Kicking off the first episode of 2025, Troy and Brian revisit their conversion stories...after four years of Exvangelical podcasting. They explore their early lives, the vulnerabilities that led them to embrace fundamentalist Christianity, and the roles of community and belonging in their experiences. The conversation delves into the impact of identity, and the emotional manipulation often present in Christian environments. They reflect on the long-term effects of their conversions, emphasising the importance of vulnerability and belonging at the very beginning of their Christian journeys.LinksBrian's first conversion story episode is here.Troy's first conversion story episode is here. ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

In our second episode back in 2021, troy talked a little about his pre-conversion home life and his experience of two Christian camps. It was at the second camp where he found himself speaking in tongues and started to wear the label, 'born-again'. As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying our best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.    ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Let's go right back to the beginning. In Season 1 Episode 1, Brian recounted his conversion story. "No bibles, no preaching, no god-bothering!" These were the conditions he put upon his two brothers, who had recently converted to Pentecostal Christianity, if he were to visit them while on holidays. What happened next would change the course of his life and still continues to impact who he is today.As part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

In 2023, we talked with Clare Heath-McIvor, an exvangelical blogger and podcaster who has been operating under the pseudonym 'Kit Kennedy' since a dramatic and shunning-esque exit from her pastor father's church in 2016. In 2022, she and her ex-husband (a gay conversion therapy survivor) became whistleblowers for a 60 Minutes Australia political and religious expose on her father's City Builders Church and its tactics in Australian conservative politics. Trigger warning: This episode touches on issues concerning depression and suicide. If you are in Australia and require support, please reach out to 1800RESPECT by phone or online at www.1800respect.org.au/ or Lifeline on 13 11 14.You can connect with Clare at www.unchurchablepodcast.com. If you want to explore her whistleblowing story, then see the links below:60 Minutes Australia - Praying For Power: Caring church or crazy cultThe Age Newspaper #1 - Liberal Party Candidate Agent for Ultra-Conservative Church, Family Says#2 - Speaking in Tongues, Exorcisms and Control: Life in City Builders#3 - Inside City Builders, the Pentecostal Sect with Lofty Political Goals#4 - Ultra-Conservative Candidate won’t sit in the party room if elected#5 - Shame on you: Liberal Party figure caught using fake 007 pics and fake identity for dirty tricksAs part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

We came out of the gate swinging for this first episode of Season 4, and unpacked some of the most problematic and ridiculous aspects of the doctrine of eternal torment, aka Hell. We also gave some suggestions on how to overcome the fear of Hell.The resources suggested in this episode are:ChristianThat All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation: Hart, David BentleyGrace Saves All: Christianity and Universal Salvation PodcastLove Wins: At the Heart of Life’s Big Questions : Bell, RobPost-ChristianHeaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife : Ehrman, Bart DBart Ehrman on the Humanize Me PodcastAm I Going to Hell?: Bart EhrmanAs part of our 2025 Down Under Summer Series, we're replaying out best episodes. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.   ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

We'd love you to tune in as we say goodbye to 2024 and look forward to 2025. We look back on some of our best episodes of 2024, and even a couple of our worst. We'll definitely be back later in 2025, so see you then! ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

We think you'll really connect with this episode. In 2000, Desiree Richter's two-year-old son Elijah died in a tragic domestic accident. The world as she knew it was dismantled along with her understanding of her place in it, leaving her to figure out how to parent her remaining children and how the fundamentalist Christian faith she'd practiced all her life fit into her new reality. We talk with Desi about her Fundamentalist upbringing, the death of her son, leaving the faith, and rediscovering purpose after so much loss.LinksThe Presence of Absence: Kitchen table talks about parenting, leaving fundamentalism, and the very messy business of living with lossDesi on FacebookDesi on Instagram ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

We're excited to welcome April Ajoy back to our show. April is an influencer, content-creator, podcaster, and all-around troublemaker for the Christian right. She grew up in the heart of American Evangelicalism as an Evangelist’s kid and she is insightful and astute at illuminating the ways Christian Nationalism has infiltrated churches and political arenas, shaping not only modern Evangelical culture but also American public policy and international relations. Her new book is called “Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism & Finding a True Faith.”LinksApril's first appearance on our showApril on InstagramApril's book ---We're now on video on YouTube here.Want more? Check out our exclusive Patreon episodes here.Join the conversation and connect with others here.All our links are here. Transcript of this episode is here.Doubting your beliefs? Have questions about changing or leaving your faith? You are not alone, and Recovering from Religion is here to help.

Delve into the intriguing possibility that Jesus may have mispredicted his own return. Explore how early believers grappled with apocalyptic expectations and the evolving interpretations of scripture over time. The conversation tackles the emotional toll of reconciling faith with modern skepticism and the historical context behind these beliefs. A critical examination of political influences on religious perspectives reveals complexities in current end-time narratives. Listeners are encouraged to question established doctrines while engaging with their communities.

Bart Ehrman, a renowned scholar and author at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, shares his journey from teenage fundamentalism to a critical examination of faith. He discusses the Book of Revelation, challenging common interpretations and exploring imagery like the Whore of Babylon. The conversation also touches on the impact of personal beliefs on relationships and the rise of Christian fundamentalism. Ehrman emphasizes the need for historical context in understanding biblical texts and highlights his dedication to philanthropy beyond religious boundaries.