This week we’re happy to welcome back musician and host of the You Have Permission podcast, Dan Koch! We discuss the challenges of discussing current events with half the population, brainstorm some ideas to fix the Christian movie industry, and we gauge and quantify Dan’s reactions to the past years’ key controversial cultural moments. It’s a lot of fun and you can hear part 2 of our conversation on Dan’s show, You Have Permission, where Dan interviews us about the ways in which hosting a “deconstruction” podcast has affected us over the past 4 years. Dan’s great, and You Have Permission is a must listen! Follow Dan on X (@dankoch) and Instagram (@dancoke), and check out www.dankochwords.com [http://www.dankochwords.com/]for links to all of his work!

Ep. 237 – Plotting an Unwelcome Overhaul of the Christian Film Industry w/ Dan Koch

This week Casey is joined by keynote speaker, success coach, best-selling author, and host of the Dream Think Do Podcast, Mitch Matthews! Mitch works with a wide variety of clients with the goal of “helping them remember who they are, what they’re capable of, and what’s possible when you build something on purpose.” We discuss his early life in church, the life-altering brush with tragedy that prompted him to reevaluate his faith, and what being a Christian in the workplace should look like. It was a fun conversation and I really appreciate Mitch’s willingness to guest on our show, a risk that many people who are still in that world aren’t willing to take. To learn more about Mitch’s work and for links to his various social media, visit www.mitchmatthews.com [http://www.mitchmatthews.com/], and stream Dream Think Do wherever you listen to podcasts!

Ep. 236. – “Christian Company” or “Christians in a Company?” w/ Success Coach Mitch Matthews

*TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault and abuse.

This week we’re finally going to dive into the Michael Tait allegations. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, he is a lifelong Christian musician originally known for being in DC Talk, but he spent the last 16 years as the lead singer of the Newsboys. Earlier this month The Roy Report published the first of several exhaustive articles detailing allegations of sexual assault, drug use, and overall predatory behavior against Michael Tait from a growing list of victims. If you just happened to overhear the broad details of the first set of allegations, you might understandably think that this sounds like a poor, closeted gay man forced to hide his sexuality from an industry capitalizing on his faith. Friend, I’m here to tell you that that ain’t it… The picture that these allegations paint is far, far darker, and we’re going to get into them. On a lighter note, we also look at the bizarre and unrelated lawsuit against Newsboys owner Wes Campbell, a multi-millionaire who still has a foothold in hillbilly hell. If you disagree with our characterization of these men or just want to discuss these things in more detail, join our Discord server by following the link in our IG bio.

Ep. 235 – Michael Tait: Just a Freak... Leave Jesus Out of It

This week we’re talking about what everyone is talking about – Israel’s surprise attack on Iran, the possibility of direct American involvement, the MAGA split over a new Middle East war, and of course, the Trump family’s latest attempt to squeeze money out of red-blooded midwestern patriots with early onset dementia, T1 Mobile. What a time to be (temporarily) alive, am I right?

Ep. 234 – Calling in Airstrikes on My Trump Mobile Flip Phone 

This week we’re taking a look at one of Christendom's favorite spirit-filled Hollyweird flunkies: Stephen Baldwin. You might think you know how bizarre Stevie B is, but I’ll bet you don’t…

Ep. 233 – Stevie B With A Quick Whisper From the Ghost

This week we're catching up after a two-week hiatus and discussing the cautionary tale of Mitchell Summerfield, pastor of Word of God Church in Raleigh, NC! Remember the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) that kept businesses afloat and employees secure in their jobs during the pandemic? Pastor Mitch remembers them well, having collected over $400k from those programs. Hallelujah, right? Well, almost. As it turns out, Pastor Mitch got pretty creative with his applications for program funding, and the IRS devil has come to collect his fraudulent funds due. In the immortal words of Qui-Gon Jinn, "When you gamble, my friend, eventually you lose..."

Ep. 232 — Pastor Mitchell Summerfield's Guide to Artisan Tax Returns

This week we’re catching up and diving into the dark, mysterious, and sticky world of the only man on Earth with both a bowl cut AND the Holy Ghost baptism, Bob Hickman! Truck driver by day and internet prophet by night, Bob is a fascinating character that you may recognize by his opening line “God entered my body, like a body my same size. Like me floating into you, or you floating into me…” Recently Bob’s content has taken an unexpected turn, and we just had to talk about it. If you want to follow him on IG, his primary (I think?) account is @god.has.entered.my.body, but be warned, it is NOT safe for work! 

P.S. We aren't releasing an episode next week because Casey will be on vacation. See you in June!

Ep. 231 – The Hickman Diaries: Honey Bunchkins of Scrotes

This week we’re excited to welcome back filmmaker Tyler Eaton! The last time we spoke (Ep. 73 – Pure Flix Presents “Caviezel Dead: The Seventh Trumpet”), Tyler was still raising funds for a horror comedy called “Mysterious Ways” about two sibling youth pastors who accidentally summon a malevolent entity during an anti-Halloween social media stunt. Well after several years and a mountain of manhours, it’s out! “Mysterious Ways” also stars past guest, comedian and actress Alyssa Sabo (Ep. 69 – YOU’RE the One Who Sniffs Panties!). It’s a really fun movie tailormade for this audience, and we think you’re going to love it as much as we did! You can stream it right now on Prime Video, so go check it out!

Ep. 230 – “Mysterious Ways” Out Now! w/ Filmmaker Tyler Eaton

This week we welcome back one of our absolute favorite podcast pals, Mike Valdes! Mike is a actor, musician, and a very funny comedian who always gets us giggling, and this episode was a really fun opportunity to catch up. Mike always has a lot of irons in the fire, and right now he’s doing a lot of shows with Don’t Tell Comedy, a group which puts together amazing secret lineups in all sort of unexpected places across the US, so keep an eye out for upcoming shows in your area where you might just run into Mike and friends! To find out more about Mike’s upcoming shows and links to his various social media pages, go to www.thekidfromup.com [http://www.thekidfromup.com/]!

Ep. 229 – People, Products, & Other Such Synonyms w/ Comedian Mike Valdes

This week we’re excited to welcome back a very funny standup comedian and all-around great dude, Jeremy Alder! We touch on being a sneaky Christian kid in a conservative household, the complexities of having kids interested in church as an exvangelical, and his fantastic social media series “Christians Who Don’t Suck,” where Jeremy gives a 1 minute overview of a historic Christian figure whose worldview and actions are incongruent with the modern Western version of faith. Jeremy just released a new comedy album called “Almost A Grown Man,” which is available for purchase on Apple Music and Bandcamp, or you can stream it on Spotify. We also can’t recommend his Drybar Comedy special “Purity Pants” enough! Follow Jeremy on X (@jeremyalder), Instagram (@jeremy.alder), and Facebook (@jeremyaldercomedy), and check out his website www.jeremyalder.com [http://www.jeremyalder.com/]for his upcoming live dates in North Carolina and California!

Ep. 228 – Christians Who Don’t Suck w/ Comedian Jeremy Alder

Growing Up Christian is a weekly podcast hosted by Sam and Casey. Each episode they discuss the good, the bad, and the undeniably strange aspects of coming of age in the late 90’s/early 2000’s Christian culture.