#132-B: Unpacking Katie Gaddini on single women leaving the church

The B-Side is back! Katie Gaddini’s evocative book unveiling the factors that cause single women to feel alienated in the church triggered some THOUGHTS from both Tryphena and myself. Having both served in churches for many years, we each shared some of the ways we’ve seen “the ideal Christian woman” trope play out, why this and other things are so problematic, and what we want to see happen. We talked about a deep faith in Jesus bringing about a wide embrace of people, how we each need to be doing the work of growth and introspection, how marriage can be a framework of control, church NDAs and more!

Jonathan PuddleNovember 24, 2022women, church, pastoring, patriarchy, power, b-side, dignityComment

#132: Why single women are leaving the church (with Dr. Katie Gaddini)

Sociologist and author Dr. Katie Gaddini joins us to talk about the factors forcing single evangelical women out of the church. Rather than a focus on faith deconstruction, we talked about power structures and cultural norms, such as “the ideal Christian woman,” how such stereotypes develop, and how they alienate people who don’t fit them. We touched on sexuality, purity culture, whiteness, patriarchy, affluence, wealth, and more in a quest to understand why the largest group currently leaving the church is women.

Jonathan PuddleNovember 11, 2022women, church, purity culture, spiritual abuse, pastoring, patriarchy, race, powerComment

#122: The embodied faith of our grandmothers (with Kat Armas)

Kat Armas comes to the show this week to discuss embodiment, the sacredness of survival, and the faith of our grandmothers. Kat argues that our grandmothers, especially abuelitas in Latine cultures, function as live-in ministers particularly because the privilege to receive formal religious instruction is often unavailable. We all miss out on the unique, embodied, ways of knowing truth and practicing wisdom when we don’t turn our gaze to these figures who have been in our lives since before we were born. Kat’s book is called, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach us About Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength, and it’s excellent.

Jonathan PuddleNovember 11, 2021theology, family, embodiment, grandmothers, womenComment

#109: Why we silence women who tell the truth (with Tiffany Bluhm)

This week on The Puddcast, author, speaker and podcaster Tiffany Bluhm joins us to discuss why we silence women. She unpacked the imbalance of power exposed during sexual misconduct allegations, why men are excused for their behaviour and women are blamed for it. We explored the reasons women don’t always speak up and what often happens when they do. Tiffany explained why we don’t believe those women who do speak up.

Jonathan PuddleApril 8, 2021sexual abuse, metoo, churchtoo, patriarchy, power, women, jesus on women, social justice, race, justice (theological)Comment

#6: Rethinking Women in Ministry

A friend of mine grew up in a strict Christian tradition where women weren't allowed to minister to men. Years have passed since then but she still finds herself feeling guilty or confused about what exactly it was that Paul said to Timothy. She asked me for my thoughts on women in ministry, and so you get a whole podcast out of it. Strap yourselves in, this one is full of fire!