{"podcast":{"title":"Honoring the Journey","slug":"honoring-the-journey-6751564","podcast_index_feed_id":6751564,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Swlbwx2u","website_url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ef0a2fe7-7943-4710-96af-769dcdd9bc29/8f6ffda1-bc8a-4e85-a5e4-9e278ae3a924/3000x3000/hosted-20by-20leslie-20nease-3.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Leslie Nease","episode_count":112,"summary":"Life is a journey, and we’re all walking our own unique path. But every now and then, we get the chance to step onto someone else’s path, to see the world from their perspective, and to learn from their experiences. That’s what we do here on Honoring the Journey. We walk alongside others, explore their stories, and then step back onto our own path—hopefully with new insights, deeper understanding, and a broader perspective for the journey ahead. Honoring the Journey is hosted by Leslie Nease, a former Christian Radio Host, Speaker & Writer and Contestant on Survivor China known as \"Sister Christian\". Leslie has since deconstructed her Evangelical beliefs, but is still deeply connected to God and is seeking to understand faith from every perspective. Let's journey together!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T10:21:20.329814+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564"},"episode":{"title":"\"What the Hell Did You Expect Me to Do\": Honoring the Journey of Chris Kratzer","slug":"what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer","published_at":"2026-05-25T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564","url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","audio_url":"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","summary":"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.","meta_description":"Today, Leslie speaks with Chris Kratzer, a former Lutheran and Southern Baptist evangelical pastor who spent over 20 years in ministry before undergoing a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3636,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/honoring-the-journey-6751564/episodes/what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/what-the-hell-did-you-expect-me-to-do-honoring-the-journey-of-chris-kratzer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}