399. Using Comedy to Heal from My Fundamentalist Upbringing

The New Evangelicals Podcast

Tim Whitaker

News, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Politics

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, comedian Jeremy Alder shares his journey from a conservative evangelical upbringing to navigating the complexities of faith, community, and politics. He discusses the challenges of growing up in a sheltered environment, the process of deconstructing his beliefs, and the role of humor in coping with trauma. Jeremy's Website | ⁠Jeremyalder.com Chapters 06:31 The Journey of Deconstruction 14:17 Exploring the New Monasticism Movement 27:18 The Role of Comedy in Processing Trauma 34:04 The Role of Comedy in Healing 40:23 The Betrayal of Evangelical Values 48:31 The Challenge of Truth in Disinformation 53:09 Finding a Path Forward Through Humor ____________________________________________________ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you'd like to support our work, you can DONATE here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Us On Instagram @thenewevangelicals Subscribe On YouTube @thenewevangelicals The New Evangelicals exists to support those who are tired of how evangelical church has been done before and want to see an authentic faith lived out with Jesus at the center. This show is produced by Josh Gilbert Media | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joshgilbertmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We are committed to building a caring community that emulates the ways of Jesus by reclaiming the evangelical tradition and embracing values that build a better way forward. If you’ve been marginalized by your faith, you are welcome here. We’ve built an empathetic and inclusive space that encourages authentic conversations, connections and faith. Whether you consider yourself a Christian, an exvangelical, someone who's questioning your faith, or someone who's left the faith entirely, you are welcome here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the New Evangelicals podcast.
0:09.4	Hey, are you a brand that believes in justice, inclusion, and putting faith into action,
0:14.8	then we'd love to partner with you.
0:16.8	Here at the New Evangelicals podcast, we reach tens of thousands of listeners every single month,
0:21.7	people who care deeply about creating a more just, compassionate, and inclusive world.
0:26.5	We're looking for sponsors who share that mission and want to connect with an audience that is
0:30.4	thoughtful, engaged, and ready to take action. If that's you, let's talk about partnering
0:35.0	together. Join us in amplifying voices for justice and building
0:38.4	something better. Email us at info at the new evangelicals.com and let's talk. That's info
0:45.0	at the new evangelicals.com. What's up, friends?
0:57.9	Happy Monday.
0:59.1	This is a very fun episode, kind of, sort of, because my guest is a comedian.
1:03.9	I have Jeremy Alder on the podcast.
1:05.6	He grew up, like many of us, in the conservative evangelical homeschooling world.
1:10.5	So we talk about that and what it was like for him to kind of renegotiate his faith,
1:13.8	what he thinks about Christian nationalism today,
1:15.6	and how comedy plays a role in his coping with the wild and unbelievable situation
1:24.7	that we often find ourselves in, right?
1:26.3	Reading the news headlines and thinking
1:27.7	to ourselves, how much worse can it get? So I think you're going to really enjoy this episode.
1:32.4	It's fun. I think you're going to feel hopefully seen and heard. And I appreciate Jeremy coming on.
1:37.2	And as always, friends, thank you so much for supporting the work that we do. As a nonprofit organization,
	...

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