Unbelief

If you ever felt guilty for making out , this one’s for you. We tear into abstinence-only education, the purity ring industrial complex, and the horror show that is the “born-again virgin.” Plus, we clap back at the toxic theology that says you’re not worthy of heaven if you love your own life too much. Yes, really. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswiz...

Turns out the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids isn’t a warning about heaven’s velvet rope. It’s a call to be ready for the unexpected. We unpack the cultural backdrop, the spiritual arrogance of the “prepared,” and how first-century people missed Jesus because they weren’t open—and how we still do the same thing today. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswi...

Purity culture wants you to believe marriage solves everything—except it doesn’t. We dig into stories of people rejected for cohabitation, the dangerous lie that consent disappears once you’re married, and why reducing life to two bad choices is just bad theology wrapped in shame. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

The Parable of the Weeds isn’t about judging people’s souls—it’s about waiting before you yank people out of your life. We break down the cultural background, the dangers of playing spiritual police, and why people might not be who you think they are. Spoiler: sometimes the wheat and the weeds look exactly the same. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswiz...

Let’s talk about that time purity culture told you dating a non-Christian would ruin your soul. We dig into the myth of being “unequally yoked,” how that verse isn’t even about marriage, and why courting culture stunts your growth like a purity ring with a chokehold. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

Jesus didn’t just forgive the woman—they had a whole theological mic drop right in the middle of dinner. We unpack the ancient hospitality customs the Pharisee ignored, how Jesus publicly re-centered the one everyone tried to erase, and what it means to be both messy and full of faith. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

Religious trauma isn’t just in your head—it lives in your body. In this episode, we talk to a religious trauma therapist about what it is, how it shows up, and how healing actually works. From EMDR to somatic therapy to finding a therapist who gets it, this is your intro guide to unlearning spiritual harm.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our col...

You’ve heard the Left Behind version—but what if the Bible never promised a cosmic vacuum sucking up all the good Christians? We walk through every so-called “rapture” verse, dismantling the theology one line at a time. Spoiler: Jesus wasn’t talking about disappearing in your khakis. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...

Turns out, the rabbis were way ahead of their time. In this episode, we take a deep dive into PaRDeS. This multi-layered way to read scripture embraces metaphor, meaning, and mystery—perfect for those of us who’ve been burned by fundamentalism but still find the Bible intriguing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of p...

What happens when the Baptist pastor in your town preaches an entire sermon about you, because you’re the only openly gay kid? Our guest tells the story of being publicly shamed and slowly rebuilding his spiritual life. From Baptist trauma to a surprising homecoming in Judaism, this episode explores what communal harm looks like—and what healing can become. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simp...

Universal salvation, anti-authoritarianism, and maybe a warning about neat little spiritual clichés—all from one tiny seed. In this episode, we dig into the parable of the mustard seed and why reading and looking for the truth that presents itself might be the most faithful move you can make. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

What happens when your evangelical dad reads your diary and finds out you’re a lesbian—and he’s also your pastor? Sharon Roggio, director of 1946: The Movie , tells her story of heartbreak, leaving home, and somehow finding a way back into relationship. We also talk about how “homosexual” ended up in the Bible—and why that mistranslation still haunts us today. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by S...

We’re not here to scare you with hellfire—we’re here to tell you this parable is about injustice, privilege, and how hard it is to see your own biases. The Rich Man never figured it out. Maybe this episode will help the rest of us do better. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adve...

It’s the conversation every deconstructing queer (or ally) eventually has: what does the Bible actually say about LGBTQ people? We bring receipts, cultural context, and a healthy amount of side-eye to the verses used to exclude—and flip the script completely. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

In the parable of the great banquet, Jesus roasts the self-important by showing what happens when entitled people flake on an invitation: God gives their seats to the outsiders. We dig into the honor/shame culture behind the story, why those excuses were actually public insults, and how the host turns his anger into radical inclusion. This hits hard because... what are you doing with your anger? p...

Altar calls aren’t always about salvation—sometimes they’re about control. In this episode, we break down the psychological tactics behind the ‘come forward’ moment, tell our own trauma stories, and ask whether the so-called demon manifestations are actually something else entirely. Spoiler: religious psychosis is real, and so is spiritual abuse. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an...

The parable of the four soils isn’t about locking you into ‘good’ or ‘bad’ forever—it’s about staying open to transformation. In this episode, we break down why Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John didn’t actually write those gospels, how the texts share sources but shape different messages, and why wealth and power often show up as the biggest obstacles to growth. In the end, it’s about mystery—and the...

This episode gets personal. We share two raw, painful stories of being hurt by faith healers and talk about the long-term spiritual damage that comes from fake supernatural claims. Healing shouldn’t be a performance. And at the end, we drag a few viral Christian TikToks that made us scream into the void—including one truly cringe campus preacher. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Spoiler: The parable of the talents isn’t about investment advice or religious performance—it’s about empire. We follow the messy political history behind the nobleman (ahem, Herod) and explore how Jesus used storytelling to expose and challenge systems of injustice. It’s not a sermon on success—it’s a call to resist. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adsw...

Christian music good. Secular music bad. That’s what we were told. But it turns out, that binary cuts us off from art, from emotion, and from understanding who we are. We talk about music, Moana, Black Panther, burning CDs (oops), and how it’s all connected to the evangelical fear of trusting your own heart. Albums that will lead you astray playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53CQL4me7h2to...

We’ve been reading the Prodigal Son all wrong. It’s not just about a ‘bad’ kid and a ‘good’ kid—it’s about  two lost sons : one outwardly reckless, one inwardly rotten. We break down greedy older brothers, younger brothers desperate enough to work with pigs, and a God who refuses to leave anyone out of the party, no matter how messed up they are. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Step one: convince a 10-year-old she’s actually dead and headed for eternal damnation. Step two: act shocked when she punches a racist in church and bails on the whole thing. Amanda shares her wild church trauma story and what it’s like trying to parent through that pain, building a better, gentler spiritual world for her kids. patreon.com/skepticpastor Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. Se...

You think the Ten Commandments are about judging everyone else? Wrong. They’re written to you. In this episode, we break down how the commandments are personal, why ‘taking the Lord’s name in vain’ has nothing to do with cussing, and why Sabbath isn’t just ‘a nice idea’—it’s a full-on rebellion against hustle culture. Oh, and yes, it’s ‘don’t murder,’ not ‘don’t kill.’ Get it right. patreon.com/sk...

If you died tonight, do you know where you’d spend eternity? We open with that classic evangelical guilt-trip and immediately start breaking it down. Gabie and Jeremy deep dive into the biblical  non -basis for modern hell, expose how mistranslations (and Dante) created most of what we picture today, and explore how ancient views on punishment were  way  more complex than fire and brimstone. patre...

We’re talking pagan goddesses, changing language, and why the King James Version is  definitely  not the most accurate Bible translation. Gabie (our favorite linguist) joins to unpack the pagan origins of the word ‘Easter,’ how meanings shift over time, and why ‘thou shalt not’ doesn’t mean what you think it means anymore. Spoiler: English has evolved—and so should your theology. patreon.com/skept...