The Cult of Christianity

We did it! John invites Lilly and Chris on to the chaotic conclusion of the 2nd season of The Cult of Christianity! Shoutouts, recaps, trivia, hate mail, unvaulted clips, and plenty of drinking, this episode is quite literally for sh!ts and giggles! Video is available exclusively on Spotify! Thanks everyone who listened this season and I'll talk to y'all soon! (If you're sad to see the weekly content be paused, feel free to subscribe for more content! At the time of this release, there are 35 more premium episodes, meaning you would double the number of episodes available to you with the click of a button, and for only $5 a month! Click here if you'd like to subscribe! https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/subscribe) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John points out that freedom of religion seems to be a misnomer among Christian cultists. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John monologues about the various issues of determinism and free, how the philosophical conundrum interacts with Calvinist theology, and why Christians are not predisposed to believe in autonomy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John's friend, Fin, shares his wild story of being recruited, "trained," and psychologically maltreated, all in the name of becoming a Christian leader. The story gets more and more shocking as it goes on, and has a terrifying conclusion. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, torture is mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. This episode might be especially triggering for those who have experienced military boot camp or other psychologically intense occurrences. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Lucas shares his unfortunate experiences of conversion therapy while attending Liberty University. John and Lucas zoom out and try to demonstrate how such a torturous practice can be normalized in the homophobic culture of evangelicalism. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, therapy abuse, sexual assault, torture practices, and suicide are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Patrick, long lost friend of John's, stops by to help compare and contrast the structure of the catholic church with the protestant movement. History, clergy, the bible, and general cultural behaviors are discussed, especially in light of the problematic tendencies of American evangelicalism. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John and Dr. "Fuz" discuss intelligent design, creationism, scientific skepticism, and how all of this relates to Christianity. If you'd like to learn more about Fazale, or buy one of his books, you can go to https://reasons.org/ Disclaimer: While no guest appearance is an endorsement of all views they hold, occasionally The Cult of Christianity will have guests with fundamental disagreements on, in order to engage the other side and/or further allow points to be illustrated. The views expressed by guests are their own and their presence on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them, their statements, or any entity they represent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John and Dan joke around and talk about how humor can be really fun, but also really toxic, both inside and outside of church. If you'd like to learn more about Dan, buy his book, or find his podcast, you can go to https://dankapr.com/ CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, suicide is mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

From being acquainted, to trauma bonding, to becoming friends, to becoming literal twins, Lilly and John reunite to discuss mental wellness, especially as it relates to their cult upbringing. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, suicide, death, and spiritual abuse are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Author Radhia Gleis comes on the show to describe her experiences in the infamous cult depicted in the documentary, "Holy Hell." She shares the wisdom and education she has received about how Narcissism and Sociopathy operate within a cult context. You can learn more about her and buy her book at https://radhiagleis.com/ You can also watch the documentary through Amazon Prime here: https://tinyurl.com/y3udke48 CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, various forms of abuse (emotional and sexual) are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Scott, from the podcast "Chapel Probation," comes by to discuss the ins and outs of what makes Christian Colleges toxic and cult-like. Chris and John compare their Moody experiences, as students, to Scott's APU experiences, as a professor. If you'd like to learn more about Scott, or listen to his amazing podcast, go to https://www.rscottokamoto.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

On this special free bonus episode of Parsing Propaganda, John reviews Keller's analysis of justice in our modern context. The article "A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory" tries to argue that the bible is more fair than critical theories are, which John not only disagree with, but passionately shows how nonsensical and problematic Keller's thinking can be. This is a free episode of the weekly show "Parsing Propaganda." If you'd like to hear more of this show, you can click here: anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/subscribe --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Why not add more Johns to the mix? John Follis comes by to discuss his experience in marketing, including a wildly successful ad campaign for a church back in the 90s. The parallels between MLMs, churches, cult leaders, and pastors are all explored in depth. If you'd like to watch John's award winning documentary click here, https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/leaving-god/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Leslie Montanile comes on the show to discuss the taboo topic of divorce, and how power, love, and religion can complicate the process of a legal breakup. To learn more about Leslie, or to purchase her fantastic book, go to https://asklesliethelawyer.com/. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John discusses Community (not his favorite TV show) with Rachel L Roberts! How churches fill a void in our society vs how to create your own community is discussed, as well as the subtle nuances of simply getting along. You can find out more about Rachel or buy her book @ https://www.rachel-roberts.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

The Return of Janay! John's friend from bible college comes back to discuss segregation inside and outside church. If you'd like to learn more about Janay, or listen to her podcast, go to https://badseminarians.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

The Johns discuss The Book of James in scripture and discuss the supposed importance of both faith and good deeds in Christianity. If you'd like to learn more about John Hageman, you can visit https://www.jamesbibleshiddentreasure.com/. Disclaimer: While no guest appearance is an endorsement of all views they hold, occasionally The Cult of Christianity will have guests with fundamental disagreements on, in order to engage the other side and/or further allow points to be illustrated. The views expressed by guests are their own and their presence on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them, their statements, or any entity they represent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John and Stephen discuss what happens after you die, how science and spirituality intertwine, how the Christian cult can misinterpret or mislead about life after death, and what all this practically means for our day to day lives. If you'd like to learn more about Stephen, or purchase one of his many great books, go to https://www.shmartin.com/. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John's good friend, Mylee, comes on to discuss how purity culture benefits the patriarchy both inside and outside of church. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, sexual abuse is mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/subscribe --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Hi there friend. My name is John Verner. I used to be a part of the largest cult in the United States. After studying the Bible, Christian history, and ministry, I set my sights on confronting the problematic nature of white evangelicalism in the United States. In 2019 I published my first book as a first step in addressing the subtle issues of this complex system. This podcast will continue that work under the same title. Welcome, to The Cult of Christianity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Thanks for a good first season everybody! I talk about how the season has been, why I've been absent, and what to look forward to in season two! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

The predatory nature of Christian ministry places conversion as more important than paying attention to other people's needs. I wander through the Christian attitude towards the poor, evangelical's inflated egos, and the confusion of emotional and spiritual needs. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

The biggest weapon the cult of Christianity uses is shame. John explores the ideas of shame, forgiveness, and vulnerability and examines how white evangelicalism hurts people with these concepts. I also just quote Brené Brown and Russell Brand a lot. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, self-harm is mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John explores the end points of the "belief in God" spectrum. Topics such as morality, what constitutes as harm, and certainty, are placed under the microscope. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

NT professor and pastor, Douglas Ward, gives John his perspective on how the New Testament is theologically coherent. You can buy Doug's book at https://www.amazon.com/Doug-Ward/e/B07MZDSLQ2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1 Disclaimer: While no guest appearance is an endorsement of all views they hold, occasionally The Cult of Christianity will have guests with fundamental disagreements on, in order to engage the other side and/or further allow points to be illustrated. The views expressed by guests are their own and their presence on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them, their statements, or any entity they represent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

From the Over the Rainbow podcast, Rachel joins John and Lilly in a discussion about the toxic bigotry towards queer folk, both inside and outside of church. If you'd like to hear more from Rachel, check out https://www.overtherainbowpod.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

John and Chris are back at it again. Comparing Christians to Hitler, contrasting their home education experiences, and getting into the particulars that cause institutional abuse. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Holly shares her experiences and insight about different forms of abuse and how they can so easily happen within the context of the cult of Christianity. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in the episode, various forms of abuse (physical and sexual) are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Cierra joins John in contrasting the practice of marriage in white evangelicalism with historical/cultural practices, what the bible says, and healthier perspectives. If you have, or think you might have, a bee allergy, go to https://www.beeawareallergy.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

I let you inside my mind and talk about my mental health struggles, as they relate to white evangelicalism. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, depression, self-harm, and suicide are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Author, Preacher, and 2020 Presidential Candidate, Mark Charles stops by to discuss some unsettling truths. We discuss the white supremacist foundations of both the United States and Western Christianity. Go to https://wirelesshogan.com/ to learn more about Mark and to buy signed copies of his book! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

I deconstruct how money and power work together for cult leaders to establish a classist system in the white evangelical cult. Inconsistencies between anti-wealth language in the bible and pro-wealth propaganda of Christians is pointed out, made fun of, and rebuked. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Amelia, Cierra, and Lilly stop by to discuss patriarchal problems both inside and outside the American Church. CW: This episode contains content that may be distressing to some listeners. Specifically in this episode, various forms of abuse (physical and sexual) are mentioned, detailed, and/or discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

One of John's best friends stops by to dissect the particulars of Christian music, both inside and outside church doors. Children songs are compared to Hitler youth recruitment and Chris asks you to stop voting for garbage people. Enjoy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Navigating the trust issues from sheltered childhoods and toxic fulltime ministry environments is no easy task. Ben recounts his different negative encounters with toxic evangelicalism and vulnerably engages with the emotional impact of broken trust in churches. Check out Ben and his co-host's work at threadspodcast.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Imagine this podcast episode is a football game...just kidding. Janay stops by the podcast to talk about her experiences and perspectives on sexism in preaching. I awkwardly sandwich her points with critiques of preaching as a practice in general. Go to https://badseminarians.com/ to hear more from Janay! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

Firstly, sorry for all the odd audio issues. Had to switch mics and have some sort of connectivity issues. Secondly, I explore the connectivity issues of prayer and wander through its pros, cons, and weaponization. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

In this episode, John and Lilly talk about their hair, taking communion, and other quirks of their separate childhoods. Examples of indoctrination, both subtle and obvious, are grieved, joked about, and deconstructed. You can follow Lilly on Instagram @sweetwordswitch --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message

In this first episode, I establish definitions, ramble on about linguistic issues, share my backstory, and ask you to buy my book. Consider this a pilot. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecultofchristianity/message