Holy Heretics: Losing Religion & Finding Jesus
The EXvangelical podcast that addresses your questions about faith, politics, how we got here, and how to move forward. No topic is off-limits as we have conversations with scholars, spiritual seekers, and activists in our quest to uncover the heart of faith.
Ep. 44: Black Liberation: My Journey out of White Evangelicalism w/ Dante Stewart
It’s one thing to deconstruct white evangelicalism. It’s quite another to leave white spaces, white theology, and white privilege. Dante Stewart shows us the Way out of slaveholder religion in this epistle about his life’s journey.
Ep. 43: Inventing Whiteness: How Race Broke My Family & The World w/ Lisa Sharon Harper
Deconstructing your faith from white privilege, white supremacy, and white spaces might be some of the most important work you do on your spiritual journey. Lisa Sharon Harper points the way toward racial equality and restoration by sharing how race broke her family and our world.
Ep. 42: The Enneagram: Your Number, Your Needs w/ Suzanne Stabile
“Few people can teach you the Enneagram with the genuine insight, humor, and potential for real growth and change better than Suzanne Stabile, writes Father Richard Rohr.
Ep. 41: DeColonize Your Faith w/Dr. Randy Woodley
Subduing the earth, female submission, white supremacy, male domination, and the culture wars are all byproducts of colonizer Christianity. Can Western Christianity be saved from its desire to dominate the world? Only if we tap into our indigenous pathways.
Ep. 40: How Buddhism Changed My Evangelical Mind w/ Danielle Shroyer
The Eightfold Path of Buddhism, as well as the daily practice of mediation, just might make you a better Christian as you begin your deconstruction journey.
Ep. 39 Heart Burnin’, Still Yearnin’: The Future of Faith w/ Brian Zahnd
Deconstruction has become a dirty word in evangelical circles. Some people think all we want to do is burn Christianity to the ground.
Ep. 38: Recovering From Evangelicalism: The 5 Noble Truths of Deconstruction
Recovering from evangelicalism is a lot like recovering from an addiction. In this introductory episode to season two, we uncover the five noble truths of deconstruction.
Ep. 37: Deconstructing Trumpism with CNN’s Kirsten Powers
Politics continue to be the most divisive aspect of American culture, especially in a post-truth world where Christian Nationalists are willing to get in bed with anyone, including Donald Trump, to maintain cultural hegemony. CNN’s Kirsten Powers helps us navigate this space with grace.
Ep. 36: Reflecting on Season 1
After 30 interviews and 35 episodes, Gary Alan and Melanie look back, reflecting on what they’ve learned, what surprised them, where they hope to go with Season 2, and more.
BONUS: Cussing, Smoking, & Tattoos—Oh My! w/ The Space Between & Uncertain
Why are we so offended by “cussing”? Is someone really “going downhill” if they smoke tobacco or have tattoos? Melanie joins Katherine from Uncertain…
Ep. 35: Do I Have Religious Trauma? w/ Dr. Laura Anderson
Religious trauma is sneaky for so many reasons, perhaps no more so than the fact that trauma of any kind was minimized or delegitimized by religious leaders. So many of us…
Ep. 34: When Racism and Compassion Collide (pt. 2) w/ Deconstructing Black
Continuing our conversation from last week (click here to listen to the first part) with C Davis, we hear more about her faith journey, as well as chat about why she is able to have…
Ep. 33: When Racism and Compassion Collide (pt. 1) w/ Deconstructing Black
From being raised in a predominantly Black church to finding herself in predominantly white megachurches to calling herself an atheist today, C Davis has had quite the faith journey….
Bonus: Responding to Joshua Harris & “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” w/ Uncertain Podcast & The New Evangelicals
Recently, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (a Christianity Today podcast that looks into why Mars Hill church met such a quick demise, released a bonus episode. In the episode, host Mike Cosper…
Ep. 32: The Discipleship of Decolonization w/ Ched Myers
When your entire understanding of God, Jesus, and faith is filtered through the lens of the settler, it changes everything. But as today’s guest points out, it’s to our own detriment. Author Ched Myers…
Ep. 31: Reclaiming Christian Politics w/ Charlie McCallie
We all hate politics. With every politician and candidate seemingly corrupt af, voting has turned into an exercise of futility and despair. But our guest today, Charlie McCallie, is…
Ep. 30: Does the Evangelical Church Need to Die? w/ The New Evangelicals (Tim Whitaker)
Is the American Evangelical Church worth saving? Or is it beyond repair? Many ex-vangelicals are ready to let it die and build something new in its place. But in this episode, we…
Ep. 29: Why Purity Culture Doesn’t Work (in More Ways Than One) w/ Talk Purity to Me (Blair)
After growing up in the south in the heyday of purity culture, Blair of @TalkPurityToMe recognized that she needed to relearn how to relate to herself and others. Once she healed…
Ep. 28: “Don’t Hurt the Witness of the Church” w/ That Loud Deconstructing One (Julia)
If you’ve ever been told not to speak up so you don’t “hurt the witness of the Church,” or if you’ve been discouraged from calling out toxic behavior because Christians are…
Ep. 27: Is God in Control? w/ Dr. Thomas Oord
“God’s got this!” “Let go and let God.” “Everything will be okay in the end.” Despite being great bumper stickers, these sayings actually cause more theological problems than…
Become a Patreon Supporter
We love being able to dream up and bring to fruition all our wild ideas for episodes, but it’s just the two of us doing it in our free time. If you have been impacted by our work OR if you’d like to get exclusive content and episodes in the future, please consider supporting us via Patreon! Your financial support gives us the time we need to make this podcast a reality.