April Ajoy joins the show! You probably know her from TikTok, where she creates at turns funny and serious videos about "humorously detoxing American Christianity." We learn about her story, about how she got started on TikTok, and more! Check out all of April's projects: TikTok The Evangelicalish podcast Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. You can support the show at $4, $6, or $8/month at postevangelicalpost.com and get access to ad-free podcast feeds, subscriber-on...
May 05, 2022•58 min
This was also published as an essay at The Post-Evangelical Post . Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Learn how to support my work here . There are many resources about reproductive health available. If you want to approach it from an interfaith lens, start here . A reproductive rights advocate I've had on the show, Asha Dahya, can be followed on Instagram . Her episode is here . Links: https://postevangelicalpost.com https://instagram.com/brchastain_ https://exvange...
May 04, 2022•7 min
In this audio essay, adapted from The Post-Evangelical Post , I talk about Twitter's role in allowing "counterpublics" to flourish - and how #exvangelical relates to that. New interviews are coming - due to my recent ear surgery I am still restricted from listening to audio in both ears - which makes editing podcasts difficult. I am enlisting another producer to help. Please consider becoming a paid supporter of my work via The Post-Evangelical Post . There are free options, as well as tiers at ...
Apr 29, 2022•16 min
It’s been over a month since I’ve released an episode. That was not my plan nor intention. But sometimes life intervenes. Just shy of a month ago, I had surgery to repair a lifelong issue with my ear - ruptured ear drum, and the recovery took much longer than I expected. It required me to slow down. I wrote about this over on my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post . I have 6 episodes recorded that need editing, which I will get to releasing soon. In the meantime, enjoy this interview with Pete...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Even though my relationship to religion is always shifting, some of the rituals and symbolism have more resonance than others. For me, in recent years Lent has been the most meaningful part of the Christian tradition, even if I'm not sure where I fall in relation to it. In this audio essay, I explore the both-and nature of Lent - through denial and affirmation. "I have made it a focus of both this show and my writing that, to me, the term ‘exvangelical’ has its limits. I understand that it is in...
Mar 03, 2022•12 min
RE-RELEASE: 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 Th...
Feb 24, 2022•54 min
In this conversation, I speak with exvangelical Tiktokker Melissa Stewart (@lissajostewart) about her upbringing, how exvangelical spaces continue to evolve, and how platform differences (i.e. Twitter vs. TikTok) enable different conversations - and much more! As I mention in the introduction, note how Melissa talks about her experiences leaving fundamentalism, and how it differs from the way evangelical pastors who decry "deconstruction" or some other rhetorical bogeyman. #exvangelical has take...
Feb 10, 2022•1 hr 18 min
In this episode I chat with fellow IMG podcasters, Justin Gentry & Sarah Heath about their new show, Revcovery. Revcovery is all about the process of leaving the ministry profession. We cover a lot in the first half before turning our attention to the recent Vanity Fair profile of Jerry Falwell, Jr., and the confounding Christianity Today piece by Russell Moore. Find out more about Revcovery on irreverent.fm/show/revcovery. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post . Support ...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 27 min
In this audio essay, Blake talks frankly about how social media exacerbated a dark day he had recently, how social media affects emotions, and how our relationship to identifiers and communities change over time. Throughout 2022 I will be experimenting more with formats and episode types in the feed. Please let me know what you think by sending an email or reaching out on social media. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post , a reader-supported publication. You can subscribe f...
Jan 20, 2022•19 min
In this bonus episode of Powers & Principalities, I share my conversation with Chrissy Stroop on the inauspicious anniversary of the Jan 6 Capitol Riot. (One trigger/content note, we talk about Satanic Panic & child abuse in one section). We discuss the lead-up to Trump, the Trump administration, the insurrection, and the Big Lie that has taken root. We also talk about shifts in conversation around religion & Christianity in America, and look ahead at what political fights are to com...
Jan 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min
In this interview I chat with R. Scott Okamoto about music, life as a Christian college professor, and much more. Scott will also be hosting the upcoming exvangelical podcast, Chapel Probation. Learn more about Scott at his website, https://www.rscottokamoto.com/ , and follow him on Twitter and Instagram . Help support this show via a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post at $4, $6, or $8/month. Benefits include ad-free podcast feeds, exclusive content, and Discord access. Find all this...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 22 min
In this mini, Blake talks about the recent spat of discussion about exvangelicals and people deconstructing that is happening. Parts of this script are adapted from Blake's twitter feed & newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about
Dec 09, 2021•13 min
I spoke to author Jeff Sharlet in November 2020, just after the election was called for Biden - but Trump was already signaling that he would not concede. The Jan 6 insurrection had not yet happened, but what would become The Big Lie had already begun to take root from those early days. I'm re-releasing another episode of Powers & Principalities Season 1 again, because these conversations continue to be relevant. New conversations are coming soon. Find the entirety of Season 1 of Powers &...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 3 min
In this episode, I talk with fellow IMG podcaster Bradley Onishi about how things have developed in the last year since the 2020 election. In that time we've seen Trump's decisive electoral loss, the Jan 6th insurrection, the entrenchment of The Big Lie within the GOP, and vaccine hesitancy. We've also seen reasons for hope. We talk about it all. This is an unedited conversation, recorded live-to-tape on November 4th, 2021. Read Brad's NYT editorial about the insurrection here , and support Stra...
Nov 10, 2021•52 min
This past July marked 5 years of publishing Exvangelical. In this minisode, I describe my new funding/listener support model. Read the full post here . When you support the show via Substack , I will donate 25% of net revenue to organizations that serve populations harmed by white evangelicalism. Those organizations are: White Homework , The Religious Trauma Institute , and REAP (The Religious Exemption Accountability Project). Support the show at $8/month and receive access to ad-free feeds of ...
Oct 22, 2021•10 min
In this episode, I chat with Paul Southwick & Erin Green of The Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP). Paul Southwick (he/him) is Director of REAP, and Erin Green (she/they) is REAP's Campus & Alumni Organizer. REAP has filed a landmark class action lawsuit, Elizabeth Hunter, et al. v. U.S. Department of Education, that challenges the religious exemption Christian college and other religious colleges use to deny LGBTQ+ students Title IX protections - and still receive federal...
Sep 30, 2021•59 min
On 9/9/21, I spoke with Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of the new book God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning . We talked about her time at Moody Bible Institute, experiencing 9/11 on a Christian campus, the similarities between Christian prophecy & secular transhumanism, and all sorts of other great things. Buy Meghan's book on Bookshop.org or at your local independent bookstore. (Yes, that is an affiliate link, and it helps the show). Follow Meghan on Twitt...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr
Recorded on 9/1/2021, I spoke with Peterson Toscano all the way in South Africa. Peterson is podcaster, performer, climate activist, and biblical scholar. In this conversation, Peterson talks about activism, trauma, and recognizing when to move on to other projects. We also talk about curiosity, the role of relationships in activism & He-Man! Learn all about Peterson's projects at https://petersontoscano.com/ Support my work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter . Follow...
Sep 17, 2021•37 min
In light of the TX SB8 law going into effect, and SCOTUS' refusal to strike it down, I am re-releasing this episode I recorded with Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism . This book is extremely helpful in detailing the strategies and tactics employed by Christian nationalist politicians and their allies. This interview part of Season 1 of Powers & Principalities. Listen to that season here . Follow me on Twitter @brchastain, o...
Sep 02, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Jamie Lee Finch, author of You Are Your Own, returns to the show! We had been planning to talk this month for quite some time, but our conversation has a different tenor than we anticipated. This is one conversation among many about issues surrounding exvangelical/deconstruction spaces--and this has happened before. Listen to the show for further context, but we’re still going to try and talk about why things like these moments of drama happen, and why these cycles of commentary occur: what is g...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr 44 min
Earlier this month, Tucker Carlson broadcast from Hungary. This was not an accident, as many figures in the Christian Right and far-right have cozied up to European autocrats like Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban. There's always a lot of simultaneous crises happening (the climate crisis, Afghanistan, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and more), but I think it might be beneficial to loop back to this story and learn what we can from Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powe...
Aug 19, 2021•59 min
This week, I spoke with Kevin Garcia & Rev. Sarah Heath (aka YFA, or Your Favorite Aunts). This is part 2 of our conversation, and you can hear part 1 over on Your Favorite Aunts! This conversation has a chill vibe. It's the type of quiet conversation you have in the corner at a party. I don't know about you, but that's not something I've experienced in well over a year, so this conversation ended up meaning a lot. We talk about how the pandemic affects caretakers, how it affects community, ...
Aug 12, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Kelsey McKinney, co-owner & features writer for Defector.com and author of the debut novel God Spare the Girls , joins the show! We talk about her novel, how getting to know people outside the evangelical bubble changes your perspective, her experiences in the media, and much more. God Spare the Girls tells the story of two daughters of a megachurch pastor whose rise to evangelical fame came from a viral speech about purity culture - and that's just how the story starts. When news of their f...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The hosts of Good Christian Fun join the show to talk about Christian school (with goats!), satellite home school curricula (Covenant Eyes included!) and much more! Follow GCF on Instagram , and Kevin & Caroline on there too. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain . Support the show via Substack . This episode was produced by Jake Lewis, thank you Jake! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.c...
Jul 02, 2021•1 hr 18 min
This week's guest is IMG's very own Josie Jimenez! Josie is the co-host of Irreverent Media Group's Making Spaces podcast as well as the podcast Speaking in Church . We talked on a Sunday afternoon and things got a little silly, talking about Josie's life, why expecting people to be the same is so damn boring, and all sorts of other stuff. Listen to Making Spaces with Josie Jimenez & Rev. Sarah Heath. Listen to Speaking in Church with Josie Jimenez & Spencer Rose Taylor. Follow Josie on ...
Jun 18, 2021•56 min
Emily Joy Allison returns to Exvangelical to talk about #SBC21, the recent departures of Beth Moore & Russell Moore (no relation) from the denomination, and her own direct action through protest. We also discuss the conservative resurgence in other denominations, how the media (and post-evangelicals of all stripes online) discuss bad theology, and how to respond to these types of conservative initiatives. This was recorded on Tuesday, June 15th 2021 and was not edited because the events we'r...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min
This week I'm publishing an episode of fellow Irreverent Media Group podcaster Kevin Garcia's show A Tiny Revolution. It's Pride Month and ATR is running a special series in conjunction with Beloved Arise. Listen to this episode featuring an interview with Blake Mundell to learn more about Beloved Arise. Subscribe to A Tiny Revolution anywhere you listen to podcasts, and follow Kevin on Instagram & Twitter . Kevin (they/them) describes ATR like this: "Because all revolutions begin as convers...
Jun 04, 2021•43 min
This episode is a re-release of my first interview with Mark Russell, author of several books including Second Coming , God is Disappointed in You , Apocrypha Now! , The Flintstones , Snagglepuss , Wonder Twins , Billionaire Island , and more. Superhero movies are returning to theaters soon, and I'm resurfacing this conversation because I think of it a lot when I think of superhero narratives in general. Mark Russell is one of my favorite comic book writers, whose ability to provide satirical an...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 10 min
This week's guest is Beth Allison Barr, author of the new book The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth . I'm joined by two guest co-hosts, Emily Autenrieth and Laura Navarro. The theology and practice of complementarianism in conservative Christian circles has shaped the lives of millions of women. For over a century, it has oppressed women and become a requirement for involvement and belonging in conservative churches. Dr. Barr's expertise in church hi...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 9 min
This week's guest is Rev. Lenny Duncan. Lenny is a pastor and the author of two books: Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US , and the forthcoming United States of Grace: A Memoir of Homelessness, Addiction, Incarceration, and Hope . In this conversation we talk about Rev. Duncan's life, his books, Christianity in America, and America overall. Please note there were some technical difficulties with this recording. Follow Lenny on Twitter and visit...
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min
