The Good Books with Blake Chastain

The Good Books with Blake Chastain

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The Good Books with Blake Chastain episodes

  • Money, Lies, and God with Katherine Stewart

    This week I'm joined by Katherine Stewart, journalist and author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy. Her book was published in February 2025 and offers incredible insights into the various networks of influence and power that laid the groundwork for a second Trump victory. We discuss how those same networks are still at work in the US today and try to connect it to more recent developments, including the Epstein Files. Katherine had a brief window of availability, so this interview is a bit shorter.

    Buy Money, Lies, and God here at my bookshop.org page: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781635578546⁠
    Laura K. Field's book, mentioned by Katherine Stewart is called Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, and can be bought here: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780691255262⁠
    See books from other authors on The Good Books: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781635578546⁠
    And check out books from other authors who have appeared on my other shows: ⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/brchastain ⁠
    Buy my book: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780593717073⁠
    If you want to keep up to date with my work, please be sure to subscribe on ⁠YouTube⁠ and your favorite podcast app, and head over to blakechastain.com to see more of what I’m up to.

    (This episode was co-published on the Exvangelical feed.)

    00:00 Teaser: The Power of Fear and Control
    01:11 Guest Introduction: Katherine Stewart
    02:09 The Five Groups in Anti-Democratic Movements
    02:53 The Role of Funders and Foot Soldiers
    05:27 Sergeants, Power Players, and Thinkers
    06:46 Changes Since Trump's Election
    08:35 Mindsets and Dispositions in Christian Nationalism
    11:12 The Persecution Complex and Authoritarian Leadership
    13:18 The Role of Elites and Information Bubbles
    28:41 Recent Developments and the Epstein Files
    31:45 Conclusion: Forward-Looking Strategies for Democracy
    36:08 Outro and Call to Action

    40 min
  • After Purity with Sara Moslener

    In the first interview of 2026, I talk to Sara Moslener about her latest book, After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America. (Buy the book from bookshop.org here & support the show: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780807014998)

    Learn more about Sara's work at https://saramoslener.com/
    Support this channel at https://www.blakechastain.com; 25% of net proceeds from direct support are donated.

    Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Mnzmm_WI8V4

    00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
    01:00 Sarah's Religious Upbringing
    04:53 The Influence of Pro-Life Movement
    07:16 College and Theater: A Path to Self-Discovery
    16:25 Pursuing Academia and Feminist Theology
    21:10 The Concept of Purity and Its Implications
    26:24 Racial Dynamics in Purity Culture
    35:50 Connecting Sexual Purity to Racial Identity
    37:28 The Importance of Historical Context
    38:17 Teaching Religion, Race, and Discrimination
    39:53 How to Support the Show
    41:18 The Process of Academic Research
    45:09 Challenges and Ethics in Purity Culture Research
    49:39 The Intersection of Academia and Therapy
    54:44 Lightning Round: Author's Preferences and Insights
    01:04:54 The Value of Education and Final Thoughts

    1 hr 9 min
  • Shame-Sex Attraction with Lucas FW Wilson

    In this episode of The Good Books, I talk to Lucas FW Wilson about the essay anthology Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy. This is a visceral, moving anthology about conversion therapy experiences.

    Purchase the book via Bookshop.org [affiliate link]: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781805011323
    Follow Lucas on Instagram & Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lukeslamdunkwilson
    Subscribe to my newsletter: postevangelicalpost.com
    Buy my book, Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780593717073

    47 min
  • How to Have An Enemy with Melissa Florer-Bixler

    In this episode, I talk to Melissa Florer-Bixler about her 2021 book How to Have An Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace. Buy the book here to support my work.


    This book has provided a lot of wisdom to me over the past few years, and I was honored to be able to talk to Melissa about it.


    Support my work directly with a paid subscription to The Post-Evangeilcal Post for $5/month or $50/year. I donate 25% of net proceeds. Lean more at postevangelicalpost.com/support.


    The Good Books is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post and distributed by Irreverent Media Group.

    52 min

About The Good Books with Blake Chastain

From the publisher's feed

Join Blake Chastain, author of Exvangelical & Beyond, as he interviews authors about their work.