Recommended Podcasts

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Last updated 11/26/2024

4-Freedom | A podcast by former Independent Fundamental Baptists for current and transitioning IFB'ers; the first 60ish episodes, particularly the KJ Onlyism series, are good | NS2

Almost Heretical | Honest wrestlings with the Bible beyond what is welcome in church | NS2

A Pastor and Philosopher Walk into a Bar | Theology, philosophy, and alcohol converge for some of the most respectful and thought-provoking dialogue you'll find in a Christian podcast | NS2

Attached to the Invisible | A therapist evaluates Christian culture through the lens of attachment theory | NS1

The Bible for Normal People | The stuff most people have never heard about the Bible but should have been taught from the beginning | NS4

Bible Project | The gold standard in theme-based studies that present the big picture of the Bible | NS3

Biblical Time Machine | Scholarly studies into the history of people and places in the Bible | NS2

Confronting Christian Nationalism | A short miniseries from Vote Common Good that explains the basics of Christian Nationalism and why the movement is far more insidious than you might think | NS1

Data Over Dogma | A lighthearted approach to scholarly issues not usually discussed in church | NS3

Digital Hammurabi | A nerdy deep dive into the world of the Bible and the culture of its day | NS4

Emerged | "An oral history of the emerging church movement" by its former leaders | NS1

Evangelicalish | "Discussing the good, the bad and the ugly of the American evangelical church, deconstruction, faith and God's love through it all." | NS2     

Finding Normal: Life after Spiritual Trauma | Unfiltered discussions on healing from abusive church cultures | NS1

Leaving Eden | Lengthy, well-researched episodes exploring the backstory of the IFB and cults, hosted by a cult survivor (Content Warning for many episodes as the nature of the podcast is to address abuse) | NS2

Misquoting Jesus | Insights into text criticism, non-canonical books, and early church history with Bart Ehrman | NS3

The Naked Bible Podcast | Biblical theology focused on explaining the cultural context of the ancient world of the Bible [Everyone who wants to improve their Bible study should listen to episodes 16-33 especially; they're short and packed with practical advice and resources. The episode notes provide lists of the resources mentioned.]  | NS5

Preacher Boys Podcast | A series dedicated to naming abuses in the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement that have often been covered up or ignored (Content Warning for many episodes as the nature of the podcast is to address abuse) | NS1

Prophetic Imagination Station | In-depth critique of Christian culture including Adventures in Odyssey, Amish romance novels, Christian rock, The Good Place tv show, and more in the first several seasons | NS1

Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult | A limited series deep dive into the sordid past and present of Bob Jones University. Andrew has also started a follow-up podcast called Beyond BJU: Exposing Fundamentalism. Side note, in both series, Andrew shares several stories of LGBTQIA+ students at BJU. Their stories and the rest of the information he shares are worth listening to, even for Christians who may disagree on issues of sexuality. (Content Warning for many episodes as the nature of both podcasts is to address abuse)| NS1

You Have Permission | Intended for "anyone who finds themselves asking difficult questions about God, science, prayer, fate, suffering, evangelism, and more." | NS2

America Can Never Be a Christian Nation (Ep. 47) | Faith for Normal People | An insightful guide for viewing politics through a Christian lens | NS1 

"Aren't You Just Bitter?" - An Interview w/ Nathan Cravatt | 4-Freedom | An examination of why people lob the label of bitter at hurting people and why that's not helpful | NS1

Attachment Theory & God | Faith for Normal People | A simple introduction to the concept of attachment theory and how it can explain why you might feel distant from God | NS2

Baptist Successionism (3-part series) | 4-Freedom | An in-depth discussion on the belief some Baptists hold that a line of Baptist-esque Christians can be drawn all the way back to Jesus and why that's inaccurate | NS2

Barbie Is Satanic (Ep. 145) | Leaving Eden | An exploration into the banned toys of Christian fundamentalism | NS1

Bart and the Bible: What Made Bart Ehrman Change His View on Biblical Inerrancy? | Misquoting Jesus | Bart Ehrman's personal story of leaving the evangelical church | NS2

The Bible, Evangelicalism & Propaganda w/ Scott Coley | Pastor and Philosopher | Discussions on why calling a belief system "the biblical view" is counter-productive, fundamentalists are moral relativists, and much of popular Christian rhetoric is actually propaganda | NS2

The Book of Belonging: An Interview w/ Mariko Clark and Rachel Eleanor | Pastor and Philosopher | A chat with the creators of a new children's Bible that covers how you can better share Bible stories with your children | NS1

Can the New Testament Possibly Be True? | Misquoting Jesus | An introduction to key questions in textual criticism and the difference between historical accuracy and meaning | NS2

Can There Be Meaning in a World without God? | Misquoting Jesus | Bart Ehrman's personal story of finding meaning in life post-deconstruction | NS2

Christianity and Conspiracy Theories (Ep. 207) | You Have Permission | Challenging and respectful thoughts on the intersection of biblical literalism, Christian nationalism, and a conspiracy mindset | NS2

Conference Interviews Part 5 (Ep. 132) | Naked Bible | Michael Heiser interviews accomplished scholars John Walton, Ben Witherington, and Tremper Longman | NS2

Confronting Divine Violence and Genocide - With Dr. Eric Seibert | Rethinking Faith | A nuanced conversation to develop a more honest relationship with the violent passages in the Bible | NS2

A Crash Course in Biblical History with Dan McClellan  (Ep. 71) | Biblical Time Machine | An overview of biblical history in an hour | NS2

David Dark - Doubt as a Holy Task (Ep. 42) | Faith for Normal People | A helpful conversation on the place doubt and curiosity should have alongside faith | NS1

Destroy the Me that Lives Inside | This Is the Bad Place | Patreon-only episode that explains in less than 10 minutes why Mr. Rogers had better theology than John Piper | NS1

Did Jesus' Disciples Think He Was God? | Misquoting Jesus | Discussion on how the ancients believed a god could become a human and a human could become a god and how that affected the beliefs of the New Testament writers | NS2

The Difference between Biblical Studies and Theology (Ep. 276) | Bible for Normal People | Helpful explanations of two different fields of Christian scholarship and why the differences matter | NS2

Does Biblical Scholarship Destroy Faith? | Misquoting Jesus | A former evangelical's responses to popular claims about universities turning Christians into atheists | NS1 

Enjoying The Old Testament??? - With Eric Seibert | Rethinking Faith | Walking through some problem passages and reasons why the Old Testament can be difficult for many to appreciate with a leading voice on divine violence | NS2

Fakes, Felonies, and the Museum of the Bible: Interview with Dr. Joel Baden | Digital Hammurabi | An explanation of what went wrong with Hobby Lobby's Museum of the Bible and why it was never actually about the history of the Bible | NS2

Family Enmeshment Courtesy of Dr. Dobson | This Is the Bad Place | Patreon-only episode discussing the harms of Dr. James Dobson's teachings many Christians were taught | NS1

Family Enmeshment Courtesy of Dr. Dobson Part 2 | This Is the Bad Place | Patreon-only episode talking through navigating difficult family relationships, especially around the holidays | NS1

First Shamecore Records episode up now! | This Is the Bad Place | Patreon-only episode tracing the lack of Emotional Intelligence in many Christians to Tim LaHaye's 1966 book, Spirit-Controlled Temperament. If you've ever wondered why so many preachers seem anti-emotion in favor of cold cognition, this connection will be mind-blowing. If you haven't noticed that, it's still worth a listen. | NS1

Frank Peretti's America Episode 8: This Present Abuse Problem (Interview with Connie Baker, LPC) | The Prophetic Imagination Station | An exploration of the link between abuse in churches and the worldview present in Frank Peretti's novels | NS2 

Frank Peretti's America Episode 9: This Passing Darkness | The Prophetic Imagination Station | An exploration of the link between sexual abuse and conspiratorial mindsets in churches and the worldview present in Frank Peretti's novels | NS2 

God and Deception (Ep. 210) | Naked Bible | A nerdy study into God's relationship with the truth that just might challenge your idea of what the Bible teaches about lying | NS2

God, Goodness, and Choice: A Conversation with Bruce Reyes-Chow | Pastor and Philosopher | Insightful discussion choosing " faith in the midst of a bleeding world and an often broken church" | NS2

Hillary McBride and Preston McDaniel Hill - Mental Health in a Faith Transition (Ep. 49) | Faith for Normal People | The perfect episode for those who are deconstructing to feel validated and for those who struggle to understand why others deconstruct to gain a better comprehension of the difficulty of the process | NS2

History of the IFB (6-part series) | 4-Freedom | A thorough history of the dubious origins of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement in America | NS2

How Did Christianity Take Over the Roman World? | Misquoting Jesus | Responses to common ideas of why Christianity spread so quickly in the centuries after Jesus | NS2

How Rapture Theology Shaped America (2-part series) | Holy Post | An overview of the recent roots of rapture theology and the psychological harm it has caused many | NS2

Hugo Méndez - Who Wrote John? (Ep. 272) | Bible for Normal People | An insider's glance into the world of textual criticism and some of the key questions scholars ask when studying biblical texts | NS3

I Kissed Christian Romance Goodbye | The Prophetic Imagination Station | A critique of some of the most problematic aspects of Josh Harris' popular relationship book | NS1

IFB Modesty Rules (Ep. 159) | Leaving Eden | An in-depth explanation for those who did not grow up female in high control religion to understand the extreme regulations placed on those who did | NS1

Interview with Sonya Cronin | The Prophetic Imagination Station | A discussion on the intersection of the Bible and fantasy literature including Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter | NS2

Is Education Really Indoctrination? | Beyond BJU | Conversation with Rachel Bernstein on the difference between legitimate education and religious indoctrination | NS1

Is Religion Make-Believe? with Neil Van Leeuwen (Episode 51) | Data Over Dogma | A cognitive scientist explains how religious beliefs exist in the mind in a form closer to imagination than factual knowledge | NS3

Is Your Theology Too Small? A Conversation with Trey Ferguson | A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar | An eclectic discussion on "the racial dynamics of deconstruction, why evangelicals are so obsessed with 'facts,' why they're prone to grifters, white theology vs. Black theology, shame, heresy, Twitter, and what 'Michael vs. LeBron' has in common with theological frameworks." | NS2

Jennifer G Bird - The Myth of Biblical Marriage (Ep. 284) | Bible for Normal People | An explanation of why "biblical marriage" is not a useful term or anything a Christian today would want to have | NS2

Kester Brewin: Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Religion | Homebrewed Christianity | Several related interviews with Kester are mentioned on the page, and they're all worth a listen. He weaves together history, the Bible, and modern issues unlike anyone else can do. | NS2

King James Onlyism (7-part series) | 4-Freedom | A deep dive into the beliefs of Christians who think the King James is the only accurate Bible translation available and a thorough response to their position | NS2

MLMs and the Church | Evangelicalish | An exposé on the prevalence of multi-level marketing companies within Christian communities and why they harm the church | NS1

Narcissism in the Church | Evangelicalish | A discussion on the prevalence of narcissism in churches and how it often goes unaddressed | NS1

Navigating through Black-and-White Thinking (Episode 35) | Faith for Normal People | Pete and Jared respond to listeners' questions about the point of faith without certainty post-deconstruction

Overcoming Religious OCD and Mental Illness with Anna Gazmarian | Almost Heretical | " Anna shares her personal journey through the challenges of confronting her mental health diagnosis within the church, her experiences of doubting faith, and dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault and being dismissed from her church role. This episode explores how Anna navigated the path to understanding and acceptance, shedding light on the often misunderstood aspects of religious OCD and scrupulosity." (Content Warning for some discussion of abuse) | NS1 

Pastors Behaving Badly with Sheila Gregoire | Pastor and Philosopher | Thoughts on the current epidemic of pastors misusing Bible verses to give their congregations bad relationship and sex advice as if it was biblical | NS1

Pete Holmes - A God That's Better Than Larry (Ep 33) | Faith for Normal People | Comedian Pete Holmes' thoughts on moving away from a belief in an angry, punitive God into something better | NS1

Philosophy in the Wild: Aaron Simmons | Pastor and Philosopher | A deep conversation on "living faithfully, being present, living on purpose toward something you've chosen, and a lot more." | NS2

Q&A Bonus Episode: Corporate Deconstruction | Pastor and Philosopher | Discussion on the nature of deconstructing and how to deconstruct in a group | NS2

Russell Anderson (Ep. 168) | Leaving Eden | A deep dive into the disturbing history of the Anderson of Hyles-Anderson College; "A lot worse things happened to me in the IFB than having to be a 70 year old guy's girlfriend when I was 12." | NS1

School Rules (Welcome to Cult College) Ep. 3 | Leaving Eden | A glimpse into the sort of expectations placed on Bible college students in conservative America | NS1

Send this Episode to Your Therapist (2 parts) | Strongwilled | A primer for people who didn't grow up in evangelical Christianity on some of the psychological baggage of religious authoritarian parenting | NS1

Surviving and Thriving in Seminary (Ep. 169) | Practical advice and resources to better your Bible study | NS3

Surviving Five Cults - Special Episode - Ashley Easter | Beyond BJU | The founder of Courage 365 describes life in and after the Stay At Home Daughter Movement | NS1

Tiffany Yecke Brooks: Spiritual Anxiety & Religious Trauma | Almost Heretical | A healing, validating conversation around "the control and manipulation tactics used in religious communities, the importance of trusting oneself, and the power of language in shaping our beliefs" | NS1 

To Train Up a Child (Michael and Debi Pearl / No Greater Joy Ministries / Child Abuse / Parenting) | Leaving Eden | An in-depth review of the Pearl's most famous parenting book and how its abusive teachings have sneaked into broader Christian circles (Content Warning for material from the book that amounts to child abuse) | NS2

Travis Chappell is "Figuring it Out" | Preacher Boys | The story of struggling to figure out a non full-time ministry life for a Bible college graduate | NS1

Uncovering The Independent Fundament Baptist Movement (IFB) - Eric Skwarczynksi (Ep. 11) | Beyond BJU | An overview of the many problems with abuse within the IFB | NS1

What Forgiveness Is and Isn't (Lord's Prayer Pt. 4) | Bible Project | Helpful commentary on the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation and insight into what forgiveness is actually meant to look like in the Christian life | NS2

When Bible Verses Are Used Against You (or, Is Your Heart Really Trustworthy?) (Ep. 128) | The Place We Find Ourselves | Reevaluating the "heart is deceitful above all things" verse through the lens of attachment theory and the rest of the Bible | NS1

Why "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin" Is Psychologically Impossible (#20) | You Have Permission | An introduction to how the psychology of disgust affects our theology in negative ways | NS2

Yolanda Pierce - Nobody's Doing Theology from the Moon  (Ep. 43) | Faith for Normal People | Musings on why we can't have the whole truth until we hear from more people with different backgrounds. Even if you struggle to agree with her views, be sure to stick around for Pete and Jared's discussion at the end on growing your faith gracefully | NS1