When Church Teachings Cause Harm: Sheila Wray Gregoire on Marriage, Submission & Abuse

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the teachings meant to strengthen Christian marriages actually contribute to shame, inequality, and even abuse? This episode was a joy to record and a personal one for me. I sit down with bestselling author, speaker, and researcher @sheilagregoire of the Bare Marriage Podcast and author of The Great Sex Rescue, to challenge some of the deeply rooted beliefs surrounding marriage, sex, submission, and gender roles within evangelical Christianity. Sheila shares her personal faith journey and what led her to question popular Christian marriage teachings. Together, we explore how the misuse of Scripture, distorted definitions of submission, and messages promoted through Christian books and church culture can create unhealthy power dynamics, silence women, and perpetuate cycles of harm. At the heart of this conversation is an important question: Are we teaching people to follow Jesus, or are we defending religious traditions that sometimes hurt the very people we're called to love? This episode is an invitation to rethink what we've been taught, recognize harmful patterns, and rediscover a faith rooted in truth, mutual respect, freedom, and the redemptive love of Jesus. Because pursuing redemption sometimes means having the courage to question what we've always believed.  Support the show Follow along at Instagram @restoringministriesok or Facebook @restoringministriesok. To learn more, check out heathervshore.com.