Exvangelical
By Blake Chastain
ExvangelicalFeb 19, 2021
Laura Polk Returns (to discuss the Religious Right)
Laura Polk returns to the show to discuss the Jan 6th insurrection and the Religious Right. In particular, we discuss three pivotal events in 1980, and how they set the stage for much of what's followed. This interview was recorded on 2/7/2021.
Laura Polk is an independent educator and researcher. You can support her via Patreon here. (I do!)
Follow Laura on Twitter @seelolago.
You can support Blake's work on Exvangelical and Powers & Principalities via Substack at The Post-Evangelical Post.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain and the show on Instagram at @exvangelicalpod.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis. Thank you, Jake!
IRL with Chris Stedman
Chris Stedman is a Minneapolis-based writer, speaker, and community organizer. In this conversation, we discuss his book IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives, how people form and express their identities online, spirituality "fads," and much more!
(This conversation was recorded on January 4th, 2021, two days before the insurrection and the rest of the country went topsy turvy.)
Follow Chris on Twitter!
Support this podcast (and sister podcast Powers & Principalities) through a paid subscription to Blake's newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post.
Follow Blake on Twitter and Instagram.
Get Exvangelical podcast merch, featuring the new logo, here.
The Outcome of White Evangelical Power: Sedition & Insurrection.
It's 2021.
Ossoff & Warnock won the Senate, and the next day Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building after being incited by the President himself and encouraged by Senators Cruz and Hawley. 5 people died.
White evangelicalism bears much of the burden for this by creating an environment--over decades!--that encouraged this.
This episode is only partly scripted. It's unedited.
"Regular" programming will return soon. Follow me on Twitter @brchastain.
Help support my work: postevangelicalpost.substack.com or patreon.com/exvangelicalpod.
Show Notes/Recent writing:
https://postevangelicalpost.substack.com/p/the-culmination-of-white-evangelicalchristian
https://postevangelicalpost.substack.com/p/how-should-we-then-live-with-evangelical
Twitter thread, before the white supremacist storming of the Capitol: https://twitter.com/brchastain/status/1346452589752307712?s=20
Mel's short thread I quoted: https://twitter.com/holyqueerit/status/1347191675706372097?s=20
The Dirty Rotten Church Kids
My guests for this episode are The Dirty Rotten Church Kids, aka Josh Link & Adrian Gibbs.
The DRCK has taken exvangelical Instagram by storm over the past year, and their podcast has created its own community that is in their words, equal parts HEAVY and LIGHT. In this conversation we discuss their backgrounds as church kids, church planters, their deconstruction, and parenting. It's a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it.
Follow DRCK on Instagram, subscribe to their podcast, and check out their merch.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis. Thank you, Jake!
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HAVE YOU NOTICED THE NEW PODCAST ARTWORK? It's by the incredible artist Jenna Luecke. Please read my Instagram post about the process and check out her amazing work. You can also find merch with two versions of the new logo on the new Exvangelical Podcast Merch store!
Support the show via a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter, or by rating the show in Apple Podcasts.
Follow Blake on Twitter, and find links to all his projects at blakechastain.com
Powers & Principalities Episode 12: What We've Learned in the Past 4 Years with Reza Aslan
In the season 1 finale of Powers & Principalities, I speak with Reza Aslan about what we've learned about the United States in the past four years. In particular, we discuss 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.
Stay tuned after the interview for more info on season 2 of Powers & Principalities.
Follow Reza on Twitter @rezaaslan and learn more about his work at rezaaslan.com.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain and Instagram @brchastain_.
Support Blake's work via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter - use this link to save 40% for 1 year thru 12/2! Other methods of support can be found at exvangelicalpodcast.com/support.
Powers & Principalities Episode 11: Coup Attempts & Police Nationalism with Jeff Sharlet
In this episode, I speak with Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family (which was turned into a Netflix documentary series of the same name). We discuss the actions of President Trump and the GOP to undermine the results of the election, the role of QAnon, "police nationalism," and much more.
Read Jeff Sharlet's missives from the Trump campaign rallies in Vanity Fair and follow him on Twitter.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, and follow him on Instagram @brchastain_.
Support the show with a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Free and paid tiers are available. Other methods of support can be found here.
Powers & Principalities Episode 10: Post-Election Debrief with Bradley Onishi
Prof. Bradley Onishi from Straight White American Jesus returns to the show to discuss Election Week. We discuss the historical significance of the election of Vice President Kamala Harris, the decisive victory of Joe Biden & the GOP's refusal to concede, and what comes next.
Follow Brad on Twitter @BradleyOnishi and listen to Straight White American Jesus if you aren't already!
Follow Blake @brchastain on Twitter & @brchastain_ on Instagram. Support the show via a subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post, or other methods found at exvangelicalpodcast.com/support.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis. Thank you, Jake!
6 Days Later (2020)
Some initial thoughts on the 2020 Election. Acknowledging what was accomplished, and the work that still needs to be done.
Follow Blake on Twitter and subscribe to The Post-Evangelical Post, where you will find a corresponding transcript, along with some additional links.
Powers & Principalities: One Day Until the Next Stage
We're one day out until the November 3rd election. In this brief episode, Blake reviews this season's guests and the threats that remain regardless of the outcome of election day.
If you haven't voted early, please make your plan to vote and make your voice heard. Use the Vote Save America to make your plan to vote.
Powers & Principalities Episode 9: The Religious Left with Jack Jenkins
My guest this week is Jack Jenkins, national reporter for Religion News Service and author of the book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country (Amazon, Bookshop). We discuss how one defines "the religious left," how the religious left differs from the religious right, the historical predecessors of the current religious left, and how the media has adapted to covering religion since the 2016 election.
Follow Jack Jenkins on Twitter @JackMJenkins.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain and on Instagram at @brchastain_.
Support Exvangelical and Powers & Principalities with a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post on Substack - you can also subscribe for free! All content is free through the election.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis.
Talking Burnout with Anne Helen Petersen
In this episode, 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. Thank you, Jake!
Powers & Principalities Episode 8: White Evangelical Racism with Anthea Butler
My guest this week is Dr. Anthea Butler, associate professor of religion and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the upcoming book White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America. In addition to her upcoming book (to be released in March 2021), we discuss her experience as a public scholar, how the media covers religion & Trump, and many of the trends and headlines of the past four years.
Follow Dr. Butler on Twitter @AntheaButler.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain and Instagram @brchastain_. Support Blake's work via Substack or Patreon.
Luke Barnett of Faith Based
My guest this week is Luke Barnett, writer and star of the new film Faith Based, which is available now on demand. Faith Based is a comedy about two friends who want to strike it rich by making a Christian film, and its cast includes Jason Alexander, Margaret Cho, David Koechner, and Lance Reddick (listed alphabetically by last name).
We talk about Luke's own life story, the lucrative Christian film and music industries, and what it was like to create this feature film. It's a great conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.
Faith Based is available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Fandango. Follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBarnett.
Support this podcast and Blake's other work by a single subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. You can also subscribe for free! If you prefer to use Patreon to support creators, you can do so here. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis.
Powers & Principalities Episode 7: Answering Audience Questions with Bradley Onishi
On this week's episode, I am joined by Bradley Onishi of the Straight White American Jesus podcast to answer your questions about white evangelicalism and Christian nationalism. You all had some really wonderful questions, and it was equally wonderful to have an opportunity to answer them alongside Brad.
Bradley Onishi is associate professor of religion at Skidmore College. If you enjoy this show, please be sure to check out SWAJ by following the link above. Support them on Patreon and follow Brad on Twitter.
You can support this show by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post on Substack. Get 25% off with this link or subscribe to the free tier.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain or Instagram @brchastain_.
Powers & Principalities Episode 6: White Too Long with Robert Jones
My guest this week 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.
If you'd like to support this show, please do so by telling people about it, leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, and signing up for a paid subscription to my Substack newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post, save 25% at postevangelicalpost.com/powers. Or sign up for free!
Follow Robert Jones on Twitter @robertpjones.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, and on Instagram @brchastain_.
Powers & Principalities Episode 5: The Unholy Alliance of Trump & the Religious Right with Sarah Posner
My guest this week is Sarah Posner, author of the book Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump (Bookshop, Amazon). In her book, Sarah details the intellectual and social connections between the New Right, the Religious Right, and alt-right - and the ways in which white evangelicals provide moral and political cover for the Trump administration. Further, her work indicates the ways in which the Trump administration has rewarded white evangelical support by pursuing policies in line with their interests.
Unholy is an essential text for anyone who hopes to understand that evangelical support for Trump is not an aberration but rather a culmination of decades of work within conservative circles.
Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarahposner.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, or on Instagram @brchastain_.
Support the show by signing up for a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Save 25% using this link.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis.
Powers & Principalities Episode 4.1: CALL FOR QUESTIONS!
Powers & Principalities Episode 4: Christian Reconstruction with Julie Ingersoll
My guest this week is Julie Ingersoll, professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida and author of the book Building God's Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction (Amazon, Bookshop.org). Christian Reconstruction is a movement that can be hard to both explain and identify, but has considerable influence - especially in the realm of Christian education and homeschooling. Julie helps provide context for this movement, and why its social and political goals are anti-democratic and concerning.
Follow Julie on Twitter @julieingersoll.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, or on Instagram @brchastain_
Support the show by signing up for a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Save 25% using this link.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis.
Episode 3: Quantifying Christian Nationalism with Sam Perry & Andrew Whitehead
My guests this week are Sam Perry & Andrew Whitehead, authors of the book Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (Amazon, Bookshop.org). Perry & Whitehead are sociologists, and have published their data about America's relationship to Christian nationalism. They help define a framework for Christian nationalism, and why it is valuable to distinguish it from white evangelicalism in this context. They also provide four primary ways Americans react to Christian nationalism: Ambassadors, Accommodators, Resisters, and Rejecters.
You can find their books anywhere books are sold. Use the affiliate links above to help support the show.
Sam Perry is on Twitter @socofthesacred; Andrew Whitehead is on Twitter @ndrewwhitehead.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain, or on Instagram @brchastain_
Support the show by signing up for a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post. Save 25% using this link.
This episode was produced by Jake Lewis.
Powers & Principalities, Episode 2: Jesus and John Wayne, with Kristin Kobes Du Mez
My guest this week is Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the new book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (Bookshop.org, Amazon). Her book examines the role that cultural ideals of evangelical masculinity have been influenced more by John Wayne than by Jesus of Nazareth. If you've spent time in white evangelical circles, much of this will ring true; if you wonder why evangelicals are drawn to "strong men" like Donald Trump, her work will help explain why.
By tracking the development of "masculinity" through 20th & 21st century popular evangelical culture, Du Mez helps us understand our present moment better.
You can learn more about Kristin Kobes Du Mez's work on her website, and be sure to follow her on Twitter.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain and on Instagram @brchastain_.
Rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts! Support the show by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter. Save 25% on a paid subscription with this link! And read my thoughts on Jesus and John Wayne in The Post-Evangelical Post right here.
Powers & Principalities, Episode 1: The Power Worshippers with Katherine Stewart
This week's episode features a conversation with Katherine Stewart. Katherine Stewart is the author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism (Bookshop.org, Amazon.com). Her book provides a comprehensive overview of the tactics and strategies Christian nationalists have employed in American politics: teaching false historical narratives about American history (and the history of the Religious Right itself), deteriorating the public education system, lobbying state legislatures, mobilizing religious voters with sophisticated data modeling, and much more.
This conversation just scratches the surface of what is covered in her book, and is more timely than ever.
Follow Katherine on Twitter @kathsstewart.
Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain. Support Blake's work by signing up for a his newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. Get 25% off a paid subscription using this link.
You can also listen to this show in its own feed! Just search your podcast app of choice for "Powers & Principalities."
Disclosure: Bookshop & Amazon links above are affiliate links. I may receive a small commission from any purchases - it helps support the show!
Powers & Principalities, Episode 0: Diana Butler Bass
Coming Soon: Powers & Principalities
Coming soon: Powers & Principalities, a new podcast series from Blake about the systems and institutions that propagate white evangelical & Christian nationalist sociopolitical power. Debuting in late August 2020.
Follow along in the Exvangelical feed, or subscribe to the new show directly on Spotify. (The feed is new, and will appear on other platforms soon.)
Keep updated (and learn more about the methodology and scope of the new series) by subscribing to The Post-Evangelical Post newsletter.
Austin Channing Brown (Re-Release)
Gretchen Baskerville
The Backsliders
Science Mike: You're a Miracle
Laura Anderson & Brian Peck from the Religious Trauma Institute
Nate Postlethwait, The Other Side of Saved
Mark Russell, author of Second Coming
Chrissy Stroop & Lauren O'Neal Empty The Pews
Angela Denker
#BadTheologyKills with Kevin Garcia
Kevin Garcia returns to the show to chat about their new book, #BadTheologyKills and much more.
Anna Jane Joyner
Holly Laurent
God is Grey (Brenda Marie Davies)
David Bazan's Strange Negotiations (feat. Brandon Vedder)
Bradley Onishi & Daniel Miller, hosts of Straight White American Jesus
Pete Holmes
Mark Russell
Andy Herndon
Jamie Lee Finch, author of "You Are Your Own"
Jon Jones
Parenting Forward with Cindy Wang Brandt
Bethany Sparkle
#ExposeChristianSchools
Introducing Exvie Extras
Erin Green, Co-Director of The Brave Commons
(Minisode): 2018 in Review
