Join us for a conversation amongst friends, led by Kristian A. Smith, as we deconstruct harmful theology and create beloved community one cigar at a time. In a nutshell, Kristian and The Cast smoke, drink, cuss and talk about life, faith and theology. We embrace nuance as the spice of life while striving to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Holy Smokes is disrupting everything you thought you knew about church kids.
Faith Deconstruction for Dummies (And Why You're Not Broken) w/ Dr. Mashaun D. Simon
Dr. Mashaun D. Simon discusses faith deconstruction, explaining it's about pursuing honesty and spiritual integrity rather than abandoning belief, especially for those navigating doubt, queerness, and grief in this interview.
14 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
Protesting Peace: The Theology Behind Christian Narcissism
In this segment, we examine how fundamentalist Christianity can produce theological narcissism—a belief system rooted in superiority, control, and moral absolutism. Using a viral confrontation between a Christian protester and Buddhist monks walking for peace, we unpack how warped theology distorts love, empathy, and accountability. This is a necessary conversation about faith, mental health, and coexistence.
This segment comes from the Live Virtual Patreon recording of "Am I the Drama: What Happens when you Stop Deflecting?"
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Join the Wait List for Kristian's upcoming e-book, "Question Your Answers," here: https://mailchi.mp/thefaithcommunity/e-book-waitlist
Get Merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store
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Episode Chapters
00:00 — "Protesting Peace?" The viral moment that sparked this conversation.
03:05 — "What Is Theological Narcissism?" Why fundamentalism breeds superiority and control.
07:40 — "There's No Hate Like Christian Love" How condemnation gets mislabeled as love.
12:30 — "Faith, Narcissism, and Mental Health" Why rejecting therapy keeps these patterns alive.
17:55 — "Why Coexistence Feels Like a Threat" Binary thinking, supremacy, and the fear of difference.
31 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT
Are the Christians OK? Because This Is Getting Weird
In this episode, we ask the uncomfortable question many people are already thinking: are Christians actually OK? From online outrage and moral panic to certainty, control, and public faith performances, this conversation explores what's happening to Christianity in real time — and why so many people are walking away from the church.
Subscribe to the TFCVirtual Patreon Here: https://www.patreon.com/c/tfcvirtual
Purchase full-length, uncensored episodes of the podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/c/tfcvirtual
Join the Wait List for Kristian's upcoming e-book, "How to Deconstruct," here: https://mailchi.mp/thefaithcommunity/e-book-waitlist
Get Merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store
Order Breaking All The Rules here: https://www.kristianasmith.com/breaking-all-the-rules
Apply for a Pay it Forward Sponsorship here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAVV7dQ1BXGkd8MoUyiQDNtEw82c8RgCDAaDvWpoOCUpxbDA/viewform
Episode Chapters
00:00 — "Are the Christians OK?" The question nobody wants to answer.
04:20 — "Why Everything Is a Crisis Now" How outrage became the church's default posture.
09:15 — "When Faith Turns Into Fear" Why anxiety is driving Christian behavior.
14:40 — "Certainty, Control, and Moral Panic" What Christians are really protecting.
20:05 — "Online Christianity Is Unhinged" Social media, algorithms, and spiritual collapse.
25:30 — "Why Everyone Is Always 'Offended'" Fragile faith and perpetual outrage.
31:10 — "Defending God Like God Needs Help" Why Christians keep fighting imaginary battles.
36:50 — "The Cost of Being 'Right'" What certainty is doing to relationships and witness.
42:25 — "Why People Are Leaving the Church" It's not rebellion — it's survival.
48:00 — "What a Healthier Faith Might Look Like" Hope beyond outrage Christianity.
Inside a recent episode
Faith Deconstruction for Dummies (And Why You're Not Broken) w/ Dr. Mashaun D. Simon
Published 27 Jan 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] There was no internet. So there was no way for me to You know learn stuff go to the internet type something in to see What the what the faith tradition of my ancestors was that wasn't a thing But now there's so much access and I can only imagine how much that access is gonna progress And how much more information will have at our fingertips So I feel like that this could be like a reimagining of what your faith looks like and especially to like live it out loud I get concerned like you about the younger generations Understanding once they once they reimagine their faith. How do they commune together in community Around the faith because I know for us Whether it was toxic or not. […]
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