037: Sacred Silence and Finding God Through Mystery with Liz Charlotte Grant
Feb 11, 2025
Ever wondered what happens when a birth doula becomes a biblical scholar? In this episode, I chat with Liz Charlotte Grant, whose fascinating path includes helping deliver babies before diving deep into writing about Genesis. She shares how working with birthing families taught her about letting go of control and making space for people to find their own way—something that completely transformed how she reads and writes about the Bible.
Liz talks about seeing the Bible with fresh eyes, especially when it comes to characters like Hagar who often get pushed to the sidelines. She digs into why silence matters (God's first creative act!), and why it's okay to question things we've always been told about scripture. Drawing from science, Jewish tradition, art, and her own experience, she's created what she calls an "illumination" of Genesis - a way of looking at these ancient stories that makes room for questions and mystery. For anyone who's ever felt hurt by religion or unsure about the Bible, Liz offers a gentle reminder that it's okay to find your own path to faith.
download Episode Transcript 📄
Episode Resources and Links
Website | Instagram | Threads | Substack
- Knock at the Sky by Liz Charlotte Grant Amazon | Bookshop
- Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God by Delores Williams Amazon | Bookshop
- The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg Amazon | Bookshop
Bio
Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning writer whose work has been published in The Revealer, Sojourners, Christianity Today, Religion News Service, the Huffington Post, and elsewhere. She also writes The Empathy List, a popular newsletter that has been recognized by the Webby Awards and the Associated Church Press Awards. Her debut book is Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible.
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