This week's episode features a wide-ranging and informative conversation with my good friend and returning guest, David Johnson, host of the Skeptics and Seekers Podcast.

I've done a number of shows with David, both here and on his show, and we've teamed up a lot this year for his "Summer of Morality" series he's been doing on his platform. Speaking with David about the topics of how God commanded the Israelites to commit genocide in the Old Testament, as well as the Bible's condoning of slavery, led me to invite him back to break these issues down in further details.

For those who are contemplating deconstructing their Christian faith, or for those of us who have walked away but still have issues to process through from our past life of belief, this conversation will prove to be both thought-provoking as well as beneficial. If you want to hear more of my work with David, head over to his platform on YouTube or Square Space to catch our conversations.

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This week's episode features new friend Mikee Bridges, a former Christian rocker/grunge/punk musician who is also known for putting on the Tom Fest, an alternative Christian music festival that ran for 14 years. He also ran a Christian rock venue in Portland, OR, for many years.

After getting out of the Christian music game, Mikee went on to help found GameChurch, which attempted to reach gamers at such events as ComicCon and other venues.

But eventually, despite his decades of missional ministry efforts, as Mikee describes it, "the sh*t hit the fan"--and he began to deconstruct his entire life's belief system of evangelical Christianity.

Today, he's attempting to put the pieces all back together after losing Jesus, "my best friend," as he sees it now. If you're interested in attending the Tom Convention, this is an alternative music convention coming up next month in Southern California. Click the link below to find out more information about tickets and the venue:

Tom Convention dates, details and pricing

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In honor of my presentation at the Houston Oasis gathering on Sunday, the 24th of August, we are running a special promo sale that day on my book, Not So Shiny Not So Happy People: How Bill Gothard, Church, and Family Taught Me Christianity Doesn't Work.

This weekend you'll be able to purchase the book on Amazon.com for just 99 cents!

Also, if you're able, log into the Houston Oasis live Facebook feed beginning at 10am CST to catch my presentation on religious trauma syndrome. If you can't make it to the live feed, don't worry--it will be recorded and posted up to their channel later on, so you can still catch my talk on RTS.

Find Not So Shiny Not So Happy People at this link on Amazon!

Houston Oasis Facebook Feed link

Once again I'm joined by my good friend Frank Schaeffer to discuss all things politics, religion, Christian nationalism, and the effect Trump is having on both the evangelical church and America overall.

As a passionate observer of what's going on in terms of current events--not just in America but indeed the world--Frank always has a unique take on what's happening now, and the long-term effect it may have on both.

Frank, and his famous father Francis Schaeffer, helped kickstart the evangelical anti-abortion movement in the USA in the early 1970s.

Ironically, although he couldn't have known it at the time, this was one of the foundational pieces in not only what would become the Christian Right, but also Trump's MAGA cult base. Frank is still making up for that decades later...and I think you'll enjoy this informative and educational conversation!

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Recently I reconnected with returning guest Stephen Mather, former Jehovah's Witness and co-host of the now-defunct Cult Hackers Podcast.

As an organizational psychologist, and former JW, Stephen is uniquely positioned to inform listeners on the eight markers of cults identified by Dr Robert Jay Lifton in his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

Lifton's eight markers are not only time-honored in describing the various tactics used by cults and high-control groups, in addition he provides a helpful extra bit: the psychological effects of each one on the individual or follower. Thus, Stephen and I go through all eight in turn, discuss how they were applied in our various religious experiences, and talk about the psychological effects also.

Concluding the episode, we focus on recovery after leaving religion or a high-control group, offering up helpful tips and experience gained not only in our own lives, but that of others from whom we've found helpful advice.

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I finally caught up with Lucas Wilson after months of emailing each other to set up this interview. And am I ever glad that I did! We had a fantastic conversation that I truly believe you will enjoy and learn a lot from.

Lucas--or Luke--originally hails from Toronto, Canada, and as a young man ended up attending Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, with a view to engaging in so-called "conversion therapy." This is the controversial notion that somehow, if you're gay or have same-sex attraction on any level, God wants to "make you straight." Not only that, but by doing conversion therapy, it will definitely happen.

Aided by dubious psychological and biblical backing, conversion therapy can be incredibly damaging to those in the LGBTQ+ community, but who also happen to be Christians. This misguided theory oftentimes does a huge amount of damage psychologically and in other ways.

Find Luke's book here: Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivor's Stories of Conversion Therapy

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Recently, a listener asked me if I would explore the potential connections between Vance Boelter--the gunman who recently killed 2 Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, and wounded 2 more--and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).

The question posed was this: "Was Vance Boelter radicalized by his experiences within the NAR?" Beyond that, how do we know that Boelter was in fact a part of this increasingly radical movement that has taken the Christian Right by storm since the first Trump era? And did that association with the NAR's increasingly violent and incendiary rhetoric lead him to go on his rampage that resulted in the deaths of two people, and the severe wounding of two others?

In this deep dive episode, I investigate the connections not only between Boelter and the NAR, but also to the tragic and violent history of the violence committed by radical Christian anti-abortion advocates.

I'll also demonstrate just how extreme and violent the language being used by leading NAR figures is becoming, and how that all may have contributed to Boelter doing what he did.

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Although Chris Shelton and I just did an episode on Project Esther recently, there were a lot of details that we didn't have time to dive into. As the story develops, and more information comes out, there have been some truly concerning developments that have taken place.

Thus, in this special episode, I'm bringing you all the details behind Project Esther. This is, of course, the brainchild of The Heritage Foundation, authors of Project 2025.

If you've noticed the trend on both social and mainstream media of labeling anyone "antisemitic" for speaking out against Israel's actions in Gaza, or taking part in a demonstration or protest, then this is the fruit of Project Esther. Trump's ongoing war against Harvard is part and parcel of it also.

As we'll see, Trump has already enacted about one-half of the policy recommendations as laid out in Project Esther, a draconian set of actions that is designed to tamp down on--or obliterate entirely--our constitutional rights, such as: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to due process.

Let me know your thoughts, comments, or questions on this episode by emailing me: [email protected].

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In this special bonus episode, former Scientologist Chris Shelton and I take a deep dive into a controversial new development in Trumpworld: Project Esther.

This story originally broke a few weeks ago in The New York Times, and has now been picked up in other media outlets. The brainchild of The Heritage Foundation, authors of Project 2025 and major policy advisors to Trump, Project Esther is a policy paper ostensibly designed to crack down on antisemitism in the United States.

Timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, Project Esther is in reality a bait-and-switch operation designed to eliminate basic rights such as free speech, freedom of assembly, due process for foreign students targeted for deportation, and more. We're also seeing the potential of cutting off federal funds to universities like Harvard for their "handling of antisemitism" as well as their tolerance of pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus.

The truly frightening aspect of this draconian crackdown is that it's already in the works--approximately half of its policy recommendations have been enacted by Trump.

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This week's episode features an insightful conversation with Regina Cates, author of the book The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us To Have: A Call To Bravery, Peace, and Love.

At first, when I heard the title of the book, I was understandably sceptical. I figured Regina was just another progressive Christian trying to rehabilitate the church, the gospels, and the "true" message of Jesus. But that's not what her book is about, and neither is that what this conversation is about.

Regina is an amazing woman with a powerful story to tell of her own Christian upbringing, deconstructing at an early age, and questioning everything she was taught by the church. That led to inevitable conflict from both parents and church authorities...and now, here she is, decades later, with a powerful message to proclaim.

Find a copy of Regina's book here on Amazon!

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