Chapel Probation

Soulforce has been a big part of the stories coming out of Azusa Pacific University throughout this podcast. From the guests who attended the events on campus to the subsequent generations who banded together to start a movement, Soulforce is part of the DNA of Chapel Probation. So it was a thrill to be able to work with Rev Alba all year at Axis Mundi, producing Teologia Sin Verguenza and Love Le...

As I prepare to go on vacation, I recap the rise of today's MAGA madness that we witnessed in the early 2000's. From the usual racism and acceptance of swastikas to the White-centric hypocrisy of marginalizing BIPOC traditions and centering White ones considered non-Christian. Join the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dauntless Media Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more conv...

Virginia Duan is the biggest BTS fan I've ever encountered. I do not understand this. But I also know she is one of the best and biggest baddasses I've ever met. Her story of overcoming fundamentalist christianity, a violent father, and racial discrimination is inspiring. It makes me want to keep fighting. And maybe listen to some BTS. Check out her blog, The Mandarin Mama , and read her b...

I'm kinda hoping hardly anyone listens to this wide-ranging episode about diversity, or lack thereof, in the deconstruction world. The solution is simple. More BIPOC folks need to create content. I do criticize some creators, but I mostly want to celebrate you, the Chapel Probation listener. The criticisms herein are not about you. If you listen to BIPOC voices, you're doing good. Or you&#...

I asked my friend Umi Hsu to be on Chapel Probation to talk about their art and spiritual practices as a non-binary AAPI member of our community in Los Angeles. I had no idea Umi shares similar religious traumas from fundamentalist christianity. So this episode is great because you get a showcase of Umi's music and art and a relatable tie to religious trauma. Check out Umi's podcast, Kindr...

This week we have a very different experience in academia with Dr. James Lee. He tells his story of growing christian, how he got out, and how he found his way as a philosophy professor in a real university (as opposed to pretend evangelical ones). It's an amazing conversation about getting out of church, teaching, and life as an AAPI professor today. Chapel Probation is part of the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

If you've read my book, you know I had some tough times teaching at Azusa Pacific University. But Dr. Sara Moslener has experienced even worse at a public university. She has had to adjust her pedagogy to survive, but she's still teaching incredibly important material centered on Christian purity culture, and she has a forthcoming book, After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian Amer...

People are asking how their friends and family could possibly like a person like Charlie Kirk. Scott talks about the reasons for this bending the knee to a horrible human being by otherwise "nice" or "good" people. And he talks about what pushing back looks like in your inner circles. There is a price to pay, for sure. But it's worth it if you have community support. Chapel...

We're back to Biola this week...kinda. Yes, Lacey Bond attended that school and was a "good" christian woman who followed all the rules. But while there, she was encouraged to ask questions and think creatively. This would prove lethal to her closely held fundamentalist, purity culture-soaked faith. It would eventually lead her to question everything and being exploring her identity...

Alycea, aka Transvangelical, is here this week to talk about her life and her forthcoming book, On Your Knees: The 69 Day Irreverent Devotional. Here is the book description: On Your Knees: The 69-Day Irreverent Devotional  is a raw, humorous, and unflinching journey through the Bible, designed for those who have been harmed by traditional religious teachings. Author Transvangelical offers an hone...

Scott met Greg Corricello while at UC San Diego as Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) leaders. They played on the worship team together and shared a large, supportive community of christians on "secular," science-heavy campus. We saw ourselves as being on the front lines of radical christian living. But Greg went on to gradually deconstruct his faith, learning to accept himself as...

We wanted to give our reactions to the passing of the architect of today's conservative tyranny, Dr. James Dobson. We share our experiences, give a nod of support to the survivors of the abusive, self-hateful, queerphobic, misogynistic, and all-around bigoted teachings of this man. It's not so much a celebration as it is a solemn acknowledgement that much of our fight began when Focus On t...

We watched the doc. And goddamn. Christians are not ok. We talk about this particular Christian cult, purity culture, and how we got where we are as a nation. Chapel Probation is part of the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dauntless Media Collective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dauntless Media Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more conversation with all the podcast...

The Deconstruction world is dominated by progressive Christians, and while that's all well and good, I do not understand it. Maybe it's because I'm Japanese and could never imagine pushing a definition of christianity on the world. To be sure, I got tired of trying to define my faith, my identity, and my community while I was a christian. But the good news, well...my good news is that...

Dr. Daniel White Hodge returns to Chapel Probation. We talk about our usual gripes with race and how we BIPOC men get overlooked by most of the world. But Dan has been on an incredible healing journey of late, and he shares insights in overcoming trauma caused by violence (because America) and religion. His 8th season of the Profane Faith podcast just started, and Dan is tackling all the hard thin...

We interviewed ⁠Janice Selbie⁠ earlier this year, and we signed up to attend the ⁠Shameless Sexuality conference⁠ that she organizes. And we were pleasantly surprised to get an invite from Janice to speak at the conference, which was held virtually back in May. We brought our humor and insight to the event, shedding light on purity culture through our unique lenses. Hopefully, this conference will...

When one becomes indoctrinated into conservative christianity at a young age, that person usually does everything possible to adhere to the teachings and values that ultimately cause harm. Celeste Irwin did everything she could as a cis-het man, even joining a church plant for what she later learned was an insidious cult. But once she extricated herself from the cult and conservative christianity,...

I always knew Joh Chase would be a guest on Chapel Probation. They were one of the most influential people to come out of APU, and they are exquisitely talented. As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, for my money, Joh is one of the best I've ever seen. And there's a reason we are still friends after meeting in 2005 during their sophomore year. Lots of old Joh Chase music featured in this...

Content Warning for descriptions of assault and rape. This week we go to the "Harvard" of Evangelical schools, which is not really a thing. But we go to Wheaton and learn from semi-anonymous guest, Andrea, that the patriarchal systems in place protect men and harm women when it comes to harassment and assault. And at every instance, Christian women are there to defend the men and even fi...

Despite leaving christianity years ago, Katie Malia has never needed to find community centered on deconstruction. She forged her own creative life without ExVangelical twitter, podcasts, or White influencers. Not even Brian Recker! Gasp. Nope. Katie found life and community in the arts, comedy, and music. You've seen her on tv commercials. She's opened for big comedians like Margaret Cho. And her...

3rd-generation Angeleno Mike Sonksen, aka Mike the PoeT, is an acclaimed poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour guide whose work has appeared in publications like the  Academy of American Poets, Alta, PBS So Cal, Poetry Foundation  and  Westways . Sonksen’s read poetry at over 100 academic institutions, appeared on radio and television and hosted events at the Grand Performances and Getty...

With all the hell happening all around us, particularly in the LA area, it feels good to present this conversation that offers so much hope and mind-expanding ideas. Jess Grace Garcia is a badass who has made it their life mission to help queer people find healing and positive identity in life after fundamentalist faith. They've been all through the cultiest of christian faiths to all the stages o...

Katie Hampton survived APU as a theater kid and pursued a life as a comedian, improviser, and now podcaster. Her deconstruction paved the way for finding humor as both a vocation and a tool for healing. Also a survivor of Scott's Introduction to Literature class, Katie has found a life outside of Christianity that has been so much fuller and, let's face it, funnier, than life inside evange...

Marla is back with some things to say about language, prude christians, and thoughts on finding our people. In a relatively short time, Marla has gone from dutiful Christian wife living as a missionary to outspoken advocate for BIPOC and Queer voices. Her latest project is called Mouth: A Little Book of Cheeky Poems , but as of this typing, there are only 5 left. So, hurry up and contact Marla to...

We are back at Bob Jones University, or BJU, with Rick Pidcock . Rick is a writer with Baptist News Global , and he has come a long way from those bizarre, high-control days of BJU. He tells his story of finding his way to being an empathetic human being in stark contrast with the uncaring theobro culture of BJU and how he became a stay-at-home dad, like Scott. And we finish with a last look at th...