Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power – Details, episodes & analysis

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Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power

John Williamson

Society & Culture

Religion & Spirituality

Frequency: 1 episode/4d. Total Eps: 21

Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power is an investigative podcast exploring the rise of the Vineyard movement - from a humble network of churches to a sprawling global empire. Through in-depth research and firsthand accounts, this series examines how power, influence, and ambition shaped the movement's evolution, often at the expense of those who trusted it most. From its early days under John Wimber to its modern-day scandals, Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power uncovers the hidden costs of empire-building within evangelical Christianity and the well-meaning individuals caught in the crossfire.

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https://redcircle.com/brands
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http://www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUG8r66OjVo
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-8-qAnREhM
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https://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Queering-Heartland-Adey-Wassink/dp/1641801859
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Score global : 73%

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Full Interview: Ken Wilson

Season 1

Monday, June 30, 2025 • Duration 58:47

In this full-length interview, Spoiled Fruit sits down with Ken Wilson, founding pastor of Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor and one of the movement's earliest and most respected leaders.

For decades, Ken was known as a thoughtful, compassionate voice within the Vineyard - until he did something few pastors dared to do: publicly express support for LGBTQ+ inclusion. Despite years of faithful service, Ken was quietly pushed out, his legacy downplayed, and the church he founded taken over by those unwilling to even speak his name.

This is the first time Ken has publicly shared the full story of how his journey with the Vineyard ended - not because he left, but because he was no longer welcome.

Ken Wilson is the founding pastor of Vineyard Ann Arbor and the author of A Letter to My Congregation, a landmark book in the conversation around faith and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Recently retired from the ministry, Ken continues to write, teach, and advocate for a more expansive and inclusive expression of Christian faith.

Resources & Links:

www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/spoiled-fruit-faith-and-power/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Full Interview: JT Meyer pt. 2

Season 1

Friday, June 27, 2025 • Duration 59:37

In Part 2, JT Meyer recounts the aftermath of his decision to speak out. Despite his loyalty to the movement and attempts to engage in good-faith dialogue, JT was met with silence, isolation, and ultimately, exile from the Vineyard. He reflects on what he learned, the pastors who quietly supported him, and what a healthier, more just church could like.

This is a powerful look at the human cost of speaking the truth - and the hope that remains on the other side.

Content Warning: Includes themes of spiritual abuse, theological conflict, and pastoral isolation.

Resources: www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com

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Full Interview: JT Meyer pt. 1

Season 1

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 • Duration 45:25

In Part 1 of this two-part interview, former Vineyard pastor JT Meyer shares his journey into the Vineyard movement - from his early pastoral calling to his commitment to creating a more inclusive and honest spiritual community. JT walks us through the formative experiences that shaped his theology and pastoral style, and the growing tension he felt as he began advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion within a system that demanded silence.

This is a story of integrity, isolation, and the cost of refusing to compromise your values.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions about church exclusion, spiritual abuse, and LGBTQ+ marginalization.

Resources & Links:

www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com

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Full Interview - The Anderson Family

Season 1

Monday, June 23, 2025 • Duration 01:04:41

In this emotional and unfiltered interview, we hear from Heidi Anderson and her children - former members of Mile High Vineyard, led by current Vineyard USA National Director Jay Pathak. When two of Heidi's children bravely came forward to report abuse, they went to one of the people they felt safest with: their youth group leader.

But that leader failed to immediately report. And instead of care or accountability, the church responded by protecting its own - funding legal support for the youth pastor and eventually removing the Anderson family from the community entirely.

This conversation is about what happens when institutional preservation is prioritized over pastoral responsibility - and what it costs the families left behind.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, and institutional betrayal involving minors. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Resources & Links:

www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com

Full Interview: Dr. Paula Swindle

Season 1

Thursday, June 19, 2025 • Duration 58:03

In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, Dr. Paula Swindle helps us put words to the pain many have experienced but struggled to name. A scholar, psychologist, and trauma-informed spiritual care provider, Dr. Swindle brings deep insight into how religious systems - like Vineyard USA - can engage in spiritual bypass, silence dissent, and retraumatize survivors in the name of unity or divine authority.

We talk about how spiritual abuse often masquerades as "pastoral care," why some institutions confuse conflict avoidance with peacekeeping, and how survivors are often labeled as "gossips" or "divisive" simply for telling the truth.

If you've ever been made to feel like you're the problem for questioning abusive systems - this conversation is for you.

Guest Bio:

Paula Swindle is a licensed clinical mental health counselor/supervisor, an associate professor of counseling and the Hickory campus program coordinator for the counseling program.

Swindle’s more than 24 years of clinical work includes founding and providing counseling and consultation through the Center for Healing Religious Harm, youth and family therapy, private practice, inpatient and partial psychiatric services and designing and implementing mental health programs in medical settings such as cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation and oncology services. She is passionate about interdisciplinary work in medical settings.

She serves as Vice President of the Catawba Valley Association of Counselors and Therapists and provides clinical supervision services for provisionally licensed counselors in North Carolina. Her research interests include counseling in medical settings and counseling and spirituality, particularly in religious abuse. She is also a co-host of the podcast “Sacred Intersections” with local pastor Reverend Jill Isola, which focuses on the intersection between religion and mental health, particularly in the area of religious trauma and spiritual abuse.

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Chapter 8: The God Card - Power, Control, and the Death of Accountability

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 • Duration 34:30

In the season finale of Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power, we examine the final stage of Vineyard USA's transformation from grassroots revival to centralized authority. This chapter traces how real crisis - like the abuse scandal in Duluth - were used to justify a long-planned internal reorganization, giving a small group of leaders near-total control of the movement.

We explore how spiritual bypassing, gaslighting, and vague accusations of "gossip" were used to silence dissenters. Through the insights of Dr. Paula Swindle and Pastor Doug Warburton, we define these patterns for what they are: psychological and spiritual manipulation.

We honor the survivors - especially those in Duluth - and remember the young woman who lost her life. Because this story is about more than bylaws and policy. It's about people.

We conclude with a call to Vineyard's largest churches. If even a few demand change, the future could look different. But with 90% of churches already signed onto the new structure, the silence is deafening. Is this the version of Vineyard you still want?

Content Warning: This episode discusses spiritual abuse, systemic retraumatization, and suicide. Listen discretion is advised.

Call to Action:

Share this episode.

Contact your local Vineyard pastor.

Demand Accountability.

Call local and national media and ask them to pick up this story.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/spoiled-fruit-faith-and-power/exclusive-content

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Full Interview: Mandy Cavoto

Season 1

Thursday, June 12, 2025 • Duration 01:05:06

This is the full interview with Mandy Cavoto who, along with her husband Matt, were a part of the worship team at Mile High Vineyard in Denver, Colorado.

Many opens up about the spiritual abuse, the patterns of manipulation, and gaslighting she experienced there. She also reflects on her deep grief for the community she once loved, the cost of staying silent, and what healing has looked like in the aftermath. This conversation is raw, unflinching look at what happens when loyalty is weaponized and vulnerable staff members are left without protection or support.

Whether you've been following the story or are just tuning in, Mandy's story provides essential insight into the systemic failures explored throughout Spoiled Fruit.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional, spiritual, and institutional abuse, as well as references to traumatic experiences within faith communities. Listener discretion is advised.

For resources go to www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com/resources

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Full Interview: Reagan Waggoner

Season 1

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 • Duration 51:41

In this extended interview, former Vineyard pastor Reagan Waggoner shares his deeply personal journey from trusted leader to outspoken critic of Vineyard USA's handling of spiritual abuse, institutional accountability, and the controversial ReOrg process.

Reagan candidly discusses:

The troubling dynamics he observed in Vineyard's national leadership
His direct challenges to Jay Pathak and the chilling response
The emotional toll of being investigated for asking difficult questions
Why transparency, repentance, and reform matter more than institutional perservation

This conversation pulls back the curtain on a movement in crisis - and a leader who chose truth over silence, even at great personal cost.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of spiritual abuse, institutional betrayal, and emotional distress. Listener discretion is advised.

Legal Disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the position of this podcast or its producers. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

Resources Mentioned:

Spoiled Fruit Website: www.spoiledfruitpodcast.com
ReOrg Memo Analysis:
Guidpost Report Summary:

Follow us on:

Instagram: @spoiledfruitpod

TikTok: @spoiledfruitpodcast

Email us: spoiledfruitpodcast@gmail.com

Subscribe, rate, and share to help bring these stories to light.

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Chapter 7: Crisis as Currency

Season 1 · Episode 7

Monday, June 9, 2025 • Duration 51:33

Chapter 7: Crisis as Currency — How Vineyard Leveraged Collapse to Consolidate Power

Content Warning: This episode includes references to spiritual abuse, institutional manipulation, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

In Chapter 7, we examine how Vineyard USA used crisis—real and perceived—to reshape its power structures under the banner of reform. As major scandals unfolded in Duluth and Anaheim, national leaders capitalized on the chaos to push through a sweeping reorganization process known simply as the “ReOrg.”

We trace National Director Jay Pathak’s rise to power, exploring how his formation under leaders like Rich Nathan and Michael Gatlin shaped his leadership style—and how patterns of control, suppression of dissent, and spiritual bypassing followed him into his national role.

We also break down:

• The striking similarities between the 2020 internal ReOrg memo and the Guidepost Solutions assessment used later to justify structural change.

• How a flawed survey, a narrow assessment scope, and a potentially compromised investigator created the illusion of consensus.

• Why many pastors now believe the ReOrg wasn’t just reform—it was a strategic seizure of control, engineered by those already in power.

Finally, we ask: what happens when a movement founded on revival becomes obsessed with survival? And who pays the price when reform is built on the backs of the abused?

💬 Connect:

• 💻 Website:

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Full Interview: Adey & Tom Wassink

Season 1

Thursday, June 5, 2025 • Duration 01:29:33

📄 Show Notes:

In this episode of Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power, John sits down with Tom and Adey Wassink—former Vineyard pastors who led a thriving congregation in Iowa until their decision to fully affirm LGBTQ+ people placed them at odds with national leadership.

Their story is one of love, loss, resilience, and rebirth. In this powerful conversation, they speak candidly about the painful process of being pushed out of the Vineyard Movement, the courage it took to stand by their convictions, and the unexpected beauty they found on the other side.

Tom and Adey are also the authors of the newly released book, Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland—a deeply personal and theologically rich memoir that explores what it means to create truly inclusive sacred spaces.

💬 Topics covered:

– Their call to create an inclusive church

– The reaction from Vineyard leadership

– How their congregation responded

– Building a sanctuary outside the system

– What it costs to live out affirming faith in the evangelical world

– Insights from Sanctuary and hopes for the future

📚 Grab the book:

Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland is available now wherever books are sold.

Like the music used in this episode?

The song you heard is "You Must Go" by Forrest Clay from the Recover EP. It's available anywhere you find your music!

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Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power – Details, episodes & analysis

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Spoiled Fruit: Faith & Power – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other17

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RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

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