In this monster, 2+ hour episode, I take a VERY deep dive into the backstory of what led Doug Wilson and his co-author, Steven Wilkins, to write their hugely controversial 1996 booklet, Southern Slavery, As it Was. If you love history as I do, then you'll appreciate the historical context behind what's called the "theological war thesis"--which draws elements from the Southern "Lost Cause" mythology, among others. You might be surprised to learn that in reality, the argument advanced by Wilson and Wilkins is really nothing new--Southern Slavery cribs from a variety of sources, all of them problematic, and advances a revisionist, racist reading of history. Exactly why is this problematic? Listen in to find out more! Become a part of the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page] Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018  

Once again I'm catching up with my very good friend Dr Terri Daniel to promote her outstanding conference being held in July--the Conference on Death, Grief, and Belief. Terri and I not only preview some of the amazing speakers at this year's conference, but we also delve into these important topics of death, grief, and belief, and how it all somehow ties into people's religious worldviews. These aspects are especially noticeable when it comes to issues like death, dealing with grief, and trying to understand suffering. One more thing--listen carefully at the end, and Terri will give you a discount code to save a bit of money on this upcoming conference! The Conference on Death, Grief, and Belief Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018

I recently caught up with a good friend and ex-pastor, Gary Hudson. Gary is the author of the 2018 work Surrender to Reason: New Testament Studies that Disputed Faith.   In it, Gary charts how he, as an evangelical pastor, came to question--and ultimately walk away from--his lifelong Christian faith. Ironically, it was in studying the Bible in preparation for a sermon that started his questioning of the inspiration, inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible.   Once that house of cards started to collapse, the inevitable happened...Gary walked away from both decades of faithful ministry and his Christian faith to boot.   Become a part of the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community!   Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018

This week's guest is ex-cult member Vennie Kocsis, who grew up in the fundamentalist Bible cult founded by Sam Fife--the Move of God, or just "The Move." Reaching its heyday in the mid-1970s, not only was it growing, it was reaching into the mainstream of society also. Focusing heavily on an end-times, apocalyptic message, Fife's group seemingly started out innocently enough...but ultimately descended into a high-control religious group, complete with compounds, guns, and long working hours for its adherents. Vennie grew up in the midst of that--and ultimately escaped and began the difficult journey of rebuilding her life, post-cult. This is a story of survival of horrific abuses, but just as equally, a story of the triumph of the human will over incredible adversity. Find out more about Vennie on her website  Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page

After a few years' break, I finally caught up with my good friend Frank Schaeffer, who of course is the son of the famous Francis Schaeffer. His father not only shaped my views as an evangelical, but indeed an entire generation--and together with Frank, helped kickstart the "pro-life," anti-abortion evangelical movement in America.   Frank and I discuss not only his work in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade--something he predicted with the installation of Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett during the Trump era--we also dive into gun rights, mass shootings, and the collateral damage these issues are causing in our world today.   Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community!   Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page

Having just been on Chris's great show, the Sensibly Speaking Podcast, it was time to return the favor and have him back on MindShift! As an ex-Scientologist who's been out of the cult for over 10 years, and having run his show for the last 7 or 8 years exposing the inner workings of the cult, Chris is uniquely placed to provide insights into the group. Not only do we break down the early history of the Church of Scientology and its founder, L Ron Hubbard, we delve into the psychology and tactics used by Scientology to control and coerce its adherents. Even if you've never had anything to do with Scientology, you'll still benefit from this discussion if you're recovering from religion. Join us on the 23rd of April as Chris returns for our next MindShift Zoom call by supporting the show on Patreon--the link is below. Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Subscribe to Chris Shelton's YouTube channel Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018  

This week's conversation is with self-professed liberal Christian and writer for Salon, Nate Manderson. Nate and I had a great chat about his backstory, how he came to walk away from fundamentalist Christianity, and now how his writing is taking on the mainstream evangelical church in America today. Having sold most of its soul to Trumpism, Christian nationalism and a dominionist dream, what's next? Is there any hope for the church, going forward? In his role as "pastor to the public," Nate uses his platform to write incisive critiques of what evangelicalism has become today. I hope you enjoy this chat and hopefully we'll see Nate again on an upcoming MindShift Zoom call! Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page  

Welcome to this, our FINAL instalment in the ongoing and exhaustive look into controversial pastor and influencer, Doug Wilson.   This episode begins by defining and discussing the similarities and differences between the "complementarian" and "biblical patriarchy" views, assesses Wilson's views in light of that overview, then moves into a definition of the "manosphere."   What exactly is it? And why is it even important to look at? Turns out that the toxic message of biblical patriarchy is moving into the secular "manosphere"--and if you've never heard of it, after this episode, I believe you'll be more concerned than you were at the beginning.   Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018

We're nearly finished with our deep dive into controversial pastor--cult leader?--Doug Wilson out of Moscow, Idaho. This week's episode features an absolutely fascinating conversation with his former professor at the University of Idaho, Dr Nick Gier. Their relationship goes back to the late 1970s when Dr Gier was a professor of philosophy and Wilson was a young student, keen to evangelize, debate, and spread his version of the Christian faith. Over the decades they've had numerous run-ins, and Dr Gier has written extensively about Wilson and the various scandals and controversies he's been involved in. The next episode concludes our deep dive into Wilson--stay tuned for the final chapter! Dr Nick Gier's Website Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018

In this special bonus episode, returning guest David Johnson and I took another in-depth look at the question we covered in our recent podcast on a so-called "Christian" defense of slavery. What was meant to be our February MindShift Zoom call turned into a great follow-up conversation on this subject, examining a few questions and comments listeners of the first episode raised after hearing the show.  As a result, David and I were able to go back and do a closer examination of some of the New Testament passages we didn't get a chance to cover in the first one. I hope you enjoy this conversation and learn a lot from it! Join the MindShift Podcast Patreon Community! Follow me on Twitter @MindShift2018 Like the MindShift Podcast Facebook Page