I wanted to take some time to lay some bedrock for our upcoming episode titled 2016. This episode will contain conversations around sexual assault, lewd topics, and explicit language.

2016 Episode Artwork

Lindsay and I have spent significant effort keeping our stories “generic.” In our anecdotes, we have not named the churches we’ve been employed at or named specific people—not to be deceptive but rather to be more relatable to others who might have also had similar experiences. We plan on keeping that policy, but in this episode, we will be talking about Donald Trump and our personal observations of the white evangelical response.

2016 will not be an episode about politics. We acknowledge that we have biases and particular political leanings but resist being drawn into political categories. However, it would be silly to approach this subject by saying we are impartial.

In episode 4, Apostles of Unbelief, we discussed the celebrity effect that Rhett and Link had on the evangelical community. Are they complicit in others’ apostasy? Can or should celebrities have that much sway over our belief systems?

Next, in episode 5, I Want To Believe, I discussed how I was affected by the celebrity preaching of a mega-church pastor. We discussed why I responded to such teachings and what it means when we do.

In episode 6, 2016, we will publish published the final “trilogy” on this topic. We examined the political climate we found ourselves in and how the media may have contributed to creating a demagogue. Finally, knowing what we know about the desire to believe, what happens when we allow ourselves to be moved by people, and how can we grow from it?