Joke's On Us
About this episode
The episode revisits the stories of Mike Warnke and Lauren Stratford, exploring the cultural context of the Satanic Panic and the debunking of exaggerated narratives around satanic ritual abuse.
Remember Mike Warnke, the world’s #1 Christian comedian from Episode 3? We’ll revisit his story with a little fact-checking, but first, we introduce you to another infamous figure of the Satanic Panic: Lauren Stratford. Her memoir, Satan’s Underground, recounted her harrowing experience with satanic ritual abuse in vivid, gruesome detail—capturing the imagination of millions. However, years after her book became a bestseller, her story was thoroughly debunked as a complete fabrication. But Lauren wasn't done. She resurfaced with a new name and a whole new grift. As we unpack her rise and fall, we’ll also explore the broader cultural forces at play during the Satanic Panic. From the rise of daycare culture sparking anxieties around working mothers to the growing awareness of child sexual abuse, we examine how these societal fears were manipulated by the media to create and spread exaggerated, harmful narratives. Resources: Dr. Laura Robinson, New Testament Scholar, Butler University Satan’s Sideshow: The True Lauren Stratford Story by By Bob & Gretchen Passantino and Jon Trott Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today Hosted and written by Mike Cosper…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mike Cosper, Rebekah Sebastian
Topics covered
- Satanic Panic
- Christian comedy
- satanic ritual abuse
- media manipulation
- cultural fears
- child sexual abuse
Keywords
- Mike Warnke
- Lauren Stratford
- Satanic Panic
- satanic ritual abuse
- media manipulation
- child sexual abuse
- Christian comedy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Christianity Today, Butler University
Books & works: Satan’s Underground, Satan’s Sideshow: The True Lauren Stratford Story
More episodes of Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
- BONUS: Amanda Knox on the Satanic Panic and Wrongful Convictions
- BONUS: Survivors & Abuse Continued - Rachel Denhollander on Faith and Accountability
- BONUS: Chris Lane and Matt Martens on the WM3 & Criminal Justice System
- BONUS: Adam Kinzinger on January 6 & Conspiracy Thinking
- BONUS: What Does It Mean to Believe Survivors? In Conversation with Mary DeMuth and Colleen Ramser
- BONUS: Livestream Q&A with Mike Cosper, Matthew D. Taylor, and Robert Downen
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