This episode marks now the second time I've done a crossover episode with Rachel Bernstein, host of the fantastic IndoctriNation podcast. As a therapist, cult expert, and specialist in dealing with folks who suffer from religious trauma syndrome, Rachel is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to dealing with a wide variety of issues caused by cults, fundamentalist religions, and other high-control groups. If you suffer from RTS, or have come out of a controlling religious or group...

MindShift Podcast is officially back for 2024! And what better way to kick off another season of the show than to catch up with an old friend, Peter Montgomery of the Right Wing Watch? In this first episode, Peter and I conduct a wide-ranging, thorough overview of the end of 2023 and look forward into this year, discussing the agenda of the Christian Right moving forward into 2024, which is a hugely important election year. Backing Trump to the hilt–at least most evangelicals...

MindShift Podcast is officially back for 2024!   And what better way to kick off another season of the show than to catch up with an old friend, Peter Montgomery of the Right Wing Watch?   In this first episode, Peter and I conduct a wide-ranging, thorough overview of the end of 2023 and look forward into this year, discussing the agenda of the Christian Right moving forward into 2024, which is a hugely important election year. Backing Trump to the hilt--at least most evangelicals...

As a recent guest on Joshua’s excellent podcast, “The Mediocre Observer,” I was happy to return the favor and have Joshua on the show. I hope you enjoy this, the final episode of MindShift Podcast for 2023! In this wide-ranging discussion, Joshua and I discuss, among other things, why he was terrified to pick the wrong God in his quest for spirituality and enlightenment. So why didn’t it work for him? Why did his quest fail, with the result that he’s now an atheist speaking out against...

As a recent guest on Joshua's excellent podcast, "The Mediocre Observer," I was happy to return the favor and have Joshua on the show. I hope you enjoy this, the final episode of MindShift Podcast for 2023! In this wide-ranging discussion, Joshua and I discuss, among other things, why he was terrified to pick the wrong God in his quest for spirituality and enlightenment. So why didn't it work for him? Why did his quest fail, with the result that he's now an atheist speaking out against the...

I’ve finally managed to catch up with one of my favorite Canadians, David Hayward “The Naked Pastor.” As an ex-pastor and ex-evangelical like me, author and cartoonist David is best known for his irreverent but incredibly poignant cartoons depicting a huge array of theological and churchly issues. They cause people to think, to question, to ponder questions of their faith and church experiences, as well as potentially leading to deconstructing their faith or belief system. As...

I've finally managed to catch up with one of my favorite Canadians, David Hayward "The Naked Pastor."   As an ex-pastor and ex-evangelical like me, author and cartoonist David is best known for his irreverent but incredibly poignant cartoons depicting a huge array of theological and churchly issues. They cause people to think, to question, to ponder questions of their faith and church experiences, as well as potentially leading to deconstructing their faith or belief system.   As...

This week’s episode features a great conversation with a returning guest, historian Dr Warren Throckmorton. From our previous conversation a few years ago, he’s had a longstanding issue with the Christian nationalist “historian” David Barton of WallBuilders. Back in 2012, Barton’s book The Jefferson Lies was pulled from the bookshelves by its Christian publisher, amid claims by Throckmorton and other evangelical historians that his take on Jefferson was wildly historically...

This week's episode features a great conversation with a returning guest, historian Dr Warren Throckmorton. From our previous conversation a few years ago, he's had a longstanding issue with the Christian nationalist "historian" David Barton of WallBuilders.   Back in 2012, Barton's book The Jefferson Lies was pulled from the bookshelves by its Christian publisher, amid claims by Throckmorton and other evangelical historians that his take on Jefferson was wildly historically inaccurate. ...

Katherine North is an amazing woman–she grew up as a missionary kid in Japan, but all her life as a young girl she struggled with a major problem: she couldn’t bring herself to believe the message of the Christian gospel. What did she do about it? As the title of the episode suggests, she deconstructed in a major way…and since then, has spent decades of her life putting the pieces back together. Now an author, coach and more, Katherine is a fantastic resource for those of us struggling...

Katherine North is an amazing woman--she grew up as a missionary kid in Japan, but all her life as a young girl she struggled with a major problem: she couldn't bring herself to believe the message of the Christian gospel.   What did she do about it? As the title of the episode suggests, she deconstructed in a major way...and since then, has spent decades of her life putting the pieces back together. Now an author, coach and more, Katherine is a fantastic resource for those of us...

Once again, I'm joined by my good friend Tim Sledge, who like me is an ex-pastor who has since walked away from both the church and the Christian faith. This week we're discussing his excellent book, Four Disturbing Questions with One Simple Answer, which has a lot of resonance with me as an ex-Christian. Tim poses four questions that anyone who is in the process of deconstructing, or for that matter even questioning, any aspect of their faith should consider. Enjoy this chat and let me...

Once again, I’m joined by my good friend Tim Sledge, who like me is an ex-pastor who has since walked away from both the church and the Christian faith. This week we’re discussing his excellent book, Four Disturbing Questions with One Simple Answer, which has a lot of resonance with me as an ex-Christian. Tim poses four questions that anyone who is in the process of deconstructing, or for that matter even questioning, any aspect of their faith should consider. Enjoy this chat...

Thanks to my good friend Janice Selbie, she introduced me to David Morris, who used to be an employee of some of the biggest Christian publishing houses.  David has since walked away from the faith and his career--at least as a Christian publisher, that is. He's now publishing books largely written by, and for, ex-evangelicals, in some way to make up for his past life's accomplishments as an evangelical working within the machine that is Christian publishing. This is a wide-ranging and...

Thanks to my good friend Janice Selbie, she introduced me to David Morris, who used to be an employee of some of the biggest Christian publishing houses.  David has since walked away from the faith and his career–at least as a Christian publisher, that is. He’s now publishing books largely written by, and for, ex-evangelicals, in some way to make up for his past life’s accomplishments as an evangelical working within the machine that is Christian publishing. This is a...

This show is Part 2 of a crossover episode that I've absolutely enjoyed recording. It features the second half of my conversation with Rachael and Molly, the co-hosts of the Cheers to Leaving podcast. Before listening to this conversation, head over to their platform to catch Part 1!  In this chat, we discuss what it was like to grow up in a fundamentalist Christian home, compare spanking stories and numbers of baptisms, and more. As adults, we're still dealing with the religious traumas...

This show is Part 2 of a crossover episode that I’ve absolutely enjoyed recording. It features the second half of my conversation with Rachael and Molly, the co-hosts of the Cheers to Leaving podcast. Before listening to this conversation, head over to their platform to catch Part 1!  In this chat, we discuss what it was like to grow up in a fundamentalist Christian home, compare spanking stories and numbers of baptisms, and more. As adults, we’re still dealing with the...

Is it really true that evangelicals are known as "the people without questions"? That theology can quickly turn into ideology? And why are so many evangelicals willing to believe in increasingly outlandish, unproven conspiracy theories?   My guest this week, Jared Stacy, is a transplanted American currently living with his family up in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he's pursuing a PhD. His research is leading him into all sorts of discoveries down these lines, as he seeks the answer to those...

Is it really true that evangelicals are known as “the people without questions”? That theology can quickly turn into ideology? And why are so many evangelicals willing to believe in increasingly outlandish, unproven conspiracy theories? My guest this week, Jared Stacy, is a transplanted American currently living with his family up in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he’s pursuing a PhD. His research is leading him into all sorts of discoveries down these lines, as he seeks the answer to those...

This week's episode features not just one returning guest, but two! I brought back David Johson, host of the Skeptics and Seekers podcast, and Gary Hudson, author of Surrender to Reason, to discuss a few burning topics.   One of my listeners asked me a question a few months ago: "Why does Jesus always seem to get a free pass when Christians are deconstructing their faith?" He's seen as a wise guru, a great teacher, one who imparted a great deal of instructions that people everywhere...

This week’s episode features not just one returning guest, but two! I brought back David Johson, host of the Skeptics and Seekers podcast, and Gary Hudson, author of Surrender to Reason, to discuss a few burning topics. One of my listeners asked me a question a few months ago: “Why does Jesus always seem to get a free pass when Christians are deconstructing their faith?” He’s seen as a wise guru, a great teacher, one who imparted a great deal of instructions that people everywhere...

This week's show comes with an obvious trigger warning related to an account of grooming and sexual abuse of a minor. Emilie Paige tells her horrific story of how she was groomed and finally abused by one of the teachers in Doug Wilson's Logos School out of Moscow, ID. Sadly, we've seen too many examples of what can happen within these deeply patriarchal religious environments, which oftentimes are rife for abuses of all kinds. What's truly amazing is that in listening to Emilie's story of...

This week’s show comes with an obvious trigger warning related to an account of grooming and sexual abuse of a minor. Emilie Paige tells her horrific story of how she was groomed and finally abused by one of the teachers in Doug Wilson’s Logos School out of Moscow, ID. Sadly, we’ve seen too many examples of what can happen within these deeply patriarchal religious environments, which oftentimes are rife for abuses of all kinds. What’s truly amazing is that in listening to Emilie’s...

This week's episode features a conversation with Charles Utter, author of Roman Collar Crime: VIOLATED: The Transgressions of a Small-Town Priest.  Charles tells the tragic and quite honestly unbelievable story of a priest who preyed on his victims in a small town in South Dakota. Although the book is "fictional," the story is based on a real priest that ran both the parish church as well as a Catholic school in the small town in which he grew up. Thus, the story is based on actual events...

This week’s episode features a conversation with Charles Utter, author of Roman Collar Crime: VIOLATED: The Transgressions of a Small-Town Priest.  Charles tells the tragic and quite honestly unbelievable story of a priest who preyed on his victims in a small town in South Dakota. Although the book is “fictional,” the story is based on a real priest that ran both the parish church as well as a Catholic school in the small town in which he grew up. Thus, the story is based on actual...