Blake Chastain
Exvangelical
Exploring the world inside and outside the evangelical subculture, one conversation at a time. "Exvangelical" is a shared starting point with many destinations; it acknowledges the impact (predominantly white/white-led) evangelicalism has had on our lives, but does not dictate our current or future beliefs & practices. On this podcast, you'll hear stories of people who've left evangelicalism for other branches of Christianity, for other spiritual traditions, and for none at all. All paths are valid. Wholeness > Holiness. Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post, LLC. Support t...
Author
Blake Chastain
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Apr 17, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
Melissa Stewart (@lissajostewart on TikTok) 10.02.2022 1:16:22
In this conversation, I speak with exvangelical Tiktokker Melissa Stewart (@lissajostewart) about her upbringing, how exvangelical spaces continue to evolve, and how platform differences (i.e. Twitter vs. TikTok) enable different conversations - and much more! As I mention in the introduction, note how Melissa talks about her experiences leaving fundamentalism, and how it differs from the way evan...
Justin Gentry & Sarah Heath are In Revcovery 03.02.2022 1:24:52
In this episode I chat with fellow IMG podcasters, Justin Gentry & Sarah Heath about their new show, Revcovery. Revcovery is all about the process of leaving the ministry profession. We cover a lot in the first half before turning our attention to the recent Vanity Fair profile of Jerry Falwell, Jr., and the confounding Christianity Today piece by Russell Moore. Find out more about Revcovery on ir...
On Forming and Expressing Identity Online 20.01.2022 19:16
In this audio essay, Blake talks frankly about how social media exacerbated a dark day he had recently, how social media affects emotions, and how our relationship to identifiers and communities change over time. Throughout 2022 I will be experimenting more with formats and episode types in the feed. Please let me know what you think by sending an email or reaching out on social media. Exvangelica...
Powers & Principalities: The Inauspicious Anniversary of the Jan 6 Capitol Riot 06.01.2022 1:09:07
In this bonus episode of Powers & Principalities, I share my conversation with Chrissy Stroop on the inauspicious anniversary of the Jan 6 Capitol Riot. (One trigger/content note, we talk about Satanic Panic & child abuse in one section). We discuss the lead-up to Trump, the Trump administration, the insurrection, and the Big Lie that has taken root. We also talk about shifts in conversation aroun...
R. Scott Okamato 23.12.2021 1:19:40
In this interview I chat with R. Scott Okamoto about music, life as a Christian college professor, and much more. Scott will also be hosting the upcoming exvangelical podcast, Chapel Probation. Learn more about Scott at his website, https://www.rscottokamoto.com/, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Help support this show via a paid subscription to The Post-Evangelical Post at $4, $6, or $8/m...
On the Deconstruction Discourse 09.12.2021 12:48
In this mini, Blake talks about the recent spat of discussion about exvangelicals and people deconstructing that is happening. Parts of this script are adapted from Blake's twitter feed & newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://www.postevangelicalpost.com/about
Jeff Sharlet (Cheery Thanksgiving Conversation Starter Re-Release) 23.11.2021 1:00:34
I spoke to author Jeff Sharlet in November 2020, just after the election was called for Biden - but Trump was already signaling that he would not concede. The Jan 6 insurrection had not yet happened, but what would become The Big Lie had already begun to take root from those early days. I'm re-releasing another episode of Powers & Principalities Season 1 again, because these conversations continue...
1 Year Since the 2020 Election, with Brad Onishi 10.11.2021 52:16
In this episode, I talk with fellow IMG podcaster Bradley Onishi about how things have developed in the last year since the 2020 election. In that time we've seen Trump's decisive electoral loss, the Jan 6th insurrection, the entrenchment of The Big Lie within the GOP, and vaccine hesitancy. We've also seen reasons for hope. We talk about it all. This is an unedited conversation, recorded live-to-...
Minisode: Funding the Next Chapter of Exvangelical 22.10.2021 10:21
This past July marked 5 years of publishing Exvangelical. In this minisode, I describe my new funding/listener support model. Read the full post here. When you support the show via Substack, I will donate 25% of net revenue to organizations that serve populations harmed by white evangelicalism. Those organizations are: White Homework, The Religious Trauma Institute, and REAP (The Religious Exempti...
The Religious Exemption Accountability Project 30.09.2021 58:23
In this episode, I chat with Paul Southwick & Erin Green of The Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP). Paul Southwick (he/him) is Director of REAP, and Erin Green (she/they) is REAP's Campus & Alumni Organizer. REAP has filed a landmark class action lawsuit, Elizabeth Hunter, et al. v. U.S. Department of Education, that challenges the religious exemption Christian college and other rel...
Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of "God, Human, Animal, Machine" 24.09.2021 58:42
On 9/9/21, I spoke with Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of the new book God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning. We talked about her time at Moody Bible Institute, experiencing 9/11 on a Christian campus, the similarities between Christian prophecy & secular transhumanism, and all sorts of other great things. Buy Meghan's book on Bookshop.org or at your local indepen...
Peterson Toscano On Activism, Trauma, and Curiosity 17.09.2021 35:55
Recorded on 9/1/2021, I spoke with Peterson Toscano all the way in South Africa. Peterson is podcaster, performer, climate activist, and biblical scholar. In this conversation, Peterson talks about activism, trauma, and recognizing when to move on to other projects. We also talk about curiosity, the role of relationships in activism & He-Man! Learn all about Peterson's projects at https://peterson...
Christian Nationalist Political Tactics with Katherine Stewart (Re-Release) 02.09.2021 1:20:34
In light of the TX SB8 law going into effect, and SCOTUS' refusal to strike it down, I am re-releasing this episode I recorded with Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. This book is extremely helpful in detailing the strategies and tactics employed by Christian nationalist politicians and their allies. This interview part of Season...
In Conversation with Jamie Lee Finch 26.08.2021 1:44:28
Jamie Lee Finch, author of You Are Your Own, returns to the show! We had been planning to talk this month for quite some time, but our conversation has a different tenor than we anticipated. This is one conversation among many about issues surrounding exvangelical/deconstruction spaces--and this has happened before. Listen to the show for further context, but we’re still going to try and talk abou...
Tucker in Hungary in Context (Sarah Posner Re-Release) 19.08.2021 58:10
Earlier this month, Tucker Carlson broadcast from Hungary. This was not an accident, as many figures in the Christian Right and far-right have cozied up to European autocrats like Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban. There's always a lot of simultaneous crises happening (the climate crisis, Afghanistan, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and more), but I think it might be beneficial to loop back to this st...
Your Favorite Aunts, Kevin Garcia & Rev. Sarah Heath 12.08.2021 1:09:13
This week, I spoke with Kevin Garcia & Rev. Sarah Heath (aka YFA, or Your Favorite Aunts). This is part 2 of our conversation, and you can hear part 1 over on Your Favorite Aunts! This conversation has a chill vibe. It's the type of quiet conversation you have in the corner at a party. I don't know about you, but that's not something I've experienced in well over a year, so this conversation ended...
Kelsey McKinney, author of God Spare the Girls 30.07.2021 1:07:52
Kelsey McKinney, co-owner & features writer for Defector.com and author of the debut novel God Spare the Girls, joins the show! We talk about her novel, how getting to know people outside the evangelical bubble changes your perspective, her experiences in the media, and much more. God Spare the Girls tells the story of two daughters of a megachurch pastor whose rise to evangelical fame came from a...
Good Christian Fun with Caroline Ely & Kevin T. Porter 02.07.2021 1:18:15
The hosts of Good Christian Fun join the show to talk about Christian school (with goats!), satellite home school curricula (Covenant Eyes included!) and much more! Follow GCF on Instagram, and Kevin & Caroline on there too. Follow Blake on Twitter @brchastain. Support the show via Substack. This episode was produced by Jake Lewis, thank you Jake! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....
Josie Jimenez 18.06.2021 54:43
This week's guest is IMG's very own Josie Jimenez! Josie is the co-host of Irreverent Media Group's Making Spaces podcast as well as the podcast Speaking in Church. We talked on a Sunday afternoon and things got a little silly, talking about Josie's life, why expecting people to be the same is so damn boring, and all sorts of other stuff. Listen to Making Spaces with Josie Jimenez & Rev. Sarah Hea...
Emily Joy Allison Discusses #SBC21 & #ChurchToo Direct Action 16.06.2021 1:01:44
Emily Joy Allison returns to Exvangelical to talk about #SBC21, the recent departures of Beth Moore & Russell Moore (no relation) from the denomination, and her own direct action through protest. We also discuss the conservative resurgence in other denominations, how the media (and post-evangelicals of all stripes online) discuss bad theology, and how to respond to these types of conservative init...
Irreverent Media Spotlight: A Tiny Revolution w/ Kevin Garcia 04.06.2021 43:04
This week I'm publishing an episode of fellow Irreverent Media Group podcaster Kevin Garcia's show A Tiny Revolution. It's Pride Month and ATR is running a special series in conjunction with Beloved Arise. Listen to this episode featuring an interview with Blake Mundell to learn more about Beloved Arise. Subscribe to A Tiny Revolution anywhere you listen to podcasts, and follow Kevin on Instagram...
Re-Release: Mark Russell on Religion, Satire, and Superheroes 13.05.2021 1:09:08
This episode is a re-release of my first interview with Mark Russell, author of several books including Second Coming, God is Disappointed in You, Apocrypha Now!, The Flintstones, Snagglepuss, Wonder Twins, Billionaire Island, and more. Superhero movies are returning to theaters soon, and I'm resurfacing this conversation because I think of it a lot when I think of superhero narratives in general....
The Making of Biblical Womanhood with Beth Allison Barr 27.04.2021 1:08:16
This week's guest is Beth Allison Barr, author of the new book The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. I'm joined by two guest co-hosts, Emily Autenrieth and Laura Navarro. The theology and practice of complementarianism in conservative Christian circles has shaped the lives of millions of women. For over a century, it has oppressed women and become a re...
Rev. Lenny Duncan 16.04.2021 1:01:41
This week's guest is Rev. Lenny Duncan. Lenny is a pastor and the author of two books: Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US, and the forthcoming United States of Grace: A Memoir of Homelessness, Addiction, Incarceration, and Hope. In this conversation we talk about Rev. Duncan's life, his books, Christianity in America, and America overall. Please...
Introducing the Irreverent Media Group! 05.04.2021 4:32
Exvangelical is now a part of the Irreverent Media Group! Visit irreverent.fm to learn more about this new collective. Follow Irreverent on social: twitter.com/irreverent_fm instagram.com/irreverent_fm facebook.com/irreverentfm Are you a creator that wants to join IMG, or an advertiser looking for sponsorship opportunities? Email us at irreverentfm@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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