tool for learning faithful embodiment?
And this one:
- Why has the Western church so long prioritized the mind over the body as a means to knowing God?
If you want to learn some practical steps towards worshipping God with all your heart, mind, AND body, this episode is for you.
BONUS: Drew is providing ½ off Enneagram Consultations forlisteners of this podcast! Go todrewldixon.com/stillchristian to learn more.
In this episode, our beloved host Sarah Almodovar hops into the interview seat as we explore what her work as a pre and post-natal yoga instructor has taught her about the wonder of our bodies and how the simple yet profound gift of movement can be an expression of worship.
For the dear souls who have been scared out of practicing yoga because you were told it “isn’t Christian,” this refreshing episode might just give you the new perspective you’ve been hoping for.
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Links: Yoga for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
sarahjoalmo.com
instagram.com/sarahjoalmo
And we’re back! Join Sarah & Katie as we “vision cast” (how mega-churchy of us) for Season 4 of The Still Christian Podcast: Embodied Faith. Western Christianity has leaned heavily on the rational mind as our primary means of knowing and worshipping God:
- But what about these bodies of ours that God created and called “very good”?
- Could the body be more than just a hindrance to overcome on the spiritual journey?
- What if our embodied selves are just as capable of knowing and worshipping God as our thinking selves
Join us as we explore what it means to bring our minds and our bodies into our faith.
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“I want to dive deeper into what it means to trustour bodies as a way of encountering God.” –K
“I want a greater appreciation and understanding of the mystery of our bodies—and all the ways we’ve overlooked them—and the gift that God has given us in our bodies.” –S
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Bonus: This episode contains devastatingly apt metaphors from Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s 1997 film Cinderella* starring Brandi (IYKYK).
Sarah and Katie reflect on the incredible female authors and stories featured in Season 3, and how each woman offers a unique viewpoint of both the harm and the hope of evangelical church culture. *Bonus: Listen for a super compelling preview of our upcoming season!
How can we attune our ears to the still, small voice of God when we are surrounded by constant noise--and how might the church be complicit in turning up the volume? In her winsome and wise upcoming book Slow Childhood, author Grace Pouch proposes that offering the next generation a slower, more intentional pace of life in which it is possible to live both conversationally and relationally with God starts with us.
What does it look like to disentangle ourselves from toxicforms of Christianity while maintaining the joy of our faith? For Jesus followers who are tempted to give up when this process gets messy, Kate Boyd provides gentle guidance and a wise path forward in her recent book, An Untidy Faith. Join Sarah and Katie as they chat with Kate about what it means to have one’s faith expanded by love of God and neighbor.
Sheila Wray Gregoire's The Great Sex Rescue helps readers identify the lies they've been taught about marriage and sex and how to re-discover what God intended for couples to thrive. Join us as we talk with Sheila about the toxic distortion of Biblical principles that has left many couples confused and hurt and as we discover what a renewed vision of healthy marriage and sex looks like for Christians today.
*Contains sexual references
"They love the church. . .so why not fight for it?" With these words award-winning journalist Sarah Stankorb describes the courageous women featured in her bestselling book Disobedient Women, which tells the story of how a group of faithful women exposed layers of abuse and corruption within the evangelical church using the power of the internet. Join us as we learn from Sarah Stankorb how speaking up about church hurt has become a courageous act of advocacy on behalf of the voiceless.
Is it possible for faith deconstruction to be a formative spiritual practice that does not lead to de-conversion or losing one’s identity? Author Angela J. Herrington believes that it is. Join hosts Sarah and Katie as we talk with Angela about her new book, Deconstructing Your Faith Without Losing Yourself, and what it means to take a fearless inventory of one’s faith in a way that leads to a deeper, more authentic, abundant life.
Welcome to Season 3 of the Still Christian Podcast! To kick of our In Her Words series, Sarah interviews Katie about her journey of becoming a writer, re-discovering her voice after trauma, and the importance of uplifting female voices who are working to heal church hurt through the craft of writing.
This episode may or may not include Katie reading an exclusive excerpt from a book she handwrote when she was 7 years old called The Christmas Pony*. You're welcome.
The final episode of our Still Christian Through Suffering series, in which Katie and Sarah reflect upon the brave and sacred stories of faith and suffering shared this past season, and Sarah somehow manages to work in "Footprints in the Sand". . .again.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Companions in the Darkness by Diana Gruver
- God Thou Art Love by Robert Browning (song version here)
Growing up in the church, many of us were taught "Divorce is never an option." But is that actually the heart of God for women and men whose partner has emotionally or physically left the marriage? Join hosts Katie and Sarah in their conversation with Gabby, who has journeyed through the pain of divorce and offers her perspective with integrity, gentleness, and wisdom.
Where is God when we do not feel safe within our own minds? Hosts Katie and Sarah interview Anglican teacher, scholar, and poet Greg Jeffers about his journey of recovery from trauma-related OCD. Greg's candid sharing of how God met him in unfathomable pain offers hope and illumination to those who find themselves walking in darkness and in need of light.
Mentioned in this episode:
- "Stop it!" - Bob Newhart video
- The Sacredness of Questioning Everything book
- Hurting with God: Learning to Lament with the Psalms book
- The Psalm on the Cross: Learn More about Psalm 22, Christ’s Song of Sorrow and Victory article
Where is God in the darkness of depression? Hosts Sarah and Katie interview Diana Gruver, author of "Companions in the Darkness: Seven Saints Who Struggled with Depression and Doubt," about her own experience with depression and finding her way through the dark. Diana's story and insight provide hope for those who have experienced or are currently experiencing depression-- even when life feels hopeless and God seems absent.
Where is God when our suffering has no foreseeable end date? How do we cling to God through chronic illness when there are no guarantees we will be healed in this lifetime? Counseling student, sister, and friend Jeanine Gorzalski vulnerably shares her story of communing with God through immense physical and spiritual suffering. Whether you are experiencing chronic illness yourself or you know someone who is, Jeanine's story offers hard-earned wisdom and hope along with practical ways to support someone in pain.
Where is God when we lose who we love most? Why does suffering seem to drive some people closer to God, and others further? Sarah and Katie invited mother, wife, and minister Faith Titus to share her story of clinging to God while suffering the unimaginable. Faith's story is the first in a series of conversations we are hosting with Christians who have journeyed through immense pain yet still believe that God is good.*Trigger warning: Death of children
Welcome to Season 2 of the Still Christian Podcast! Our next series of episodes will feature the stories and wisdom of people who have experienced deep suffering yet still call God good. In this episode, Sarah and Katie introduce the series by exploring the age-old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" as well as wading through the deep waters of popular allegorical Christian poem, "Footprints in the Sand."
What's the most important thing we want our children to know about God? And how do we raise them to love and trust God without perpetuating past harm? Join hosts Sarah and Katie along with special guest and winsome parenting wizard Laura Bretheim as they explore the challenges and gifts of cultivating our children's faith in today's world.
*This is the final episode of Season 1. Stay tuned for more episodes coming this fall!
Part two of our daring and delightful conversation about spiritual disciplines with author and speaker Diana Gruver.
Sword drills. Quiet time. Giving God your first fruits. Sound familiar? Then "Have we got a show for you!" (<-If you read this in Bob the Tomato's voice a la Veggie Tales circa 1997, you're in the right place.) If you've ever felt guilty about not doing it right when it comes to spiritual disciplines, we hope you'll join us as we explore what moving from guilt to freedom looks like in our pursuit of God.
Is the B-I-B-L-E still the book for us? Is it more than a rule book or an inspirational collection of writings? Join Katie and Sarah along with pastor and spiritual director Drew Dixon as we take a closer look at how the Bible shaped our lives while growing up in church and how we relate to it differently now. (Spoiler alert: it is.)
From Sunday School to Catholic Mass, Sarah and Katie share their circuitous, sometimes painful, often hilarious journey of losing and finding church again . . . or at least looking for it in hope of something more.
Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the inner workings of this podcast as Sarah & Katie answer questions submitted by our vast audience (thanks Mom!). Topics include: Cheesy Christian sayings that are actually true, Christian platitudes that sound true but are hurtful and false, why we still go to church, mission trips, and more!
Did the True Love Waits movement keep its promises to those who pledged their purity? Was it worth it to those who waited to have sex until marriage? Sarah and Katie explore the many complications that arise when we equate purity with virginity, while also casting a new vision for future generations.
Remember the popular purity culture book I Kissed Dating Goodbye? Hosts Sarah and Katie sure do. If you've ever contemplated kissing dating goodbye (or have actually done it!), hats off to you. Bless you. Let's talk about how weird that was.
Is finding God’s will for our lives an elusive treasure hunt, or is it something we can live into and understand? If the well-intentioned yet foreboding admonishment “Don’t waste your life!” has ever made you a wee bit anxious, this episode just might be for you.
In this riveting continuation of exploring what it means to be saved, Katie and Sarah find final and definitive answers on who's saved and who's not, all while solving the vast and complex problems of the universe. Kidding. But you should tune in anyways, because there are goats.
What does it actually mean to "be saved?" With thoughtful reflection and a healthy dose of levity, Sarah and Katie unpack a concept that is often confusing and can leave people with more fear than joy.
Join us as we share our compelling friendship origin story along with the "why" behind this podcast.