Snarky Faith

In this episode, Stuart sits down with journalist and author Becky Garrison to discuss her book Gaslighting for God (https://amzn.to/4tVpXTs), a satirical but deeply serious exploration of spiritual narcissism and religious manipulation.

Together they examine a pattern many people recognize but struggle to name: the use of faith language to override conscience, silence dissent, and shift blame onto the very people being harmed. From “God told me” leadership to communities that protect authority over honesty, the conversation explores how gaslighting functions inside religious environments — and why it is so difficult to see while you’re inside it.

They also talk about why leaving church doesn’t automatically mean healing, how similar dynamics can show up in progressive spaces and wellness culture, and why survivors often end up questioning their own memories instead of the system itself. At its core, this episode isn’t a theology debate. It’s a conversation about power, psychological safety, and learning to trust your own perception again.

If you’ve ever walked away from a religious community wondering whether the problem was you, this discussion puts language to that experience and offers a way forward that doesn’t require abandoning meaning, conscience, or yourself.

Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:

• Right Wing Watch

• Christian Nightmares

• Friendly Atheist

For more Snarky Faith:

🎙️ Snarky Faith website

📸 Instagram: @stuartdelony

▶️ YouTube: @snarkyfaith

🩵 Bluesky: @snarkyfaith.bsky.social

📘 Facebook Group: facebook.com/snarkyfaith

☕ Snarky Faith shirts and mugs available here

Check out other fantastic Quoircast partners:

The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast • Wild Olive • Jonathan Foster • The Church Needs Therapy • Honoring the Journey Podcast • Spiritual Brewpub • Bros Bibles & Beer • Liminal Living • The Social Jesus Project • I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist • The God Squad Pod • Radical Love Live • Second Cup with Keith • Unbelief Podcast • High Minds Collective • Evangelicalish • Beyond the Torch with Todd & Leslie

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to The Archetype Thread—think Carl Jung meets late-stage capitalism: myth, satire, and a little soul work, all rolled into one.
This week’s episode: The Tower Falls.
The Tower represents collapse—of ego, illusion, ideology, and institutions that mistook height for integrity. It’s not just chaos. It’s revelation. It’s the moment the scaffolding gives way and we’re forced to face what was hollow all along.
We explore how The Tower shows up in culture right now:
• Churches hemorrhaging credibility
• Politics collapsing into spectacle
• Institutions rotting under their own arrogance
• Technology promising salvation while feeding addiction
But The Tower isn’t just out there. It’s personal. It’s burnout. It’s deconstruction. It’s the night you realize the story you were handed can’t hold you anymore.
Collapse feels like failure—until you realize it might be clarity.
Because sometimes the lightning isn’t punishment. It’s mercy.
Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:
• Right Wing Watch
• Christian Nightmares
• Friendly Atheist
For more Snarky Faith:
🎙️ Snarky Faith website
📸 Instagram: @stuartdelony
▶️ YouTube: @snarkyfaith
🩵 Bluesky: @snarkyfaith.bsky.social
📘 Facebook Group: facebook.com/snarkyfaith
☕ Snarky Faith shirts and mugs available here
Check out other fantastic Quoircast partners:
The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast • Wild Olive • Jonathan Foster • The Church Needs Therapy • Honoring the Journey Podcast • Spiritual Brewpub • Bros Bibles & Beer • Liminal Living • The Social Jesus Project • I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist • The God Squad Pod • Radical Love Live • Second Cup with Keith • Unbelief Podcast • High Minds Collective • Evangelicalish • Beyond the Torch with Todd & Leslie
#SnarkyFaith #TheTower #ArchetypeThread #ChristianCrazy #FaithDeconstruction

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

EPISODE NOTES
In this conversation, we explore:
What Michael wishes someone had said to him at the start of his own unraveling
The hardest truth most people discover during deconstruction
Why religious trauma is embodied, not just intellectual
The difference between losing faith and losing safety
Why anxiety, panic, and depression are often nervous system responses—not faith failures
The gap Faith Funk aims to fill in the deconstruction landscape
What “solid ground” looks like for people afraid to let go
How Michael thinks about reconstruction, spirituality, and daily life now
Why finishing deconstruction without certainty can still be a win
About the book:
Faith Funk is a trauma-aware, practical guide for people navigating faith collapse, religious harm, and reconstruction—without spiritual bypassing or pressure to land somewhere new. Get it here: https://amzn.to/49F7vVN

Find Michael here: https://www.faithtransitions.com/
Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:
Right Wing Watch
Christian Nightmares
Friendly Atheist
Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.
www.SnarkyFaith.com
Check out the other fantastic Quoircast partners: The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast, Apostates Anonymous, The Messy Spirituality Podcast, Ideas Digest, The New Evangelicals, This is Not Church, and Wild Olive.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to The Archetype Thread—think Carl Jung meets late-stage capitalism: myth, satire, and a little soul work, all rolled into one.
This week’s episode: The Fool Rules.
The Fool was never meant to rule, but here we are. We’ll explore how parody turned into policy, why outrage became our national pastime, and what happens when a culture built on entertainment mistakes mockery for leadership.
We’ll unpack the Fool’s shadow side: chaos as governance, spectacle as control, and how the archetype that once mocked power became the one holding it. Along the way, we’ll ask where the Fool lives in us—the ways we deflect with humor, meme instead of mourn, and scroll through collapse pretending it’s all just a joke.
Because when outrage becomes the air we breathe, the only thing left to save us might be grief.
As always, thanks for tuning in and descending a little deeper with me into the Archetype Thread—where myth meets madness and we try to make meaning from the mess.
Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:
• Right Wing Watch
• Christian Nightmares
• Friendly Atheist
For more Snarky Faith:
🎙️ Snarky Faith Website
📸 Instagram: @stuartdelony
▶️ YouTube: @snarkyfaith
🩵 Bluesky: @snarkyfaith.bsky.social
📘 Facebook Group: facebook.com/snarkyfaith
☕ Snarky Faith shirts and mugs available here
Check out other fantastic Quoircast partners:
The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast • Wild Olive • Jonathan Foster • The Church Needs Therapy • Honoring the Journey Podcast • Spiritual Brewpub • Bros Bibles & Beer • Liminal Living • The Social Jesus Project • I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist • The God Squad Pod • Radical Love Live • Second Cup with Keith • Unbelief Podcast • High Minds Collective • Evangelicalish • Beyond the Torch with Todd & Leslie
#SnarkyFaith #TheFoolRules #ChristianCrazy #Quoircast #FaithDeconstruction

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump’s back in office, and it’s officially time to get serious. This week, we dive into what his return means for democracy, humanity, and faith, as we grapple with the fallout of an election fueled by evangelical hypocrisy and the erosion of decency. From reproductive rights to racial justice, LGBTQ+ protections to environmental survival, the stakes couldn’t be higher. But despair isn’t an option—resistance is. Join us as we unpack how to fight back with grassroots action and reclaim what matters.
Next, we wade into the madness of the Christian Crazy, where characters like Lance Wallnau and Kat Kerr remind us how far evangelicalism has wandered from the teachings of Jesus.
Finally, we sit down with Keith Giles to talk about his new book, Wintermoon and Coffeestain: Poems and Lyrics, a poignant collection spanning decades of love, loss, and restoration. It’s an insightful conversation about creativity, faith, and finding beauty amidst the chaos.
This episode is a rallying cry, a critique of the absurd, and a reminder to keep showing up, no matter how dark it gets. Tune in, and let’s start making trouble—the good kind.
Get Keith's book here:
https://amzn.to/3Cj2RQK
Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible:
Right Wing Watch
Christian Nightmares
Friendly Atheist
Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.
www.SnarkyFaith.com
 
Check out the other fantastic Quoircast partners: The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast, Apostates Anonymous, The Messy Spirituality Podcast, Ideas Digest, The New Evangelicals, This is Not Church, and Wild Olive.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.