UNBOUND

Four stories about the progressive breaking down of the separation of church and state round out this week's Christians Behaving Badly, "Were's My Freedom?" edition, plus a special message from Spider. 

Hatred, bigotry, privilege, and murder. It's just another day in the world of evangelical insanity. From the Nashville school shooting to shaking down your employees for tithes, we bring you Christians Behaving Badly: The Monsters They're Making Edition.

You, know... for a group of people that is supposed to have this macabre ability to die to themselves, they sure do have some selfish people among their ranks. Don't besmirch our traditions. Don't tell me to be quiet or follow your rules on any level. Don't call that pornography art and fire anyone who tries. And don't ask me for proof about anything. My miracle, my word. That's good enough... right? I think you already know the answer. This week we bring you: Christians Behaving Badly: Permit Me to Say, "You're Wrong," edition.

Ah, what fools these evangelicals be! It's another four stories that showcase the hubris that defines this religion and people it produces. From copyrighting adjectives and corporal punishment to the war on libraries and the LGBTQ community, we've dubbed this weeks Christians behaving Badly, "Fools in the Rain" Edition. Trigger warning for Kirk Cameron. 

Four more examples of evangelicals trying to remove the liberty of others in favor of their own. From illegal proselytization to demolishing safe spaces for LGBTQ+ school students, to out and out assault on a minor for not saying the Pledge, it's a volatile and emotional edition of Christians Behaving Badly we've dubbed, "It's My Life" Edition. 

Permission to indoctrinate, fueling the quiverful movement, love thy neighbor (as long as he's straight), and what really happens when a person – a pastor – gets too sexually frustrated and writes a book about sex (it's not pretty, but it IS hilarious) all in this installment of Christians Behaving Badly: Fifty Shades of WTF edition.

It would be bad enough if the worst problems associated with evangelical homeschooling revolved around sub-par education and a lack of healthy social growth, but the problem goes much deeper. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the people responsible for keeping homeschooling in the U.S. virtually unregulated and expose the underlying agenda behind this dangerous and cultic movement... plus three more cringe-worthy stories from the files of Christians Behaving Badly.

Sometimes the chaos that evangelicals and their splinter factions cause isn't about Us versus Them. Sometimes it's about THEM versus them. The buffoonery is strong in this weeks collection of chaotic tales from the world of false prophets, "misunderstood" pastors, and hopeless prudes who just can't seem to wrangle their own urges long enough to watch the halftime show. It's a collection of stories we like to refer to as Christians Behaving Badly: Blurred Lines of Scrimmage Edition. 

Our government spends way too much time pandering to the pointless wants of the Christian Right and that is putting it very, very lightly. This week, we have several new stories of American political shenanigans wherein our elected representatives pander to the phobias and prejudices that permeate evangelical thoughts and actions. From misogyny to transphobia to yet another attack on science education in schools, we bring you: Christians Behaving Badly - The Politics of... Enhancing edition.

What happens when you're not "pro life enough" for an evangelical politician? What happens when you accidentally rat out your child indoctrination agenda at your Christian school? The answers to these questions (and many more that will surely pop up along the way) can be found in this edition of Christians Behaving Badly: Whoah! Just... WHOAH edition.

Coverups and controversies, murder by prayer, making light of rape victims, and two stories of people who pushed back against the woefully biased agendas of locales that cater to religious freedom (as long as that religion involves Jesus, of course), we bring you Christians Behaving Badly: Big Bag of D!cks edition. Spoiler alert: these stories transition quickly from the rage-inducing sublime to the belly-laughing ridiculous. By the end, you'll be glad you... came. We promise.

Sunday, January 15, 2023: This week, we bring you four stories that we only wish weren't true, fraught with tales of conversion by coercion in Indiana, how to get off with a slap on the wrist for practicing slavery in California, how beer turns men into women in any state, and a guy who likes big bibles and he cannot lie. All ahead on Unbound's Christians Behaving Badly #1: Beer and Boobs (And Unfortunately More) Edition.

We figured we'd give everyone time to break those silly resolutions and decompress for the holidays, but it's here. Let's take a look ahead together at how we can stay on the path to getting and staying unbound in the upcoming year. 

When faced with difficult choices, we have a few ways we can approach them. We can weigh the options and choose the best and most prudent of them, we can be hasty and make bad decisions, or we can defer to someone else's way of thinking - or how we interpret what they think about things. In this episode, we look at the endearing Christmas special "Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas" and try to answer the question: What happens when "Pa's way" isn't the right way? Spoiler: it applies to a lot more than guitars and used pianos.

It was a hoax worthy of the Satanic Panic and a testament to the power of the phrase "a true story." This week, Spider and Shelle review one of the most pervasive stories of its era, the Amityville Horror. still maintains an audience that believes implicitly that a suburban family in the mid 1970s was driven from their home by evil forces that had taken control of it. What, if anything at all, happened George and Kathy Lutz? Is there any way to even know for sure? We look at all these questions and more as we take a deep dive into this enigmatically enduring cult horror atrocity from 1979. 

Mike Warnke, Bob Larson, The Peters Brothers... these are just a few of the shameless grifters who poured gasoline on the fires of the Satanic panic and used their influence to spread fear, especially among the young in the 80s and 90s. We look at their stories and more in this week's edition of Unbound October. 

Psychic mediums prey on people's insecurities and fears and grief is a huge market that many successfully tap into. In this episode, we look at the who and the how of what these people do and shed light on the things they do to manipulate people who are grieving into thinking they have the ability to reunite them with those who they've lost. Is any of it legit? Does it ever really do any measurable good? We look at these questions and more along with three more cringeworthy stories from the files of Christians Behaving Badly.

During his Wicca period, Spider went through a brief, but very enthusiastic, ghost hunting phase. This episode is inspired by his experiences (or, in some cases, the total lack thereof) and the things he's learned about them since in this year's first entry for Unbound October. Shelle delivers three more sad tales of Christians Badly. 

This week, we look at the 1980 cult classic "Resurrection' and give it our usual spin. When a young woman has a near death experience, she returns with the power to heal, but her refusal to "give God the glory" raises the hackles of some of the people in her rural Kansas town. Why are Christians so put off by love when it presents in any legitimate way? Because when you serve a self-proclaimed "jealous god" who always needs the spotlight on HIM, bad things happen when he doesn't get it. Three more stories of abject Christian tomfoolery round out this week's Christians behaving badly.

There are many reasons why people still want to get married and some are not just valid, but also very smart. There are also many more reasons that getting married is an overall bad idea. We're going to look at both sides of the argument and compare all the pros and cons so YOU can decide if getting married would be a good move in your life. 

An astonishing number of people, across all religious and non-religious lines, believe that deceased loved ones are still playing a role in their lives. While that will always be true in the case of memory and reflection, what happens when our brains start feeding us data that suggests that these people are still there and still interacting with us in real time? We look at this question and more this week along with three more cringe-worthy entries into the files of Christians Behaving Badly.

Life is full of problems. We face new ones every day. But some people never learn that you can't just dump your problems on someone else and let them handle them. But that's precisely what one man tries to do in this multi-layered comedy that makes a few serious, and accurate, points about how life just doesn't work. Crack open an orange Jump with us and settle in for the tale of Joe vs. The Volcano, complete with our Christians Behaving Badly newsreel that's just bursting with more face-palming moments than a marathon of prosperity gospel sermons. 

The effectiveness of 12-step problems is a lot smaller than any of the organizations that fall under their cover would ever want to admit. Around here, we don't have that problem. We're going to have a frank conversation about 12-step programs, why they rarely work, and how they try to hide their real agenda: conversion and control. This along with two more stories from the files of Christians Behaving Badly along with one more huge reason why those who understand the difference between right and wrong need to get to the polls this November.

What happens when child rearing turns deadly? And what about the ones who survive? There is so much toxicity in the messaging about Christian parenting that, in some cases, discipline has turned to murder. In lesser cases, toxic parenting can have lifelong effects on a person's mental and emotional wellbeing, but worse, on how they raise their kids. Join us for this conversation as well as a surprisingly uplifting edition of Christians Behaving Badly. No, seriously.... 

With its colorful signs, aggressive recruitment campaigns, and promises of Summer fun for kids, Vacation Bible School (or VBS) is nothing more than a front for using five days to aggressively indoctrinate children with Christian doctrine. Spider and Shelle take listeners on a tour of this movement and the methods it employs to ensnare the young with appealing themes, music, games. food, and more. That and more from the files of Christians Behaving Badly round out this week's episode.

What DOES God need with a starship? And if God needs a starship, what do we need with God? We MADE the starship, right? We're finally back and excited to deliver to you our review of Star Trek V: The Final frontier, a few stardates late, but well worth the wait. Christians behaving badly steers us into the aftermath of Roe and more killing in the name of... just to make the point that much more clear.

So your youth pastor has convinced you to go to bible college and pursue a life of full-time ministry. Well, as the saying goes: misery loves company. Does someone else have the right, the room, or the authority to tell you to do any such thing? And what can you expect after four years prostrate to the decidedly NOT higher mind in Bible college? You may get your paper, but you'll be far from free. What wonders and adventures await a first-year youth pastor? What are the realities that actaully await them? Spider flies solo for this very real, very frank, and necessarily uncomfortable look at these and other questions this week, with a literally caustic Christians Behaving Badly segment to kick things off.

There is a great divide between the mindset and actions of patriotism and those of nationalism. In this episode, we explore the stark contrast between being proud of your country for what it is and being proud of what it isn't. This conversation follows well on the heels of last week's discussion and offers a few more warnings about why mixing religion with government is just bad policy.  Three stories that sound like they could have come straight out of Naziism round out this week's Christians behaving Badly segment.

With an average of one school shooting a week, the worst-managed healthcare system on the planet and an education system that sets every American student up for failure, it's difficult to see how anyone can look at the United States and think it's the greatest ANYTHING... because it just plain isn't. We look that these concepts and more along with three more rage-inducing examples of Christians not only behaving badly, but criminally in this week's episode.

When your religion needs to use scare tactics and hyper-emotionalism to sell its product, something MUST be wrong with it. This week, we look at the original Christian horror flick - one that has left many people scarred and afraid, primarily the young. Join us for an in-depth discussion of not just the narrative, but the shameless way this movie promotes its agenda even to the point of demonstrating the trauma it instills. This along with three more stories from the files of Christians behaving badly.

Isn't it amazing just how much more pro-life abortion advocates are than the alleged pro-lifers who are trying to set back women's rights by almost fifty years? It's true and we're going to demonstrate how in this very uncomfortable but very necessary discussion on a subject that, whether "they" want to admit it or not, affects all of us. The conversation even spills over into Christians behaving badly this week. We just can't get away from it...

Evangelicals derive more about doctrine, dogma, and the ins and outs of their faith from the music they listen to than they do sermons or even (or *especially*) the bible. In this episode, we take a look at some of the prevailing toxic themes that have been the undercurrent of Christian music for years - in some cases, centuries. Roe V. Wade and other Supreme Discord antics fill out our Christian behaving Badly segment.

It didn't take long for the persecuted church to become the persecutor. This is the story of what happens when you mix politics with a religion already headed by a deity who solves every problem he faces with violence and murder. We look at a few early examples of Christian violence and make some irrefutable contemporary parallels between the crusades and the Inquisition a(s)and more modern examples of Christian hate turned violent.  In Christians behaving badly news, it's blessed insurance, an encouraging word from our friends to the north and a true story of a nightmare at 30,000 feet. 

In our latest dive into our Unbound at the Movies series, we look at a movie that can only be described as Pagan Evangelism: Egotrip Productions' "The Spirit of Albion." All the tactics you see in a typical evangelical church service, youth play, or movie are represented. We take a look at the many parallels that exist between the messaging of this movie and that of a typical evangelical church, youth group, or ministry. Trigger warning for Kenneth Copeland in this week's Christians Behaving Badly segment.

The episode that almost wasn't... well, we said we'd be back this week and, well, here we are, doing things a little differently than usual. Four stories from the files of Christians Behaving Badly and a sneak peek at what's coming up next. It's CCB: XL Edition!

In the most secular of terms, it's not even a question whether consuming porn is moral or ethical. The real question is: what are you consuming? How can you tell the difference between content made with consent and content that isn't? These questions matter and we'll be discussing them and much more in this episode.  

The notion of objects having religious power is as old as religion itself but no other religion has cornered the market on the marketing of religious relics quite the way Christianity has. We look that how religious relics are used to reinforce the concept of belief and how evangelicalism capitalizes on people's tendency to gravitate toward material things that have potential to validate their faith. Join us for that conversation along with two more entries from the files of Christians Behaving Badly.

The concept of the trinity is far from unique to Christianity. In fact, it dates as far back as human history will go. We look at some of the examples fro throughout history and across religious lines that confirm it: the trinity is just one more thing the Church decided to counterfeit to further its own agenda. And if it's a counterfeit, what power does it have? All this plus two more cringe-worthy stories from the files of Christians behaving badly. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

It's a tough spot to be in - knowing that something isn't real but not having enough proof to back up your position. The truth is, the Jesus of the Bible isn't real, but is it possible that someone like him once lived and stirred things up in Palestine? The answers may surprise you. We tackle this topic along with a heaping helping of blood-boiling audacity in this week's Christians Behaving Badly trifecta.

Everyone experiences grief and loss at some point in their lives and there are constructive ways of dealing with it. But one group of 19th century settlers had a unique way of dealing with theirs. Sorrow, pain, grief... these things follow you everywhere and this is a hard lesson that the elders of this village are learning the hard way. Enjoy this deep dive into a movie that explains eloquently how fear is used to both keep people compliant and submissive and provide a false sense of security and safety at the same time.

In another instance of "we could do an entire podcast on this..." Spider and Shelle examine a TINY sampling of the ways the Bible contradicts itself and how some of these contradictions have the ability to unravel some of the most important doctrines in evangelical faith. Our Christians Behaving Badly segment showcases an incomplete prophetic pass, a pastor who can't figure out how NOT to be an ass, and more Greg Locke lunacy... 'nuff said?

"Talk about suffering here below..." and you MUST be talking about something other than Christians in America. The sense of entitlement that evangelicals in America possess is truly next level and their definition of persecution just goes to prove that they have no idea what being persecuted is. This week, we look at the evangelical persecution complex phenomenon and set the record straight about what religious persecution is and what it isn't. Also, in an odd twist, it's Christians calling out other Christians and one teen badass with a message for evangelicals that tried to infiltrate his high school this week on Christians behaving badly. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

There are real dangers in taking everything the Bible says literally. Snake handlers really believe that theirs is a necessary element to fulfilling the word of God, based solely on a single controversial passage in the Gospel of Mark. What makes people hop on this particular bandwagon KNOWING that they could literally die on it? We look at that question and more this week along with three more stories from the files of Christians behaving badly.  Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

"Don't let the stories and pretty lights fool you. Religion is darkness." If only this was the message of this movie and not just a fleeting counterpoint... While Life of Pi is an exciting tale of survival against impossible odds, it also presents messaging about religion that we think needs to be addressed. There is plenty to learn here about how to approach (and not approach) the subject of religion and spirituality within ourselves.

This week, we steer away from the history of Azusa Street and take a look at the psychology behind the movement and how this sort of thing is actually typical in many areas of life. The Bandwagon Effect has strong influences over everything from religion to pop culture and even smart, free-thinking people are affected by it all the time. Learning its causes, its effects, and get some valuable advice about how not to get taken in by "every wind of doctrine" is the focus of this episode, along with three more tales of evangelical insanity in our Christians Behaving Badly segment. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

Take a walk with Spider and Shelle through the story of the birth of the modern pentecostal movement. Not needing proof of something being real has been a running thread through all religions, but in this instance, even we have to be amazed at how WIlliam Seymour managed to convince so many people that this thing called holy spirit baptism was real even before he "received" it himself. Offer some people just a little bit of power and they'll follow you anywhere. This plus an awesomely alliterative edition of Christians Behaving Badly, fortified with problematic Patheos policies, plants in paradise, and papal bull about  pets. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

If we don't do something about global warming soon, it could very well be too late, but conservative politics and bad messaging about climate change are successfully driving errant thoughts and misconceptions, especially among evangelicals. This is our conversation for episode 95 along with three more stories from the files of Christians behaving badly. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork  

Class is in at American Eagles Christian High School and Spider and Shelle have a lot to say about the goings on in and around its walls. In this episode, we look at the 2004 teen comedy "Saved" and how many things it gets right about the seldom-charmed life of the Christian teenager. Our Christians behaving badly segment includes creationist hijinks, church closure, and the FFRF shoots the sherriff... a letter.  Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

We know... new year's resolutions are a bit cliché. But what if you had a good framework that allowed you to develop workable, plausible, meaningful, and substantive resolutions based on  what you know (or want to learn) about yourself? We look at that question and more in this episode. Christians behaving badly brings us stories of attention-seeking clergy, Mormon-shaming billionaire style, and just one more reason to love the Satanic Temple. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

How could a story so fraught with contradictions and disagreements among its tellers, literally from its first verses,  ever be taken seriously enough to spur on a global religion that goes on for more than two thousand years? It's a true mystery that isn't about to be solved anytime soon. What do the gospel writers have to say about Jesus' birth? Why do two of them not even bother to mention it? If there were angels singing to shepherds, why didn't at least ONE credible historian ever notice? This week, we take apart the nativity story and examine these questions along with a few others and attempt to demonstrate the impossibility that any of it could actually be true. In Christians behaving badly we have love, guns and tornadoes with some encouraging news courtesy of Pew Research. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork

Let's just say it: the most wonderful time of the year brings some strange things with it, from fried chicken to burning goats, from Greek sprites to Amish bear-men, and all of it marvelously Jesus-free. We talk about all of this and more in this off-center episode for your unbound holiday season. Christians behaving badly is a good news, bad news kind of experience with an imprisoned pedophile, an enlightened pastor, and some intolerant transphobic Methodists rounding out the cast. Like what you hear? Please consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/unboundpodcastnetwork