The Curian Podcast
by The Curian Network
The Curian Podcast, hosted by Rev. Jill Elizabeth and Jonathan J. Foster, is for intellectually honest faith leaders, theological migrants, and anyone navigating what it means to build new communities oriented around uncontrolling love./ Through conversations with authors, theologians, pastors, and thinkers, we reimagine a Christianity less influenced by power-seeking, scapegoating, and false certainty. We also explore how theology shows up in pop culture, asking what our cultural narratives reveal about love, trauma, community, and what it means to be human./ This podcast is especially for pastors, chaplains, and spiritual directors—people who need theological depth and the reminder that meaning is made in community, not in isolation. Whether unpacking open and relational thought, mimetic theory, or cultural phenomena, the goal is the same: to put love where there is no love and help move the world forward one conversation at a time./ About the Hosts: Jill Elizabeth is a crede
Episodes
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The Courage to Resist: Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation with Danny Bryant | S2E2
What does it look like to put faith into action through resistance, reconciliation, and healing? In this episode of the Curian Podcast, Rev. Jill and Jonathan Foster sit down with Danny Bryant for a conversation about faith, justice, nonviolence, and the work of building a more just and merciful...
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Who Benefits When Women Stay Silent: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Shaleen Kendrick | S2E1
Rev. Jill Elizabeth and Jonathan Foster welcome Rev. Dr. Shaleen Kendrick for a thoughtful and challenging conversation about women in leadership, the systems that have historically subjugated and controlled women, and the lasting effects of these beliefs on individuals and society. Together…
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You’ll Lose Some Things, But You’ll Find a New Home | S1E12
In this episode, Jonathan Foster is joined by Rev. Dr. Shaleen Kendrick, Tori Owens, and Thomas J. Oord for a live conversation at the 2026 Open and Relational Theology Conference. Together, they explore what happens when a faith community no longer feels like a safe place to be fully yourself…
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Starting with Questions: A Conversation with Damian Geddry | S1E11
From the Open and Relational Theology Conference (ORTCON), Jonathan Foster talks with Damian Geddry about creativity, new beginnings, and what his journey through recovery, marketing, and ministry has taught him about listening for spiritual longing. Through conversations with people who are...
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What We Sing Matters: Worship Music, Theology, and the Power of Language with Savannah Locke | S1E10
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth are joined by Savannah Locke (https://www.savannahlocke.com/) for a conversation about worship music and the theology embedded within the songs churches sing. Together, they explore how popular worship music has been written, the assumptions and...
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Faith, Sexuality, and the Courage to Be Honest (Part 2) | S1E9
Note: This episode includes conversation around sexuality and experiences of harm within the church, including abuse. We invite you to listen with care and attentiveness to your own experience. In this follow-up conversation, Jonathan and Rev. Jill Elizabeth reflect on Jill's dialogue with Tori...
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Faith, Sexuality, and the Courage to Be Honest with Tori Owens (Part 1) | S1E8
In this episode, Jill Elizabeth is joined by Tori Owens, a therapist and spiritual director, for a thoughtful and personal conversation about faith, sexuality, and the search for belonging within the church. Drawing from her own lived experience, Tori reflects on the tension between identity and...
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Mo: Identity, Belonging, and the Search for Home | S1E7
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Rev. Jill Elizabeth reflect on the Netflix series Mo, a story that weaves humor, hardship, and cultural tension into a deeply human narrative. Through the life of its central character, the series explores questions of identity, displacement, and what it means...
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Reimagining Faith and Belonging with Keri Ladouceur | S1E6
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth are joined by Keri Ladouceur, executive director and co-founder of the Post-Evangelical Collective. Keri is a pastor, teacher, and bridge-building peacemaker who longs to cultivate new faith spaces of mutuality and flourishing for all people....
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Sinners (2025): Faith, Violence, and the Long Shadow of Oppression | S1E5
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth reflect on Sinners, the 2025 supernatural horror film directed by Ryan Coogler. They approach the film as a cultural and theological text, exploring the deeper questions it raises about faith, oppression, and moral responsibility. Together, they...
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Mimetic Theory: Desire, Scapegoating, and Faith | S1E4
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth explore mimetic theory, a framework developed by French thinker René Girard that examines how desire, rivalry, and scapegoating shape human behavior and communities. Drawing on Jonathan’s doctoral work and long engagement with Girard’s thought,...
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Conclave (2024): Inside the Dynamics of Religious Power | S1E3
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth reflect on the 2024 film Conclave, using it as a lens to explore the inner dynamics of religious institutions. They examine how power, secrecy, and loyalty shape leadership and decision-making within sacred systems, and what the film reveals…
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Immigration, Faith, and Human Dignity with Andrea Martinez | S1E2
In this episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth are joined by Andrea Martinez of Martinez Immigration Law, a Kansas City–based immigration attorney featured in the Netflix documentary Living Undocumented, for a conversation at the intersection of faith, law, and human dignity. Together, they...
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Welcome to The Curian Podcast: Faith, Harm, and Hope with Dana Hicks | S1E1
In this opening episode, Jonathan Foster and Jill Elizabeth welcome co-founder, Dana Hicks, president of the Curian Network, for a conversation about the story and heart behind Curian. Together, they reflect on their journeys within the church, being disinvited from their denomination, and what…
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About this show
The Curian Podcast, hosted by Rev. Jill Elizabeth and Jonathan J. Foster, is for intellectually honest faith leaders, theological migrants, and anyone navigating what it means to build new communities oriented around uncontrolling love./ Through conversations with authors, theologians, pastors, and thinkers, we reimagine a Christianity less influenced by power-seeking, scapegoating, and false certainty. We also explore how theology shows up in pop culture, asking what our cultural narratives reveal about love, trauma, community, and what it means to be human./ This podcast is especially for pastors, chaplains, and spiritual directors—people who need theological depth and the reminder that meaning is made in community, not in isolation. Whether unpacking open and relational thought, mimetic theory, or cultural phenomena, the goal is the same: to put love where there is no love and help move the world forward one conversation at a time./ About the Hosts: Jill Elizabeth is a crede
Hosted by
The Curian Network
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