Faith after Faith

About Faith after Faith

Faith After Faith is a weekly podcast from Pastor Katie Langston exploring the terrain between losing your faith and finding it again. Through honest conversations, theological reflection, and storytelling, Faith After Faith creates space for deconstructors, reconstructors, and spiritual seekers to explore Christian faith in ways that are intellectually curious, scripturally grounded, and rooted in grace. Whether you’re healing from a high-demand religious tradition, rebuilding after doubt, or just looking for something deeper, this podcast meets you where you are—no pressure, no pretense, period.

Publisher

Katie Langston

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Jul 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   The Bible: Not As Bad As You Think (Part 1) — Kathryn Schifferdecker

   Kathryn Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. She taught Katie's year-long Intro to Bible class, and she is the reason Katie can read the book at all. This is the first half of a two-part conversation: what the Bible even is, and why the Old Testament, of all things, might be worth going back for. The conversation covers an organist's kid in the balcony at St. Paul Lutheran in Farmington, Missouri, being too scared to take religion classes at St. Olaf, a call to ministry in a church that doesn't ordain women, the Bible as a library of sixty-six books written over more than a thousand years by mostly anonymous people, why the Psalms made no sense to Katie before seminary, Jonah as a comedy, and holding on to God with one hand while you shake your fist with the other. This is part one of two. Part two — Joshua, Judges, the texts with the violence in them, and what "the word of God" can honestly mean — airs Tuesday, October 13. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Bible and Faith Deconstruction 01:03 Katie's Journey with the Bible and Kathryn's Role 02:16 The Two-Part Conversation: What the Bible Is 03:14 Growing Up in a Conservative Lutheran Context 04:34 The Impact of Biblical Scholarship and Faith 05:58 Different Lutheran Denominations and Beliefs 09:13 Literal Beliefs and College Challenges 10:27 Faith and Academic Study of the Bible 12:20 Resilience and Personal Stories in Faith Journey 17:48 The Culture Surrounding the Bible 18:33 What is the Bible? A Collection and Library 22:21 The Number of Books and Different Canons 23:26 Genres of Biblical Literature 28:42 Understanding the Genre of Jonah 31:44 The Mercy of God in the Old Testament Resources Kathryn Schifferdecker, Luther Seminary faculty page (https://www.luthersem.edu/faculty/kschiffer/) Kathryn Schifferdecker, Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job (https://books.google.com/books/about/Out_of_the_Whirlwind.html?id=VTMsAQAAMAAJ) (Harvard Theological Studies 61, 2008) Kathryn Schifferdecker, Enter the Bible (https://enterthebible.org/author/kathryn-m-schifferdecker) (Luther Seminary) Faith After Faith, How and Why You Should Yell at God: The Practice of Lament (https://katielangston.com/podcast/how-to-yell-at-god/)

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   How to Yell at God

   In a church narthex in St. Paul, somebody set out a box with a sign on it that said: Laments Welcome. The instruction was to write your complaints to God, and to call God to account for not having fixed things already. Katie had never seen anything like it. She didn't know it was allowed. She didn't put a lament in the box—she didn't know what to do with the option—but she thought about it for weeks. This solo episode covers the box in the narthex, what messages about avoiding anger do to us, a chapel sermon on forgiveness, why or whether Job's questions went permanently unanswered, and a practice of lament you can do at your kitchen table. Content note: this episode discusses sexual abuse at a church institution. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Resources Katie Langston, How to Yell at God (https://katielangston.com/lament/) Faith After Faith, It's Okay to Be Angry with God — Nikki Hendrix (https://katielangston.com/podcast/its-okay-to-be-angry-with-god-nikki-hendrix/) Faith After Faith, Am I Even Allowed to Think This? — Jana Riess (https://katielangston.com/podcast/am-i-even-allowed-to-think-this-jana-riess/) Eugene H. Peterson, *Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer* (https://elmstreetbooks.com/book/9780060665128) (HarperOne, 1991) Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Practice of Lament 01:58 Biblical Roots and Examples of Lament 03:58 Cultural Conditioning Against Anger at God 06:02 The Story of Job and Honest Questioning 07:59 Lament in the Psalms and Its Significance 10:03 The Brutality and Honesty of Lament Psalms 12:08 Lament as a Path to Healing and Presence 13:54 The Cross and Jesus' Lament 15:51 Practical Steps to Incorporate Lament in Your Faith 19:55 The Power of Praying Through Anger and Grief 30:00 Conclusion: Lament as a Journey to Praise

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   It's Okay to Be Angry with God — Nikki Hendrix

   Nikki Hendrix has more reasons than most people to be done with church: nuns who hit her left hand with a yardstick, a youth pastor who told her at seventeen that she couldn't come back after a stranger assaulted her, and, one Labor Day weekend, a wrong-way driver who killed her parents. Yet she never stopped believing in God, even as she remains furious with him. Katie wanted to know how both of those are true at the same time. The conversation covers a wake in the living room when she was five, a pamphlet she hid in her backpack in fourth grade, an atheist father who says an angel named Michael kept him from dying, a sermon in which her pastor called Job whiny, and what it means to her to call God Father. Content note: this episode includes mention of a sexual assault and a fatal car crash. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Nikki's story of faith and trauma 02:06 Nikki's childhood in two households with different faith backgrounds 04:30 Experiences with death and grief in her family 07:42 Discovery of faith through a youth pamphlet and church attendance 11:14 Trauma of sexual assault and its impact on her faith journey 17:13 Moving to Utah and cultural challenges with faith communities 21:02 The tragic death of her parents and her anger at God 25:55 Expressing anger to God and the process of spiritual honesty 30:42 Understanding God as Father and the importance of authentic relationship 33:52 The dinner church and alternative community for faith and connection 36:15 What faith after faith looks like for Nikki Resources Promise Studio, Sunday Supper (https://promisehousestg.org/events/sunday-supper/) (2nd and 4th Sundays, 5:00 pm, Promise House, St. George) Katie Langston, Support Faith After Faith (https://katielangston.com/support/) Faith After Faith, Garments, Sex, and Purity Culture — Nancy Ross (https://katielangston.com/podcast/garments-sex-and-purity-culture-nancy-ross/)

4. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Garments, Sex, and Purity Culture — Nancy Ross

   Register for All That Remains, a support group for deconstructors and doubters, at katielangston.com/all-that-remains (https://katielangston.com/all-that-remains) For many people leaving high-demand traditions, the sexual shame left by purity culture is one of the most lingering effects. In this conversation, Katie and Nancy Ross use Mormon garments as a lens through which to explore purity culture more broadly. Nancy Ross is an associate professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at Utah Tech University and co-author of Mormon Garments: Sacred and Secret, a book built on a survey of more than 4,500 people who wear or used to wear them. She is a former Mormon, now ordained in Community of Christ, and one of Katie's dear friends. The conversation covers what happens in the temple the first time you receive your garments, a survey that went Mormon Facebook viral in 2014, sexual shame, licked cupcakes and chewed gum, a chance encounter with a woman on a plane, and the night Nancy's husband ripped his garments off and jumped into bed. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (http://faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Nancy Ross and the episode's focus 02:04 What are Mormon garments and their significance 04:07 The ceremony of receiving garments and their symbolism 05:47 The history of garments and their connection to purity culture 09:01 The survey on garments and its viral spread in Mormon communities 11:58 Personal stories and emotional experiences with garments 15:02 The role of garments in regulating sexual behavior 18:00 Overlap between Mormon and evangelical purity teachings 21:00 Gendered experiences and perceptions of garments 23:59 The impact of purity culture on body image and sexuality 26:57 Healing, reclaiming pleasure, and body positivity 29:58 Leaving garments and the emotional process of detachment 45:01 Nancy’s personal story of taking off her garments 51:59 Reflections on faith after leaving Mormonism 55:03 Final thoughts and resources for healing and growth Resources Nancy Ross, Jessica Finnigan, and Larissa Kanno Kindred, Mormon Garments: Sacred and Secret (https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=c049545) (University of Illinois Press, 2026) Katie Langston, All That Remains (https://katielangston.com/all-that-remains/) Faith After Faith, Letting Go of Shame (https://katielangston.com/podcast/letting-go-of-shame/)

5. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Letting Go of Cosmic Child Abuse

   On her LDS mission in Bulgaria, Katie taught people that every sin debits a cosmic bank account, that Jesus paid it, and that he set the terms for paying him back. It worked for her for a long time. Until it didn't. In this solo episode she walks through many of the motifs the church has used to describe the atonement. For each one, she reflects on what's lovely about it...and what's less than lovely. Ultimately, the New Testament never explains exactly how it works; you have permission to do the same. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com/). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:27 Atonement motifs in the New Testament 05:04 Ransom 11:56 Christus Victor 16:20 Satisfaction 20:21 Moral influence 23:00 Penal substitution 36:48 Happy exchange Resources Faith After Faith, Jesus, the Devil, and Hell — Sarah Hinlicky Wilson (https://katielangston.com/podcast/jesus-the-devil-and-hell-sarah-hinlicky-wilson/) Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2908.htm), ch. 24 Augustine, Sermon 263 (https://archive.org/details/saint-augustine-sermons) Origen, Commentary on Matthew (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1016.htm) Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 45 (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310245.htm) Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor (https://spckpublishing.co.uk/christus-victor-pb) Anselm of Canterbury, Cur Deus Homo (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/anselm/basic_works) Peter Abelard, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (https://www.cuapress.org/9780813219172/commentary-on-the-epistle-to-the-romans/) Steve Chalke and Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus (https://www.christianbook.com/the-lost-message-of-jesus/steve-chalke/9780310248828/pd/48825) Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1911)

6. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Jesus, the Devil, and Hell — Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

   Sarah Hinlicky Wilson has never doubted that God loves her. (She's doubted whether God exists at all—but she's always assumed that if there is a God, God is loving and kind.) So what does she do with the devil and hell? How does she understand what the atonement is all about? Spoiler alert: she says don't start with any of those questions. Sarah is a Lutheran pastor and theologian, founder of Thornbush Press (https://thornbushpress.com), and co-host of Queen of the Sciences (https://www.queenofthesciences.com/), a podcast she makes with her dad, theologian Paul Hinlicky. She is also one of Katie's closest friends. The conversation covers "aura salve," why high-demand religion is frivolous about sin, what Paul actually means by justification, how little the Bible says about the afterlife, and a Japanese convert who explained hell better than any theologian. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest Sarah Wilson 01:53 The difference between threat-based and grace-based faith 04:00 Understanding sin, death, and the devil as conditions, not caricatures 06:52 The evolution of Lutheran beliefs and the center of the gospel 10:01 The atonement: from cosmic debt to healing and restoration 18:11 Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as the core of Christian hope 21:51 Reframing salvation: from getting in to being healed 29:57 The nature of heaven and the life to come 34:59 The concept of the devil and evil spirits in scripture 39:50 Hell: a place of refusal of healing and estrangement from God 50:13 Trusting in God's love and the sturdiness of the gospel 56:02 Faith after faith: testing, loss, and renewal 57:00 Conclusion: God's grip, not ours, sustains faith Resources Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, sarahhinlickywilson.com (http://sarahhinlickywilson.com) Sarah Hinlicky Wilson and Paul R. Hinlicky, Queen of the Sciences (https://www.queenofthesciences.com/) Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, Pearly Gates: Parables from the Final Threshold (https://thornbushpress.com/product/pearly-gates-parables-from-the-final-threshold/) (Thornbush Press) John Milton, Paradise Lost (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20) (1667)

7. 

   12 Sept 2026

   Letting Go of Certainty

   Katie Langston grew up in a tradition where certainty was the point—where a missionary lesson literally stacked paper cups, prophets on the bottom and Jesus on top, and showed you that pulling any one of them brings the whole thing down. In this solo episode, she makes a case that a lot of what people describe as losing their faith is something more specific: a loss of certainty. The episode traces where the demand for certainty came from; why fundamentalism is a modern movement in anti-modern clothes; and why so few people still claim to have it. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com/support (http://faithafterfaith.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Cold open: fast and testimony meeting 02:35 Jenga towers, Christmas lights, and a stack of paper cups 04:45 Pope, king, God: where the questions came from 06:45 Establishment, association, authenticity 08:40 Fundamentalism is a modern movement 12:55 Postmodernity in one sentence 14:45 A nine-year-old asks the postmodern question 17:15 What the Pew numbers actually show 18:50 Cross-pressure: Charles Taylor and C. S. Lewis 20:25 "I just miss being able to say I know" 22:20 Brueggemann: orientation, disorientation, reorientation 25:30 Embrace the questions, grieve, find people who can hold them 27:15 Scrupulosity, OCD, and accepting the risk 31:20 Hope and trust, not knowledge Resources "God Invites Your Questions" — katielangston.com/podcast/god-invites-your-questions-grace-duddy-pomroy (http://katielangston.com/podcast/god-invites-your-questions-grace-duddy-pomroy). "Am I Even Allowed to Think This?" — katielangston.com/podcast/am-i-even-allowed-to-think-this-jana-riess (http://katielangston.com/podcast/am-i-even-allowed-to-think-this-jana-riess). "Were We Better Off Believing in Charms?" — katielangston.com/podcast/were-we-better-off-believing-in-charms-cristina-gagliano (http://katielangston.com/podcast/were-we-better-off-believing-in-charms-cristina-gagliano). "Who Gets to Tell You What's True?" — katielangston.com/podcast/who-gets-to-tell-you-whats-true (http://katielangston.com/podcast/who-gets-to-tell-you-whats-true). "Where Have All the Women Gone?" — katielangston.com/podcast/where-have-all-the-women-gone (http://katielangston.com/podcast/where-have-all-the-women-gone). Charles Taylor, A Secular Age*** (Belknap/Harvard, 2007) C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity*** (1952), Book III, ch. 11, "Faith" Walter Brueggemann (1933–2025), The Message of the Psalms** (Augsburg, 1984) and Spirituality of the Psalms* (Fortress, 2002) Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition*** (1979) Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace — Katie Langston. Second edition, 2026. katielangston.com/books/sealed-an-unexpected-journey-into-the-heart-of-grace (http://katielangston.com/books/sealed-an-unexpected-journey-into-the-heart-of-grace) Thirteen Lives (2022).

8. 

   8 Sept 2026

   God Invites Your Questions — Grace Duddy Pomroy

   When Grace Duddy Pomroy was in high school, she asked a Bible-quiz volunteer why two verses seemed to contradict each other. The answer she received: "That's not something we ask here." To her credit, Grace didn't let that stop her from asking hard questions about her faith. This conversation covers competitive Bible quiz, why a pastor's wife kicked Grace out of church over her mom's job history, Luther's word for the things Christians are allowed to disagree about, and how learning to sit with ambiguity can be a powerful spiritual practice. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (http://faithafterfaith.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Cold open: "God was right there in the middle of it" 00:23 Welcome + the solvent theory of doubt 02:02 Growing up Assemblies of God 13:13 St. Olaf, and clinging to her old identity 13:54 Thrown out by the pastor's wife 18:08 Get curious, not certain: what Lutheran camp taught her 19:15 What makes a faith that can hold a question 21:04 Professors, friends, and no hidden agenda 25:34 Allowing different answers to live at the same time 33:17 What does faith after faith look like for you? Resources Grace Pomroy, Funding Forward: A Pathway to More Sustainable Models for Ministry (Fortress Press, 2024, ISBN 9781506493336).

9. 

   4 Sept 2026

   Letting Go of Shame

   Shame is a near-universal human experience, but high-demand religious systems can exacerbate it significantly. In this episode with Pastor Katie Langston, explore where shame comes from, why every culture has it even though the things people are ashamed of change from place to place, and three things high-control religious systems do to make it worse. Then she explores something to put in its place—Jesus as the cosmic empathizer. To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters Chapters 00:00 Introduction to shame in faith deconstruction 01:57 Personal story of grace and deconstruction 04:01 The biblical view of grace and the question of 'all I can do' 05:57 Shame as a universal human experience and its cultural roots 07:59 The difference between guilt and shame, and their roles 10:04 How high-demand religions intensify shame 12:06 The silence of shame and the power of disclosure 14:14 Reimagining God as an empathizer rather than a judge 26:01 Jesus' incarnation and the embodiment of empathy 28:05 The cross as a symbol of shame and solidarity 29:49 Jesus' focus on outsiders and the marginalized 31:03 Closing thoughts and support options

10. 

    1 Sept 2026

    The Opposite of Grace Is Shame — Dave Zahl

    Description Dave Zahl has spent twenty years running a ministry devoted to grace. He also attends a church that preaches grace every single week—because by the time Sunday rolls around again, he says, he's already stopped believing it. For a lot of people, that sounds like a paradox, because church is where they learned shame in the first place. But what if it didn't have to be that way? This conversation explores why churches turn into venues for religious performance, why shame survives long after your theology changes, and how to find a place where grace is lived, not just talked about. To support Faith After Faith, visit katielangston.com/support (http://katielangston.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 0:00 Dave Zahl on religious pressure cookers 0:45 The opposite of grace is shame 1:46 Mockingbird, Seculosity, and The Big Relief 2:26 "David is so hard on himself" 5:04 Austria, a breakup, and crying uncle 8:31 Acceleration, and running faster to keep what you have 12:22 Churches as venues for religious performance 15:49 The law: Leviticus, your mother, your Fitbit 16:27 Guilt is what you do; shame is who you are 20:03 Grace wears off by Sunday 21:30 Low Anthropology and the shame spiral 23:53 "You are not enough. But God is." 26:49 Which God? Zahl says look at Jesus 29:42 Nobody deconstructs away from Jesus 32:02 Liturgy, intergenerational, purple: what to look for in a church 35:12 Non-contingent compassionate alliance 36:54 What does faith after faith look like for you? 38:50 Credits and where to find Dave Resources Mockingbird Ministries — https://mbird.com (https://mbird.com) David Zahl, Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It. Fortress Press, 2019. David Zahl, Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). Brazos Press, 2022. David Zahl, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World. Brazos Press, 2025. The Mockingcast (https://mbird.com/feed-name/the-mockingcast/) — Mockingbird Ministries

11. 

    25 Aug 2026

    Were We Better off Believing in Charms? — Cristina Gagliano

    Dr. Cristina Gagliano (née Rosetti) was a functional atheist finishing a religion PhD when she walked into St. Peter's Basilica, stood in front of a marble wall listing every pope in order, and thought: I don't think I've ever believed anything more in my whole life. That was ten years ago this Easter. In this wide-ranging conversation about disenchantment—what it means to live in a world without angels and demons, charms and superstitions—Cristina and Katie talk about what the West traded away when we stopped believing the world was full of wonder, why so many people who leave church end up associating with New Age movements, and what it might mean to "re-enchant" your worldview with faith. To support Faith After Faith, visit katielangston.com/support (http://katielangston.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Cristina Gagliano's Faith Journey 02:23 Cristina's Early Christian Background and Cultural Christianity 04:48 Encounter with Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement 09:16 Crisis of Faith and the Search for Meaning 11:14 The Concept of Conscious Annihilation and Existential Dread 15:38 Discovering Mormonism and Its Fascination 19:36 Visiting St. Peter's Basilica and the Turning Point 20:55 Converting to Catholicism and Its Impact on Cristina 23:13 The Role of Tradition and Ritual in Faith 29:25 Disenchantment, Re-enchantment, and Modern Spirituality 34:33 The Search for Deep Myths and Stories in Secular Movements 35:21 Why People Turn Away from or Toward Religious Traditions 42:31 What Faith After Faith Looks Like for Cristina 43:35 Final Reflections: The Human Restlessness and the Search for Rest in God Resources Cristina M. Rosetti, Joseph White Musser: A Mormon Fundamentalist. Introductions to Mormon Thought. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2024. Claire Hoffman, Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025. Richard Lyman Bushman with Jed Woodworth, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Philip Benedict, Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism (https://archive.org/details/christschurchesp0000bene). New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Émile Durkheim, Suicide: A Study in Sociology (1897). Trans. John A. Spaulding and George Simpson. New York: Free Press, 1951. St. John of Damascus, On Holy Images, First Apology (http://gutenberg.org/files/49917/49917-h/49917-h.htm). Trans. Mary H. Allies. London: Thomas Baker, 1898. Catechism of the Catholic Church (http://usccb.org/catechism/prologue), §1. Augustine, Confessions, Book I.1. Peter Beinart, "Breaking Faith (https://theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/breaking-faith/517785/)," The Atlantic, April 2017.

12. 

    21 Aug 2026

    Where Have All the Women Gone?

    In the 1980s, sociologist Rodney Stark projected the LDS Church would reach somewhere between 63 and 265 million members by 2080. Today, it has just 17.8 million—and only four in ten Gen Z women raised in the faith still identify with it. Everyone has a theory about why. The culture got worse. The church did this. Jana Riess names three P's—politics, purity culture, powerlessness. This episode proposes a fourth: pressure. Pew's data shows certainty declining far faster than belief, which means a religion that demands certainty is asking for something a whole generation can no longer produce. So what would a community look like with real claims, real expectations, and room to say you don't know? To support Faith After Faith, visit faithafterfaith.com (https://faithafterfaith.com). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Why Women Are Leaving Mormonism 04:10 Cultural Explanations and Critiques 06:08 The Three Ps: Politics, Purity Culture, Powerlessness 13:58 The Fourth P: Pressure 17:57 Reimagining Faith: Support and Challenge in Communities 29:55 The Future of Faith Communities and Belief Resources Jana Riess, "Why are so many young women leaving the LDS Church? (https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/08/05/why-are-so-many-young-women/)" Tamarra Kemsley, "For Latter-day Saints, the retention decline is more than a people problem (https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/08/18/what-does-falling-retention-say/)" Barbara Morgan Gardner, "Why are young Latter-day Saint women struggling? (https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/08/07/latter-day-saint-millennial-women/)" W. Justin Dyer, Jenet Jacob Erickson, Sam A. Hardy, Barbara Morgan Gardner, and David C. Dollahite, Latter-day Saint Trends in the United States: Religiousness, Well-Being, and Retention (https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/latter-day-saint-trends-in-the-united-states-religiousness-well-being-and-retention/religious-retention-117) Ryan Burge, "Belief Isn't Dying, It's Just Getting Less Certain (https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/belief-isnt-dying-its-just-getting)" Ryan Burge, "The LDS Church Has a Retention Problem (https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-lds-church-has-a-retention-problem)" Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study (https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/) Jana Riess, The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church. Oxford University Press, 2019. Jana Riess and Benjamin Knoll, Leaving Mormonism: Who Is Exiting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and Why. Oxford University Press, forthcoming. Rodney Stark, "The Rise of a New World Faith," Review of Religious Research 26, no. 1 (1984): 18–27. Dallin H. Oaks, "Pornography (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/pornography?lang=eng)" Katie L., "Breathing Room (https://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2016/02/breathing-room/)"

13. 

    18 Aug 2026

    Am I Even Allowed to Think This? — Jana Riess

    Katie Langston talks with Jana Reiss, senior columnist at Religion News Service and historian of American religion, about spiritual authority after a faith crisis, why so many people leave high-demand traditions, and what healthy reconstruction can actually look like. Jana also shares findings from her research on Latter-day Saints, including generational shifts, women’s religious practice, and the emotional cost of trying to make sense of change inside a tradition that keeps moving. To support Faith After Faith, visit katielangston.com/support (http://katielangston.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters: (00:30) Opening on high-demand religion and not trusting yourself (03:29) Mormonism as an American religious tradition (05:07) Jana’s research with people who left, stayed, or studied trauma (06:27) External demands versus internal demands (08:48) The scaffolding metaphor for faith shifts (11:55) The Christmas lights analogy and all-or-nothing thinking (12:51) The church as a moving target (17:03) Heather’s story and spiritual bypassing (19:22) Jana on disagreeing publicly while staying active (22:44) How to start trusting your own conscience again (24:39) Hilary McBride, spiritual trauma, and first vs. second-order change (31:59) Why former Latter-day Saints often don’t join another church (34:16) What to look for in a healthy spiritual community (37:09) Loneliness, isolation, and the role of religion (37:53) Holy Week, suffering, and a more realistic Christian message (41:38) Reconstruction as meaning, hope, and resources (43:24) Faith after faith as a series of crises, not one big break Resources: Jana Riess's RNS column, Flunking Sainthood (religionnews.com/category/opinion/columns/jana-riess). Leaving Mormonism: Who Is Exiting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and Why, with Benjamin Knoll (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2027) Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, "Mormonism isn't like a string of Christmas lights," (religionnews.com/2012/06/18/mormonism-isnt-like-a-string-of-christmas-lights) Religion News Service, June 18, 2012. Hillary L. McBride, Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing (Brazos Press, 2025) Jana Riess, "More about Jesus, less about coffee: Seven LDS Church trends, according to data (religionnews.com/2026/07/16/more-about-jesus-less-about-coffee-seven-lds-church-trends-according-to-data)," Religion News Service, July 16, 2026. Kara Stevenson, "Why this White, American, LDS Couple was Civilly Married (then Sealed) in Tijuana, Mexico (exponentii.org/blog/why-this-white-american-lds-couple-was-civilly-married-then-sealed-in-tijuana-mexico)," Exponent II Blog, April 2026: Martin E. Marty, A Cry of Absence: Reflections for the Winter of the Heart (Harper & Row, 1983; rev. HarperCollins, 1993)

14. 

    14 Aug 2026

    Who Gets to Tell You What's True?

    What happens to your sense of spiritual authority when your worldview crumbles? High-control religions want you to externalize your authority by handing it to them. After a deconstruction, it's healthy to reclaim that authority. Yet total internal control runs you into blind spots—which are, by definition, things you can't see. Is there a middle ground? A way to discern trustworthy sources of authority from untrustworthy sources? To balance individual needs with group demands? This episode works through Chesterton's fence, Tara Isabella Burton's Strange Rites, and a set of questions worth asking of any community before you trust it (including: what happens to the people who leave?) To support Faith After Faith, visit katielangston.com/support (http://katielangston.com/support). A recurring donation of any amount will give you access to exclusive bonus content and full, unedited conversations. Chapters 00:00 Where does spiritual authority go after a faith crisis? 02:03 Before the separation of church and state 05:59 The age of association and the age of authenticity 07:53 Coercion, idolatry, and the closed loop of high-demand religious 09:49 Nauvoo, Nancy Rigdon, and the Happiness Letter 12:02 Internal authority, blind spots, and "do your own research" 16:02 The gospel critiques both: idolatry and the self curved inward 17:48 Chesterton's fence and questions to ask before you trust 25:57 Sin boldly, course correct, and your belovedness as bedrock Resources Cited Dwight Zscheile, "From the Age of Association to Authenticity" — Faith+Lead. https://faithlead.org/blog/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity/ (https://faithlead.org/blog/from-the-age-of-association-to-authenticity/) Ted A. Smith, The End of Theological Education — Eerdmans, 2023. Charles Taylor, A Secular Age — Belknap/Harvard, 2007. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America — 1835 and 1840. Joseph Smith, letter to Nancy Rigdon ("the Happiness Letter"), circa mid-April 1842 — Full text and historical introduction at the Joseph Smith Papers: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-letter-to-nancy-rigdon-circa-mid-april-1842/1 (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-letter-to-nancy-rigdon-circa-mid-april-1842/1) Tara Isabella Burton, Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World — PublicAffairs, 2020. Zoe Alderton, "'Snapewives' and 'Snapeism': A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom" — Religions 5, no. 1 (2014): 219–267. Open access, and yes, it's peer-reviewed: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/5/1/219 (https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/5/1/219) G. K. Chesterton, "The Drift from Domesticity," in The Thing — 1929. Full text: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Contemporary-EN/XCT.165.html&chunk.id=00000011 (https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Contemporary-EN/XCT.165.html&chunk.id=00000011) Martin Luther, letter to Philip Melanchthon, August 1, 1521 — Luther's Works vol. 48, 281–82. Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — 1979. Forty-two. We still don't know the question.

15. 

    11 Aug 2026

    Congratulations, You're a Growth Opportunity for Your Family — Lindsay Hansen Park

    Katie talks with historian Lindsay Hansen Park—executive director of the Sunstone Education Foundation, host of Year of Polygamy, and a friend since they were both Mormon feminist bloggers in the early 2010s—about why one person's deconstruction sets off so much anxiety in a family and culture. Lindsay's research into Mormon fundamentalism has helped her trace those patterns back to where they come from—from frontier survivalism to deep sexual shame—and explore how they're still operative in people's lives. Whether you come from Mormonism or other high-demand, fundamentalist traditions, Lindsay offers insights that are both compassionate and challenging for everyone whose gone through a faith deconstruction. The full unedited conversation with Lindsay is available to subscribers at katielangston.com/podcast (http://katielangston.com/podcast). Resources Lindsay Hansen Park Sunstone Education Foundation — sunstone.org (http://sunstone.org) Year of Polygamy podcast — yearofpolygamy.com (http://yearofpolygamy.com) The Ballad of Juanita Brooks — balladofjuanita.com (http://balladofjuanita.com). Lindsay's forthcoming biography, on sale December 30, 2026. Historical consultant, Under the Banner of Heaven (FX) and American Primeval (Netflix) Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Lindsay Hansen Park's journey 00:28 The influence of rural Mormon communities and fundamentalism 06:01 The role of shame and control in Mormon culture 07:59 Disruption of faith and the path to personal growth 11:52 The similarities between fundamentalist and mainstream Mormonism 15:05 The use of shame as a control mechanism 17:52 The impact of purity culture and temple system 21:07 Leaving Mormonism and the emotional upheaval 24:57 The importance of boundaries and therapy in healing 29:59 Reframing shame and embracing personal resilience 35:01 The future of Mormon culture and language around leaving 37:15 Final thoughts on growth, resilience, and self-trust

16. 

    8 Aug 2026

    The Understory: Deconstruction and Family Conflict

    Of everything that comes with a faith crisis, the relationships are usually the hardest part. Your mom. Your spouse. The sibling who keeps texting you their testimony at 11pm. In this solo episode, Pastor Katie Langston takes Amanda Ripley's framework from High Conflict and uses it as a lens to examine families in the middle of a faith transition—including the difference between good conflict and high conflict, why a fight is almost never about what it's about, and the four "understories" running underneath just about every conflict. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome 00:19 — Why family is the hardest part of a faith crisis 01:46 — "It's never about what it's about": Amanda Ripley's High Conflict 02:55 — Good conflict vs. high conflict 05:02 — The paradox: wanting it to end and wanting it to continue 05:53 — What's an "understory"? 07:30 — Understory one: power and control 08:52 — Understory two: respect and recognition 09:50 — Understory three: care and concern 10:14 — Understory four: stress and overwhelm 12:23 — Why faith conflict runs so deep 14:25 — Four things that help 16:15 — Grace, blame, and the limits of reconciliation 17:42 — The deepest understory Resources Amanda Ripley, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out (Simon & Schuster, 2021) — amandaripley.com/high-conflict (http://amandaripley.com/high-conflict) Support the show: katielangston.com/support (http://katielangston.com/support) — bonus content, early releases, and full unedited interviews

17. 

    5 Aug 2026

    A Faith Crisis Is a Full Identity Makeover — Natasha Helfer

    Natasha Helfer says that a faith deconstruction is an entire identity makeover. Which sounds dramatic until you start counting. Who am I. Who am I to my spouse. What kind of parent am I. What do I want in bed. Who are my people now. Natasha breaks identity into five buckets, and a faith crisis kicks over all five at once. Natasha is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified sex therapist. She spent decades as a devout Latter-day Saint, started writing publicly about what she was seeing in her clients—teenagers self-harming over masturbation, LGBTQ+ kids dying at higher rates, women drowning in perfectionism—and in 2021 was excommunicated for taking public stands that contradicted church leadership. In this conversation, Natasha and Katie explore identity formation in high-demand religious traditions, what happens when that formation is disrupted, and how to begin to put the pieces back together again (even when it's messy). Content note: This episode includes candid discussion of sexuality and sexual shame, and references to teen self-harm and suicidality in the context of purity culture. Get full unedited episodes, early releases, bonus episodes, and more by supporting Faith After Faith at https://katielangston.com/support (https://katielangston.com/support) Chapters 00:00 — Welcome, and meet Natasha Helfer 02:05 — Converted at five: an identity formed entirely through the LDS lens 09:48 — By their fruits: perfectionism, LGBTQ kids, secrecy, sexual shame 14:34 — Starting her "Ask a Mormon Therapist" blog 21:40 — Off the referral list, and then out of the church 32:23 — The five buckets of identity and why a deconstruction is an entire identity makeover 39:06 — Pendulum swings, interrupted development, and doing teenager work in your forties 50:04 — Rebuilding a worldview: the tension between me and we 57:03 — Belovedness, isolation, and what faith after faith looks like About Natasha Helfer Natasha Helfer, LMFT, CST-S, is an AASECT-certified sex therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist who has spent three decades helping people untangle sexuality from shame, silence, and stigma — much of it rooted in religious trauma and purity culture. She sees clients through Symmetry Counseling, trains other clinicians, and hosts The Natasha Helfer Podcast. Website: https://www.natashahelfer.com/ (https://www.natashahelfer.com/) Mentioned in this episode "My Official Stance on Masturbation" — the 2012 post at Natasha's Patheos blog The Mormon Therapist (published under Natasha Helfer Parker): https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2012/08/my-official-stance-on-masturbation.html (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2012/08/my-official-stance-on-masturbation.html) Natasha's Faith Transitions Group: https://www.natashahelfer.com/faith-transitions-group (https://www.natashahelfer.com/faith-transitions-group)

18. 

    31 Jul 2026

    Faith Crisis or Identity Crisis?

    This episode with Pastor Katie Langston explores the challenges of faith crisis and deconstruction, the impact on personal identity, and the process of reconstructing a new sense of self. It delves into the concept of vocation and the assurance of belovedness, offering hope and encouragement to those navigating identity exploration. To support this channel, subscribe or become a friend of Promise Studio at katielangston.com/podcast Links mentioned: Is there a real you? (https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_baggini_is_there_a_real_you) (TEDXYouth talk by Julian Baggini) Chapters 00:00 The Crisis of Faith 02:03 Identity Makeover 03:02 The Conveyor Belt of Identity 05:19 The Five Categories of Identity 13:48 Conforming vs. Performing 16:38 Exploring Vocation 21:59 Belovedness and Self-Discovery

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