In this episode, Em and Caz look at the ways the Bible can be used – or misused – to justify intolerance of transgender and genderqueer lives and identities. They cast a critical eye on some biblical texts that are commonly cited in transphobic discourse, before moving on to explore other texts, which appear to affirm and celebrate the value of gender diversity.

In this episode, Em and Caz take a closer look at what the Bible says about Judas – a biblical character whose name has become synonymous with betrayal. They explore some of the things that are left unclear about Judas in the biblical texts, especially his motivations for betraying Jesus and the significance of his response to Jesus’s arrest. Along the way, they explore the themes of betrayal and remorse that are central to Judas’s character, and consider how these also play out in real-life cases of crime and criminality.

In this episode, Caz and Em take a closer look at the infamous figure of Jezebel, queen of Israel and scourge of the prophet Elijah. They explore how Jezebel’s intersecting identities as a powerful female foreign leader shape her representations in the Hebrew Bible and in New Testament texts. They also consider the ways that her reception over the centuries has operated to perpetuate misogynistic and racist stereotypes about women’s sexuality.

In this episode, Em and Caz discuss the disturbing theme of child sacrifice in the Bible. They investigate its significance and occurrence in a number of biblical texts from both the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, they discuss how these ‘texts of terror’ resonate with contemporary discourses of gender-based violence and child abuse, as well as the metaphorical ‘sacrifice’ of children to toxic political discourse.

In this episode, Caz and Em explore how the Bible is used to validate evangelical Christian teachings about sexual purity. Taking a deep dive into one purity-promoting ‘self-help’ book, they assess how the book’s sexual purity teachings undermine women’s sexual agency, equate female sexuality with sin and shame, and promote harmful myths about sexual violence.

In this episode, Em and Caz focus on the story of Hagar, an enslaved woman who was used by her enslavers, Abraham and Sarah, to bear a child for them [Genesis 16, 21]. They discuss Hagar’s experience as a victim of sexual subjugation at the hands of both Abraham and Sarah, and try to deconstruct Sarah’s underlying motives for her complicity in Hagar’s victimisation. Along the way, they talk about the contemporary phenomenon of enslavement, as well as some recent cases of powerful women orchestrating sexual violence.

In this episode, Caz and Em explore the shadier side of biblical hero King David. Focusing on his encounter with Bathsheba, they deep dive into the monarch’s masculinity and examine the way it is interwoven with power, privilege, and entitlement. Along the way, they mention an awful lot of contemporary men, whose own power and privilege likewise fuel their sense of entitlement to harm and abuse women. 

In this episode, Em and Caz deep dive into the story of Susanna and the elders (Daniel 13). They discuss Susanna’s traumatic encounter with the legal system after she survives an attempted rape. They also explore how this story reflects the experiences of contemporary rape survivors as they attempt to navigate the justice system.

In this episode, Em and Caz kick off season 2 in the company of the most notorious rule-breaking woman in the Bible: Eve. They explore how interpretations of Eve’s character in Genesis 2–4 have impacted attitudes towards women throughout history and up to the present day. Along the way, they discuss how contemporary women accused of criminality are often framed in a similar light to the original rule-breaker, Eve.

In this episode, Em and Caz shine some light on biblical figures who are “disappeared” when their victimization and violation are overlooked or ignored by readers of the Bible. They focus particularly on biblical narratives of genocide, colonialism, wartime rape, and sex trafficking, making connections with more recent examples of these various forms of violence. They also take a deep dive into “missing white woman syndrome,” exploring the ways that some victims of violence - both biblical and contemporary - are “disappeared” by virtue of their being painted as less “worthy” of attention than others.

In this episode, Em and Caz focus on some violent texts from the Christian New Testament that depict violent behaviour, violent language, and violent ideologies. Casting their eye over the book of Revelation and the Household Codes, they draw connections between the violence embedded in these texts and the ideologies that underpin certain forms of contemporary violence too.

In this episode, Em and Caz turn their attention to a particularly bloody narrative - Judges 19-21 - which depicts gang rape, murder, dismemberment, and sex trafficking. By making connections with some contemporary cases of violent crime, they shine a light on the ways that toxic masculinity and patriarchy shape the horrific gender violence that’s portrayed in this biblical story. 

In this episode, Caz and Em discuss understandings of intimate partner violence and coercive control, both in the Bible and contemporary culture. They investigate the “prophetic marriage metaphor” that appears in the book of Hosea, where the prophet Hosea uses his own unhappy marriage to reflect on God’s troubled relationship with Israel. Caz and Em explore this metaphor to uncover how it evokes many of the same tactics used by contemporary perpetrators of coercive control. 

In this episode, Caz and Em explore how the Bible has been used to justify violence and intolerance against the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities. They focus on the so-called “clobber texts” - biblical texts that have long been used to justify religious intolerance of queer lives and identities. But, as they find out, exactly what these texts are saying is not so clear cut as you might think.

In this episode, Caz and Em look at what the Bible says about sexual violence against men. They focus on two biblical texts - the rape of Lot by his two daughters (Genesis 19:30-38) and the stripping of Jesus prior to his crucifixion (Matthew 27:27-37). Reflecting on some recent cases of male sexual assault, they discuss how these biblical texts echo many of the harmful myths and misperceptions that continue to surround this crime.

In this episode, Em and Caz look at some biblical stories that depict sexual violence, focusing particularly on Genesis 34 (the rape of Dinah) and 2 Samuel 13 (the rape of Tamar). They structure their discussion around some of the myths and misperceptions about rape that remain prevalent today. By exploring narratives of rape in both the biblical texts and contemporary culture, they explore how these myths and misperceptions can distort understandings of sexual violence in really harmful ways.

In this episode, Em and Caz take a closer look at women who kill, and ask why murderous women inspire so much fascination and fear. They draw on some contemporary cases of women killers to see if these can shed any light on the biblical character of Judith, whose bloody murder of Holofernes marked her out as both a lethal woman and a biblical hero. Diving into the gendered stereotypes that shape contemporary understandings of homicidal women, Caz and Em explore why they find women like Judith both intriguing and terrifying.

In this episode, Caz and Em take a closer look at the fascinating figure of the femme fatale, or ‘fatal woman’, in the Bible and popular culture. Focusing on the biblical character of Delilah (Judges 16), they ask why she’s so often portrayed as a dangerous seductress who uses her sexuality to destroy the hapless Samson. They also consider some femmes fatales from history and contemporary culture to see if there might be alternative ways of understanding Delilah’s character.