Growing Up Christian

I think we can all agree that the online discourse around most issues has gotten pretty contentious, and it has a tendency to push us into two groups: the righteous, and the wicked. Both sides view themselves as the former, and we tend to turn every debate into a kind of litmus test for the participants. “Christians who are Christ-focused are pro-life, pro-gun, anti-big government, and they vote a...

This week, we’re joined by missionary kid and lifelong Hong Kong resident, Ian! Ian’s family moved to Hong Kong when he was only two years old, and he’s spent most of his life there. Many of us that grew up in the church remember missionary families visiting periodically to raise support. Ian has lived on the other side of that equation, and he shares some hilarious stories about visiting small to...

This week, we welcome back activist, influencer, and humanitarian Charles McBryde (@charlesmcbryde on IG & TikTok)! Charles spent a month and a half in Ukraine working with Mission Kharkiv, a vital NGO that is focused on providing life-saving medical treatment to those affected by the ongoing Russian invasion. Healthcare needs in places like Kharkiv go far beyond battlefield aid for soldiers....

Our guest this week is musician and songwriter Kevin Klein of the alternative rock trio, Valleyheart! Kevin is a former Christian school kid whose relationship to faith has changed a lot, over the years. On June 3, Valleyheart is releasing a brand new, highly-anticipated album on Tooth & Nail records entitled “Heal My Head,” and we can’t wait to hear it! You can follow Valleyheart on Twitter a...

Our guests this week are Ash and Scott of the fantastic podcast, Boys' Bible Study! Each week, they join their cohost Julian to discuss and critique the "best contemporary Christian movies." We talk about their upbringing in very different church environments, along with some of the best, worst, and most interesting faith-based films in existence. We had a great time with them, and we now have a l...

This week, we’re joined by visual artist Jason Brammer! Jason is known for his murals, site-specific installations, distinctive paintings, and mixed media hand-painted assemblages, and over the years, he’s been commissioned by the likes of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Hulu, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Jimmy Chamberlain of The Smashing Pumpkins. Jason grew up in a Christian environment, but from an e...

Our guest this week is podcaster Matt Molinaro! Matt grew up the son of a strict, fundamentalist preacher, and struggled to fit in both at school, and at church. After decades of feeling different and out-of-place, he came to grips with the fact that he is a gay man, much to the dismay of his father. Matt was kind enough to share his great perspective on being true to yourself in the face of resis...

Our guest this week is comedian, podcaster, musician, and actor, Mike Valdes! Mike grew up in a Christian home in Miami, and got involved in the ministry at an early age. We discuss his missionary work translating Christian music into sign language, being a central part of a praise team at a dying church, and his eventual drift away church and into standup comedy. We had an absolute blast talking...

Our guest this week is comedy writer, director, and filmmaker, Tyler Eaton! Tyler and his team are working on a comedy/horror film called “Mysterious Ways,” starring recent GUC guest, comedian/podcaster/actress Alyssa Sabo! Here’s a brief synapsis: Two sibling youth pastors come toe-to-toe with demonic forces when a member of their young flock is possessed during an anti-Halloween slumber party. W...

Our guest this week is author, speaker, and cofounder of Revolution Church, Jay Bakker! Jay is the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who were two of the most successful televangelists of all time, and founders of the Praise the Lord Network. They inspired the recent biopic “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” for which Jessica Chastain won an Academy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of...

Over the years, events like the Inquisition and the Crusades have gotten a bit of a bad rap. You whiney 21st century moralists would have people believing that it was all torture and genocide, but some leaders in the modern church believe that's sort of a glass-half-empty mentality. What about all the good things that they neglect to mention? For instance, we now have a Walmart in Constantinople,...

Our guest this week is Sam Kieffer, sound engineer and production specialist for Team Coco and the Earwolf Podcast Network! Sam was drawn into the Evangelical community as a young man, but without the persistent urging of his family. It’s one of many ways that his story differs from that of so many Christian kids, and it further illustrates the fact that there is no clean, easy, pain-free way out...

This week, we’re joined by comedian, actor, and podcaster, Alyssa Sabo! We first found Alyssa through her podcast Totally Rad!, an improv comedy show which she hosts alongside comedian and actor, Ben Cassil. She also has some hilarious original characters, including Midwestern fuddy duddy and Purity Ball organizer, Kathy Sanders, and Mike Pence’s angsty teen daughter, Peggy (who TikTok has taken v...

This week we’re joined by Blake and Eric, hosts of Back in the Cool Day, a fantastic podcast about 2000’s emo/pop punk/indie/hardcore music and culture! It’s a little tough to summarize how much ground was covered in this episode, but we touched on the butt rock/punk origin paradigm, the megachurch overlords, the fact that we don’t want to read your theology book, and our unwavering fondness for m...

Our guest this week is comedian and former Jehovah's Witness, Doug Smith! He has appeared on CONAN, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, and This Is Not Happening on Comedy Central. Doug's family became Jehovah's Witnesses after his mom was converted by those pesky door-to-door missionaries. As you might imagine, there are all sorts of fun little things that come with be...

Our guest this week is trans woman, blogger, and Army combat veteran Natalie Drew! Natalie was kind enough to share the story of her arduous, yet triumphant journey towards self-actualization and fulfilment. She also shares the hard details of her deployment in Iraq, and some of the lingering effects of violence. At a time when war seems to be hanging over our collective heads, Natalie’s story is...

This week, we’re joined by comedian Walker Glenn! We discuss his upbringing in a small, conservative Christian community in rural California, parental lyric screening anxiety, and the distinctive “out-of-place” feeling that accompanies a person’s slow movement away from the beliefs of those around them. We had a great time talking with Walker, and we can’t recommend his standup enough! Follow him...

Our guests this week are musicians Ash and Eric! Although the two of them grew up in very different church environments, they both found their place in the worship team at a kind of white collar church plant. As the church began to fray at the edges, they grew closer together, earning them the scorn of their fellow parishioners. The church was disintegrating around them, but getting out was not go...

Our guest this week is comedian, actor, writer, and producer, Nick Thune! As a young man, Nick was very involved in a large Seattle church. He held a leadership position within the youth program, but an appearance on a reality tv show lead to his ouster from the youth group, and prompted his move to Hollywood.   Nick’s story is one of a kind, and we were absolutely thrilled to talk to him! Fi...

This week, Sam and Casey discuss the recent Vanity Fair interview with former Liberty University president and Baptist edgelord idiot failure, Jerry Falwell Jr. At last, Jerry and his wife Becky are telling “their side” of the seedy story, and needless to say, it differs slightly from the established narrative… Poor ol’ Jerry is ready to torch the whole family in order to provide some context for...

This week we're joined by musician and TikToker, Seth David. Seth is a former home schooler and Liberty University student turned composer, producer, pianist and absurdist. Follow Seth on TikTok @ivorytowercontent, and enjoy the episode!   Check out our first merch! You can pre-order the "Born Again Virgin" t-shirt at  www.growing-up-christian.storenvy.com   If you're a coffee lover...

This week we’re joined by author and podcaster, Erin Hosier! Erin’s memoir, “Don’t Let Me Down,” delves into her experiences navigating complex family relationships, and her eventual escape from the small town where she grew up. She also hosts a podcast called “Tell Me About Your Father,” which is an ongoing discussion about dads and father figures. One of her recent guests is our buddy Christian...

This week we’re joined by our friends Bonnie & Karen, hosts of the hilarious podcast, Deconversion Therapy! We tackled some fun topics, and explored some theories about Joel Osteen’s toilet fund. If you’re not following them on social media, you’re missing out! Find them on Instagram and TikTok @deconversiontherapy, and enjoy their fantastic show wherever you listen to podcasts!   Check o...

Our first merch item is available for preorder, and it's a doozy... Get yours at https://growing-up-christian.storenvy.com/   Who among us hasn’t spent a Wednesday evening listening to a dopey youth pastor in carpenter jeans and witty t-shirt (‘Let’s taco bout Jesus’ or ‘iPray’) preach a sermon on “the dangers of giving your heart away?” The subsequent object lesson usually involved chewed gu...

This week we're joined by author, CPA, and podcaster, George Azar! George was heavily involved in the church as a young man, all while struggling to understand and overcome his sexuality. He went so far as to get involved with Exodus International (the organization covered in "Pray Away"), undergo conversion therapy, become a pastor, and even cooperate with church leadership as they attempted to a...