Snarky Faith

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of religious trauma, spiritual abuse, toxic shame, and sexual abuse.

In this episode of Snarky Faith, Stuart talks with Rev. Heather Foy about the hidden costs of shame-based religion and the long road toward healing.

Heather is a Reverend, writer, and podcast host who ministers to the unchurched, questioning, and deconstructing. Drawing from her own experiences and the stories sha...

In this episode of Snarky Faith, Stuart talks with author K.D. McCrite (https://amzn.to/4xuMgBe) about faith, creativity, fear, and the complicated process of finding your voice after growing up in a highly religious culture.

Raised in the Ozarks, K.D. spent much of her childhood immersed in a world where obedience, religious expectations, and fear of the End Times shaped daily life. While she always knew she wanted to be a writer,...

Matthew J. Distefano joins me fresh off his debate with Andrew Wilson on LGBTQ inclusion in the church — a long, combative exchange that quickly became about much more than a handful of clobber passages.

We talk about what Matt expected going into the debate, what surprised him once it started, and what it feels like trying to have a nuanced theological conversation inside an online culture built around winning, domination, a...

In this episode of Snarky Faith, Stuart talks with comedian, writer, and SiriusXM host John Fugelsang about his new book Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. https://amzn.to/4b8yKKF

John grew up Catholic, spent years working in comedy and media, and has become one of the most recognizable voices calling out the way religion is used t...

Most people who leave religion do not just leave behind doctrine. They leave behind ritual too.

The prayers. The candles. The songs. The moments that gave shape to grief, fear, celebration, guilt, forgiveness, and change.

In this episode, Stuart talks with Jeremy Steele about his new book, Rituals for Heretics and People Who Aren’t Sure About God (https://amzn.to/4mzdL7R), and why ritual still matters even when belief falls a...

What happens when faith stops chasing certainty and starts making room for mystery?

In this conversation, Stuart is joined by editor and foreword writer Keith Giles, along with contributors Mo Thomas and Nish Dubashia, to discuss Volume One of Quantum Theology (https://amzn.to/4ctuHYv).

The conversation explores the strange overlap between spirituality, mysticism, and ideas found in quantum physics. Instead of seeing the world thro...

Most versions of faith are built to keep things stable, predictable, and controlled. That’s kind of the problem.

In this episode, Stuart sits down with Jeremy Jernigan to talk about his book The Edge of the Inside (https://amzn.to/4dFlzlQ) and the idea that real spiritual growth doesn’t happen in the center of organized religion—it happens out on the edges, where things are less certain and a lot more honest.

Jere...

This week on Snarky Faith, Stuart talks with Chris Jones, host of the Spiritual Hot Sauce podcast, about a question a lot of people are quietly asking right now: what if Jesus and the religion built around him aren’t the same thing?

Chris approaches faith from the other side of deconstruction — not trying to rebuild the same structure, but trying to strip it down. He makes a distinction between worship and discipleship,...

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. Fro...

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 w...

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 d...

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...

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—res...

In this week's episode of Snarky Faith, we’re turning up the heat with a “Snarkfire and Brimstone sermon” that takes aim at the bizarre fusion of faith and authoritarian politics. First, we kick things off with the Christian Crazy segment, highlighting the most ridiculous soundbites from the week. Then, we delve into the so-called new Christian orthodoxy of MAGA-land, where Trump isn’t just a candidate; he's...

Join Stuart for an engaging discussion with Corey Nathan, host of the podcast "Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other." Corey, a Jewish stockbroker turned Christian entrepreneur, believes that it's possible to have proactive and fun conversations about politics and religion without resorting to hatred. In this episode, Corey shares his experiences and the lessons he's learned from his conversations with world-re...

This latest episode of Snarky Faith features a compelling conversation with Liz Cooledge Jenkins, whose new book, "Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women’s Humanity from Evangelicalism," offers a critical yet hopeful look at the entrenched patriarchal norms in evangelical Christianity. Jenkins takes us on a journey through her own experiences within the church, detailing the subtle forms of misogyny that often go unchecked...

Get ready for a mind-bending episode of Snarky Faith as we dive deep with Keith Giles into his latest book, 'The Quantum Sayings of Jesus.' Discover how Giles blends quantum physics with the mystical teachings of Jesus, challenging conventional religious narratives with a fresh, provocative perspective. Giles brings the often overlooked Gospel of Thomas into the spotlight, proposing that its cryptic messages align strikingly with t...

In "Finding Jesus," Herb Montgomery takes readers on a deep dive into the often-overlooked aspects of Jesus' message, spotlighting his call to radical love, justice, and solidarity with the marginalized. Our upcoming interview will explore the journey behind Montgomery's provocative reinterpretation, discussing the ways in which this book seeks to not only reshape our understanding of the Christian faith but also how it applies to ...

This week on Snarky Faith, we're thrilled to have Jon Turney, the author of In an engaging blend of literary scholarship and accessible philosophy, Matthew J. Distefano offers readers a fresh perspective on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved creation, focusing on the unassuming yet profoundly wise Hobbits. 

Through the application of mimetic theory, the book examines how desires are influenced and shaped by those around us, using Hobbit ...