Can Women Save Religion?

Mac and The Rev welcome ministerial candidate Amanda Adamson, a mentee of The Rev., to discuss the episode’s

question, “Can women save religion?” Amanda candidly shares that women won’t “save” religion, but help foster a

shift from male-dominated, hierarchical models toward balance, safety, collaboration, and receptivity. Failure to

evolve these historical paradigms could cause the church to be irrelevant and die a slow death. The conversation

critiques patriarchal history in Christianity, masculine images of God used to control, religion’s entanglement with

politics and war, and the exclusion of women’s leadership, while also acknowledging religion’s value in community

and charity. They suggest religion may need to “implode” and be reborn, emphasize inner self-inventory,

compassion over winning, embrace mystery and non-binary perspectives, and make practical changes such as

women speaking with authority, servant leadership, listening, and prioritizing relationships over certainty and

control.