Exvangelical
217 episodes - English - Latest episode: 21 days ago - ★★★★★ - 410 ratingsExploring the world inside and outside the evangelical subculture, one conversation at a time.
"Exvangelical" is a shared starting point with many destinations; it acknowledges the impact (predominantly white/white-led) evangelicalism has had on our lives, but does not dictate our current or future beliefs & practices. On this podcast, you'll hear stories of people who've left evangelicalism for other branches of Christianity, for other spiritual traditions, and for none at all. All paths are valid. Wholeness > Holiness.
Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support the show at just $5/month or $50/year at postevangelicalpost.com. 25% of net proceeds are donated to the Religious Exemption Accountability Project and White Homework.
Find show notes and archives at exvangelicalpodcast.com
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Episodes
The Good Books (Re-Release): Becca Andrews, Author of NO CHOICE
April 05, 2024 16:10 - 46 minutesThis is a re-release of my October 2022 interview with author Becca Andrews about her book No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right. I was reminded of the importance of this book and others like it after reading a Wired article titled "‘In 24 Hours, You’ll Have Your Pills’: American Women Are Traveling to Mexico for Abortions." These are the lengths people who need reproductive care must go to in a post-Roe world. Becca's book details the...
Sarah McCammon, Author of The Exvangelicals
March 22, 2024 14:46 - 54 minutesToday I'm talking to Sarah McCammon, NPR political correspondent and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. We talk about her personal experiences within white evangelicalism as well as how that informed her role as a journalist covering the 2015-2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, as well as how media coverage of religion & social life has changed since then. You can purchase her book, and support this show, by purchasing it from The Po...
Matthew Sheffield on Mormonism & Evangelicalism, RW Media, and the 2024 Election
March 08, 2024 20:47 - 1 hourThis week I'm joined by Matthew Sheffield from Flux. We discuss Mormonism & evangelicalism, his experiences in right-wing media, and the 2024 election. It's a broad-reaching conversation that I hope you enjoy. Follow Matthew's work at Flux, including the podcasts Theory of Change, Doomscroll, and So This Just Happened. Links: I appeared on Theory of Change last October, check it out here. We discuss the findings from this CNN article re: the SC GOP primaries and Matthew's piece about author...
The Good Books (Re-Release): The Making of Biblical Womanhood with Beth Allison Barr
February 08, 2024 22:19 - 1 hourThis week I'm re-releasing my conversation with Beth Allison Barr, author of the book The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. I'm joined by two guest co-hosts, Emily Autenrieth and Laura Agase. The theology and practice of complementarianism in conservative Christian circles has shaped the lives of millions of women. For over a century, it has oppressed women and become a requirement for involvement and belonging in conservative churches. Dr. Barr's...
The Good Books: Psalms of My People with Lenny Duncan
January 19, 2024 19:21 - 1 hourToday's guest is Lenny Duncan, author of the new book Psalms of My People: A Story of Black Liberation as Told through Hip-Hop. This is a wide-ranging conversation, and I can't wait for you to listen. This conversation is another entry in my new series, The Good Books. A new feed should be available soon. To support this show, head over to postevangelicalpost.com and subscribe for free or $5/month. The site is currently hosted on Substack, but I am exploring options to move to a new platform....
The Good Books: What Makes You Bloom with Kevin Garcia
January 11, 2024 13:04 - 1 hourHello, 2024! Today I'm overjoyed to share my conversation with Kevin Garcia about their new book, What Makes You Bloom: Cultivating a Practice for Connecting with Your Divine Self. This book is all about establishing new spiritual practices after leaving rigid fundamentalism, and I hope you check it out after listening to our chat. This episode has a longer intro explaining the multiple hiatuses in 2023, finishing my manuscript, my plans for a new show called The Good Books, and updates about...
Laura Anderson, author of When Religion Hurts You
October 19, 2023 18:42 - 1 hourThis week's guest is is Dr. Laura Anderson, author of the book When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. We talk about the definitions of trauma and abuse, what drew her to this work, the importance of embodiment, and more. Find all the ways to follow Laura online at https://drlauraeanderson.com/ Support this podcast with a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter. Subscribe for free or upgrade to $5/month or $50/year to get ad...
Holy Runaways, with author Matthias Roberts
October 05, 2023 16:59 - 59 minutesIt's been a minute--well, more than a minute. Almost 4 months. Glad to be back to share this interview with Matthias Roberts, author of the new book Holy Runaways: Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion. We talk about Matthias' story, the language we use to describe our experiences, 'progressive fundamentalism,' and the reality of ~ the slippery slope ~. Let me know what you think - email me at [email protected] Learn more about Matthias's work at matthiasroberts.com...
Re-Release: The Religious Exemption Accountability Project
June 16, 2023 13:20 - 1 hourHappy Pride, everyone! I'm re-releasing this 2021 interview with Erin Green and Paul Southwick of The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. CW: this conversation includes discussion of sexual and gender discrimination and other forms of abuse. We talk about how LGBTQ+ students are treated by college administrations, how LGBTQ+ students end up at religious colleges, the history of religious colleges resisting civil rights, and why a formal legal challenge is important. In March 2021, REA...
R. Scott Okamoto, Asian American Apostate
May 25, 2023 16:40 - 1 hourThis week I welcome R. Scott Okamato back to the show to discuss his book Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University. We talk about his life as a professor at an evangelical college, the classroom experience, pushing back against Whiteness as an Asian American man, and how he found community on and off campus. Scott is also the host of the Chapel Probation podcast. Blake was a guest! Check out Scott's prior appearance on Exvangelical. Buy Scott's ...
Minisode: What I'm Reading in May 2023
May 18, 2023 17:23 - 20 minutesIn this short episode, I talk about some of the books I'm reading right now. I wrote about them earlier this week for Post-Ev Post. The books discussed: Asian American Apostate by R. Scott Okamoto. Bookshop | Amazon The Flowering Wand by Sophie Strand Bookshop | Amazon Finding the Fool by Meg Jones Wall Bookshop | Amazon The Heartland by Kristin L. Hoganson Bookshop | Amazon Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC and a member of Irreverent Media Group. Support the sho...
Holly Laurent from the MEGA podcast returns
May 04, 2023 14:58 - 1 hourIn this episode, I catch up with Holly Laurent from MEGA, the satirical improv show about a fictional megachurch. We last spoke in 2019, and a lot has changed since then. We talk about improv, comedy & satire, and the upcoming MEGA spinoff, The Rise and Fall of Twin Hills. Find out more about MEGA at their website. Support this show via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Subscribe for free or upgrade to $5/month or $50/year to get ad-free podcast feeds and more. Exvangelical is a pr...
On Public & Private Griefs
April 20, 2023 16:32 - 11 minutesNew interviews are recorded and being planned, but not ready to be published. Various other commitments in life have taken precedent. In lieu of an interview, I'm publishing an audio version of an essay I wrote called "On Public & Private Griefs" last fall on The Post-Evangelical Post. Thanks for listening. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. The Post-Evangelical Post is a newsletter about belief, technology, and society--with a focus on US white evangelicalism. S...
Gloria Beth Amodeo: God's Ex-Girlfriend
March 24, 2023 12:19 - 1 hourIn this episode, I interview Gloria Beth Amodeo, author of the memoir God's Ex-Girlfriend: A Memoir about Loving and Leaving the Evangelical Jesus. We talk about her college-age conversion to evangelicalism through Cru, how purity culture and gender norms are enforced, and much more in this wide-ranging conversation. Support Gloria Beth Amodeo & Exvangelical by buying her book from The Post-Evangelical Posts's bookshop.org page - or if you prefer ebooks, from my Amazon affiliate link. Follow ...
Lenny Duncan Is Preparing for a World Beyond the Church
February 23, 2023 18:44 - 48 minutesThis week’s guest is Lenny Duncan, author of the new book Dear Revolutionaries: A Field Guide for A World Beyond the Church. In this brief talk, Lenny and I discuss church, the thought leader industrial complex, and more. A couple notes: we had a short window to talk, and I captured as much as I could during that time. You may hear some occasional sounds in the audio including from some bangles Lenny was wearing; I think it adds to the ambience personally, but your mileage may vary. Buy Len...
200 Episodes of Exvangelical
February 20, 2023 17:30 - 17 minutesIn this short episode, I talk about producing 200 episodes of this show: how it started, where it's been, what might be next. A new interview episode will be posted this week. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this work via a subscription at $5/month or $50/year at postevangelicalpost.com. Benefits include ad-free podcast feeds, supporter-only podcast & writing, and Discord access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our...
From the Archive: Talking Burnout with Anne Helen Petersen
February 09, 2023 18:03 - 50 minutesIn this episode from 2020, I chat with Anne Helen Petersen about her book Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation (Amazon, Bookshop). We discuss her spiritual & religious background, her viral essay on BuzzFeed that led to this book, how the way we use social media contributes to burnout, how our economic systems fail us, and more. You can follow Anne on Twitter @annehelen and subscribe to her newsletter, Culture Study. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, Instagram @brchas...
Potential Futures for Spirituality with Kevin Garcia
February 03, 2023 20:52 - 51 minutesIN this chill conversation with return guest Kevin Garcia, I talk to them about what we should expect from community, how online communities don't reflect the ones we might have left, and how this balances out with our desire for personal autonomy after leaving unhealthy communities. We get into it. It's fun. Follow Kevin on Instagram: @thekevingarcia. Support this show via a $5/month subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. L...
From the Archive: God, Human, Animal, Machine with author Meghan O'Gieblyn
January 26, 2023 18:05 - 1 hourListeners, come see me w/ Brad Onishi of Straight White American Jesus & Tim Whitaker of The New Evangelicals in Philly on 2/11/23! Get tickets here and use code 50 at checkout to get 50% off! It's an archival episode! In September 2021, I spoke with Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of the new book God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning. We talked about her time at Moody Bible Institute, experiencing 9/11 on a Christian campus, the similarities between Christian...
Teddy Wilson on nationalist movements, the J6 & J8 insurrections, and more
January 19, 2023 12:58 - 54 minutesIn this episode, I speak with Teddy Wilson from Radical Reports about his experience covering the radical right. We talk about how important language is when identifying and discussing various groups, the transnational nature of nationalist movements, what we know about the Brazil insurrection so far—and finally, how “progressive” movements can respond to the rising tide of anti-democratic groups. Follow Teddy on Twitter: @reportbywilson Come see Blake, Bradley Onishi of Straight White Americ...
The Comfort of Fictional Religions
January 12, 2023 13:49 - 16 minutesOver at The Post-Evangelical Post, I've been writing about fictional religions for subscribers. As I wrote on 1/3/23: "When your faith of origin is also the origin of a grievous wound, there’s an odd solace to be found in knowingly made up things. Fiction, the old adage goes, is a lie that tells the truth—and there’s a lot of truth to be found in fictional religions." This is an audio version of an essay published this week, "The Comfort of Fictional Religions: The Sensayers of Terra Ignota."...
Preparing for War - the extremist history of White Christian Nationalism with Bradley Onishi
January 05, 2023 16:57 - 1 hourHappy new year, everyone - the first guest of 2023 is a return guest, Bradley Onishi. Brad is co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast and author of the new book: Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next. Our conversation starts discussing just 10 words, just 2 sentences, from the first chapter of Brad's book: "I should have known better," and "I could have been there." "There," in this context, is the Capitol Riot. This is a good...
Shaped By Tools: The Vibe Shift That Was Foretold Came, & Twitter Did Not Survive It
December 29, 2022 15:39 - 21 minutesThis is an audio version of my latest essay published at The Post-Evangelical Post: The Vibe Shift That Was Foretold Came, & Twitter Did Not Survive It. Back in February, a time that feels much farther away than a mere 10 months ago, The Cut published an essay called “A Vibe Shift is Coming. Will any of us survive it?” It was a piece meant to get people talking, and it did. It featured a lot of coast-centric media bubble trendspotting talk mingled with pandemic lockdown introspection. But som...
Doing Nothing Is No Longer An Option, with Jenny Booth Potter
December 15, 2022 13:12 - 1 hourThis week's guest is Jenny Booth Potter, author of the book Doing Nothing Is No Longer An Option: One Woman's Journey Into Everyday Antiracism. Jenny is also the co-host of the web series The Next Question with Austin Channing Brown and Chi Chi Okwu. In this book, Jenny shares her own story of committing long-term to antiracism, challenging both herself and society to keep pressing forward. It's a great conversation and her book is a welcome starting point for any White person looking to unle...
IMG Spotlight: Speaking In Church
November 17, 2022 18:04 - 1 hourToday I'm happy to share with you an episode from a fellow Irreverent Media Group podcast called Speaking In Church. If you're not aware, Exvangelical is part of the Irreverent Media Group podcast collective, and so is Speaking In Church. I thought it would be great to share with my audience an episode of their show. This episode was recorded and published in September of this year with Josie Jimenez and Cameron Bishop. Subscribe to Speaking In Church on Apple or Spotify. Follow them on Insta...
2022 Midterm Debrief with Angela Denker
November 11, 2022 15:41 - 1 hourAngela Denker, pastor and author of the book Red State Christians (which was re-released this year with updated material), joins the show to discuss the 2022 midterms and how the political landscape continues to change. In particular she draws on her role serving a rural parish while living in an urban/suburban area, and the ways local relationships are more complex than simple media coverage portrays. Pick up Red State Christians from my Bookshop.org affiliate link, or your local bookstore. ...
Powers & Principalities S2E1: On the Museum of the Bible with Cavon Concannon & Jill Hicks-Keeton
November 03, 2022 21:57 - 1 hourPowers & Principalities is a show about the systems and institutions of white evangelical influence in America and the world. Season 1, published in the fall of 2020, was all about white evangelicalism and Christian nationalism. Season 2 focuses on white evangelicalism & media. This is episode one. Dating all the way back to at least the 19th century, the various groups we now refer to as White evangelicals have always been early adopters of new media formats. Whether it’s books, radio, tv, f...
Jeanna Kadlec, author of Heretic: A Memoir
October 27, 2022 14:21 - 1 hourThis week's guest is Jeanna Kadlec, author of the new book Heretic: A Memoir, out this week. Her book is a deeply intimate memoir of her life growing up in and leaving evangelicalism, discovering her queerness, and much more. We talk about the midwest, about developing spiritual practices after religion, and comics - it was a very laid back and meandering conversation that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. You can find Heretic at your local bookstore, or you can support this show by purc...
Becca Andrews, author of NO CHOICE
October 13, 2022 17:06 - 46 minutesMy guest today is Becca Andrews. Becca is a journalist at Reckon News, and author of the new book No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right. She has been reporting on reproductive rights and justice, as well as related topics such as purity culture, for several years and her work has also appeared at Mother Jones, Jezebel, and Teen Vogue, among others. Content note: I want to note that this episode deals directly with abortion and other as...
Kristin Peterson, author of Unruly Souls
October 06, 2022 20:15 - 1 hourIn this interview, I speak to Kristin Peterson, media studies professor at Boston College, about her book Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists. We discuss the role social media has had in creating a counterpublic that challenges the dominant cultural narratives established by white evangelicalism and other religions. Her book covers aspects of #ChurchToo and other online movements that fall under the broad "deconstruction" umbrella, as well as how Muslims utili...
On Religious--and Post-Religious--Burnout: An Exvangelical/REVcovery Crossover
September 23, 2022 16:11 - 1 hourThis week, I'm joined by Sarah Heath & Justin Gentry from the REVcovery podcast to talk about burnout. This is a long conversation, and it starts by talking about religious burnout for pastors and other highly-involved volunteers. We later transition into talking about post-religious burnout. Like any conversation, it's just a single convo, and not representative of all perspectives. Listen to REVcovery wherever you find podcasts. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC...
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of On Repentance and Repair
September 15, 2022 14:30 - 1 hourRabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of the new book On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World. This show is not typically interfaith, but when the opportunity to read Rabbi Ruttenberg’s latest arose, I leapt at the chance. I’ve followed her on Twitter for years and admire her work immensely. On Repentance and Repair is an immensely helpful book that helps reframe what repentance, repair, and forgiveness mean. Those terms are loaded for people whose faith was formed in white ...
From the Archive: Emily Joy Allison Wrote the Book on #ChurchToo
September 01, 2022 05:00 - 49 minutesAnother archival episode, in light of the news from The Village Church. Matt Chandler went on indefinite leave from TVC this weekend after inappropriate messaging on Instagram, just a couple weeks after they settled with an abuse victim while acknowledging no wrongdoing. These are longstanding issues in evangelicalism going back decades. There's nothing pithy to say about churches that protect their shepherds instead of their flocks. Here is my 2021 interview with Emily Joy Allison. Learn...
From the Archive: Sam Perry & Andrew Whitehead discuss Christian Nationalism
August 18, 2022 20:09 - 1 hourWhile I continue to work on my manuscript, here is another archival episode for you. This is from my series, Powers & Principalities. Season 1 was published in 2020 and focused on Christian nationalism, which remains painfully relevant. This episode features a conversation with Sam Perry and Andrew Whitehead, co-authors of the book Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States [affiliate link]. While I personally think Christian nationalism is very hard to fully ex...
From the Archive: David Bazan
August 12, 2022 19:16 - 1 hourIt's been a minute. While I'm working on my manuscript, please enjoy this 2017 interview I recorded with David Bazan from Pedro the Lion. We recorded this interview in Bazan's car, between Living Room shows. It was incredible. The original introduction of this conversation was kept for nostalgia, context, and ease. Original show notes here. To get to the interview, skip about 8 minutes forward (dynamic ads may add 1 more minute). Thanks for listening. New episodes coming soon. Read the 6 Yea...
As white evangelical hegemony ended, white Christian nationalist minority rule began.
July 07, 2022 17:30 - 20 minutesIn this episode, I adapt a couple of recent essays from The Post-Evangelical Post to discuss Christian nationalism. As white evangelical hegemony ended, white Christian nationalist minority rule began. Recommended Reading: Christian Nationalism on TikTok; Evangelical Lobbyists Praying with SCOTUS Justices, More Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Subscribe to The Post-Evangelical Post to support the show at $4, $6, or $8/month to receive ad-free podcast feeds & mo...
Jo Luehmann
June 30, 2022 14:24 - 1 hourToday’s guest is Jo Luehmann. Jo and I spoke back in March this year, after arranging to chat in late January, early February, so this episode has been a long time coming. In this conversation, you’ll hear Jo talk about growing up in Colombia, her experience within evangelical circles in America, and her work discussing decolonization. In the months following our discussion, Jo became a target of many far right figures such as Matt Walsh, who rallied their followers to harass Jo. The reason ...
Happy Pride: An LGBTQ+ Affirmation
June 23, 2022 20:28 - 7 minutesHello, and welcome to Exvangelical. I’m your host, Blake Chastain. I know there’s a lot going on. I know that the recent Supreme Court rulings are beyond discouraging - they are harmful for so many people, and a decision that could lead to the downfall of Roe is expected as soon as tomorrow. But multiple things happen all at once, and because of our interconnectedness, we feel them all. But I want to isolate one event happening right now and say: Happy Pride - especially to those born and rai...
Ryan Haupt
June 16, 2022 12:38 - 2 hoursMy guest today is Dr. Ryan Haupt. Ryan is a scientist and podcaster on the show Science...Sort of, and a frequent guest host on the comic book podcast iFanboy. iFanboy was one of the very first podcasts I ever listened to and after a couple of random interactions on Twitter - Ryan and I were able to connect to talk back at the beginning of February. This conversation runs the gamut. We talk about Ryan’s experience growing up in the church in West Virginia, about discovering science in colleg...
Rohadi Nagassar
June 03, 2022 18:44 - 1 hourThis week’s guest is Rohadi Nagassar, host of the Faith in a Fresh Vibe podcast and author of the new book When We Belong: Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins. We talk about identity, the differences and similarities between Canadian and American churches, and much more! This interview was recorded in February 2022. Check out Rohadi’s podcast, and follow him on Instagram. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Subscribe for free at postevangelicalpost.com or $4, $6...
White Too Long (re-release with new intro)
May 26, 2022 14:47 - 1 hourNote: there is a leveling discrepancy between the intro comments and the interview, which begins around the 10:30 mark. There's been two major shootings in the last two weeks. I try to piece together some thoughts, and combine a couple things from recent essays, in the intro to this re-released episode with Robert Jones. I guess it's best to just listen. Essays I adapt for the intro: Let the circle be broken. Live Free and Die. The interview is part of season 1 of Powers & Principalities, wh...
Nick Ripatrizone, author of Digital Communion
May 19, 2022 16:37 - 1 hourMy guest today is Nick Ripatrizone. Nick is a writer for The Millions, culture editor for Image Journal and author of the new book Digital Communion: Marshall McLuhan’s Vision for a Virtual Age. Marshall McLuhan was a "prophet of the digital age," whose prescient writings about "electronic man" in the 60s and 70s anticipated the effects that new media such as television and what he called "electric circuitry" would have on individuals and society. (The tech-oriented "Shaped by Tools" vertical...
Andre Henry, author of All The White Friends I Couldn't Keep
May 12, 2022 15:17 - 1 hourI'm honored to share this conversation with Andre Henry with you today. Andre Henry is an author, musician, and activist, and author of the book All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep: Hope--and Hard Pills to Swallow--About Fighting for Black Lives (affiliate link to Bookshop.org). We talk about Andre's experience in white evangelical environments, as well as how his increasing activism for racial justice made staying in white evangelical spaces untenable. His story and work is not limited to ...
April Ajoy
May 05, 2022 12:27 - 58 minutesApril Ajoy joins the show! You probably know her from TikTok, where she creates at turns funny and serious videos about "humorously detoxing American Christianity." We learn about her story, about how she got started on TikTok, and more! Check out all of April's projects: TikTok The Evangelicalish podcast Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. You can support the show at $4, $6, or $8/month at postevangelicalpost.com and get access to ad-free podcast feeds, subscriber...
The leaked SCOTUS ruling shows why white evangelicals supported Trump en masse
May 04, 2022 10:31 - 6 minutesThis was also published as an essay at The Post-Evangelical Post. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn how to support my work here. There are many resources about reproductive health available. If you want to approach it from an interfaith lens, start here. A reproductive rights advocate I've had on the show, Asha Dahya, can be followed on Instagram. Her episode is here. Links: https://postevangelicalpost.com https://instagram.com/brchastain_ https://exvangel...
Audio Essay: Twitter & The Counterpublic Sphere
April 29, 2022 14:31 - 15 minutesIn this audio essay, adapted from The Post-Evangelical Post, I talk about Twitter's role in allowing "counterpublics" to flourish - and how #exvangelical relates to that. New interviews are coming - due to my recent ear surgery I am still restricted from listening to audio in both ears - which makes editing podcasts difficult. I am enlisting another producer to help. Please consider becoming a paid supporter of my work via The Post-Evangelical Post. There are free options, as well as tiers ...
Re-Release: Pete Holmes (2019 Interview)
April 14, 2022 19:39 - 1 hourIt’s been over a month since I’ve released an episode. That was not my plan nor intention. But sometimes life intervenes. Just shy of a month ago, I had surgery to repair a lifelong issue with my ear - ruptured ear drum, and the recovery took much longer than I expected. It required me to slow down. I wrote about this over on my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. I have 6 episodes recorded that need editing, which I will get to releasing soon. In the meantime, enjoy this interview with P...
The Both-And of Lent (Audio Essay)
March 03, 2022 16:48 - 12 minutesEven though my relationship to religion is always shifting, some of the rituals and symbolism have more resonance than others. For me, in recent years Lent has been the most meaningful part of the Christian tradition, even if I'm not sure where I fall in relation to it. In this audio essay, I explore the both-and nature of Lent - through denial and affirmation. "I have made it a focus of both this show and my writing that, to me, the term ‘exvangelical’ has its limits. I understand that it ...
(Re-Release) White Evangelical Racism with Dr. Anthea Butler
February 24, 2022 20:58 - 53 minutesRE-RELEASE: Dr. Anthea Butler returns to the show (she was a guest on season one of Powers & Principalities) to discuss her new book, White Evangelical Racism. Her book is of utmost importance to helping us understand both our past and our current moment. We discuss the history of white evangelical racism, and how it played a part in the Jan 6th insurrection and the murders in Atlanta in March 2021. I also wrote about the book in my new series, The Good Books, published via my newsletter The ...
Melissa Stewart (@lissajostewart on TikTok)
February 10, 2022 15:25 - 1 hourIn this conversation, I speak with exvangelical Tiktokker Melissa Stewart (@lissajostewart) about her upbringing, how exvangelical spaces continue to evolve, and how platform differences (i.e. Twitter vs. TikTok) enable different conversations - and much more! As I mention in the introduction, note how Melissa talks about her experiences leaving fundamentalism, and how it differs from the way evangelical pastors who decry "deconstruction" or some other rhetorical bogeyman. #exvangelical has t...