Monthly Archives

March 2015

Jerry DeWitt, Pentecostal Preacher Turned Outspoken Atheist

Jerry DeWitt was a Pentecostal preacher from Louisiana whose faith began cracking a few years ago. At first, he battled with his doubts internally, but he soon realized he no longer believed what he had been saying from the pulpit for nearly 25 years.

When he finally declared — publicly — that he was an atheist, his life began to fall apart. He wrote about his deconversion in his book Hope After Faith. You may have also seen him in the recent CNN special “Atheists: Inside the World of Non-Believers.”

Hemant spoke with Jerry recently about what led him to initially doubt his religious beliefs, his journey through the Clergy Project, and how he can still get himself into “preacher mode” when speaking.

(Jessica will return to the show in a couple of weeks!)

Wendy Thomas Russell, Author of Relax, It’s Just God

Wendy Thomas Russell is a journalist who spent years covering criminal justice. In 2008, she began writing books for and about children, including three books for the Girl Scouts. In 2011, her focus shifted to secular parenting. Not only does she blog on Patheos at Natural Wonderers, she is about to release a new book called Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious.

We spoke with Wendy about whether or not it makes sense to raise your child as an atheist, why the “sex talk” is easier than the “God talk,” and what she learned from the authors of other books about atheist parenting.

Nancy French, Best-selling Author and Ghostwriter for Bristol & Sarah Palin

Nancy French is a four-time New York Times best-selling author who has written books with Sarah Palin, Bristol Palin, The Bachelor star Sean Lowe, and Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson.

We spoke with her about whether liberals misunderstand Sarah Palin, how she came to support Mitt Romney (who doesn’t share her faith), and why all of her collaborations have the same starting point.

Trevor McKendrick, Atheist Who Created Popular Spanish-Language Bible App

A few weeks ago, I was listening to Alex Blumberg’s popular podcast StartUp which is all about his journey beginning his own podcasting company.

In one episode, he aired a conversation with Trevor McKendrick, an atheist who was making quite a bit of money selling a Spanish-language Bible app for your phone. So you know we had to talk to him ourselves.

We spoke with Trevor about the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the story, how it publicized his atheism more than he expected (especially as an ex-Mormon), and what Bible-buying trends look like online.