Happy New Year, everyone, and what a lovely year it's going to be! Peace, prosperity, goodwill to all, no blockbuster sequels, my cousin said they're bringing back Rice Crispy Treat Cereal…. Surely this will be America's best year yet! So to kick it off we're going back to one of our favorite watering holes where all the freaks come to drink, and like a couple of hungry crocodiles, we've snatched a two christian studs from the bank. That's right – it's r/christiandating. We have a little contest to see who can dig up the biggest psychopath on the board, and the competition was steep. Hope you enjoy, and have a great start to the year!

This week we're diving into a multifaceted tunesmith known as Peyton Parrish! Peyton has had a diverse career, starting with his smash hit country album "Cowboy Man," then making his bones in Viking cosplay folk metal, and finally arriving at the genre where he's sure to make it big: Christian rock. Ol' Peyton has ruffled a few feathers along the way what with his abrupt identity swaps, but he stands firm knowing that all those who oppose him are demonic. A man of resolve, a man of conviction, a man of John Cooper-esque talent, Peyton Parrish is sure to be one of your top artists in 2026!

This week we're diving into a few different stories! We're starting out with one of our favorite subreddits, r/christiandatingadvice. Then we discuss the arrest of a California pastor and recent Congressional candidate who was duped by a youtube predator catcher called "Big Bad Wolf." Finally, we talk about an less-than-ambitious attempt to create a "straight, white only" conclave in the mountains of rural Arkansas called Return to the Land. This collection of weirdos have constructed a shanty town where you're just as likely to contract a medieval ailment as grow a little corn and beans. Enjoy the show!

This week, we're taking a look at a twisted ongoing story out of Indianapolis surrounding a megachurch called Life Church. When the son of prominent pastor Nathan Peternel with close personal ties to Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith is arrested for distributing CSAM, it raised more than a few eyebrows. As it turns out, Jonathan Peternel isn't the only one with skeletons in his closet… The domino effect has embroiled the whole family in a massive scandal that may shake up more than just church leadership. This is a wild story that is far from over, and we hope that these pricks get what's coming to them!

This week we're looking at a little local literature from our friends at the nearby church of Christ. Direct mail is a tough medium with which to elicit a response. I haven't studied the charts and graphs, but I don't imagine many people come to the Lord via longwinded mailers. However, I received one this week that got my attention. It's entitled "Socialism is Not Just an Economic Theory! (The Moral Responsibility of all Mankind," and in it brother Cleveland Reddinger lays out four compelling points on why Socialism (uh, I think you mean Communism) is an afront to God and His divine plan. Not to spoil things, but point number four is "It just doesn't work," so it's riveting stuff! Listen closely and repent, ye freeloading, healthcare-deprived, droopy-bootstraped debt slaves!

This week we're joined by award-winning investigative journalist, TJ Raphael! We came across TJ's work when we discovered her podcast series Liberty Lost which is the culmination of a two year investigation into a maternity home owned and operated by our alma mater, Liberty University. The Liberty Godparent Home is advertised as a ministry of compassion whose mission is to offer "a better choice" for pregnant young women and girls who might otherwise opt for an abortion. However, former residents describe the home as more of a nine month isolation pod where these vulnerable women are put under enormous pressure to give up their babies for adoption to "God-fearing Christian families" in exchange for basic healthcare and the promise of a clean slate/fresh start with a scholarship to Liberty University. The Liberty Godparent Home profits immensely from both donations and adoption fees while leaving behind hundreds of broken women struggling to cope with the immense guilt, shame, and despair of losing their child. Liberty Lost is a truly impactful series that we can't recommend enough! Stream the full show today, follow TJ on Instagram (@tjraphs), and go to www.tjraphael.com [http://www.tjraphael.com/]for more information about her many other projects!

EPISODE 250!!! It's crazy to think we've been doing this show for almost 5 years… We've met so many great people and had so many interesting conversations over the last half a decade! And what better way to celebrate 250 episodes than with our friend, comedian Spencer Bland. Spencer has moved to LA, and he's pursuing a career in standup comedy full force. We talk about life in LA, the slow radicalization of Sam, and get into some r/christiandatingadvice and "pastor arrested" stories that made us laugh. We hope you enjoy the show, and thank you so much for listening over the years!

This week we're looking over a little of what the algorithm has vomited onto my lap, recently! This one covers a lot of ground, folks. We'll hear a sermon from a former white witch trying to warn the faithful about the dangers of Halloween, the plethora of Christ-centered knickknacks and doodads hawked by TikTok grifters, and finally, a truly unique group of individuals brought together by their love of God and… nature, I guess. We had a good time sorting through the digital detritus, and hope you enjoy the show. Oh and if you come across something similar that cracks you up, baffles you, or makes your blood boil, send it our way!

This week we're discussing a number of stories from across the internet, including the bizarre Sweet Home Alabama cover the current and former US ambassadors to Israel recently performed, Greg Locke continuing to be one of the worst people in the country, Dinesh D'Souza's new documentary about the Israel/Palestine, another pastor with lavish tastes caught stealing donations, and the recent execution of Samuel Lee Smithers, a Florida fuddy-duddy sentenced to death for the murder of two women back in the 90's. We hope you enjoy the show!

This week we're happy to welcome back our friend Burton Miller, fresh off of his recent comedy tour! Burt joins us this week to discuss our childhood bullies, BookTok literature, Joseph Smith's magnificent holy spectacles, and look over some of the final words of persecuted prophet from the book of Mosiah, Abinadi. Burt just launched a new podcast of his own that we think a lot of you guys will enjoy! It's called Creative Turn with Burton Miller, and his goal is to "demystify the creative process by asking professional creatives ten questions about how they are following their dreams." Follow Burt on IG (@burtola), listen to the first episode of his podcast on all streaming platforms, and catch the final performance of his comedy show "The 40 Year Old Burton" in Cleveland on November 1!

These are stressful times, friends. We thought it might be nice to take you all on a little auditory vacation with the soothing Carribean vibes of Caucasian Christian reggae artist, Abba Alabanza! This brave artist is leading a one man revolution against the gay community… and music as an artform, it seems. Then we're jumping into the next chapter of Mosiah, continuing our Book of Mormon odyssey with the story of King Noah, an apple that fell far from the old Zeniff tree. Enjoy!

This week we start off with the strange, confusing, and suspicious narrative around the Kirk assassination, and then we're jumping into a chapter of Mosiah that discusses the strained relations between the good, wholesome, chosen Nephites, and the evil, dangerous, spiteful-for-no-reason Lamenites. It's a book with more than a few modern parallels and a heap of repetitive language (as usual). Enjoy the show, and remember that you can weigh in on these topics with us if you join our Discord (link in our Instagram bio)!

This week we're discussing the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the recent raid on several compounds of the Kingdom of God International church. Pastor David Taylor and his right hand, Michelle Brannon, are facing serious criminal penalties for essentially running a forced labor cult centered around call centers where his followers were forced to solicit donations or face serious consequences. This guy is a scumbag, and he's probably going to jail for a very long time. Good riddance!

This week we're joined once again by musicians Chris and Logan from Tan and Handsome! They just released a new EP titled 2 Tan 2 Handsome, and it goes so hard. Follow Tan and Handsome on IG and Youtube (@tanandhandsome), X (@tanandhandsome_) and check out 2 Tan 2 Handsome streaming everywhere!

This week we're discussing an absolutely insane story that the mainstream press hasn't done a great job of covering. Over the past couple of weeks, the Las Vegas Police, the FBI, and several southern Nevada law enforcement offices conducted a sting targeting online predators. They nabbed eight .pdf files, but two men in particular drew attention from the general public: Redemption Church pastor Neal Creecy and the Executive Director of the Israel Cyber Defense Division Tom Artiom Alexandrovich. This is a wild story, and we think you'll be as shocked as we were to learn the details!

This week we're looking at a couple of ridiculous stories where pastors have recently found themselves in legal trouble (to put it lightly)! Then we're diving into a few posts on one of the most triggering subreddits, r/christiandatingadvice. This is a place where 20-something youth group kids go to ask questions with somewhat obvious answers to a group of people who give them really awful spiritual and relationship advice 9 times out of 10. It's a little nauseating, but in the fun, cringe sort of way!

This week we're blazing through a few more short books within the Book of Mormon! A fella can take some serious liberties when creating his own lore from scratch, and in this portion we'll look at the introduction of a specific type of prophetic figure: the seer. Enjoy the episode!

This week we're back in the Book of Mormon after several months' hiatus, and I have to say, it feels good to really sink your teeth into the Word! We've abandoned the notion of going through it chapter by chapter because it is, sigh… kinda boring. So we're jumping ahead a bit and looking at the the Book of Jacob chapter 6. Lots of lessons here, kids, so grab a notepad and enjoy the show!

This week we're catching up on a few of the avalanche of news stories that have built up over the past few weeks! We glance at the ongoing Epstein case, the absolutely hilarious PR nightmare that is the Trump Administration's response, and then talk about an ambitious young buck from our past who went from bottle feeding Jerry Falwell pureed Big Macs at Liberty University to the Executive Chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: pastor Johnnie Moore. So enjoy the episode and send all of your thoughts and prayers to poppa Sam, whose wife is in the middle of having their third baby!

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!