Exvangelical is now a part of the Irreverent Media Group! Visit irreverent.fm to learn more about this new collective. Follow Irreverent on social: twitter.com/irreverent_fm instagram.com/irreverent_fm facebook.com/irreverentfm Are you a creator that wants to join IMG, or an advertiser looking for sponsorship opportunities? Email us at irreverentfm@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpo...
Apr 05, 2021•5 min
Dr. Anthea Butler returns to the show (she was a guest on season one of Powers & Principalities) to discuss her new book, White Evangelical Racism . Her book is of utmost importance to helping us understand both our past and our current moment. We discuss the history of white evangelical racism, and how it played a part in the Jan 6th insurrection and the murders in Atlanta in March 2021. I also wrote about the book in my new series, The Good Books, published via my newsletter The Post-Evang...
Apr 02, 2021•52 min
Emily Joy Allison returns to the show to discuss her new book, #ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing . Emily launched the #ChurchToo hashtag in November 2017 and it has taken on a life of its own, calling churches to account. You can follow Emily on Twitter and Instagram . I'm also joined by guest co-host Amy Congdon , a clinical mental health counselor in the Kansas City, MO metro area whos work focuses on providing care to clients who have experienced religious t...
Mar 18, 2021•47 min
In this episode, I chat with Andrew Phelan and John Potter from Magnified Pod. Their show focuses on Tooth & Nail era Christian alt music - season 1 focused on the MXPX discography, and season 2 focused on Five Iron Frenzy. In this conversation, we learn about Andrew & John's stories, the power of music and memory even after our beliefs change, and what it was like becoming friends with Five Iron band members. Check out their podcast here , follow them on Twitter @magnifiedpod , and supp...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Laura Polk returns to the show to discuss the Jan 6th insurrection and the Religious Right. In particular, we discuss three pivotal events in 1980, and how they set the stage for much of what's followed. This interview was recorded on 2/7/2021. Laura Polk is an independent educator and researcher. You can support her via Patreon here. (I do!) Follow Laura on Twitter @seelolago . You can support Blake's work on Exvangelical and Powers & Principalities via Substack at The Post-Evangelical Post...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Chris Stedman is a Minneapolis-based writer, speaker, and community organizer. In this conversation, we discuss his book IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives , how people form and express their identities online, spirituality "fads," and much more! (This conversation was recorded on January 4th, 2021, two days before the insurrection and the rest of the country went topsy turvy.) Follow Chris on Twitter ! Support this podcast (and sister podcast Powers & Princip...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 12 min
It's 2021. Ossoff & Warnock won the Senate, and the next day Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building after being incited by the President himself and encouraged by Senators Cruz and Hawley. 5 people died. White evangelicalism bears much of the burden for this by creating an environment--over decades!--that encouraged this. This episode is only partly scripted. It's unedited. "Regular" programming will return soon. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain . Help support my work: postevangelical...
Jan 08, 2021•14 min
My guests for this episode are The Dirty Rotten Church Kids, aka Josh Link & Adrian Gibbs. The DRCK has taken exvangelical Instagram by storm over the past year, and their podcast has created its own community that is in their words, equal parts HEAVY and LIGHT. In this conversation we discuss their backgrounds as church kids, church planters, their deconstruction, and parenting. It's a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it. Follow DRCK on Instagram , subscribe to their podcast , and ch...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 16 min
In the season 1 finale of Powers & Principalities, I speak with Reza Aslan about what we've learned about the United States in the past four years. In particular, we discuss what it means that 70 million Americans voted for Trump to be re-elected, the cult-like characteristics of Trumpism, the 'geography of identity' of Trumpism, the role of the media, and much more. Reza Aslan is author of several books, including God: A Human History , Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth , and ...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 6 min
In this episode, I speak with Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family ( which was turned into a Netflix documentary series of the same name). We discuss the actions of President Trump and the GOP to undermine the results of the election, the role of QAnon, "police nationalism," and much more. Read Jeff Sharlet's missives from the Trump campaign rallies in Vanity Fair and follow him on Twitter . Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain , and follow him on Instagram @brchastain_ . Support the show with a su...
Nov 19, 2020•58 min
Prof. Bradley Onishi from Straight White American Jesus returns to the show to discuss Election Week. We discuss the historical significance of the election of Vice President Kamala Harris, the decisive victory of Joe Biden & the GOP's refusal to concede, and what comes next. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradleyOnishi and listen to Straight White American Jesus if you aren't already! Follow Blake @brchastain on Twitter & @brchastain_ on Instagram. Support the show via a subscription to The Po...
Nov 13, 2020•57 min
Some initial thoughts on the 2020 Election. Acknowledging what was accomplished, and the work that still needs to be done. Follow Blake on Twitter and subscribe to The Post-Evangelical Post , where you will find a corresponding transcript, along with some additional links. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a pre...
Nov 09, 2020•9 min
We're one day out until the November 3rd election. In this brief episode, Blake reviews this season's guests and the threats that remain regardless of the outcome of election day. If you haven't voted early, please make your plan to vote and make your voice heard. Use the Vote Save America to make your plan to vote. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Nov 02, 2020•7 min
My guest this week is Jack Jenkins, national reporter for Religion News Service and author of the book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country ( Amazon , Bookshop ). We discuss how one defines "the religious left," how the religious left differs from the religious right, the historical predecessors of the current religious left, and how the media has adapted to covering religion since the 2016 election. Follow Jack Jenkins ...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, I chat with Anne Helen Petersen about her book Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation ( Amazon , Bookshop ). We discuss her spiritual & religious background, her viral essay on BuzzFeed that led to this book, how the way we use social media contributes to burnout, how our economic systems fail us, and more. You can follow Anne on Twitter @annehelen and subscribe to her newsletter, Culture Study . Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain , Instagram @brchastain_...
Oct 23, 2020•50 min
My guest this week is Dr. Anthea Butler, associate professor of religion and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the upcoming book White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America . In addition to her upcoming book (to be released in March 2021), we discuss her experience as a public scholar, how the media covers religion & Trump, and many of the trends and headlines of the past four years. Follow Dr. Butler on Twitter @AntheaButler . Follow Blake on...
Oct 21, 2020•55 min
My guest this week is Luke Barnett, writer and star of the new film Faith Based, which is available now on demand. Faith Based is a comedy about two friends who want to strike it rich by making a Christian film, and its cast includes Jason Alexander, Margaret Cho, David Koechner, and Lance Reddick (listed alphabetically by last name). We talk about Luke's own life story, the lucrative Christian film and music industries, and what it was like to create this feature film. It's a great conversation...
Oct 15, 2020•52 min
On this week's episode, I am joined by Bradley Onishi of the Straight White American Jesus podcast to answer your questions about white evangelicalism and Christian nationalism. You all had some really wonderful questions, and it was equally wonderful to have an opportunity to answer them alongside Brad. Bradley Onishi is associate professor of religion at Skidmore College. If you enjoy this show, please be sure to check out SWAJ by following the link above. Support them on Patreon and follow Br...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 10 min
My guest this week is Robert Jones, founder and CEO of PRRI (The Public Religion Research Institute), and author of the recent book White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity ( Amazon , Bookshop ). In this discussion, we talk about how his book reveals the ways white American Christianity's history of white supremacy pervades all denominations - white evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and white Catholics. We discuss the "restricted moral vision" of white Christians,...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 1 min
My guest this week is Sarah Posner, author of the book Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump ( Bookshop , Amazon ). In her book, Sarah details the intellectual and social connections between the New Right, the Religious Right, and alt-right - and the ways in which white evangelicals provide moral and political cover for the Trump administration. Further, her work indicates the ways in which the Trump administration has rewarded white evangelical support by pursuing ...
Sep 28, 2020•56 min
We're taking a brief break to allow a little more time for production, but we're ready to take your questions. Brad Onishi (of Straight White American Jesus) & I will be taking your questions and answering them on the air in an upcoming episode. Submit your questions by Monday October 5th to be considered. Use the link in the show notes to send a Voice Message in Anchor, or send me a voice memo at contact@exvangelicalpodcast.com. If you enjoy the show, please rate & review it on Apple Po...
Sep 23, 2020•4 min
My guest this week is Julie Ingersoll, professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida and author of the book Building God's Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction ( Amazon , Bookshop.org ). Christian Reconstruction is a movement that can be hard to both explain and identify, but has considerable influence - especially in the realm of Christian education and homeschooling. Julie helps provide context for this movement, and why its social and political goals are a...
Sep 14, 2020•46 min
My guests this week are Sam Perry & Andrew Whitehead, authors of the book Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States ( Amazon, Bookshop.org ). Perry & Whitehead are sociologists, and have published their data about America's relationship to Christian nationalism. They help define a framework for Christian nationalism, and why it is valuable to distinguish it from white evangelicalism in this context. They also provide four primary ways Americans react to Chri...
Sep 07, 2020•58 min
My guest this week is Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the new book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation ( Bookshop.org , Amazon ). Her book examines the role that cultural ideals of evangelical masculinity have been influenced more by John Wayne than by Jesus of Nazareth. If you've spent time in white evangelical circles, much of this will ring true; if you wonder why evangelicals are drawn to "strong men" like Donald Trump, her work will help exp...
Aug 31, 2020•1 hr 9 min
This week's episode features a conversation with Katherine Stewart. Katherine Stewart is the author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism ( Bookshop.org, Amazon.com ). Her book provides a comprehensive overview of the tactics and strategies Christian nationalists have employed in American politics: teaching false historical narratives about American history (and the history of the Religious Right itself), deteriorating the public education system, lobbying ...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 16 min
In this very first episode of Powers & Principalities (termed Episode 0, because it acts as a bridge between Exvangelical & this show), I talk with Diana Butler Bass about the early history of fundamentalism in white evangelical Protestant Christianity in America. You can subscribe to the new show feed right here on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere. Diana Butler Bass is the author of several books, including Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks (Bookshop.org, Amazon*...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Coming soon: Powers & Principalities, a new podcast series from Blake about the systems and institutions that propagate white evangelical & Christian nationalist sociopolitical power. Debuting in late August 2020. Follow along in the Exvangelical feed, or subscribe to the new show directly on Spotify . (The feed is new, and will appear on other platforms soon.) Keep updated (and learn more about the methodology and scope of the new series) by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post news...
Jul 24, 2020•4 min
Austin Channing Brown, author of I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, joined the show in 2018. This is a re-release of that interview, originally published on June 6, 2018, with a new introduction. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/abo...
Jun 26, 2020•56 min
Gretchen Baskerville joins the show! Gretchen Baskerville is a divorce recovery leader and researcher. For more than 20 years, she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, and emotional abuse. Gretchen's book can be found on Amazon. For those who wish to avoid Amazon, it's also available on Gumroad in epub & pdf formats. --- Send in a voice message:...
May 29, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Keylee & Micah Sudduth - aka the Backsliders - join the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exvangelical/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about...
May 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
