Still Unbelievable!

Episode 145 Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.

In this episode of Still Unbelievable Matthew is in conversation with Michelle Van Loon, a writer with a Jewish upbringing who converted to evangelical Christianity as a teen. She gives her perspective on both traditions. Hear what drew her towards Christianity, what she carried from Judaism, and what she thinks people often misunderstand about Jewish identity and practice.

They discuss:
- her experiences inside evangelicalism, including patterns of spiritual abuse. Are these isolated situations or symptoms of deeper issues around evangelism and revival culture, that protect harmful behaviour.
- religious trauma, what led Michelle to seek counselling, and how others might identify and recover from similar experiences.
- What churches might need to let go of, how “downsizing” can compliment deconstruction and how a downsized community might look.
- And of course her favourite bible character

1) Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials
https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802884626/downsizing/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224465982-downsizing
https://bobonbooks.com/2025/09/15/review-downsizing/
https://amzn.eu/d/6VE2CxW

2) Follow Michelle
https://michellevanloon.substack.com/
https://thesageforum.com/about-us

3) Michelle's other books
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/383322.Michelle_Van_Loon

4) Deconversion Anonymous
https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion

5) Religious Trauma
https://www.empathyparadigm.com/religioustrauma
https://therapist.com/trauma/religious-trauma/
https://resilientmindcounseling.com/10-signs-you-may-be-experiencing-religious-trauma/

6) Jewish Chosenness
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-quot-chosen-people-quot

Still Unbelievable! book: https://amzn.eu/d/fmsN1Cw
Apostate book: https://amzn.eu/d/9RIUZYx

To contact us, email: [email protected]
our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901

Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:
https://hollykirstensongs.com/
https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/

Episode 144 - Angela J. Herrington - Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods

In this episode of still Unbelievable! Matthew interviews Angela Herrington author of Embracing the Old witch in the woods. Angela has written another book, Deconstruct your faith without losing yourself. She is a beautiful human being who puts enormous effort and thought into affirming others and guiding them into being validated versions of themselves. We found her book thought provoking and challenging as well as heart warming and helpful. When you've listened to this, please support her by buying her books. Links below.

Angela, is the first of several author conversations that we will publish in 2026. This year is going to be a busy year here at Still Unbelievable!

1) Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods
https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835233/Embracing-the-Old-Witch-in-the-Woods

2) Angela's website
https://angelajherrington.com/about/
https://angelajherrington.com/press/
https://angelajherrington.com/books-by-angela-j-herrington/

3) The Relentless Indigenous Woman
https://relentlessindigenouswoman.ca/
https://relentlessindigenouswoman.ca/pages/podcast

4) intersectionality explained
https://www.britannica.com/topic/intersectionality

5) perpetual virginity of mary
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-explain-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary

6) Mary did not have consent
https://blakehereth.com/uploads/1/2/7/5/127509046/w_mary_did_you_consent_.pdf

7) Wilda Gafney
https://www.holytroublemakers.com/revgafney
https://www.wilgafney.com/

8) Wounds into Wisdom by Tirzah Firestone
https://amzn.eu/d/8GeBkgp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirzah_Firestone

9) other trauma healing resources
It Didn’t Start with You - https://amzn.eu/d/3kL8uaZ
My Grandmother’s Hands - https://amzn.eu/d/3Y6C8FC
The Body Keeps the Score - https://amzn.eu/d/iS56mLX
Healing Collective Trauma - https://amzn.eu/d/85L1mM6
Break the Cycle - https://amzn.eu/d/bVJObFT
Survivor Café - https://amzn.eu/d/8iYALqB

https://www.balancedmindstherapy.com/blog/healing-intergenerational-trauma
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
https://thepsychologycompany.co.uk/unraveling-the-threads-understanding-and-healing-intergenerational-trauma/

Still Unbelievable! book: https://amzn.eu/d/fmsN1Cw
Apostate book: https://amzn.eu/d/9RIUZYx

To contact us, email: [email protected]
our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901

Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:
https://hollykirstensongs.com/
https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/

In this episode of still unbelievable, Matthew reviews an episode of the Unbelievable? podcast. It's an episode that features Stephen Law and Michael Jones in conversation. He'll mostly focus on the things that Michael Jones says, because through his channel, Inspiring Philosophy, he says things about Christianity which are Unbelievable!, at least to the listener who is prepared to fact check things. Which sadly, most christians are not, so let us do that job for you so we can all see how Christianity always was, and is Still, Unbelievable!

1) original episode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UOwOCGIPzQ
https://www.premierunbelievable.com/unbelievable/does-humanism-or-christianity-offer-the-world-a-better-future-mike-jones-inspiring-philosophy-vs-stephen-law/19875.article?fbclid=IwY2xjawMFQvhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHn10xC1NvdZ0kJ4DK7W0wbeHoLbQEzThrFMsbk6TOJmSPwV_cM7ThYeErj5m_aem_DpmX3nw7Y91-weiovn7nqw

2) Dr Stephen Law
https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/profiles/stephen-law

3) Michael Jones
https://www.inspiringphilosophy.com/team

4) 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

5) Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages, Edward Grant
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YyvmEyX6rZgC&pg=PA223&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

6) The Byzantine Empire
https://www.worldhistory.org/Byzantine_Government/

7) Forced Conversion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_conversion

8) Human rights
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/udhr/history-of-the-declaration

9) Life Unwasted Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/4z1czHu4yiCPXGU4gauvkM

10) Robert Woodberry and the Benefits of Protestant Missions
https://tifwe.org/robert-woodberry-and-the-benefits-of-protestant-missions/

11) Critique of Robert Woodberry
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/abs/conversionary-protestants-do-not-cause-democracy/89D4552E3CEED18F62E94E4ABEF322F6

12) National context, religiosity, and volunteering: Results from 53 countries
https://research-portal.uu.nl/en/publications/national-context-religiosity-and-volunteering-results-from-53-cou

13) Community involvement and mental health
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/england/node/9466
https://www.jstor.org/stable/30038985

14) Secularism and Fertility Worldwide
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/23780231211031320

15) Is the Earth really overpopulated?
https://mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/is-the-earth-really-overpopulated/

16) Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, By Eric Kaufmann
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/shall-the-religious-inherit-the-earth-by-eric-kaufmann-1939316.html

17) Human Rights
https://www.questjournals.org/jrhss/papers/vol10-issue3/Ser-2/B10030812.pdf
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/human-rights-explained-human-rights-origins
https://polsci.institute/comparative-politics/human-rights-evolution/
https://lawbhoomi.com/evolution-and-historical-development-of-human-rights/

18) Children in Antiquity and Early Christianity: Research History and Central Issues
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/50604571.pdf

19) Ancient Marriage in Myth and Reality
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/resources/pdfs/978-1-4438-2261-9-sample.pdf

20) John W. Compton
https://academic.oup.com/book/32101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywrobxq-h7U

Still Unbelievable! book: https://amzn.eu/d/fmsN1Cw
Apostate book: https://amzn.eu/d/9RIUZYx

To contact us, email: [email protected]
our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901

Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:
https://hollykirstensongs.com/
https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/

In this episode of Still Unbelievable!, Matthew reviews an episode of J Warner Wallace's Cold Case Christianity podcast where he tries to make a case for objective morality being explained by his preferred god. J Warner Wallace is infamous for his cold case Christianity book, which allegedly claims to be his story of discovery by investigating god like a detective. His podcast is not a good example of honest detective work and in this review of his case for objective morality, we'll see why. Word of warning, there is so much to comment on in this episode that we have added more interjections than any other other episode. if this is too much for you as a lister, please do let me know. Feedback on what is good and bad is always useful, and on that note, please do add a review of still unbelievable to wherever you get your podcasts, it helps others and it certainly helps us.

1) the original episode
https://coldcasechristianity.com/podcasts/podcasts-about-gods-existence/why-objective-moral-truth-is-best-explained-by-the-existence-of-god-podcast/

2) Barna Poll : Survey Reveals Significant Shifts in Faith Allegiance and Growing Confusion about Moral Truth
https://georgebarna.com/2025/05/confusion-about-moral-truth/

3) Human Hunting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-hunting#cite_note-11

Still Unbelievable! book: https://amzn.eu/d/fmsN1Cw
Apostate book: https://amzn.eu/d/9RIUZYx

To contact us, email: [email protected]
our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901

Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:
https://hollykirstensongs.com/
https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/

In in this episode of Still Unbelievable! Matthew reads the Christmas narratives from the gospels. To show that as each gospel is written, the story gets embellished.

Unlike the death and resurrection narratives, see our 2025 Easter bonus episodes for thoughts on those, link in the show notes. The birth story of Jesus is not told in all four of the gospels.

Like the Easter episodes, we will be looking at each of the gospels in the order written, which means starting with Mark chapter 1.

1) Easter 2025 Bonus episodes on the death and resurrection of Jesus
https://youtu.be/f31UpncgmQk
https://youtu.be/wgZhMPE-kx0
https://youtu.be/bvtp-REH9oo

2) extra biblical account of the birth of Jesus
https://earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html#google_vignette

Still Unbelievable! book: https://amzn.eu/d/fmsN1Cw
Apostate book: https://amzn.eu/d/9RIUZYx

To contact us, email: [email protected]
our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reasonpress2901

Our Theme Music was written for us by Holly, to support her and to purchase her music use the links below:
https://hollykirstensongs.com/
https://hollykirsten.bandcamp.com/