It is imperative to pair Paul’s teachings about women in his letters with the way we see women integrated and highlighted in the early church in the book of Acts and beyond. This is the first of two episodes looking at the way women were a core part of the Church from the beginning. Today we’re in the book of Acts, next week we’ll also study Acts and Paul’s greetings in his letters. We’ll see the Apostles value and elevate women, and the ways that “brothers and sisters” worshiped and led side by...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In light of all the recent coverage of abuses in churches and pastors advising women to stay in abusive relationships, we wanted to devote an entire episode to passages that have often been used against victims in the Church. It is all too common for women to have the Bible quoted to them about why they should stay in unhealthy relationships or why their abuse is being covered up. We believe this is a severe injustice and misuse of scripture. Today we’ll be digging into some of these passages an...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Paul’s teachings have been a major basis for the belief that women should not have leadership roles in the Church. On the surface his writings can seem extremely harsh and dismissive, and have been a source of pain and confusion for many women (us included). In this episode we are digging deeper into the historical context and Greek translation of 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2-3, the main places where Paul seems to command women to be silent in church and not have positions of authority. We o...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 22
We’re moving into the wider New Testament and looking at Paul’s letters. His teachings about women are most often used to reinforce patriarchal gender norms, and have been a source of pain and confusion for many of us. In today’s episode we’ll begin digging into those very entrenched biblical interpretations about male headship and gender roles in marriage. We believe that God was instilling great beauty in these metaphors but patriarchal readings have often twisted them to become oppressive to ...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Jesus empowers women during His ministry and also through His death and resurrection. In this week’s episode we dig into the crucial role women played in being present with Jesus during the crucifixion, and the ways Jesus reveals Himself to them at the resurrection and emboldens them for evangelism. We believe this was not just for the sake of creating an airtight apologetic for the validity of the resurrection, but was also a sign of the love and value Jesus places on women in the Church. Read ...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 20
We’re thrilled to welcome a very special guest to the podcast, New York Times Best Selling author, Cole Arthur Riley. Cole’s work in the last 2 years through her Instagram account @blackliturgies, her online writing, and her recent book “This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that make us” have been such a powerful voice. The three of us dig in to the story of the Woman at the Well. We look at Jesus’s invitation to belonging and question traditional narratives about this woma...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Who do you picture when you hear the word, “disciple”? Most of us probably instinctively picture a man, but the Gospels show us that Jesus encouraged and empowered women disciples in his ministry. Today we’re looking at Jesus’s interactions with women from a grieving widow to a wealthy benefactress. Jesus has an inspiring track record of involving women in His life and ministry, and making a place of welcome for us in His presence. This episode also has some meaningful reflections from the story...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Today we’re digging into the Magnificat (Mary’s song of praise), and her stories with Jesus after his birth. Patriarchy has so often assumed that Jesus takes a dismissive or irritated tone with Mary in their interactions, but we believe these stories reveal the depth to which Mary knew and understood her son, and partnered with his ministry. Perhaps more than any other human in his life, Mary exemplified what it meant to be attentive to him, to treasure their interactions, and to support the hea...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 17
The Protestant evangelical church has historically been all too reluctant to elevate and honor the legacy of Mary the mother of Jesus. We think Mary is such an important woman in scripture that she deserves 2 episodes! Today we’re talking about her call by God and her yes to being part of the salvation story, and her crucial time with her cousin Elizabeth and what they teach us about encouragement and hope in community. Read along with us: Luke 1:26-56
May 18, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 16
We’re moving into women in the New Testament! And to do that we’re going to dig back into the Old Testament. The Gospel of Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus which has some peculiarities that would have been surprising to its readers, namely that 5 women are included in what would normally be a list of men only. This was a deliberate choice by the author to teach us something about who shaped Jesus and who He came to save. They also show us that Jesus chose to join a family with generati...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Last week we looked at some challenging feminine language and metaphors for Israel in the prophets. Today we’re going to look at some of the positive images and the way the feminine images are used to describe God. Most of us “know” that God is outside of gender but when it comes down to it, we haven’t really explored what that means or how that’s revealed and demonstrated in the word. So that’s where we’re heading today. And if there’s something that feels new, we encourage you to lean in with ...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode we’re going to be talking about feminine imagery in the prophets. specifically metaphorical uses of female language to describe Israel. We have often conflated the metaphorical language with literal views of women so today we want to draw better distinctions in how God was talking to Israel and what he was trying to communicate in these metaphors. We’ll also dig into the way the movie Redeeming Love depicts the book of Hosea, what it gets right and what became some unhelpful misr...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 13
If you were to make a list of Biblical stories about liberation, would Esther be on that list? As we discuss the second half of the book of Esther, you’ll see why it will make your list moving forward! Chapters 5-10 are packed with supernatural timing, ironic twists, profound reversals, and powerful victory over oppression. We also discuss how the story of Esther became a Jewish national holiday and continues to carry immense hope and celebration for the Jewish community in modern history. Passa...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 12
We’re digging into the book of Esther! This is a book that has often been reduced to a story that’s only for women about winning a beauty pageant and becoming a queen. But there is so much depth to this book for both women and men. It’s a fantastic hero’s journey, there is one of the best male role models in scripture, it has a great deal to say about racial identity and the pressure to assimilate, and this is a book that’s had tremendous meaning for the Jewish people throughout history. There’s...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The story of Hannah has at times been used as a formula for women to get pregnant who struggle with infertility. That approach can become judgmental and overly simplistic, and does not honor the fullness of Hannah’s story and the pervasive instances of barren women in the Bible. In this episode we dig into the risky hope that Hannah expresses in her petition to God. Hope that requires vulnerability and boldness to be honest about our desires before the Lord. Hannah’s story provides a model for w...
Apr 06, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The book of Ruth is known for being a sweet love story and an important installment in the redemption story. But Ruth is also a book about the power of female friendship and community. David and Jonathan typically get all the attention for modeling biblical friendship, but David first learned about commitment and support from his great-grandmother. This is perhaps one of the most well known female figures we discuss this season but don’t think there’s nothing new to uncover in this story about g...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 9
We’re continuing our excavation as we move into the book of Judges and then the era of the kings, looking at the prophetess and judge Deborah (and her fellow warrior, Jael), and the prophetess Huldah. We’re discussing these powerful examples of women in leadership in Israel, and taking on the pervasive interpretation that their leadership was a last resort in the absence of other willing male leaders. These are some women who aren’t always paid their due so we are excited to dig into their stori...
Mar 23, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This week’s episode is delicate but so important for making sense of some passages that on the surface can feel harsh and unfair. We’re digging into Deut. 22:22-29 and discussing how this passage handles sexual violence, and the test for adultery in Num. 5:11-31 (cross referenced with John 8:1-11). We may not resolve every feeling of unease these passages can incite, but we believe that God cares very much about the struggles women face in these areas and ultimately desires our protection and we...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Did you know the Bible has a whole passage about periods and menstruation? Today we’re talking about Leviticus 15 and “bodily discharges”. Men, don’t skip this episode because it’s a topic we all need to understand better. We’re digging into how to interpret the way the Bible talks about male and female reproductive hygiene, and specifically the ways we think about being “unclean” and what God’s intention is for the way we view ourselves. This is a passage that on the surface can feel harsh and ...
Mar 09, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6
We’ve got a special bonus episode for International Women’s Day! As this day celebrates the contributions and leadership of women, we will dig into the story in Exodus 1 of the Hebrew midwives. Their story gives us a humorous and inspiring picture of Godly resistance and the ways women have acted with bravery and wit to advocate for their communities. We read the following passage in the episode: Ex. 1:6-21 Ex. 15:20-21
Mar 08, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 5
We hear a lot about the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but what about the matriarchs? In this week's episode we dig into the narratives of Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah and Leah. Each of these women have their own personal encounters with God apart from and unmediated by their husbands. Let’s see how God relates to them intimately and proves Himself faithful in their lives. We read the following passages in the episode: Gen. 12:10-20 Sarah Gen. 16:1-14 Hagar Gen. 25:19-23 Rebekah (also note Rebek...
Mar 02, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 4
We continue to dig into the history and perceptions of Eve and in this part 2 episode we discuss Satan’s strategy for why he would target Eve first rather than Adam. Heather poses 2 theories: 1. Satan has a particular hatred of Eve and wanted to neutralize her from the beginning. 2. Satan wanted to disrupt God’s created design for human connection and insert his own pattern of distrust and isolation into God’s world. Listen in as we dialogue about the ways those strategies continue to play out i...
Feb 23, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 3
We’re digging in from the very beginning starting with our Matriarch, Eve. We’re uncovering some of the history and perceptions of Eve. Jamie proposes that: 1. Eve as Adam’s “helper” is a powerful name 2. God is not prescribing but describing the impact of sin in Gen 3. 3. He’s not describing gender roles but rather some particularities of Eve’s work Listen in as we dialogue about the we have at times added to the blame of Eve and realized the gift and power as the Mother of the Living. We’re di...
Feb 23, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Start getting to know us in this brief episode as we introduce ourselves! We have a conversation about our backgrounds and our history with the topic of women in the Bible and in the Church. We also lay out our approach to this series and what to expect from upcoming episodes. There is also an invitation for men to listen in and join the conversation, Excavate is open to all listeners!
Feb 23, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 1
