Gods of the Smoke Machine: Power, Pain & the Megachurch

Guest Bios Show Transcript Hanukkah is traditionally one of the most joyful seasons on the Jewish calendar—a time of light, hope, and remembrance. But this year, that joy has been overshadowed by a horrific act of antisemitic violence. Fifteen people—including two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a child—were killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia on Sunday. While its scale and horror are shocking, the attack is not an isolated incident.  

Guest Bios Show Transcript Megachurches are booming and it’s no wonder. These churches of 2,000 people or more offer many things Christian consumers want, like compelling worship, inspirational sermons, and kids programs. But they also come with trade-offs. You likely won’t know your pastor. You have almost no power to shape how the church governs or the pastor behaves. And if you’re hurt in some way — abused, lied to, or trampled over — you’ll likely have no recourse but to leave and try to find healing for what are often profoundly deep wounds.  

Guest Bios Show Transcript Recently, Willow Creek Community Church—one of the most influential churches in modern evangelical history—celebrated its 50th anniversary. For five decades, the Chicago-area megachurch has shaped how churches look, lead, and measure success through its seeker-sensitive model and corporate-style leadership. But as Willow Creek marks this milestone, its story is no longer just one of innovation and influence; it’s also one of profound damage.  

After stepping down for “undisclosed sin,” Tony Evans has returned to public ministry, raising questions about repentance, restoration, and transparency. Author and longtime pastor Lance Ford joins Julie to discuss.  

Guest Bios Show Transcript A decade after resigning from Mars Hill Church for arrogance and abuse of power, Mark Driscoll is rising once again, buoyed by his reinvention as a MAGA pastor with close ties to Turning Point USA (TPUSA). In the wake of the assassination of TPUSA’s founder Charlie Kirk, Driscoll is trending on several platforms. He’s appeared on The Charlie Kirk Show.  

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin explains how demonization can lead to physical harm and urges people to respect the dignity of their opponents.  

Whistleblower Rachel Beck breaks her silence to expose sexual harassment, grooming, and systemic cover-up by top leaders at Liberty University.  

Weak accountability lets predators thrive in churches. Expert guests John Horwood and Ian Mayer of Digital Alibi outline a solution for identifying and stopping these predators.  

Guest Bios Show Transcript Does Jesus’ command to love our enemies mean Christian women must remain in abusive marriages? That’s the troubling claim Pastor Paul LeBoutillier made in a recent sermon at Calvary Chapel in Boise, Idaho. While acknowledging that abuse is “terrible,” he implied Jesus’ words about loving abusers apply to abusive husbands. Is that a faithful reading of Scripture or a distortion rooted in patriarchy?  

Guest Bios Show Transcript Daystar TV President Joni Lamb is once again framing serious allegations as “cancel culture” and “gossip”—while making it sound deeply spiritual. On a recent Table Talk episode, Lamb and her panel repeated familiar churchy lines like, “When we point a finger, we have all the others pointing back,” and “The same measure that they judge with, God will judge them.” But behind the platitudes lies a troubling context: credible claims that Lamb helped cover up the alleged sexual abuse of her granddaughter—claims first reported by The Roys Report last November.