S01E01 - Brian‘s Christian Conversion Story (2025 Hiatus Repeat) I Was A Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical Podcast. podcast

#Religion #Australia #Society #Brian McDowell #Troy Waller #Conversations #Christianity #Evangelical #Exvangelical #Ex-pentecostal #Ex-christian #Brian McDowell and Troy Waller #Self Help #Religious #Purity Culture #Trauma #Pentecostal #Cult

1:15:36

In this episode, we welcome back David French, columnist for The New York Times , former constitutional attorney, and author of Divided We Fall . We discuss the current state of American democracy, the challenges of political division, and how we can engage in civil discourse despite deep ideological differences. David also shares a personal update on his family and reflects on the profound trials and growth that come with adversity. 📌 What We Discuss: ✔️ How David and his family navigated the challenges of a serious health crisis. ✔️ The rise of political polarization and the factors driving it. ✔️ Why distinguishing between “unwise, unethical, and unlawful” is crucial in analyzing political actions. ✔️ How consuming different perspectives (even opposing ones) helps in understanding political dynamics. ✔️ The role of Christian values in politics and how they are being redefined. ⏳ Episode Highlights 📍 [00:01:00] – David French’s background and his journey from litigation to journalism. 📍 [00:02:30] – Personal update: David shares his wife Nancy’s battle with cancer and their journey as a family. 📍 [00:06:00] – How to navigate personal trials while maintaining faith and resilience. 📍 [00:10:00] – The danger of political paranoia and the pitfalls of extreme polarization. 📍 [00:18:00] – The "friend-enemy" paradigm in American politics and its influence in Christian fundamentalism. 📍 [00:24:00] – Revisiting Divided We Fall : How America’s divisions have devolved since 2020. 📍 [00:40:00] – The categories and differences of unwise, unethical, and unlawful political actions. 📍 [00:55:00] – The balance between justice, kindness, and humility in political engagement. 📍 [01:00:00] – The After Party initiative: A Christian approach to politics focused on values rather than policy. 💬 Featured Quotes 🔹 "You don't know who you truly are until your values are tested." – David French 🔹 "If we focus on the relational, we can have better conversations even across deep differences." – Corey Nathan 🔹 "Justice, kindness, and humility—if you're missing one, you're doing it wrong." – David French 🔹 "The United States has a history of shifting without repenting. We just move on." – David French 📚 Resources Mentioned David French’s Writing: New York Times David’s Book: Divided We Fall The After Party Initiative – More Info Advisory Opinions Podcast (with Sarah Isgur & David French) – Listen Here 📣 Call to Action If you found this conversation insightful, please: ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion 🔗 Connect With Us on Social Media @coreysnathan: Bluesky LinkedIn Instagram Threads Facebook Substack David French: 🔗 Twitter | BlueSky | New York Times Our Sponsors Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com Prolux Autogroup: www.proluxautogroup.com or www.granadahillsairporttransportation.com Let’s keep talking politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️💡…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast. »
S01E01 - Brian‘s Christian Conversion Story (2025 hiatus repeat)

5 days ago 27:42

MP3•Episode home

As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025!

---

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here.

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

142 episodes

S01E01 - Brian‘s Christian Conversion Story (2025 hiatus repeat)

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

54 subscribers

published 5 days ago

MP3•Episode home

As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025!

---

Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.

Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here.

All our links are here.

Transcript of this episode is here.

Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

142 episodes

All episodes

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
S01E01 - Brian‘s Christian Conversion Story (2025 hiatus repeat) 27:42

5 days ago27:42

27:42

Let's go right back to the beginning. In Season 1 Episode 1, Brian recounted his conversion story. "No bibles, no preaching, no god-bothering!" These were the conditions he put upon his two brothers, who had recently converted to Pentecostal Christianity, if he were to visit them while on holidays. What happened next would change the course of his life and still continues to impact who he is today. As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

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128 - I Blew the Whistle on my Dad’s Church with Kit Kennedy (2025 hiatus repeat) 1:13:30

12 days ago1:13:30

1:13:30

In 2023, we talked with Clare Heath-McIvor, an exvangelical blogger and podcaster who has been operating under the pseudonym 'Kit Kennedy' since a dramatic and shunning-esque exit from her pastor father's church in 2016. In 2022, she and her ex-husband (a gay conversion therapy survivor) became whistleblowers for a 60 Minutes Australia political and religious expose on her father's City Builders Church and its tactics in Australian conservative politics. Trigger warning: This episode touches on issues concerning depression and suicide. If you are in Australia and require support, please reach out to 1800RESPECT by phone or online at www.1800respect.org.au/ or Lifeline on 13 11 14. You can connect with Clare at www.unchurchablepodcast.com . If you want to explore her whistleblowing story, then see the links below: 60 Minutes Australia - Praying For Power: Caring church or crazy cult The Age Newspaper #1 - Liberal Party Candidate Agent for Ultra-Conservative Church, Family Says #2 - Speaking in Tongues, Exorcisms and Control: Life in City Builders #3 - Inside City Builders, the Pentecostal Sect with Lofty Political Goals #4 - Ultra-Conservative Candidate won’t sit in the party room if elected #5 - Shame on you: Liberal Party figure caught using fake 007 pics and fake identity for dirty tricks As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

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S04E71 - Fear of Hell (2025 hiatus repeat) 1:06:02

19 days ago1:06:02

1:06:02

We came out of the gate swinging for this first episode of Season 4, and unpacked some of the most problematic and ridiculous aspects of the doctrine of eternal torment, aka Hell. We also gave some suggestions on how to overcome the fear of Hell. The resources suggested in this episode are: Christian That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation : Hart, David Bentley Grace Saves All: Christianity and Universal Salvation Podcast Love Wins: At the Heart of Life’s Big Questions : Bell, Rob Post-Christian Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife : Ehrman, Bart D Bart Ehrman on the Humanize Me Podcast Am I Going to Hell? : Bart Ehrman As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series , we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
117 - The Season 5 Finale with Brian & Troy 1:06:47

13 weeks ago1:06:47

1:06:47

We'd love you to tune in as we say goodbye to 2024 and look forward to 2025. We look back on some of our best episodes of 2024, and even a couple of our worst. We'll definitely be back later in 2025, so see you then! We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
116 - From Loss to Purpose with Desiree Richter 1:05:17

14 weeks ago1:05:17

1:05:17

We think you'll really connect with this episode. In 2000, Desiree Richter's two-year-old son Elijah died in a tragic domestic accident. The world as she knew it was dismantled along with her understanding of her place in it, leaving her to figure out how to parent her remaining children and how the fundamentalist Christian faith she'd practiced all her life fit into her new reality. We talk with Desi about her Fundamentalist upbringing, the death of her son, leaving the faith, and rediscovering purpose after so much loss. Links The Presence of Absence: Kitchen table talks about parenting, leaving fundamentalism, and the very messy business of living with loss Desi on Facebook Desi on Instagram We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
115 - Star-Spangled Jesus with April Ajoy 1:13:16

16 weeks ago1:13:16

1:13:16

We're excited to welcome April Ajoy back to our show. April is an influencer, content-creator, podcaster, and all-around troublemaker for the Christian right. She grew up in the heart of American Evangelicalism as an Evangelist’s kid and she is insightful and astute at illuminating the ways Christian Nationalism has infiltrated churches and political arenas, shaping not only modern Evangelical culture but also American public policy and international relations. Her new book is called “ Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism & Finding a True Faith . ” Links April's first appearance on our show April on Instagram April's book We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
114 - Some Standing Here Shall Not Taste Death - The Failed Return of Jesus 1:05:07

18 weeks ago1:05:07

1:05:07

Did Jesus predict his own return in the lifetime of his disciples and first century Christians and get it wrong? Was he simply one of many failed first-century Jewish apocalyptic preachers? Did Paul and other writers of the New Testament share Jesus' view and get it wrong too? In this episode, Troy and Brian unpack some of the reasons why many scholars, progressive Christians, Exvangelicals and Atheists give a resounding, 'Yes!' to these questions. Links 'The Lowdown on God's Showdown' by Edward Babinski The article serves as the foundation for this episode and is the same one that Troy read, which persuaded him that Jesus would not return. Episode 113 - Armageddon Isn't Coming with Bart Ehrman Bart gives his scholarly perspectives on the Book of Revelation and the early Church's beliefs about the imminent return of Jesus. Episode 3 - It's the End of the World as We Know it In one of our earliest episodes, we talked about how we were peddled the end-time message from the very start of our time as fundamentalists. Episode 35 - F**cked Over at Country Town AOG Troy has his 'fridge revelation' that Jesus may not be coming so soon after all. We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
113 - Armageddon Isn’t Coming with Bart Ehrman (repeat) 1:23:29

20 weeks ago1:23:29

1:23:29

In preparation for our upcoming episode on the failed second coming of Jesus, we decided to replay this interview with one of our Exvangelical heroes, Bart Ehrman. If you haven't yet heard this interview then you're in for a treat, and if you have heard it before, we know you'll love it all over again. Dr Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An expert on the New Testament and the history of Early Christianity, he has written or edited thirty books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews. Six of his books have been on the New York Times Bestseller list. Brian and Troy talk to Bart about his own teenage fundamentalism and his upcoming book, Armageddon: What the Bible really says about the end . In this conversation, Bart delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, Revelation . You can connect with Bart via his blog: The Bart Ehrman Blog , his website: Bart D. Ehrman , and his podcast: Misquoting Jesus . We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
Neurodivergence In and Out of Church with D.L. & Krispin Mayfield Part 2 1:01:40

22 weeks ago1:01:40

1:01:40

Following on from Part 1 , we continue our chat about neurodivergence with podcast faves Danielle (D.L.) & Krispin Mayfield. Krispin's website D.L.'s website STRONGWILLED (substack.com) STRONGWILLED (the podcast) We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
Neurodivergence In and Out of Church with D.L. & Krispin Mayfield Part 1 54:15

23 weeks ago54:15

54:15

On the back of Troy's recent ADHD diagnosis, we talk about neurodivergence with podcast faves Danielle (D.L.) & Krispin Mayfield. Danielle's tells of their own Autism diagnosis and Troy opens up about how ADHD impacted him in the Church and now that he's deconstructed. The Mayfield's also talk about their latest project, Strongwilled . Krispin's website D.L.'s website STRONGWILLED (substack.com) STRONGWILLED (the podcast) We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
110 - You can take the girl outta fundamentalism...with Dr Laura Anderson 1:16:00

25 weeks ago1:16:00

1:16:00

Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed psychotherapist, trauma resolution coach, religious trauma consultant, speaker, author, and educator. We talk with her about how when we leave fundamentalism, fundamentalism doesn't necessarily leave us, and its toxicity seems to manifest in other ways. Laura's links: Laura Anderson | Religious Trauma Expert When Religion Hurts You (book) Dr. Laura Anderson on Instagram We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
109 - F*ck the Patriarchy! with Cait West 57:46

27 weeks ago57:46

57:46

Cait West is a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement and advocate for survivors of spiritual abuse. In this episode, we talk about her experiences and her book, Rift: A memoir of breaking away from the Christian Patriarchy . She shares her story of hope for those who want to break free from high control environments. Links Cait West's website Tears of Eden: Supporting survivors of Spiritual Abuse and Religious Trauma Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy : Amazon.com Survivors Discuss Podcast – Monthly Panel Discussions About Surviving Toxic & High Control Religion We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
108 - Let's Go Back to Great Big AOG Part 2 1:16:28

29 weeks ago1:16:28

1:16:28

Following on from Part 1, we continue our recount of a recent Sunday service at Great Big AOG. We dive into the sermon and challenge the f*ck out of his claims and assertions and ask just how reliable are the supposed miracle stories that the pastor told. Judging by the amount of laughter, this two-parter is easily up there with our most fun episodes so far. Links: Let's go back to Great Big AOG Part 1 Listen to the actual recording of the sermon we sat through and recount for you - Ps Dave Harvey |Originally recorded on Sunday, 21st July 2024 | 11:30AM Heaven Bent Podcast Season 2 is about Bethel Church We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
107 - Let's Go Back to Great Big AOG Part 1 56:26

30 weeks ago56:26

56:26

It's been nearly 30 years since our last visit to Great Big AOG, and in this episode, we go back for a Sunday service. Join us as we recount the weird and bizarre antics and carry-on of these modern Pentecostals. We also introduce you to Brian's significant other, Michelle, as she joined us on our expedition back into the world of church. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing in tongues and raise your hands. We'll be back with new episodes in April 2025! --- Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here. Join the conversation and connect with other listeners here . All our links are here . Transcript of this episode is here. Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help.…

I was a Teenage Fundamentalist. An Exvangelical podcast.

1
106 - Navigating 'the Gray' with Sharon and Tracey from the Feet of Clay Podcast 1:29:59

32 weeks ago1:29:59