Ep. 227 - Valentyn Syniy - "God Under Siege: How War Transformed a Ukrainian Community" pt. 1
The Deconstructionists
John Williamson
4.4 • 823 Ratings
🗓️ 2 February 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this deeply moving conversation, John sits down with Valentyn Syniy, a Ukrainian pastor, theologian, and author whose life and ministry have been profoundly shaped by the reality of war.
For many of us—especially those who have never served or lived in a war-torn region—war can feel abstract. Something debated from a distance. Should troops be sent? Should they not? But for Valentyn and millions of others, war is not theoretical. It is daily life. It is uncertainty, fear, loss—and for many, hell experienced in the here and now.
This interview was recorded under extraordinary circumstances. Scheduling had to account for the very real possibility of Russian airstrikes and power outages. Valentyn’s wife graciously joined the conversation to assist with translation at moments, helping ensure that everything Valentyn wanted to communicate was conveyed with clarity and care.
Together, we explore:
- What it means to live, pastor, and hold onto faith in the midst of active war
- How violence and trauma test long-held theological assumptions
- The difference between discussing war and surviving it
- Where hope, honesty, and spiritual resilience are found when everything familiar is under siege
Some stories shared in this episode may be difficult to hear, but they are necessary—and deeply human.
About the Book
Valentyn is the author of God Under Siege, a powerful and unflinching reflection on faith, suffering, and God’s presence amid the devastation of war. Drawing from lived experience rather than distant theology, the book challenges easy answers and invites readers into a more honest, grounded faith.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we begin, a brief listener note, this episode contains first-hand accounts of war, |
| 0:06.6 | including descriptions of violence, loss, and trauma. |
| 0:09.9 | Some of what you'll hear may be difficult or emotionally heavy, |
| 0:13.4 | especially for listeners who have experienced trauma themselves. |
| 0:16.9 | Please take care while listening, and feel free to pause or step away if you need to. |
| 0:36.7 | Welcome to 26 and The Deconstructionist podcast. I'm your host, John Williamson. |
| 0:42.0 | And we're back with a very, very special episode, unique in a way that I don't think we've ever done an episode quite like this before. |
| 0:50.0 | So I want to say a few things before we get into it. |
| 0:53.5 | Primarily for many of us, especially those who have never served in the military, or who don't live in places touched directly by war, war can become an abstract idea. |
| 1:04.8 | It's something we debate from a distance. |
| 1:07.4 | Should troops be sent? |
| 1:08.6 | Should they not? |
| 1:10.0 | Those conversations are easy to have from the comfort of our living rooms. |
| 1:14.3 | But for millions of people across the world, war isn't theoretical. It isn't political. It isn't a thought experiment. It's daily life. |
| 1:22.8 | For them, hell isn't some distant theological concept. It exists right here, right now. Today's episode |
| 1:29.7 | is a reminder of that reality. In this first part of my conversation with Valentin Sini, |
| 1:37.7 | pastor and author of God Under Siege, you'll hear stories that are at times difficult to listen to. |
| 1:43.6 | And I want to say that up front because this |
| 1:45.9 | conversation doesn't shy away from the cost of war or from the way it presses faith to its |
| 1:51.8 | breaking point. In fact, the realities of war shape this interview itself. We quite literally had to |
| 1:57.7 | schedule our conversation around windows of time when Russian bombardments |
| 2:01.8 | were less likely so that Valentin wouldn't lose power amid conversation. And that's the world he's |
... |
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