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

This week we’re joined by Biblical scholar and author, Dan McClellan! We first became familiar with Dan’s work on social media where he posts some really thought-provoking videos delving into things like commonly misquoted scripture, bad doctrine, and misconceptions about Biblical translation. He is an absolute authority on these subjects and has the scholarly accolades to back it up. His new book, The Bible Says So: What We Get Right and Wrong About Scriptures’ Most Controversial Issues is the perfect reference to some of the most commonly raised debates about the Bible, and we can’t recommend it enough! Follow Dan on YouTube, Instagram, X, and TikTok (@Maklelan), and pick up a copy of The Bible Says So, available everywhere April 29!

Ep. 227 – The Bible Says So w/ Dan McClellan

This week we’re joined by Russell Stark of Upward Intuition, a charity organization that is working to build skateparks in areas where kids have no place to spend time and host professional demonstrations, competitions, and camps where kids not only take part in, but find a place for themselves within the culture of skating! He’s also a former student of Pensacola Christian College, which is a concentration camp for sheltered young people and Christian kids who got caught smoking or watching MTV. We had a great time talking with Russell about his upbringing, difficult break from the church, and the great work that Upward Intuition is doing! You can follow Upward Intuition on Instagram and Facebook (@upwardintuition) and Youtube (@upwardintuition686), and check www.upwardintuition.org [http://www.upwardintuition.org/]for the full story and information on how to support their work!

P.S. We had a ton of technical difficulties and interruptions while recording this episode, so bear with us if you notice some rough transitions.

Ep. 226 – A BA in Treachery From Pensacola Christian College w/ Russell Stark of Upward Intuition

This week we’re joined by musician and old friend of Sam, Calvin Cadoret! We’ve been hearing a lot of hoopla about House of David on Prime, and decided to give the pilot a watch. For those of you with a better algorithm than me, House of David is a historical drama series following the life of King David. Reviews were mixed… Calvin’s band Loudsounds brings a really interesting blend of “atmospheric, heavy, melodic, moody alt-fusion” that we love! Their new song “Phobia Note” is an absolute banger, and they plan to release other new songs before dropping their album this fall. Follow them Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube (@loudsoundsband), and keep an eye out for new music coming soon!

Ep. 225 – The House That David Built: Gooner on the Roof w/ Calvin Cadoret

This week we’re joined by Australian musician and meme lord, Guard! Guard reigns supreme as one of the undisputed masters of meme pages and has built many of them over the years, including tinderVSreality, mycringe, mymoistmemes, and dopegrounds. In this episode, we discuss his Christian upbringing in South Africa and Australia, the Vineyard church he was a part of, his Christian Science school, and the struggles of being a young gay kid in a church environment that’s not exactly welcoming. Guard has a new song dropping April 3 called “Consuma,” and an upcoming EP that we’re excited to hear! Follow him on Instagram and Youtube(@guard), and presave “Consuma” wherever you stream music!

Ep. 224 – Cringe Is in the Eye of the Beholder w/ Guard

This week we’re discussing the work of famed independent filmmaker and author, Derek Savage! Derek has produced a number of interesting kids movies and books over the years, including Cool Cat Saves the Kids, Bible Birdie, Trolly the Trout, and The Dancer: A Male Stripper Story… need I say more? This is a fascinating wormhole I went down this week, and I think you’re going to enjoy it!

Ep. 223 – Cool Cat Loves You, and No Bully Can Pluck You Out of His Father’s Hand

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.