Touch Podcast: Conversations of Spirit and Body

Men, Masculinity and Purity @ Wildgoose with Ryan and Nate 2022 Oct 05, 2022

Volume Up! Nate and Ryan get real about Men, Masculinity, and Purity @Wildgoose Festival. While purity culture has had a disproportionately negative impact on women, men have also been harmed. Join us as we explore how transactional faith led to transactional intimacy and we need to do to fix it.

Trans Talk with Guests Tristan Chipman And Ryan Patrick Sep 01, 2022

Trans Talk with Guests Tristan Chipman And Ryan Patrick by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero

Touch 4.8 Charna Cassell: Men, Trauma and Dysregulated Intimacy Jun 12, 2022

During Touch 4.8 Charna Cassell: Men, Trauma and Dysregulated Intimacy, Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero interview LMFT, and a Trauma-Trained Psychotherapist and Sexuality Coach, Charna Cassell who helps people heal and find pleasure in their bodies. For over two decades, first, as a sex educator and sex toy clerk at Good Vibrations located in San Francisco. Then, as a Master Somatic Coach and bodyworker, and now, a licensed psychotherapist. We talk about trauma and intimacy, especially how it impacts our ability to be in the moment. Please support our podcast on Patreon and don't forget to share this episode with your friends!

Touch 4.7 Our Pain Made Flesh With Eric Minton May 27, 2022

Touch 4.7 Our Pain Made Flesh is a compelling conversation with a psychotherapist and ordained minister, Eric Minton, about his book "It's Not You, It's Everything: What our Pain Reveals about the Anxious Pursuit of the Good Life." We discuss how children and youth are expressing their anxieties about living in our frenetic and social media saturated culture. Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero discuss strategies for parenting and coping in a world that is literally killing us.

Touch 4.6 Sexy Caramel Bown in A White Town May 11, 2022

Reflecting on 4.5 with Dr. Monique Moultrie, Ryan interviews Nathan on what it was like to grow up brown in a white town. From skipping dances to becoming a filmmaker, Nathan talks about being treated as white - most of the time.

Touch 4.5 Dr. Monique Moultrie: The Black and White of Purity Apr 22, 2022

This mini-audio documentary is produced by Nathan Novero and is an interview with co-host Ryan Clark and Dr. Monique Moultrie who is the Associate Professor of Africana Studies, Religious Studies at Georgia State University. She is also the author of "Passionate and Pious: Religious Media and Black Women’s Sexuality". We are deeply grateful for her time to work on our documentary project. Please enjoy this important and fascinating sample where Dr. Moultrie helps listeners distinguish between the "Black" and "White" church purity experience.

Touch 4.4 When We Get Angery Apr 14, 2022

Touch 4.4 When We Get Angery by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero

Touch 4.3 Confessions of Self Love And The Apostle Paul Apr 08, 2022

Ryan and Nathan talk about confronting your own body and learning to accept it. They discuss Paul and original sin and the deep need to be accepted.

Touch 4.2 Great Fun with Tina Shermer Sellers Mar 29, 2022

Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero speak with Dr. Tina Shermer-Sellers about sex education with kids and adults. Her new book Shameless Parenting helps parents deal with their own shame to pave the way for great family conversations on intimacy. A shoutout to Max Searle and Fed Savage for Season 1, Episode 3 of The Wonder Years (2021).

New Beginnings: Touch Podcast Season 4 Episode 1 Feb 21, 2022

Nathan Novero and Ryan Clark are back with Season 4 of Touch Podcast. They talk about Purity, faith, men's groups, movie making, and life during the pandemic.

The Private Thoughts of Young Sex with Jennifer Knapp Ryan Clark And Nathan Novero GR Feb 28, 2020

Season 3, Episode 2. Is Season 3 alive? Yes, it is. Here we are in February - in the middle of pitching at television show based on season 1 of this podcast. We got behind. We'll stay behind for a while. But we love you. Thank you for listening. More to come. Video interviews and audio.

Touch Podcast Season Three, Live from Wild Goose Festival with Jennifer Knapp Oct 11, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 3 Episode 1 starts at the Wild Goose Festival live before an outdoor audience with Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero, and Jennnifer Knapp. These three banter over marriage, sexual exploration, and Touch's upcoming Documentary on Purity. Support Touch Podcast now and get secret fall content when you subscribe. Support Touch Podcast now @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast!

Touch Podcast : Inside And Outside The Boundaries Of Your Sexual Playground May 01, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 24 Inside And Outside The Boundaries Of Your Sexual Playground with Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero, and Shannon Ethridge. Jumping back in from last week, your co-hosts talk about what it means to test the boundaries of your commitment to your partner and possibilities for acting out in holy ways on your fantasies.

Touch Podcast Grab Bag of Goodies Juicy Listener Mail (part 1 of 2) Apr 24, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2, Episode 23 Grab Bag of Goodies Juicy Listener Mail (part 1 of 2) goes some crazy places with Christian Polyamory, Swinging and Nude clubs (oh my!) Ryan Clark, Nate Novero, and Shannon Ethridge go into the edgier depths of listener mail and have a super fun time dancing around the edges of our own comfort zones.

Touch Podcast: Fantasy with Ryan, Nate And Shannon Apr 17, 2019

On Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 22 Ryan, Nate, and Shannon talk about Fantasy! Our secret thoughts that turn us on are important pieces of information. Sex in public? Kidnapped by an Amazon woman? What do your fantasies mean? Some of us look to fantasy as hope for sexual fulfillment. Others look at how fantasy informs our understanding of our past.

Touch Podcast: Authentically Sexual with Ryan, Nate And Shannon Apr 09, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2, Episode 21: Authentically Sexual with co-hosts Ryan Clark, Nate Novero and Shannon Ethridge. Dialog with people who have different views than you can be a challenge but it’s worth it! The team addresses listener critiques and they talk about creating safe places for dialog in relationships and couples. How do we trust so that we can be known and truly intimate with others and ourselves.

Touch Podcast: Sex Search Engine Results (part 2 of 2)with Ryan, Nate And Shannon Apr 03, 2019

Season 2, Episode 20: Sex Search Engine Results with Ryan, Nate, and Shannon. Does your porn search engine terms mean something? Yes! Shanon gives an important interpretation of our porn consumption. Nate discovers how his use of porn mirrored the dysfunction in his marriage relationship (part 2 of 2). Touch Podcast is produced by Ryan Clark and is available anywhere podcasts are found.

Touch Podcast: Porn and Faith with Ryan, Nate and Shannon Mar 27, 2019

On Touch Podcast Season 2, Episode 19, Ryan, Nate and Shannon dive into the difficult topic of Christianity and Pornography. Join these three distinct perspectives on the cons and pros of erotic content and what it means for our faith and relationships. (part 1 of 2).

Touch Podcast: Love Casts Out Fear with Ryan, Nate and Shannon Mar 20, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2, episode 18 is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. This trio continues their riveting conversation about toxic masculinity and some of our religious traditions that have held us back from offering and receiving love. What can learn about God’s gifts when we strip away some of the institutional baggage?

Touch Podcast: Recovering Masculinity with Thomas Jaggers Mar 13, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2, episode 16 is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. How can we recover masculinity? Co-host Nate Novero speaks with mediator and facilitator, Thomas Jaggers who is the co-founder of True Masculine (truemasculine.org). He is a practitioner of spiritualized martial arts, MogaDao Gongfu, Yoga, and meditation where he helps men live more embodied, connected, playful and focused lives.

Touch Podcast: Dear Dad, Tell Me about Sex with Mom Mar 06, 2019

Season 2 Episode 16 Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. On Season 2, Episode 15, Ryan speaks with his father and sister about how his parents met, their sex life and Ryan’s dad evolving beliefs about sex and dating. Shannon and Nate join the conversation and we discuss the uneven expectations and unintended consequences of our sex lives.

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 15 Talking To Kids About Sex with Ryan, Nate And Shannon Feb 27, 2019

Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. Today’s episode continues the conversation around children and sexuality. From honest conversations with our children about where babies come from to masturbation, this conversation puts a whole lot on the table.

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 14 Joy Pleasure And Responsibility With LeAnn Gardner Feb 19, 2019

Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. What do you do when you sense your child is being manipulated by a boyfriend or girlfriend? How do we help our kids through breakups? Ryan speaks with LeAnn Gardner about the Harvard Study, “Making Caring Common and how a parent can create an environment where their child can come to them or another trusted adult when they don’t know what to do? LeAnn talks about how to start talking to your kids even if they’re already a teen.

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 13 Special Valentine’s, 1 - Year Anniversary Edition Feb 13, 2019

Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. The ABC’s of Love, Intimacy, Relationships and Dating with special guest Dr. Charlie Myers In this episode you will hear over 100 activity ideas for you and your mate. Shannon has a very special announcement and Nathan invents some new words. Be sure to support our podcast @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 12: More Than Intercourse, a Discussion with LeAnn Gardner Feb 05, 2019

Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. How do we talk about our kids about intimacy, breaking up, gaslighting, controlling, consent, mutuality, and bystander intervention? We usually talk to kids about genitals and intercourse. LeAnn Gardner advocates for wrap around sex education that goes far beyond the “sex talk.” What do you say to a kindergartener about sex? Responsibility? Joy? Pleasure? Nothing? Then you’re already behind. But don’t worry, you can catch up! LeAnn Gardner is on the faculty at the Garland School of Social work and is a therapist in Charleston, SC. Support Touch Podcast now and get secret fall content when you subscribe. Support Touch Podcast now @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast!

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 11: Sex Advice, 15-51 Year-Olds (2 of 2) Jan 30, 2019

Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark, Nate Novero and Shannon Ethridge. Sex Advice: On this episode, did we rob a generation of their ability to trust themselves sexually? Will the California movement of women coming together to meditate on their genitals catch on in other places in the U.S.? We’ll talk about Giving sexually and contextually appropriate pastoral counsel around sex: We don’t tell 15-year-olds the same thing as 51-year-olds.

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 10: Crushing Flowers with Rev. Angie McCarty Jan 23, 2019

Methodist pastor Rev. Angie McCarty speaks with longtime friend Shannon Ethridge about their shared history in teaching “Biblical” marriage and abstinence-only sex education to teens. Instead, what about a biblical view of covenant? What will happen when United Methodists vote next month on same-sex marriage? In this episode, we also challenge the “crushed” flower metaphor and begin a look at what makes folks sexually frigid. Rev. Angie McCarty pastors at the UNited Methodist Church of the Resurrection and directs their Crossroads Program.

Touch Podcast: Shameless Sex (2 of 2) with Bromleigh McCleneghan Jan 16, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 9: Shameless Sex (part 2 of 2) with Bromleigh McCleneghan Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. In this episode, we continue our interview with Bromleigh McCleneghan about her book Good Christian Sex. In part 2, we discuss what makes sex sacred and ethically sourced pornography comes up again. We also pick back up with Bromleigh at the Just Sex conference where she talks about being the sex expert on church staff. Why is it important for women to be sexually shameless? Shannon, Nate, and Ryan speak to reducing shame in relationships and question whether virginity is a valid concept.

Touch Season: Good Christian Sex with Bromleigh McCleneghan Jan 08, 2019

Touch Season 2 Episode 8: Good Christian Sex with Bromleigh McCleneghan Touch Podcast is co-hosted and produced by Ryan Clark along with Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge. Is Chastity the only option? How difficult is it for a woman to publish a book on sex when she’s not ashamed of the actual sex? In this episode, we speak with Bromleigh McCleneghan about her Book Good Christian Sex at the Just Sex Conference Sponsored by the Alliance of Baptists, at the Baptist Beer Garden which was sponsored by Eden Theological Seminary and The Carpenter Program at Vanderbilt Divinity School. This is part one of two - In part two, We hear more fascinating and fun conversation about shame and intimacy and the pitfalls of hook-up sex.

Touch Podcast: Holy Eroticism with Marvin Ellison Jan 02, 2019

Touch Podcast Season 2 Episode 7: Holy Eroticism with Marvin Ellison Are you planning on having sex in 2019? Then you must join co-hosts Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero and Shannon Ethridge in another conversation at the Just Sex Conference. This time with Dr. Marvin Ellison. What does it mean to live a principled life? Dr. Marvin Ellison speaks to the failures of the institutionally impotent stance of “Celibacy in singleness and sex only in marriage” because it says too little and because too much happens in [heterosexual] marriage that is unethical. Also, Is our preoccupation with sexuality driving us crazy? Support Touch Podcast now and get secret content when you subscribe. Support Touch Podcast now @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast! Follow us on Social media @touch_cast Subscribe to Touch on iTunes

Touch Podcast: The Vulnerable Masculine (part 2 Of 2) Dec 19, 2018

Touch Conversations Season 2 Episode 6: The Vulnerable Masculine (part 2 Of 2) Touch Podcast is produced and co-hosted by Ryan Clark along with co-hosts Nate Novero and Shannon Ethridge. In continuing our conversation about homosexuality and the church, Co-host Nate Novero models beautiful vulnerability when he tells the whole story of his sexual experience with another man. Shannon gives a wonderful word of coaching about homoerotic fantasies and Ryan talks about King James’ boyfriends and institutional destruction. Support Touch Podcast now and get secret content when you subscribe. Support Touch Podcast now @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast! Follow us on Social media @touch_cast

Touch Podcast: Monumental Shifts (part 1 of 2) Dec 12, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit and Body S2 E5: Monumental Shifts (1 of 2). How do you start a conversation about Desire, Gay Sex, and God? Ryan Clark, Nate Novero and Shannon Ethridge give it a shot as they reflect on the Ethics of Sex with David Gushee episode (4). Nathan and Shannon have a heart to heart about God and homosexuality. Shannon expresses her evolving views and Nathan comes clean about his same-sex sexual experience. Nathan realizes how much he allowed his fears of God’s judgment to direct his path and tells of his discovery that he can still love himself. And, kissing someone with a beard can be nice. Also, Ryan might be a complete narcissist. Support Touch Podcast now and get secret fall content when you subscribe. Support Touch Podcast now @ www.patreon.com/touchpodcast!

Touch Podcast: Ethics of Sex with Dr. David Gushee Dec 04, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit and Body S2 E4: Ethics of Sex with David Gushee Touch Podcast Season 2 is hosted by Ryan Clark, Nate Novero, and Shannon Ethridge. This episode is a reboot from season 1 where Ryan speaks with Dr. David Gushee about the Ethics of Sex. They also venture into gay and lesbian marriage and how to ethically reconsider beliefs from our fundamentalistic church teachings. We love our listeners! Did you know you can become a monthly supporter of Touch Podcast: Conversations of Spirit and Body? Check out our new page at www.patreon.com/touchpodcast. Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. Widely regarded as one of the leading moral voices in American Christianity, he is the author or editor of 21 books and hundreds of articles. We observe how easy it is for many people to come to a point where the moralistic sexual ethic from church youth group isn’t sufficient and respond by abandoning all our sexual boundaries. So, how do we build a sexual ethic that has a Scriptural basis and is consistent with our religious values? The response doesn’t have to be chaos, it can be human flourishing.

Touch Podcast: Ignorance is Not Bliss with Dr. Bill Stayton @ Just Sex Nov 28, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit And Body Season 2 Episode 3 with Dr. Bill Stayton At Just Sex Ignorance Is Not Bliss Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero and is joined in season 2 by Shannon Ethridge. In this episode, Nate and Shannon interview Dr. Bill Stayton at the Just Sex Conference sponsored by the Alliance of Baptists. Listeners know every conversation with Dr. Stayton is a trek into the sexual unknown and this show is no exception. From spontaneous erections to the difference between the cervix and clitoris, Nate and Shannon will take you on a fun ride toward honestly and authenticity. Ryan learns he’s been pronouncing the word clitoris wrong his whole life. This interview was made possible by Alliance of Baptists, The Carpenter Program of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Eden Theological Seminary. Support Touch Podcast now and get secret fall content when you subscribe. Check out our support page at www.patreon.com/touchpodcast. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/touch-podcast-conversations-of-spirit-and-body/id1347187102?mt=2

Touch Podcast: with Linda Kay Klein Nov 20, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit and Body Season 2 Episode 2 With LINDA KAY KLEIN Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero and is joined in season 2 by Shannon Ethridge. In this episode, Ryan speaks with author Linda KayKlein about her book PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free. Ryan and Linda explore the evangelical purity movement, the impact on relationships and what hope the church might be able to offer. Ryan, Nate and Shannon discuss ways couples and individuals can move forward after purity. PURE follows Linda Kay Klein’s journey to heal from sexual and gender-based shame after having grown up in the American Evangelical Christian Church. Throughout her youth, she was taught to be submissive, repress her sexuality, and avoid becoming a “stumbling block” for men—that is, tempting them in any sexual way. The church emphasized a girl’s sexuality as the most important mark of her spiritual standing with God.

Touch Podcast: New Beginnings, Desire and Shannon Ethridge Nov 03, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit and Body: Season 2 Episode 1 - Desire Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark, Nathan Novero and is joined in season 2 by Shannon Ethridge. This episode looks at our major theme, "Desire" this season and all the topics we plan to cover including Relationships, sex toys, fantasy, arousal, lust, sexual addiction, porn, aging, sex talk with kids and more!

Touch Podcast Episode 19: The Ethics of Sex with Dr. David Gushee Aug 20, 2018

The Ethics of Sex with A Little Gay Marriage and Some Christian Fundamentalism with Dr. David Gushee Touch Podcast Season 1 is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero. In this episode Ryan speaks with Dr. David Gushee about the Ethics of Sex. They also venture into gay and lesbian marriage and how to ethically reconsider beliefs from our fundamentalistic church teachings. Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. Widely regarded as one of the leading moral voices in American Christianity, he is the author or editor of 21 books and hundreds of articles. We observe how easy it is for many people to come to a point where the moralistic sexual ethic from church youth group isn’t sufficient and respond by abandoning all our sexual boundaries. So, how do we build a sexual ethic that has a Scriptural basis and is consistent with our religious values? The response doesn’t have to be chaos, it can be human flourishing.

Touch Podcast Episode 1 Reboot With Ryan Clark, Nate Novero and Jennifer Knapp Jun 13, 2018

Did your church commercialize virginity? This episode is a reboot of Touch Episode 1: Selling Purity where hosts Ryan Clark and Nate Novero speak with former Christian pop-star Jennifer Knapp about a previously untold experience where she was approached to be to poster-girl for True Love Waits, a popular Southern Baptist Teen Abstinence program.

Touch Podcast Episode 17: Yes, He Really Just Said That with Dr. Bill Stayton Jun 06, 2018

Episode 17 of Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero and they speak with sexologist and psychologist Dr. Bill Stayton about eroticism, masturbation, and the barriers to desire. Did Jesus have a sex life? How do we combat our own secretiveness? We speak with Dr. Stayton about how our own sexual shame keeps us from communicating and leads to issues with pleasure and problems with consent. Dr. Stayton contents that in addition to physical sexual trauma, are we sexually traumatized by moral absolutism of our faith culture? What happens when the switch doesn’t work? We love our listeners! Did you know you can become a monthly supporter of Touch Podcast: Conversations of Spirit and Body? Check out our new page at www.patreon.com/touchpodcast. William Stayton, M.Div., Th.D., Ph.D. is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches of the U.S.A. He is also a licensed psychologist and AASECT certified sexuality educator and therapist. Formerly, Bill was the Executive Director of the Center for Sexuality and Religion, an organization dedicated to facilitating dialogue between the field of sexology and various medical and religious systems. For 28 years, Bill was affiliated with the human sexuality program at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1998, the program moved from the University of Pennsylvania to Widener University in Chester, PA where he was Professor and Director of the graduate programs in Human Sexuality. During his ten years as Director, the program grew from a masters’ to a doctoral program in human sexuality. He is a retired Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. He remains Professor Emeritus in the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University.

Touch Podcast Episode 16: Dear God, Make Me a Real Boy with Lianne Simon and Dr. Megan DeFranza May 31, 2018

Touch Podcast Episode 16: Dear God, Make Me a Real Boy with Lianne Simon and Dr. Megan DeFranza Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero and on this episode, they speak to their guests Lianne Simon and Dr. Megan DeFranza genitals and the Bible. Does size matter? It depends on what meaning we’ve ascribed to them. We love our listeners! Did you know you can become a monthly supporter of Touch Podcast: Conversations of Spirit and Body? Check out our new page at www.patreon.com/touchpodcast. Lianne Simon tells the first part of her story of being raised as a boy, not going through puberty, and not finding out just how different her body was until living in a boys dorm her freshman year of college. Lianne is the author of a number of young adult novels including Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite, A Proper Young Lady, and Outsider. She is a tireless advocate for intersex and faith has a passion for helping Christians think and believe beyond the binary.

Touch Podcast Episode 15: Intersex and the Bible with Dr. Megan DeFranza May 16, 2018

Touch Conversations of Spirit and Body is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nate Novero. Today we speak with Dr. Megan DeFranza on the topic of Intersex and the Bible. How do we think theologically about Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:12, “For there are eunuchs who were born that way?” Dr. Megan DeFranza will unpack a reality few Christians are willing to acknowledge: There are as many people who are intersex as there are red-heads in the world. As you will hear, Megan grew up conservative Evangelical and leading into her doctoral research began considering a biological reality that didn’t match-up with a traditional view that God had created (only) male and female. Megan DeFranza is a Christian theologian, author, speaker, and facilitator of challenging conversations, especially around Christianity, sex, gender, and sexuality. She is Producing a documentary "Stories of Intersex and Faith" with Lianne Simon and Paul Van Ness and serves as a Research Associate at the Center for Mind and Culture in Boston and as a Visiting Researcher, Boston University School of Theology. She is best known for her book: "Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God," (Eerdmans, 2015) Music contributors to this episode include Christian singer/songwriter and worship leader Scott Willis of Nashville, TN.

Touch Podcast Episode 14: Kissing Dating Hello with Joshua Harris And Jessica Van Der WynGaard May 08, 2018

Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero. Episode 14 continues the conversation with best-selling author Josh Harris and documentary film-maker Jessica Van Der Wyngaard. Ultimately, Josh wanted to understand how the ideas of his book had affected people and this starts with Josh listening and the leadership of strong single women Jessica. In this show, we’ll hear about how Josh dropped out of the project and what brought him back. We’ll hear about how a 19/20-year-old gets a book published and a bit of the evangelical machine that swarmed to his message and the role the homeschool movement in launching book and career. The best story includes jeopardy and Aussie filmmaker Jessica Van Der Wyngaard finds that working with Josh Harris, author of a number of books including “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” For Josh, this film isn’t theoretical or academic. In this episode, Josh speaks to the painful and difficult task of coming to terms with the fact that what he started teaching 20 years ago and has built a career on, is regrettably flawed. Special contributors to this podcast include Ellen Goebel of Worldwide Groove Corporation and their very sexy song, "Kiss Me Slow" that features Kareem Bennett

Touch Podcast Episode 13: Kissing Something Goodbye with Joshua Harris And Jessica Van Der WynGaard Apr 30, 2018

Touch Podcast Episode 13 is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero. We’ll be “Kissing Something Goodbye” with Joshua Harris And Jesica Van Der WynGaard in this two-part series where we talk about the upcoming documentary titled, “I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye” that chronicles the journey of best-selling Christian author Josh Harris and his breakout book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” where at age 20, he invited young people to stop dating, stop physical contact and court their future mate, even saving the first kiss for the wedding day. Aussie documentary filmmaker Jesica Van Der WynGaard talks about how she directs and produces a film where Josh reconsiders some of the things he wrote 20 years ago. Jesica talks about what its like to be a single 30-something Christian in light of the book’s expectations. Josh talks about going to seminary and being confronted about his book’s teachings by his new peers. The beautiful music on episode 13 was written, composed and produced by Carter Harrell, a Nashville artist. His track “Broken Love” can be heard in its entirety at the end of this episode.

Touch Podcast Episode 12: Unintended Consequences with Carla Ewert Apr 23, 2018

Touch Podcast is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero. Episode 12 is sponsored by Next Good Consulting and features writer, podcaster and co-creator of She is Called, Carla Ewert. In this episode, Ryan speaks Carla Ewert about growing up a preacher’s kid and what that meant for purity, patriarchy, complementarianism and how purity culture interacts with survivors of abuse. Ryan and Carla also discuss her recent article in Relevant Magazine where she offers a challenge to best selling purity author Joshua Harris’s Ted X talk as an example of a recurring problem of centering a male’s voice on an issue that disproportionately negatively impacted women.

Touch Podcast Episode 11: Holy Women with Dr. Angela Yarber Apr 12, 2018

Touch Episode 11 is hosted by Ryan Clark and Nathan Novero. On this show Ryan speaks with Dr. Angela Yarber of the Holy Women Icons Project about art, feminist theology, queering the Bible and the mis-sexualization of Salome and a possible lesbian encounter in Song of Songs. Dr Yarber lives in Hawaii and is is a preacher, an activist, author, dancer, painter, as well as running her own nonprofit. Integrating art and theology most of her life, Ryan hears from Dr. Yarber about the need for religious iconography that’s less brooding and much less male and why it’s vital that we understand systems of oppression and work toward a more just religious community.

Touch Podcast Episode 10 Lighting Fires Of Holy Horniness with Shannon Ethridge with bonus Apr 06, 2018

Episode 10: Lighting Fires Of Holy Horniness features co-hosts Ryan Clark and Nate Novero and is part-two of episode 9 with guest Shannon Ethridge an evangelical women’s sexuality leader. This episode explores the impact of divorce on Christians and the way some find release from sexual shame and anxiety created when sexuality is conflated as a salvation issue. Can Christian women be sexually confident and how should men respond?

Touch Podcast Episode 9: Reconsidering Sex with Shannon Ethridge Apr 04, 2018

On Touch Podcast Episode 9, hosts Ryan Clark and Nate Novero speak with bestselling author and women's sexuality expert Shannon Ethridge. This first of two episodes jumps in with Shannon's story: a 20 year-old mortician who then ends up leading teen purity Bible studies becomes an author of 22 books 25 years later. From embalming to masturbation, non-missionary sex positions and divorce, Shannon shares how her teachings in her early days as an abstinence only educator have evolved and grown along with her following among married Christian women in America.

Touch Podcast Episode 8: Virginity and Porn with Tina Schermer-Sellers and Lauren Tillman Mar 26, 2018

Sponsored by Next Good Consulting, Episode 8 explores the topic visual erotica (porn) and virginity. Before we finish up our conversation with Dr. Tin Shermer-Sellers from episode 7, we listen to one of the stories we recorded back in the fall in Nashville. Lauren, a divinity school student at Vanderbilt, talks about how she viewed sex and virginity growing up as a preacher’s kid. Nate is overcome with emotion when he is surprised by Dr. Seller’s response to Ryan’s question about people of faith making and consuming erotica. Dr. Sellers gives some guidelines about explicit sexual content and offers a touching word of encouragement to Nate.

Touch Podcast Episode 7: The Beginning and End of Shame with Tina Schermer-Sellers. Mar 13, 2018

Joins hosts Ryan Clark and Nate Novero as they did into the sources of our sexual shame with Dr. Tina Schermer-Sellers, Therapist, sexologist, author, and professor in the School of Psychology, Family and Community graduate program at Seattle Pacific University. Shame thrives in silence. What is the difference between guilt and shame? We have to deal with our own shame before we can do it differently with our own kids. Dr. Schermer-Sellers speaks with Nate and Ryan about how to sort out what is “normal” and start figuring out how to have amazing sex.

Touch Podcast Episode 6: Sex, Shame, and the Conservative Church with Tina Schermer-Sellers Mar 13, 2018

Joins hosts Ryan Clark and Nate Novero as they discuss the book Sex, Shame and the Conservative Church. Therapist, sexologist, and author, Dr. Tina Schermer-Sellers, didn’t set out to take on the church’s teaching on sex, but when she continued to encounter students who were traumatized by deep sexual shame without having been physically sexually abused, Dr. Tina Schermer-Sellers had to get down to the bottom of it. Was there a time when our faith tradition taught and practice a sex positive ethic? The answer is yes. Hear Dr. Schermer-Sellers discuss with Nate and Ryan about this answer as well as the impact of the merging of church and state in the 1980’s where religious fear fed the political narrative and planted the seeds of the purity movement.

Touch Podcast Episode 5: Consent and Our Sexual Selves with Shawn Warner-Garcia and Lyndsey Godwin Mar 03, 2018

Brought to you by Next Good Consulting, Episode 5 continues our previous conversation with Shawn Warner-Garcia who talks about the impact of how religious speak becomes part of the problems of violations of consent. We also hear from Lyndsey Godwin, the Assistant Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt Divinity School, about the lasting impact of sexual purity programs even on young adults attending seminary today. Why do Christian congregations experience the same level of abuse as the general public? Shawn Warner-Garcia talks about her research and finding that 40% of Baptists experience forced sexual activity at some point in their life. She talks about the link between abuse and our use of language. And Nate and Shawn discuss some of the political issues around sex and how they keep us from having important conversations at church. Surprising, 38% of Baptists indicated that they expressed a public sexual identity that was not consistent with their public sexual expression. Lyndsey Godwin of Assistant Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt Divinity School speaks from her experience in help students overcome shame-based sexuality programs while working with seminary students at Vanderbilt. Nate is surprised to find that the Song of Solomon’s erotic moments are not among married persons.

Touch Podcast Episode 4: The Language of Sex and Consent with Shawn Warner Garcia and Nate Novero Feb 24, 2018

When host Nate Novero left his Southern Baptist faith, his understanding of faith and church basically froze in time. Now that Nate is reengaging with his Christian heritage, he’s got a lot of catching up to do. The first of two podcasts, Episode 4 features Shawn catching up Nate on the national debate among church folk about what to do about sexual practice in light of Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage. They speak specifically about Southern Baptists, the Nashville Statement, and how all religious communities have to keep negotiating their personal ethics with one foot in their religious tradition and another in there modern context.

Touch Podcast Episode 3: The Sex Positive Church with Amy Mears and Friends Feb 14, 2018

We continue our roundtable discussion with members and staff of Glendale Baptist Church Including co-Pastor Amy Mears who talks about the benefits of 10 years of sex-positive education at Glendale Baptist. We also hear from co-Pastor April Baker who offers a hopeful image of God as well as students from Vanderbilt Divinity School. We discuss condoms, teen sex, consent and whether faith leaders should still teach celibacy before marriage. “Sex is an adult activity and if you’re going to do it, do it like adults and not in a car or on the ground or where someone’s mother might walk in!” Pastor Amy Listeners will also hear more about Ryan and Nate’s stories including how Nate is relearning how to understand his faith.

Touch Podcast Episode 2: When We Talk about Sex with Jennifer Knapp and Amy Mears Feb 09, 2018

What happens when religious people talk (and don’t) talk about sex? Episode 2 continues with Jennifer Knapp on the topic of marketing virginity among young women and moves into the difficulty of talking about sex in faith communities. Dr. Amy Mears, pastor of Glendale Baptist Church joins this conversation along with staff congregants about how even progressive congregations struggle to create space for talking about sexual practice.

Touch Podcast Episode 1: Selling Purity with Jennifer Knapp Jan 30, 2018

Season 1 of Touch Podcast: Conversations of Spirit and Body looks closely at Religious America and Sex. Hosts Nate and Ryan Nate talk about reconnecting after being best friends in college and then living in two different parts of the country. One thing becomes stunningly clear at their reunion; they both had baggage they brought into their sexual experiences with their partners. Nathan had moved to Los Angeles and became a filmmaker and Ryan to Georgia for seminary and a professional career in ministry. Rooted in the sexual purity movements of the 1990’s each took a different but converging path to overcome their own sexual hangups. Ryan and Nate interview Jennifer Knapp, former Christian Popstar about her experience of almost becoming the poster child of the evangelical sexual purity movement. They discuss faith, sex, shame, and Christian consumerism. Jennifer Knapp is a Dove Award winner and two-time Grammy Nominee, 2015 Ted Talk speaker, author, and song artist in Nashville, TN. When she’s not occupied with music, or doing advocacy work on behalf of LGBTQ people of faith through her Inside Out Faith organization, she is working on a master’s degree in theological studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

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