Episode Details

🎙️ 31. Rev. Elizabeth Ashman Riley (Episcopal) – Rage Prayers & What to Expect at an Episcopal Church

What if the holiest prayer you could pray wasn’t polite at all—but a full-body, honest, angry, “Are you seeing this, God?!”

In this episode of The Sacred Slope, Rev. Elizabeth Ashman Riley (@therevriley), Episcopal priest & author of Rage Prayers, invites us to bring our whole selves—grief, fury, doubt, and all—to God. We talk about queer-affirming faith, the beauty of small Episcopal communities, and what newcomers can expect when they step inside an Episcopal church for the first time.

✨ In this conversation, we explore:
• Elizabeth’s call story in a tiny Alaskan village
• 20+ years of Episcopal debates around queer inclusion
• Why “Jesus loves you, but…” is not the Gospel
• The surprising, viral origin of Rage Prayers
• How to write your own rage prayers (and why God can handle them)
• What it’s really like to attend an Episcopal church—rituals, liturgy, community
• The gift of small, intergenerational churches where people actually notice you
• A closing prayer for anyone who hasn’t been prayed over in a long time

✨ What to Expect at an Episcopal Church
If you’re coming from non-denominational or megachurch spaces, an Episcopal church may feel smaller, quieter, more ancient—and more intimate. Expect ritual and scripture, weekly communion, candles, responses, and a community that knows your name. Expect belonging without condition, space for questions, and a faith shaped by love over fear.

💡 Key takeaways
• God is not fragile—your full emotions and doubts are welcome
• Rage can clarify what matters most
• Queer-affirming, justice-centered churches exist
• You deserve a church that doesn’t confuse “neutrality” with love
• Faith can be rebuilt with honesty, curiosity, and courage

📚 Resources Mentioned
• Rage Prayers – Elizabeth Ashman Riley
• Father Lizzie McManus-Dail – God Didn't Make Us to Hate Us @rev.lizzie
• April Ajoy – Star Spangled Jesus – @aprilajoyr
• Erin Hicks Moon – I’ve Got Questions – @erinhmoon
• Church Clarity – @churchclarity
• The New Evangelicals – @thenewevangelicals
• Theology Beer Camp - @theologybeercamp
• Tripp Fuller - @trippfuller
•  Adam Clark - @adamclk

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About The Sacred Slope
Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.
Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.

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