Exvangelical

After an unexpected hiatus, the show returns in full force. Our stories are more important than ever. Keep telling them. Share your stories on Twitter with the hashtag #exvangelical. Show Notes: "Steve Bannon Sought To Infiltrate Facebook Hiring" https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/steve-bannon-sought-to-infiltrate-facebook-hiring?utm_term=.lnbvrKnvq#.at0bOZpbr "Trump is dismantling Obama’s religion initiatives" https://thinkprogress.org/trump-dismantling-obamas-religion-initiatives-49d89df9b0e4/ "The Danger of President Pence" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/23/the-danger-of-president-pence Follow me on Twitter @brchastain, and follow the show on Twitter @exvangelicalpod. Join the Exvangelical facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332199817139241/ Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod Intro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free Outro: "I Give You Power" by Arcade Fire & Mavis Staples

My guest this week is Chris Stroop. Chris was a guest back on episode 15 of the show, and since that time he has become well-known for his essays on Religion Dispatches (as well as his threads on Twitter, including the trending hashtag #EmptyThePews) about the global Religious Right, particularly in American and Russian politics, as well as Exvangelical experience more broadly. He is also a fellow administrator of the Exvangelical Facebook group. We talk at length about #EmptyThePews and the stories people have told through it, as well as the value of sharing ex-Evangelical stories in private and in public. You can support Chris's work via Patreon at patreon.com/cstroop and follow him on Twitter @C_Stroop. You can also support this show via Patreon at patreon.com/exvangelicalpod. Join the Exvangelical facebook community here: http://bit.ly/2gZQEql. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain, and follow the show on Twitter @exvangelicalpod. Follow the ephemeral podcast at anchor.fm/exvangelicalpod. Intro/Outro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free Interlude 1: "Pure Comedy" by Father John Misty Interlude 2: "Culture War" by Arcade Fire

My guest this week is Mike James. Mike talks about his experiences going to a megachurch youth group, a small Christian college, moving from planting a church to starting a winery, and what his deconstruction has revealed about the "life on rails" he felt he was leading before. We also talk about the privilege afforded to both of us as white straight men, and much more. Follow Mike on Twitter @HyperbolicMike. Intro/Outro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free. Interludes: "No Phone" by Cake, "BBC Dad" by BBC Dad, and "Ghosts" by The Head & The Heart. Support Exvangelical: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod. Join the Exvangelical Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332199817139241/ Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain. Follow the show on Twitter @exvangelicalpod, like the show on Facebook at facebook.com/exvangelicalpod, follow the show on Anchor.fm at anchor.fm/exvangelicalpod. Rate & Review the show on iTunes! End of Show Notes!

My guest this week is Tori Williams Douglass (@ToriGlass on Twitter). She and I discuss her history, as well as how the death of Michael Brown altered her understanding of white evangelicalism. We also discuss her must-read blog post, "The Day I Learned White Christians Hate Me." Read it here: https://toriglassdotcom.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/the-day-i-learned-white-christians-hate-me/ This a frank discussion about race that centers Tori's experience. Follow her on Twitter @ToriGlass, and read her work at toriglassdotcom.wordpress.com. No pre-roll intros this week - I had a cold and nobody needs to hear that. Join the FB group by searching "Exvangelical" on Facebook and answering the three brief questions. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain. Support the show on Patreon at patreon.com/exvangelicalpod.

Trying to make sense of what just happened in Charlottesville, VA and what it means for the country. Trying to figure out how to address racism and racial systems on the show. I don't know where we go from here, and I need your input. Join the Exvangelical community on Facebook. Discuss on Twitter with the hashtag #wheredowegofromhere. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain. Outro: "Action" by Mavis Staples. Show notes, and stories you need to read: Broderick Greer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/896560477119164416 Broderick Greer's Theology Live podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-2-blacklivesmatter/id1045300697?i=1000356252307&mt=2 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-whitechurchquiet/id1045300697?i=1000377126018&mt=2 Charlotte Henderson's "Advice for White Allies in the Wake of Charlottesville: https://sisterresistance.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/advice-for-white-allies-in-the-wake-of-charlottesville/ Tori Glass's "The Day I Learned White Christians Hate Me:" https://toriglassdotcom.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/the-day-i-learned-white-christians-hate-me/ Gita Jackson's "After Charlottesville, I Asked My Dad About Selma:" http://kotaku.com/after-charlottesville-i-asked-my-dad-about-selma-1797837094 "The Most Christlike Thing for a Cis/Hetero/White Christian Man to Do with His Power is Abdicate It:" https://www.exvangelicalpodcast.com/blog/2016/9/26/the-most-christlike-thing-for-a-cisheterowhite-christian-man-to-do-do-with-his-power-is-to-abdicate-it?rq=privilege

Lyndsey Medford is a post-evangelical writer and blogger. She writes at lyndseymedford.com. Follow her on Twitter @lyndseymedford! The first #exvreads book club book has been chosen! It is *The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America* by Frances Fitzgerald. Use this link to buy it! http://amzn.to/2uEthDU More details about the book club discussion will be coming out soon on Twitter and in the Exvangelical Facebook group. The first discussion will happen at the end of August/early September. Follow Blake on Twitter: @brchastain Follow the show on Anchor: anchor.fm/exvangelicalpod Follow the show on Twitter: @exvangelicalpod Like the show on Facebook: facebook.com/exvangelicalpod Support the show via Patreon: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod

Introducing "Reverence & Wonder," the Patron-only series. Reverence and wonder are at the heart of any sense of spirituality I've ever understood. These twin sentiments keep me going. They are not strictly bound by religion, though they can encompass it. They can reach out and envelope the world. They recast the mundane. For $1/month, you'll gain access to these twice-monthly minisodes. More details in the episode! Support the show: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod. Don't forget to vote on a book for Exv to discuss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/moments/892585208184221696

My guest this week is Cindy Wang Brandt, a writer and the founder of the Facebook group Raising Children Unfundamentalist. In this conversation, Cindy and I talk about her evangelical pedigree, which includes attending Wheaton and being a recipient of the Billy Graham award, her faith shift, her resignation from an evangelical institution due to her LGBTQ affirmation, which she's written about publicly for Sojourners, and what led her to starting Raising Children Unfundamentalist. In the final segment of the episode, Cindy also turns the tables on me and asks me about my own faith shift. Follow Cindy on Twitter @cindy_w_brandt, and read her work at cindywords.com. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain.

This week's guest is Jamie Finch! Jamie is a writer and certified integrated health coach. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jamie talks about her experiences growing up in the church (including a formative memory of saying the "Sinner's Prayer" at age 7), expressing her sexuality amidst purity culture, her time in a cult, and her path toward wholeness outside Christianity. Follow Jamie online: @jamieleefinch on Twitter & Instagram jamieleefinch.com Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, and follow the show @exvangelicalpod. Support Exvangelical by rating/reviewing the show on iTunes, or via Patreon: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod. Music: Intro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free Interlude 1: "Bad Believer" by St. Vincent Interlude 2: "Just One Me" by Big Bird Interlude 3: "When You're On Top" by The Wallflowers Outro: "I Want to Be Well" by Sufjan Stevens

This week's guest is Alice Connor, author of the book *Fierce: Women of the Bible and Their Stories of Violence, Mercy, Bravery, Wisdom, Sex, and Salvation*. In this conversation, Alice & I start off talking (and needing out about) the Episcopal Church, as well as Alice's background, before launching headlong into a discussion of the women of Bible she profiled for her book. It's a great discussion that covers a ton of ground. Buy Alice's book! https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Stories-Violence-Bravery-Salvation/dp/1506410707/ Subscribe to Exv Extras! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/exv-extras/id1257172241?mt=2 Intro: "Night Owl" by Broke for Free Interludes: "Clampdown" by The Clash "Rise Up With Fists!" by Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins "Eraser, Part 1" by Thom Yorke "Modern Girl" by Sleater Kinney "Wonder Woman Theme" by Zimmer, Junkie XL, and Tina Guo

My guest this week is Ashleigh Hill! Follow her on Twitter @ashleighfhill! Read her websites: afracturedlife.com & http://www.continuouslyfracturedlife.tumblr.com/tagged/yourveryowngenderstudiesdegree Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, & Anchor @exvangelicalpod. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain.

Another minisode for you as I work on producing another full-length interview! In this one I talk about having a heavy heart, but also wanting to share something hopeful. To that end, I want to intentionally explore that part of exvangelical stories: the good parts. Backing Tracks: "Under Pressure" by Effin Queen & David Effin Bowie, and "Grace Under Pressure" by Elbow Links: Take the Exvangelical Twitter Community Survey by @jekahben: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTF7p82Ii-MFNnkeqT8IX0XJhF8e8pNlBzQZ19LvuL-aRkVw/viewform?c=0&w=1 Find more resources for Exvangelicals on ChrisStroop.com: https://chrisstroop.com/further-reading-and-resources-for-ex-evangelicals-and-spiritual-abuse-survivors/

On this episode, I speak across the International Date Line with Nicola Stevens, my first guest that lives internationally. We talk about evangelicalism in Australia, creationism, and so much more. Follow Nicola on Twitter @mytwocompanions.

It's a Memorial Day minisode! Show notes: Read & share the Exvangelical review on Religion Dispatches: http://religiondispatches.org/exvangelical-podcast-is-safe-space-for-those-living-in-leaving-or-coming-to-terms-with-evangelicalism/ Read Niebuhr's Moral Man & Immoral Society: http://amzn.to/2rcBjDW Tell #dadjokes. Reminders: Leave the show a review on iTunes! Follow the show across the web on Fb, Twitter, IG, and Anchor @exvangelicalpod! Support the show via Patreon: patreon.com/exvangelicalpod

This is a wide-spanning conversation. An integral part of Dan's story is his experience within church, evangelicalism, and purity culture (I know those are all overlapping things) as a gay man and how damaging it was to his development. That summary doesn't do it justice, which is why we are all lucky that Dan can say all this in his own words--which he does very well. Profanity warning up top: this show has a bit of it, so, don't play it around kiddos. Follow Dan on Twitter @sweaterzzz. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain, and the show across sosh meads @exvangelicalpod (twitter, IG, fb). Support the show via Patreon at patreon.com/exvangelicalpod. All interludes by Arcade Fire.