Gaslighting For God: Becky Garrison on Spiritual Narcissists, MAGA, and What Comes Next
From In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer by Frank Schaeffer
March 24, 2026 · 2h 39m · Season 6 · Episode 12
About this episode
The episode discusses spiritual narcissism, MAGA as a cult identity, and the impact of prosperity gospel culture on communities.
In the first hour we get into spiritual narcissism, not as an abstract idea but as something that shapes real communities and does real damage. We talk about MAGA as a kind of cult identity, Trump as a case study in personality-driven power, and how prosperity gospel culture helped prepare the ground for all of it. We also get into religious trauma and why, at least for me, institutional Christianity isn’t something that can be fixed from the inside. And we don’t let progressive spaces off th...
People in this episode
Host: Frank Schaeffer
Guest: Becky Garrison
Topics covered
- spiritual narcissism
- MAGA
- cult identity
- religious trauma
- prosperity gospel culture
- institutional Christianity
Keywords
- spiritual narcissism
- MAGA
- cult identity
- religious trauma
- prosperity gospel
- institutional Christianity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MAGA, prosperity gospel, institutional Christianity
More episodes of In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer
- Atima Omara Asks "What Happens When Democrats Refuse to Learn?" · June 12, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Michael O. Emerson on Race, White Evangelicalism, and Christian Nationalism · June 5, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Elise Ann Allen on Pope Leo XIV, Friendship, Humanity, and Moral Leadership · May 29, 2026 · 59 min
- America 250 and the Return of Christian Nationalism with Keri Ladner, PhD · May 25, 2026 · 57 min
- Jonathan Tepper on Grief, Addiction, Empathy, and Growing Up Missionary · May 22, 2026 · 57 min
- Exploring A Writing Marriage with Lori Carlson-Hijuelos · May 15, 2026 · 1h 18m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer podcast page.