Exvangelical

In this episode, I speak with Teddy Wilson from Radical Reports about his experience covering the radical right. We talk about how important language is when identifying and discussing various groups, the transnational nature of nationalist movements, what we know about the Brazil insurrection so far—and finally, how “progressive” movements can respond to the rising tide of anti-democratic groups. Follow Teddy on Twitter: @reportbywilson Come see Blake, Bradley Onishi of Straight White American Jesus, and Tim Whitaker of The New Evangelicals in Philly on 2/11/23! Tickets here; use code "20" to get 20% off! Support Exvangelical and all of Blake’s work by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post for $5/month or $50/year. 25% of net proceeds are donated. Free subscriptions are also available. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Over at The Post-Evangelical Post, I've been writing about fictional religions for subscribers. As I wrote on 1/3/23: "When your faith of origin is also the origin of a grievous wound, there’s an odd solace to be found in knowingly made up things. Fiction, the old adage goes, is a lie that tells the truth—and there’s a lot of truth to be found in fictional religions." This is an audio version of an essay published this week, "The Comfort of Fictional Religions: The Sensayers of Terra Ignota." You can support this podcast & my other work at $5/month or $50/year. 25% of net proceeds are donated to White Homework & The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com/support. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Find links to follow Blake across the web at blakechastain.com - Technical difficulties prevented me from publishing the episode planned for this week. Please let me know what you think of this shorter episode. Learn more about your ad choices

Happy new year, everyone - the first guest of 2023 is a return guest, Bradley Onishi. Brad is co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast and author of the new book: Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next. Our conversation starts discussing just 10 words, just 2 sentences, from the first chapter of Brad's book: "I should have known better," and "I could have been there." "There," in this context, is the Capitol Riot. This is a good one. Buckle in. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post. You can support this podcast and all my other work for just $5/month or $50/year - this is now the new ongoing price, not just a promotion. You'll get ad-free podcast feeds, bonus writing, and more. Subscribe at postevangelicalpost.com This episode is also brought to you by DECON23, an upcoming virtual conference happening Jan 21-22, 2023. Tickets are just $25 and feature a diverse slate of speakers - J Crum, Rev Karla, April Ajoy, Jegaysus, and m

This is an audio version of my latest essay published at The Post-Evangelical Post: The Vibe Shift That Was Foretold Came, & Twitter Did Not Survive It. Back in February, a time that feels much farther away than a mere 10 months ago, The Cut published an essay called “A Vibe Shift is Coming. Will any of us survive it?” It was a piece meant to get people talking, and it did. It featured a lot of coast-centric media bubble trendspotting talk mingled with pandemic lockdown introspection. But some of it resonated further—that something was in the air, ready to change the zeitgeist. I’ll contend that the shift was about social media itself. Check out the whole essay, with links, at The Post-Evangelical Post. Subscribe for free or at $5/month and help support this show. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

This week's guest is Jenny Booth Potter, author of the book Doing Nothing Is No Longer An Option: One Woman's Journey Into Everyday Antiracism. Jenny is also the co-host of the web series The Next Question with Austin Channing Brown and Chi Chi Okwu. In this book, Jenny shares her own story of committing long-term to antiracism, challenging both herself and society to keep pressing forward. It's a great conversation and her book is a welcome starting point for any White person looking to unlearn racism and embrace antiracism. You can follow Jenny on Instagram and visit her website here. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. This episode was edited by Podcat Audio. Support the show at just $5/month and get ad-free podcasts and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Today I'm happy to share with you an episode from a fellow Irreverent Media Group podcast called Speaking In Church. If you're not aware, Exvangelical is part of the Irreverent Media Group podcast collective, and so is Speaking In Church. I thought it would be great to share with my audience an episode of their show. This episode was recorded and published in September of this year with Josie Jimenez and Cameron Bishop. Subscribe to Speaking In Church on Apple or Spotify. Follow them on Instagram! Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. To support the show directly, visit postevangelicalpost.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Angela Denker, pastor and author of the book Red State Christians (which was re-released this year with updated material), joins the show to discuss the 2022 midterms and how the political landscape continues to change. In particular she draws on her role serving a rural parish while living in an urban/suburban area, and the ways local relationships are more complex than simple media coverage portrays. Pick up Red State Christians from my Bookshop.org affiliate link, or your local bookstore. Follow Angela Denker's Substack: https://angeladenker.substack.com/ To learn more about Christian nationalism, register to attend the Straight White American Jesus live event: Christian Nationalism & The Future of Democracy. Use code SWAJ25 to get 25% off in-person or virtual tickets. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this show with a free or paid subscription. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our sh

Powers & Principalities is a show about the systems and institutions of white evangelical influence in America and the world. Season 1, published in the fall of 2020, was all about white evangelicalism and Christian nationalism. Season 2 focuses on white evangelicalism & media. This is episode one. Dating all the way back to at least the 19th century, the various groups we now refer to as White evangelicals have always been early adopters of new media formats. Whether it’s books, radio, tv, film, or any of their digital equivalents like podcasting, youtube, livestreaming, or influencer culture—evangelicals are always at the forefront of using new technology to spread their so-called old time religion. Ultimately, that perennial evangelical impulse is expressed as a desire to tell the Good News, the same good news that, etymologically speaking, is the origin of the term “evangelical” as ‘messenger’ or ‘one who announces’ - and that Good News is found in the Bible. In order to share that news, it is necessary t

This week's guest is Jeanna Kadlec, author of the new book Heretic: A Memoir, out this week.  Her book is a deeply intimate memoir of her life growing up in and leaving evangelicalism, discovering her queerness, and much more. We talk about the midwest, about developing spiritual practices after religion, and comics - it was a very laid back and meandering conversation that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. You can find Heretic at your local bookstore, or you can support this show by purchasing it via these Bookshop or Amazon links. Find out about other ways to support my work at postevangelicalpost.com/support. You can subscribe for free, or at $4, $6, or $8 a month. 25% of net revenue is donated. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. This episode was edited by Podcat Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

My guest today is Becca Andrews. Becca is a journalist at Reckon News, and author of the new book No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right. She has been reporting on reproductive rights and justice, as well as related topics such as purity culture, for several years and her work has also appeared at Mother Jones, Jezebel, and Teen Vogue, among others. Content note: I want to note that this episode deals directly with abortion and other aspects of reproductive care. For people in my age cohort—Elder Millennials and younger who grew up in conservative white evangelicalism, abortion was absolutely vilified, as were the people who needed them. This conversation starts there, and then looks at the history of reproductive care in the United States from the 19th century through today. I mention this near the end of my conversation with Becca, but I also want to mention it at the top - her book tells the stories of people in need of reproductive health care—inclu

In this interview, I speak to Kristin Peterson, media studies professor at Boston College, about her book Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists. We discuss the role social media has had in creating a counterpublic that challenges the dominant cultural narratives established by white evangelicalism and other religions. Her book covers aspects of #ChurchToo and other online movements that fall under the broad "deconstruction" umbrella, as well as how Muslims utilize media to critique their own traditions. It's a fascinating conversation and helps contextualize why these conversations that play out online matter--and why a media lens is helpful to understand them. _ Support my work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. You can subscribe for free, or at $4/6/8 per month; 25% of net revenue is donated. Learn more at https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about. You can also support the show by rating and reviewing it on Apple Podcasts & Spotify, and telling others about the s

This week, I'm joined by Sarah Heath & Justin Gentry from the REVcovery podcast to talk about burnout. This is a long conversation, and it starts by talking about religious burnout for pastors and other highly-involved volunteers. We later transition into talking about post-religious burnout. Like any conversation, it's just a single convo, and not representative of all perspectives. Listen to REVcovery wherever you find podcasts. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this show directly at postevangelicalpost.com. Subscribe for free, or at $4, $6, or $8/month to receive ad-free podcast feeds & more. I donate 25% of net proceeds to White Homework & The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. Free tiers are also available. This episode was produced and edited by Podcat Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of the new book On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World. This show is not typically interfaith, but when the opportunity to read Rabbi Ruttenberg’s latest arose, I leapt at the chance. I’ve followed her on Twitter for years and admire her work immensely. On Repentance and Repair is an immensely helpful book that helps reframe what repentance, repair, and forgiveness mean. Those terms are loaded for people whose faith was formed in white evangelicalism. They have often been used and abused by people in positions of authority to manipulate those they’ve wronged into “forgiving” them as a way of absolving themselves and maintaining their positions of influence. Rabbi Ruttenberg explores the value and other meanings of these words in a way that can benefit all people, regardless of their faith or lack thereof.  If you do not have a local bookstore or are in the Amazon ebook ecosystem, use this link to buy the book and to support the show. How to support the

Another archival episode, in light of the news from The Village Church. Matt Chandler went on indefinite leave from TVC this weekend after inappropriate messaging on Instagram, just a couple weeks after they settled with an abuse victim while acknowledging no wrongdoing. These are longstanding issues in evangelicalism going back decades. There's nothing pithy to say about churches that protect their shepherds instead of their flocks. Here is my 2021 interview with Emily Joy Allison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I continue to work on my manuscript, here is another archival episode for you. This is from my series, Powers & Principalities. Season 1 was published in 2020 and focused on Christian nationalism, which remains painfully relevant.  This episode features a conversation with Sam Perry and Andrew Whitehead, co-authors of the book Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States [affiliate link].  While I personally think Christian nationalism is very hard to fully extricate from the traditions it inhabits and expresses itself in, I also think the terminology Perry & Whitehead use in their book, Ambassadors, Accommodators, Resisters, and Rejectors is very useful. Of course, this conversation took place before the Jan 6 insurrection, where Christian nationalism was on full display, and before the slate of legislative decisions this summer, most notably the downfall of Roe, that are considered victories for by Christian nationalists. Meanwhile, the term “Christian nationalist” itself ha

It's been a minute. While I'm working on my manuscript, please enjoy this 2017 interview I recorded with David Bazan from Pedro the Lion. We recorded this interview in Bazan's car, between Living Room shows. It was incredible. The original introduction of this conversation was kept for nostalgia, context, and ease. Original show notes here. To get to the interview, skip about 8 minutes forward (dynamic ads may add 1 more minute). Thanks for listening. New episodes coming soon. Read the 6 Years of Exvangelical post---at Post-Ev Post. Support this show via The Post-Evangelical Post at $4, 6, or $8/month. 25% of net revenue is donated to The Religious Exemption Accountability Project and White Homework. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I adapt a couple of recent essays from The Post-Evangelical Post to discuss Christian nationalism. As white evangelical hegemony ended, white Christian nationalist minority rule began. Recommended Reading: Christian Nationalism on TikTok; Evangelical Lobbyists Praying with SCOTUS Justices, More Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Subscribe to The Post-Evangelical Post to support the show at $4, $6, or $8/month to receive ad-free podcast feeds & more. I donate 25% of net proceeds to White Homework & The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. I have >70 paid supporters. Help me reach 100 by the end of July! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Jo Luehmann. Jo and I spoke back in March this year, after arranging to chat in late January, early February, so this episode has been a long time coming.  In this conversation, you’ll hear Jo talk about growing up in Colombia, her experience within evangelical circles in America, and her work discussing decolonization. In the months following our discussion, Jo became a target of many far right figures such as Matt Walsh, who rallied their followers to harass Jo. The reason was ostensibly because of a tweet on abortion; because of this tweet, Jo was relentlessly harassed and forced to resign from her position on a school board in order to curtail the continued harassment. That particular event demonstrated the way in which the far right operates, and the lengths to which they will go to destabilize the lives of those whose speech they consider provocative or offensive, even as they do so with impunity. I confirmed with Jo prior to releasing this episode that she was ok with this conversation

Hello, and welcome to Exvangelical. I’m your host, Blake Chastain. I know there’s a lot going on. I know that the recent Supreme Court rulings are beyond discouraging - they are harmful for so many people, and a decision that could lead to the downfall of Roe is expected as soon as tomorrow. But multiple things happen all at once, and because of our interconnectedness, we feel them all. But I want to isolate one event happening right now and say: Happy Pride - especially to those born and raised in conservative evangelicalisms. Thank you for being here and being you. Listen to LGBTQ+ voices that have appeared on Exvangelical. Subscribe to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter - for free, or $4/6/8 per month. 25% of net proceeds are donated to White Homework and The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Ryan Haupt. Ryan is a scientist and podcaster on the show Science...Sort of, and a frequent guest host on the comic book podcast iFanboy. iFanboy was one of the very first podcasts I ever listened to and after a couple of random interactions on Twitter - Ryan and I were able to connect to talk back at the beginning of February.  This conversation runs the gamut. We talk about Ryan’s experience growing up in the church in West Virginia, about discovering science in college, and the particular grief that can come from a philosophical or faith shift. We also talk about comics! One note: We had several production difficulties during this recording session because an errant setting on my computer kept forcing it to shutdown. Thankfully, Ryan had a backup of both of our tracks, and we were able to continue. My additional thanks to Liz Nordenholt of Podcat Audio for her work in editing this episode in particular. It's a longer one! Follow Ryan on Twitter, and listen to him on Science...Sort Of