Best Andrew Pledger Podcasts (2025)

1
Wrapping up Season 2! 1:00:09

Play Pause

4M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

In the season two finale of the Sunday School Dropouts podcast, Andrew and Laura recap their experiences and favorite episodes from the past season. They share personal anecdotes about the impact of high control religion on finances, trauma-informed therapy, and purity culture. Laura and Andrew highlight significant episodes such as their conversat…

1
(Re-Release) Purity Culture Poster Child to Pastor to Black Sheep w/ Josh Harris 1:18:47

4M ago1:18:47

1:18:47

This week we will be talking to a notorious former pastor about their experience growing up inside high control religion, becoming a poster child for purity culture, being set up to take over for a large church and ultimately giving it all up, deconstructing his faith and leaving the church. If you grew up in evangelicalism, and likely even if you …

1
Spiritual Abuse + Adverse Religious Experiences 1:08:53

4M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

What are Adverse Religious Experiences (AREs) and spiritual abuse? Aren’t they the same thing as religious trauma? Join Andrew and Laura on this week’s episode to discuss AREs, spiritual abuse, dynamics of power and control, how this relates to fundamentalism and how all of this…isn’t religious trauma? You heard us correctly! Andrew and Laura discu…

1
Spiritual Meritocracy 1:37:22

4M ago1:37:22

1:37:22

In this episode, Laura and Andrew engage in a lively discussion with Janice Lagata about her experiences growing up in evangelicalism, her time at Hillsong College, and the importance of literature and financial therapy. They explore themes of banned books, free speech, and the influence of worship music on personal faith. The conversation is rich …

1
If You're Poor, You Deserve It w/ Jo Luehmann 1:40:02

4M ago1:40:02

1:40:02

Jo Luehmann shares her journey from being a pastor to deconstructing her faith, focusing on the financial challenges and mindsets that shaped her path. The episode also explores strategies for overcoming financial anxiety and reclaiming autonomy after leaving high-control religious settings. Resources Mentioned: Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel…

1
The Radicalization of American Boyhood with Rev. Angela Denker 44:55

5M ago44:55

44:55

In this episode of the Sunday School Dropouts podcast, Angela Denker joins Andrew to discuss her new book, 'Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood'. Reverend Denker explores themes of masculinity, gender narratives, and the influence of culture and church on boys and men. Highlighting the shifting political landscape, she …

1
Giving Up God with Sarah Henn Hayward 59:31

5M ago59:31

59:31

This week on Sunday School Dropouts, we're joined by author Sarah Henn Hayward for an honest, insightful conversation about her journey from devout Christianity to agnostic atheism. Sarah, author of Giving Up God, opens up about her upbringing in the Evangelical Free Church and the slow, freeing path of deconstruction that followed. She reflects on…

1
It’s Time to Talk about Men Healing from Purity Culture (re-release) 1:11:38

5M ago1:11:38

1:11:38

The holidays are over and we are back into our purity culture mini-series! This month we are talking about purity culture and it’s impact on individuals who grew up male in this system. We are thrilled to have Dr. Bradley Onishi on the podcast today as our professional who has done research and client-facing work in this area as well as being a pur…

1
The Impact of Purity Culture on Women (re-release) 1:28:50

5M ago1:28:50

1:28:50

We are thrilled to have with us today Dr. Tina Schermer Seller who is an author, researcher, professor, and psychotherapist specializing in the impacts of purity culture, shame resilience, gender, and sexuality. In this episode, Dr. Tina shares her research and how she came to realize the psychological and physiological impact of purity culture and…

1
Fundamentalism…it just really f**ks you up with Andrew Pledger 1:34:03

6M ago1:34:03

1:34:03

In this episode of Sunday School Dropouts, Andrew Pledger opens up about his journey growing up in the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement and the lasting effects of religious trauma on his mental health, sexuality, and sense of identity. He shares his experiences navigating legalism, spiritual abuse, and the pressure to conform, includi…

1
EXTRA: Five Facts BJU Does Not Want You To Know w/ Dr. Camille Lewis - from Beyond BJU Podcast 1:11:38

6M ago1:11:38

1:11:38

Listen to Beyond BJU HERE Dr. Camille Lewis attended BJU in the 90s, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She joined the faculty at BJU and completed her Ph.D. from Indiana University. In 2007, she left BJU after being given an ultimatum: either resign or permit the BJU daycare to spank her 2-year-old son. She chose her son. I…

1
EXTRA: Teachings, Theology, and Heresies of BJU w/ Dr. Camille Lewis - from Beyond BJU Podcast 1:42:08

6M ago1:42:08

1:42:08

Listen to Beyond BJU HERE Dr. Camille Lewis attended BJU in the 90s, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She joined the faculty at BJU and completed her Ph.D. from Indiana University. In 2007, she left BJU after being given an ultimatum: either resign or permit the BJU daycare to spank her 2-year-old son. She chose her son. I…

1
Going Broke for God 1:22:05

6M ago1:22:05

1:22:05

Today we are joined by Andrew Pledger to talk about the financial burden that going to a religious college/university can cause. We get into not only the cost of these institutions but the extended control they have over all aspects of someone’s life, even when it’s the time in life where you’re developmentally ready to have more freedom. Andrew sh…

1
EXTRA: History of BJU w/ Dr. Camille Lewis - from Beyond BJU Podcast 59:02

6M ago59:02

59:02

Listen to Beyond BJU HERE Dr. Camille Lewis attended BJU in the 90s, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She joined the faculty at BJU and completed her Ph.D. from Indiana University. In 2007, she left BJU after being given an ultimatum: either resign or permit the BJU daycare to spank her 2-year-old son. She chose her son. I…

1
The Perfect Body for God with Zach Anderson 1:35:07

6M ago1:35:07

1:35:07

In this conversation, Zach Anderson shares his journey of growing up in the Mormon Church, navigating his identity as a gay man, and the impact of high control religions on mental health and body image. He discusses his process of resigning from the church, the challenges of coming out, and how these experiences shaped his approach to nutrition coa…

1
Choosing Relationship over Doctrine RE-RELEASE 1:16:07

6M ago1:16:07

1:16:07

Now more than ever, many of us are having to navigate relationships with family members and friends who are grappling with choosing relationships with people over their belief/doctrines. Perhaps you are wrestling through that too? We are revisiting one of our favorite episodes with guests Beecher and April who share with us their own story of choos…

1
Sex Education After Sunday School 1:24:25

7M ago1:24:25

1:24:25

Today we are excited to have Dr. Celeste Holbrook on the podcast! Celeste is a sex educator, author, speaker, and sexologist with her own story of healing after purity culture. She uses her personal experiences to inspire her professional work and helps folks untangle the long-lasting, embodied impacts of the messages they were taught about their b…

1
Leaving the Orthodox Community w/ Rikki Herbst 43:41

7M ago43:41

43:41

In this episode of Sunday School Dropouts, Rikki Herbst shares her journey of leaving the Orthodox Jewish community in New York. She reflects on growing up in a tightly knit, insular environment and the emotional challenges of stepping away. Drawing parallels to other religious exits—like evangelicalism—she explores the complexities of reclaiming a…

1
God’s Plan for your Genitals w/ Dr. Eric Sprankle 1:23:13

7M ago1:23:13

1:23:13

This week we are excited to be joined by Dr. Eric Sprankle (@drsprankle on Instagram). Dr. Sprankle is a clinical psychologist and professor of human sexuality and author of the recently released: “DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation”. He’s joining us today to talk about what a porn addiction *actually* is (hint, it’s not…

1
The Glory Whole with Melissa Duge Spiers 56:38

7M ago56:38

56:38

In this episode, Melissa Duge Spiers shares her journey of growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist family, her experiences of rebellion, and the challenges she faced when leaving the church. She discusses the unique aspects of Adventism, the impact it had on her identity, and the process of deconstructing her beliefs. Melissa emphasizes the importanc…

1
Children obey your parents unto the Lord 1:29:09

7M ago1:29:09

1:29:09

Who else had the verse “children, obey your parents unto the Lord” said to them? Maybe as a way to justify behavior? Or assert control? Or maybe you still feel the need to obey your parents even if you are an adult (and with your own children!) On today’s episode of Sunday School Dropouts we’ll be talking about the parent-child dynamic within high …

1
Hurt and Healed by the Church 54:27

8M ago54:27

54:27

We are excited to be joined by author and adventurer, Ryan George! Ryan recently wrote and published the book “Hurt and Healed by the Church” which details his life as a pastor’s kid whose father was a pastor in the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) church. Ryan’s story is unique in that his father engaged of multiple acts of clergy sexual abus…

1
Understanding Spiritual Trauma w/Hillary McBride 1:17:28

8M ago1:17:28

1:17:28

The Sunday School Dropouts are joined today by Dr. Hillary McBride! Hillary is here to help us wrap up our touchstone topics episodes with an amazing conversation about spiritual abuse and trauma. Is it the same as religious abuse? Better or worse? What are the impacts and how do you heal? We talk about all that and more with Hillary. Also, you won…

1
The Frozen Chosen: Growing up Church of Christ with Jessica Hyne 54:17

8M ago54:17

54:17

Jessica Hyne is joining us today to share her story of growing up in the Church of Christ denomination. We talk about everything from the structure of the Church of Christ, to the strive for certainty, rigid thinking, and being a part of the frozen chosen…if you don’t get what that is, you’ll just have to listen! We also talk about the important pi…

1
How do you Celebrate Christmas if you Don’t Believe in Santa (or Jesus)? 58:29

9M ago58:29

58:29

The Sunday School Dropouts are back with another episode of answering your questions about religious trauma and the holidays. Many of the questions today centered around finding new traditions post-religion, dealing with family members who don’t understand why you won’t go to church, and how to navigate co-parenting around this time of year when on…

1
Your Family, Religious Trauma, and the Holidays 1:02:42

9M ago1:02:42

1:02:42

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or is it? The Sunday School Dropouts are taking on your questions today about all things having to do with religious trauma and the holidays! How do you set boundaries with your family that is still in church? Can you tell your emotionally immature family members that they are emotionally immature? Is it ok …

1
Leaving the Fold with RC Curtwright 53:48

9M ago53:48

53:48

We are joined today by RC Curtright, or, you might know him from social media as @deconstructing_exjw. RC was on the podcast in season one talking about the impact of purity culture for individuals who grew up male inside that system. But today he is here to talk about his own experiences of growing up in the Jehovah’s Witness organization, his dec…

1
God Made Me Gay (an interview with Mike Maeshiro) 1:01:44

10M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

We’re excited to be joined today by Mike Maeshiro! On today’s “Story Episode” Mike shares with us about his time at Bethel Church and their school, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Did Mike get slain in the spirit or was he a peaceful observer? You’ll have to listen to find out! To connect with Mike: Substack: https://mikemaeshiro.substa…

1
Deconstruction vs. Deconversion vs. Dechurched with Phil Drysdale 1:38:33

10M ago1:38:33

1:38:33

We have one of the “founding fathers” of religious deconstruction on social media with us today…Phil Drysdale! Phil is joining us today to talk about all of the ins and outs of deconstruction, including the differences between deconstructing, deconverting, and being de-churched. Phil has partnered with researchers that have been able to obtain data…

1
Rift: A Conversation with Cait West 57:29

10M ago57:29

57:29

We are joined today by Cait West–an author, podcaster, and educator. Cait recently published a book, “Rift: A Memoir Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy” and is stopping by today to share with us about her book and her journey. Cait grew up in the Christian Patriarchy movement and was a stay at home daughter until age 25. Through courage and tr…

1
Taking Care of Yourself on Election Day 1:03:44

10M ago1:03:44

1:03:44

It’s Election Day in the United States…which can feel relieving, nerve wracking, and everything in between! It made sense that we use this episode to wrap up our Religious Trauma and Politics mini-series by talking about how to take care of yourself today, the next few days, and beyond. Andrew and Laura are talking about finding stability, how fear…

1
Project 2025 gets an “F” 1:35:07

11M ago1:35:07

1:35:07

We are thrilled to have Julia and Jeremiah (aka the Sexvangelicals) back on the podcast today to wrap up our Religious Trauma and the Elections mini-series. Today’s topic: Project 2025. If you haven’t heard about it or don’t know what, consider this your catch up course to all things related to Project 2025. And in our opinion, this project gets an…

1
Disciples of White Jesus 1:19:01

11M ago1:19:01

1:19:01

The Sunday School Dropouts are proving their dropout status today! We are talking about all things White Christian Nationalism, including the origins, impacts, and how to heal with Rev. Angela Denker. Angela is the author of “Red State Christians” and the forthcoming book “Disciples of White Jesus” where she writes about the growing phenomenon of W…

1
Using Fear and Trauma for Political Gain 1:30:37

11M ago1:30:37

1:30:37

Dan Miller is back on the podcast today with an excellent discussion regarding the way that extremist political groups use fear and trauma as a way to move their message forward, gain control, and get followers. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss as Dan, Andrew, and Laura dive into why groups target specific age ranges, the neuroscience of extr…

1
The Marriage of Religion and Politics w/ Brad Onishi 1:33:00

11M ago1:33:00

1:33:00

We’re excited to have Brad Onishi back on the Sunday School Dropouts today! When we were thinking of what was important for folks to know as it related to religious trauma and the elections, we knew that we needed Brad on the podcast to talk about the history of religion and politics! This episode takes a deep dive, exploring the past 70 years of r…

1
Star-Spangled Jesus 1:20:10

11M ago1:20:10

1:20:10

We are thrilled today to have back on our show April Ajoy! This is the third time April’s been on our podcast but the first time without her partner Beecher…and as much as we love Beecher, we are so glad to have April here today as she’ll be talking to us about her book that is coming out TODAY called “Star Spangled Jesus” which is available wherev…

1
Healing Religious Trauma through the Nervous System 1:18:27

12M ago1:18:27

1:18:27

Want to heal from religious trauma? Then you’re listening to the right podcast! Today we are talking with licensed therapist, coach, and Somatic Experiencing practitioner, Jeremy Lehmann. Jeremy talks to us about what the nervous system is, it’s roll in trauma, and why it’s essential to the process of healing from trauma. We also get into a fascina…

1
We’re Back Baby! Welcome to Season 2 of Sunday School Dropouts! 1:43:28

12M ago1:43:28

1:43:28

We’re back! After a summer filled with Vacation Bible School and all of the adventures that go along with it, we are back for another season of Sunday School Dropouts! In this episode Andrew and Laura talk about some of the amazing guests and topics that will be coming on season 2 and are excited about bringing back our “touchstone topics”, a mini-…

1
The Ark Encounter w/ April Ajoy and Beecher Reuning 2:08:42

1y ago2:08:42

2:08:42

This month the Sunday School Dropouts did some field-reporting…that is, we went on a field trip to the Ark Encounter and we took our friends April and Beecher with us. In today’s episode we share more about our experience at the Ark, what it was like to venture back into fundamentalist Christianity, listening to a live-lecture by Ken Hamm, and go t…

1
The Abuser’s Playbook (aka the Story of Job) 1:42:47

1y ago1:42:47

1:42:47

We’re excited to bring you another episode of Vacation Bible School–Sunday School Dropouts edition! This month we are joined by our favorite podcast editor, Kevin Crowe (@jesusunfollower on social media) to talk about the story of Job. And let us tell ya, this is *not* the story you heard in VBS! We’ll also be talking about some of the latest thing…

1
Vacation Bible School featuring the Apostle Paul, the OG Grifter 2:01:33

1y ago2:01:33

2:01:33

It’s summer and that means it’s time for Vacation Bible School–Sunday School Dropouts Edition! This month we’re letting you in on all the church-sanctified gossip that all the moms are talking about as their kiddos are doing arts and crafts like Carl Lenz’s new podcast, Robert Morris’ “affair, and more. And during our Bible story time we’ll be talk…

1
NEW PODCASTS 2:20

1y ago2:20

2:20

Speaking Up has ended, but I have two new podcasts out now. My new podcasts are 'Surviving BJU: A Christian Cult' and 'Beyond BJU: Exposing Fundamentalism'. “Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult” is a limited podcast by Andrew Pledger. The show is a thought-provoking podcast that explores the fundamentalist Christian college BJU, which …

1
Wrapping Up Season One! 1:11:09

1+ y ago1:11:09

1:11:09

This is our final episode of season one and Andrew and Laura are back to talk about men and bears, lift up John MacArthur in prayer, to quite literally celebrate the United Methodist church’s repeal of their declaration that did not allow LGBTQ+ clergy members and more. We’ll also be reflecting on some of our favorite moments from the season and sh…

1
Purity Culture Poster Child to Pastor to Black Sheep w/ Josh Harris 1:48:44

1+ y ago1:48:44

1:48:44

This week we will be talking to a notorious former pastor about their experience growing up inside high control religion, becoming a poster child for purity culture, being set up to take over for a large church and ultimately giving it all up, deconstructing his faith and leaving the church. If you grew up in evangelicalism, and likely even if you …

1
How to Heal when You’re the Victim and Perpetrator 1:25:43

1+ y ago1:25:43

1:25:43

How do you heal from religious trauma when you were both the victim and perpetrator of high control religion? Dan Miller joins us today to discuss his work with clients who are healing from religious trauma and adverse religious experiences that were in positions of ministry leadership, including the unpaid labor of volunteers (which many of us cal…

1
Choosing Relationship over Doctrine 1:33:41

1+ y ago1:33:41

1:33:41

We are excited to be talking today with April Ajoy and Beecher Reuning! They are sharing with the Sunday School Dropouts crew their story of growing up in fundamentalism and purity culture, meeting and getting married under those systems and then navigating their way through discarding those doctrines and theology to find their way into the relatio…

1
Beyond BJU: Exposing Fundamentalism - OUT NOW - New Separate Podcast 1:55

1+ y ago1:55

1:55

Listen to 'Beyond BJU: Exposing Fundamentalism' on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Other Platforms Join Andrew Pledger as he exposes Bob Jones University's dark history and teachings while amplifying other survivors’ stories. BJU is a fundamentalist college with its roots in white supremacy and is known for its culture of indoctrination, conformity, a…

1
…when you don’t get what you’re promised from purity culture… 1:32:23

1+ y ago1:32:23

1:32:23

Today we are excited to have the Sexvangelicals, that is Julia Postema and Jeremiah Gibson, on our podcast! Julia and Jeremiah are licensed and AASECT certified psychotherapists who use their personal and professional lives and experience to work with relationships where at least one partner has been a part of high control religion, fundamentalism …

1
Growing Up as a Woman in Purity Culture 1:26:25

1+ y ago1:26:25

1:26:25

We are thrilled today to be talking with Rachel Overvoll! Rachel herself grew up in purity culture and high control religion. We discuss her experiences inside purity culture, the impact of it and her healing journey. We then get into how Rachel has used her personal story to inspire her professional life as a Somatic Sex Coach who works with clien…

1
The Impact of Purity Culture on Women 1:33:24

1+ y ago1:33:24

1:33:24

We are thrilled to have with us today Dr. Tina Schermer Seller who is an author, researcher, professor, and psychotherapist specializing in the impacts of purity culture, shame resilience, gender, and sexuality. In this episode, Dr. Tina shares her research and how she came to realize the psychological and physiological impact of purity culture and…