My guest this week is Chris Stroop. Chris was a guest back on episode 15 of the show, and since that time he has become well-known for his essays on Religion Dispatches (as well as his threads on Twitter, including the trending hashtag #EmptyThePews) about the global Religious Right, particularly…
My guest this week is Mike James. Mike talks about his experiences going to a megachurch youth group, a small Christian college, moving from planting a church to starting a winery, and what his deconstruction has revealed about the "life on rails" he felt he was leading before. We also…
My guest this week is Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass on Twitter). She and I discuss her history, as well as how the death of Michael Brown altered her understanding of white evangelicalism. We also discuss her must-read blog post, "The Day I Learned White Christians Hate Me." Read it here:…
Trying to make sense of what just happened in Charlottesville, VA and what it means for the country. Trying to figure out how to address racism and racial systems on the show. I don't know where we go from here, and I need your input. Join the Exvangelical community on…
Lyndsey Medford is a post-evangelical writer and blogger. She writes at lyndseymedford.com. Follow her on Twitter @lyndseymedford! The first #exvreads book club book has been chosen! It is \*The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America\* by Frances Fitzgerald. Use this link to buy it! http://amzn.to/2uEthDU More details about the book…
Introducing "Reverence & Wonder," the Patron-only series. Reverence and wonder are at the heart of any sense of spirituality I've ever understood. These twin sentiments keep me going. They are not strictly bound by religion, though they can encompass it. They can reach out and envelope the world. They recast…
My guest this week is Cindy Wang Brandt, a writer and the founder of the Facebook group Raising Children Unfundamentalist. In this conversation, Cindy and I talk about her evangelical pedigree, which includes attending Wheaton and being a recipient of the Billy Graham award, her faith shift, her resignation from…
This week's guest is Jamie Finch! Jamie is a writer and certified integrated health coach. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jamie talks about her experiences growing up in the church (including a formative memory of saying the "Sinner's Prayer" at age 7), expressing her sexuality amidst purity culture, her time in…
This week's guest is Alice Connor, author of the book \*Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation\*. In this conversation, Alice & I start off talking (and needing out about) the Episcopal Church, as well as Alice's background, before launching headlong…
My guest this week is Ashleigh Hill! Follow her on Twitter @ashleighfhill! Read her websites: afracturedlife.com & http://www.continuouslyfracturedlife.tumblr.com/tagged/yourveryowngenderstudiesdegree Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, & Anchor @exvangelicalpod. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Another minisode for you as I work on producing another full-length interview! In this one I talk about having a heavy heart, but also wanting to share something hopeful. To that end, I want to intentionally explore that part of exvangelical stories: the good parts. Backing Tracks: "Under Pressure" by…
On this episode, I speak across the International Date Line with Nicola Stevens, my first guest that lives internationally. We talk about evangelicalism in Australia, creationism, and so much more. Follow Nicola on Twitter @mytwocompanions. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your…
It's a Memorial Day minisode! Show notes: Read & share the Exvangelical review on Religion Dispatches: http://religiondispatches.org/exvangelical-podcast-is-safe-space-for-those-living-in-leaving-or-coming-to-terms-with-evangelicalism/ Read Niebuhr's Moral Man & Immoral Society: http://amzn.to/2rcBjDW Tell #dadjokes. Reminders: Leave the show a review on iTunes! Follow the show across the web on Fb, Twitter, IG, and Anchor @exvangelicalpod! Support the…
This is a wide-spanning conversation. An integral part of Dan's story is his experience within church, evangelicalism, and purity culture (I know those are all overlapping things) as a gay man and how damaging it was to his development. That summary doesn't do it justice, which is why we are…
I try to talk about healthcare as best I can. I get a bit weepy at the end. Share your healthcare stories--good and bad--with hashtag #IWasSick. Special kudos to @laureneoneal, @dianabutlerbass, and @rmasvg for the Twitter inspiration. And special kudos to JC for taking no guff by siding with the…
This week's guest is Jason Stellman, author of the new book Misfit Faith: Confessions of a Drunk Ex-Pastor, and co-host of the Drunk Ex-Pastors podcast. In this conversation, Jason and I talk about his transition from being a Presbyterian pastor in the PCA denomination to converting to Catholicism. We also…
Kyle Parton, Director of Epiphany Publishing, talks with me about teenage adventures in Wal-Mart evangelism, key markers of evangelicalism, war, other faith traditions, and alternate models of salvation (aka, "Finding a Substitute for Penal Substitution"). (This conversation was initially released as episode 8 of Exv.) Check out Epiphany Publishing: epiphanypublishing.us…
This episode features a conversation with Rev. Kevin Wright from the Riverside Church in NYC. We talk about his journey, LGBTQ affirmation, and more. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain. Follow the show on Twitter @exvangelicalpod Like the show on Facebook at facebook.com/exvangelicalpod Follow Rev. Kevin Wright on Twitter @kevinkwright. Read…
Elizabeth Jeffries My guest this week is Elizabeth Jeffries, a writer and biologist (biologist and writer?). Elizabeth writes over at elizabethjeffrieswrites.com. Read her stuff, it's great. Also follow her on Twitter @EPJeff. Intro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free Interlude 1: "The Courtroom" by Carman. (Yes, that Carman.) Interlude 2:…
This week's episode is a re-release of a conversation with Emily Joy & Hannah Paasch from The Flawless Project (from episode 10). They discuss the impact their experiences with purity culture and sexism has had on their lives. The Flawless Project: theflawlessproject.org Emily Joy Poetry: emilyjoypoetry.com Ida Grey: idagrey.weebly.com Follow…
My guest this week is Peterson Toscano. He is a Bible scholar, actor, storyteller, and activist exploring the intersection of gay rights, human rights, and climate change. Check out all of Peterson's projects: petersontoscano.com Peterson's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/p2son Climate Stew: https://climatestew.com/ Peterson's work on gender & the Bible: https://petersontoscano.com/portfolio/transfigurations/ Citizen's…
This week's guest is Crystal Cheatham, co-host of the podcast Lord Have Mercy, and producer of the upcoming Our Bible App, an inclusive Bible app for the rest of us. We talk about a number of Crystal's experiences and projects, as well as why the Our Bible App is necessary…
My guest this week is Verdell Wright. In this conversation Verdell and I talk about growing up in the 7th Day Adventist tradition, asking big questions at an early age, the difficulties of attending church when you're seminary educated, depression, sexuality, Christian atheism, and religious humanism. It's a wide ranging…