The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

006: Unbuckling the Bible Belt: Deconstructing Christianity in the Deep South (with "Seamus Clarke") Part 2

Part 2 of my conversation with "Seamus Clarke" (a pseudonym) continues our exploration of the deconstruction of his Christian faith. 
What happens when you mix the childhood trauma of sexual abuse, a distant father with major issues of his own, evangelical dogma, "spiritual bypassing," and life in a red-state, Trump-supporting Bible belt? Let "Seamus" tell his story of a man who is in the process of questioning all these things and more.
Adding all those issues up, and then layering a veneer of Christian respectability and platitudes that are supposed to deal with trauma...then what you end up with is a particularly American brand of evangelical Christianity that desperately needs to be deconstructed.
Resources
The Preacher's Forum page on Theology Corner
The Preacher's Forum Blog
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005: Unbuckling the Bible Belt: Deconstructing Christianity in the Deep South (with "Seamus Clarke") Part 1

This week's episode of MindShift podcast features a discussion with "Seamus Clarke," who feels the need to use a pseudonym to protect both himself and his family.
But why use a fake name?
This is actually quite a common theme--people raised in the evangelical or fundamentalist church feel that they cannot "be themselves" and tell their friends and family members (still steeped in the church culture) that they've gone down the road of deconstruction and discovery.
Seamus is in a similar position...but just because he uses a pseudonym doesn't stop us from having a deep and meaningful conversation about his childhood, experiences of trauma, and how misinformed and toxic theology in the church badly failed him.
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004: MindShift - Can There be "Christianity Without Churchianity?" (with Richard Jacobson)

Have you left the church behind, but haven't yet given up on God--or people?
Many people have left the church, but still carry their faith with them. But where do they go from there?
Today's guest, Richard Jacobson, speaks to this issue. In his book Unchurching: Christianity Without Churchianity, Richard's target audience is those who seek authentic community--yet who, for a wide variety of reasons, are done with the institutional church.
Listen in as we discuss Richard's take on why the church has gotten it wrong, both from a biblical and theological viewpoint.
Resources
"What Happens After People Leave the Church?" by Dr Clint Heacock on Theology Corner
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Contact Information
Follow on Twitter: @MindShift2018
Richard Jacobson: @Unchurching
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003: MindShift Podcast: A Pastor Turned Atheist - Should You Ditch the Christian Faith? (with David Madison) Part 2

In the second half of my conversation with David Madison, we finish up talking about biblical inerrancy and move on to two tough problems facing Christianity: the problem of evil and the atonement.
Theologians and scholars alike--both within Judaism and Christianity--have struggled to explain the problem of evil. Theodicy--a defense of a supposedly all-powerful, all-knowing and all-benevolent God--has long been a mainstay of both religions.
David and I tackle this as well as discussing related issues with God requiring a human sacrifice so that human beings could go to heaven. Couldn't God, who makes all the rules, just forgive everybody without requiring Jesus to die?
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Resources 
"What Happens After People Leave the Church?" by Dr Clint Heacock on Theology Corner
Contact Information
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David Madison: @DavidMadisonPhD
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Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
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002: MindShift Podcast - A Pastor Turned Atheist: Should You Ditch the Christian Faith? (with David Madison) Part 1

If you are someone who identifies as a Christian, do you feel you have the freedom to question what you think you believe, and what you think you know?
Can you prove the existence of God and Jesus with 100% certainty? Is the Bible indeed inspired, inerrant (without error), infallible and totally trustworthy in everything it affirms?
If you are in the process of deconstructing your faith, or just want to challenge your belief system, then don't miss this thought-provoking conversation with David Madison, author of 10 Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: A Minister Turned Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith. 
In this first half of 2 episodes, we discuss David's own faith journey from pastor to atheist, and challenge some of Christianity's sacred cows.
Don't miss this conversation!
Resources 
"What Happens After People Leave the Church?" on Theology Corner by Dr Clint Heacock
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David Madison @DavidMadisonPhD
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001: MindShift Pilot Episode 2018: The Journey of Deconstruction & Discovery

MindShift podcast is back for 2018! Since I never did a pilot episode when I started the podcast nearly a year ago, it's time to do one now!
Originally called "The Preacher's Forum Podcast," a lot has changed over the last year. As I continue down the road on this journey of deconstruction, discovery and now reconstruction, will you join me in 2018?
In this episode, I lay out 2 helpful models for those who have left the church behind. Where are you on the spectrum? Find yourself along the scale! Also, I explore a helpful analogy of a "kernel and husk" that will help you to think critically about Christianity--as a religion.
Resources 
Theology Corner Blog
"Responding to Andy Savage, Highpoint Church, and Sexual Assault" by Dr Clint Heacock on TC
"What Happens After People Leave the Church?" by Dr Clint Heacock on The Preacher's Forum Blog
Support MindShift on Patreon!
MindShift Podcast
Contact Information
Follow me on Twitter: @MindShift2018
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
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53: An Overcommitment to Biblical Inerrancy? (with Ray Gilford) Part 2

In this final episode of MindShift for 2017, Ray Gilford and I finish our discussion we began last week on the subject of biblical inerrancy--the fundamentalist belief that "the Bible is 100% error-free"--inerrant.
In Part 2, Ray opens up about his own personal journey away from church. The idea of biblical absolutism--the teaching that the Bible is all that is necessary for faith and practice--permeates many a conservative evangelical church today. This, in part, has led Ray away from the mainstream church, and on a journey of deconstructing his own faith and belief systems.
Perhaps this describes your own personal journey away from mainstream churches. If so, then you won't want to miss Part 2!
MindShift will return in January 2018 so stay tuned for some outstanding interviews and conversations on a wide variety of topics related to God, the church, and spirituality.
Join me on the journey of deconstruction and discovery!
Resources 
"Deconstructing Biblical Inerrancy" by Dr Clint Heacock on The Preacher's Forum Blog
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Ray Gilford: @GalacticWndrlst
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52: An Overcommitment to Biblical Inerrancy? (with Ray Gilford) Part 1

What does the word "inerrancy" even mean? And in what possible way could  that term apply to the Bible?
Common among many Christians is the belief that not only is the Bible inspired (the human writers of Scripture were guided by the Holy Spirit), it is also inerrant (free from errors), infallible (completely trustworthy in all that it says), and on the basis of all of the above it is therefore authoritative in all matters of faith and belief.
But what is the legacy of this doctrine? Has the church always believed the Bible to be inerrant? And how does that teaching affect the average Christian today in terms of beliefs and behaviors?
In this episode, Ray Gilford and I discuss this issue and deconstruct it from both a scholarly and a practical point of view. Do not miss this edition of MindShift if you want to be challenged!
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Contact Information
Galactic Wanderlust website
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51: Journey to Healing (with Jeff & Karin Green)

How would you react if you were told by your doctor: "You have cancer."
What would you do? What would you think?
Many people all over the world have indeed heard that prognosis. For Jeff and Karin Green, those words completely rocked their world just 7 months ago when he was diagnosed with leukemia. 
But rather than react out of despair or anger--completely understandable emotions--Jeff and his family have instead tried to focus on finding the positive in the midst of this extremely difficult situation. 
This special episode gives them a chance to share their experiences, how they are dealing with life, and how they are now beginning to help others in need.
This is an inspiring, heartwarming and amazing story that will hopefully inspire you to support and fund Jeff's journey to healing!
Contact Information
Find Jeff & Karin on Facebook: Jeff Green - Journey to Healing
Search: #10dollars10shares10prayers 
Right This Minute video: "When He Needed Them Most, Jeff's Daughters Came to See Him"
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50: Women Beyond Belief: Discovering Life Without Religion (with Karen Garst) Part 2

Part 2 of my wide-ranging and though-prvoking conversation with Karen Garst, "The Faithless Feminist," continues in this episode.
For those undergoing a process of discovery and deconstruction of their inherited belief systems--particularly coming out of a fundamentalist or conservative religious framework--then this episode is a must-listen.
That process is fraught with emotional threats: fear, anxiety, and separation from loved ones. But it can also foster learning and new directions for life, previously unimagined.
Don't miss this one!
Resources
"Making a Deal with the Devil: Roy Moore, Donald Trump, and the Religious Right" by Dr Clint Heacock
Contact Information
Follow Karen Garst on Twitter: @karen_garst
Website: The Faithless Feminist
Follow me on Twitter: @preachersforum
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
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