29. Pastor Josh Scott – (Non-Denominational, Progressive, Open & Affirming) The Kind of Pastor I Wish I’d Had Growing Up

🎙️ 29. Pastor Josh Scott – (Non-Denominational, Progressive, Open & Affirming) The Kind of Pastor I Wish I’d Had Growing Up What if the pastor you grew up with had made room for your questions instead of your fear? In this episode, Pastor Josh Scott (@josh_a_scott) shares how a kid raised in conservative Free Will Baptist Appalachia—where reading the NIV was considered “progressive”—became one of the most trusted voices in today’s progressive, Open & Affirming, non-denominational Christian movement.Josh grew up in a tiny holler on the Kentucky/West Virginia border with King-James-Only theology, fear-based sermons, and a faith built on certainty. But the loss of his grandfather inside a church conflict cracked that certainty open and launched his lifelong journey of re-imagining Christianity around justice, compassion, and Jesus at the margins.In this conversation, we explore:Growing up fundamentalist and slowly unraveling that worldviewWhy his progressive convictions come from Scripture, not in spite of itHow he teaches his kids about gender, pronouns, and diverse families with simple Christian compassionWhy he refuses to become the “progressive version” of the fundamentalism he leftWhat to look for in a safe, affirming churchHow he pastors online without losing his soul to trollsA prayer for anyone who hasn’t been prayed over in a long time💡 Key takeaways • Deconstruction often begins with grief, not rebellion • Christianity was never meant to be about control • A Christ-shaped faith always widens the circle of belonging • You can hold convictions without dehumanizing anyone📚 Resources Mentioned✨ Brian D. McLaren – Life After Doom, Faith After Doubt, Do I Stay Christian? Instagram: @brian_mclaren✨ Marcus J. Borg – The Heart of Christianity, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time✨ John Dominic Crossan – The Historical Jesus, God and Empire✨ Rob Bell – Love Wins, What We Talk About When We Talk About God Instagram: @realrobbell✨ Jay Bakker – Fall to Grace, Revolution Church, One Punk Under God Instagram: @jaybakker✨ Vote Common Good – Faith-rooted civic engagement Instagram: @votecommongood✨ Doug Pagitt – Pastor, author, Executive Director of VCG Instagram: @dougpagittSupport the showAbout The Sacred SlopeWhere the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.🎧 WATCH: YouTube / Spotify     LISTEN: Apple Podcasts + everywhere     FOLLOW: @thesacredslope (IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky)🔗 Connect🎧 Explore episodes & community: linktr.ee/TheSacredSlope 🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice 🎵 Music by Brett Rutledge, Eddie Irvin & Sean Spence 📬 Nominate a guest: [email protected]🌿 Community Guidelines 🌿Fruit of the Spirit:  ❤️ love • 💫 joy • ☮️ peace • 🕊 patience • 💝 kindness • 🌿 goodness • 🙏 faithfulness • 🤲 gentleness • 💪 self-control