Exvangelical

This week I'm joined by Katherine Stewart, journalist and author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy. Her book was published in February 2025 and offers incredible insights into the various networks of influence and power that laid the groundwork for a second Trump victory. We discuss how those same networks are still at work in the US today and try to connect it to more recent developments, including the Epstein Files. Katherine had a brief window of availability, so this interview is a bit shorter. Buy Money, Lies, and God here at my bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781635578546 Laura K. Field's book, mentioned by Katherine Stewart is called Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, and can be bought here: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780691255262 See books from other authors on The Good Books: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781635578546 And check out books from other authors who have appeared on my other shows: https://bookshop.org/shop/brchastain Buy my book: https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780593717073 If you want to keep up to date with my work, please be sure to subscribe on YouTube and your favorite podcast app, and head over to blakechastain.com to see more of what I’m up to. 00:00 Teaser: The Power of Fear and Control 01:11 Guest Introduction: Katherine Stewart 02:09 The Five Groups in Anti-Democratic Movements 02:53 The Role of Funders and Foot Soldiers 05:27 Sergeants, Power Players, and Thinkers 06:46 Changes Since Trump's Election 08:35 Mindsets and Dispositions in Christian Nationalism 11:12 The Persecution Complex and Authoritarian Leadership 13:18 The Role of Elites and Information Bubbles 28:41 Recent Developments and the Epstein Files 31:45 Conclusion: Forward-Looking Strategies for Democracy 36:08 Outro and Call to Action 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 happy to share my interview with Josiah Hesse, author of the new book On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right. Josiah was a guest on Exvangelical back in 2018, and we met up in Chicago last week to discuss his new book. I'm also going to be appearing alongside Josiah in just over a month in Brooklyn for an event at Urbane Arts Club. That event, called From Pews to Prose, will also feature Mattie Jo Cowsert & B.K. O'Connor and is happening on Sunday March 8th. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post, at blakechastain.com to keep up with all my work. 25% of net proceeds from direct support are donated each year. 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 happy to share with you the pilot episode of the new show, Reign of Error with Sarah Posner (Apple Podcasts link), produced by our friends over at Axis Mundi Media. Longtime listeners will know Sara Posner from her 2020 appearance in my series, Powers & Principalities, where she discussed her book Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency, and the Devastating Legacy They Left Behind.  The state of play in the United States is in constant flux. This conversation between Sarah and Brad Onishi covers a lot of what happened in the fall and winter in places like Chicago, prior to all that is now unfolding as ICE attempts to occupy Minneapolis.  Sarah is a longtime observer and journalist and I’m glad that she is now producing a weekly show to provide context and commentary for what is happening in America. I hope you enjoy this conversation and be sure to subscribe wherever you get podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

In the first interview of 2026, I talk to Sara Moslener about her latest book, After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America. (Buy the book from bookshop.org here & support the show) Learn more about Sara's work at https://saramoslener.com/ Support this channel at https://www.blakechastain.com; 25% of net proceeds from direct support are donated. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:00 Sarah's Religious Upbringing 04:53 The Influence of Pro-Life Movement 07:16 College and Theater: A Path to Self-Discovery 16:25 Pursuing Academia and Feminist Theology 21:10 The Concept of Purity and Its Implications 26:24 Racial Dynamics in Purity Culture 35:50 Connecting Sexual Purity to Racial Identity 37:28 The Importance of Historical Context 38:17 Teaching Religion, Race, and Discrimination 39:53 How to Support the Show 41:18 The Process of Academic Research 45:09 Challenges and Ethics in Purity Culture Research 49:39 The Intersection of Academia and Therapy 54:44 Lightning Round: Author's Preferences and Insights 01:04:54 The Value of Education and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

This episode was originally released on The Good Books. In this episode, I chat with author Angela Denker about her latest book, ⁠Disciples of White Jesus⁠. Subscribe to Angela's ⁠newsletter⁠. Support the show via my newsletter: ⁠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

In this latest interview, I speak with Lucas FW Wilson about the anthology Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy. The interview starts about 5:00 minutes in after a long intro/update. This episode was originally released last week in the new feed for The Good Books, which you can follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Purchase the book via Bookshop.org [affiliate link]: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9781805011323⁠ Follow Lucas on Instagram & Threads: ⁠https://www.threads.com/@lukeslamdunkwilson⁠ Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠postevangelicalpost.com⁠ Buy my book, Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/11130/9780593717073 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about

Originally published on YouTube on 3/7/2025. I'm between author interviews, and March is traditionally a difficult month for me. Here is a brief minisode. 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 of The Good Books, I spoke with Dr. Matthew D. Taylor, author of The Violent Take It By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy.   We talk about the growth of independent charismatic Christianity, the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and its role in J6 and ongoing support for Trump, and what's happened in the first month of Trump 2.0.  I am now publishing video to YouTube! Subscribe here. Buy Dr. Taylor's book from my Bookshop.org affiliate shop. Buy my book, Exvangelical + Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back. Support this channel & my work via postevangelicalpost.com. Subscribe for free or join at $5/month or $50/year; 25% of net proceeds are donated. 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

In this minisode recorded on MLK Day/Inauguration Day 2025, I consider where counterpublics might be able to thrive in today's media landscape. I've written about counterpublics before in my book, and in my newsletter. Programming Note: I have work-related travel over the next two weeks, but will have more interviews and longer episodes to share starting soon. Support my work at $5/month 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

In this episode I talk about what's next for this show and for, well, all of us. Some of my comments are from my latest newsletter missives: Well, here we are - Post Ev Post Coming Soon: (More of) The Good Books - Post Ev Post Exvangelicals, nones, secular Americans are undertapped in fight against Christian nationalism - RNS Subscribe to my newsletter: postevangelicalpost.com Buy my book: Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC and part of Irreverent Media Group. Email me: contact@exvangelicalpodcast.com Are you looking for an IRL gathering of ex-evangelicals & other like-minded folks? Check out Content Warning, coming to Atlanta, GA in February 2025 - and use promo code EXVIE10 at checkout for $10 off. 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 quick episode, I talk about the 2024 US Election. Show notes: My latest entry at The Post-Evangelical Post Emily Joy Allison addressing white exvangelicals on Instagram. Kristin Du Mez: Preparing for Tuesday Robert P. Jones: The Survey Findings Keeping Me Up at Night - Buy my book: Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back Subscribe to my newsletter: The Post-Evangelical Post 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 publishing an archival episode with Reza Aslan, who called my book Exvangelical & Beyond "[a]n insightful exploration of faith, identity, and activism in a nation at the crossroads of religious fervor and social change…At once alarming and hopeful, this is a book that every American must read, regardless of religious affiliation.” Exvangelical & Beyond is available in stores now! Check out my newsletter, which links to all my recent appearances. In the season 1 finale of Powers & Principalities (originally published on 11/30/2020), I spoke with Reza Aslan about what we've learned about the United States during the Trump administration. In particular, we discussed what it means that 70 million Americans voted for Trump to be re-elected, the cult-like characteristics of Trumpism, the 'geography of identity' of Trumpism, the role of the media, and much more. Reza Aslan is author of several books, including God: A Human History, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, and Beyond Fundamentalism. He is also Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside and executive producer of Rough Draft with Reza Aslan and the CNN documentary series, Believer. 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, is out TODAY, wherever books are sold. Buy here or at your local bookstore. In this short episode, I express my gratitude for this opportunity and share my hopes for this book. Read an excerpt today in TeenVogue, and read my newsletter about my first book event at Anderson's Bookshop as well as other recent podcast appearances. Follow me on Instagram & Threads. 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 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