Joshua Pease is a pastor, author, and journalist, and all-around smart guy. In this interview, we focus mainly on his work in regards to conspiracy theories and abuse within evangelical churches.

Note for those listening, there is some discussion of sensitive topics, including abuse. RAINN is a great resource for sexual abuse survivors, including live chat and phone options for support.

Here is his piece on conspiracy theories and why our brains love them for Popular Mechanics. 

5 min: Brief mention of Janette Oke. For those who aren’t familiar, she is the woman who brought us the whole Canadian Christian mountie romance trope. It’s a real thing! 

9:20: “Our brains want both suspicion and they want simplicity; and that’s problematic because life gives us a lot of reasons to be afraid and life is also super complex. And so what we do is grab hold of shortcuts that make us feel better.”

“We want a simple explanation for life, even if that explanation is kind of horrifying--it makes us feel better, because at least we know where the danger is.”

15: “Conspiratorial thinking is 100 percent about trying to find safety, control, and simplicity in a world that is not that way.”

33: Joshua’s article on narcissism is called Bill Gothard’s Fundementalist Trap for The New Republic.