Over the last few months, I had the honor of appearing on several podcast episodes created by some excellent podcasters who are doing important work exposing religious extremism and political radicalization. Check them out below:
Rev. Welton Gaddy, State of Belief, “How Homeschoolers Plan to Take Over the World,” link:
Description: “Education funding should benefit students of all faiths, identities, and abilities. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will look into how the religious right is weaponizing education as a tool to deploy culture war battles not just at home – but increasingly, across the globe. This is a burgeoning campaign that is getting very little public attention – even as it creates powerful networks of ultra-conservatives across lines of religious denominations and national borders.
“State of Belief host Rev. Welton Gaddy will get the insights of Ryan Stollar, a child liberation theologian and activist for oversight of homeschooling initiatives. Ryan’s newly-published report is provocatively titled, How homeschoolers plan to take over the world.”
Dr. Bradley Onishi, Straight White American Jesus, “Radicalized at Home,” link:
Description: “Brad speaks with R.L. Stollar, a writer and advocate for homeschooled children. As someone homeschooled from kindergarten to high school graduation, Stollar knows firsthand how homeschool parents are radicalized into extremist Christian nationalist ideologies. He discusses why homeschool spaces open the doors for authoritarian personalities and abusive figures to operate without oversight. He also explains how White Christian nationalists are working to export these programs all over the globe. Their discussion finishes with analysis of the Josh Duggar case.”
Dr. Clint Heacock, MindShift, “Taking Dominion: Inside the Christian Homeschooling Bubble,” link:
Description: “This episode features author and activist Ryan Stollar, who grew up in the Christian homeschooling bubble, but has since become a staunch advocate for those who unfortunately suffered a great many abuses within that system.
“A former editor and author at the now-archived Homeschoolers Anonymous blog for several years, Ryan has since branched out and is currently doing a lot of writing–including working on two books at the moment. He is still very active within the former homeschooling community, and is very active on social media with support groups for survivors.
“This episode reveals much about the backstory of how Christian homeschooling not only started, but what some of the major leaders within the movement are up to currently–including expanding their vision worldwide.”