Ross Blocher and Carrie Poppy have a hugely popular podcast where they join religions, undergo alternative medical treatments, and hunt for ghost, goblins, demons, and deities...so you don't have to! If it has an extraordinary claim attached to it, they'll check it out and report on it. In this episode, Brian and Troy talk with them about their teenage fundamentalism and what they have discovered about some of the wild claims of Christianity and other religions.  You can connect with Ross and Carrie through their website: ohnopodcast.com and their podcast: Oh No, Ross and Carrie ..read more

Brian and Troy used to be loyal Christian megachurch leaders. They’re not anymore. This honest and often hilarious podcast peeks behind the curtain at the weird, the worrying, and sometimes traumatic world of Evangelicals & Pentecostals. Shortlisted for the 2022 Australian Podcast Awards. Find out more at iwasateenagefundamentalist.com/  ..read more

Clare Heath-McIvor is 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 1800RESPE ..read more

Following on from Episode 072 Was Keith Green a Cult Leader?, we interview Sharon Madere. She was 'led to the Lord' by Keith and experienced the 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' experience with Keith in the 1970s. She lived at the Last Days Ministries commune in California and later in Texas in the 1980s. In this episode, Sharon tells her stories and claims Keith Green arranged her teenage marriage to Martin Bennett, one of the three elders of LDM.  Correction: In this episode, Sharon says she remained with LDM until 1985. She wishes to correct this and state she stayed with LDM until early-1 ..read more

Following on from Episode 53 - The Cairns Christ, Brian recounts the breakdown of his marriage and the end of his faith in Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, Brian has left the building.  --- Transcript of the episode is here. Podcast links: https://linktr.ee/iwatf  Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone and Recovering from Religion is here to help. Please visit: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/  ..read more

No one had as profound an impact on Troy's deconstruction as Dr Bart D. Ehrman, 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 misu ..read more

Shane Clifton taught Theology and Ethics at one of Australia's leading Pentecostal Bible Colleges from 1999 to 2018. During this time Shane had an accident that left him with a C5 spinal cord injury (quadriplegia) which radically altered his life and his faith. After a lengthy and traumatic fight over academic freedom and his support for LGBTQI+ inclusion in the church, he left the college and his Pentecostal denomination. Shane is today an honorary associate at the Centre for Research Development and Policy at the University of Sydney and Director, Policy with the Australian Royal Commission ..read more

Keith Green was one of CCM’s most revered and loved music superstars of the 1970s and 80s. Spoiler alert! Tracey Phalen thinks he was a cult leader! She was a member of Keith and Melody Green's Last Days Ministries in the 1980s. She joined as a teenage fundamentalist and left after five years of living and serving on the Texas ranch. In this episode, Tracey shares her story and helps Brian and Troy deconstruct Keith Green and Last Days Ministries. You can follow Tracey on Instagram.  Melody Green's biography of Keith Green and memoir of life at Last Days Ministry, No Compromise is availab ..read more

In this first episode of Season 4, Brian & Troy unpack some of the most problematic and ridiculous aspects of the doctrine of eternal torment, aka Hell. They also give some suggestions on how to overcome your 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 ..read more

If there's one thing that characterises megachurches in Australia and around the world, it's nepotism. Brian & Troy cite some tangible examples of nepotism in the Australian Christian Churches and Hillsong, discuss why this needs to change and what members can do about it.   Note: It is this New York Post article that reported Michael Guglielmucci, 'and his spouse, or “Team Gug,” should resign their roles at his father Danny’s church, Edge Church International, and sell their home and relocate to Port Adelaide.'    We'll be back February 17th, 2023. --- Transcript of the epi ..read more