Dear Soulful Revolutionary,

In a time of global grief, political upheaval, and deep, deep hunger for authenticity, how do faith leaders and communities navigate the tensions between tradition, digital platforms, and the urgency of calling for justice in a multitude of contexts?

In this week’s episode, we step into the sacred space between online visibility and embodied justice. Rev. Gerlyn Henry, an Anglican priest and vibrant TikTok presence based in Toronto, joins us to share how her ministry stretches far beyond parish walls and into social media algorithms, TikTok feeds, comment sections, and ultimately the tender places where people are searching for a faith that tells the truth. She reflects on the tricky vulnerability of visibility, the complexity of preaching in a time of upheaval, and the sacred responsibility of showing up online as a priest, a woman of color, a progressive Christian, and a truth-teller in spaces where misinformation, domination, and harmful theology often thrive.

Together, we explore the intersections of progressive Christian theology, online ministry, harm reduction, embodied community, and the long work of decolonization. Rev. Gerlyn names how her work fills a much-needed gap in progressive church circles—a gap she describes as the absence of accessible, public-facing theology. Her Instagram Reels and TikTok videos have become a kind of public theology in themselves, meeting people where they are with clarity, courage, and compassion.

We talk about what it means to step into that gap boldly, offering spiritual grounding, prophetic imagination, and the kind of tenderness that stays awake to both grief and hope. And for Rev. Gerlyn, the digital sphere isn’t simply a platform; it’s a calling. As she puts it:

“For me, online ministry is both faith and resistance. It’s like claiming space for people of color. Queer folk, progressive Christians haven’t always been welcome, and we’re saying, ‘Here we are. God is here, and yes, the sacred can live in the comment section as well.’”

Rev. Gerlyn also shares how she was profoundly shaped by her time as a “slave to the wage” in the so-called “real world” before entering the priesthood, from working at Tim Hortons, the beloved Canadian coffee chain, and later as a packer in an Amazon warehouse. Those early jobs taught her how to listen, how to meet people where they are, and how to carry a faith grounded in reality rather than abstraction. That experience, she says, is essential to understanding what people actually need from spiritual leaders today.

To you, soulful revolutionaries reading this, to those building community across distances, reclaiming spiritual imagination, challenging systems, and creating new forms of belonging in real time—this one is for you.

About The Rev. Gerlyn HenryGerlyn Henry was ordained in 2020 in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto where she serves as the Incumbent of the Church of Holy Wisdom. During her postulancy (training for priesthood), she also worked at Tim Hortons - the famous Canadian coffee chain - and as a packer at an Amazon Warehouse. She is familiar with being a slave to the wage. Her training includes an undergrad in Social Work, chaplaincy residency in a low income hospital as well as Sick Kids, and an internship in the National Council of Churches. She serves as an anti-bias anti-racism facilitator, sits on the Right Relations committee, and was recently the keynote speaker at the Outreach, Justice and Advocacy conference. Gerlyn received her Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2018. Gerlyn is also a wife, a wood worker and novice biker.

Resources + LinksFind Rev. Gerlyn on TikTok & Instagram

God Is a Black Woman by Dr. Christina Clevelandhttps://christenacleveland.com/god-is-a-black-woman

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