The Christian Church Tried to Exorcise Him (ft. NakedPastor)

I use Riverside for a better virtual conversational experience, check it out! https://riverside.sjv.io/dynK6M If you've ever sat in a church pew secretly thinking "I don't know if I believe this anymore..." this one's for you. David Hayward, known worldwide as ‪@nakedpastor‬, spent over 30 years inside the church before walking away from it all. Today he uses raw, unflinching art to challenge religious abuse, toxic church culture, and the systems that keep people spiritually trapped. His work has helped thousands of people leaving the church feel seen, less alone, and finally FREE to ask the questions they were told would damn them. In this episode we talk about the singular moment that David's faith shifted–in his graduation gown, after years of studying the Bible in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. We talk about what it's like to deconstruct beliefs while still leading a congregation, the cult-like systems hiding inside churches that look totally normal from the outside, and why so many people who leave the church end up grieving the very community that hurt them. We also get into the spiritual abuse and coverups inside missionary organizations, what it takes to survive deconstruction inside a relationship, why the church's idea of "community" is often just control, and what it looks like to finally build a life and a faith entirely on your own terms. This episode will hit HOME if you're: • In the middle of deconstructing your faith and feel completely alone in it • Trying to make sense of what you were taught all those years • A missionary kid or third culture kid processing a childhood built around religious obligation • Someone who left the church and still randomly fears hell even though you don't believe it anymore • Done performing faith for people who would drop you the second you started asking questions Connect with David Hayward (NakedPastor) socials, website, prints, commissions, newsletter ↓ https://nakedpastor.com/   / nakedpastor   Find Rewriting Eden ↓ https://link.me/rewriting.eden   / rewritingeden