The Bible for Normal People presents

ALL THE BURIED WOMEN

Uncovering stories of women buried by their own denomination—the Southern Baptist Convention.

Hosted by Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke, All the Buried Women uncovers stories of women that are hidden in the Southern Baptist Convention’s archives. Why is the largest Protestant denomination in America (the SBC) increasingly restrictive towards women? When did this trend begin– or has it always been that way? Is this connected to the apparent trend of young women leaving church at high rates? What about Southern Baptist women who feel called to preach, teach, and pastor? What about abuse victims in the SBC?

In this podcast, Beth and Savannah shed light on these questions by uncovering stories of women buried by their own denomination and tracing the history of the increasingly monolithic Southern Baptist Convention.

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All All the Buried Women Podcast

Introducing All the Buried Women

Savannah Locke introduces All the Buried Women, a compelling new miniseries that uncovers the hidden stories of women within the archives of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). What started as a small passion project grew into a year-and-a-half journey into the history of America’s largest Protestant denomination. Together, historian Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke are bringing to light the experiences of women silenced by their own denomination and the systemic forces that enabled their marginalization. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison…

Episode 1 – George Orwell Warned Us About 1984

In the debut episode of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke aim to uncover women’s stories hidden in the Southern Baptist Convention’s archives. The story begins in an unexpected place for a podcast about Southern Baptists: 4th-century Rome with Saint Fabiola. Because Fabiola challenged religious and societal norms, her story has become a safe harbor for women with similar experiences… even women in the SBC. Fast forward to 1984, where a pivotal moment in Kansas…

Episode 2 – The Invisible Woman

In Episode 2 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke uncover the turbulent and hidden history of women in the Southern Baptist Convention. The story begins in the 1970s, an era of progress and pushback, and follows the journey of Kathy Hoppe, an ordained woman whose call to ministry intersected with a calculated takeover of the SBC. What happens when conviction collides with politics, and how do women respond when their calling is questioned? This…

Episode 3 – Loopholes

In Episode 3 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke explore the "loopholes" that allowed women to serve in ministry within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), despite the formal prohibition against female ordination. These loopholes included roles like professors, missionaries, and pastor’s wives, which allowed women to take on leadership and preaching roles in practice, even though they were not officially recognized as ordained ministers. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard,…

Episode 4 – People Who Have Consensual Affairs Don’t End Up With PTSD

In Episode 4 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke share the story of Christa Brown, a sexual abuse survivor and advocate. Her experience reflects the broader issue of clergy abuse, where victims are often silenced and blamed, while abusers are protected and transferred to new congregations. The episode also highlights Pooler’s research on the harmful psychological impacts of clergy sexual abuse, including PTSD rates higher than those of combat veterans, and the Southern Baptist…

Episode 5 – She Refused to Take the Bed

In the last episode of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke explore the story behind a confidential letter in the SBC’S archives that leads to a pastor’s wife named Maria. They also look at the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to expel churches that ordain women, critiquing the rhetoric of unity and biblical authority used to justify the exclusion of women from leadership roles Last, the episode draws on the lost portrait of Saint Fabiola as…