# "What the Hell Did You Expect Me to Do": Honoring the Journey of Chris Kratzer

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer.md
Podcast: [Honoring the Journey](https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564)
Published: 2026-05-25T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/afp-13455-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978/episodes/867bba7b-2872-459b-8ac4-7958c61a56fa/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978&awEpisodeId=867bba7b-2872-459b-8ac4-7958c61a56fa&feed=Swlbwx2u
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Duration seconds: 3636

## Resource

Today, Leslie speaks with Chris Kratzer, a former Lutheran and Southern Baptist evangelical pastor who spent over 20 years in ministry before undergoing a profound faith deconstruction. Chris shares how ambition and ego initially drove him into the contemporary megachurch world, how a series of personal crises — including a near-suicide — forced him into radical honesty about his faith, and how he eventually became an affirming, progressive voice for those questioning religion. He and Leslie discuss the cult-like control mechanisms of evangelicalism, the cost of leaving (financially, relationally, and emotionally), and how stepping away ultimately felt like resurrection rather than loss. Chris also talks about his two books and his mission as a writer: to expose the harms of conservative evangelicalism and to give voice to those who feel alone in their deconstruction journey.

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## Transcript

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