Welcome to Youth Group 98! Youth Group 1998 is a nostalgic and honest look back at late 90s and early 2000s church culture — the lock-ins, the altar calls, the CCM mixtapes, the over-the-top evangelism events, and all the sacred and strange moments that shaped a generation of faith. We’re not just here to laugh at what was cringey or broken; we’re here to remember what was beautiful, name what went off course, and ask what can still be redeemed. This podcast is for anyone who grew up in youth group culture and is ready to look back with humor, honesty, and hope.
Episode 8: Left Behind - It’s the End of Season One as We Know It.
Explore the massive cultural impact of the 'Left Behind' book series, its controversies, and its influence on faith discussions. We break down the books, movies, and games.
But how did this phenomenon impact culture and individual beliefs?
Instagram: @ytg1998
6 May 2026
Episode 7: What Were We Thinking? - The Lock In
Let us know your favorite (or worse) Lock-in experience!
Instagram: @ytg1998
Spotify & Apple Podcast: Youth Group 98
29 Apr 2026
Episode 6: On Fire for Jesus- Hype Ministry
The Amazon Prime series Shiny Happy People season 2 was all about Acquire the Fire, Teen Mania and Ron Luce. In response to that series, we want to have a look back at “Hype Ministries” in general and how they help shape faith for a generation of youth group kids.
Instagram: @ytg1998
21 Apr 2026
Episode 5: CCM (Part 2) - Hymns, Hitmakers, and the Blurry Space Between?
We get into how marketing messages got confused with faith formation messages. What to do with those who are now deconstructing and how some of what happens to worship music when it written for the charts instead of the church.
Instagram: ytg_1998
14 Apr 2026
Episode 4: CCM (Part 1) - The Soundtrack of the Saved
Christian music didn’t start as an industry—it started as a movement.
In the late 1960s and 70s, young people from the Jesus Movement rejected traditional church culture but held onto their love for music. They began writing honest, raw songs about faith using the sounds they already knew: rock, folk, and acoustic.
What began in coffee houses and small gatherings quickly grew. By the mid-70s, record labels and radio stations turned this grassroots expression into something bigger—a parallel Christian music industry.
As culture shifted, Christian parents looked for “safe” alternatives to mainstream music, and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) filled the gap by mirroring popular styles with faith-based lyrics.
By the 80s and 90s, CCM had become a full ecosystem—complete with festivals, radio, charts, and stars. For many, it wasn’t just music. It shaped beliefs, carried people through life’s hardest moments, and became the soundtrack of an entire generation’s faith.
This is the story of how a movement became a market—and why it still matters today.
18 Feb 2026
Episode 3: Smallville, NXIVM, and the search for Salvation. (The Allison Mack Conversation)
This week, we step outside our usual lane for a special conversation at the intersection of pop culture, faith, and influence. Using Allison Mack’s role on Smallville and her involvement in NXIVM as a starting point, we explore what draws people toward groups promising purpose, transformation, and belonging—and how those longings can be exploited. This is not a true-crime episode, but a thoughtful discussion about faith, identity, power, and the difference between genuine spiritual community and cult-like control. Allison Mack’s journey from Smallville to NXIVM raises uncomfortable but important questions.
- What are we really searching for when we seek purpose and transformation?
- How do charismatic leaders position themselves as saviors? And how can we tell the difference between faith and manipulation?
- This episode uses pop culture as a doorway into deeper conversations about belief, identity, and accountability.
Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ajZ1V-VnLNI
CBC True Crime: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuMdLmjdG8dcaZM_sTC-HrbLQyT09sQIu&si=l30dfBbWjpWRKnL2
Instagram: ytg_1998
1 Dec 2025
Episode 2: Jesus Drip — The Rise of Christian Fashion
Remember when the height of spiritual maturity was wearing a WWJD bracelet and a shirt that looked like a Reese’s wrapper but said “Jesus”? We unpack the Christian apparel explosion and how youth ministries turned fashion into a form of evangelism. Did it work? Did it backfire? And what does it say that the Bible says we should be known by our love—not our logo tees?
Instagram: @ytg_1998
Lonesome Dove Novel: https://a.co/d/hVQ4oTh
Project Hail Mary: https://a.co/d/49Ddwan
4 Nov 2025
Episode 1: Judgment House — Haunted by Good Intentions
In this First Episode:
In the 90s and 2000s, churches swapped haunted houses for “Judgment Houses” and called it outreach. We look back on the hype, the heart, and how good motives got tangled in big events that sometimes missed real discipleship.
Instagram: @ytg_1998
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