The 1960s promised a revolution—civil rights, moon landings, peace, love, and rock and roll. But it also brought riots, rising drug use, and missing kids. By decade’s end, American parents weren’t just worried—they were terrified.

This episode follows Art Linkletter, America’s beloved TV host, whose daughter Diane fell to her death in 1969. The official ruling? Suicide. But Linkletter blamed LSD and the counterculture, launching an anti-drug crusade that aligned him with President Nixon and fueled the War on Drugs.

We’ll trace the growing panic over runaway girls, the Manson murders, and the impact of Go Ask Alice—a shocking bestseller that warned parents of the horrors awaiting their children. But was Alice a window into reality, or the invention of an author manipulating the fears of a generation?

Finally, we’ll land in the early 1970s when a different movement was rising. The Jesus People Movement pulled young hippies into a rock-fueled Christian revival, culminating in Explo ‘72, a massive Dallas event dubbed the “Christian Woodstock.” Was this a spiritual awakening—or another front in the culture war?

With guests Rick Emerson and Daniel Silliman, we unpack the fears that shaped the era—and what happens when paranoia and politics collide.

Resources:

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester

Sound Design, Animation and Video: Steve Scheidler

Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven

Music by Dirt Poor Robins

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.

Special thanks to Hephzibah House for use of their recording studio

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and behind the scenes content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the face of it, TLC’s show about the Duggar family and Damien Echols, one of the infamous West Memphis Three, seem to have little in common. But what if we told you that both stories, which begin and end in Arkansas, are the perfect launching points for our new limited series on the Satanic Panic?

Welcome to Season 1 of Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, where we explore the strange and troubling era of the 1980s and ’90s when America—especially the evangelical church—became convinced that satanic ritual abuse and occult activity hid around every corner. From local news reports warning of dark rituals to churches hosting “record burnings” to purge secular music, fear of a hidden, demonic conspiracy dominated the cultural landscape.

If you grew up during this era, you might even remember being warned by Sunday school teachers to avoid Halloween because of its “satanic” roots. Maybe you were forbidden from playing Dungeons & Dragons or using an Ouija board at sleepovers because they were considered direct portals to Satan.

But beyond these odd and, at times, laughable memories lie a darker reality—with real-world consequences. False accusations, wrongful imprisonments, and abuse of power by religious and political leaders left lasting scars and a wake of destruction. The Satanic Panic is a cautionary tale about how fear and misinformation can spiral into real danger—something still relevant today, as conspiracy theories continue to shape our world in new and troubling ways.

In today’s pilot episode, we begin in Arkansas, examining two stories that seem worlds apart—the Duggar family, a symbol of conservative Christian values, and The West Memphis Three, a tragic case driven by hysteria and misinformation.

Join as we ask; How did this wave of panic devastate innocent lives and divert the church’s attention from the evil lurking in its own pews?

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Hosted and written by Mike Cosper

Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams

Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester

Sound Design, Animation and Video: Steve Scheidler

Graphic Design: Nim Ben-Reuven

Music by Dirt Poor Robins

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the Executive Producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our Senior Producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show. Thanks for listening.

Join our Facebook group for deeper conversations and behind the scenes content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They say the Devil’s in the details, but when conspiracies captivate our imaginations, we often overlook the real devils walking among us.

From the creators of the hit podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill comes a new show, Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which takes you back to the Satanic Panic that gripped America in the 1980s and 90s.

This limited series explores how hysteria gripped parents and teens through cautionary tales like Go Ask Alice, influenced notorious criminal cases like the West Memphis Three, and catapulted the political agenda of the Moral Majority.

Join as we seek to understand how this wave of panic devastated innocent lives and diverted the church’s attention from the evil lurking in its own pews.

Episodes drop January 2025 but you can join our show discussion page on Facebook right now.

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today

Host and Creator - Mike Cosper

Producer - Rebekah Sebastian

Sound Design and Engineering - T.J. Hester

Motion - Steven Scheidler

Production Assistant - Dawn Adams

Theme music by Dirt Poor Robins

Cover art by Nim Ben-Reuven

Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the Executive Producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our Senior Producer.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review to help more people find the show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices