Josiah Hesse
Journalist and author of the memoir On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right; writes about ex-evangelical issues and maps personal experience onto larger political and religious trends.
Best podcasts with Josiah Hesse
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Jan 26, 2026 • 45min
Raised on the Prosperity Gospel: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right
Josiah Hesse, journalist and author of the memoir On Fire for God, grew up inside prosperity gospel culture during the 1980s farm crisis. He recounts family sacrifice, tithing nearly everything, and how fear, shame, and economic collapse shaped faith. The conversation moves from intimate memories to the rise of the Christian Right, purity culture, religious trauma, and the long road out of evangelicalism.
Jan 13, 2026 • 47min
On Fire for the God Con
In this engaging discussion, author Josiah Hesse, raised in evangelical culture in Mason City, Iowa, critiques the modern evangelical movement, likening its leaders to the con man in The Music Man. He shares insights on how prosperity gospel manipulates fear and nostalgia to exploit communities. Hesse also reflects on his personal journey of faith, the intellectual awakening that helped him break free from rigid beliefs, and the need for a more compassionate progressive Christianity. He calls for open dialogue to counter the allure of fundamentalism.
