Prepared to Drown: Deep Dives into an Expansive Faith

Soul Cellar Ministries
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Monthly

A monthly podcast featuring informative and diverse voices exploring contemporary topics ranging from religious deconstruction, anti-racism, and sexuality to holy texts, labour unions, and artificial intelligence.

  1. Sep 26

    Episode 27 - Stand Where They Can See You

    A pride flag can’t guarantee safety, but it can tell a kid where to look. That single idea opens a much bigger conversation about who gets to be visible in Alberta schools, whose identity gets labeled “political,” and what allyship requires when support starts coming with consequences.  Rev. Joanne Anquist, Scott Payne, and Nolan Hill talk through the real-world signals queer and trans youth use to find safer adults and safer rooms, from GSAs to teacher sponsors to the quiet power of a poster on a wall. We dig into Alberta Bill 25 and related Education Act changes, including what it means to push gender identity, pronouns, and human sexuality into a tighter parental control model, and how those rules can erode trust between students and the adults they depend on.  We also name the doublespeak head-on: when leaders say they want to “remove politics and ideology from classrooms,” yet write laws that shape whose bodies, identities, and relationships can be discussed, that is not neutrality. It is an ideology with teeth. Along the way, we unpack the gap between “welcoming” and “affirming,” why comprehensive sexual health education matters, and why visibility becomes even more important when it’s under attack.  If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to create a safe space that actually holds, press play. Then subscribe, share this with someone who works with young people, and leave a review so more listeners can find the conversation. What’s one visible signal that told you you belonged? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 27 - Stand Where They Can See You

  2. Sep 5

    Special Referendum Series Part 4: Crosscurrents - Whose Land?

    Alberta’s separation debate sounds simple until you ask the question underneath it: what relationships were already here before Alberta even existed? Treaty 7 was signed in 1877, decades before provincial borders, and those obligations still shape what is lawful, what is ethical, and what it means to live together on this land. We come into the final night of our referendum series with a clear editorial stance, but we refuse to treat Canada as “innocent” just because we want Alberta to remain a province.  Bill Weaver is joined by Paula Smith (Indigenous Relations Manager at the Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, member of Piikani Nation), Darren Weaselchild (Blackfoot Confederacy artist and radio voice), Ricardo De Menezes, and Ryan Anderson (Calgary Alliance for the Common Good). Together, we unpack Treaty 7, Section 35 of the Constitution Act, and the real-world duty to consult, including why a court quashed a citizen-led separation initiative for failing to consult First Nations. We also talk plainly about how referendum-style politics can operate as a PR campaign, stoking fear, scapegoating immigrants and marginalized communities, and pushing a scarcity mindset that pits neighbor against neighbor.  Then we turn to the “day after” question: what do we do on October 20 when the signs come down and the relationships are still here? We discuss responsibility over blame, long-term thinking, community organizing for the common good, and practical voting guidance, including special ballots and turnout math that can’t be ignored. If you care about Alberta referendum facts, Treaty 7 history, Indigenous treaty rights, or how to resist division with real community, this conversation is for you.  Subscribe, share this with one person who’s undecided, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. What would it look like for Alberta to act like we actually belong to each other? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 4: Crosscurrents - Whose Land?

  3. Aug 29

    Special Referendum Series Part 3: Crosscurrents - Give Us A King!

    The fastest way to lose freedom is to hand someone “just enough” power to keep you safe. We start with 1 Samuel 8, where a frightened people demand a king, and a prophet answers with a warning: the protector can become the threat, and power tends to take more than it promises. Then we bring that lens straight into Alberta’s October 19 referendum and the questions most tied to constitutional structure and long-term consequences. Around the table, we’re joined by Ricardo De Menezes (UFCW Local 401), political scientist Keith Brownsey, Rev. Taylor Croissant, and social worker / policy and research specialist Lee Stevens. Together we unpack questions 6 to 9 in plain language: who appoints judges, what it would mean to abolish the Senate, how opting out of federal programs while keeping federal funding could reshape health care, education, and social services, and why a push for provincial law priority over federal law would upend how Canadian federalism actually works. Along the way we connect these proposals to lived impacts, from labor disputes and income supports to pharmacare thresholds, the Canada Health Act, and the real risk of sliding into two-tier public services. We close with question 10 and the separation prompt, including what the Constitution does and does not say, how the Clarity Act shaped the modern playbook, and why “non-binding” still matters when it fuels anger, fear, and a narrative of powerlessness. If you care about public health care, human rights, and democratic safeguards for people with the least power, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for the final part of the series, share this with someone who’s voting, and leave a review so more Albertans can find it before October 19. What question do you want us to dig into next? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 3: Crosscurrents - Give Us A King!

  4. Aug 22

    Special Referendum Series Part 2: Crosscurrents - Who Is My Neighbor?

    The fastest way to learn what a community really believes is to watch what it does when things get tight. With Alberta’s October 19 referendum approaching, we sit down to wrestle with immigration, race, labor, belonging, and public capacity, focusing on questions one through five and the people most affected by them, including many who will not get a vote. I’m joined by labor leader Ricardo De Menezes, labor relations professional Aida Bahhur, sociologist Esra Ari, and migrant rights organizer Nellie Alcaraz. We start with a deceptively simple prompt: when did Alberta start feeling like home. From there, we dig into why “race-neutral” immigration questions can still create racialized outcomes, how the “temporary” label makes workers more disposable, and why blaming newcomers for strained health care, education, and housing can distract from public policy failures and wealth concentration. Then we translate the ballot language into plain English and test the logic. Does “increased control” over immigration solve capacity problems, or just bundle multiple agendas into one yes or no. Do 12-month waiting periods and “reasonable” fees build more hospitals and classrooms, or just gatekeep what already exists. And why ask for proof of citizenship to vote when only citizens can already vote, unless the goal is to add friction and suspicion to democracy itself. Subscribe, share this with someone debating the referendum, and leave a review. What does being a good neighbor require of Alberta right now? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 2: Crosscurrents - Who Is My Neighbor?

  5. Aug 15

    Special Referendum Series Part 1: Crosscurrents - The Gospel According to Alberta

    Ten referendum questions can look like a checklist, but we think Alberta is being asked to do something bigger: accept a story about who we are, what went wrong, who belongs, and who should pay the price when life gets tight. We start by naming what we love about Alberta, then challenge the “self-made” myth that so often shows up in Alberta politics. If prosperity can create amnesia, what gets erased from our memory when we say “we built this” and stop there? From affordability and housing to crowded classrooms and strained emergency rooms, we take the pressures seriously without letting pressure become an all-purpose explanation. With MLA Diana Batten and co-host Ricardo De Menezes, we turn the lens back on provincial choices, including the move toward dual practice in healthcare and the broader drift toward two-tier access. Rapid growth and the “Alberta Is Calling” moment raise a blunt question: if we invite people in without building capacity, do we eventually start sorting which people get full access to the common good? We also dig into the referendum’s immigration language, “Albertans First,” and the difference between formally race-neutral categories and how they operate in a society where immigrants are often racialized. Then we tackle equalization payments with clear facts, separating legitimate grievances from viral myths, and we use faith as a moral test of our instincts about fairness, resentment, and responsibility. If you care about Alberta’s future, listen, share this with a neighbor, and subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the referendum series. What kind of Alberta do you want us to build together? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Special Referendum Series Part 1: Crosscurrents - The Gospel According to Alberta

  6. Jul 18

    Episode 22 - Second Splash

    The last episode of season two lands like a live wire: no guests at the table, but our guests still drive the night by sending the questions they could not stop thinking about. We answer in real time, which means you hear the pauses, the laughter, the sharp edges, and the moments where a simple prompt turns into a real moral argument. We start with “What’s the last thing you changed your mind about?” and end up talking about why changing your mind has become socially risky, even when it is a sign of learning. From there, we dig into identity politics, poverty, and power: how racism is real, how economic systems are engineered, and how outrage gets steered away from trillionaire wealth and toward fights that keep ordinary people divided. We also revisit season two conversations that stuck with us, including loneliness, body image and fitness culture, and what forgiveness costs when grief is fresh. Then the temperature rises. We take on ethical AI and autonomous weapons in modern war, the limits of machine decision-making, and why the ethics of AI always trail the technology. The second half turns to Alberta politics, the 2026 referendum, anti-immigrant settlement sentiment, and what happens to a province even if a separation question loses. We close with the question several guests asked in the same words: what is bringing you hope right now? Listen, share the episode with a friend, and if this season gave you a conversation you cannot shake, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find the table. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 22 - Second Splash

  7. Jun 23

    Episode 21 - Flooding the Rink

    A romance on the ice shouldn’t feel radical, but Heated Rivalry hit Canada like a thunderclap because it exposes what so many people already know and rarely say out loud: hockey can demand silence from the very players and fans who love it most. We start with the show’s cultural takeover and quickly get into the real stakes behind the story, from sponsorship pressure and locker-room fear to the quiet reality that many pro athletes still can’t safely live out loud. From there, we widen the lens to hockey culture in Canada, including what it means when iconic traditions change and when the sport becomes less accessible. We talk youth hockey affordability, the way pay-to-play reshapes who belongs, and why inclusive hockey associations matter not only for safety, but for joy and community. We also name the backlash head-on, asking what people think they’re protecting when they say “why does everything have to be gay now?” We don’t avoid the hard intersections: faith and scripture used as weapons, government policy that targets trans and queer kids in sport and schools, and the difference between inclusion on paper and inclusion you can actually feel when you walk into a room. We end where we have to end, with hope grounded in action and a vision of sport that’s truly uniting. If this conversation gives you language, courage, or a new angle on queer representation in sports, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What would make your community feel safer to show up as your full self? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 21 - Flooding the Rink

  8. May 9

    Episode 20 - Ships in the Night

    Loneliness has a way of lying to us. It tells us we’re the only one struggling, even when we’re surrounded by people, even when our phones never stop buzzing, even when we’re “doing meaningful work.” We sit down with labor activist and community advocate Ricardo Di Menezes, network weaver and community builder Laura Istead, and regional minister Rev. Karen Medland to get embarrassingly honest about what disconnection really feels like, and why admitting it can be so hard.  We trace loneliness through breakups, burnout, ministry expectations, and the strange reality of being on call all the time. Laura shares what it’s like to lead in the nonprofit sector while carrying the pressure to look composed, and how identity can get tangled up in a job until leaving feels terrifying. Karen names how clergy are often told to “self-care” inside systems that practically guarantee isolation, and why the church should be rebuilding community instead of reinforcing performance.  Then we get practical and political. We explore third spaces meaning the places between home and work where the agenda is simply being human together, and why those spaces have been hollowed out by money, time limits, and post-pandemic habits. We talk social media’s illusion of connection, the rising isolation for LGBTQ communities, and the idea that hope itself can be an act of resistance. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find this conversation. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

    Episode 20 - Ships in the Night
See All (27)

About

A monthly podcast featuring informative and diverse voices exploring contemporary topics ranging from religious deconstruction, anti-racism, and sexuality to holy texts, labour unions, and artificial intelligence.

Information