Growing Up Christian

This week, Jeremiah joins us to debrief on Sam’s rollercoaster weekend in Las Vegas at the When We Were Young Festival! If you haven’t heard of WWWY, take a look at the lineup. It’s insane. Over the course of a couple days, Sam fell in love with the timeless beauty of the Vegas strip. Join us as he imparts the valuable life lessons he learned during his weekend in that sleezy human terrarium, and...

This week we’re excited to welcome back musician, former pastor, and our friend, Ben Sooy! We discuss Ben’s vision for a less coercive and predatory music industry, some of the struggles facing up-and-coming artists and musicians, his experience playing with Christian rock legends Switchfoot, long nighttime chats with Sam over carcinogens, and the most despicable bird in the animal kingdom. Ben ha...

This week we’re chatting the accelerated aging cycle of Goodwill stores, the looming disaster that is the presidential election, a Wisconsin pastor with idle hands and a Net Nanny skeleton key, and finally we’re dusting off an old prophesy trick that I’ll bet you’ve used yourself in the past. Enjoy the show!

This week we’re happy to welcome back author, activist, and Christian thought leader Shane Claiborne! Shane is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, a non-profit serving people in some of the poorest communities in Philadelphia, as well as Red Letter Christians, an organization that promotes a progressive Biblical view on issues such as social justice, nonviolence, and human rights. Our p...

This week Jeremiah joins us to discuss Phase 1 of The Chosen-Verse, the slightly-ambitious-but-mostly-just-puzzling expansion of the critically acclaimed tv series, The Chosen. We also touch on Sam’s visceral hatred for the bands you like and the glee he feels when someone ruins their life, Christian rock gods Skillet’s new song “All That Matters,” and the controversy surrounding Linkin Park’s new...

This week we’re joined by Jeremiah to talk about the presidential debate, a self-important, globetrotting nut named Ryan, and Sam and Jeremiah exchange conversational purple nurples because sometimes when a boy likes you and doesn’t know how to show it, he does rude things to you… I can only assume that’s what’s happening there. It was a fun conversation and we hope you enjoy it!

This week we skipped the presidential debate to discuss the clash of two actual titans: Christian hip-hop sensation KJ 52 (it’s important that you pronounce it five-two) and Eminem. For those troglodytes that just aren’t plugged into contemporary culture like we are, back at the turn of the century KJ 52 wrote a song called “Dear Slim” which was an open letter to Eminem. It did garner the attentio...

We’re happy to welcome back our brother in Christ Spencer Bland as we dive into the story of two brothers who dared to say “here we are, Lord. Send us to The Buckle!” The Stanley brothers are a couple of greasy Massachusetts douchebags that ran a “driveway resurfacing business,” although the reviews make it sound more like they were giving your pavement a cheap paintjob. Then they found their call...

This week the boys are flying solo! We spent some time griping about the looming threat of war and the unsettling jingoistic attitude some in the west seem to have about it, pasty trust fund Rastafarians, and a very interesting story unfolding in the Philippines where the wealthy leader of what appears to be a Christian cult stands accused of a litany of disgusting criminal acts, including human t...

This week we’re joined by Casey’s best friend Jesse to talk about his 10 year hiatus from and return to church, the fact that Howard Stern is a lame old pervert, moments that are flagged in your brain as eternally embarrassing, and then we catch up with Eli and Kaitlyn Regalado, the couple who made headlines earlier this year when their Christ-focused cryptocurrency and exchange went belly up. Ear...

This week Jeremiah joins us to hear about Sam’s nude rodent wrestling match, the most popular attachments for personal massagers, the best and worst screen adaptations of books and video games, and then we tackle the subject of premarital counselling. Did you have to meet with the pastor to discuss the most frivolous of topics in irritating detail while simultaneously breezing past the most import...

This week we’re joined by comedian and writer Tim Champa! Tim spent his early years as a non-denominational missionary kid in Portugal, even going to a school for missionary kids. After moving back to the states in his early teens, he was very involved in his church and even became a worship leader. Eventually, he found himself at odds with a number of things that his church taught, and the straw...

“There are years when nothing happens, and weeks when years happen.” -Me That’s right, I coined that phrase. Don’t google it. What a week, huh?! The news cycle is tough to keep up with, much less process. So join us as we discuss Biden’s bitter surrender, why Kamala is most definitely brat, the “uncommitted” dissidents who helped bring about regime change despite nonstop consternation from the lin...

This week we’re joined by friend of the show and fellow Liberty University apostate, Jillian! We were all part of the LU Christian metalcore community (it’s every bit as cringe as it sounds, but it was also a ton of fun), and it’s the first time we’ve caught up with her in over 15 years. Jillian’s story differs a lot from the many of us who grew up in church, in that her introduction to more extre...

This week we’re excited to welcome our good friend, comedian, musician, and podcaster Mike Valdes! Discussion topics include naughty assassins, the Lord’s stance on marionettes, Louisianna’s new Ten Commandments law for classrooms, and Disney’s new “Punk Goes Crunk”-esque album of cover songs. We always have so much fun hanging out with Mike! You can follow him on Instagram (@mikevaldes) and TikTo...

This week we’re joined by Jeremiah to discuss CNN’s televised squawk match between the ultimate Boomer avatars, as well as some updates in the continuing mudslide that is Gateway Church and their recently resigned pastor, Robert Morris. More articles are popping up, more church leaders are stepping down, and as predicted, we’re finding out that this isn’t the first scandal the church has attempted...

This week we’re joined by award-winning author, journalist, and public speaker Jonathan Merritt! Jonathan wasn’t just a “pastor’s kid,” his father was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Steeped in conservative evangelicalism, his life took a turn during college when he decided he wanted to be a religion and spirituality writer. Jonathan lost himself in his work, publishing several b...

This week we’re talking about the developing story surrounding pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church, a multi-campus Texas monstrosity boasting over 100k congregants. Cindy Clemishire is a brave woman who has accused Robert Morris of molesting her from 1982 to 1987, beginning when she was just 12 years old. Although she has sought justice against Morris multiple times, Cindy has watched in frustr...

Well this is embarrassing, but due to insurmountable technical difficulties with the Comfort Inn WIFI, we weren't able to finish recording this week's episode. However, we have a story in the works for next week that I'll bet many of you have been following. Tune in next Tuesday as we discuss the disturbing allegations surrounding Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church in Dallas, TX. Have a great...

This week we’re joined by Ryan George, author of “Hurt and Healed by the Church: Redemption and Reconstruction After Spiritual Abuse.” Ryan was listening to a podcast one day when he heard a heartbreaking story of sexual abuse about a pastor, a pastor who happened to be his father. It’s hard to imagine being hit with such a devastating revelation, but it set off a chain reaction that forced him to...

Colorado is a magical place to so many people, and for so many different reasons! Some venture into the mountains to get glazed on big box weapons-grade weed in a puddle of pine sap, some scour Denver for the latest fast casual slop hut bastardizing ethnic cuisine, but me? I’m here to visit one of the last great vestiges of Christian Americana left in these United States of Tanger Outlets: the Foc...

This week we’re joined by our friend Kavin to talk about his experiences as a short term foster parent! Foster care is an important service that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The fact of the matter is that kids across the world through no fault of their own find themselves in difficult, scary situations where they are taken out of their home, away from their families, and placed in...

This week Jeremiah joins us to talk about God’s mightiest warrior and recent 700 Club guest, Terry Eugene Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan! We’re all suckers for a juicy testimony, right? Well nobody in recent memory can spin a yarn quite like the Hulkster. Terry is on fire for God and anxious to spread the good word with what time he has left before he takes Hulkamania all the way to the Pearly Gates! He’s...

This week we’re excited welcome Andy Prince from Manchester Orchestra back to the show! Last time he was on, we talked about his upbringing in a Florida panhandle Christian community, and his involvement in an Evangelical movement know as the Brownsville Revival. This time around we discuss his early music career and change in lifestyle, as well as his work with an organization called Upward Intui...

This week, we’re talking about a few different disastrous stories that we just can’t look away from. First, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem continues to make headlines as journalists sift through the ridiculous claims in her upcoming book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” The latest pull quotes had us in tears, and her response to criticis...