The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

From IFB Pastor to Atheist (with Bruce Gerencser)

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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Childish Things (with Dave Warnock)

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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TULIP: The Poisonous Flower of Calvinism (with Dr David D’Andre)

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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The Covenant, Sword & Arm of the Lord: God, Guns & Extremism (with Kerry Noble)

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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Recovering a Sense of Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control (with Luna Corbden)

This episode features Luna Corbden, whom I met through a mutual friend--Janice Selbie--when we both were presenters at the recent CORT2022, the Conference on Religious Trauma.
Luna grew up as a Mormon, deconstructed their faith, and subsequently left the church--but not without a lot of baggage and religious trauma. Similar to many of us who've left controlling religions, Luna has done a tremendous amount of work unpacking the teachings, figuring out the psychology behind it, and rebuilding their life moving forward.
Whether or not you had any association with Mormonism, but have experience with controlling cults or religions, then you'll no doubt identify with what Luna and I discuss in this episode--and find helpful resources on your journey of reconstructing your authentic self post-religion.
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Find Luna's Book on Amazon 

Theological Jenga Part 2 (with Brian & Troy from ”I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist” Podcast)

This special bonus episode is actually Part 2 of a conversation I recently had with Brian and Troy, the co-hosts of the "I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist" podcast out of Melbourne, Australia.
We discuss their backstory coming out of evangelicalism, rebuilding their lives post-religion, and discuss resources for reconstructing your authentic self.
Head over to their platform for Theological Jenga Part 1:
https://pod.link/1558606464/episode/977f7004eeb71b5cd0527f8db0a4b0a2
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Follow Brian & Troy on Twitter @WasTeenage
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Leaving Christianity & Becoming a Materialist with Doubts (with Dean Krosecz)

This week's episode features returning guest and former host of "The People I Meet" podcast, Dean Krosecz.
Dean walked away from charismatic Christianity years ago, and finally the faith altogether. In the process, in his words, he's become "a strict materialist with doubts"--but what does that mean, and how does it relate to him rebuilding his life post-Christianity?
In the telling of his story, we'll discover that Dean has found peace with himself--writing poetry (which he will share), getting in tune with nature, music and photography. All of these are essential for those of us seeking to recover our authentic self post-religion.
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Follow Dean on Twitter @deankrosecz
Thoughts in Winter Dean's poetry available on Amazon

Good Psychology, Bad Theology, & Church Victim Abuse Advocacy (with Mike Phillips)

This week's guest is my friend Mike Phillips, currently a therapist in California who does a lot of work in the area of religious trauma syndrome--a subject I am not only very familiar with as a sufferer of RTS myself, but I've devoted a lot of time to it also.
Like me, Mike is an ex-pastor who tells an incredible tale of not only being in church ministry for decades, but also how he transitioned out of both pastoral ministry and Christianity too. In his journey to become a therapist, he developed a speciality of supporting and representing a great number of church abuse victims also.
If you suffer from RTS or know someone who does, then this episode will not only be of great benefit to you, Mike also provides resources and options for its treatment as well.
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The Storm is Upon Us: Inside the QAnon Conspiracy Theory Cult (with Mike Rothschild)

This week's episode features a conversation with conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild, author of the excellent 2021 book The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, a Cult, and a Conspiracy Theory of Everything.
We begin at the beginning: what is the appeal of conspiracy theories in general, and why are so many people attracted to them historically? Conspiracy theories are nothing new, and have been around for as long as humans can remember. QAnon, it turns out, is a rehash of a number of extant and time-tested conspiracy theories, tropes, memes and more. 
Has it gone away, now that Trump is no longer president? Why are so many evangelicals still hooked on the movement? And finally, if you have a friend or family member who's been sucked into the Q Universe, can you get them out? 
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Follow Mike on Twitter @rothschildmd
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Thy Kingdom Come: Exploring Christian Internationalism (with Dr Melani McAlister)

While most of us may be familiar with the concept of Christian nationalism in the United States among evangelicals, what about the idea of Christian internationalism? That's the topic that this week's guest, Dr Melani McAlister of George Washington University, happens to be an expert on.
We begin by discussing the war in Ukraine and how it shone a spotlight on the widespread American evangelical support for Vladimir Putin--a development that shocked many, given that the Soviet Union was seen by many Christians as the biggest threat to Christianity during the Cold War. What has changed? She maintains it's Christian internationalism.
As she argues in her 2018 book, The Kingdom of God Has no Borders: A Global History of American Evangelicals, one cannot truly understand evangelicalism as a phenomenon unless looked at globally. Far from an American export, evangelicalism is not a monolith and must be examined in terms of its reach and impact nation by nation, people group by people group.
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