Honoring the Journey

Today on Honoring the Journey, Leslie chats with Luke Justin Roberts (LJR) — a recording artist she found on TikTok. Luke was a former worship leader who grew up deeply embedded in evangelical and homeschool culture. They talk about his winding spiritual path from devoted churchgoer to questioning, deconstructing and finding his true path to freedom and now making music that speaks to others who are questioning their inherited beliefs. Luke shares candid stories about his childhood faith, the pressures and identity that came with growing up in ministry, and how he found his way to making music that meets people in their doubt and deconstruction. The conversation is warm, honest, and wide-ranging, touching on TikTok fame, building unexpected friendships across belief systems, and the exciting road ahead for LJR as an independent artist.

In this episode of Honoring the Journey, Leslie has a conversation with Savannah Locke — artist, songwriter, and podcaster — for a rich, wide-ranging conversation about faith deconstruction, religious trauma, and spiritual reimagining. Savannah shares her personal journey from confident evangelical Christianity through a crisis of belief, her discovery of the Anabaptist tradition and the transformative phrase "God looks like Jesus," and how that journey inspired her album Songs of Peace in Times of War. The two explore themes of trust, humility, love, and prophetic witness, discussing how lived experience, creative expression, and community shape the way we understand God — and why asking hard questions, far from being a failure of faith, may be the very heart of it.

This special episode of Honoring the Journey is an insightful group conversation between Leslie and five guests — physicist Jenny Nielsen, mathematician-turned-writer Nish Dubashia, theologian John Van de Lair (South Africa), philosopher Eric English, and author/publisher Keith Giles — all contributors to the anthology book Quantum Theology, Volume 1. The discussion begins with playful introductions and embarrassing playlist confessions before diving into the core thesis: that quantum physics — particularly concepts like entanglement, non-locality, and the wave function — may scientifically validate what mystics and early Christians have long taught about the interconnectedness of all things and humanity's inseparability from God. The guests explore how quantum thinking reframes traditional Christian doctrines around sin, salvation, the nature of God, the devil, and prayer, arguing that the illusion of separation from God is the root of spiritual dysfunction, and that concepts like coherence and entanglement map surprisingly well onto the teachings of Jesus and Paul. The conversation closes with each guest sharing their diverse religious backgrounds — Catholic, Hindu, Methodist, Baptist, and non-religious — all of which converged on this same quantum-informed spirituality, and Keith encourages anyone curious to pick up the book on Amazon, with Volume 2 already in progress.

In today’s episode, Leslie reunites with returning guest Michael Camp to discuss his new book Faith Funk, which explores how people become trapped in high-control religious systems and the psychological toll — including anxiety, depression, and PTSD — that results from toxic faith experiences. Michael and Leslie dive deep into topics like cognitive dissonance within evangelicalism, the doctrine of original depravity, and how religious communities sometimes exploit vulnerability and suppress independent thinking. Together they examine the often painful but ultimately liberating process of deconstruction, reframing it not as a loss of faith but as a refinement — a shedding of toxic theology to discover a more authentic, love-centered spirituality. Michael shares practical tools from his coaching practice for navigating the stages of deconstruction, and both hosts reflect candidly on their own journeys out of fundamentalism, with Leslie sharing personal experiences from her time on Survivor and her ongoing work to undo deeply ingrained religious conditioning.

In this episode of Honoring the Journey, Leslie chats with Father Pete Nunnally — an Episcopal priest who calls himself "the Wilderness Priest" — about his nature-based church called Water and Wilderness Church near Washington, DC. Pete shares how the church meets outdoors, rain or shine, along the banks of the Potomac River, intentionally lowering the barriers to worship for people who've been hurt by or disconnected from traditional church settings. The conversation weaves through Pete's lifelong love of fishing and how it became a spiritual practice, culminating in his upcoming book Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing (releasing May 12th). Together, Pete and Leslie explore progressive Episcopal theology — including the idea that everyone belongs, that salvation is held by God rather than earned by works, and that faith should always be expanding — while also affirming those who need space away from organized religion to heal and find their own path.

In this episode of Honoring the Journey, I sit down with Rev. Joash Thomas—priest, public theologian, and author of The Justice of Jesus. Joash shares his journey from an Indian Pentecostal upbringing in Mumbai, to political consulting in Georgia, to a powerful awakening that led him into human rights work. We talk about how Western Christianity has been shaped by colonialism, the difference between the “colonizer’s Jesus” and the historical Jesus, and how practices like prayer were meant to form us—not control outcomes. This conversation got personal for me, especially when we talked about the cost of deconstruction—the grief, the loneliness, the loss of community. Joash offers such a grounded, compassionate perspective here, reminding us that love, curiosity, and “holy indifference” can guide us forward. We close with a simple invitation: to look for the face of Jesus in the people around us—especially those on the margins. You can find Joash’s work through his book and his Substack, Masala Chai Theology.

Today on Honoring the Journey, we have a powerful conversation with Josh Harris, author of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," as he shares his journey of reckoning with the impact of purity culture. Harris openly discusses how he came to recognize the harm caused by his influential book after years of hearing stories from people affected by its teachings, ultimately leading him to unpublish it and apologize publicly. The conversation explores the difficult process of deconstructing deeply held beliefs, navigating church leadership failures and sexual abuse mishandling, his own marriage ending, and stepping away from evangelicalism. We reflect on the challenges of leaving rigid certainty for authentic faith, the importance of self-compassion during deconstruction, the dangers of algorithmic rage and groupthink, and the freedom that comes from holding beliefs with open hands rather than dogmatic certainty, emphasizing that healing and growth are possible even after significant mistakes.

It's the 100th Episode of Honoring the Journey today!! Leslie welcomes Beau Stringer, a former Southern Baptist preacher who transitioned to mainline Christianity. Beau shares his journey from growing up in an evangelical bubble in West Texas, serving as a youth pastor at 19, and eventually becoming a senior pastor, to questioning biblical inerrancy and evangelical theology—particularly around the violence in the Old Testament versus Jesus's command to love enemies. After wrestling with these tensions for years, he left vocational ministry briefly before finding a home in the United Methodist Church in Kansas City, where he now serves at one of the largest mainline churches in North America. Throughout the conversation, they discuss what mainline Christianity is, the importance of pastoral care over conversion agendas, the shift from fear-based faith to love-centered faith, rethinking hell and the kingdom of God, and how to lovingly engage with people still in evangelical spaces without erasing or dismissing them—emphasizing humility, questions, and staying in relationship rather than canceling those who disagree.

This episode of Honoring the Journey is a deeply personal conversation with Justin Telthorst, who shares his journey of coming out as gay at age 25 while remaining within the Catholic Church—a path that defied the common narrative of leaving religion behind. Growing up in a conservative Catholic environment in the Midwest, Justin initially viewed his sexuality as a "cross to bear" and his secret testimony to overcome. After years of internal struggle, falling in love with a man, and experiencing profound peace in that relationship, he faced a pivotal moment: conversations with unsupportive priests led him to leave his dream job at a Catholic nonprofit and begin the painful process of coming out. Rather than abandoning his faith entirely, Justin found his way back to Catholicism after several years, choosing to stay and create welcoming spaces within the church. He now runs a Discord community for LGBTQ+ Catholics, offers one-on-one spiritual direction, and advocates for a theology centered on God's infinite mercy and love rather than rules and condemnation.

Today on Honoring the Journey, we chat with Stuart Delony, a former pastor turned satirist and creator of the "Snarky Faith" podcast and column. Stuart shares his colorful journey from growing up as a Southern Baptist kid whose mother took him to tent revivals seeking healing for his disabled sister, through 20 years of ministry marked by constant questioning, to his current work using humor and satire to examine faith and deconstruction. Leslie & Stuart touch on the absurdity of end-times theology, the trauma embedded in evangelical culture, the importance of self-care during difficult times, and how laughter can be a powerful tool for healing. Stuart's new book, "The Tribulation Survival Guide: How to Stay Alive When Everything Else Is Dead," uses satire to hold up a mirror to the anxiety-inducing escapism of rapture culture, while the conversation itself offers a refreshing reminder that sometimes we need to step back, laugh, and focus on what we can actually control—loving people right in front of us.

In this, the first episode of Season 6, and our first episode of the year, I decided to do a little life update and read an entry from my Substack about some of the doctrines I used to teach that I do not believe anymore. This essay from my Substack has spurred a lot of real, deep conversation in the comments section of my Substack. Not only do I share the article and what I no longer believe, but I also share what I believe now and offer an apology to those I have hurt along the way. This was so hard for me, but I found it so very helpful. I am thankful that on my holiday break, I was able to reconnect with writing a bit more, as it was something that was not consistent in my life prior to the break. But it's here to stay because I'm finding tremendous healing in it and also a bonus community on Substack of people just like me who are seeking, asking deeper questions and being curious about their faith! Thank you for supporting this podcast. I appreciate you all so very much!

In this special episode of Honoring the Journey, Leslie sits down with her oldest daughter, Stephanie, for an open and vulnerable conversation about faith, family, and personal transformation. Together, they reflect on their shared history, the impact of religious upbringing, and the challenges of deconstructing long-held beliefs. Through laughter, honesty, and a few tears, they explore what it means to find healing, autonomy, and genuine connection—both with each other and within themselves.