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The Unbelief Podcast is your space to question, explore, and release the beliefs that no longer serve you—or maybe even caused harm. Hosted by Jeremy Steele, the Skeptic Pastor, this podcast dives deep into deconstruction, offering progressive and thoughtful insights on ancient spiritual texts like the Bible. Through interviews with leading scholars and candid conversations with those navigating their own faith journeys, the Unbelief Podcast invites you to rethink, rediscover, and rebuild your spirituality on your own terms. If you've ever felt disillusioned by what you were told to believe, this is the podcast for you.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Unbelief pairs skeptical biblical study with candid accounts of religious harm, making deconstruction feel intellectually serious and personally usable.
Unbelief treats inherited belief as something to examine closely rather than discard casually. Jeremy moves between conversational deconstruction, live Q&A, interviews, and extended Bible study, bringing a pastor's familiarity with scripture together with an openly skeptical…
A skeptic pastor checks the passage before you inherit another rule about your body.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded reading of a shame-heavy passage that puts context ahead of received stigma.
The episode makes a clear case that masturbation is not the point of the passage. Instead, it reads the story as a matter of a man refusing a duty that would have given his brother's widow a male heir, and treating that refusal as the sin.
A careful Ruth episode that keeps the story human and the hard parts intact.
Ruth here is less a tidy Bible summary than a story about what scarcity does to people. The host gives Naomi room to breathe, and that makes the pressure in the book easier to feel. It is not polished, and that is part of the point. The episode keeps the human stakes in view.
A live Q&A that tests belief against scripture, sources, and lived experience.
Unbelief follows a live listener Q&A that moves through questions that can quietly shift a faith life: interfaith relationships, whether passages have been read too narrowly, what translation does, and how skeptical belief can still sit with scripture, sources, and lived…
Ruth turns into a plainspoken case for care, courage, and showing up for the poor.
The episode treats the Book of Ruth as more than a familiar Bible story. Jeremy follows Ruth through gleaning, labor, and risk, and uses that movement to argue that care for the poor belongs at the center of the faith, not off to the side.
A clear, unsparing look at how church harm becomes lived trauma.
A psychology PhD student and a pastor talk through religious trauma, complex PTSD, queer identity, and the ways churches can turn belonging into pressure.
A Ruth study that turns gleaning into a hard question about care.
This episode treats Ruth as a story about access: who gets to eat, who gets watched, and who gets pushed to the edge of the field. It keeps returning to Boaz telling his workers to leave extra grain for Ruth and not to rebuke her, and it reads that less as a tidy lesson than as…
A Ruth discussion that makes inclusion feel personal and a little uncomfortable.
Jeremy treats Ruth as a live question about belonging rather than a safe Bible recap. He moves from the book-club setup into inclusion, justice, and the reflex to make someone else the outsider.
Bible study with the reverence stripped off.
Holy talk, comic timing, unresolved belief.
Masha Gessen narrates her own cousin's murder-for-hire arrest and custody battle.
Rich Roll interviews recovery and endurance guests, plus 'Roll On' segments with Adam Skolnick.
Peter Attia evaluates longevity science, from CETP inhibitors to protein debates, through evidence.
Rhonda Patrick translates NAD, vitamin D, and coffee research into daily health protocols.
Host Jeremy interviews author Keith Giles about his book 'Jesus Unarmed,' which argues Jesus was a radical nonviolent figure whose teachings directly challenge modern Christian nationalism and political violence.
The host introduces the Unbelief podcast, discusses technical issues preventing an interview, and hints at exploring ancient Jewish methods for reading the Bible.
This segment introduces a discussion with Dr.
This episode segment introduces a discussion on communally inflicted trauma and deconstruction in the context of growing up gay in an evangelical church.
The host promotes their new Substack, an upcoming retreat in Dallas-Fort Worth with spiritual practices and a pre-release book, and introduces the Unbelief Podcast.
The host introduces a story about being slain in the spirit and plans to explain the psychology behind it.
The host promotes their new Substack, an upcoming retreat in Dallas-Fort Worth with spiritual practices and a pre-release book copy, and introduces the Unbelief Podcast.
This episode segment introduces a story about Cole's evangelical camp experience and how a Spotify post led to a faith crisis, focusing on queer identity and family dynamics.
This episode features a conversation with fiction author and human trafficking survivor River Polsgrove on the Unbelief Podcast, focusing on a drinks and deconstruction format while addressing sensitive topics with a content warning.
The host Jeremy introduces a deep dive into the book of Revelation, challenging common cultural interpretations about the future and microchips with scholarly perspectives.
The host discusses how evangelicals unintentionally use brainwashing techniques, particularly in teaching about hell, as a result of cultural and organic growth in their communication methods.
This segment introduces the Unbelief Podcast, promoting a survival guide for the end times and the host's new writing platform on Substack.
This episode segment explores the origins and theological insights behind the Christmas tree tradition, hosted by Jeremy on the Unbelief Podcast.
The podcast discusses reconciling the biblical Tower of Babel story with linguistic evidence on language origins, featuring a social linguist's perspective.
The host Jeremy introduces Andrew Zersky, a research professor, to discuss progressive youth ministry and an upcoming conference on the topic.
This podcast segment discusses reasons why people are leaving the church and explores personal and social media insights on deconstruction and spirituality.
This episode segment introduces a discussion on purity culture and the concept of being 'damaged goods' within a deconstructive spiritual context.
This episode segment introduces a discussion on the parable of the ten bridesmaids from Matthew 25, focusing on its cultural context and interpretation.
This episode of the UNBELIEF podcast explores the Parable of the Weeds, examining Jesus' teachings through a cultural and skeptical lens to reinterpret inherited beliefs.
This episode of the UNBELIEF podcast debunks the concept of the rapture by analyzing and explaining the Bible verses used to support it.
This episode of the Unbelief Podcast explores the sensual and dramatic aspects of the book of Ruth, comparing it to modern TV shows like Game of Thrones, as part of a book club discussion on ancient spiritual texts.
The host introduces Sharon Rocky-Roggio to discuss the documentary '1946', which explores the mistranslation of the word 'homosexuality' in the Bible and its broader release.
This segment introduces a podcast episode where host Jeremy Steele, a skeptical pastor, discusses digital community and theology with guest Emily Peck from Wesley Theological Seminary.
The host addresses a question about the historical evidence for Jesus' existence, introducing scholarly criteria for evaluating historical figures.
The hosts of the Unbelief Podcast introduce a discussion on Halloween, Satan, and demon possession, while addressing audio issues and promoting a book on reforming Christianity.
The host addresses a listener's question about whether Jesus explicitly said non-followers go to hell, exploring biblical interpretations and skepticism.
The podcast segment introduces a discussion on deconstructing purity culture, focusing on cohabitation and the concept of living in sin, hosted by Jeremy and Gabby.
The host introduces Wes Ellis, author of a book on prayer for those deconstructing faith, discussing personal and pastoral experiences with prayer struggles.
This podcast segment discusses the reasons why young adults are leaving the church and the resulting panic among religious institutions about their future viability.
The host Jeremy introduces Stuart Delony to discuss his book 'Tribulation Survival Guide', which critiques rapture culture from a skeptical perspective on the Unbelief Podcast.
This episode of the Unbelief Podcast, hosted by Jeremy, introduces a discussion on a provocative scene in the book of Ruth, providing background on Ruth's story as a Moabite who follows her mother-in-law to Israel after personal losses.
The host introduces Brian McLaren and discusses his new fictional book, The Last Voyage, exploring themes of faith and spirituality in contrast to nonfiction works.
This episode segment explores the historical and biblical uncertainties surrounding the actual date and year of Jesus's birth, challenging common assumptions like December 25th and year 1 AD.
The hosts discuss the phrase 'virginity rocks' from purity culture, sharing personal experiences of seeing it on clothing and in church settings, highlighting its social significance.
This episode segment introduces an interview with Dr.
This episode of the UNBELIEF podcast discusses a parable from the New Testament where Jesus throws wine in a Pharisee's face, exploring its significance in a skeptical and spiritual context.
This segment introduces a podcast episode discussing the historical suppression of Mary Magdalene and an upcoming interview with Dr.
This episode segment challenges traditional nativity beliefs by suggesting Jesus may have been born in a cave and not in Bethlehem, exploring biblical interpretations.
This episode introduces a modified Ignatian Examen ritual for setting New Year intentions as a spiritual practice for introspection.
The host Jeremy addresses a listener's question about deconstructing Christianity while maintaining faith in Jesus, exploring the misconception that deconstruction leads to loss of faith.
The hosts discuss the concept of being 'unequally yoked' in Christian culture, where dating an unbeliever is criticized, and explore its impact on relationships and beliefs.
Host Jeremy, a skeptical pastor, leads a book club discussion on the Biblical Book of Ruth.
Host Jeremy, a skeptical pastor, answers live listener questions on the Unbelief podcast, tackling topics like interfaith relationships, trusting the Bible, inclusive interpretation, the historical development of the concept of hell, Bible translation accuracy, and LGBTQ+ affirmation in scripture.
Host Jeremy leads a book club discussion on the Biblical Book of Ruth, analyzing the story of the immigrant Ruth and the landowner Boaz.
Host Jeremy interviews Jeffrey Richards, a psychology PhD candidate researching religious trauma and complex PTSD.
This episode of the Unbelief podcast features an interview with religious trauma therapist Lori Weavers, exploring topics like skepticism and spirituality beyond inherited beliefs.
Host Jeremy and a guest deconstruct purity culture's teachings on masturbation and pornography, sharing a personal story of being labeled an 'addict' as a teenager, examining the misuse of biblical passages, and discussing healthy sexuality and ethical media consumption.
Host Jeremy leads a book club discussion on the Biblical Book of Ruth, analyzing its story of Naomi and Ruth's return from Moab.
Host Jeremy analyzes the Book of Ruth as an anti-patriarchal text advocating for inclusion and political protest.
DJ shares her journey from growing up in fundamentalist Christianity where she was considered an 'old maid' at 22, through a rushed engagement and marriage, to eventually deconstructing her faith and coming out as bisexual.