What Did Purity Culture Take From Us? With Amy Butler

In the season’s eighth episode, Jonathan, Katie and Annie put the “submission” language of “household codes” in Ephesians 5 into context. Katie then interviews pastor and author Amy Butler for a focused conversation about purity culture and its effects. Amy Butler is the senior pastor at Community Church of Honolulu and the founder of Invested Faith. She is also the author of Beautiful and Terrible Things and the co-author of Holy Disruption. She holds a bachelor of arts in religion and political science, and a master of arts in church history, from Baylor University, a master of divinity from the International Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctor of ministry in preaching from Wesley Theological Seminary. Resources for this episode: “Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other” by Amy Butler ~ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/546293/beautiful-and-terrible-things-by-amy-butler/ “Household Codes” graphic ~ https://ms.fortresspress.com/downloads/9781451469929Introexcerpt.pdf (see p. 15) “Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free” by Linda Kay Klein ~ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Pure/Linda-Kay-Klein/9781501124822 Audre Lorde ~ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde Amy Butler ~ https://www.pastoramy.com/ About the podcast: The first season of “Sunday School Rejects” delivers nine episodes on the topic of purity culture, which partly defined the Christian youth experiences of the Rejects. From pledge cards and rings to ceremonies and conferences, the purity culture of conservative Christianity left its mark on these three friends from Texas, who went on to earn advanced degrees in theology and related fields. The season’s first four episodes drop together as they offer a foundation for what’s to come. After that, episodes drop weekly and take deeper dives into purity culture. The Rejects tell their own stories and also solicit the expertise of Amy Butler, Matthew Paul Turner and Jeremy Williams. Episodes start dropping Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.  About the Rejects: Jonathan Greer is a professional choral singer and private voice teacher who has dabbled in the hospitality industry. He is also a homemade ice cream slinger. He holds a bachelor of arts in church music and a master of music from Baylor University, as well as a master of divinity with a certificate in women and gender studies from Brite Divinity School. Katie Valenzuela lives her life by two values: kindness and curiosity. She believes every human being should be treated with their souls acknowledged (kindness), and contrary to the popular saying—while it's thought that curiosity killed the cat, she believes curiosity saves her every single day. Generally, Katie thinks of herself as a bit much, but in the best way. As Lyndsay Rush (aka @MaryOliversDrunkCousin on Instagram) says, she is "like a bonus french fry in the bottom of the bag," "like a champagne shower," "like triple texting good news." She works in marketing at a university. She holds a bachelor of arts in mass communication / public relations from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a master of science in human resources with an emphasis in diversity and technology from Excelsior University. She is pursuing a doctorate in leadership, equity, and inquiry from Illinois State University.  Annie Wilde is the creative operations manager and senior graphic designer at Sendero Provisions Co., a western wear brand. She likes to say she’s a full-time designer and a part-time theologian. In her free time she plays tennis, hangs out with her cat, and delivers the occasional sermon. She holds a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design from Baylor University and a master of theological studies from Brite Divinity School. Contact the Rejects at [email protected] or on Instagram @sundayschoolrejects Episode release date: June 3, 2026. Hosts / Producers: Jonathan Greer, Katie Valenzuela, Annie Wilde. Executive Producer: Mitch Randall. Editor: Cliff Vaughn. Music: Jude Krall (78000 Ants). Links: Good Faith Media: https://goodfaithmedia.org/ The podcast page: https://goodfaithmedia.org/sunday-school-rejects/ A news release about the show: https://goodfaithmedia.org/good-faith-media-announces-sunday-school-rejects-podcast/