Religious decision making can feel overwhelming when you’re caught between equally important values or facing an uncertain future. In this episode, Dr. Angela Williams-Gorrell shares her practical framework for faithful discernment that emerged from her own difficult choices, including leaving a tenured academic position and navigating divorce. As both a practical theologian and someone who has walked through complex decisions, Angela offers a process that honors both human wisdom and divine guidance, moving beyond quick fixes to help listeners engage in meaningful religious decision making.
Angela’s approach to religious decision making includes five key phases: recognizing the “stirring” that signals change, actively surrendering to God’s guidance, working constructively with emotions, sifting through competing values and convictions, and finding “sated joy” in faithful choices. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes that emotions are “incredibly helpful teachers” in the discernment process and challenges the false binary between rational and emotional decision-making. Whether you’re a pastor facing ministry challenges, a leader navigating organizational change, or someone at a personal crossroads, this episode provides both theological depth and practical tools for making decisions that align with your faith and values.
