Heaven Bent

It’s been nearly 3 years since Mike Bickle was deemed unfit for ministry, after allegations of grooming & abuse surfaced. But now his sister says enough is enough. Lisa Bickle Stribling is the founding-leader of her own house of prayer, Hope City KC, and she's now demanding her brother’s immediate restoration. In a scathing public statement, she also calls the accusations against him “exotic trash.” On this 2-part S4 bonus, JoEllen Lindstrom reflects critically on her time working for Lisa, a woman she suggests is akin to a cult leader. She’ll also reveal the impacts Hope City had on her faith, sexuality, and attitudes about authority.

*This episode was first released to subscribers & patrons on Monday, June 29.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can history, anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, teach us about the spiritual practice of speaking in tongues? Join Tara Jean Stevens for her conversation with Josh Brahinsky, author of the new book Tongues of Fire: How Charismatic Prayer Changes Evangelical Brains and Inspires Spirit-Filled Activism.

*This episode was first available to Apple subscribers and patrons on Patreon on May 25th, 2026.

*If you're a subscriber, make sure to check "UNKNOWN SEASON" at the very start of the feed for early & sometimes exclusive access to one-off episodes like this.

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Is an insatiable sexual appetite something to be afraid of? Tara Jean believes purity culture made her think so. On the final episode this season, hear her intimate conversation with Lisa Diamond, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Utah.

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After Tara Jean lost her faith, she says there's an empty void that she tries to fill with other explanations for why there's anything. But why does that frighten her so much? And what does it have to do with the US government's release of the UFO files last week? On this episode, Tara Jean's interview with Harvard Professor Avi Loeb. He's a theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology.

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Tara Jean unpacks her fear of the rapture with Dr. Amy Frykholm, the author of "Rapture Culture: Left Behind In Evangelical America." 

https://www.amyfrykholm.com/rapture-culture

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At one youth group night in 1993, a church leader taught Tara Jean about the 'witching hour'. Why does this ominous time of night still haunt her decades after she left the church and where does this concept come from? On this episode, retired professor Sabina Maglioccom, author of "Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America.."

*The first 3 episodes of S11 are temporarily available under S9, for Apple subscribers and patrons on Patreon.

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Growing up in the church, Tara Jean was instilled with a spirit of fear that has stayed with her decades after she stopped calling herself a believer. On this season, she'll lean on expert guests to help demystify some of these specific fears, like exorcisms, the female body, and on this episide the antichrist. Her guest is reknowned scholar Bernard McGinn, author of "Antichrist: 2 Thousands Years of the Human Fascination With Evil."

*For now, Apple Podcast subscribers can still access the first 3 episodes, under S9.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demons. The Antichrist. Witches. Tara Jean says she was instilled with a spirit of fear, in her childhood church. But it's now been decades since she was a believer, why is she still afraid? Join her as she attempts to recontextualize the concepts that haunt her with the help of scholars and other experts in religious history, mythology, sociology, and more.

*STARTS MONDAY, APRIL 13th

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.