Growing Up Christian

This week we’re headed back to the Book of Mormon to continue the story of Nephi and his naughty brothers! Draw your Salt Lake swords and read along with us in 1 Nephi chapters 5-9. Enjoy the show!

This week we’re joined by comedian and writer Burt Miller! Burt grew up outside of Las Vegas, splitting time between his parents and their very different Evangelical churches. We discuss his upbringing, the strange divulgence of the two youth groups he spent time in, coming to grips with his sexuality, and finding a big ol’ bag of adult items on a church trip through the desert. Burt is preparing to embark on a summer tour with his all new one man show, The 40 Year Old Burton! He describes it as “a comedy debut four decades in the making. It’s a reflection on a deeply religious small-town upbringing, a whiplash career in public service, and the all-too-common and often absurd journey we all need to take to find the road back to ourselves.” We had a great time hanging out with Burt, and encourage you to follow him on IG(@burtola) and check out his website www.the40yearoldburton.com!

This week we have a special episode with two of our all time favorite guests, comedian Spencer Bland and philanthropist and influencer Charles McBryde! Spencer was the one who originally introduced us to his long-term friend Charles, and we thought it would be fun to get everybody together. We discuss topics such as the evolving nature of belief, defining your own connection to faith in spite of the cultural atmosphere, the best types of apples, family computer impropriety, and where Charles and his Langley buddies are staging the next color revolution. We had a great time with these guys, and hope you will too! Follow Charles on Instagram and TikTok (@charlesmcbryde), X (@mcbrydecampbell), and we highly recommend subscribing to his Substack, Refuse Dystopia. Follow Spencer on Instagram and Tiktok (@spencerspicy) and keep an eye on his website www.iambadatcomedy.com for future standup dates!

This week we continue our journey through the Book of Nephi! Chapters 3 & 4 find Nephi and his scumbag brothers (who God has appointed him to rule over because they are bad and he is so, so good) on a quest to obtain the sacred plates of brass on which is inscribed the history and genealogy of the Jewish people. However, the wealthy and powerful Laban isn’t exactly eager to give them up, and let me tell you, holy hijinks are bound to ensue… Join us on a magical journey as we slowly but surely convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

This week we’re taking a momentary break from the Book of Mormon to grouse about the avalanche of executive orders from our new old president. We didn’t even come close to covering all of them, but we did drill down on a few of Sam’s favorites. It’s wild out there, and it’s hard to say what could happen over the next few years. Buckle up, folks. This pleasure cruise is starting to feel more and more like the boat ride from Willy Wonka…

This week we continue our trek through the Book of Mormon! We got to thinking after last week’s episode that we probably should’ve just started at the beginning. We’ve never read it, so we’re all going to learn and grow together… So come, just as you are, and join us on this spiritual journey through the first Book of Nephi!

This week we’re finally doing it: we’re beginning our in-depth study of the Book of Mormon! For those of you following along in your own unBible, we’ll be in Alma Chapters 17 & 18. We’ll be discussing the inspiring story of Ammon, a Nephite (the good guys) missionary intent on sharing the good news of the yet unborn Lord Jesus Christ with the Lamanites (naughty, wicked, murder-y fellas) across the Land of Ishmael. Where is the Land of Ishmael you ask? Well our scholarly best guess puts it somewhere in the Kentucky/Illinois/Indiana/Ohio region, and this story supposedly takes place around 90 BC. Unlike many of the stories we’ve covered from the Bible, we’ve never read these ones. So come explore Joseph Smith’s divine chronical of Midwest pseudo history with us!

This week we’re hanging out and discussing some the holidays, some big personal developments, and the ongoing insanity that is our news cycle. This is a bit of a “relaxed fit” episode, but it was fun to catch up after a week off. Enjoy the show and have a happy new year!

This week we’re joined by musician AJ Tartol! AJ plays drums and does backing vocals for SeeYouSpaceCowboy, and is a vocalist for BuriedButStillBreathing. AJ grew up in church and started playing in the worship band at a very early age. However, as he hit his teen years, he started to drift away from Christianity. We had a great time talking to AJ, and can’t recommend SeeYouSpaceCowboy enough! You can follow him on Instagram (@ajplaysthedrums), and check out his novella Chasm available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

This week we’re excited to welcome back one of our favorite people in the world, Dr. Luke! Luke has a book coming out next month called Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy, and we’re anxiously awaiting its release. If you haven’t caught Luke on the show in the past, he’s a Liberty University graduate that endured “gay conversion therapy” under LU’s infamous anti-gay(wink) crusader, Dane Emerick. His story is one of many Luke brought together in the upcoming book, and we can’t wait to read them. The book drops on January 21, and you can preorder it through bookshop.org, Amazon, and many other book retailers, and follow Luke on Instagram (@lukeslamdunkwilson), X (@wilson_FW), and Bluesky (@lukeslamdunkwilson.bsky.social)!