A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar A Live Conversation on the Church, Healing, and Truth-Telling With David Gushee and Keri Ladouceur
Mar 15, 2026
Keri Ladouceur, director in the Post-Evangelical Collective who practices church healing and embodied formation. David Gushee, ethics scholar and public theologian focused on Christian ethics and democracy. They tackle staying with church after trauma. They wrestle with Christian nationalism, epistemic fragmentation, and how communities can model information integrity, truthful scripture reading, and embodied practices for healing and resistance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Exile Opened New Belonging For A Baptist Leader
- David recounted being ostracized after publishing Changing Our Mind yet finding new belonging among marginalized LGBTQ evangelicals.
- He described a Germany conference with 300 formerly evangelical LGBTQ attendees worshiping freely as a pivotal restorative experience.
What Epistemic Fragmentation Really Means
- David defined epistemic fragmentation as lacking a shared way to determine reliable knowledge, producing parallel realities (e.g., QAnon vs. mainstream media).
- He argued this fragmentation prevents basic conversation and shared civic reality, even about trivial things like halftime entertainment.
Embodied Resurrection Is Political Praxis
- Keri emphasized embodied resurrection and divesting resources from institutions that profit from harm as a concrete form of resistance.
- She highlighted churches using buildings and money for liberative community work as hopeful counter-practices.