Episodes
Episodes
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Doug Wilson Part 4: His Toxic Theology
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
We're back for our inaugural episode of 2023, continuing our exploration of all things Doug Wilson, the controversial pastor/cult leader running a sprawling religious empire out of Moscow, ID.
In this long-form episode, I'll cover three of Wilson's more controversial---and ultimately toxic--theological distinctives: the "federal vision" theology, general equity theonomy, and finally biblical patriarchy.
In each case, not only will I explain the position itself as best I can, I'll also touch base on why exactly they are toxic, damaging to individuals, and lead to things like religious trauma syndrome and other forms of abuse.
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Friday Dec 30, 2022
Doug Wilson Part 3: The Many Scandals
Friday Dec 30, 2022
Friday Dec 30, 2022
In this third instalment examining the controversial pastor Doug Wilson out of Moscow, ID, we're diving into the decades--yes, decades--of scandals and controversies that have been attached to him and his associated ministries.
In our continuing investigation of all things Wilson, this episode demonstrates that not only has Wilson's teachings and leadership style created a culture that is rife for abuses, due to his nepotism, politicking and cronyism, Wilson has so far not only managed to evade all consequences, he's been insulated from any meaningful accountability.
Despite all of these scandals, nonetheless Wilson continues to be platformed by leading evangelical leaders. As we saw in the first episode, due to his incredible reach into multiple evangelical homes and churches, his teaching is promoted widely. This episode will shed some light on the real Doug Wilson--buckle up and pour yourself a strong drink, because it's another long one!
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Friday Dec 16, 2022
Friday Dec 16, 2022
As I was doing all of my research on controversial pastor Doug Wilson out of Moscow, Idaho, I came across his troublesome teachings on so-called "biblical patriarchy." That also led me to a disturbing movement called the "stay-at-home-daughters" (SAHD)--something which is also within Wilson's orbit.
This week's guest, Cait West, is a survivor of both. She grew up in a Christian homeschooling environment and also was also a part of the SAHD too. Having escaped both, Cait is not only speaking out and writing about her experiences and the trauma she suffered, she is now an advocate for those like herself who experienced forms of religious or other traumas.
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Find out more on Cait's Blog
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Doug Wilson Part 1 : Misunderstood Pastor or Cult Leader?
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Friday Dec 02, 2022
This episode marks the first foray into the sprawling religious empire created by Doug Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow Idaho. Already on my radar from several years ago when I did an episode with Mark Potok, formerly of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who investigated the controversial pastor back in 2004.
In this 2+ hour episode, we'll uncover Wilson's backstory: where did he come from? How did he become the pastor of Christ Church? How has he gone on to establish a controversial religious empire based out of Moscow? And finally, we want to start looking at the question: is he just a misunderstood pastor, trying his level best to get his version of the Christian gospel out there, or is he on the spectrum of cult leaders?
More content is coming soon--watch this space for more information on Wilson!
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Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
This week's episode features a conversation with Jennifer Cohn, an investigative journalist who primarily writes for the Bucks County Beacon.
Through her work investigating issues such as election integrity in the runup to the 2016 election, Jennifer became aware of the NAR--the New Apostolic Reformation--and the key players who've been pushing Trump's "Big Lie" following the 2020 election.
In their quest to take dominion, these so-called "apostles and prophets" are pushing the Lie--but what's their motivation? Jennifer and I touch on this as well as numerous other related topics, key leaders, and influencers within this movement that is currently threatening American democracy in its aim to achieve dominion.
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Friday Nov 04, 2022
Dominionism as a Strategy of Mobilization (with Dr André Gagné)
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Returning guest Dr André Gagné from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, is an expert on the field of dominion theology, the New Apostolic Reformation, the Christian Right and what's going on in Trump world.
Thus: what better thing to do than to reach out to him after a few years to catch up on what's going on in that universe? The good news is that André's book on the evangelicals behind Trump will be soon translated into English--and I'm sensing another episode coming up!
Will the evangelicals promoting Trump's "Big Lie" go away anytime soon? What's their strategy for taking dominion? Find out the answers to those questions and more in this fascinating, if chilling, conversation.
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Friday Oct 21, 2022
From IFB Pastor to Atheist (with Bruce Gerencser)
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Continuing our theme of speaking with ex-pastors, this week's conversation is another good one, featuring my friend Bruce Gerencser. A former Independent Fundamental Baptist preacher of several decades, Bruce has a lifetime's experience unpacking not only the church and the Bible, as an avowed atheist now, he has an incredible story to tell about his journey.
In this chat Bruce and I swap stories of life as a pastor, break down the differences between fundamentalism and mainstream evangelicalism, and finally conclude by looking at helpful coping strategies to rebuild your life and reclaim your authentic identity after leaving religion behind.
Visit Bruce's Blog here
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Friday Oct 07, 2022
Childish Things (with Dave Warnock)
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
I'm super happy to be reconnecting with my good friend Dave Warnock of "Dying Out Loud"--it's been at least 3+ years since we last talked last, maybe more.
In the meantime, Dave has come out with a brand-new book called Childish Things: A Memoir. I listened to it on Audible, which I'd highly recommend as Dave himself reads the text. This makes his memoirs even more poignant, especially if you grew up in evangelicalism in the 1970s-1990s--the "Jesus Movement" and all that went with it.
Dave and I discuss his time as a Christian, including his stint as a pastor of several churches; how he ended up deconstructing, becoming an atheist, and dealing with a terminal illness. I hope you not only enjoy this conversation, but also get a lot out of it too.
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Dave Out Loud Website
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Friday Sep 23, 2022
TULIP: The Poisonous Flower of Calvinism (with Dr David D’Andre)
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
This week's episode features a fascinating discussion with returning guest, Dr David D'Andre, on the subject of his brand-new book entitled TULIP: The Poisonous Flower of Calvinism.
Why Calvinism, of all the theological systems that are out there? As David makes clear, this theology in particular has a number of problems associated with it, both historically and currently. For many of us who identify as "exvangelical," we came out of churches that preached various aspects of Calvin's theology. Just to name a few: biblical patriarchy, dominion theology, and Christian nationalism.
We will also conclude by discussing how you can recover and rebuild your life, if you've come out of this toxic system.
Find David's book on Amazon
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Friday Sep 09, 2022
Friday Sep 09, 2022
This week's guest is Kerry Noble, former member of the Christian militia group The Covenant, Sword & Arm of the Lord (CSA). This group operated out of Arkansas primarily in the 1970s and 80s--and Kerry was one of the major leaders involved in the movement.
Built on conspiracy theories, twisted theology, and a dystopian vision of the future, the CSA in many ways was the forerunner to a number of alt-right, white supremacist militia groups we see today. Kerry's story is not only an unbelievable one, it also gives a step-by-step illustration of how a person can be recruited into what essentially became a cult-like movement that planned and nearly executed a number of violent, extremist acts.
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