Videos

Sept. 12, 2017

Chris Stroop Returns to #EmptyThePews

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…

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Aug. 31, 2017

Mike James

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…

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Aug. 23, 2017

Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass)

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:…

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Aug. 14, 2017

Where Do We Go From 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…

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Aug. 8, 2017

Lyndsey Medford

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…

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Aug. 1, 2017

(Minisode): Reverence and Wonder

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…

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July 25, 2017

Cindy Wang Brandt

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…

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July 18, 2017

Jamie Finch

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…

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July 10, 2017

Alice Connor, author of Fierce

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…

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June 26, 2017

Ashleigh Hill

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…

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June 21, 2017

(Minisode): Does anyone else have announcements before we move on?

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…

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June 12, 2017

Nicola Stevens

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…

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May 29, 2017

Memorial Day Minisode

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…

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May 22, 2017

Dan Little

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…

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May 9, 2017

#IWasSick

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…

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April 24, 2017

Jason Stellman's Misfit Faith

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…

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April 21, 2017

Kyle Parton Re-Release

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…

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April 3, 2017

LGBTQ Intersectionality & The Fruit of the Spirit with Rev. Kevin Wright (Re-Release)

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…

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March 26, 2017

Elizabeth Jeffries

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:…

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March 22, 2017

Blake Chastain Live Stream

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March 19, 2017

Emily Joy & Hannah Paasch Re-Release

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…

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March 13, 2017

Peterson Toscano

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…

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March 6, 2017

Crystal Cheatham & the Our Bible App

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…

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Feb. 27, 2017

Verdell Wright

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…

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