Disarming Leviathan Podcast

April Ajoy, author of Star Spangled Jesus, shares her journey of growing up in the American Christian Nationalist movement, and how leaving that community has impacted her faith and engagement in the community.

About April Ajoy

April Ajoy is an author, content creator and podcast host who uses humor to shine light on harmful, toxic, and sometimes just weird traits of American Evangelicalism. After growing up an evangelist’s kid entrenched in Christian Nationalism and working in conservative Christian media, she saw the harm caused firsthand. Still a Christian, she uses her platform to expose the dangers of Christian Nationalism while promoting a more inclusive faith. April has been featured on Buzzfeed, CNN, Newsweek and more. She’s been married to Beecher for 10 years and they have two daughters together.

Episode Sections

00:00 Upbringing in Evangelical Circles

01:21 Shift in Ministry Focus Post-9/11

03:20 Christian Media and Nationalism

08:12 What are some of the ways that your politics was synced up with your faith at that time?

15:08 How are we worshiping the same God when we have completely different ideas of who Jesus is?

18:55 Journey of Change and Understanding

28:02 How would you coach us in approaching those who are embracing American Christian nationalism today?

37:32 Creating Compassionate Alternatives

42:43 Promotion and Social Media Handles

For more about Disarming Leviathan, visit DisarmingLeviathan.com.

Get full access to Disarming Leviathan: Missionary to Christian Nationalists at rcnc.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Rev. Malcolm Foley joins Caleb to unpack the insidious role greed plays in fueling some of the most pressing evils of our time—racism, Christian Nationalism, and violence. They explore how greed distorts systems and relationships, driving division and oppression, and how the Gospel of Jesus offers a transformative path forward.

About Malcolm Malcolm Foley is a pastor, historian, and speaker who serves as special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement at Baylor University. He has written for Christianity Today, The Anxious Bench, and Mere Orthodoxy. Foley copastors Mosaic Waco, a multicultural church in Waco, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Desiree.

For more about Disarming Leviathan, visit DisarmingLeviathan.com

Disarming Leviathan Season 2 is out now! In this episode, Jim Wallis shares his experience fighting against racism, Christian Nationalism, and political idolatry in the Evangelical church in America for over 50 years.

Content00:00 Early Influences and Racial Awareness 01:15 Crisis of Faith and Activism 02:35 Rediscovering Radical Faith 03:22 Founding Sojourners and 1980s Evangelicalism 06:50 Restoring Biblical Social Justice 08:44 Challenges of Christian Nationalism 14:34 Critique of Christian Nationalism and Call to Faith 19:26 How would you encourage us as it relates to hope? 24:05 Historical Inspiration and Living Faithfully 29:18 Service to the Vulnerable and Trust in Community

About JimJim Wallis is a writer, teacher, preacher and justice advocate who believes the gospel of Jesus must be emancipated from its cultural and political captivities. He is a New York Times bestselling author, public theologian, preacher and commentator on ethics and public life.

He is the inaugural holder of the Chair in Faith and Justice and the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice. In 2022, Washingtonian magazine named Wallis one of the 500 most influential people shaping policy in DC.

Raised in a Midwestern evangelical family, as a teenager Wallis questioned the racial segregation in his church and community, which led him to the Black churches and neighborhoods of inner-city Detroit. He spent his student years involved in the civil rights and antiwar movements at Michigan State University.

He is the founder of Sojourners, and is the author of 12 books, including America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to America; God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get it; The Great Awakening; The Call to Conversion; and Christ in Crisis: Reclaiming Jesus in a Time of Fear, Hate, and Violence; and host of the popular podcast The Soul of the Nation.

For more on Jim, and his work, visit https://faithandjustice.georgetown.edu/about-jim-wallisFor more about Disarming Leviathan, visit DisarmingLeviathan.com

Hey friends,

I’m excited to share an important update on the Disarming Leviathan podcast! We are in the midst of recording a series of interviews that will be released in 2025, featuring incredible guests like Sky Jethani, Amy Hawk, Megan Good, Jim Wallace, and many more engaging voices.

I can’t wait for you to hear these episodes, which we aim to drop in January and February of 2025. I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who have generously supported the ministry of Disarming Leviathan. Every dollar you donate is directly invested back into the ministry to help create this podcast.

On average, each episode costs around a hundred dollars to produce. This figure accounts for expenses like sound engineers, hosting, and the subscription services we rely on to edit and distribute our episodes effectively.

Your generosity makes a real difference!

If you feel moved to contribute, please consider supporting the Disarming Leviathan ministry at disarmingleviathan.com, or by purchasing a paid subscription to our Substack.

Support the ministry of Disarming Leviathan by upgrading to a paid subscription.

Thank you so much for your support!

I can’t wait to reconnect in 2025 when we roll out some fresh, thought-provoking content for you.

Thank you!

-Caleb

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring Andrew Whitehead.Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New Episodes coming in a few weeks!

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring David Koyzis.Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New Episodes coming in a few weeks!David Koyzis joins us to explain his understanding of popular theories of government and add clarity around terms like nationalism, liberalism, communism, and more.

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring David Koyzis.Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New Episodes coming in a few weeks!David Koyzis joins us to explain his understanding of popular theories of government and add clarity around terms like nationalism, liberalism, communism, and more.

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring John Fea.

Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New episodes coming soon!

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring Kaitlyn Schiess.

Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New Episodes coming in a few weeks!

This is a rerelease of an earlier episode featuring Tim Alberta.

Stay tuned to the Disarming Leviathan Podcast. New Episodes coming in a few weeks!