The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

Inside the Dominionist Agenda of The Family (with Jonathan Larsen)

This week's guest is Jonathan Larsen, managing editor over at The Young Turks (TYT) Network. 
Ever since he and his colleagues obtained the formerly-secret invitation list to the yearly National Prayer Breakfast that The Family--otherwise known as "The Fellowship Foundation"--wanted desperately to keep a secret, Jonathan has been doing some great investigative reporting on this uber-secretive, dominionist Christian organization.
First reported on by Jeff Sharlet in his book, and later Netflix series "The Family," this clandestine evangelical organization has been actively working the corridors of power worldwide for decades, building relationships and seeking out "key men" to win to Christ--in the hopes that they will influence their nations and spheres of influence for the Kingdom of God. 
Find out more by listening in!
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Bonus Episode: How Religion Affects Our Mental Health (with Rachel Bernstein)

In this special bonus episode, which I've long been promising is indeed coming, I was able to interview therapist Rachel Bernstein of the IndoctriNation Podcast.
This is actually Part 2 of two episodes we did--for the first half of the chat, you'll have to head over to the IndoctriNation podcast to catch Part 1. There, we discussed my backstory in evangelicalism, my deconstruction, and the journey to rebuild since leaving Christianity behind.
In this episode, we focus specifically on the important question: how does religion affect people's mental health? What resources are available for those of us who have left it behind, and now need to reconstruct our lives from the ground up?
I hope you will find this conversation with Rachel both enlightening and educational.
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Evil Geniuses: Explaining America‘s Vast Wealth Inequality (with Kurt Andersen)

Kurt Andersen is a returning guest, this time to talk about his sequel to Fantasyland, which is his excellent and thought-provoking work, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America--A Recent History.
How exactly does it function as a sequel to Fantasyland? In this followup book, Kurt reveals that the vast wealth and income inequality in America was not by accident, but by design--the work of the "evil geniuses" he identifies in the book. And not only did the evil geniuses succeed, the "fantasy-industrial complex" he identified in Fantasyland is hard at work, providing a distraction for all the poor workers who have been screwed out of what should have been rightfully theirs.
For more information on Kurt, his writings and podcasts, check out his website. 
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A Conversation with Seth Andrews, Host of The Thinking Atheist

For those two or three people who are unaware of who Seth Andrews is, all we have to say is "The Thinking Atheist" and you'll understand everything.
Seth and I had a fantastic conversation recently in which we discussed his backstory, his views on being a former "Fox News Christian," dominion theology and the recent Texas abortion law, and more. In this wide-ranging conversation, we covered a lot of ground and had an amazing time doing so. I am certain you'll enjoy spending an hour or so with Seth, the host of The Thinking Atheist.
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Bonus Episode: Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn‘t Taught (with Dr David Madison)

In this special bonus episode, I'm welcoming back returning guest Dr David Madison, who was on the podcast several years ago.
Our mutual friend Tim Sledge suggested I interview him about his new book, Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn't Taught. This very readable book--designed to be read through easily in one sitting--is aimed primarily at Christians who are open to questioning their faith, and potentially dialoguing with others about some of the questions, doubts, and cognitive dissonance they may have been harboring, but were afraid to admit.
Available now on Amazon--click the link here to purchase this excellent resource!
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Taking Dominion: Inside the Christian Homeschooling Bubble (with Ryan Stollar)

This episode features author and activist Ryan Stollar, who grew up in the Christian homeschooling bubble, but has since become a staunch advocate for those who unfortunately suffered a great many abuses within that system.
A former editor and author at the now-archived Homeschoolers Anonymous blog for several years, Ryan has since branched out and is currently doing a lot of writing--including working on two books at the moment. He is still very active within the former homeschooling community, and is very active on social media with support groups for survivors.
This episode reveals much about the backstory of how Christian homeschooling not only started, but what some of the major leaders within the movement are up to currently--including expanding their vision worldwide.
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Bonus Episode - The Mars Hill Legacy: Mark Driscoll's Toxic Cult of Personality (with Dr Warren Throckmorton)

This special bonus episode features returning guest, Dr Warren Throckmorton. Though he identifies as a Christian himself, Dr Throckmorton has long been an outspoken activist and blogger for what he clearly sees as abuses within evangelicalism.
In the current Christianity Today podcast series on the collapse of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and Mark Driscoll's role in it, his name comes up--as he was one of the early voices to speak out against the problems inherent within Mars Hill.
Not only do we discuss the Mars Hill saga, and its ultimate implosion, we also delve into the concept that Driscoll, in many ways, fits a classic ego-driven cult leader--and his current church in Scottsdale, AZ, features even more disturbing elements of cult psychology and high-control groups.
For more information you can visit Warren's blog at this link. 
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Surviving the World Revival Church Cult of Kansas City (with Daniel Phelps)

This week's guest is Daniel Phelps, who grew up in the World Revival Church, now located in Kansas City, MO.
A recent investigation by Fox News has shone some light on this church's disturbing cult-like practices and tactics. Off the back of that, Daniel shares his story of how he not only grew up in the church--which he  now describes as a cult--and how he finally got out. 
Can a church become a cult? Listen in to find out how this one did!
Click here to read the Fox News investigative report on the multiple abuses by WRC.
Visit the KC Cult Survivor Facebook Page.
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Bonus Episode - Fantasyland: Blurring Fiction with Reality (with Kurt Andersen)

In this special bonus episode, I recently caught up with Kurt Andersen, author of the 2017 book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire--A 500-Year History.
 
Kurt's book explains so much about the current state of America today by looking at its history through the lens of "fantasyland"--basically, what happens when people begin to blur, or commingle, fantasy and reality. It's not that other nations don't do this, but it's more than what makes America so exceptional is that we seem to have a corner on doing it the best.
 
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Papering Over the Ugly Truth: The History of the Church and Racism (with David Johnson)

It's finally out!
This is an absolutely incredible, informative and educational conversation I had a while back with David Johnson, host of the Skeptics and Seekers podcast.
I met David when we were guests on the Still Unbelievable podcast, and he shared about a time when he'd been a guest on an atheist podcast and talked a lot about the church and racism--only to discover that when the episode finally aired, the host of that show had edited out that entire section. So right then I knew...we had to have that conversation.
I hope you not only enjoy this conversation, but that you learn a lot also from this chat as well.
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