Re-Release! Hear about Jamie Lee Finch's story in depth, and listen for her on The Airing of Grief and elsewhere. More on the show notes below! 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…
My guest this week is Prof. Elizabeth Bridges. We talk about her childhood as a PK (pastor's kid), her struggles coming out, and the trouble seeing "how the sausage is made" in any faith community. Follow Elizabeth on Twitter @egbridges, and follow her blog at uncannyvalley.us. Follow Blake on Twitter…
In this minisode, Blake talks somewhat extemporaneously about the hagiography written by Michael Gerson in The Atlantic fighting for the term "evangelical." Which is really hard when we know the biographies of evangelicalism's leaders so well. Intro: "Bloom Key" by Broke for Free. Follow Blake on twitter @brchastain. Support the…
This week, Delisa Perry returns for part two of her story. This is a shorter, lo-fi episode; when we last spoke, we had some technical issues that interfered with allowing us to fully explore Delisa's story. So we rectified that. Be sure to check out Part 1 as well. Follow…
My guest this week is the musician Derek Webb. In this conversation we talk about his experiences as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, his solo work, and his most recent album, \*Fingers Crossed\*. That album led to his development of his new podcast, \*The Airing of Grief\*. Get…
This week I'm happy to re-release this conversation I had last year with 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…
This week's guest is the author, scholar, and historian Diana Butler Bass. Ms. Bass has written several books on church history and American Christianity. In this conversation, we discuss her life of faith through the lens of her recently re-released memoir \*Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in…
This week's guest is Delisa Perry. Delisa and I talk about her experience growing up in Chicago, getting involved in a college youth group, and she begins to tell her story of facing racism when our connection dies out. Delisa and I are making plans for Part 2, which will…
The first episode of 2018 is small one, with a big question: In what way have our own stories been hidden from us? A short hospital stay got me all philosophical (which isn't too hard to do, but still). Intro/Outro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free. Available in the Free…
This week's guest is the Editor-in-Chief of GirlTalkHQ.com, Asha Dahya. In this conversation we talk about her childhood in Brisbane, Australia, moving to the State, and life in and beyond evangelicalism. In the second part we also talk about reproductive rights and how they are represented in evangelicalism. Follow Asha…
This week's guests are Hannah Paasch (@hannahpaasch) & Emily Joy (@emilyjoypoetry). We talk about the #churchtoo hashtag, what it seeks to address, and the blowback they've received regarding this campaign. CW/TW: This conversation contains discussions of sexual assault and abuse. Follow them on Twitter--check the usernames above--and hire them to…
Ep. 58: George Mekhail, co-founder of Church Clarity. My guest this week is George Mekhail, one of the co-founders of the new organization, Church Clarity, as well as the Director for Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at the Riverside Church in New York City. We talk a lot about his life…
This week's guest is the musician David Bazan. In this conversation, we talk about his Pentecostal upbringing, how he's processed faith and doubt through his music, Trump and evangelicalism, the return of Pedro the Lion, and more. Bazan is on tour right now. Learn more at davidbazan.com/shows. Follow him on…
This one is a re-release of a conversation with my friend Sean Reed, from very early in the feed. We talk a lot about CCM in the 90s, evangelical pop culture scandal (divorce! swears! we were so innocent.), and the youth group scene in the Chicago suburbs. Support the show…
My guest this week is Laura Jean Truman. She blogs over at her blog, In/Between, which can be found at laurajeantruman.com. Laura Jean and I talk about her life, how the way we view our past changes over time, her experience being queer in a non-affirming church, and why she…
After an unexpected hiatus, the show returns in full force. Our stories are more important than ever. Keep telling them. Share your stories on Twitter with the hashtag #exvangelical. Show Notes: "Steve Bannon Sought To Infiltrate Facebook Hiring" https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/steve-bannon-sought-to-infiltrate-facebook-hiring?utm\_term=.lnbvrKnvq#.at0bOZpbr "Trump is dismantling Obama’s religion initiatives" https://thinkprogress.org/trump-dismantling-obamas-religion-initiatives-49d89df9b0e4/ "The Danger of President…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…