Show Notes
We’re excited to welcome @angelajherrington back to the podcast to talk about her new book and overcoming Christian patriarchy. For over a decade, Angela has helped women break free from the grip of Christian patriarchy and reconnect with the wisdom they were taught to silence. She is a trauma-informed coach, strategist, and author, who has walked alongside thousands through deconstruction, spiritual burnout, and the messy, beautiful work of building a life that feels whole and true. Her work brings together spiritual insight, nervous system awareness, and grounded practices that create lasting change. In this episode, Fr. Shay talks with Angela about her new book, “Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy” and how it is building on her first book about faith deconstruction. Angela explores how Christian patriarchy and nationalism shape our inner lives, limit our sense of self, and disconnect us from embodied wisdom. She discusses archetypal feminine wisdom beyond gender binaries, the power of intuition and embodiment after high-control religion, grief over missed developmental stages, and the healing potential of reconnecting with these feminine archetypes. This conversation offers a compassionate invitation to self-nurturing, wholeness, and reclaiming wisdom that was never meant to be lost. Resources:
Learn more about Angela Herrington at https://angelajherrington.com/ Buy Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy by Angela Herrington Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/
This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast. Today we have a special guest in Angela Harrington. I’m really excited for you to hear this conversation. So, here’s a little bit about Angela before we jump in. For over a decade, Angela Harrington has helped women break free from the grip of Christian patriarchy and reconnect with the wisdom they were taught to silence. She is a trauma informed coach, strategist, and author who has walked alongside thousands through deconstruction, spiritual burnout, and the messy beautiful work of building a life that feels whole and true. 2 (1m 3s): Her work brings together spiritual insight, nervous system awareness, and grounded practices that create lasting change. So let’s get into it. Welcome, Angela. Well, Angela, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so thrilled to have you back to talk about your new book. Thanks for being here. 3 (1m 19s): Yeah, thanks for having me. 2 (1m 21s): So it’s been, it’s been, I think, probably at least a year, maybe even more since we had you on to, to talk about your first book. And I, I’m wondering for, for folks who missed that interview, we’re gonna link it in the show notes, but would you just tell us just a brief, brief bit about your first book and maybe anything that you’ve noticed in, in the time since that book came out? 3 (1m 47s): Yeah. So the first book really honed in on supporting people who already constructing, deconstructing your faith without losing yourself was just really timely and, and really important for me. And I think that it served, I think it served as a guide for a lot of people who weren’t sure if, if they wanted to hang onto their faith or not hang onto their faith, but they were sure that they were tired
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In this episode, we queer Luke 15:1–10 and Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. This is a familiar parable but what if we reimagine what it means to seek, find, and celebrate the people who are hurting or searching for belonging? Rather than viewing these stories solely through the lens of evangelism and conversion, what if we consider how faith calls us to meet people where they are, offering compassion, healing, and community without treating relationships as a means to save. We always say that the Bible declares good news for LGBTQ folks and we can really see that when we reflect on how these parables speak to us, especially those who have felt lost or isolated in anti-LGBTQ+ faith communities. Resources:
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It’s a special episode this week as we celebrate the launch of our brand-new book, “Reading the Bible Through Queer Eyes: Good News for LGBTQ+ People from Genesis to Revelation.” We have been doing this work for more than a decade and we’re super excited to finally see it in book form! If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know we’ve always been big proponents of storytelling, telling YOUR story, and approaching Scripture through a queer lens. In this book we explore how moving beyond defensiveness and moving toward joy, wonder, and deeper spiritual insight brings a richer understanding of Scripture. The book is available for pre-order now and releases December 1 in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. There are also some pre-order bonuses as a thank you for being part of this journey with us and for helping us share a message of queer joy, spiritual possibility, and good queer gospel with the world! Resources:
This week we queer Matthew 20:1–16, the familiar parable of the laborers in the vineyard, and uncover a lesson that is deeply concerned with labor, wages, economic justice, and generosity. This passage is often taught as a story about salvation and getting into heaven, but when we explore what emerges when we take Jesus’ words about workers, wages, and equality seriously, it shows again how the gospel is political. We also reflect on what it means to welcome people who join the work late, distinguish genuine participation from simply claiming allyship, and hold space for both the frustration of those who have carried the burden for a long time and the generosity of those ready to join. It’s a powerful reminder that the kingdom of heaven is here and now and we are invited to dream bigger and with more generosity where we are today. There is so much more that is possible!