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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Nearly half of Gen Z, born after 1996, has no religious affiliation whatsoever. (1:17)

— Maryland’s attorney general released a report on Catholic clergy abuse in Baltimore Archdiocese. (16:09)

— A priest was punished for saying clergy members should report sex abuse confessions to local authorities. (27:11)

— The Covenant School tragedy shows how more prayer will never stop gun violence. (36:31)

— Religious jurors punish defendants who don’t swear to God to tell the truth. (42:07)

— Texas lawmakers also want to replace trained school counselors with untrained chaplains. (46:30)

— Atheists are suing West Virginia prison officials for forcing some inmates to profess Christianity. (55:15)

— A Maine church is very upset it can’t get taxpayer money for promoting bigotry. (59:51)

— A megachurch allegedly forced employees to tithe 10% of each paycheck. (1:07:08)

— A Nebraska school is revamping its security protocols after an uninvited preacher evangelized in the cafeteria. (1:21:29)

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Dr. Suzanna Krivulskaya is an Assistant Professor of History at California State University San Marcos where she teaches courses in United States history. Her first book, Disgraced: How Sex Scandal Transformed American Protestantism, will be published in early 2024 by Oxford University Press.

A specialist in the fields of U.S. religion and sexuality, Suzanna has published in both scholarly and popular outlets, like The Revealer and Religion and Politics. Her scholarly work was recognized by the 2019-2020 Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award from the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network. In 2022, she was named a Public Research in Religion Institute Fellow in the area of Religion and LGBTQ Rights. Always interested in translating academic expertise to broader publics, she currently serves as a trainer in the Sacred Writes program, which connects students of religion with public-facing scholarship.

We spoke about the Falwells, the Bakkers, the Haggards, why the wives often stand by their scandal-plagued pastor-husbands, and what these scandals reveal about evangelical Christianity.

— Why do scandal-plagued pastors’ wives stay by their husbands’ side? (5:00)

— Is the supposed shame of divorce too strong? (8:00)

— Should we feel bad for these wives? (9:42)

— What the heck is going on with the Falwells? (11:59)

— Suzanna describes her journey from missionary to doubter (14:24)

— Are younger evangelicals changing how we talk about this issue? (16:05)

— How long have these scandals been going on? (18:06)

— What do these scandals say about evangelical Christianity? (20:12)

— How can these pastors still preach “purity”? (26:54)

— Did anything in Suzanna’s research surprise her? (31:30)

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A Florida principal was fired after students saw an image of Michelangelo’s “David.” (0:33)

— A Christian woman claimed her three amputated toes were regrown during a prayer service. (19:09)

— A Colorado bill would make Catholic hospitals say what services they don’t provide. (34:05)

— A Christian ministry trademarked the phrase “Worship Leader,” creating mass chaos. (45:23)

— Citing his faith, a Texas university leader canceled a drag show fundraiser. (54:36)

— The Satanic Temple is not promoting adult content to kids, no matter what this Christian ministry says. (1:04:30)

— A Texas bill would cut property taxes for couples with 10 kids. (1:19:36)

— SPONSOR: If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/ATHEIST.

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A Christian lawmaker used the Bible to justify the physical abuse of kids with disabilities in public schools. (0:37)

— Americans still view atheists unfavorably… but it’s not all bad news. (25:42)

— In a lawsuit, a teenager says a teacher assaulted her for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. (43:37)

— An editorial defending college football coach Deion Sanders’ proselytizing fumbled the facts. (54:35)

— The Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese in California has filed for bankruptcy. (1:13:29)

— A Christian school in Vermont is banned from competing in state-sanctioned events after refusing to play a team with a trans athlete. (1:21:03)