Best UnSunday Podcasts (2026)

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The Reality of Not Fitting In, Part 1: Church and Ekklesia (119) 15:53

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1M ago15:53

15:53

This episode is available in video format here: https://youtu.be/vHH8tYyzNIE Maybe the reason you don't fit in church… is because you were never meant to. In Part 1: Church and Ekklesia, I talk about the core reason there is tension between institutional religion and the living, breathing community Jesus called ekklesia. If you've ever wondered why…

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Guilt-Driven Faith: How Religion Uses Guilt to Control You (118) 1:22:12

2M ago1:22:12

1:22:12

Amber Stephens (https://www.youtube.com/@breathin.godsgrace247) joined me live on Sunday, November 9th as we explored the topic of living life in a guilt-driven faith. Here's the Grace Cafe link to our conversation with Amber about her story. https://www.podpage.com/the-grace-cafe-podcast/breaking-point-with-amber-stephens-015/ Here's the link to t…

1
Breaking Down Religious Strongholds - Live With Joel Brueseke (117) 58:42

2M ago58:42

58:42

Joel Brueseke from the Growing in Grace podcast joined me for this YouTube livestream as we talked about the strongholds of church and religion that have a grip on us and are so much a part of us and our thinking after spending decades in that environment. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/_Rt43IYBkPE?si=2zeJADzG2B0FQ2-t…

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The Ascension of Church Leaders Diminished the Free-Flowing Expression of Christ (116) 11:04

2M ago11:04

11:04

When church leaders ascended and became prominent in the assembly, the body of Christ suffered and continues to suffer. This episode takes a look at how institutional leadership reshaped gatherings that were once spontaneous, relational, and Spirit-led. The video version of this episode is available on the UnSunday YouTube page at https://youtu.be/…

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The Gospel Alone vs. Church and Human Add-Ons (115) 48:29

3M ago48:29

48:29

Amber Stephens joins me in this episode of The UnSunday Show as we ask the question, "Is the gospel enough?" Does the gospel need our help? Why do we think it does and why do we add things to it that actually diminish it? Additionally, why do we get sidetracked from it become preoccupied with pet doctrines and teachings that have nothing to do with…

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Gospel Roundtable - New Covenant Grace: What The Church Ignores (114) 56:22

4M ago56:22

56:22

Four believers (Joel Brueseke, Amber Stephens, Mike Kapler, and Mike Adams) sit down for a powerful and honest conversation about grace, the New Covenant, and why mixing Law with performance is hurting people in the church. No titles, no pulpits, no sermons—just real talk about what it means to live in the finished work of Christ. We talk about: Gr…

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Community Without Roll Call: Exchanging Freedom For a Contract (113) 1:53:37

6M ago1:53:37

1:53:37

Is signing a formal church membership contract a necessary expression of loyalty? Has the institutional church traded the freedom of life in Christ for institutional control? In this episode I explore how formal membership contracts — often loaded with behavioral clauses, doctrinal checkpoints, and institutional loyalty — distort the gospel of grac…

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Church Bullying: When Faith Turns Into Fear (112) 1:14:30

6M ago1:14:30

1:14:30

What happens when church becomes a breeding ground for control, fear, and manipulation? This episode of The UnSunday Show exposes the patterns of church bullying, from toxic leadership to spiritual abuse that often occurs when the institutional church abandons the New Covenant gospel of grace in favor of a mixed-covenant version of a gospel of thei…

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Twisting the Truth: Headship and Submission (111) 45:18

7M ago45:18

45:18

I'm continuing the topic of women in the church and how historically, the church's view of woman has been harmful and abusive. It's not a good track record. This is the fourth of four episodes that I brought over from our Grace Cafe podcast to share with you here. In this episode we talk about headship and submission. We use 1 Corinthians 11 and Ep…

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Twisting the Truth: Did The Law of Moses Silence Women? (110) 31:23

7M ago31:23

31:23

This is part 3 of a 4-part series I'm doing on Women in the church that originally aired on the Grace Cafe podcast in 2023. In this episode we're going to take a careful look at 1 Corinthians 14:34-40. It's here that the passage says the law commanded women to be silent, therefore, women should not be allowed to speak when the body of Christ is ass…

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Twisting the Truth: How Church Uses Scripture to Silence Women - Part Two (109) 43:11

7M ago43:11

43:11

In this episode we continue talking about the topic of how the institutional box church misrepresents and misinterprets passages of scripture that mention women in the body of Christ. We take a look at the historical and cultural context of Paul's first letter to Timothy and specifically, 1 Timothy chapter 2. In giving his reasons for writing this …

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Twisting the Truth: How Church Uses Scripture to Silence Women - Part One (108) 41:03

8M ago41:03

41:03

This is part one of four episodes I'm bringing over from the Grace Cafe podcast on the topic of women in the church and how institutional Christianity uses scripture out of context to silent women. Here's a breakdown of the episodes I'm bringing over: Twisting the Truth: How Church Uses Scripture to Silence Women - Part One (this episode). Twisting…

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What Happens When You Stop Going To Church? (107) 1:35:12

8M ago1:35:12

1:35:12

Let's talk about what happens when we stop going to church. This is from the livestream that I did on May 4th, 2025 on YouTube. Here's the link in case you want to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/live/CHWejf9tjwk?si=tQtWdw1Jzf3VubJe You can follow the UnSunday Show on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@unsundayshow Other Places You'll Fi…

1
Stuck in Moses (106) 14:53

8M ago14:53

14:53

The video version of this episode is on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/H89bdlfkwHg In this episode I share a quote from Michael C. Kapler's book, Clash of the Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee. This is an excellent book that I recommend without hesitation. You can find it on Amazon at https://bit.ly/3Rump8V I…

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Grace Alone: The Freedom of Bringing Nothing to the Table (105) 10:17

9M ago10:17

10:17

The gospel isn't a group project. If grace is free, why do we try so hard to add to it? In this episode, I talk about how bringing nothing to the table isn't a burden but is ultimate freedom. Grace apart from works is a death sentence for institutional religion that can't be tolerated there. Let's talk about grace! Other Places You'll Find Me The G…

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Sweating for Jesus? Why Sanctification Isn't About Working Harder (104) 17:00

10M ago17:00

17:00

Holiness Isn't a Hustle. Many believers feel trapped in a cycle of performance, thinking sanctification is about sweating for Jesus. Too often, we're taught that sanctification, or holiness, is about working harder, doing more, and proving ourselves to God. But what if it isn't about striving to do more but about resting in what's already been done…

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Breaking the Pulpit Barrier: Freeing the Body of Christ (103) 20:32

10M ago20:32

20:32

"The moment the church of God shall despise the pulpit, God will despise her." -Charles Spurgeon The pulpit is in the way. Pulpits have a long history of being an obstacle that is in the way of the Body of Christ functioning as God intends for it to function. When the Body of Christ is gathered together are we limited to the voice of one person beh…

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Why Can't I Read My Bible Anymore? (102) 11:31

10M ago11:31

11:31

"I don't want to read my Bible anymore. Is there something wrong with me? I need to fix this!" This is a common theme that happens when we leave the institutional box church. Many times, any desire to read the Bible disappears and we start to think there's something wrong with us that needs fixed. We tend to think that losing a desire to have a reg…

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The Lie of a Deceitful and Desperately Wicked Heart (101) 19:36

10M ago19:36

19:36

Let's talk about Jeremiah 17:9 and his statement that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Is it true? Are our hearts deceitful and wicked and not to be trusted or is there more to that description that needs clarification? Let's talk. Other Places You'll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com Ti…

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Tradition Gave Us The Word Pastor (100) 20:39

11M ago20:39

20:39

Welcome to episode 100 of The UnSunday Show! I was so focused in this episode on what I wanted to say that I forgot to mention this is episode 100. Triple digits! Yay!!! This is the final episode on the subject of pastors, elders, and shepherds. In this episode I talked about how the word pastors, which only appears in Ephesians 4:11, was a result …

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Are Elders Pastors? Yes and No (99) 33:35

11M ago33:35

33:35

This episode is a continuation of last week's as we turn our attention to the topic of elders in the body of Christ. Elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, and pastors. How are these terms used in the New Covenant scriptures and are they related in some way? Let's sort these out in this episode. Other Places You'll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: h…

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Do Pastors Have a Special Calling? (98) 31:06

11M ago31:06

31:06

Do institutional church pastors have a special calling to be pastors? Let's take an honest look at this in light of the New Testament scriptures. Other Places You'll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@unsunday.mike Instagram https://www.instagram.com/unsundayshow YouTube https://www.youtu…

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Covenant Confusion: A Conversation With Mike Kapler (97) 1:04:28

1y ago1:04:28

1:04:28

This episode of the UnSunday Show is a conversation from the 2018 archives of The Grace Cafe podcast that Mike had with Mike Kapler of the Growing in Grace podcast. It centers around the content of Mike Kapler's book, Clash Of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through The Grace Guarantee. We talked about many topics that often lead to confu…

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Mike's Health Update (96) 11:35

1+ y ago11:35

11:35

I recorded this conversation with my wife on The Grace Cafe podcast but am posting it here as well. It's a short health update from yours truly. Push play and give it a listen and thank you for following my podcasts! I was recently invited to speak on the Grace at Last podcast with Corinne Kinstler on the subject of women in the church. I would rea…

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Declaration of Conformity: Formal Church Membership's Hidden Agenda (95) 19:05

1+ y ago19:05

19:05

I was installing a couple of lights in my garage and when I opened one of the boxes, a paper fell out with the heading at the top that read: FCC's Supplier's Declaration of Conformity So naturally, my mind went to formal church membership because at its core, formal church membership is a declaration of conformity. So let's talk. Links I mention to…

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The Debilitating Delusion of Institutional Religion, With Trent Antle (94) 59:49

2y ago59:49

59:49

I asked Trent Antle to join me on this episode of the UnSunday Show because I wanted to hear more his story and I wanted others to have that same opportunity. After 20 years as a pastor in the institutional church setting, Trent began to see through the facade of propped-up religion as his eyes were being opened more and more to the New Covenant go…

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Why Is The Church So Captivated by the Law and the 10 Commandments? (93) 17:45

2y ago17:45

17:45

Why is the modern church so captivated by the 10 Commandments when the New Covenant scriptures tell us plainly that the Law has been fulfilled and abolished? One reason is the theological systems we subscribe to that have the Law and the 10 Commandments as their centerpiece. One such system is Covenant Theology. I also mentioned in this episode tha…

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Old Covenant Imperatives Don't Belong in the New Covenant (92) 7:41

2y ago7:41

7:41

This episode is the audio I pulled from a video I just did. I came across a post in one of my social media feeds where a church had posted Joshua 1:8 as a memory verse for its people to memorize this week. The passage reads, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do every…

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The False Doctrine of Top-Down Authority and Honorific Titles (91) 29:47

2y ago29:47

29:47

Welcome to episode 91 of The UnSunday Show. In this episode I take a hard look at top-down authority and the use of honorific titles in the body of Christ. These things are not neutral and in fact, they do harm to the body of Christ by choosing to ignore the clear directives of Jesus concerning these important topics. In short, they prevent the bod…

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Welcome to the Real World (90) 25:25

2y ago25:25

25:25

In this episode of the UnSunday Show, I ramble on about some important things that have been on my mind recently concerning institutional church and its inability to reflect the heart of Jesus and his kingdom in the world. Other Places You'll Find Me The Grace Cafe Podcast: https://www.gracecafepodcast.com TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@unsunday.mi…

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My Interview on The Grace At Last Podcast (89) 0:44

2y ago0:44

0:44

This is a short announcement to let you know I was interviewed on the Grace at Last podcast and that episode is out! I had a great conversation there with Corinne Kinstler, host of the Grace at Last podcast as we talked about church, the New Covenant, and a host of other topics along the way. Go check it out at: https://www.lastministry.org/grace-a…

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What Does "Study to Show Yourself Approved" Mean? (88) 12:06

2+ y ago12:06

12:06

Welcome to episode 88 of The UnSunday Show. Today we're going to talk about 2 Timothy 2:15. This is another verse in a long list of verses that has been taken out of context and weaponized by institutional religion to mean something that it was never intended to mean. Here it is in the King James Version: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a…

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Is Sanctification Progressive? (87) 17:53

2+ y ago17:53

17:53

Welcome to episode 87 of The UnSunday Show! What is sanctification? Is my sanctification progressive and ongoing, or is it already complete? Much of organized religion would have us believe that our sanctification isn't guaranteed and that it's progressive, relies on me, and I'm supposed to be getting better at doing as time marches on. But is that…

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My Grace-Centered Conversation with Corinne Kinstler (86) 46:16

2+ y ago46:16

46:16

In this episode of the UnSunday Show, I share with you the recent conversation I had with Corinne Kinstler. Our paths crossed several month ago as Corinne was exploring the possibility of starting a new grace-centered podcast that would reflect her changes in thinking as she had moved out of a legalistic, religious environment into a better underst…

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Morning Coffee: Pastors and Elders (85) 26:21

2+ y ago26:21

26:21

I'm way overdue for another morning coffee session with you so I thought I would remedy that with this episode. So let's talk about pastors and elders as I give you an update on where my thinking on this topic is going. This episode is also available as a video by visiting https://www.unsunday.com/videos/85-morning-coffee-pastors-and-elders/ Other …

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How Sermon Centrality Hinders The Body of Christ (84) 13:48

2+ y ago13:48

13:48

In this episode of the UnSunday Show I want to talk about sermons and sermonizing. If the body of Christ is a kingdom of priests (and it is) where everyone who wants to, can actively participate, sermon centrality is certainly one of the biggest factors in preventing that from happening. Sermons and the art of sermonizing are a product of church hi…

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What Happens When We Don't Read The Bible In Light of The New Covenant? (83) 19:59

2+ y ago19:59

19:59

When we read our Bibles without regard to whether the passage we're reading resides in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, we're mis-reading it. It's common today to give little or no consideration to a New Covenant/Old Covenant context and by doing so, we end up flattening out all of scripture as though every verse or passage is of equal weight …

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Our Jesus Revolution (82) 29:35

3y ago29:35

29:35

The recently released movie, The Jesus Revolution, brought back many memories for us of the early days of our lives as Jesus People because we were both there to experience some of it. Mike came to Jesus in January of 1973 in the Calvary Chapel tent at a Saturday night concert and Susan met Jesus in the summer of 1973 at an ocean baptism in Pirate'…

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How Has Pastor-Centrality Crippled the Body of Christ? (81) 14:49

3y ago14:49

14:49

What has centuries of pastor-centered practices done to the body of Christ? Why is the institutional church so pastor-centered? How has pastor-centrality contributed to the crippling of the body of Christ? Do pastor-centered practices enhance or hinder the functioning of the body of Christ? Is pastor-centrality what Jesus has in mind for his people…

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Modern-Day Judaizers, Law/Gospel, and How to Fall From Grace (80) 16:06

3y ago16:06

16:06

the Judaizers in Paul's day insisted that the Old Covenant law of Moses had to be obeyed in addition to faith in Jesus. They mixed law with gospel. Unfortunately, there are modern-day Judaizers who do the same thing to varying degrees with the same outcome: by adding law to grace, they have fallen from grace. Let's talk. Other Places You'll Find Me…

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What is Spiritual Growth? (79) 9:30

3y ago9:30

9:30

What is spiritual growth? What does that term mean? More often than not, it's a term that gets weaponized to force conformity to a preset standard of rules or activities. But is there such a thing as spiritual growth in the New Covenant scriptures? If so, how is it gauged? What's the standard and how do I know if I'm doing it or doing it right? Let…

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Religion and Rest Are Incompatible (78) 15:30

3y ago15:30

15:30

Religion diminishes who we are in Jesus by adding layers of obligations on top of the finished work of Jesus on the cross and in his resurrection. There is no rest in religion but in Jesus, rest is part of our new identity. Much like oil and water, religion and rest don't mix. I want to give a much overdue shoutout to Joel Brueseke at the Growing i…

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Five Regrets of a Former Pastor's Wife (77) 34:40

3+ y ago34:40

34:40

My wife Susan joins me in this episode to talk about five regrets of a former pastor's wife. These speak to the damage done as a direct result of having spent years in institutional church leadership. Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and listen in. Here they are in the order we talked about them: Being Silent and Not Speaking Up How Mu…

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The UnSunday Show Website Makeover (76) 7:07

3+ y ago7:07

7:07

The UnSunday Show podcast website has received a major makeover and there are new features and tools there now that make it easier for us to communicate. Among the new tools, there's now a voice mail feature that enables you leave me a voice message up to 2 minutes long. You can use this to ask questions, leave comments, suggest new topics, etc. Ju…

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A Militarized Faith (75) 24:39

3+ y ago24:39

24:39

This episode sprang from a conversation Susan and I had about the impact Christian nationalism has had on the body of Christ throughout its history. The use of military jargon within institutional religion has given us a military-style pecking order of top-down authority in the body of Christ. A quote I share in this episode is a clear illustration…

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Justification by Faith or Works: Did James and Paul Disagree? (74) 1:02:31

3+ y ago1:02:31

1:02:31

James: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:24) Paul: "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." (Romans 3:28) Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke from the Growing in Grace podcast join me in this episode as we examine the topic of justification. Is our justification by faith alone …

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Announcement: The UnSunday Blog (73) 4:33

3+ y ago4:33

4:33

I lost all my drive and passion to write following my crash and burn in 2009. As a pastor who spent years in performance-based Christianity, I hit a wall of performance in 2009 and I went from full-on to full-stop overnight. Relationships were lost, friendships were lost, and in the process my passion for writing and speaking evaporated. Recently, …

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Bringing Moses Into The New Covenant: Additional Thoughts On The Law Abolished (72) 29:17

3+ y ago29:17

29:17

In this episode I talk through some additional thoughts and recap some topics from last week's episode with Joel Brueseke on the law abolished. In addition to what I talk about in this episode, my biggest question concerning this issue of the law is simply "Why?" Why do we tend to think the law, defined in scripture as "weak and useless", and given…

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The Law: Fulfilled and Abolished (71) 50:11

3+ y ago50:11

50:11

Joel Brueseke of the Growing in Crace Podcast joins me in this episode for a conversation about the Law of Moses, as we explore the important question, "Has the Law of Moses been abolished in addition to being fulfilled?". While most within the grace community would agree that it has been fulfilled by Jesus, not all agree that it has been abolished…

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Teaching as Commands, The Traditions of Men (70) 30:06

3+ y ago30:06

30:06

If there's one thing reading church history has shown me, it's that we're swimming (or drowning) in 2,000+ years of religious traditions that we've been told are a necessary to stay in a good place or in good standing with God. But the problem of religious tradition has been around longer than that. Jesus confronted this issue with religious Pharis…