Two queer Christian women exploring the space between belief and doubt, deconstruction and reconstruction, and the mysteries of faith that are ours just as much as the Christians who have gone before us—even the ones who say that our queerness is incompatible with Christianity. Regardless of your beliefs (or lack thereof), you’re welcome in this conversation about the religious backgrounds people came from, and how those experiences (and changes in belief) impact the life they live now.
In this episode, we discuss the gay Christian author Matthew Vines and how he and his organization, The Reformation Project, have been churning out bad takes for the past several years. He's been doubling down on purity culture, respectability politics, and whiteness, and we didn't think he could dig deeper--but then he did with his article published in the New York Times on the last day of Pride Month, "I'm Gay. Not Queer. It Matters." We try to figure out who this article is even for (maybe consider why people thought your article was trans exclusionary???) and lament that Matthew seems afraid of the wondrous and capacious beauty of the LGBTQ+ community.
Articles/media mentioned or quoted in this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/opinion/queer-gay-rights.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.YRIy.QT2sDjOEJ-_i&smid=nytcore-ios-share (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/opinion/queer-gay-rights.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.YRIy.QT2sDjOEJ-_i&smid=nytcore-ios-share)https://reformationproject.org/about/ (https://reformationproject.org/about/) https://medium.com/@anayelsivelascosanchez/when-organizations-devolve-the-whitewashing-of-the-reformation-project-fda9b24cc24f (https://medium.com/@anayelsivelascosanchez/when-organizations-devolve-the-whitewashing-of-the-reformation-project-fda9b24cc24f)https://www.instagram.com/p/DRLaswAAVak/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/DRLaswAAVak/)
Matthew Vines having a conversation with TERFs:https://www.louiseperry.co.uk/p/the-gay-rights-movement-got-it-wrong (https://www.louiseperry.co.uk/p/the-gay-rights-movement-got-it-wrong)
Matthew Vines talking about the "dangers" of "Side Q":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NvjpyymhKc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NvjpyymhKc)
Our friends Billie and Celeste react to Vines' article: https://substack.com/home/post/p-204736875 (https://substack.com/home/post/p-204736875)
22 Jun 2026
You Don't Need a Calling with Damon Garcia
In this episode, we have a conversation with author, Youtuber and friend of the pod Damon Garcia! He discusses his new book, You Don't Need a Calling: An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto for a Life of Purpose, and the experiences that led him to write it. We discuss how capitalism impacts our theologies about purpose/vocation and how we can break free of those frameworks. If you have a trad wife or red-pilled guy in your life, maybe give them Damon's book to help them see that the biggest problem in our society is actually capitalism.
Link to preorder/purchase Damon's book: https://www.damongarcia.com/calling
24 May 2026
A Progressive Christian Perspective on Artificial Intelligence
In this episode, Anna and April talk about artificial intelligence from a progressive Christian standpoint, asking the question, "Does this contribute to human flourishing?" The answer, the majority of the time, is no. There are some ethical uses of AI in the science and medical fields (earlier diagnosis for disease, data sorting and analysis), but that is not what billionaires and governments are pouring money into. The AI corporations are funding surveillance systems, military tech, and large language models and image generators that are being sold to the masses as a replacement for creativity and companionship, two core parts of our humanity. We must resist the push of AI into every aspect of our lives, we must reject the idea that it is inevitable. April and Anna give their thoughts on a way forward where we advocate for dataprivacy protections and regulations that actually hold the AI companies accountable (NOT age/ID verification to be clear, we are against surveillance capitalism) and prevent people from harming themselves or others. We also discuss the cultural need for media literacy around AI content and how parents need to take an active and mindful role in how their kids/teens use technology, including AI.
https://fortune.com/2023/06/08/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt-worries-15-quotes/
https://newpol.org/issue_post/the-leftist-alternative-to-artificial-intelligence/
Who has been a guest on Reclaiming the Garden
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Brianna da Silva
Beth Little
Billie Hoard
QCF Squad
Reagan Page
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
193
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
17 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
83
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
81
Contact Reclaiming the Garden
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Reclaiming the Garden?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine