Theology in the Raw

Are parents accidentally making their kids more anxious by protecting them from discomfort?
Dr. Chinwé Williams joins Preston to explain why anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social avoidance have risen among young people. They discuss the role of smartphones and social media, the disappearance of real-world community, constant exposure to frightening news, trauma, pornography, and the pressure many kids feel to avoid failure.
Dr. Chinwé Williams is a Licensed and Board-Certified therapist with expertise spanning a variety of domains, including youth and family mental health, parenting & and trauma recovery. Chinwé has served in academic, corporate, school, and faith-based work settings. She’s also the co-author of the best-selling book Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection and her latest book is: Calm, Courageous, and Connected: A Parent's Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Kids

Chapters:
0:00 Avoidance Is Feeding Kids’ Anxiety
2:20 Is the Youth Mental Health Crisis Real?
5:30 What Is Causing the Mental Health Crisis?
8:08 What Social Media Is Taking Away From Kids
9:32 Why Kids Need “Third Spaces”
12:41 Are Kids Becoming Afraid to Take Risks?
16:54 Why Teens Struggle With Social Anxiety
20:04 How Avoidance Makes Anxiety Worse
21:15 Building Grit and Emotional Resilience
23:58 How Parents Accidentally Reinforce Anxiety
26:22 How Parents’ Childhood Wounds Shape Their Parenting
29:57 Fear, Bad News, and the “Milk Carton Generation”
35:10 Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Pornography
43:30 How Parents Can Help Anxious Kids
44:04 Co-Regulation and Connection Before Correction
48:30 Teaching Kids Cognitive Flexibility
51:12 The “Grace Check”
52:42 Healthy Smartphone and Social Media Boundaries
55:41 Who Could Your Teen Call at 2 A.M.?
56:29 Calm, Courageous, and Connected
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Hey friends,
Check out the top voted questions from my September Q & A! For the full episode, join the Theology in the Raw Patreon Community at https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Here's the full list of Questions:
00:59 Isn’t it unfair to consider gay-affirming Christians “outside the fold” when pro-war Christians have an equally unbiblical view, but are not treated as such?
09:15 Prophecy of male birth aside, could Jesus have been female and still died for the sins of the world?
13:21 Assuming a view of Jesus with literal brothers, sons of Mary, why do you think Jesus at the cross entrusted the care of Mary to John and not to his literal brothers?
15:45 My mother-in-law is a hospice nurse and had a patient request that she be present at their medically assisted suicide. My mother-in-law would not administer anything, but should she go?
17:40 Are David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi good biblical kinship examples of modern same-sex celibate partnerships?
20:11 I really appreciated your two discussions of biblical masculinity. Any further thoughts or takeaways after you’ve had some time to mull over the conversations?
24:11 How is it that believers, all with the Spirit guiding them, come to such opposing conclusions? How can we be confident we know what God is actually saying or leading us to?
27:03 After a decade at a fast-growing church, should I be concerned that I don’t feel rooted or have a role, while later arrivals become deacons and become known by the leaders?
28:11 Do Job’s speeches function as valid lament for Christians, or are they out of bounds? Some of his statements are pretty intense.
31:09 Would you ever consider having a Christian polygamist on your show? I’ve seen a lot more recently. I strongly disagree, but would love a real back-and-forth.
33:27 How would you explain the doctrine of the Trinity to a nonbeliever or a child? How does it make sense that the Son doesn’t know the day or time of the end?
37:33 Is communion in the Bible always done with the group eating from a common loaf and drinking from a common cup? If so, should that be the standard practice today?
42:18 Is Satan God’s enemy or just ours? If we fail a test, is it Satan’s fault or the proctor’s fault? Was Satan upset when Jesus and Job passed the test? Is the Satan of Job and Matthew 4 the same as Revelation?
44:22 In thinking about friendship as an intimate relationship, what is the place of physical affection? What is cultural versus biblical, especially for men? How do we get there?
47:32 What do you think of Greg Boyd’s cruciform hermeneutic of Old Testament violence described in The Crucifixion of the Warrior God?
50:35 My son asks what we know about angels and archangels from the Old Testament versus pop culture. What do Judaism and Christianity say about ranks, personhood, and the reason for their creation?
53:59 Does a Genesis-first hermeneutic in Matthew 19 imply Christians should be vegetarian as New Eden people, like Adam and Eve? Also, Isaiah 11.
58:37 Do Jews and Christians worship the same God, or does the incarnation fundamentally change who God is? I still feel unclear.
1:00:40 In 1 Timothy 3:2, one of the qualifications for an elder is “able to teach,” which doesn’t appear for deacons or women. Is this a good argument against women teaching?
1:04:19 What’s the likelihood that Paul was married and subsequently widowed or divorced? I’ve heard that to be a Pharisee, he would have had to be married. Is this true?
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What if Christian unity doesn’t mean agreeing about everything?
Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez joins Preston to discuss the difference between genuine Christian unity and the false peace created by forced agreement. Drawing from her new book, False Peace, Pricelis explains why sameness can silence people, erase meaningful differences, and prevent churches from addressing conflict honestly.
They discuss political and theological disagreement within the church, pastoring a diverse congregation in the Bronx, creating a church culture that welcomes criticism, and deciding which doctrines Christians should divide over.
In the Patreon-exclusive Extra Innings segment, Preston and Pricelis continue the conversation by discussing women in church leadership, Pricelis’s journey toward becoming an ordained pastor, and how she maintains meaningful relationships with Christians who strongly disagree with her.
Join the Theology in the Raw Patreon community to listen to Extra Innings: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw
Learn more about Pricelis and her book, False Peace: How to Reject the Lie of Sameness, Embrace Difference, and Embody True Unity: https://www.pricelispd.com/my-books
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What does the Bible really mean by modesty, and why have Christian conversations about clothing so often produced shame, especially for women and teenage girls?

Dr. Sandra Richter is a renown biblical scholar, author, and professor of Old Testament at Westmont College. The 2nd edition of her killer book, The Epic of Eden, releases in November 2026. Sandy is also a faithful mom, and one of her daughters, Noël Tsoukalas, joins us in this conversation about modesty. Noël is a Pop singer-songwriter and worship leader. She made a name for herself on Season 21 of American Idol, where she received a golden ticket and three “yeses” from celebrity judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Check out her music on Spotify!

00:00:00 “Your Outfit Is Causing My Husband to Stumble”
00:06:55 Sandy & Noel on Modesty and Purity Culture
00:12:50 How the Church Has Mishandled Modesty
00:18:10 Sandy’s Experience with Christian Dress Codes
00:21:26 When Modesty Culture Makes Girls’ Bodies “Public Property”
00:27:21 The Billy Graham Rule and Women in Church Leadership
00:32:21 What Does Biblical Modesty Actually Look Like?
00:36:18 Body Shaming and Modesty in the Church
00:38:26 Teaching Girls to Set Boundaries with Church Leaders
00:42:51 Should Churches Have Dress Codes?
00:51:26 Body Types and the Subjectivity of Modesty
00:53:36 What Does Modesty Look Like for Men?
00:56:28 Biblical Modesty Is About More Than Sexuality
00:59:12 Double Standards for Men and Women at Christian Camps
01:01:41 How Should Christian Camps Handle Swimsuit Dress Codes?
01:06:15 Does Modesty Culture Discourage Women from Ministry?
01:08:30 Social Media, Body Image, and Female Musicians
01:11:30 Healing from Shame Around Modesty and Purity Culture
01:14:05 Who Should Talk to Women About Their Clothing?
01:15:20 Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury make the internet stumble
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Colleen Ramser is an EMDR-certified licensed professional counselor (LPC) who specializes in trauma, particularly the effects of spiritual abuse, domestic abuse, and complex trauma. She’s a survivor of spiritual trauma, which she talks about in the show, and she’s the author of the book The Shattered Soul: Restoring Wholeness and Rebuilding Your Faith After Spiritual Trauma, which addresses a lot of the things we discuss in this fasciainating conversation.

00:00 Why Spiritual Trauma Can Make Faith Feel Impossible
00:30 Introduction
02:52 What Qualifies as Trauma?
05:49 Trauma vs. PTSD
07:46 Resilience, Support, and Post-Traumatic Growth
17:06 What Is Spiritual Trauma?
21:00 Colleen’s Experience with Spiritual Abuse
31:18 Signs and Symptoms of Spiritual Trauma
32:48 How Spiritual Trauma Affects Pastors and Church Leaders
39:14 Recognizing and Treating Spiritual Trauma
41:20 Healing Trauma and Rebuilding Your Faith
46:06 Complex Spiritual Trauma vs. Theological Disagreement
49:46 Is the Term “Spiritual Abuse” Overused?
57:30 Are Churches Getting Better at Addressing Abuse?
63:24 Jesus, Power, and the Fruit of the Spirit
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