What if we’re not the only true Christians? Scot Loyd, pastor, evangelist, and college professor turned oral historian, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss the idol of religious certainty. Scot recounts growing up in the United Pentecostal Church, where strict behavioral codes and exclusivity shaped his understanding of God and community. He explains how certainty, especially the conviction of being the sole “true” group, fosters pride, insecurity, and transactional relationships—both with people and with God. Drawing from his journey away from high-control religion, Scot unpacks the historical and cultural forces that make certainty appealing, the dangers of reducing God to a formula, and how shifting the center of the story back to God changes everything. This episode is especially helpful for Christians wrestling with exclusivist upbringings or seeking a broader, more historic vision of the faith.

Key takeaways from this episode:

Certainty can create both pride in being “right” and deep insecurity about never doing enough.

Exclusive truth claims often lead to transactional relationships and viewing outsiders as projects rather than people.

Reading Scripture and forming beliefs in community, rather than isolation, helps keep God at the center instead of personal preference.

Important Links:

The Holiness of God by RC Sproul

www.ScotLoyd.com

Holy Ghost Preacher Boy podcast

Christy Lynne Wood guest spot on Christianity Without Compromise

Traci Rhoades guest spot on Christianity Without Compromise

Scot Loyd is a former pastor, evangelist, and college professor who now works as an oral historian. He is the author of The God I Was Given: Looking for Faith After Losing My Religion and host of the Holy Ghost Preacher Boy podcast. Drawing on his upbringing in the United Pentecostal Church, Scot writes and speaks about faith, doubt, and finding freedom in Jesus beyond high-control religion.

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