Explore every episode of the podcast Exvangelical

In this minisode, I talk about the 2023 Census of American Religion published by PRRI. This is an adaptation & expansion of my latest post at The Post-Evangelical Post. Exvangelical & Beyond comes out in under a month! Pre-order now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Today's guest is the author Tia Levings, writer of the new book A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy. You may also know her from the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People and her newsletter The Anti-Fundamentalist. Her memoir is visceral and powerful, and just joined the bestseller list. Buy it here (this link supports the show). Content warning: Tia's story is a survivor story and includes aspects of trauma and abuse. Please note that Descript (my editing software) was over-zealous in removing "filler words" so while I usually remove my "ums" as much as possible, I had to publish this episode with them intact. Pre-order my book, Exvangelical & Beyond, which hits stores on 9/24/2024! Support the show via my newsletter: postevangelicalpost.com Follow me on Instagram/Threads: @brchastain_ 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

My book, Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back, will be coming out in just under a couple of months on 9/24/24. The publisher, Tarcher Perigee, has opened up applications to join the Launch Team! Up to 50 people will be chosen to receive an early digital download of the book, as well as other bonus content. Enter to join the Launch Team using this form. I've been traveling for most of July; new interview episodes are coming soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In this episode, I talk to Tyler Huckabee from Clusterhuck. We go deep into the X-Men comics, especially the Krakoan Era (the most recent status quo in the X-Men line that ran from 2019-2024. Start with the House of X / Powers of X collected edition.) This is just a fun nerdy time. Subscribe to Tyler's newsletter, Clusterhuck. - Book News: I will be having an event at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL on 9/23/24 at 7:00 p.m.! Register here. Support my work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. 25% of net proceeds are donated annually. 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

In this episode, I got to speak to Timothy Morton. They are the author of over 20 books, including their most recent, Hell: In Search of A Christian Ecology. Timothy is a recent convert to Christianity after decades exploring Buddhism and other philosophies, and their prior book Hyperobjects was very helpful in the development of my manuscript. We talk about environmentalism, neologisms, hyperobjects, and much more. This is a wide-ranging and lightly-edited interview. Content note: this conversation includes discussion of child abuse, sexual abuse, and complex PTSD. Learn more about Timothy Morton's other books and works here. Pre-order my book, Exvangelical & Beyond, here. Kirkus Reviews has written a starred review of the book, which you can read here. Support my work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post (free subscriptions are also available). 25% of net proceeds are donated annually. 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

Today I'm sharing my recent conversation with Cait West, author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy. This is a great debut memoir from West and a wonderful addition to this growing genre of books. I was very grateful to be able to talk to her. You can buy the book (and support this show) by using this affiliate link. TarcherPerigee & Goodreads are doing an advanced copy giveaway for my book, Exvangelical & Beyond! Enter to win 1 of 25 advance copies today through 6/21/24. Enter here. Keep up with all my activities via my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. Subscribe for free or upgrade to paid at $5/month or $50/year (25% of net proceeds are donated). Follow Blake on Threads & Instagram @brchastain_ Follow Cait West on Threads & Instagram @caitwestwrites Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

May has been busy! Today I'm highlighting a conversation I had last year with Scott Okamoto, author of Asian American Apostate. In an extended intro, I also share the news about the cover reveal of my forthcoming book, Exvangelical & Beyond. You can pre-order it here. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter: postevangelicalpost.com Follow me on Threads: @brchastain_ Message me at contact@exvangelicalpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In today's episode I talk to Jason Kirk, author of the novel Hell Is a World Without You. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a hormonal evangelical teenage boy in the late-90s/early oughts (or want to revisit your mindset if you were that teenage boy), this is the book for you. This is a fun conversation. You can purchase the book through your local bookseller, via Post Ev Post's bookshop.org page, or via this Amazon link if you are in the Kindle ecosystem. Subscribe to Jason's newsletter here. Support this show with a paid subscription to Post-Ev Post. 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 is a re-release of my October 2022 interview with author Becca Andrews about her book No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right. I was reminded of the importance of this book and others like it after reading a Wired article titled "‘In 24 Hours, You’ll Have Your Pills’: American Women Are Traveling to Mexico for Abortions." These are the lengths people who need reproductive care must go to in a post-Roe world. Becca's book details the stories of people in need of reproductive care and their allies, both before Roe and in places where abortion and other care was restricted prior to Roe's fall. 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—including abortion—with tenderness and compassion. They are told in their contexts within the book; we do not appropriate them for this conversation. I highly recommend that you go out and purchase this book to read them for yourself.  Learn more about Becca's work at https://becca-andrews.com/ Purchase the book via PEP’s Bookshop.org page or via this Amazon affiliate link to support the show - and subscribe below to keep up to date with my work. 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 talking to Sarah McCammon, NPR political correspondent and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. We talk about her personal experiences within white evangelicalism as well as how that informed her role as a journalist covering the 2015-2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, as well as how media coverage of religion & social life has changed since then. You can purchase her book, and support this show, by purchasing it from The Post-Evangelical Post's Bookshop.org page here. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post. Support my work via a paid subscription at $5/month or $50/year at postevangelicalpost.com. 25% of net proceeds are donated. 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 I'm joined by Matthew Sheffield from Flux. We discuss Mormonism & evangelicalism, his experiences in right-wing media, and the 2024 election. It's a broad-reaching conversation that I hope you enjoy. Follow Matthew's work at Flux, including the podcasts Theory of Change, Doomscroll, and So This Just Happened. Links: I appeared on Theory of Change last October, check it out here. We discuss the findings from this CNN article re: the SC GOP primaries and Matthew's piece about authoritarianism. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support my work with a paid subscription at $5/month or $50/year at postevangelicalpost.com Follow Blake on Threads @brchastain_ 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 I'm re-releasing my conversation with Beth Allison Barr, author of the 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 Agase. 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 history illustrates that - despite the claims of complementarianism's proponents - this is a newer understanding of Christian history and scripture, and not an unchanging, millennia-long orthodox belief. This is a book that has spurred conversation inside and outside the church. You can purchase the book here or from A Seat at the Table Books. Follow Dr. Barr on Threads: @bethallisonbarr Order books from A Seat at the Table Books. Follow Blake on Threads @brchastain, and follow the podcast on Twitter & Instagram @exvangelicalpod. Exvangelical is part of Irreverent Media Group. Learn more at irreverent.fm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Today's guest is Lenny Duncan, author of the new book Psalms of My People: A Story of Black Liberation as Told through Hip-Hop. This is a wide-ranging conversation, and I can't wait for you to listen. This conversation is another entry in my new series, The Good Books. A new feed should be available soon. To support this show, head over to postevangelicalpost.com and subscribe for free or $5/month. The site is currently hosted on Substack, but I am exploring options to move to a new platform. Drop me at line at contact@exvangelicalpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Hello, 2024! Today I'm overjoyed to share my conversation with Kevin Garcia about their new book, What Makes You Bloom: Cultivating a Practice for Connecting with Your Divine Self. This book is all about establishing new spiritual practices after leaving rigid fundamentalism, and I hope you check it out after listening to our chat. This episode has a longer intro explaining the multiple hiatuses in 2023, finishing my manuscript, my plans for a new show called The Good Books, and updates about eventually moving from Substack. The interview starts at around the 4:30 mark (dynamic ads may affect that start time). Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com 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 is Dr. Laura Anderson, author of the book When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. We talk about the definitions of trauma and abuse, what drew her to this work, the importance of embodiment, and more. Find all the ways to follow Laura online at https://drlauraeanderson.com/ Support this podcast with a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter. Subscribe for free or upgrade to $5/month or $50/year to get ad-free podcast feeds. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com - As noted in the intro, I want to acknowledge that two days after my last episode was published, the war in Gaza began. I'm not the person to listen to in this moment. Here are some essays that have spoken to me and helped me understand this moment: "a lot of things are true." by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg "Speech and Speechlessness," by Talia Lavin "The Children Are Ours," by Camille Hernandez Churches for Middle East Peace, October 12th letter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

It's been a minute--well, more than a minute. Almost 4 months. Glad to be back to share this interview with Matthias Roberts, author of the new book Holy Runaways: Rediscovering Faith After Being Burned by Religion. We talk about Matthias' story, the language we use to describe our experiences, 'progressive fundamentalism,' and the reality of ~ the slippery slope ~. Let me know what you think - email me at contact@exvangelicalpodcast.com Learn more about Matthias's work at matthiasroberts.com. You can support my work by subscribing to my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post; subscribe for free, or upgrade to a paid subscribscription at $5/month at postevangelicalpost.com/subscribe. Paid subscriptions get ad-free podcast feeds and subscriber-only content. --- I did continue to write during my hiatus. Here are some updates: The Extreme Self The Impossibility of Fallow Periods Online An update on Exvangelical & Beyond The Comfort of Fictional Religions: The Spark Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Happy Pride, everyone! I'm re-releasing this 2021 interview with Erin Green and Paul Southwick of The Religious Exemption Accountability Project. CW: this conversation includes discussion of sexual and gender discrimination and other forms of abuse. We talk about how LGBTQ+ students are treated by college administrations, how LGBTQ+ students end up at religious colleges, the history of religious colleges resisting civil rights, and why a formal legal challenge is important. In March 2021, REAP filed "a historic, class-action lawsuit representing 33 LGBTQ students and alumni from religious colleges demanding that the U.S. Department of Education to stop granting religious exemptions to taxpayer-funded religious colleges and universities that discriminate against and abuse their LGBTQ students. Learn more about the lawsuit and meet our plaintiffs here." In January 2023, that initial complaint was dismissed, but an appeal has been filed. For the full timeline of their case, visit https://www.thereap.org/lawsuit. REAP is also very active on social media and recently ran a #cantpraythegayaway campaign. Follow them on Instagram. Support the podcast via a subscription to my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. For $5/month or $50/year you'll get ad-free podcast feeds, subscriber only writing, and more. Read my latest essay, "I Still Haven't Socially Recovered from Lockdown," that I mentioned in the intro. You can also subscribe for free. Visit postevangelicalpost.com to subscribe. 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 I welcome R. Scott Okamato back to the show to discuss his book Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University. We talk about his life as a professor at an evangelical college, the classroom experience, pushing back against Whiteness as an Asian American man, and how he found community on and off campus. Scott is also the host of the Chapel Probation podcast. Blake was a guest! Check out Scott's prior appearance on Exvangelical. Buy Scott's book from Bookshop.org and support this show. Use Kindle? Use this link. Support this show via a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post at $5/month or $50/year. 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

In this short episode, I talk about some of the books I'm reading right now. I wrote about them earlier this week for Post-Ev Post. The books discussed: Asian American Apostate by R. Scott Okamoto. Bookshop | Amazon The Flowering Wand by Sophie Strand Bookshop | Amazon Finding the Fool by Meg Jones Wall Bookshop | Amazon The Heartland by Kristin L. Hoganson Bookshop | Amazon Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC and a member of Irreverent Media Group. Support the show by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post for $5/month or $50/year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In this episode, I catch up with Holly Laurent from MEGA, the satirical improv show about a fictional megachurch. We last spoke in 2019, and a lot has changed since then. We talk about improv, comedy & satire, and the upcoming MEGA spinoff, The Rise and Fall of Twin Hills. Find out more about MEGA at their website. Support this show via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Subscribe for free or upgrade to $5/month or $50/year to get ad-free podcast feeds and more. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC, and a member of the Irreverent Media Group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

New interviews are recorded and being planned, but not ready to be published. Various other commitments in life have taken precedent. In lieu of an interview, I'm publishing an audio version of an essay I wrote called "On Public & Private Griefs" last fall on The Post-Evangelical Post. Thanks for listening. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. The Post-Evangelical Post is a newsletter about belief, technology, and society--with a focus on US white evangelicalism. Subscribe for free or upgrade at $5/month or $50/year to receive ad-free podcast feeds and more. 25% of net proceeds are donated. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com/support. Exvangelical is a part of Irreverent Media Group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In this episode, I interview Gloria Beth Amodeo, author of the memoir God's Ex-Girlfriend: A Memoir about Loving and Leaving the Evangelical Jesus. We talk about her college-age conversion to evangelicalism through Cru, how purity culture and gender norms are enforced, and much more in this wide-ranging conversation. Support Gloria Beth Amodeo & Exvangelical by buying her book from The Post-Evangelical Posts's bookshop.org page - or if you prefer ebooks, from my Amazon affiliate link. Follow Gloria Beth on Twitter. Support this show and all of Blake's work with a $5/month subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post on Substack. Benefits include ad-free feeds, Discord access, a subscriber-only podcast, and exclusive writing. 25% of net proceeds are donated. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com/support. 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 Lenny Duncan, author of the new book Dear Revolutionaries: A Field Guide for A World Beyond the Church.  In this brief talk, Lenny and I discuss church, the thought leader industrial complex, and more. A couple notes: we had a short window to talk, and I captured as much as I could during that time. You may hear some occasional sounds in the audio including from some bangles Lenny was wearing; I think it adds to the ambience personally, but your mileage may vary.  Buy Lenny's book on Bookshop.org to support the show. Follow Lenny's Substack, A Sorcerer's Notebook. You can support my work by using the show notes link to buy Lenny’s book from Bookshop.org above , or by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter at $5/month or $50 year at postevangelicalpost.com. I donate 25% of net proceeds; check out the Support page to learn more.  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

In this short episode, I talk about producing 200 episodes of this show: how it started, where it's been, what might be next. A new interview episode will be posted this week. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this work via a subscription at $5/month or $50/year at postevangelicalpost.com. Benefits include ad-free podcast feeds, supporter-only podcast & writing, and Discord access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In this episode from 2020, 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_, and subscribe to his newsletter The Post-Evangelical Post. This episode was produced by Jake Lewis. 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

IN this chill conversation with return guest Kevin Garcia, I talk to them about what we should expect from community, how online communities don't reflect the ones we might have left, and how this balances out with our desire for personal autonomy after leaving unhealthy communities. We get into it. It's fun. Follow Kevin on Instagram: @thekevingarcia. Support this show via a $5/month subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. 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

Listeners, come see me w/ Brad Onishi of Straight White American Jesus & Tim Whitaker of The New Evangelicals in Philly on 2/11/23! Get tickets here and use code 50 at checkout to get 50% off! It's an archival episode! In September 2021, 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 Twitter. Support the show directly via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter at $5/month or $50/year - 25% of net proceeds are donated to The Religious Exemption Accountability Project and White Homework. Follow Blake on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC and a part of the Irreverent Media Group podcast collective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 more. Visit decon2023.com to register. 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

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 show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 to share the Bible. And white evangelicals have built many institutions and businesses in order to do just that. The most recent and high-profile of these institutions is The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. And that’s where this season begins. My guests for this episode are Cavan Concannon and Jill Hicks-Keeton, authors of the new book Does Scripture Speak for Itself?: The Museum of the Bible and the Politics of Interpretation. Their book takes a critical look at the Museum of the Bible, and the story it is hoping to tell about the Bible. As you’ll hear, it is a very particular perspective on the Bible, and it trying to legitimate that perspective on the national scale. By placing the Museum of the Bible in the long lineage of other evangelical institutions established with similar ends, Concannon and Hicks-Keeton provide a necessary critique of this most recent attempt to prioritize and prefer the evangelical perspective, to the detriment of all others who lay similar claim to Scriptures. I can wait for you to hear this conversation.  Help support my work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Subscribe for free, upgrade to a paid tier, and find other ways to support my work at postevangelicalpost.com/support. Powers & Principalities is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. This episode was produced by Podcat Audio. Theme music by Jacob Lewis. 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 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—including abortion—with tenderness and compassion. They are told in their contexts within the book; we do not appropriate them for this conversation. I highly recommend that you go out and purchase this book to read them for yourself.  Learn more about Becca's work at https://becca-andrews.com/ Support my work by subscribing for free - or upgrade to paid at $4, $6, or $8 a month and get ad-free podcast feeds and more - at https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about/. - Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. This episode was produced 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

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 show. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. 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

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 show: You can rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can tell people about the show. You can also support the show by subscribing to my Substack publication, The Post-Evangelical Post, for free, or upgrade to paid at $4, $6, or $8 per month and get access to: ad-free podcast feeds, Discord, and more. I donate 25% of my net revenue to The Religious Exemption Accountability Project and White Homework. Post-Ev Post is where you’ll find all my writing and podcasting. Learn more at postevangelicalpost.com Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. This interview 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

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 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 has since entered into the lexicon of conservative politicians and pundits as a point of pride. I wrote about this recently for RNS. Perry & Whitehead have been busy since this book was published, as people across the country try . Perry co-authored another book, The Flag & The Cross [affiliate link], with Phillip Gorski, and Whitehead was recently a part of Jemar Tisby’s series “Those Meddling Kids: Unmasking the Anti-CRT Crusade in Christian Nationalism.” I’ll be recording new episodes in the coming weeks, so hang tight. As always, you can support the show via a subscription to my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. Visit postevangelicalpost.com to subscribe at $4, $6, or $8 per month. You’ll get ad-free podcast feeds, Discord access, and more. I donate 25% of net revenue to The Religious Exemption Accountability Project and White Homework. You can also rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  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

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 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 being posted. Visit Jo's linktree to learn more about their work. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post. You can subscribe to my newsletter of the same name, The Post-Evangelical Post, at postevangelicalpost.com. That’s postevangelicalpost.com, because all my ideas begin as puns. You can subscribe for free, or upgrade to a paid subscription at $4/6/8 a month, and get access to ad-free podcast feeds and more. 25% of net revenue is donated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

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 and iFanboy! Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post. There’s several ways you can support my work. The most direct way is to become a patron/paid subscriber of my Substack, The Post-Evangelical Post. You can subscribe at 4, 6, 8/month and you will get ad-free podcast feeds as well as Discord access and subscriber-exclusive writing. There’s also free tiers, where you’ll get my writing, show notes, etc.  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 Rohadi Nagassar, host of the Faith in a Fresh Vibe podcast and author of the new book When We Belong: Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins. We talk about identity, the differences and similarities between Canadian and American churches, and much more! This interview was recorded in February 2022. Check out Rohadi’s podcast, and follow him on Instagram. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Subscribe for free at postevangelicalpost.com or $4, $6, or $8 and get ad-free podcasts, subscriber exclusive posts, 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

Note: there is a leveling discrepancy between the intro comments and the interview, which begins around the 10:30 mark. There's been two major shootings in the last two weeks. I try to piece together some thoughts, and combine a couple things from recent essays, in the intro to this re-released episode with Robert Jones. I guess it's best to just listen. Essays I adapt for the intro: Let the circle be broken. Live Free and Die. The interview is part of season 1 of Powers & Principalities, which is about white evangelicalism & Christian nationalism. Interview description: My guest 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, the findings of the Racism Index, and much more. Boilerplate: Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this show and all of Blake's work at $4, $6, or $8 per month at postevangelicalpost.com and get ad-free podcast feeds, access to the supporter Discord, and subscriber-exclusive posts. 25% of net revenue from subscriptions is donated. 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 Nick Ripatrizone. Nick is a writer for The Millions, culture editor for Image Journal and author of the new book Digital Communion: Marshall McLuhan’s Vision for a Virtual Age. Marshall McLuhan was a "prophet of the digital age," whose prescient writings about "electronic man" in the 60s and 70s anticipated the effects that new media such as television and what he called "electric circuitry" would have on individuals and society. (The tech-oriented "Shaped by Tools" vertical of The Post-Evangelical Post is named after the McLuhan axiom "First we shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us." Ripatrizone's book explores how McLuhan's religious convictions (he was nominally raised Protestant in Canada, and converted to Catholicism during early adulthood) and outlook informed how he saw the world. This is a really fascinating conversation and I hope you'll check out Nick's book, as well as McLuhan's, after listening. Follow Nick on Twitter and buy his book via your local bookstore or Bookshop.org (affiliate link). Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support this show and all of Blake's work at $4, $6, or $8 per month at postevangelicalpost.com and get ad-free podcast feeds, access to the supporter Discord, and subscriber-exclusive posts. 25% of net revenue from subscriptions is donated. McLuhan's books: The Medium is the Massage Understanding Media Listen to The Medium is the Massage album on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about