Restorative Faith
by Alexander Lang
Welcome to the Restorative Faith podcast. The goal of this series is to recast Christianity in a new light. If you're the type of person who questions and doubts; if you've strayed from the Christian faith because there's certain things that don't seem to add up, then this podcast is for you.
Episodes
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Restorative Faith Trailer (Season 4)
Each season of Restorative Faith revolves around a specific theme that has caused people to walk away from the Christian faith. Season 4 is about science. We will be discussing the science of evolution, climate change, free will, disease, healing, memory and consciousness. Each episode includes...
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(S4E6) - Tunnel of Light
In the final episode of Season 4, we discuss the science of consciousness and what it reveals about life on our planet, life in our universe and life beyond death. We start with Dr. Eben Alexander III, a Harvard trained neurosurgeon who had a remarkable Near-Death Experience after falling into a...
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(S4E5) - Resurrected Memory
In episode 5 of Season 4, we explore the science of memory in connection with the accounts of Jesus' resurrection. We start with Meredith Maran, an activist and journalist, who found herself at the center of the recovered memory movement in the late 1980s. We then interview Dr. Elizabeth Loftus…
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(S4E4) - Mundane Miracles
In episode 4 of Season 4, we discuss the inherent skepticism that many Christians still maintain towards modern medical treatment. We speak with Lauren Hunter who was raised as a Christian Scientist, a denomination of Christianity that, rather ironically, does not acknowledge the science of...
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(S4E3) - Illusions of Freedom
In episode 3 of Season 4, we explore the science of free will and to what degree God exerts control over our lives. We begin with Mike Genna, a prominent musician in the 1980s who spiraled into drug addiction after tragedy. Helping us to fully understand the science of addiction, we interview...
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(S4E2) - Glacial Shift
In episode 2 of Season 4, we consider how the science of climate change has become one of the key issues defining the evangelical mindset. We speak with Jon Peerbolt, an international aid worker for the NGO Novi who was raised among onion farmers in Michigan by parents who were deeply entrenched…
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(S4E1) - Survival of the Fittest
In our opening episode of Season 4, we explore how the theory of evolution sparked the modern schism between science and Christianity. We speak with Hannah Pynn and Leah Davis, sisters who grew up in the anti-science fundamentalist movement, People of Praise. We also talk with Pulitzer Prize...
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Restorative Faith Trailer (Season 3)
Each season of Restorative Faith revolves around a specific theme that has caused people to walk away from the Christian faith. Season 3 is about discrimination. We will be discussing sexism, patriarchy, mental illness, racism, antisemitism, Christian Nationalism and defrauding the poor and...
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(S3E6) - It's All About the Benjamins
In the final episode of Season 3, we discuss the predatory practices of the prosperity gospel in targeting poor and desperate individuals. We hear the story of Lawrence Fardette who gave tens of thousands of dollars to televangelists over decades only to be rejected by them when his family was in...
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(S3E5) - Destiny's Child
In episode 5 of Season 3, we explore the connection between Christianity and nationalism. We begin by speaking with Nick Stutzman, a radio host who found himself sucked into the underground world of the QAnon conspiracy. We also interview Dr. Leigh Ann Perry, associate professor of psychology and...
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(S3E4) - Heart of Darkness
In episode 4 of Season 3, we discuss how the white Christian church is one of the primary drivers of racism in America. We speak with Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a central activist and leader of the original Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. We also interview the Rev. Dr. Julian Cook, the...
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(S3E3) - The Jewish Problem
In episode 3 of Season 3, we examine the role of Christianity in perpetuating anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish hate. We speak with Derek Black, a former White Nationalist, who illuminates the inner workings of the white supremacy movement. We also interview Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, a scholar at the…
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(S3E2) - Mind Over Matter
In episode 2 of Season 3, we consider the prejudice faced by those suffering from mental illness. We speak with Patricia Tomasi, a mental health advocate who spent most of her young adult life swinging between bouts of mania and depression. We also interview Dr. Frieda Fatouh, a clinical...
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(S3E1) - A Man's World
In our opening episode of Season 3, we explore the roots of sexism and patriarchy in the church. We speak with Jennifer Tillman, who grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, about how the men in her church used their authority to control and suppress her claims of sexual abuse. We also talk with Dr.…
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Restorative Faith Trailer (Season 2)
Each season of Restorative Faith revolves around a specific theme that has caused people to walk away from the Christian faith. This season is about sexuality. We will be discussing premarital sex, marriage, divorce, adultery, rape, abortion and homosexuality. Each episode includes human interest...
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(S2E6) - The New Frontier
In the final episode of Season 2, we explore the future of sexuality in America and whether or not the Christian faith is able to speak to the changing sexual ethics of the 21st century. We speak with Tiffany, a student working towards becoming a physician's assistant who is utilizing sex work to...
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(S2E5) - Broken Trust
In episode 5 of Season 2, we explore the roots and impact of clergy sexual abuse. We speak with Larry Antonsen, a leader of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), who tells us his story of being abused by an Augustinian priest. We once again interview Dr. Melissa Perrin, who...
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(S2E4) - Degrading Passions
In episode 4 of Season 2, we discuss the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. We speak with Juan Pablo Herrera who grew up in conservative Christianity and was sent three separate times to conversion therapy. We also discuss the history of homosexuality in the Bible with Dr. Kate Ott, assistant...
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(S2E3) - Until Death Do Us Part
In episode 3 of Season 2, we examine the connection between sex and marriage. We speak with Liz, who was ostracized by her church community for divorcing her husband. We also discuss the history of human sexuality with Dr. William Jankowiak, anthropologist at UNLV and the history of marriage with...
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(S2E2) - Unspoken Rules
In episode 2 of Season 2, we consider the moral connection between sex and life. We speak with Felicia Bruce, who was sexually assaulted as a teenager, and explore how she dealt with the mental, physical and emotional aftermath of that violation. We also interview Dr. Melissa Perrin, a clinical...
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(S2E1) - Let's Talk About Sex
In our opening episode of Season 2, we explore the roots of the modern evangelical purity culture. We speak with Linda Kay Klein, the author of Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free, about her experiences growing up in purity culture.…
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Restorative Faith Trailer (Season 1)
Each season of Restorative Faith revolves around a specific theme that has caused people to walk away from the Christian faith. This season is about evil and its role in driving people away from the church. Each episode includes human interest stories, experts in science and psychology and…
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(S1E6) - Stop Talking!
In the final episode of Season 1, after exploring all the various ways that the Christian faith has fallen short when it comes to defining evil, we ask the question: does Christianity still have something to offer when it comes to our understanding of right and wrong as we enter into a future…
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(S1E5) - Destroying Creation
In episode 5 of Season 1, we discuss the idea of corporate sin. Perhaps the greatest corporate sin in which all humans participate is climate change. We speak with Emily Alford, a member of my congregation, who tells her story of how she came to have a deep passion for promoting proper…
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(S1E4) - The Evil Gene
In episode 4 of Season 1, we discuss what is perhaps the most cited reason for rejecting God and the church—the atrocity of genocide. We speak with Magda Brown, a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. We also interview Dr. Peter Lourgos, a forensic psychiatrist who studies criminal...
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(S1E3) - Breaking the Cycle
In episode 3 of Season 1, we explore the role of generational sin (the idea that God passes a curse from one generation to the next) in how Christians account for evil in the world. We speak with Jane Treppa and Steve Drey, two people who have had to deal with the tragic repercussions of mental...
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(S1E2) - The Devil Made Me Do It
In episode 2 of Season 1, we explore the role of angels and demons in how Christians account for evil in the world. We speak with Dawn Bruce, a member of my congregation, who grew up in a very conservative church. When she unexpectedly became pregnant at the age of 14, the members of her church...
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(S1E1) - Forbidden Fruit
In our opening episode of Season 1, we explore why the story of Adam and Eve has been such an enduring explanation of the genesis of evil in our world. We speak with Francie Taylor, a member of my congregation who grew up believing that everything written in the Bible was literal, factual…
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About this show
Welcome to the Restorative Faith podcast. The goal of this series is to recast Christianity in a new light. If you're the type of person who questions and doubts; if you've strayed from the Christian faith because there's certain things that don't seem to add up, then this podcast is for you.
Hosted by
Alexander Lang
Categories