The Exile Project

Jun 22 2024

The Exile Project Podcast artwork

Explore stories from the Bible alongside personal stories from the 21st century. Join your hosts, Patricia Manwaring and Elisa Booker, who have had the opportunity to deconstruct their postmodern Christian faith and still think there's something beautiful to hold onto. The Exile Project invites you on a journey to look at the story of the Biblical narrative through a new lens that can bring healing and life. This podcast is a production of Worship Lab.

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Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Jun 22 2024 61 mins

Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Well you're not alone. In today's episode, we're going to unpack that question, exploring how the Bible helps us to process this contradiction. We'll also discuss how to weather the difficult moments in our own lives, and then how we can sit with others with empathy and love when they are moving through tough times. —Re

587 and Covid

Jun 08 2024 36 mins

Sometimes a shared felt experience is worth looking at in a new light. So in today’s episode, we’re looking at the coronavirus pandemic in the context of the Exile story from the Old Testament.Walter Brueggemann says that when we go through a community-wide trauma like the exile, we tend to move through three stages: interpretation, reflection and anticipation. Together, we can

The Apple Juice Chair

May 24 2024 62 mins

Get ready, we’re talking about all the things. Feminism, Sodom and Gomorrah, patriarchy, inclusivity, hell, sexual identity, and the Barbie movie.It was a crazy emotional week and we found it impossible to talk about one thing without all the others. Ultimately, in today’s episode, we’re looking towards God's heart for the oppressed and his radical inclusion and empowerment o

Bonus Episode: Imaginative Prayer

May 10 2024 11 mins

Here is a quick imaginative prayer exercise that you can try for yourself, in real-time, while you're listening. This is a method of connecting with God where you envision yourself stepping into a story from the Bible to encounter Jesus.The beauty of this approach to prayer is that you don't have to say anything out loud, you don't have to be creative, or find just the right words.

Let’s Get (Not So) Serious About Prayer

May 10 2024 50 mins

Have you ever gotten waxed, had a panic attack and then met God? Have you ever “prayed” about your partner and then realized you were complaining and that is why God gave you BFFs? Have you ever wanted so badly to pray like you were seven years old again? Well don’t worry because SO HAVE WE!In this episode, we share some stories that have become cornerstones in our prayer lif

The Journey of Prayer

May 02 2024 53 mins

It's our very first interview! We're honored to chat with Aaron Thomas, founder of Seeds and Water Collective, about his journey through prayer, the importance of Sabbath rest, and how deconstruction has shaped it all. Over the past 22 years, Aaron has been a teacher, coach, pastor, and entrepreneur, coming alongside church planters, pastors, nonprofit leaders, and marketplace entr

Self Stories

Apr 26 2024 35 mins

We’re taking on the hermeneutics of self-creation, which is a fancy way to say how we interpret our self to ourselves. We all have a story that we believe about who we are, and that story impacts the way we present ourselves to others.In today’s episode, we share some of our own stories and how we have chosen to “re-story” ourselves as we have looked for healing. We also sh

Alternative Narratives

Apr 17 2024 31 mins

The Bible offers an alternative or sometimes even opposing narratives to our post-modern culture context. While the world offers us value systems based on consumerism, nationalism, capitalism, and celebrity, the Bible is quite literally Gospel, which is from the Greek for “good news.” In today’s episode, we compare and contrast these narratives and examine what Gospel means i

Evolving Theology

Apr 08 2024 28 mins

In today’s episode, we explore theology, using Dorthee Soelle’s definition, “an invitation to think deeply about God.” Everyone has a theology, even if they don’t realize it. We want you to feel empowered to take ownership over your personal theology.Throughout our discussion, we dig into the differences between orthodoxy and theology. We also look at personal stories tha

Mother Hen

Apr 01 2024 30 mins

In this episode, we explore how we implicitly interact with our theology and how using different metaphors can give us a renewed access point with God. Sometimes we have to use our hard and painful moments to sense God’s nearness. This is a valid and important experience to note and be curious about in your life! That’s because God is so very near to our suffering, as we talked