Episodes

Asha Dahya
Dec. 19, 2017

Asha Dahya

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 evan…
#ChurchToo with Hannah Paasch & Emily Joy
Dec. 6, 2017

#ChurchToo with Hannah Paasch & Emily Joy

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 o…
George Mekhail
Nov. 29, 2017

George Mekhail

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 and ex…
David Bazan
Nov. 14, 2017

David Bazan

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. Foll…
Sean Reed Re-Release (Rockin' with God)
Nov. 7, 2017

Sean Reed Re-Release (Rockin' with God)

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 on Patreon: patreon.com/e…
Laura Jean Truman
Oct. 24, 2017

Laura Jean Truman

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 remains engaged with Ch…
Minisode: Keep Telling Stories
Oct. 17, 2017

Minisode: Keep Telling Stories

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-banno…
Chris Stroop Returns to #EmptyThePews
Sept. 12, 2017

Chris Stroop Returns to #EmptyThePews

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 i…
Mike James
Sept. 1, 2017

Mike James

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 talk about t…
Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass)
Aug. 24, 2017

Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass)

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: http…
Where Do We Go From Here?
Aug. 15, 2017

Where Do We Go From 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 Facebook. Discuss on Twitter …
Lyndsey Medford
Aug. 9, 2017

Lyndsey Medford

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://amz…
(Minisode): Reverence and Wonder
Aug. 2, 2017

(Minisode): Reverence and Wonder

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 worl…
Cindy Wang Brandt
July 25, 2017

Cindy Wang Brandt

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 re…
Jamie Finch
July 18, 2017

Jamie Finch

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 cu…
Alice Connor, author of Fierce
July 11, 2017

Alice Connor, author of Fierce

This week's guest is Alice Connor, author of the book \*Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation\*. In this conversation, Alice & I start off talking (and needing out about) the Episcopal Church, as well as Alice's background, before l…
Ashleigh Hill
June 27, 2017

Ashleigh Hill

My guest this week is Ashleigh Hill! Follow her on Twitter @ashleighfhill! Read her websites: afracturedlife.com & http://www.continuouslyfracturedlife.tumblr.com/tagged/yourveryowngenderstudiesdegree Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, & Anchor @exvangelicalpod. Follow Blake on Twitter @…
(Minisode): Does anyone else have announcements before we move on?
June 22, 2017

(Minisode): Does anyone else have announcements before we move on?

Another minisode for you as I work on producing another full-length interview! In this one I talk about having a heavy heart, but also wanting to share something hopeful. To that end, I want to intentionally explore that part of exvangelical stories: the good parts. Backing Tracks: "Under Pressure"…
Nicola Stevens
June 13, 2017

Nicola Stevens

On this episode, I speak across the International Date Line with Nicola Stevens, my first guest that lives internationally. We talk about evangelicalism in Australia, creationism, and so much more. Follow Nicola on Twitter @mytwocompanions. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangel…
Memorial Day Minisode
May 29, 2017

Memorial Day Minisode

It's a Memorial Day minisode! Show notes: Read & share the Exvangelical review on Religion Dispatches: http://religiondispatches.org/exvangelical-podcast-is-safe-space-for-those-living-in-leaving-or-coming-to-terms-with-evangelicalism/ Read Niebuhr's Moral Man & Immoral Society: http://amzn…
Dan Little
May 23, 2017

Dan Little

This is a wide-spanning conversation. An integral part of Dan's story is his experience within church, evangelicalism, and purity culture (I know those are all overlapping things) as a gay man and how damaging it was to his development. That summary doesn't do it justice, which is why we are all lu…
#IWasSick
May 9, 2017

#IWasSick

I try to talk about healthcare as best I can. I get a bit weepy at the end. Share your healthcare stories--good and bad--with hashtag #IWasSick. Special kudos to @laureneoneal, @dianabutlerbass, and @rmasvg for the Twitter inspiration. And special kudos to JC for taking no guff by siding with the s…
Jason Stellman's Misfit Faith
April 24, 2017

Jason Stellman's Misfit Faith

This week's guest is Jason Stellman, author of the new book Misfit Faith: Confessions of a Drunk Ex-Pastor, and co-host of the Drunk Ex-Pastors podcast. In this conversation, Jason and I talk about his transition from being a Presbyterian pastor in the PCA denomination to converting to Catholicism.…
Kyle Parton Re-Release
April 22, 2017

Kyle Parton Re-Release

Kyle Parton, Director of Epiphany Publishing, talks with me about teenage adventures in Wal-Mart evangelism, key markers of evangelicalism, war, other faith traditions, and alternate models of salvation (aka, "Finding a Substitute for Penal Substitution"). (This conversation was initially released …