Theology in the Raw

Latest Episodes:

Venus, Purity Culture, and the Ideal Christian Woman | Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Who decided what a “good woman” should look like?

Long before social media, paintings, sculptures, religious images, and other forms of visual culture were shaping our expectations of women. Those images did not merely reflect society. They helped define beauty, sexuality, motherhood, virtue, and even what Christians imagined a godly woman should be.

Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt is an art historian (Ph.D. from Washington University) and is a professor of art and art history at Covenant College. She’s also the author of two books: the award-winning Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking at and Learning from Art (Baker Academic 2023) and her recent book Look Like a Lady: Five Visual Tropes of Womanhood and How to See Ourselves Differently (Brazos 2026), which forms the basis of our conversation today.

Chapters:

00:00 The Desire to Be Desirable

00:41 What Is a Woman?

03:39 Meet Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt

06:16 How Art Shapes Christian Theology

09:58 Why Medieval Jesus Looks Like a Little Man

14:22 Five Images of Womanhood

15:20 The Venus Trope and Sexual Desirability

18:10 Why Women Learn to See Themselves as Objects

23:21 Purity Culture and the Objectification of Women

28:37 Mary, Elizabeth, and a Better Way of Seeing

33:35 The Myth of the Perfect Mother

38:02 How the Reformation Changed Womanhood

43:44 Are Women Competing for God’s Love?

46:27 Infertility, Motherhood, and Female Identity

49:30 “Is Something Wrong With Me?”

52:24 Do Fathers Get More of a Free Pass?

54:45 How Women Become “Monsters”

59:47 Does the Church Still Vilify Women?

63:45 Shaped by Trauma, Not Defined by It

65:36 A Bigger Vision of Christian Womanhood

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are We Making Our Kids More Anxious? Dr. Chinwé Williams Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Are parents accidentally making their kids more anxious by protecting them from discomfort?

Dr. Chinwé Williams joins Preston to explain why anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social avoidance have risen among young people. They discuss the role of smartphones and social media, the disappearance of real-world community, constant exposure to frightening news, trauma, pornography, and the pressure many kids feel to avoid failure.

Dr. Chinwé Williams is a Licensed and Board-Certified therapist with expertise spanning a variety of domains, including youth and family mental health, parenting & and trauma recovery. Chinwé has served in academic, corporate, school, and faith-based work settings. She’s also the co-author of the best-selling book Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection and her latest book is: Calm, Courageous, and Connected: A Parent's Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Kids

Chapters:

0:00 Avoidance Is Feeding Kids’ Anxiety

2:20 Is the Youth Mental Health Crisis Real?

5:30 What Is Causing the Mental Health Crisis?

8:08 What Social Media Is Taking Away From Kids

9:32 Why Kids Need “Third Spaces”

12:41 Are Kids Becoming Afraid to Take Risks?

16:54 Why Teens Struggle With Social Anxiety

20:04 How Avoidance Makes Anxiety Worse

21:15 Building Grit and Emotional Resilience

23:58 How Parents Accidentally Reinforce Anxiety

26:22 How Parents’ Childhood Wounds Shape Their Parenting

29:57 Fear, Bad News, and the “Milk Carton Generation”

35:10 Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Pornography

43:30 How Parents Can Help Anxious Kids

44:04 Co-Regulation and Connection Before Correction

48:30 Teaching Kids Cognitive Flexibility

51:12 The “Grace Check”

52:42 Healthy Smartphone and Social Media Boundaries

55:41 Who Could Your Teen Call at 2 A.M.?

56:29 Calm, Courageous, and Connected

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bonus Preview: Patreon Q & A Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Hey friends,

Check out the top voted questions from my September Q & A! For the full episode, join the Theology in the Raw Patreon Community at https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Here's the full list of Questions:

00:59 Isn’t it unfair to consider gay-affirming Christians “outside the fold” when pro-war Christians have an equally unbiblical view, but are not treated as such?
09:15 Prophecy of male birth aside, could Jesus have been female and still died for the sins of the world?
13:21 Assuming a view of Jesus with literal brothers, sons of Mary, why do you think Jesus at the cross entrusted the care of Mary to John and not to his literal brothers?
15:45 My mother-in-law is a hospice nurse and had a patient request that she be present at their medically assisted suicide. My mother-in-law would not administer anything, but should she go?
17:40 Are David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi good biblical kinship examples of modern same-sex celibate partnerships?
20:11 I really appreciated your two discussions of biblical masculinity. Any further thoughts or takeaways after you’ve had some time to mull over the conversations?
24:11 How is it that believers, all with the Spirit guiding them, come to such opposing conclusions? How can we be confident we know what God is actually saying or leading us to?
27:03 After a decade at a fast-growing church, should I be concerned that I don’t feel rooted or have a role, while later arrivals become deacons and become known by the leaders?
28:11 Do Job’s speeches function as valid lament for Christians, or are they out of bounds? Some of his statements are pretty intense.
31:09 Would you ever consider having a Christian polygamist on your show? I’ve seen a lot more recently. I strongly disagree, but would love a real back-and-forth.
33:27 How would you explain the doctrine of the Trinity to a nonbeliever or a child? How does it make sense that the Son doesn’t know the day or time of the end?
37:33 Is communion in the Bible always done with the group eating from a common loaf and drinking from a common cup? If so, should that be the standard practice today?
42:18 Is Satan God’s enemy or just ours? If we fail a test, is it Satan’s fault or the proctor’s fault? Was Satan upset when Jesus and Job passed the test? Is the Satan of Job and Matthew 4 the same as Revelation?
44:22 In thinking about friendship as an intimate relationship, what is the place of physical affection? What is cultural versus biblical, especially for men? How do we get there?
47:32 What do you think of Greg Boyd’s cruciform hermeneutic of Old Testament violence described in The Crucifixion of the Warrior God?
50:35 My son asks what we know about angels and archangels from the Old Testament versus pop culture. What do Judaism and Christianity say about ranks, personhood, and the reason for their creation?
53:59 Does a Genesis-first hermeneutic in Matthew 19 imply Christians should be vegetarian as New Eden people, like Adam and Eve? Also, Isaiah 11.
58:37 Do Jews and Christians worship the same God, or does the incarnation fundamentally change who God is? I still feel unclear.
1:00:40 In 1 Timothy 3:2, one of the qualifications for an elder is “able to teach,” which doesn’t appear for deacons or women. Is this a good argument against women teaching?
1:04:19 What’s the likelihood that Paul was married and subsequently widowed or divorced? I’ve heard that to be a Pharisee, he would have had to be married. Is this true?

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Christian Unity Becomes Forced Agreement, with Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

What if Christian unity doesn’t mean agreeing about everything?

Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez joins Preston to discuss the difference between genuine Christian unity and the false peace created by forced agreement. Drawing from her new book, False Peace, Pricelis explains why sameness can silence people, erase meaningful differences, and prevent churches from addressing conflict honestly.

They discuss political and theological disagreement within the church, pastoring a diverse congregation in the Bronx, creating a church culture that welcomes criticism, and deciding which doctrines Christians should divide over.

In the Patreon-exclusive Extra Innings segment, Preston and Pricelis continue the conversation by discussing women in church leadership, Pricelis’s journey toward becoming an ordained pastor, and how she maintains meaningful relationships with Christians who strongly disagree with her.

Join the Theology in the Raw Patreon community to listen to Extra Innings: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Learn more about Pricelis and her book, False Peace: How to Reject the Lie of Sameness, Embrace Difference, and Embody True Unity: https://www.pricelispd.com/my-books

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does the Church Get Modesty Wrong? Dr. Sandra Richter & Noël Tsoukalas Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

What does the Bible really mean by modesty, and why have Christian conversations about clothing so often produced shame, especially for women and teenage girls?

Dr. Sandra Richter is a renown biblical scholar, author, and professor of Old Testament at Westmont College. The 2nd edition of her killer book, The Epic of Eden, releases in November 2026. Sandy is also a faithful mom, and one of her daughters, Noël Tsoukalas, joins us in this conversation about modesty. Noël is a Pop singer-songwriter and worship leader. She made a name for herself on Season 21 of American Idol, where she received a golden ticket and three “yeses” from celebrity judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Check out her music on Spotify!

00:00:00 “Your Outfit Is Causing My Husband to Stumble”

00:06:55 Sandy & Noel on Modesty and Purity Culture

00:12:50 How the Church Has Mishandled Modesty

00:18:10 Sandy’s Experience with Christian Dress Codes

00:21:26 When Modesty Culture Makes Girls’ Bodies “Public Property”

00:27:21 The Billy Graham Rule and Women in Church Leadership

00:32:21 What Does Biblical Modesty Actually Look Like?

00:36:18 Body Shaming and Modesty in the Church

00:38:26 Teaching Girls to Set Boundaries with Church Leaders

00:42:51 Should Churches Have Dress Codes?

00:51:26 Body Types and the Subjectivity of Modesty

00:53:36 What Does Modesty Look Like for Men?

00:56:28 Biblical Modesty Is About More Than Sexuality

00:59:12 Double Standards for Men and Women at Christian Camps

01:01:41 How Should Christian Camps Handle Swimsuit Dress Codes?

01:06:15 Does Modesty Culture Discourage Women from Ministry?

01:08:30 Social Media, Body Image, and Female Musicians

01:11:30 Healing from Shame Around Modesty and Purity Culture

01:14:05 Who Should Talk to Women About Their Clothing?

01:15:20 Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury make the internet stumble

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Church Hurts: Spiritual Trauma and Rebuilding Your Faith: Colleen Ramser Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Colleen Ramser is an EMDR-certified licensed professional counselor (LPC) who specializes in trauma, particularly the effects of spiritual abuse, domestic abuse, and complex trauma. She’s a survivor of spiritual trauma, which she talks about in the show, and she’s the author of the book The Shattered Soul: Restoring Wholeness and Rebuilding Your Faith After Spiritual Trauma, which addresses a lot of the things we discuss in this fasciainating conversation.

00:00 Why Spiritual Trauma Can Make Faith Feel Impossible

00:30 Introduction

02:52 What Qualifies as Trauma?

05:49 Trauma vs. PTSD

07:46 Resilience, Support, and Post-Traumatic Growth

17:06 What Is Spiritual Trauma?

21:00 Colleen’s Experience with Spiritual Abuse

31:18 Signs and Symptoms of Spiritual Trauma

32:48 How Spiritual Trauma Affects Pastors and Church Leaders

39:14 Recognizing and Treating Spiritual Trauma

41:20 Healing Trauma and Rebuilding Your Faith

46:06 Complex Spiritual Trauma vs. Theological Disagreement

49:46 Is the Term “Spiritual Abuse” Overused?

57:30 Are Churches Getting Better at Addressing Abuse?

63:24 Jesus, Power, and the Fruit of the Spirit

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Faithful and Courageous Women in the Bible: Dr. Sandra Glahn Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

To listen to or watch our extra innings conversation, become a member of the Theology in the Raw community at https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw.

Dr Sandra Glahn has spend more than a quarter of a century working as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. She's the cofounder of the Visual Museum of Women in Christianity and the author of more than 25 books--her latest being A Woman's Place Is in the Story. In this episode, we discuss several women in the Old Testament and how the biblical narrator frames their stories. In our "extra innings" conversation, we discuss the question: "What do Egalitarians and Complementarians get wrong about the women in leadership debate."

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:56 How Biblical Narrators Shape the Story

00:04:39 Word Repetition in the Bible: Why It Matters

00:05:29 Tamar in Genesis 38: Hero or Villain?

00:11:32 Are All Women in the Bible Meant to Be Role Models?

00:12:08 Judah and Tamar: A Biblical Character Transformation

00:16:44 Shiphrah and Puah: The Midwives Who Defied Pharaoh

00:21:05 Why Every Christian Should Know Shiphrah and Puah

00:22:17 Did Moses Challenge Patriarchy in the Old Testament?

00:29:57 Abigail in 1 Samuel: Wisdom, Courage, and Leadership

00:36:34 Was Ancient Israel Really a Patriarchy?

00:39:51 Elisha and the Shunammite Woman: A Surprising Biblical Story

00:43:17 Job's Daughters and Women's Inheritance Rights

00:48:15 Why Reading the Full Biblical Story Changes Everything

00:50:10 Jezebel: Justice, Power, and the Biblical Narrative

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Engaging the Race Conversation and Lessons from Elijah for our Chaotic World: Max Lucado Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Max Lucado is a pastor with decades of ministry experience and one of the most bestselling Christian authors of all time, who’s written more than 40 books that have sold around 150 million copies and have been translated in 56 languages. His latest book is Unbreakable Courage: Strong Faith in an Age of Anxiety, Chaos, and Exhaustion.

Chapters

00:07:42 Revisiting 2020: Covid and BLM

00:13:30 The Backlash to Max “Going Woke”

00:16:41 Responding to Generational Pain with Compassion

00:20:55 Tips for Good Writing

00:25:56 The Impact of AI on Writing

00:27:58 AI, Plagiarism and Christian Integrity

00:35:21 Is the World Really Getting Worse?

00:40:11 Over Exposure to Negative Information in the World

00:43:54 What Elijah Can Teach us about navigating the chaos of our world

00:49:01 How God Can Meet us in Our Isolation

00:51:19 Battling with Sinful Thoughts

00:54:09 Was Ahab Elijah’s Enemy?

00:55:07 Elijah Was Human: Hope for Ordinary Christians

00:56:54 Does Prayer Accomplish Anything?

01:00:31 Does Prayer Really Change Anything?

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Engaging the Race Conversation and Lessons from Elijah for our Chaotic World: Max Lucado Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Chapters

00:07:42 Revisiting 2020: Covid and BLM

00:13:30 The Backlash to Max “Going Woke”

00:16:41 Responding to Generational Pain with Compassion

00:20:55 Tips for Good Writing

00:25:56 The Impact of AI on Writing

00:27:58 AI, Plagiarism and Christian Integrity

00:35:21 Is the World Really Getting Worse?

00:40:11 Over Exposure to Negative Information in the World

00:43:54 What Elijah Can Teach us about navigating the chaos of our world

00:49:01 How God Can Meet us in Our Isolation

00:51:19 Battling with Sinful Thoughts

00:54:09 Was Ahab Elijah’s Enemy?

00:55:07 Elijah Was Human: Hope for Ordinary Christians

00:56:54 Does Prayer Accomplish Anything?

01:00:31 Does Prayer Really Change Anything?

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is the Old Testament Law Filled with Punishment, Legalism, and Arbitrary Rules? Dr. Dru Johnson Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Be sure to check out our “Extra Innings” conversation where we discuss what the Old Testament actually says about sex outside of marriage. Surprisingly, there’s no explicit verse in the OT that forbids it. To listen to the full conversation, become a member of the TITR community at https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Dr. Dru Johnson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Templeton Senior Research Fellow and director of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. He is also a visiting professor of religion at Hope College, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought, editor of the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism series, host of The Biblical Mind podcast, and cohost of the OnScript podcast. And, he’s written a bunch of awesome books including his recent book Understanding Biblical Law: Skills for Thinking With and Through Torah, which forms the basis of our fascinating conversation.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:36 What Is the Old Testament Law?
00:04:00 Does "the Law" Mean the Ten Commandments or the Entire Old Testament?
00:06:24 The Law Is More Than Rules: Understanding Biblical Law
00:08:52 Does "Eye for an Eye" Mean Literal Retribution?
00:14:28 Reading Old Testament Laws as Principles, Not Just Rules
00:18:07 "You Shall Not Murder" vs. "You Shall Not Kill"
00:22:49 How to Learn Ethics from Bible Stories
00:24:53 Does the Bible Endorse Polygamy?
00:25:58 Why the Laws of Moses Are Different from Other Ancient Laws
00:28:11 Moses, David, and Other Morally Complex Bible Stories
00:33:44 Are Women Portrayed Better Than Men in the Bible?
00:38:13 How to Apply Biblical Narratives Today
00:41:25 Biblical Discernment vs. Looking for Easy Answers
00:45:21 How Should Christians Read Difficult Old Testament Laws?
00:51:13 Why Were Old Testament Punishments So Severe?
00:57:17 Restorative Justice in Ancient Israel: Why Were There No Prisons?
01:00:31 The Sons of Korah and Other Difficult Old Testament Judgments

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected