This podcast, Bare Marriage, changed my life. Yes, for the better. I'm no longer in a spiritually abusive relationship or church but I keep listening to this podcast and always gain valuable insights and knowledge.

The episode on the Excellent wife was horrendous. They are taking things out of context and being very petty. How is it helpful to women to gossip about her name is even real. The condescending attitudes and acting like their opinion is the end all be all is off putting. Martha Peace is not telling women it’s their fault and they can’t leave if their husband is beating them. The comment about women that are in certain fringe groups don’t know how badly it is written because they’re only “allowed” to read those kind of books. They read these books because they are biblical. If I didn’t know this was suppose to be a Christian podcast, I would think it was just a group of worldly women bashing biblical views. There is so much wrong here.

Balanced, fair, informative, and fun to listen to. This podcast identifies and discusses actual, real relationship topics that the Christian community needs to engage with urgency. The amount of work that has gone into this and the hosts’ books, events, and other resources is truly commendable.

This show is a godsend, literally. Deconstruction is not about rebelling against Jesus, it’s about leaving the patriarchal “kitchen” behind and being welcomed as an equal disciple of Jesus. If patriarchy/complementarianism is part of the Curse, why is it touted as God’s plan? If we are to step into the New Creation, we embrace that being in Jesus is bigger than being either male or female. I recommend this show for anyone who questions whether complementarianism is truly biblical, and whoever wants a healthier marriage or needs to face the wounds of the past.

This podcast is difficult to listen to. It is filled with snark and condescension. They come across as the be all end all arbitrators of truth regardless of the TRUTH found in the Bible. There seems to be no room for differing beliefs or convictions. They cherry pick parts of books and rip them apart without context to fit their narratives. The maturity level isn’t high here. So much of what is said oozes hurt, bitterness and anger. Take it all with a MASSIVE grain of salt.

Love this podcast and more people need to hear her podcast. She makes things fun to listen too.

Beyond grateful for Sheila and the team! Absolutely essential part of rebuilding my understanding of faith, family, gender, and relationships after being raised in a fundamentalist cult.

Its funny how learning about God’s true design for sex not only transforms your perspective on sex, but actually your entire world view. Or at least thats how your podcast has impacted me. I was addicted to pornography for years, grew up in a thick purity culture, and had no mentorship or anyone in my life - who knew me well. I did not know how to pursue close relationships and community either. - God miraculous brought my wife and I together - I do not deserve the amazing, and beautiful person she is. When we got married, I took all of my perspectives with me into marriage, and it made for a ROUGH first 4 years. Even though so much healing is beginning to happen, and God has done some amazing work in our lives, trust and relational intimacy being built… recently I was still wondering (and kind of annoyed at God) - “Why the heck did you give us sex, and what did you really intend it for?!” - Especially because for so long it has only brought damage and brokenness for us. At this point I have probably binged at least 30 episodes at this point… and still counting… If my world could be represented by a island - a nuclear bomb hit it (called truth) and now what is being rebuilt is something way better and way more beautiful. I purchased the great sex rescue, and wife and I are starting to use your content to talk through the truth about God’s design for sex. - I am so thankful for the way you guys talk about the total truth, at times I felt like I was falling on my face - I was completely challenged and humbled, in the best ways possible. I am now telling all my dude friends to go listen to this podcast where this lady and her daughter (and friends talk about sex… because no one else is doing it like them. Thanks for your ministry!

Thank you for teaching the truth -that we are not expected (as a Christian) to stay in marriage to an abusive man who claims to be a Christian. I believe that your research and wisdom is so needed right now.

They are very good reasons why women are commonly leaving the church. We’re tired of being overlooked, silenced, told we can’t, ignored overworked and discarded. We’re also tired of being led to. This podcast strongly calls people to do better with explanations, with the research, and with compassion and equality. All the stars to the Bare Marriage team!

Thank you for speaking the truth. You have helped to empower me in my marriage by giving me my voice back.

This podcast will change your life, family, and marriage. And ultimately the world. Listen, listen, listen and let the beautiful truth of Jesus wash your mind and heart of all the lies you have believed about Him, the structure and authority, sex, marriage, family, men, women, and children. It is the embodiment of the “truth that sets us free” in Jesus.

This is a really helpful continuation of Great Sex Rescue and She Deserves Better. Even as a young unmarried woman, Shelia’s advice is helpful for reframing unhealthy teachings. Even while not currently looking for a partner, I feel so much more prepared for making healthy decisions around and in any future marriage. I’m also more able to recognize healthy and unhealthy spiritual communities. Thank you Shelia, Rebecca, Joana, Kieth, and Connor! (Also Katie for behind the scenes). May Jesus bless you and keep you! 💕

I can’t recommend Sheila’s work strongly enough. This podcast is amazing and worth every second of your time! I’d also urge you to read her books as well.

The people who criticize this podcast aren’t the ones who need it. For those of us that have suffered from destructive religious beliefs and confusing messages about sex and marriage, this podcast is a lifeline! Thank you for research based and untwisted Biblical truth. It has brought so much validation and healing to my life. This is a God-honoring podcast that offers so much hope!

I have enjoyed your podcast for awhile, but listening to episode 250, I am so blown away by Shiela and Keith’s passion for uplifting women, helping them see their value as image-bearers, and giving them a voice to stand up to toxic theology in the church regarding men dominating women. Thank you so much!

Such great marriage advice but more importantly advice on knowing myself better and FOLLOWING CHRIST MORE FULLY!!!!! Thank you 😊

I am marry to a loving and kind man. We both have been sitting under the teaching that a Godly marriage is the one where the man leads. This was hard for both of us as I am gifted in leadership and this is not his strength. I felt like walking out my leadership gift was giving into my sinful nature and he felt he wasn't living up to his God ordained "male role". Due to some circumstances in one our friends marriage we dug deeper into this teaching and started listening to Bare Marriage! We have both found so much freedom in truly walking out our gifts and working towards an equal partnership where we both pursue God and each other. We are praying about what our role is in helping other couples walk in this freedom. Thank you for all the work you are doing!!

This podcast is such a gift. It has helped me better understand God and how He sees me. I found freedom to simply be a woman and now understand that God truly sees me as fully human and valuable. Love love love this podcast.

I have listened to this podcast for several years and I absolutely love it!! I’m coming up from a very evangelical strict Baptist background. Sadly I was sexually abused for over two years of my childhood, but was too scared in my own home to speak up. Then my life completely shattered in my marriage and raising three young children in my 30’s. By the grace of God I found a trauma informed therapist and put in a ton of hard work!!! I’m now well into my 40’s and have marriage that God restored and a relationship with my children and friendships that are thriving!! I have SO much respect for Shelia and all that she (and her team) believe-in and preach. I’ve read all her books and give them away as gifts!!! I’m actually shocked at some of the negative podcast reviews because that’s just not Jesus…not at all…He did NOT come to this world just to bums in seats on Sunday or just to get people into heaven…He came so that everything that was broken could have the chance to be mended. Love you Shelia!!

I’ve had so many aha moments listening to Bare Marriage. If only something like this was available when I was in my previous marriage. The only voices I heard were on FOF, and all the books on how to be a better wife. Bare Marriage is a breath of fresh air regarding sex and marriage.

To any one claiming themselves to be Biblical founding believing Christians, I highly warn you and pray that you ask the Holy Spirit for discernment when you choose to listen to any of Sheila’s podcasts or even read her books. Her viewpoints are highly from a progressive feminists view and will and can lead you astray from the truth of God’s word and in your own marriage. She has taken things from other people/ books and taken it out of context and twisted its meaning, including the Bible itself. Be cautious if you choose to continue listening to her, and pray that the Holy Spirit leads you in the real truth to what God says about marriage and what it looks like to be a Biblical wife/ husband.

I have been following Shelia for many years and can’t describe how thankful I am for her content, books, podcasts, and all the hard work she pours into Bare Marriage is just so appreciated. I love the podcast and turn on an episode when I’m working around the house. I’ve learned so much!! I grew up in evangelical-hierarchy -purity culture and listening to Sheila, along with my own research, has made a huge difference in my life and honestly in my heart. Thank you Sheila, Becca and team! Keep doing what you’re doing-you truly make a difference.

This podcast is so necessary. The religious system had me thinking I was the crazy person. I found this through Natalie Hoffman and I love it!! I’m an American and now think Canadians are cool 😊.

I love this podcast! As a former Christian who had a mostly positive experience of the church, it shocks me to hear how some of these male church leaders speak (and write) about women. It's also inspiring and heartwarming to see the Bare Marriage group coming together to build something that expresses the positive spirit of Christianity. I feel like they are living the basic values I was taught in Sunday school, the stuff that makes me glad I was raised Christian. Looking forward to listening through the archive!

There’s good information here but it’s laced with liberal feminism. The host appears to have a good grasp with materials, but her daughter is a study for what colleges and universities are turning out today. No independent thought and just buy into the far left narrative.

Sheila and Rebecca and her husband have my deepest respect for their courage in calling out the evangelical powerhouse. I’m sure it’s not been easy personally. I’ve learned so much from Sheila and it’s helped me tremendously in understanding God and myself and others. The only constructive criticism I have is I think R needs to let the guests speak more than herself.

Only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because no one can finish a thought without interrupting. It’s very frustrating. I love the topics and guests. It’s been so healing for me and others I know. However, with almost every guest R will cut in without letting them even get to the point they are making. I respect her and always love to hear what she has to say. Her voice is so important but pleaaaaaase let people finish speaking! Why have a guest if you don’t let them contribute to the conversation? Please work on it. I love this podcast and want to keep listening!

Wow, the disrespect in her tone of voice and the way she attacks others’ beliefs is appalling to me. How can you claim to be Christian and attack others in such a snarky tone? Building up strawmen and defeating them characterizes the majority of this podcasts. The mockery is out of control. Not to mention it’s full of false teaching, with a little truth mixed in. Very dangerous.

I had given the podcast 5 stars before, but I honestly can’t take Rebecca’s constant interruptions anymore. Every time I listen to a podcast with her in it, I wind up frustrated because she so frequently talks over Sheila or even a guest! In the most recent episode, she interrupted the man they were interviewing and she and Sheila wound up talking WAY more than he did. I love their books and surveys, but this podcast is so rough and frustrating that I can’t stand listening anymore.

Sheila and Rebecca are such gifted teachers, truly called to this work of dismantling harmful rhetoric that dehumanizes women, and restoring health, joy and connection to people’s lives. And doing it with love, humor and solid evidence. They manage to take some of the most grotesque and pro-abuser comments and calmly put them under the microscope so we can all see these messages are nothing but viruses and hot air. Then they get out the disinfectant and help everyone else obtain it too so we can all get better.

I recently discovered I was in enrolled in spiritually abusive biblical counseling from ACBC, A relatively new believer with lots of sexual trauma and nine months into the program my mental health was worse than it ever been… Thank goodness for all your work you’re doing Sheila. I can’t stress it enough… It’s helped my husband and myself and I’ve shared your podcast with so many, and you were waking up women across the evangelicals fear of all ages!!! we are burning our old books that teach us patriarchy & are falling in love with Jesus again! Praise God!

I just want to say thank you for doing this podcast. Even though the episodes revolve around marriage, they are still so helpful and enlightening to me even as a single woman. I can see parallels with the hurtful things that the church tells single people; especially women, as well. keep up the good work and I’ll keep listening!

Sheila has said that she cares about women who have been hurt by the church but I have seen her attack women countless times on her platforms simply for believing a different biblical marriage model than her. As believers, we are the church, so Sheila is actually doing what she says she is so passionate about undoing. She tears women apart…their personal faith, their marriage and even their children. It’s inexcusable to be so hateful to anyone just because they have a marriage that looks different from your own. Go check out her blog. That is where I have seen the nastiest of comments from her. Outside of the hypocrisy mentioned above, the amount of unbiblical things that she is teaching as biblical is outrageous. To name a few here…according to Sheila homosexual marriage can be pleasing to God because two people love eachother, the Bible in its entirety is about us doing the right thing, and if you just put your faith in the right model of marriage your sin issues will all go away. Sheila says all the time to see the fruit…I see it and I hope others have the eyes to see too that it is rotten.

This is a great podcast! It’s just hard to listen to sometimes when Keith is on with Sheila and he is interrupting A LOT and sounds very upset and not calm while he’s expressing himself like Sheila does. But it is still a very thoughtful and helpful podcast from Sheila Way Gregoire.

I have been married for almost a year and was incredibly blessed to have some of the ladies at my church share “The Great Sex Rescue” book and the podcast with me and I am so grateful! I grew up believing a lot of the lies about marriage and sex thinking they were normal and biblical. I would actually argue with my then fiancé about how sex should work and the “biblical” roles of husband and wife because of the lies I believed. My husbands views aligned a lot more with what this podcast teaches which I am now very thankful that we both have a right view of sex and that it something BOTH of us need to enjoy. It is still something we are working through because it is not as easy as flipping a switch but I am thankful we can start off our marriage on the right foot!

I have listened to Bare Marriage for about a year or so and greatly appreciate the thoughtful content. The two episodes exploring Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth’s book are now my top favorites. As a young wife and mother, I listened diligently to Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth’s Rivive Our Hearts radio program. In the early 2000’s I went to a packed mega church to hear Nancy speak. Something felt so off to me. I couldn’t even bring myself to attend the full conference but felt conflicted for being weirded out by Nancy in-person. Only after hearing your podcast could I put it together. Her teaching is dangerous and I was right to feel like running away from it! Thank you for offering women something better—the Gospel of Jesus!

They simply misrepresent arguments and then destroy them. They said compimentarians are preaching that the husband should make every decision. I don’t know a single complementarin who believes in complete unilateral decision making. It’s only a God given responsibility to make the final decision should the two not be able to come to agreeement. When you can represent someone’s argument in a way they would agree with and then refute it, that’s when good podcasts are born. Also, they come across extremely condescending and arrogant. Wouldn’t want to be married to one of them lol. If they’re trying to make a difference they must present in a more humble manner

I’m so thankful for the focus on research and evidence…especially as it relates to “good fruit” - Jesus said”you will know them by your fruit”. It seems so obvious now that so many of these “Christian” books and teachings have born bad fruit, and that’s not from God. This podcast and its hosts and guests have been such a help to me in learning to be more discerning when looking at new information. Asking about people’s credentials and research, rather than taking their opinion as true or right because a person at church recommended them.

Shiela rightly attacks lies in the church, like Emerson Eggerich when he basically says to wives “do everything for your man, and you’ll get what you want.” Good for her. The problem is her response is “Husbands do everything for your wives and you’ll get what you want.” Can you see the error. If not then you’ll love this podcast.

Thank you so much for providing information based on facts that bring healing and freedom to both men and women! Please don’t stop!

With a heartbeat of the show to try to help marriages and sex lives, I wanted to like it. On her memorabilia store on her website, they have a section and product line “they call me Jezebel.” And I know it’s just trying to be funny, but it’s not. And the episodes I listen to they make a lot of click bait unfair comments on other peoples expense. Dr. Tim Keller said never make a point publicly about someone else wouldn’t own. Or phrase their points in a way the author would agree with. And I like his thought on that. This podcast would do well to learn from that idea. They misinterpret many of the opposition points and explain other peoples opinions in a way that is not intellectually honest.

I love this podcast even at a younger age and it is so good to learn! Thank you so much for this podcast, it really has helped me. I will now be listening more often and learning important information! Love y’all

This podcast has been instrumental to my healing from 36 years of being in high control religious environments. It has helped me understand the physical problems I’ve struggled with (vaginismus), put words to religious trauma, healed my faith, helped with parenting and marriage, and made me laugh along the way. The list could go on. I might have lost my faith and ended up divorced after resigning from a ministry position at a toxic church a little over a year ago, had I not found this podcast. My heart is grieved over the state of the church in America, I hope this makes its way into churches somehow and changes the way things are taught. It is a huge mindset shift from the classic evangelical/christian views, but it actually makes sense! It doesn’t pull me away from God or the Bible, it provides logical explanations and healthy theology. This is the way of Jesus, caring for the oppressed, the abused, the forgotten. It’s not about power and control, but redemption! Seriously would not be where I am today without this!

I found Sheila’s blog way back in 2014 (I think?) when I was single and have watched her blog morph into what it is today. Love love love this show!

I can’t even begin to describe how helpful this podcast has been! Through the podcast, two or three years ago, I was introduced to Sheila Gregoire and her team of fellow researchers and Christian writers. Their materials have helped me so much in my life, my faith and my family. I no longer carry the weight of shame from sexual and emotional abuse; I no longer feel afraid of what God might have for me as a woman. I am a better wife and mother because of this new freedom and joy in understanding who God has made me to be and how he has delivered me. I no longer see myself as tangential to my husband, but an equal partner who leads with him as a spiritual leader to our child. I am a deeper reader of the Bible and have a better understanding of people and how to love them. So grateful for the way God has worked through this team of people!

Wonderful, helpful content. Been listening regularly for 2 1/2 years now—it’s been so validating.

If the goal really is to help as many people as possible, shouldn’t the way you communicate be on the table for self-reflection? Many of the negative reviews lament the helpful content presented in an unhelpful way. I would challenge the hosts to do the hard work that they expect from others; examine the research and honestly self-reflect: I.e.examine the research on condescending communication and self-reflect. Does this description of contempt sound familiar: “Dispositional contempt – that is, in their tendency to look down on, feel cold toward, and derogate or distance those who violate their standards and values.” Citation: Schriber, R. A., Chung, J. M., Sorensen, K. S., & Robins, R. W. (2017). Dispositional contempt: A first look at the contemptuous person. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 280-309 Does any of this sound familiar to listeners as examples of condescending language: - Making backhanded compliments - Using sarcasm or humor to imply someone’s ignorance - Interrupting or talking over someone Proverbs 18:19: A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. Is there a way you could present the same information without the sarcasm and disdain?

I used to really love this podcast. #1 podcast and marriage outlet I’d recommend to friends. I have read all their books and love and endorse them all. But the podcast is really losing me. So many interactions with snarky comments constantly being thrown in. So many rants and tangents. I miss the days when I could listen and come away feeling like I genuinely learned something of value for my marriage and felt confident and encouraged to take it and use it for good between me and my spouse. I understand that calling out the negative beliefs and teachings is important. But the way they are going about it now.. the ranting and cynical laughter and beating the dead horse… it’s just changed my love and desire to listen. I think there is still so much good to be found here. But I can’t say I’m excited to continue listening moving forward. I’d love to see them bring back their practical tips and advice again. They say that’s what they are about, but I genuinely can’t remember the last time they gave a tip or a piece of advice.

I grew up in a loose Christian household being taught without realizing it that I need to be the dominant figure in the household, when I become married. After getting saved and coming to know Jesus as my personal savior, I was mentored by a group of Christians that did not help with this mentality. I married a wonderful woman that has endured this false theology of mine and so many others for years I personally had a very skewed theology on how God views women. This left my marriage of 10 years in shambles and I didn’t know what to do, it seems like what I believe to be true wasn’t right, after seeking help from our pastor at the time it was getting us no where. My wife found these podcast’s through a friend of hers, and it has been life-changing for me. Each episode is mind blowing to me because I identify with everything they talk about and I wish I would’ve seen this years ago.I am continually praising God for Sheila’s work. Even if this help has come too late for my marriage I know better now and that is what matters.