A new podcast on “purity culture” releases May 6.
“Sunday School Rejects” is a nine-episode podcast exploring the effects of purity culture. It’s hosted by Jonathan Greer, Katie Valenzuela and Annie Wilde, and produced by Good Faith Media.
The backbone of the podcast is frank, and often hilarious, conversation among these three Texas friends about the church, the Bible, and how sex was—and wasn’t—discussed in their religious formation. Listen to the trailer and follow the podcast here.
The podcast’s first four “foundational” episodes will drop together on Wednesday, May 6. In later episodes that begin dropping weekly on May 13, the Rejects will welcome several guests to the podcast: Jeremy Williams, Matthew Paul Turner and Amy Butler.
The Rejects all grew up in conservative evangelical Christianity, and they want to keep exploring and interrogating their faith.
“I think the world at large needs more spaces where we can ask honest questions,” says Wilde, who holds a Master of Theological Studies from Brite Divinity School. “Especially in Christian areas. So much of the harm caused by modern American Christianity can, at least in part, be traced back to an inability to ask those questions. I guess that’s why we’re Sunday School Rejects. We asked too many questions.”
“Now that I’m a ‘grown-up,’” says Valenzuela, “I want to talk about the things we weren’t supposed to talk about growing up. Why are things the way they are? Can we change them? What if there’s a better way? We hope you’ll join us as we dive deep into the stories that made us and what we can take away from them now.”
The questions in these nine episodes focus on purity culture, which took off in the 1990s in evangelical circles. It emphasized sexual abstinence before marriage and other hallmarks of what it considered sexual purity. The movement took hold through books, conferences, “purity rings,” “purity pledges,” and more.
Greer said he began researching purity culture seriously while working on his Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School, and that he and his friends couldn’t shake conversations about its negative impacts. That’s when someone floated the idea of a podcast on purity culture.
“The idea was ruminating for months, and one morning at a coffee shop in Waco, the light bulb went off for me,” said Greer. “I was meeting Annie for coffee, and she happened to be already having coffee with her friend Katie. Within 10 minutes, we were deep-diving into tough topics: gender, sexuality, sex, purity culture… probably the Beyoncé/Cowboy Carter album. As I hit the road back to Dallas about an hour later, I had a buzz that was well beyond caffeine. I realized I’d experienced what I had been seeking: a real conversation about the things I never got to talk about in Sunday School. So, I pitched the idea to Annie and Katie, and well, we saw it through to now.”
In addition to playful banter, the Rejects emphasize several themes in the first few episodes: rediscovering scripture, telling stories ethically, and tapping better resources. They bring their divinity school degrees and varied lived experiences to the podcast desk.
And running through it all: discussions about church and the Bible, with equal doses of gravity and levity. Episodes feature a segment called “Let’s Get Biblical.”
“I had a professor at divinity school, a former pastor’s kid, who referred to himself as ‘Bible haunted,’” says Wilde. “That description stuck with me. I think many of us who grew up in church aren’t just Bible haunted, but we’re church haunted. These lingering specters of purity culture, hell, the rapture, and a God who watches our every move followed me my entire life until I turned and faced them. I wanted to do this podcast because it’s another way I am turning to face those ghosts. I also think it might be helpful for others to follow along and face their own church ghosts, too. Insert joke about the Holy Ghost here.”
Good Faith Media CEO Mitch Randall is excited to release “Sunday School Rejects,” which marks GFM’s 18th podcast title (see GFM’s original productions here and partner productions here). Its most recent partner production, “Voice of the Turtle,” began dropping episodes on April 9. It explores the history of the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists.
“Purity culture has created so much misinformation throughout the years, causing harm and trauma for far too many people,” says Randall. “Co-hosts Jonathan Greer, Katie Valenzuela, and Annie Wilde set the record straight, providing keen insights, thought-provoking conversations with experts, and excellent resources for listeners.”
The podcast team is also delighted that the production features the music of composer Jude Krall.
“If ‘Sunday School Rejects’ can lead our listeners to better, deeper, more honest conversations around topics of faith, we’ve succeeded,” says Greer. “I want this space to be one where questions are encouraged, answers aren’t always the goal, and where we can imagine church as a community where the Good News is affirming and inclusive.”
Listeners can hear the free podcast on popular podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Megaphone. They can also listen directly from GFM here.
Learn more about the podcast here.
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