Episode Details

49. Matthew Paul Turner – (Author, When I Thank God) Giving Our Kids a Faith They Don’t Have to Heal From

New York Times bestselling children’s author Matthew Paul Turner joins The Sacred Slope for a conversation about the stories we tell children about God—and the ones many adults are still learning to tell themselves.

Alexis and Matthew explore why children don’t get to choose their first picture of God, how children’s books can become unexpected spaces of healing for adults deconstructing harmful theology, and what it means to raise kids with a faith rooted in love, belonging, gratitude, justice, and the teachings of Jesus.

Matthew shares the story behind his new book, When I Thank God, illustrated by David Catrow, and why gratitude has remained one of the few spiritual practices that stayed with him through fundamentalism, deconstruction, coming out, and rebuilding his faith.

They also talk honestly about Christian nationalism, the Americanization of Christianity, why humility and justice are central to following Jesus, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and what Christians can actually do to make their communities more loving.

And Matthew reflects movingly on his friendship with the late Rachel Held Evans, finishing the children’s books she left behind, and why her legacy continues to change lives.

💬 In This Episode

• Giving children a picture of God they won’t have to heal from
• Why children’s books can help deconstructing adults heal
• When I Thank God and gratitude as a spiritual practice
• Following Jesus in an age of Christian nationalism
• Deconstructing whiteness and Americanized Christianity
• Why humility, justice, compassion, and belonging matter
• LGBTQ+ inclusion and showing up visibly for your neighbors
• The Growing Wall of Love at World Pride Amsterdam
• Matthew’s friendship with Rachel Held Evans
• Finishing Rachel’s children’s books after her death
• What Is God Like? and the upcoming Who Is Jesus?
• Rebuilding a Christianity centered on making things better, more hopeful, and more loving

📚 Matthew Paul Turner

Matthew is the bestselling author of When God Made You, When God Made Light, You Will Always Belong, and the new When I Thank God.

Follow Matthew: @matthewpaulturner

👥 People & Resources Mentioned

• Rachel Held Evans – @rachelheldevans
• Sarah Bessey – @sarahbessey
• Meredith Anne Miller – @meredithannemiller
• Rocky Roggio / 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture – @rockyroggio
• Jarko de Witte van Leeuwen / The Growing Wall of Love – @thegrowingwalloflove
• David Catrow – @davidcatrow illustrator of When I Thank God
• Danny McBride / The Righteous Gemstones @therighteousgemstones

📖 When I Thank God releases August 18
Pre-Order from The Sacred Slope Book Reccos List: https://bookshop.org/shop/thesacredslope

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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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