I Read Something Bad

Today we’re diving into Callie Hart’s Quicksilver.Topics Covered:* Why Zilvaren’s city structure is secretly showing us exactly how power keeps us fighting each other instead of the real problem* That Artemis astronaut said WHAT about Earth right before going dark for 40 minutes—and how it connects to fantasy城 cities* The theological move fantasy authors can pull that nonfiction writers can’t touch (and why it matters for how we see power)* Madra’s quicksilver addiction and why protecting yourself at everyone else’s expense always ends in catastrophic instability* The billionaire problem isn’t what you think—and why your individual experience is lying to you about the actual issue* Our FMC is just trying to get water and that’s exactly why we should be paying attention to her* How to build power structures that don’t turn you into the villain (spoiler: “we’ve always done it this way” is a trap)* Kingfisher’s quicksilver is destroying him from the inside and it’s the perfect metaphor for the hidden cost of power nobody talks about* Why an alchemist FMC hits different than another battle warrior—plus the moment the quicksilver asked for a song and we all criedTimestamps: 02:00 Zilvaren’s Wheel Structure: Separate Wards, Same Suffering 04:00 Astronaut’s Message: We’re All on One Planet 06:00 Fantasy World-Building as Theological Exercise 08:00 Othering and Physical Barriers Highlighting Emotional Ones 10:00 Madra’s Hoarded Quicksilver and Systemic Power Exploitation 12:00 Individualism vs Collectivism: Looking Beyond Our Experience 15:00 Paying Attention to the Margins: Who’s Struggling for Water? 16:00 The Desire to Live Forever and Power That Won’t Let Go 18:00 Building Structures That Pass Down vs Clinging to Control 20:00 Economic Instability When Power Gets Too Consolidated 22:00 What Happens in People’s Brains When They Get That Much Power 25:00 Kingfisher’s Quicksilver: The Physical Cost of Unwanted Power 27:00 Why the Hero Being an Alchemist (Not a Warrior) Matters 29:00 The Quicksilver Has Agency30:00 When the Quicksilver Asks for a Song (Pastoral Intervention) 32:00 Labyrinth Appreciation Moment: Escaping the Horrors 33:00 Faithful Today: What Does It Look Like in This Moment? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today we’re diving into Mary Magdalene—the biblical FMC who got completely wrecked by centuries of patriarchal mythmaking that turned her from “apostle to the apostles” into either a prostitute or Jesus’s secret lover. Topics Covered:* How we got the myth that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute or sexually sinful woman* How conflating all the Marys (Mary of Bethany, Mary mother of Jesus, the sinner woman) into one person significantly reduces Jesus’s interactions with women in Scripture* The discovery that might make Mary Magadalene a parallel to Peter the Rock* Why Mary wasn’t Plan B when the boys were hiding scared—Jesus chose her specifically to be the first witness and first apostle, which matters theologically* The problem with readily accepting Paul’s apostleship while dismissing Mary’s * Why pastors skip over Mary entirely on Easter Sunday to get to the punchline about John being the fastest disciple* Jesus and Mary’s sibling relationship as a model for devotion without sexualization, and how purity culture destroyed our ability to have close platonic friendships* Why spiritual siblinghood (brothers and sisters) is the New Testament’s favorite term for disciplesTimestamps: 02:00 The Prostitute Myth: How Pope Gregory Wrecked Mary’s Story 05:00 Conflating All the Marys Reduces Jesus’s Interactions with Women 08:00 Jesus Christ Superstar and Pop Culture Mary Mythmaking 10:00 What We Should Actually Remember About Mary Magdalene 12:00 Mary Wasn’t Plan B—Jesus Chose Her Specifically 14:00 Mary Identifies Jesus as Gardener: Eden Parallels and Reversal 17:00 Mary the Tower, Not Mary from Magdala 19:00 What If the Church Had Embraced Both Tower and Rock? 21:00 Why We Accept Men’s Certainty but Question Women’s Authority 23:00 Pastors Skip Mary to Get to “John Is the Fastest” Punchline 26:00 Looking With Mary, Not At Mary—She Points to Jesus 27:00 The Women Stayed at the Cross When the Men Ran Away 29:00 Jesus and Mary’s Sibling Relationship: Devotion Without Sexualization 31:00 How Purity Culture Killed Platonic Friendship and Chosen Family 34:00 Jesus Isn’t Ashamed to Call Us Brothers and Sisters 36:00 Spiritual Siblinghood: The Model Without Hierarchy 38:00 In Resurrection Life We’re All Siblings Forever—Why Not Live Like It Now? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today we’re wrapping up Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy series with Dawn of Chaos and Fury.We’re unpacking how churches structure everything around nuclear families to everyone’s detriment, why Jesus had a cool aunt at the cross and you should aspire to be one too, and how Eviana’s arc is the most complex character development in the whole series even though we wanted to hate her. Oh AND we get to watch powerful people voluntarily give up their power for the greater good instead of hoarding it like real-world billionaires. The true fantasy!Topics Covered:* Why Tessa choosing childlessness to end the curse is a big deal in purity culture, and how evangelical spaces have no idea what to do with married couples who don’t have kids* How expectations around motherhood hurt ALL women—not just the childless ones, but also mothers who are conditioned not to ask for help and end up isolated with their kids* Eviana’s redemption arc as the best character development in the series—she didn’t get to raise her daughter but still did superior mothering by ensuring Priya would be free from abuse* Why “she’s too much for one person” isn’t the feminist win it pretends to be when she never learns autonomy or how to harmonize her own chaos without men reigning her in* The revolutionary moment when all the leaders voluntarily pool their power and give it away (because watching people share power for the greater good is the actual fantasy here)* How quiet activism was happening all along in these kingdoms from the bottom up before they had the ability to go top-down, and why performing goodness isn’t the same as doing the workTimestamps: 02:00 Tessa’s Childlessness Choice and Breaking Generational Curses 04:00 Being Child-Free by Choice in Evangelical Spaces 08:00 How Nuclear Family Structure Hurts All Women 11:00 Jesus Had a Cool Aunt and So Should You 13:00 There Are No Levels in Womanhood (The Lie We Fight) 16:00 Chosen Family and Mary’s New Support System 18:00 Eviana’s Complex Arc: The Depth We Didn’t Expect 22:00 Strategic Head-Centered Women vs Gut-Level Characters 23:00 Throuple Codependency vs Axel and Kat’s Healthy Dynamic 27:00 Why “She’s Too Much” Isn’t Feminist When She Lacks Autonomy 30:00 Autistic-Coded Luca and His Trinket Cave (Valid) 33:00 Reintegrating Chaos Instead of Just Controlling It 35:00 The Revolutionary Power-Sharing Moment (Actual Fantasy) 38:00 Quiet Activism That Wasn’t Seen: Welcome to the Revolution 40:00 Hoping to See Goodness in the Land of the Living This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are tackling the ever-controversial question of why so much Christian art feels thin, didactic, and aesthetically weak—and just plain BAD.We’re getting real about how flattening the Bible into surface-level application points has destroyed our capacity to engage layers in any medium, why making Ruth and Boaz into a love story completely misses the point about welcoming the stranger, and how capitalism turned humans into resources to be used up—which means our entire identity got wrapped up in usefulness instead of Imago Dei.Topics Covered:* The definition of good art as opening perception and making room for the reader versus bad art that reduces experience to propaganda with predetermined conclusions* Why Christian art often fails the hospitality test—inviting someone over just to lecture them about what to believe instead of offering actual coffee and conversation* Post-Reformation history of shifting from visual imagery (icons, stained glass) to language-only emphasis, and how the printing press made accessibility a priority that accidentally flattened everything* The Enlightenment’s need for certainty, empirical knowledge, and being on the same page—which bled into making messages crystal clear at the expense of mystery and layers* How “Facing the Giants” versus “Remember the Titans” shows the difference between heavy-handed Christian messaging and wrestling with justice/humanity through storytelling* Why Ruth and Boaz isn’t a romance about finding your person—it’s about Boaz depicting how Jesus welcomes strangers and provides for the vulnerable (Ruth said “where you go I will go” to NAOMI, people)* The collapse of context and layers in Bible reading, and how treating Scripture as flat application points instead of artistic literature kills our ability to engage depth anywhere else* How usefulness became our framework for existence instead of beauty, and why that’s devastating when your productivity disappears but you’re still made in the image of a creative GodGood art invites wonder and makes space for mystery. Bad art tells you exactly what to think and then wonders why you’re not engaged. 🎨✝️📖Timestamps: 02:00 Defining Good Art: Hospitality vs Heavy-Handed Messaging 06:00 Intimacy and Openness as Framework for Beauty 09:00 Why People Want to Be Told What to Think vs Asking Questions 11:00 Facing the Giants vs Remember the Titans: What We’re Wrestling With 14:00 Stained Glass Windows vs Sharpie Statements: Losing the Layers 16:00 Post-Reformation Shift from Visual to Language-Only Emphasis 20:00 Teen Talent Competitions and Performing for God’s Glory 23:00 When Church Art Became Branded Word Art from Hobby Lobby 25:00 Iconoclasm and What We Lost by Rejecting Visual Beauty 28:00 Ruth and Boaz Isn’t a Love Story About Finding Your Person 31:00 Reading the Bible with Layers: Literature, Language, Lifetime, Lenses 34:00 Why Translation Is Always Interpretation 37:00 Ruth After Proverbs 31: She’s the Woman of Valor, Actually 39:00 When Usefulness Disappears and You Lose Your Framework for Beauty 41:00 Imago Dei Isn’t Broken or a Mission to Accomplish—It Just Is 43:00 Capitalism Turned Humans Into Resources to Be Used Up 45:00 Creating Without Goals: The Church Art Studio Experiment 47:00 Redeeming Love Scammed Us (The Bible Story Is Different, Y’all) 50:00 Mount Pilgrim’s Stained Glass: Good Christian Art That Inspires Justice This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Power Corrupts, Patriarchy Polices, and Why We’re All Rooting for the DragonsToday Kate, Liz, and Sarah are diving into their first dark romantasy series on the pod—Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy Series, books 1-3. We’re talking about source bonds as weaponized intimacy, how power systems crush imagination for anything better, and why literally every character is morally gray (so we’re all just rooting for the dogs and dragons instead). We’re unpacking Kate Mann’s framework for how patriarchy polices “good women” versus “bad women,” why Theon thinking he’s better than his dad while still locking Tessa in cellars is peak missing-the-point energy, and how the perversion of sacred bonds mirrors the way Christianity gets co-opted for power. Plus, we’re getting real about female rage, the cost of surviving versus thriving in broken systems, and why even the characters with the best intentions can’t dream past vengeance when the whole structure is designed to destroy agency.Topics Covered:* Why dark romantasy is different from romantasy—morally complex characters, darker themes, trigger warnings, and stories that wrestle with power and agency rather than giving you escapist happy endings* Kate Mann’s patriarchy framework: how misogyny polices women as “givers” (who support men) versus “takers” (who claim masculine perks), and how this entire dynamic plays out in the source bond system* Why you shouldn’t take something meant to be mutual intimate connection and weaponize it into forced servitude, proximity requirements, and power extraction without consent * Why benevolent hierarchy is still just hierarchy—you don’t get cookies for being less terrible* The grooming and policing that happens peer-to-peer because patriarchy’s biggest prop is women policing other women* Why we need people with perspective to interrupt normalized harm* How the system crushes imagination: even the “good guys” can only envision vengeance or incremental power shifts rather than structural transformation* Prophecy as intellectual cop-out and spiritual bypassing* The tension between incremental coalition-building change versus burn-it-all-down rage, and why neither extreme works without the otherLooking at yourself in this series means recognizing that power corrupts empathy over time, that we’re all simultaneously participating in and harmed by systems, and that withholding chocolate cake from your source is unforgivable. Also, if you loved Nesta, you’ll love Tessa. 🐉🔥📚Timestamps: 01:00 What Is Dark Romantasy and Why Trigger Warnings Matter 03:00 Kate Mann’s Patriarchy Framework: Givers vs Takers 08:00 Power Corrupts Empathy: Tyler Staton Quote and Agency 12:00 Source Bonds as Perverted Twin Flame Marks 15:00 Theon’s “I’m Better Than My Dad” Delusion 18:00 Eviana’s Reveal: They’re All Faking the Infatuation 20:00 Dex and Peer-to-Peer Grooming Within the System 22:00 Scarlet’s Role as Outside Perspective Friend 25:00 How Systems Crush Imagination for Better Futures 28:00 Prophecy as Spiritual Bypassing and Intellectual Cop-Out 32:00 Incremental Change vs Revolutionary Rage 35:00 Tessa’s “I’m the Villain Now” Realization 38:00 Breaking Cycles vs Perpetuating Harm 42:00 Plot Twists, Dragons, and Female Rage 44:00 Character Rankings: We’re All Rooting for Animals Only 47:00 Anticipating Book 4 and Hoping for Resolution This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Welcome back!Today we have a special guest—Brooklyn Stephens from We Choose Welcome—to talk about Wicked and why the people who refuse to watch it because “witches = evil” are exactly the ones who need its lessons on propaganda, authoritarianism, and othering the most. We’re unpacking how Elphaba’s intimate knowing of the marginalized gave her empathy while Glinda’s proximity to power kept her climbing ladders, why social capital maximization is antithetical to the gospel, and how we’re all simultaneously Glinda in some rooms and Elphaba in others depending on who’s watching. About We Choose WelcomeWe Choose Welcome is a grassroots community seeking to mobilize and equip women of faith to build and cultivate a welcome movement from their tables at home to the halls of Congress. We hope to empower our community to take action for the vulnerable in both our personal lives and through advocating for just immigration policies.We are here to provide educational resources, action tools, and a supportive community for those seeking to take the next step in their advocacy for immigrants and refugees.Follow them on Instagram and Facebook to stay connected, or reach out to our team to learn more.Topics Covered:* Why people who reject Wicked for having magic are missing crucial lessons about propaganda and authoritarianism that feel startlingly relevant to current immigration enforcement tactics* How Elphaba’s position on the margins gave her intimate knowing and empathy for the othered, while Glinda’s proximity to power kept her focused on climbing toward Madame Morrible* The tension between optimism bias that blinds us to realistic steps versus compassion fatigue that burns us out—and how to sustain advocacy work for the long haul without stealing from yourself twice* Why we’re all both Glinda and Elphaba depending on which room we’re in, and how recognizing this complexity helps us hold compassion for ourselves and others on the journey* The cost of staying in our individual bubbles (literal floating bubbles for Glinda) versus stepping outside—because “all that’s required to live in a dream is endlessly closing your eyes”* How evangelical social capital maximization and ladder-climbing is the opposite of empathy as a space-making practice that opens you up to connection* The diplomatic versus complicit internal battle, and whether working from inside institutions or building outside alternatives is the “right” way (spoiler: we need both)* Why Christian media’s heavy-handed messaging has maybe made audiences lose the skillset to engage deeply with complexity and moral ambiguity* How the church is missing opportunities to be a safe place for people’s valid concerns about ICE raids, layoffs, and systemic harm because it wants to protect reputation over choosing justice* The glimmers of hope happening quietly—200-300 person congregations getting trained, mothers walking immigrant children to school, Durham showing up with signs—even when we can’t post the photos for safety reasonsLooking at yourself in the mirror means locating where you are in the system, and sometimes you’re the one in the bubble floating over problems. So what do we do about it? Here are some resources from We Choose Welcome:* Allyship Guide* Creative Resistance* Letter Writing to Kristi Noem* Wicked: On Oz and OtheringTimestamps: 02:00 Why People Who Reject Magic Miss the Propaganda Lessons 06:00 Elphaba’s Intimate Knowing vs Glinda’s Proximity to Power 10:00 Empathy as Space-Making vs Social Capital Ladder-Climbing 13:00 Optimism Bias and Sustaining Advocacy Without Burnout 17:00 Starting Where You Are: Allyship Guide and Local Action 21:00 We’re All Both Glinda and Elphaba Depending on the Room 24:00 Diplomatic vs Complicit: The Daily Internal Battle 27:00 The Cost of Staying in Your Bubble vs Stepping Outside 30:00 Being Where Your Feet Are as Countercultural Practice 33:00 When People Reject Accessible Metaphors: Information Isn’t Enough 37:00 Why Christian Media’s Heavy-Handedness Killed Deep Engagement 40:00 Cinematography and Using Your Senses to Notice Truth 42:00 When Church Protects Institution Over Real Human Concerns 45:00 Finding Glimmers: Churches Showing Up Quietly Across the Country 48:00 The Tension of Personal Disappointment and Collective Hope This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are wrapping up Stacia Stark’s Kingdom of Lies series with book four, where Prisca finally gets her crown and we’re learning that pre-disappointment is just stealing from yourself twice—a phrase that will now live rent-free in our heads forever. We’re unpacking how defiant joy is fuel for sustainable resistance (not escapist toxic positivity), why social media has become a machine of pre-disappointment, and how building actual alliances for mutual flourishing is way harder than fantasy books make it look. Plus, we’re getting real about complex family dynamics when your relatives choose racism over relationship, and why understanding someone’s trauma doesn’t mean you have to excuse their harm or sacrifice your safety.Topics Covered:* How pre-disappointment means you’re just disappointed twice when the bad thing happens anyway* The difference between defiant joy as sustainable fuel versus weaponized joy as disconnection and distraction—because hospital chaplains need bread-baking Mondays to keep showing up for dying patients* How evangelical teenagers were taught that if you weren’t miserable enough you weren’t taking faith seriously, and why permission to feel joy is actually radical healing* Social media as a pre-disappointment machine where everyone races to ruin movies and break bad news first instead of spurring each other toward goodness* Stoking the fires of courage daily instead of waiting until you need bravery, because you can’t protect reserves forever—sometimes you have to exercise the muscles* The problem with political alliances that sacrificed nuance for oversimplified platforms* How sharing a vision for mutual flourishing matters more than agreeing on tactics, and why we’re bad at painting specific positive pictures because individualism makes fear easier to weaponize* Complex family dynamics when relatives choose harm over healing, and how understanding generational trauma doesn’t mean excusing current damage or sacrificing your safety* The difference between biblical sibling language as security versus weapon—belonging in God’s family shouldn’t be contingent or used to manipulate your behaviorBravery is a choice you build daily, joy is defiance against despair, and you deserve relationships where safety is prioritized over control. And God’s family isn’t supposed to hold your belonging hostage. 👑⚔️✨Timestamps: 02:00 Pre-Disappointment and Stealing From Yourself Twice 06:00 Defiant Joy as Fuel vs Weaponized Joy as Distraction 10:00 Social Media as a Pre-Disappointment Machine 13:00 Permission to Feel Joy After Evangelical Misery Culture 17:00 Stoking Courage Daily vs Protecting Reserves Forever 22:00 Building Alliances: Why We Can’t Find Modern Examples 26:00 Pro-Life Coalition and Women Who Don’t See What’s Coming 30:00 Shared Vision for Flourishing vs Tactical Disagreements 33:00 Beloved Community and the Kingdom of God on Earth 37:00 Why We’re Bad at Painting Specific Positive Futures 40:00 Complex Family Dynamics and Navigating Harm 45:00 Understanding Trauma Without Excusing Current Damage 48:00 Sibling Language as Security vs Manipulation Tool 52:00 Fiction Shows Us Truth When Reality Is Too Close This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your matron saints of spice are diving into book three of Stacia Stark’s Kingdom of Lies series, where Prisca is processing trauma while everyone tells her she needs to grieve right now, and we’re realizing the pendulum on grief has swung from “suffer in silence” to “perform your sadness publicly or you’re doing it wrong.” We’re unpacking how Regner’s sleeper cell spiders mirror church manipulation tactics, why spiritual gift assessments are basically just helping churches find free labor, and how the terror of “missing God’s will” kept us from making literally any decision in high school. Plus, we’re getting real about how trying to resurrect your dead boyfriend is the same kind of control as exploiting people through intimacy—even when your intentions are really good.Topics Covered:* Why delayed grief is valid and sometimes you literally cannot stop to process because you know it’ll take two weeks of couch-rotting and you don’t have two weeks right now* How Regner weaponizing intimacy through his spider network is exactly what happens in church spaces with “sweet girl coffee dates” and psychological warfare disguised as community* The uncomfortable parallel between exploiting people for evil ends versus trying to resurrect your mate for love—because control is control even when we think we’re justified* The wild difference between shoulder-tapping manipulation (”I need you to do this”) versus developmental invitation (”I see this gift in you, would you like to grow it?”)* How the hourglass amplifies Prisca’s gifts for good or bad, just like our own gifts can build up or tear down depending on how we wield them—and why fundamentalism demonizes tools instead of cultivating discernment* The pressure to choose your “one calling” and how God’s will actually has more to do with daily choices and character formation than finding the single perfect college/job/spouse* God as a God of restoration means you get to start over—resurrection life isn’t about getting it perfect the first time, and sometimes Abraham maybe shouldn’t have tried to sacrifice Isaac at allThe river of grief flows where it needs to flow, spiritual gifts without character development just create narcissistic leaders, and God’s will is big enough to handle all your decisions—not just the one narrow path you’re terrified of missing. Timestamps: 02:00 Policing Grief: From Silent Suffering to Mandatory Processing 06:00 Why Delayed Grief Is Valid and Sometimes Necessary 10:00 Lorian’s Grief vs Prisca’s Grief: Different Rivers, Different Timelines 13:00 Regner’s Spiders and Church Manipulation Through Intimacy 16:00 Control for Good Ends Is Still Control: The Resurrection Problem 20:00 How Gifts Become Weapons Depending on Who Wields Them 23:00 Spiritual Gift Assessments as Free Labor Recruitment Tools 28:00 Shoulder Tapping: Manipulation vs Developmental Invitation 32:00 Why Churches Need Developmental Pipelines, Not Crisis Recruiting 36:00 Prisca Stepping Into Destiny: Fate vs Free Will vs Choice 40:00 The Anxiety of “Missing God’s Will” in High School 44:00 God’s Will Isn’t One Narrow Path You Can Accidentally Miss 46:00 Permission to Start Over: Resurrection Life and Restoration This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your matron saints of spice are breaking down Taylor Swift’s latest album The Life of a Showgirl. We’re unpacking the false binary of “literary Taylor” versus “fun Taylor,” defending intellectualism in giddy romance, and explaining why performative activism on social media isn’t the same as actually loving your neighbors. Plus, we’re getting real about how knowing too much about Taylor’s life actually ruins some songs because we can’t separate her lore from our own experiences.Topics Covered:* First impressions of the album and how the stark tonal shift from TTPD to Showgirl hit different depending on which era of Taylor you entered the fandom through* The problem with binary thinking in both theology and art criticism—moving past “I liked it/I didn’t like it” to actually engage critically with what the work is doing* How people vilify women (and specifically female theologians) for processing pain through Taylor Swift’s music, which is really just policing grief in weird patriarchal ways* The false binary of career woman versus domestic goddess, and how women (including Taylor) contain multitudes without having to choose one identity forever* How the emphasis on performance over practice keeps us from doing actual neighborhood-level activism, because posting black squares isn’t the same as loving Black peopleThe cringe is intentional, the depth is real, and Happy Taylor deserves the same literary analysis as Sad Taylor. Also, dick jokes can be spiritual practices after hard hospital shifts—chaplains said so. 🎭✨💕Timestamps: 02:00 First Impressions: Opposite Listening Trajectories 05:00 Community Theater Experience Making Art Hit Different 10:00 Moving Past Binary Thinking in Art and Theology 13:00 Policing Women’s Grief Through Celebrity Criticism 18:00 Defending Intellectual Depth in Surface-Level Work 23:00 The Cringe Factor and Permission to Be Fully Human 27:00 Folklore Fans and Projecting Pandemic Sadness 31:00 Taylor the Poet vs Taylor the Brand 34:00 Intellectualism in Giddy Romance and Fun Art 38:00 Reimagining Trauma Through Creative Storytelling 40:00 False Binary of Career vs Domestic Life for Women 46:00 Performative Activism vs Actual Community Practice 49:00 Stadium Security and Why Speaking Out Is Complicated 53:00 Performance Over Practice in Online Activism 57:00 Favorite Songs This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your matron saints of spice are putting our literary lens on some biblical badasses who deserve way more airtime than they get—Jael and Deborah from the book of Judges. We’re talking about a prophetess judge who sat under a palm tree settling disputes and leading military strategy, plus a married woman who lured an enemy general into her tent and drove a tent peg through his skull with #biblicalwomanhood. If you’ve ever wondered why complementarian spaces conveniently skip these ladies in Sunday school, buckle up—because this story has sexual imagery, violence reversals, and women exercising authority without a single caveat about “lack of qualified men.”Topics Covered:* Historical context of the Judges period and why Deborah stands as the only legitimately good judge in a book full of increasingly terrible men doing what’s right in their own eyes* How Deborah operates as prophetess, judge, military strategist, and worship leader simultaneously—with zero biblical explanation needed about why a woman has this authority (spoiler: she just does)* The subversive power of Jael using domestic hospitality as her battlefield, complete with intentional sexual imagery in the Hebrew poetry that flips wartime rape culture on its head* Why Barak asking Deborah to come with him instead of the woman needing male protection is a complete trope reversal, and how their friendship models men and women working together without Billy Graham rule nonsense* The uncomfortable moment when the enemy general’s mother casually expects him to be dividing “a womb or two” as war plunder—and how women in complementarian spaces still rationalize male violence today* How both these women are outsiders (Deborah leading when she “shouldn’t,” Jael as a non-Israelite) showing God consistently working through unexpected people to accomplish divine justice* The grounded confidence both women display in just doing what needs doing without fanfare, wrestling, or asking “are you sure God?” seventeen times like Gideon* Why Deborah elevating Jael in song is the ultimate women-supporting-women moment we need more of in ministry spaces that pit women against each otherAlso, the Hebrew word play puts Barak’s name in the tent peg murder weapon, which is absolutely iconic literary trolling. Biblical womanhood: be prepared to drive stakes through enemy temples at any moment.Timestamps: 02:00 Historical Context: Judges Period and Deborah’s Authority 06:00 Why This Story Never Makes It to Sunday School 09:00 Deborah Under the Palm Tree: Leadership Without Caveats 12:00 Barak and Deborah’s Friendship as Trope Reversal 15:00 Moving Past Suspicion Between Men and Women in Ministry 19:00 Barak Willing to Do Right Thing Without Getting Credit 22:00 When Women Normalize Male Violence for Other Women 25:00 Jael’s Subversive Hospitality and Sexual Imagery 28:00 One Tent in the Field: Reverse One Room Trope 30:00 Aspirational Traits: Grounded Confidence and Self-Assurance 33:00 Women Elevating Women: Deborah’s Song for Jael 36:00 Bible Reading Tips: Pay Attention When Women Speak This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today we're diving into book two of Stacia Stark's Kingdom of Lies series, where Prisca's relationship with time becomes a metaphor for everything we've been taught wrong about God's will, productivity culture, and why evangelical Christianity turned us into anxious overachievers who think every micro-decision could ruin our entire lives. We're unpacking how chaotic theology around time keeps us fragmented, why God wants to be with us more than use us, and how Lorian teaching Prisca to kill her own demons is actually the healthiest relationship dynamic we've ever seen in fiction.Topics Covered:* How ancient philosophers viewed time as chaotic versus Gregory of Nyssa making eternity actually good, and why evangelical end-times theology creates urgency instead of rest—because apparently we were never trained to be future ancestors* The theology of "gentle discipleship" that says God wants to be with us more than use us, which is absolutely earth-shattering for women raised to believe our worth comes from being useful helpers* Why the "God's will as single straight line" theology creates decision fatigue and OCD spirals, versus understanding God's will as a symphony we participate in rather than a choose-your-own-adventure book where wrong choices end everything* How medical caregivers make 300-700 extra decisions daily while being told other "big life choices" matter more, and why this reveals the absurdity of evangelical decision anxiety* The difference between obedience-based faith (behavior modification) and becoming-based faith (virtue formation), plus why the Bible should be authoritative but not authoritarian* How external validation systems in Christianity keep us from developing self-trust, and why Lorian deliberately separates Prisca from Telean so she learns to make her own decisions* The revolutionary concept that women get to be complex characters who contain multitudes, and why the female gaze writes emotionally healthy men instead of just hot ones* How biblical interpretation has been dominated by male perspectives (looking at you, medieval Bathsheba paintings), and why we need diverse voices telling these ancient storiesThe standard isn't that high, folks—we're just asking for emotional health and the radical idea that women are full humans. Also, decision fatigue is real and God's probably not micromanaging your college choice.Timestamps: 02:00 Ancient Philosophy of Time vs. Evangelical Urgency Culture 06:00 Why We Were Never Trained to Be Future Ancestors08:00 Chaotic Time vs. God's Gentle Discipleship Theology 14:00 God Wants to Be With Us More Than Use Us 18:00 God's Will as Symphony vs. Single Straight Line Anxiety 24:00 Obedience Culture vs. Becoming-Based Faith Formation 30:00 Decision Fatigue for Medical Caregivers and the Absurd 35:00 Learning Self-Trust When External Validation Fails 38:00 Prisca's Growth Into Leadership and Healthy Relationships 42:00 Female Gaze vs. Male Gaze in Writing Relationships 44:00 How Biblical Art Objectified Women for Centuries 47:00 Why We Need Diverse Voices in Theological Interpretation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today we're absolutely thrilled to have Stacia Stark, author of the Kingdom of Lies series we've been obsessing over. Join your Matrons Saints of Spice, Jenai Auman, Kate Boyd, Liz Daye, and Sarah Lewan as we're diving deep into how fiction builds empathy while nonfiction can't, why religious hypocrisy hits different when you have ADHD and justice sensitivity, and how writing becomes free therapy for both authors and readers. Plus, we're talking about the beautiful complexity of female characters who get to be angry, brave, and morally gray all at once—because apparently women containing multitudes is still revolutionary.Topics Covered:* How the romance and fantasy author community became the most supportive hype squad in publishing, and why authors spanning different genres create the best creative conversations* The fascinating process of world-building from a single scene (Prisca getting pushed off a cliff by her mom) versus building from historical inspiration like female gladiators who were erased from history* Why fiction reaches people that nonfiction never could—because nobody's reading your article titled "The Damage of Religion" if they're not already convinced, but they'll pick up a fantasy romance* How religious hypocrisy and justice sensitivity fuel storytelling, plus the beautiful irony of people trying to co-opt your authorial intent to serve their own propaganda machine* The psychology of why highly intelligent people get sucked into cults and conspiracy theories (spoiler: they think they're too smart to be fooled), and how cognitive dissonance makes people cling harder when presented with contradictory evidence* Why writing complex female characters who choose bravery despite consequences feels revolutionary after centuries of women being portrayed as either pure victims or wicked temptresses* How fiction gives permission for anger, complexity, and self-assuredness that many women never received elsewhere, plus the healing power of seeing grief around not knowing who you really are* The community aspect of bravery—how characters lean on sisterhood and female friendship to do hard things, which mirrors what we need in real life right nowReading fiction isn't escapism—it's empathy training, and sometimes asking "What would Madinia do?" is exactly the kind of feminine rage energy we need to channel. 🔥✨📚Timestamps: 02:00 From Copywriter to Fantasy Author: Stacia's Writing Journey 05:00 The Romance Author Community as Ultimate Hype Squad 08:00 World-Building Process: Historical Inspiration vs. Single Scenes 14:00 Complex Character Development and Learning to Love Villains 20:00 Fiction as Empathy Builder vs. Nonfiction's Limitations 24:00 Religious Trauma, Hypocrisy, and Justice Sensitivity in Writing 31:00 When Readers Try to Co-opt Your Authorial Intent 37:00 Fiction's Unique Access to Different Worldviews 42:00 Losing Empathy and Patience in Current Political Climate 48:00 Why Smart People Fall for Cults and Conspiracy Theories 52:00 Permission to Be Brave, Angry, and Complex as Women 58:00 Self-Assuredness, Moral Clarity, and Feminine Rage as Resistance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Welcome back, matron saints of spice! Today we're diving into Stacia Stark's Kingdom of Lies series, starting with A Court This Cruel and Lovely. We're unpacking how King Sabium weaponizes religion to hoard magical power while executing anyone who threatens his control, and honestly? It hits a little too close to home when you've navigated systems that uphold power while dehumanizing people. Plus, we're swooning over Lorian's belief in Prisca and having all the feelings about grief, revolution, and why women need to stop keeping secrets from each other.Topics Covered:* How King Sabium's fake religious system mirrors real-world power structures that use faith as a smokescreen for oppression and control—because apparently tyrants have been using the "it's God's will" playbook for centuries* The difference between contextual theology that liberates versus heretical theology that serves hierarchy, plus why one leads to liberation theology and the other leads to eternal subordination nonsense* Breaking down the "greater good" mentality that justifies harm versus pursuing the common good that actually considers everyone's flourishing—spoiler: they're not the same thing* How proximity changes everything, from Madinia's dad suddenly caring about magical persecution when it affects his daughter to why white evangelical Christianity loses its way when it stays in wealthy bubbles* The capitalism-Christianity pipeline that turns pastors into marketers and church members into dollar signs, because apparently Robert Schuller pioneered the megachurch MLM model in Orange County* Why Prisca's willingness to literally put her body between harm and vulnerable people is aspirational activism we can actually practice in grocery stores and neighborhoods* The beautiful grief of mourning dreams you thought you wanted while stepping into who you're becoming—because growth isn't just empowering, it's also loss* How secrecy isolates women from the support they desperately need, whether it's magical powers or marriage struggles, and why vulnerability has "right" and "wrong" ways in certain communities* Lorian throwing rocks like a 5-year-old but also believing Prisca is already powerful—because we can appreciate fictional men who see our potential without putting them on relationship pedestalsRevolution is happening right under the king's nose, and sometimes the seamstresses are the real heroes. Also, that goodbye kiss? Chef's kiss 💋✨Timestamps: 02:00 Religious Systems as Cover for Power Hoarding 06:00 Systemic Church Trauma vs. Individual Harm Stories11:00 Weaponizing Scripture vs. Scripture as Invitation 18:00 Isolation, Heresy, and Christian-Identified Violence 25:00 Greater Good Mentality vs. Common Good Ethics 31:00 Capitalism Infiltrating Christianity Through Marketing 38:00 Aspirational Activism and Intervening for Others 43:00 Romance Appreciation: That Goodbye Kiss Scene 47:00 Grieving Dreams While Growing Into New Identity 52:00 Women's Secrecy and the Need for Safe Vulnerability This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are tackling the supernatural drama that has evangelicals clutching their pearls over fictional wizards while pouring grape juice around their property lines. We're exposing how much of our "biblical" understanding of angels and demons actually comes from medieval poetry, why some magic gets a holy pass while other magic gets the pitchfork treatment, and what spiritual warfare looks like when you're not trying to weaponize God for your personal agenda.Topics Covered:* How Dante's Divine Comedy (not the Bible) gave us most of our angel and demon aesthetics, plus why tracing these ideas back to ancient Roman philosophy might make you side-eye some Sunday school lessons* Deconstructing the wild inconsistency of calling Wicked "demonic" while giving Narnia a free pass — and why cultural bias determines what gets labeled as witchcraft versus "acceptable" spirituality* Why your hedge-of-protection prayers might be closer to spell-casting than you think, and how proximity to real suffering completely transforms what prayer actually means* The truth about spiritual warfare: it's less about binding demons and more about surrendering control, plus why God isn't a cosmic vending machine that dispenses blessings for the right prayer formula* How hyper-spiritualizing every inconvenience as "spiritual warfare" conveniently lets us avoid addressing actual systemic evil like gun violence, oppression, and injustice* Why your favorite morally gray fantasy characters might teach you more about authentic faith than sanitized Christian fiction ever could — and how missing the deeper themes because "magic bad" is its own form of spiritual poverty* Breaking down why God isn't scary, doesn't want you paralyzed by phantom fears, and is actually safe for people navigating a legitimately frightening worldSpoiler alert: The devils in your spicy fantasy novels might just be the good guys, your imagination is not the enemy of your faith, and that grape juice isn't protecting anyone from anything. 🍇✨😈Timestamps:02:28 Cultural and Historical Perspectives06:55 Modern Interpretations and Misconceptions11:10 Spiritual Warfare and Real-World Implications14:58 The Role of Prayer and Suffering25:01 Navigating Faith and Fiction36:28 Respecting Different Christian Denominations37:07 World Building in Fiction40:40 Critique of Christian Art and Literature46:53 Spiritual Warfare and Mental Flexibility53:44 The Role of Imagination in Faith This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Kate, Sarah, and Liz are back with A Court of Silver Flames, where we discover that Nesta Archeron isn't just the "unlikable" sister—she's actually a mirror for anyone who's ever been told their anger, their darkness, or their refusal to fit in the "good Christian girl" box makes them fundamentally unlovable.Turns out Sarah J. Maas is serving up more truth about healing from shame and self-hatred than most church small groups ever will. The audacity! 💁‍♀️📚✨Topics Covered:* The Self-Loathing Olympics: Why Nesta's brutal inner monologue ("I am worthless, I'm nothing, I hate everything that I am") sounds suspiciously like evangelical prayer language, and how "worm theology" taught us that hating ourselves was somehow godly. Plot twist: God actually made you on purpose! 🪱➡️👑* The "Good Girl" Box is a Trap: How Nesta's journey from people-pleasing future trophy wife to unapologetic Lady Death shows us that healing doesn't mean becoming palatable—it means learning to aim your fire at the right targets instead of yourself 🔥* Libraries as Sacred Spaces: Why these quiet sanctuaries for story and learning might be doing more for community healing than some churches, and how access to books (yes, even the spicy ones!) has always been essential for women's liberation and spiritual formation 📚* Power Corrupts, Even the "Good Guys": How Rhysand's controlling behavior toward Feyre in this book exposes the uncomfortable truth that patriarchy is patriarchy, even when it comes wrapped in "I'm protecting you" language. The bar was in hell and somehow he still tripped over it! 🚩* Female Friendship as Revolutionary Act: Why Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie supporting each other's strength challenges every toxic stereotype about women being each other's competition, and how community healing happens when we stop trying to fix each other and start empowering instead 💪* The Healing Isn't Linear: How Nesta's messy, non-linear recovery journey mirrors real trauma healing—complete with backslides, breakthroughs, and the radical discovery that you don't have to become a different person to become a healthy one ✨Remember: If this book is making you question whether you're allowed to love yourself, congratulations—you've just discovered that the real enemy was the shame we internalized along the way! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Dr. Sandra Glahn (author of Nobody's Mother) as they explore the vital connection between fiction, biblical literacy, and women's representation in scripture. This thought-provoking conversation challenges common misconceptions about narrative, storytelling, and the often-overlooked women of the Bible.Turns out understanding how to read fiction might be essential to understanding Scriptural narratives—who knew?Topics Covered:* How our Protestant tendency to avoid narratives and prioritize non-fiction has given us a truncated view of scripture* Jesus was a storyteller, not a PowerPoint presenter—and how we should take notes on His narrative approach instead of making another three-point sermon* "The culture is not inspired. It's just the setting." (This mic drop moment might send you spiraling in the best way)* How the presence of some nameless biblical women is an indictment against patriarchy, not God's endorsement of it* Dr. Glahn's surprising children's TV past and what it taught her about storytelling (spoiler: kids are smarter than we think!)Whether you're struggling to reconcile your love of spicy fiction with your faith or wondering why women's stories seem absent from the pulpit, this episode offers fresh perspectives that might just transform how you read both novels and scripture.P.S. For anyone who's been made to feel childish for enjoying fiction or questioning traditional interpretations of women in the Bible—you're not alone, and there's theological depth in your questions that deserves exploration.Timestamps:03:19 The Importance of Fiction in Spiritual Formation04:34 Narrative and Biblical Literacy10:00 Storytelling and Ethical Dilemmas23:47 Exploring Women's Representation in Fiction27:29 The Reformation and Its Extremes28:05 Challenging Traditional Gender Roles28:47 The Role of Women in Christian History29:21 Personal Stories of Faith and Choices32:35 The Importance of Diverse Perspectives39:18 Women in Scripture: Misinterpretations and Insights52:43 Reading with Intentionality and Pleasure This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Kate, Sarah, and Liz are back, diving into "A Court of Wings and Ruin" where we discover that Sarah J. Maas isn't just giving us sexy faeries with wings—she's exposing the toxic patterns we've been taught are "godly leadership" in evangelical spaces. Who knew fantasy novels could be more spiritually formative than those "Biblical Womanhood" conferences you've been guilted into attending? 💁‍♀️📚✨Topics Covered:* Boundaries Are Not Blasphemy: Watch Feyre FINALLY stop absorbing Tamlin's rage-spirals and let him face the consequences of his actions! Turns out maintaining boundaries isn't "selfish"—it's how systems get healthy. Sorry not sorry to every pastor who told you to "absorb" your husband's "passion" (read: emotional volatility) for the good of your marriage! 🚩* The Martyrdom Olympics: Why is everyone in this book (and evangelical culture) so determined to win gold in the Self-Sacrifice Games? The hosts unpack how that post-Columbine "would you die for Jesus?" trauma-bonding turned suffering into a weird status symbol. Pro tip: suffering will find you naturally—you don't need to go looking for it or make it your entire personality! 🏆* When the Quiet Ones Speak Up: Azriel defending Feyre at the High Lord meeting has us asking—where are all the men stepping up when women are being verbally eviscerated in seminary classes, boardrooms, and church meetings? The bar is literally on the ground, fellas, and yet... 🦗🦗🦗* The Tamlin Test™: How "Tamlin" became shorthand for toxic masculinity featuring traits eerily similar to what those "Future Husband" lists encouraged us to seek: powerful, possessive, volatile but passionate, and emotionally stunted but a leader. We were literally trained to romanticize red flags! Make it make sense! 🚩🚩🚩* The Bare Minimum Redemption Arc: Why we're not giving Tamlin a cookie for doing ONE decent thing after books of emotional abuse. This mirrors the "weaponized forgiveness" that keeps putting harmful leaders back in pulpits faster than you can say "he's really sorry this time." The audacity! 😤Turns out the church could learn something from Azriel's silent-but-deadly approach to allyship. Less performative "I respect women" sermons, more actual defending when we're not in the room, please and thank you!Remember: If fantasy novels are making you examine the real world differently, the novels didn't create the problem—they just gave you eyes to see what was always there. 👀💅 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Rebecca Lindenbach (co-author of The Great Sex Rescue and She Deserves Better) as we dive into the wildly contradictory messages about sex in evangelical spaces and why fantasy romance novels might just be providing women with the vocabulary they've been denied their whole lives. And it might just be one of the most important episodes we ever make for you.Turns out women having standards is revolutionary—who knew?Topics Covered:* How research on 20,000 women revealed evangelical wives are having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad sex—and why the church's solution of "just do it more often" is spectacularly missing the point* How women are taught sex is the worst thing you can do...until it's the worst thing you could NOT do—and how this whiplash-inducing messaging creates both physical and emotional disconnection in marriage* Why romance novels like ACOTAR contain troubling consent dynamics we often overlook—and how this mirrors the ways women miss red flags in their own relationships (spoiler: Rhysand isn't always the consent king he's made out to be)* Why people freak out when women read romance—it's not that they expect their husbands to grow wings, it's that they might start expecting mutual pleasure and emotional connection (the audacity!)* How evangelical men's resources use pornographic language to "help" with temptation while simultaneously teaching women their bodies are dangerous weapons (make it make sense, please)* Practical advice for women who've been taught to dissociate during physical intimacy—and why it takes an average of 20 minutes for women to reach orgasm (not the 3 minutes evangelical sex books suggest)Watch out! This episode might leave you questioning everything you've been taught about sex, wondering if your romance novels are actually therapeutic, and ready to burn Every Man's Battle in a cleansing fire. Consider this your permission slip to have standards! 💁‍♀️🔥✨P.S. For women experiencing pain, obligation sex, or confusing dynamics in their marriages—you're not alone, and it's not your imagination. The data says there's something deeply wrong with how we've been taught, not with you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

A bonus episode for Holy Week!Join Kate, Sarah, Liz, and special guest Grace Kelley (actual poet, not the princess) as we dive into the world of biblical poetry and why it might be the most revolutionary part of Scripture that your church Bible study conveniently skips over. Turns out when you start paying attention to the poetry that makes up a whopping THIRD of the Bible, all those neat theological boxes start looking pretty flimsy.Topics Covered:* Why poetry makes up 33% of the Bible yet gets treated like the awkward cousin at family gatherings—and how recognizing poetic genres changes EVERYTHING about biblical interpretation (sorry, literal-only folks)* How many of Scripture's most powerful female contributions come through poetry (Miriam, Hannah, Mary's Magnificat)—and why that matters for understanding whose voices patriarchy has systematically silenced* Why Proverbs 31, the acrostic masterpiece about WISDOM, has been weaponized into a spiritually abusive checklist that would require a small army of household staff to accomplish (spoiler: it's an embodiment of wisdom, not a prescription for women)* Reimagining Psalm 22 as Jesus singing a song of comfort passed down from childhood—and why seeing this as abandonment rather than divine connection misses the entire point (Just in time for Holy Week)* How patriarchal readings of scripture have conveniently overlooked the abundance of feminine, maternal, and non-gendered imagery for God tucked away in those poetic passages most churches skim throughCareful, friends! This episode might just leave you feeling liberated to bring your emotions and imagination to Scripture, questioning why we've been afraid of "poetic language" leading us astray, and noticing how tiny they make women's pockets compared to men's. The patriarchy is EVERYWHERE. 💁‍♀️📚✨P.S. Huge thanks to Grace Kelley for sharing her poetic wisdom and reading from her new book Daughter of Breath, which pushes back against church-sponsored patriarchy and reclaims spirituality from those who've weaponized scripture. We're totally buying extra copies for our pastors and friends! 🔥Timestamps:04:12 The Role of Poetry in Healing and Expression08:48 Biblical Poetry and Its Interpretation23:29 The Intersection of Poetry and Patriarchy29:32 Proverbs 31 Revisited33:41 The Importance of Context in Biblical Interpretation37:07 Psalm 22: Jesus' Cry on the Cross45:14 The Feminine Imagery of God51:24 A Poem on Patriarchy (and Pockets) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Join Kate, Sarah, and Liz as we dive into A Court of Mist and Fury, where we're discovering that this isn't just about sexy faeries with wings (though we're here for that too) — it's actually a master class in recognizing red flags, valuing your own agency, and finding healing after trauma. Turns out Sarah J. Maas might be doing more for women's emotional intelligence than all those "Biblical Womanhood" conferences combined. Who knew?Topics Covered:* How Feyre's journey from decorative Spring Court trophy to High Lady of the Night Court is basically a guidebook for recognizing when you're being treated like property instead of a person (and why the "he's just protective" excuse is garbage)* Why it takes Rhysand's "wait, you get to make your own choices" approach for us to collectively realize how messed up Tamlin's control issues actually were — and why these patterns are so sneaky in real life patriarchal spaces* How having actual power and choice in your relationships dramatically affects your mental AND physical health (nursing school confirms: feeling powerless literally makes you sick!)* Why the Night Court's approach to community might be the church model we actually need — where people are valued, differences are celebrated, and everyone gets a voice (even when disagreeing with the High Lord)* The uncomfortable truth about why THOSE chapters hit different — they show what happens when emotional intimacy precedes physical intimacy in relationships built on mutual respect (something purity culture conveniently forgot to mention)Careful, friends! This episode might just have you reconsidering power dynamics in your relationship, seeking out a real "inner circle" of safe people, and realizing that your endless inner monologue isn't annoying — it's just part of processing trauma. The audacity of a fantasy novel teaching us this stuff! 💁‍♀️📚✨P.S. Remember our famous quote: "If reading these books makes you realize things about your relationship, the books didn't create the problem — they just revealed what was already there. That's like saying the MRI gave you the tumor it discovered." Harsh but true! 🔍Timestamps:02:33 Power and Agency in Relationships20:44 Patriarchy and Feminism in the Story29:15 Healing from Trauma35:14 The Pain of Fractured Relationships35:56 Inner Monologue and Self-Reflection38:38 Chosen Family and Healing42:28 Emotional Intimacy and Safe Relationships57:10 The Power of Storytelling01:07:16 Jesus and the Importance of Being Seen This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today your Matron Saints of Spice are diving into why imagination gets treated like the awkward cousin of faith — even when it's the secret ingredient that makes our spiritual lives actually interesting and effective. We're breaking down why your fantasy novel might just be more revelatory than that dusty theology textbook, and no, we're not apologizing.Topics Covered:* How creative thinking is basically spiritual resistance training, transforming biblical narratives from flat text to living, breathing revolution* Exposing how "escapist" stories are actually sophisticated tools for questioning power, developing critical spiritual thinking, and reimagining what's possible beyond rigid religious frameworks* Unpacking why that playful, curious imagination you were told to "grow out of" is actually your direct line to understanding God's wildly creative heart* Why asking dangerous questions and refusing to accept the first spiritual answer you're given is basically a holy intervention in your own faith journey* How creative storytelling can be a more powerful form of theology than a thousand dry sermons — and why some religious gatekeepers might be low-key terrified of that truthWatch out! This episode might just lead you to spend more time daydreaming and more energy asking questions that challenge comfort, tradition, and authority. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. 💁‍♀️📚✨Timestamps:00:00 Welcome to the iRead Something Bad Podcast01:06 Exploring the Role of Imagination16:53 Imagination in the Bible26:28 The Importance of Story and Myth32:50 Embracing Childlike Wonder in Adulthood37:30 Imagination and Personal Healing41:19 The Stabilizing Effect of Dogma46:15 Fantasy and Virtue Ethics56:11 God Welcomes Your Weird58:30 Imagination as a Revolutionary Act This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Your Matron Saints of Spice are back, and this time we're diving headfirst into the thorny world of Sarah J. Maas! 💫Join Kate, Sarah, and Liz as we unpack A Court of Thorns and Roses - that spicy fantasy novel your church friends might raise eyebrows at that is often the gateway to the world of romantasy … but we're here to tell you contains more theological insight than meets the eye! We're blending fae courts with faith questions because who says you can't find spiritual wisdom between steamy scenes? 📚✨Topics Covered:* One-sided covenants and the toxic aftermath - How Feyre's impossible promise to her mother mirrors the unhealthy expectations we see in families, relationships, and yes, even your favorite megachurch 👀* Creating healing spaces (and why your "self-care isn't selfish" coffee mug is actually theological) - The revolutionary importance of environments that allow for rest and creative expression when recovering from trauma* Racism dressed as tradition - How the human/fae prejudice in ACOTAR makes us question which "traditions" we might be clinging to that are actually just prejudice in fancy clothing* Reading fiction as spiritual rebellion - Why losing yourself in a fantasy world might actually be teaching you to read scripture with fresh eyes (and why that makes some people nervous!)Warning: This episode might leave you questioning power structures, reaching for more "inappropriate" books, and possibly reexamining your entire approach to faith formation. We're not sorry! 💁‍♀️🔥Timestamps:01:00 Purpose and Vision of the Podcast03:00 Diving into A Court of Thorns and Roses04:02 Themes of Covenant and Promises05:24 Healthy Choices and Relationships08:07 Spiritual and Systemic Reflections24:59 Safe Spaces for Growth and Healing44:08 Racism and Classism in ACOTAR54:35 Conclusion and Call to Action This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Your Matron Saints of Spice are back, and we're unpacking the side-eye your TBR pile gets from society! Join Kate, Liz, Sarah, Jenai, and special guest Morgan Strehlow (who blessed us with our podcast name) as we dive into why men's violence-packed entertainment gets called "epic" while our books get dismissed as "fairy smut" — even when they contain less spice than your average Oscar-nominated film.Topics Covered:* Sarah's revealing poll proving there's a serious double standard when it comes to how we talk about men's vs. women's entertainment choices * Why reading for pleasure is a radical act in a world that expects women to be productive, selfless, and contributing to capitalism at all times * How fantasy fiction isn't just "escapism" — it's giving us language to question power structures, develop critical thinking, and yes, reimagine what's possible in our spiritual lives* The political nature of "silly little books" that help us ask big questions (and why certain people might be threatened by women who learn to wonder)* Why the "man cave" is in the house but the "she shed" gets banished to the backyard, and other perfectly normal ways society values men's hobbies over women's 🤔Careful, friends! This episode might just leave you unapologetically enjoying things because you want to, questioning your Bible study approach, and ready to smash some hierarchies. The horror! 💁‍♀️📚✨Timestamps:02:39 Men's vs. Women's Entertainment05:34 Sex and Violence in Media11:19 Purity Culture and Female Sexuality20:29 The Double Standard in Entertainment26:34 Empowerment Through Fiction32:28 Curiosity in Reading and Faith32:56 The Importance of Asking Questions35:59 The Role of Fiction in Developing Empathy39:58 Fiction's Impact on Biblical Interpretation46:22 Smut vs. Spice51:12 Gendered Perceptions of Hobbies54:19 The Value of Enjoying Fiction This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Grab your favorite “heretical” romantasy novel and settle in, because we're back for round two of theological dragon-riding shenanigans! In this episode, we're diving deeper than Violet's trust issues into everything from weaponized forgiveness to MLM boss babe venin ("Hey girl!"). Join us as we explore how Ridoc's humor is actually emotional intelligence in disguise, why Dane still needs to work on his redemption arc (sorry not sorry), and how ancient texts might be trying to tell us something about power that makes certain religious leaders nervous. Careful. You may just walk away questioning your seminary reading list, developing strong opinions about Jonathan Edwards, and an overwhelming urge to start coding secret messages into your journal for future generations. 🐉✨Timestamps:03:39 Ridoc’s Humor and Who’s the “Glue” in the Iron Squad?11:14 Sawyer, Resilience, and Internal Shame22:08 Dane’s Redemption?31:36 Weaponized Forgiveness and Relational Repair34:45 The Power of Memory and Who Shapes the Story41:26 Slaveholder Theology56:30 Theophanie and the Effect of Meeting God This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Through the lens of Rebecca Yarros's Onyx Storm, we explore questions about faith, scripture, and community. Starting with reflections on finding surprise and delight in sacred texts (without decoding hidden messages or building conspiracy boards), we examine how fantasy literature helps us approach Scripture with fresh eyes. Through rich metaphors about divine presence and the complex ways we relate to the sacred, we tackle the critical distinction between peacekeeping and true peacemaking, examining how isolation and moral superiority often masquerade as peace while perpetuating broken systems.Warning: Side effects may include questioning your approach to community, developing strong opinions about religious isolation, and an overwhelming urge to adopt a sassy baby dragon who's always hungry. 🐉✨00:48 Initial Reactions03:55 Finding Surprise and Delight in Scripture12:04 Metaphors for God and Atonement Theories26:30 Peacekeeping vs Peacemaking40:50 Enmeshment and Differentiation49:33 Community and Found Family This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

In this episode, we're diving deeper than Violet's bond with Tairn (and that's saying something) into the deliciously complex world of War College politics, ancient texts that might be lying to us, and propaganda that hits a little too close to home.Join us as we connect the dots between dragon rider drama and real-world faith challenges, from purity culture to Christian nationalism (because apparently, fantasy books are getting a little TOO real these days). We're tackling everything from theological manipulation to female pleasure, with just enough dragon-riding action to keep your prayer group suspicious.Timestamps:02:35 Secrecy and Trust14:13 Dehumanization at Basgiath21:06 Power Dynamics and Trust22:54 Translation and Interpretation28:48 Propaganda and Media Literacy33:20 Theological Self-Protection and Exploitation34:05 Wesley's Quadrilateral and Propaganda34:45 Historical Context: Hitler's Propaganda36:10 Rapture Anxiety and Theological Propaganda39:00 Christian Nationalism and Current Politics44:30 Purity Culture and Female Pleasure51:00 Anticipating the Next Book: Onyx Storm This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

Today, your Matron Saints of Spice are diving into the steamy world of women's desires (don't worry - we warned the prayer chain). From purity culture to pleasure reading, we're unpacking why some fantasies are "acceptable" (looking at you, Hallmark) while others get shunned.Join us as we explore how fantasy books give women language for desire, tools for healing, (rightfully) high expectations, and permission to imagine a world where we don't have to hide any part of our selves. Timestamps:01:02 Exploring Women's Desires in Fantasy Literature03:01 The Role of Fantasy in Empowering Women04:19 Purity Culture and Fantasy Books05:38 Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Fantasy09:49 Imagination and Biblical Stories23:56 Healing Through Stories29:51 Coping Mechanisms in Literature30:33 Challenging Purity Culture32:10 Sexual Agency and Language33:56 Navigating Sexual Education38:52 Empowerment Through Fiction47:34 Fantasy as a Safe Space50:44 Reimagining Gender Roles53:00 Conclusion This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

IIn anticipation of the third installment of the Empyrean Series, we’re diving deep into the book that spawned a thousand spicy romantasy book obsessed readers (and dragon riders in their hearts) … Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.Join us as we go beyond the spice to explore how Rebecca Yarros’ books are secretly packed with spiritual wisdom (no, really!).From the Fourth Wing plotlines that took us on an emotional rollercoaster to surprisingly deep conversations about power, community, and disability representation, sometimes the holiest discussions start with a little dragon-induced swooning. Come for the spice, stay for the surprisingly profound theological insights ... and maybe a few mentions of Xaden, because honestly, who could blame us?01:04 The Book That Started It All: Fourth Wing03:03 Diving into Character Dynamics05:10 Exploring Themes of Empowerment and Control14:23 Disability Representation in Fourth Wing19:32 Culture Wars and Loyalty Tests36:52 Reframing the Holy Spirit’s Voice43:37 The Doctrine of the Trinity and Mutual Indwelling52:05 Final Thoughts and Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

👉 Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify💬 Leave your rating or review to help more people join our “silly little book” chatWhat happens when a Bible nerd, a chaplain-in-training, and a youth pastor stumble into the spicy fantasy section of the bookstore? They launch a little rebellious podcast where spicy romantasy books meet Sunday school … sort of. It turns out that the best romantasy series can do more than make you blush - they might just help you see your life of faith more clearly too.Join Kate Boyd, Liz Daye, and Sarah Lewan as we spill the tea on our backgrounds, defend your right to read romantasy books without hiding them under your Bible study materials, and make a surprisingly solid case for why these stories deserve a spot in your spiritual formation journey. Through thoughtful discussion of popular spicy romantasy books, we hope to prove that faith and fantasy can not only coexist but thrive together. Whether you're secretly devouring romantasy under the covers or proudly displaying your shelf of faerie smut, this episode kicks off a whole new kind of book club.00:00 Welcome to I Read Something Bad00:56 Meet Your Hosts01:31 Why We're Here01:52 Introducing Liz Daye02:43 Introducing Sarah Lewan03:27 Introducing Kate Boyd05:17 Who Should Listen?08:03 The Power of Fiction10:58 Engaging Culture Theologically21:32 The Importance of Imagination26:12 Discovering Romantasy30:15 Rediscovering the Joy of Reading31:27 Cultivating Self-Trust Through Books34:49 Escapism and Its Critics40:32 Healthy Discontent and Relationships45:45 The Role of Spicy Content47:55 Theological Reflections on Spicy Books01:02:20 Looking Forward: Podcast Expectations This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com

I Read Something Bad is where spicy fantasy novels meet spiritual formation.We're the podcast for everyone who's ever felt like they needed to hide their steamy book covers from their small group or found themselves daydreaming about dragons in the middle of a women’s conference.We think it’s time to take the shame out of your TBR pile, empower you to love what you love unapologetically, and talk about the issues that matter most to you by thoughtfully engaging with your favorite literature.This is a book club for the folks who wonder what parts of the Bible are morally grey, and what our favorite fiction books can teach us about our faith.Whether you’re here for the spicy faeries or the spiritual formation (or both — we don’t judge), this is a safe space so grab a seat. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irsbpodcast.substack.com