5. Rev. Darrell Goodwin (United Church of Christ) – The God of Our Wildest Dreams

The God of Our Wildest Dreams with Rev. Darrell Goodwin
🕊️ United Church of Christ | Queer Faith | Liberation Theology

This episode is for every queer person who was told “not you,” and for anyone who’s ever wondered if God could still be safe after the church became a source of pain. It’s for the seekers, the wounded, the deconstructing—and those finding their way back to faith with new eyes.

It’s also a powerful call to churches everywhere: to create spaces where people can heal, belong, and believe again.

💡 Key Takeaways
• The God of fear is not the God of liberation
• Queer people carry profound spiritual gifts
• Deconstruction often begins with heartbreak—and leads to freedom
• Scripture invites questioning, not control
• True pastoral integrity requires honesty, even before we’re ready
• Churches must mean it when they say, “Come as you are”
• Liberation means right relationship—with self, God, and others

🙏 For Listeners Healing from Church Hurt
Rev. Goodwin challenges listeners: sometimes you have to stop believing in the God who made you feel small or afraid in order to encounter the God of your wildest dreams.

⛪ About Our Guest
Rev. Darrell Goodwin (@revdgoodwin) is the Executive Conference Minister for the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ (@unitedchurchofchrist). He is the first openly Black Queer person to serve in this role, where he oversees more than 600 congregations. A powerful preacher, seminary educator, and pastoral leader, Rev. Goodwin holds degrees from Boston College, the University of Vermont, Seattle University, and is a doctoral candidate at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

🕊️🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿🕊️
If we claim to follow Jesus, we should be known by our love—not by what we say, wear, or perform, but by the fruit of the Spirit:
❤️ love, 💫 joy, ☮️ peace, 🕊 patience, 💝 kindness, 🌿 goodness, 🙏 faithfulness, 🤲 gentleness, and 💪 self-control.
Let our words online and our actions offline reflect that love.
🕊️ Let this space be shaped by it.

Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity, exploring its many expressions.

🌿 Community Guidelines

If we claim to follow Jesus, let’s be known by our love—evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit: ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control
🕊 May our words online and actions offline reflect that love.

🔗 Connect
🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope
🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice
🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence
📬 Nominate a guest: [email protected]