Growing Up Christian

This week we’re joined by author and journalist Casey Parks! Casey is a Washington Post reporter who covers gender and family issues. She spent a decade at The Oregonian, where she wrote about race and LGBTQ+ issues and was a finalist for the Livingston Award. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Oxford American, ESPN, USA Today, and The Nation. In this episode, Casey recounts her childhood as a charismatic youth, winning a trip to Alabama for leading so many people to the Lord (that’s right, soul-winning champion!), coming to grips with her sexuality, and all the ways that her family, friends, and fellow church-goers coped with that reality. Casey also has a new book out called “Diary of a Misfit,” which is about her long, difficult quest to learn about a man named Roy from her grandmother’s town that was supposedly kidnapped as a little girl but grew up live as a man. At its core, the book is a family saga about forging connections across the gulfs that divide us. Find out more about Casey and her work on her website (www.caseyparks.com), follow her on Twitter (@caseyparks) and Instagram (@caseyparksauthor), and buy “Diary of a Misfit” wherever books are sold!

Happy Halloween, friends! This week, we’re reviewing some very important warnings about this, the most evil of all holidays, from the totally sane and rational prophets of Christian TikTok. But first, Sam has some very exciting news to share… If you’re enjoying the show, we’d sure appreciate it if you’d share it with a friend or two and leave us a review wherever you listen. As always, we’d love to hear from you! Find a link to our Discord server in our Instagram bio.  

This week, we’re joined by author and actor Barrett Carroll! Barrett grew up in unusual circumstances, to say the least… His father was a preacher, conspiracy theorist, and right wing political activist that kept the family moving off the grid for decades. On top of that, he was physically and emotionally abusive. Barrett found purpose and hope in the one thing he was allowed to do – acting. In this episode, he tells the story of his upbringing, his escape from his father, and the course of his fascinating career in and out of Hollywood! Follow Barrett TikTok and Instagram (@barrotdcarroll), visit his website, and pick up a copy of his inspirational children’s book, “The Acorn’s Journey,” on Amazon!

P.S. Sorry about my audio during the intro! I’m away from my home recording setup. If it’s too distracting, you can skip to the interview at 29:15.

On our first Friday Fellowship episode in quite some time, I (Casey) got to hang out with my old Michigan buddies, Ian and The Jowl! We spent an evening cackling about attending Promise Keepers rallies as kids, getting arrested for possessing various flea market weaponry, Ian’s reservations about the Heavenly streets of gold, and finally, the heartwarming Biblical account of Ehud and King Eglon from Judges 3. This is a fun episode with two of my favorite people on the planet, and I hope you enjoy it!

Last week, we aired an interview with Jeremy Courtney, who along with his wife Jessica, founded the charitable organization Preemptive Love. We had a lot to say about the controversy surrounding the Courtney’s dismissal from the charity that they had spent well over a decade building, but we thought it best to let people hear from Jeremy, first. This week, we got together with Jeremiah to discuss the accusations made against them, the tone and inflection of the articles written by two former employees, the preemptive critiques of Humanite (a new project that has only just launched and is already under assault), and final thoughts on what this mess says about the people involved, both directly and indirectly. This conversation might ruffle some feathers, but it needs to be had. The callous, enthusiastic way in which we discard imperfect people who have done so much good is infuriating. The Courtneys aren’t perfect, but they’ve been in the field helping save lives and build communities for a long time. We think they deserved better than they got. Here are the articles we discuss:

“Preemptive Love: What Happens When a Charity Runs More Like a Cult” by Ben Irwin

“Jeremy and Jessica Courtney’s misconduct at Preemptive Love, documented” by Ben Irwin

“A Donor’s Guide to Preemptive Love’s Financial Statements” by Ben Irwin

“What you should know about Humanite, Jeremy and Jessica Courtney’s new organization” by Ben Irwin

“An Open Letter to Preemptive Love” by Courtney Christenson

The Board of Directors’ Statements & Timeline of Events 

This week, we got the opportunity to sit down with humanitarian and author, Jeremy Courtney, who comes to you from his home in northern Iraq! In 2008, Jeremy and his wife Jessica founded an incredible organization called Preemptive Love, who’s mission includes providing aid in the form of food, shelter, and medical care to people caught in the midst of global conflict, as well as launching local businesses in war-torn parts of the world to bring jobs, revenue, and stability back to their communities. For over a decade, Jeremy and Jessica worked side-by-side with local partners all over the Middle East, and Preemptive Love grew to become the large, impactful organization that it is today. In late 2021, several former employees voiced complaints and concerns about the Courtney’s leadership. The organization willingly subjected themselves to a third-party investigation by Guidepost Solutions hoping to better understand the problems and how to address them. However, a couple of ex-employees went public with their grievances. Shortly thereafter, the board of directors published a statement saying that Jeremy and Jessica Courtney would not be returning to Preemptive Love. After months of radio silence, the Courtneys announced that they were partnering with many of their longtime friends and fellow humanitarians to form a new organization called Humanite Peace Collective. That’s obviously the abridged version of the story, but hopefully it gives some context…

This is the first time Jeremy has spoken publicly since leaving Preemptive Love, and we were as anxious as anyone to hear his thoughts on what happened. Whether or not you followed the Courtneys or Preemptive Love over the years, I think you’ll find Jeremy’s story fascinating. We encourage you to check out Humanite at www.humanite.org, and if you’d like to join the conversation, you’ll find a link to the official Growing Up Christian Discord server in our Instagram bio, @growingupchristianpodcast!

This week, we’re joined by musician and vocalist, Dawson Scholtz! The Ongoing Concept is one of the most interesting bands on Solid State Records, and a personal favorite of Sam’s. In this episode, Dawson talks life in a family gospel band, writing music and touring with his brothers in TOC while they were still very young, and some of the weird things about being perceived as a Christian band. The Ongoing Concept is currently working on a new album, and they’re gearing up for a west coast tour in November! For more information, follow them on Instagram and TikTok (@theongoingconcept).

This week, we are once again joined by our good friend, Dr. Luke Wilson (that’s right, he’s a freakin’ doctor, now)! This time, Luke was kind enough to tell us a little bit about his two fields of focus - Holocaust studies and Critical Evangelicalism. Spoiler alert: there’s some overlap… Historically, the Christian community has played a large role in the persecution of their Jewish neighbors, and like so many other examples of persecution by a religious group, their spiritual beliefs are bent, stretched, and all together ignored in order to justify their actions. Was it the only factor? Not by a long shot. Were some of those instigators overstating their commitment to the church? Absolutely. Are Christians the only religious community to use their doctrine to justify atrocities? Not even close. However, Luke does a great job at giving us some context for Christian influence in the years leading up to the events of World War II, as well as some deep topics to think about. If you enjoy this discussion half as much as we love talking to Luke, you’re in for a real treat! Follow the good Dr. Wilson on Instagram (@lukeslamdunkwilson) and Twitter (@wilson_fw), and if you haven't already, check out his article in The Advocate about his conversion therapy experience at Liberty University, you can find it here.

This week, we’re debating one of the more controversial and frequently mentioned ideas in ex-Christendom: should churches be tax exempt? Many former church kids shout a sudden and emphatic “NO!!!,” but I’m not so sure… Join us as we discuss a number of obstacles that must be factored in, as well as the safeguards protecting our political system that are currently under attack. Let us know what you think! You can jump in on the conversation by joining our Discord server: https://discord.gg/2rq2hk5M

Here are a few resources we found informative/interesting:

The Johnson Amendment - Wikipedia

President Trump's Shifting Claim That "We Got Rid of the Johnson Amendment" - Washington Post

What if We Taxed Churches? - Tax Foundation

Why Churches Might Start Looking More Like Businesses - VICE

Why "Taxing the Church" Isn't the Answer - Hemant Mehta

This week, we’re joined by artist, educator, and furry, Jonathan Vair Duncan! Over the past few weeks, there have been several articles about the plight of Christian in the furry fandom – which we now know is a rich, diverse subculture of people interested in anthropomorphic characters. Some of the Christians referenced in these articles expressed concerns about being “persecuted” for their faith if others within the furry community, which is largely composed of queer and trans people, found out about their homophobic and transphobic beliefs. Jonathan joins us to discuss how he went from growing up as an Evangelical with similar beliefs, to an agender, polysexual, leftist that still holds to some of those core Christian principles. Along the way, we learn some fascinating things about the furry community, including anthropomorphic porn, the alt-right and Nazi contingents, and why it has become such a popular community for queer and trans people. It’s quite a ride, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! You can follow Jonathan on Instagram, Twitter, Twitch and Patreon (@jonathanvair), and learn more about his artwork, speaking engagements, and upcoming appearances at www.jonathanvair.com!

Be sure to check out a fun new show hosted by our friend, Walker Glenn, called the Idiotalk Podcast! It’s a lighthearted examination of Radiohead for new listeners and diehard fans, alike. You can follow Idiotalk on Instagram (@idiotalk.podcast), and stream the first the first three episodes wherever you listen to podcasts!