Four Former Evangelicals Seeing God, Bible and Church Very Differently (but not Love)

[This episode has Hayne Griffin, Robbie Madison, Matt Oxley, Joey Svendsen]

Matt Oxley, part of the Pastor With No Answers family, grew up in a charismatic, evangelical environment where faith was vibrant and experiential—complete with things like speaking in tongues and a deep belief in the supernatural. All of his years of being part of the podcast, however, Matt’s beliefs had him in a place where he no longer believed in God at all.

Recently, Matt has had a life-altering reengagement with faith. While his beliefs don’t necessarily fit neatly into traditional Christian orthodoxy, his life and values have become strikingly aligned with the teachings and ethic of the gospel.

That shift sparks a wide-ranging conversation about God, the divinity of Jesus, and the role of church and doctrine. Joey and Robbie affirm Jesus as divine in a way that makes him uniquely distinct from other religious teachers. Matt sees Jesus more as a revolutionary—someone who fully embodied the radical love and message of the gospel and died for it. End of story. Meanwhile, Hayne pushes the conversation further, challenging Joey and Robbie to expand what they might consider “divine” wisdom or teaching beyond traditional Christian boundaries.

It’s a dialogue about belief, doubt, and the ways people wrestle with the figure of Jesus. What does it really mean to say Jesus is divine? Can someone live the way of Jesus without believing everything the church teaches about him? And how much agreement is actually necessary for meaningful spiritual community?

Matt's Substack, "The Great Deconstruction."

E-mail Joey here.

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PWNA Theme Song by Stoy Prioleau (aka: Riggy Roc): Apple Music

Closing song by Derek Minor and other music by Mechanical River.