In Part 2 of my conversation with Canadian Sam Morse from the Out of Eden podcast, we delve further into the question of how (or indeed, why) a person might be able to retain various aspects of his or her Christianity--post-deconstruction. This involves, of necessity, a re-examination of one's views on both God and the Bible--how you approach the text (hermeneutics, or lens through which we read Scripture) will of necessity change your views of God and Jesus. This strikes at the very heart of the issue: change your views on God and the Bible, and your former Christian faith (if you have any left) will never be the same again.  

If you've deconstructed your former Christian faith, do you believe there's anything worth salvaging? This week's guest, Sam Morse (host of the Out of Eden podcast) and I discuss this very question: can you retain a view of God once you begin to question the whole construct of Christianity? For Sam, the answer is Yes--albeit with a very radically deconstructed and different view of both God and the Bible.  Find out where he is on the journey in Part 1.

What might Martin Luther's "theology of the cross" have to say to a modern-day post-evangelical Christian? This is even more the case when that theology has been filtered through radical theology and the work of Deitrich Boenhoffer. In Part 2 of our conversation, Dutch theologian Josh deKeyzer and I discuss how he came to this position--although sometimes he admits he can be an "angry theist" too. Not all of the kinks have been ironed out, but he does retain a view of God--albeit a radically different version than his former fundamentalist views of God!    

What do you do when evangelicalism no longer works for you? This involves your views of God...the Bible...and Christianity in general. Are you deconstructing your former faith? If so, where are you on this spiritual journey? This question I've been asking over the last few weeks continues with Dr Josh deKeyzer from The Netherlands. While in seminary in the USA, he began deconstructing his former very narrow evangelical faith. In this episode Josh tells his story and how he began to view everything differently...and what that did to his entire belief system.

Deconstruction of the Christian faith looks different for everyone. Some have become angry atheists; angry theists; or agnostic. Some, like Stacie Rae "The Resting Traveller," have not only deconstructed--they've reconstructed their former views of God. In this episode Stacie and I discuss how she overcame crippling anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide to do just that--combined with a new understanding of the Bible, too.

Where are you along the path of this thing we call "the spiritual journey"? If you're deconstructing your former Christian faith, have you been able to retain a view of God? How do you read the Bible now, if you still do? These are all questions Stacie Rae "The Resting Traveller" and I tackle in this week's episode. Despite a very traumatic upbringing in the church, and questioning her very identity, Stacie has been able to retain a view of God and of the Bible--but not without experiencing major loneliness, anxiety, and depression first.

Why burn down patriarchy in religion? Sarah Smith, the host of Theosophia podcast, is passionate about promoting women's voices in theology and in religion. She is passionate about bringing out this perspective, since historically patriarchal religions have long silence, oppressed and marginalized women. Sarah opens up about her backstory--yet through all the pain of growing up in a toxic evangelical background, she has somehow retained her beliefs in God and the Bible. But how?

There is no question: religion is incredibly important to humanity. It has permeated every single aspect of human life: music, language, politics, literature, our communities and more. Yet what has been the effect of religion on women? It turns out that religion has not exactly been kind to women, both historically and presently. Karen Garst, "the faithless feminist" and I discuss this issue related to her upcoming new book Women v. Religion: The Case Against Faith...and For Freedom. In the book, multiple women contributed chapters, and discuss both the historical and current effects of all 3 Abrahamic religions on women--Judaism, Islam and Christianity.    

How does the African-American civil rights movement impact upon the state of black churches in America today? And should it be important to understand the legacy of African-American atheists and free thinkers? Today's conversation features the continuation of last week's discussion related to the history of African-American peoples and how that has affected black churches (and treatment of African-American women specifically). Deanna Adams is an atheist, womanist and author who brings a fascinating perspective to the table, as an African-American woman. 

How did the transatlantic slave trade and the resulting cultural violence affect Africans? Add to this the introduction of "white Christianity" into the mix and what results helps to explain much of the current situation within many African-American churches today. This week's episode features a fascinating conversation with Valerie Wade: author, historian, and "cultural Christian." Valerie shares a particular fascination not just with history, but specifically focuses upon the treatment of African-American women in black churches currently. Even though African-American women make up a large majority of black churches in terms of attendance and finance, they have historically not been allowed to have leadership roles, or to able to preach. Valerie offers up some fascinating historical and cultural insights on this issue.