Honoring the Journey

Jay's church, Revolution Gathering, can be found on Instagram , Facebook, YouTube and X(Twitter) . You can pick up any of Jay's books on Amazon! Here is a link to do that. Jay's mom, Tammy Faye Bakker, wrote a book he talks about in the interview that I think you should pick up, too! Here is the link for the book, I Gotta Be Me . You can also find Jay's writings on Patheos . ******************* Wa...

Jared Byas is the co-host of The Bible for Normal People Podcast and he is also a writer, and a former professor of Philosophy and Biblical Studies. In this episode, he shares his journey through deconstruction and his consistently deep desire to know the love and truth of God. He doesn't hold back in offering some of the wisdom he has learned along the way! A fabulous conversation that will leave...

Andrea, who uses the pen name Cheydrea (shy-drae-uh), had a childhood filled with instability, neglect and fear. Through the years, she has fully deconstructed her evangelical beliefs and has found tremendous healing in her writing and art. Her poetry reveals her pain in raw and vivid detail. Through courageous and vulnerable self-expression, she has learned to honor her emotions, re-parent hersel...

Reza Aslan came to the US when his family fled from Iran when he was 7 years old. He was raised in the Muslim religion, but converted to Christianity in college, then found his way back to his Muslim/Islam roots in his twenties. He has studied religion deeply for years, has written books, has been on podcasts and documentaries about religion and has incredible insights into the purpose and role of...

Gary Alan Taylor was very active in ministry for a number of years. He actually worked with Focus on the Family, where he was in charge of touring with The Truth Project (remember that?). But when he began to question some things about his theology, there was a huge shift in his life. He now has a podcast called Holy Heretics , helped found The Sophia Society , and is a writer and speaker in the d...

Mason Mennenga grew up in the early 2000's youth group purity culture era. His curiosity and determination to understand truth led him to deconstruct his beliefs and now he's a voice on social media and through his podcasts, A People's Theology and The Black Sheep Podcast! He brings humor and sarcasm to the deconstruction community, and I for one appreciate the laughs! Enjoy the journey, friends!...

Molly LaCroix is a Marriage & Family Therapist and utilizes the IFS (Internal Family Systems) model in her work. In this episode, she shares her journey, why she thinks our personal stories are so sacred, and gives us a peek into the complexities of religious trauma and what it looks like to use the IFS model in therapy. A fascinating and powerful interview you won't want to miss! You can learn mo...

Come honor the journey of Tripp Fuller with us today! Tripp is a self-proclaimed "Theology Nerd" but he's so much more! He is an Open and Relational Theologian, Author of several books, including co-author with Tom Oord of the new book God After Deconstruction , and he's the one who started Theology Beer Camp several years ago! His journey has been one of absolute curiosity, questioning and findin...

April Ajoy was a worship leader and Christian Nationalist (she even wrote a song about it) for most of her life, until a few years back when she began deconstructing her theological beliefs. Now she is a content creator, podcaster, and author of a book called Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith due out in October! Her journey is one of incredible twists and...

Stephen Knight (known on the internet as Knightopia) is not afraid to speak up for the least of these. His heart for the marginalized, his love for his fellow humans and his desire to see social justice in the world fuels him each day. His journey from working in a conservative mission organization, the Billy Graham Association and now fighting for the rights of human begins with Just Leadership U...

Our final day of QUOIR WEEK on Honoring the Journey is a special Q&A episode with Leslie’s friend, Rachel Wunderli. They tackle questions like: How do you find your purpose now that you’re deconstructing? How do you find community? What are you going to do for weddings or funerals if you’re not in church? Why do you talk about deconstruction so much? Also, Leslie reads the Introduction from her ne...

Day 3 of QUOIR WEEK on Honoring the Journey features Quoir Author, Pierce Marks. Pierce is the author of A New Way of Seeing: Meaning of Life and the Christian Vision of Nature. He is not only an author, but also a philosopher and artist and deep thinker. He has had an incredible journey out of evangelicalism, and now is happily planted in an Eastern Orthodox Church. He craves liturgy, tradition a...

Day Two of QUOIR WEEK here on Honoring the Journey features Quoir Author, Eric Reitan, whose book Eden Sank to Grief came out in February! Eric discusses his book, the inspiration behind it, and his incredible deconstruction journey in this episode. He is a philosophy professor, a writer and an incredible story teller. You are going to love learning more about his life and faith journey! Get your...

Matthew Distefano kicks off QUOIR WEEK on Honoring the Journey by sharing his faith and life journey with us! Matthew is the co-owner of Quoir Publishing and is an award winning author of several books. He also co-hosts Heretic Happy Hour, a Quoircast Podcast, with Keith Giles and many other guest co-hosts. Matthew shares his journey through evangelicalism and deconstruction with vulnerability and...

Maybe you've seen Kellie Strickland on the internet giving great advice for those going through Religious Trauma on her Instagram or TikTok under the name "chitchatwithkellie"? Well, today we honor her journey! Kellie is a Religious Trauma Recovery Coach after spending most of her life deep in Evangelicalism. Her heart to help others shines through in everything she does and her deep love for othe...

Today we honor the journey of Jon Turney, Co-Host of This is Not Church Podcast and author of the new book RJ the Astronaut ! His journey is one of deconstruction that led to reconstruction and re-entry into church and ministry and then deconstructing it all again. Such a relatable and powerful journey! We also talk about why he wrote the book RJ the Astronaut and how the book has helped him sort...

Today, we honor the journey of Benjamin Cremer (Ben), a Wesleyan Pastor, Theologian, and Writer who makes a few waves on social media with his posts that admonish the church to lean into the way of Jesus with compassion, kindness, and love while also leaning away from political power, control and judgment. It's a message that goes against the flow in today's church, but it's a message that is desp...

Today we honor the journey of Tim and Sarah Whitaker! Tim started The New Evangelicals back in 2020 and Sarah is his wife, who has been a real encouragement to him along the way (and sometimes she makes appearances on TNE videos). I wanted to hear their journey together as a couple going through deconstruction. Their story is one that I think we can all learn from, as they weren't always on the sa...

Michael Camp was an Evangelical Missionary in Africa for seven years and fully immersed and devoted to his beliefs. After a crisis of faith and some serious doubts, he began deconstructing about 20 years ago. Today, Michael has written books, hosts and produces a podcast called Spiritual Brewpub and helps others through deconstruction with his Coaching business. One of Michael's biggest passions i...

Today, Leslie invited Rachel Wunderli back to be her guest in a special Q&A episode! They tackle questions like: What are some spiritual practices you do these days to feel connected to God? Do you believe the Bible to truly be God’s Word and worthy of living out? What do you do if you stand before God in the end and he says you got it all wrong? What are your thoughts on tough love? What do you t...

This episode is jam-packed with such great conversation! Thomas Jay Oord spent some time sharing his journey, his thoughts on God,  Love, Theology and his thoughts about Deconstruction and how to navigate it. He recently had a book come out called God After Deconstruction, and this book is like a field guide for deconstructing! You're gonna want to listen to this one TWICE! Tom will be at ORTCON24...

Today we tackle the very hot topic (no pun intended) of the doctrine of Hell. Chad Bahl is a theologian, a writer, and a guy who was never afraid to ask the tough questions. Chad openly and honestly shares his deconstruction journey and his desire to connect with God on a deeper level, and it also gives incredible insights into the things he discovered on his journey of deconstructing the doctrine...

Angela Herrington joins us to share her journey from Evangelicalism to now Author and Deconstruction Coach. Her kind heart and desire to help others through the difficult journey of deconstruction shows up in everything she does. In this episode, she chats about her own, personal journey and shares deep insights into things she has learned along the way. You are gonna love her! Angela can be found...

This is the final episode of Season 1! We will be back with more awesome content on April 22, 2024! You can find and follow Rachel Wunderli on TikTok and Instagram . She is working on a podcast that will be out soon! Once it goes live, I will make sure you know all about it. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out and dial 988, the National Suicide Hotli...

Omar Zaheer was a contestant on Survivor 42 in the fall of 2022. You can find his season on Paramount Plus! Omar is on Twitter and Instagram , if you'd like to follow him!     Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease. Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here. Inte...