eX-skeptic

eX-skeptic is a story-driven, conversational podcast that helps listeners understand why people dismiss or believe in God and Christianity. Interviewing one former atheist or skeptic each show, host Jana Harmon encourages both Christians and skeptics to consider what motivates thoughtful, intelligent people to move from disbelief to belief.www.exskeptic.org

156 episodes

16d ago latest

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Episodes 157

From Darkness to Light – Mark Schneider’s Story | Ep. 152
2d ago · 1:05:38
What happens when your search for truth leads beyond philosophy and into the unexpected? Mark Schneider is a former skeptic whose life was marked by profound questions about meaning, purpose, and reality itself. Though raised in a nominal Catholic home, faith became irrelevant to Mark early in life. As a young man, he embraced a materialistic worldview and searched desperately for answers through philosophy, psychology, and human wisdom. But after years of wrestling with despair and searching for what he called "the one truth," Mark encountered something he never expected - not merely an idea
A Skeptical Christian – Shayla Perez’s Story | Ep. 151
16d ago · 57:03
🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/ Growing up in a deeply Christian home, Shayla Perez assumed that faith was simply part of her family tradition. But as she entered her teenage years, skepticism began to grow. Questions about suffering and whether Christianity was actually true led her into online atheist communities and eventually to reject the faith she grew up around. What began as rebellion soon became a sincere search for truth. As Shayla wrestled with the claims of atheism and the intellectual foundations of
Taking Religion Seriously – Dr. Charles Murray’s Story | Ep. 150
1mo ago · 1:00:07
For decades, Charles Murray assumed what many educated people quietly assume - that religion belonged to an earlier age and that science had rendered belief in God unnecessary. He wasn't hostile to faith. He simply left it behind. But over time, questions he had never fully examined began pressing in. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the universe appear so finely tuned for life? Can consciousness really be reduced to the brain? And what should we make of the historical claims surrounding Jesus? In this conversation, author and social scientist Charles Murray shares the long
Looking for a Better Life – Ellie Long’s Story | Ep. 149
1mo ago · 1:10:00
Is Christianity true because it works, or does it work because it's true? For years, Ellie Long was convinced that Christianity was nothing more than a story people used to cope with life. Raised in a secular environment and embracing atheism at a young age, she wrestled with despair, depression, and the belief that life ultimately had no purpose beyond birth and death. But when she began encountering Christians whose lives were marked by joy, authenticity, forgiveness, and hope, a question emerged that she could no longer ignore: Was Christianity merely helpful, or was it actually true? 🎙️ L
Breaking the Cycle of Disbelief – Rich Robison’s Story | Ep. 148
1mo ago · 1:00:25
What happens when anger, disappointment, and painful family experiences shape your understanding of God? For Rich Robison, faith wasn't something he was searching for. Raised in a fractured home and moving 26 times before graduating high school, Rich eventually rejected God altogether. His anger toward his earthly father became anger toward any heavenly Father, and atheism seemed like the obvious conclusion. But an unexpected encounter during a concert changed everything. What followed was a journey through different world religions, hard intellectual questions, and a growing fascination with
Rejecting God – Mark Haville’s Story | Ep. 147
2mo ago · 53:45
What would cause someone with both emotional and intellectual reasons to reject God to reconsider? Mark Haville grew up in the UK in an abusive home with no religious foundation and little reason to believe God was real. Science, suffering, and life experience all seemed to point him away from faith. But an unexpected encounter with a persistent Christian neighbor, a strange answer to prayer, and a growing hunger for truth opened the door to a life he never expected. In this episode, Mark shares his journey from a painful childhood and practical atheism to faith in Christ. He and Jana talk abo
Life without God – Anh Le’s Story | Ep. 146
2mo ago · 1:04:37
What does it cost to build a life without God? For Anh Le, it meant carrying everything - his identity, purpose, success, and morality, alone. Raised without religious commitment and shaped by a worldview rooted in self-reliance, Anh believed meaning and fulfillment was something you created and earned. And for a while, it seemed to work. Driven by ambition, relationships, and the pursuit of pleasure, he chased everything that promised satisfaction. But underneath it all, he was crumbling with anxiety, emptiness, and a quiet realization that nothing he built could hold the weight he was placin
Life and Death – Jeremy Gronau’s Story
3mo ago · 1:15:33
What if the biggest barrier between you and God are the quiet lies you’ve believed about Him your entire life? Jeremy Gronau carried those lies for years, formed through trauma, loss, and a lifetime of trying to prove his worth. After growing up without a clear understanding of the gospel, Jeremy built his identity on achievement, strength, and performance, ultimately serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. But beneath the surface were deeper questions about suffering, identity, and whether God could truly be good. In this conversation, Jeremy shares his journey from shallow, cul
Finding Freedom from Fear and Destruction – Dr. Lisa Stanton’s Story | Ep. 144
3mo ago · 1:08:22
What if being brilliant, successful, and disciplined still isn’t enough to save you from fear, obsession, and self-destruction? From the outside, Lisa’s life looked enviable—PhD, postdoctoral research at a leading medical school, and a rising career in behavioral health. But beneath the surface, she was unraveling: anxiety, eating disorders, addiction, and relentless obsessive fear followed her for years. Convinced that intelligent, rational people didn’t need God, Lisa tried everything except faith. It wasn’t until desperation forced her to confront the limits of her own limits that she becam
An Atheist Finds Truth – Luke Thornton’s Story | Ep. 143
4mo ago · 59:19
What happens when atheism is taken seriously all the way to its logical conclusions? For Luke Thornton, raised in a deeply secular culture in the UK, honesty about those implications led not to certainty but to discomfort and eventually to an argument he couldn’t ignore. Luke Thornton grew up in northern England in a culture where belief in God felt irrelevant at best and irrational at worst. An intellectually curious student, Luke embraced atheism not out of apathy but out of a commitment to truth. Science, progress, and reason seemed to leave no room for God. But as Luke followed atheism to
A Skeptic Reconsiders God – Chris Wright’s Story (a/k/a Courageous Chris) | Ep. 142
4mo ago · 52:15
What if the worldview you trusted most began to crumble under its own weight? Chris Wright grew up in a deeply Christian home, surrounded by Scripture, church life, and belief. But as he moved into adolescence, competing ideas like evolutionary theory, cultural pressure, and hidden personal struggles pulled him steadily away from the faith he knew. By the time he reached college, Chris was confronted by bold professors, each insisting that Christianity was intellectually weak, morally suspect, or simply outdated. But instead of convincing him, their hostility toward Scripture and the dismissal
Not Interested in God – Dr. Grenville Kent’s Story | Ep. 141
5mo ago · 1:01:35
🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/ What if denying Christianity felt like freedom—but that path slowly revealed itself to be hollow? In this episode of eX-skeptic, Jana Harmon sits down with Grenville Kent, an Australian theologian, filmmaker, and former skeptic who once believed Christian faith would restrict his joy rather than enrich it. Grenville shares how a hedonistic, achievement-driven worldview eventually collapsed under its own weight, and how unexpected conversations, honest doubt, atheist thinkers, and a
A Curious Mind – Matt Schmidt’s Story
5mo ago · 53:07
What if the questions that once pulled you away from faith could be the very questions that lead you back? That’s exactly what happened to Matt Schmidt. As a naturally inquisitive kid, Matt felt the weight of questions that no one around him could answer — questions about science, origins, morality, and whether the Bible could be trusted. With no guidance or satisfying explanations, he walked away from Christianity and embraced atheism. But the same relentless curiosity that distanced him from belief slowly began to unravel the foundations of his atheism. How do you get something from nothing?
Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcey’s Story
6mo ago · 1:05:17
🎙️ Love the show? Support the mission and explore eX-skeptic merch here: https://ex-skeptic-shop.fourthwall.com/ Before she became one of today’s leading Christian thinkers, Nancy Pearcey walked away from Christianity. Disillusioned by shallow answers and a painful home life, she turned instead to atheism, relativism, and Eastern spirituality in search of something she could truly believe. After studying at Francis Schaeffer’s L’Abri in Switzerland, her search led her back to the exploration of a robust, intellectually grounded faith. Listen and hear Nancy share how rigorous thinking, honest
Avoiding God – Erika Diaz-Castro’s story
6mo ago · 1:12:54
What happens when faith feels like pretending, and you can’t live with the disconnect anymore? Erika Diaz-Castro, a wife, mom, and Bible teacher who once lived a double life—publicly religious but privately wrestling with doubt, shame, and the pull of self-fulfillment. Her story traces a winding path through skepticism, identity confusion, new-age spirituality, and even spiritual darkness, until a powerful encounter with God changed everything. Guest Bio: Erika Diaz-Castro is a wife, homeschooling mother, Bible teacher, and founder of Her Renewed Strength, a ministry equipping women to know Go
Leave Me Alone – Heather Sewell’s story
7mo ago · 1:03:20
Have you ever tried to find peace by walking away from God or from the judgment and expectations that once made faith feel heavy? Heather Sewell shares her story of running from faith and searching for peace. Raised as a pastor’s daughter, Heather learned early how to wear masks and manage secrets. As her family’s struggles deepened, so did her confusion about God and truth. Searching for meaning, she embraced Eastern religions and the “Coexist” movement, calling herself a “Christian Hindu” while trying to find peace through self-discovery. But when the illusion of freedom gave way to pain and
Curious about God – Dr. Jim Small’s Story
7mo ago · 50:04
What if you’re content with life, confident in science, and still quietly curious? Dr. Jim Small, MD, PhD, pathologist, professor, and lifelong scientist was raised without faith and felt no need for God. Science explained the world well enough. But through marriage, community, and simply showing up at church, curiosity began to stir, not from crisis or doubt, but from an openness to questions he’d never felt compelled to explore. In this episode of eX-skeptic, Jim reflects on a quiet, surprising journey from confidence in science alone to faith in Christ and how curiosity slowly reshaped how
Researching God – Dr. Lee Holcombe’s Story
8mo ago · 1:14:28
What happens when a brilliant researcher, once convinced God was nothing more than a cultural artifact, decides to take a second look? In this episode of eX-skeptic, Dr. Lee Holcombe shares his remarkable journey from faith in childhood, through skepticism and intellectual dismissal of Christianity, to a surprising return to Christ. With a career spanning electrical engineering, education policy, and high-level research, Lee applied his analytical skills to life’s biggest questions. His pursuit of truth took him from Alaska to Morocco, Harvard to Texas, and ultimately to unexpected encounters
Not Looking for God – Megan Carroll’s Story
8mo ago · 1:02:24
What if faith isn’t blind, but freeing? For much of her life, Megan Carroll believed she didn’t need God. A self-reliant achiever who valued reason and control, she dismissed Christianity as something to accept “without evidence.” But when life unraveled—through illness, heartbreak, and uncertainty—Megan found herself face-to-face with questions she couldn’t ignore. From a childhood encounter she couldn’t explain, to experimenting with spiritualism in college, to finally crying out to God in desperation—Megan’s story traces the slow undoing of self-sufficiency and the surprising discovery that
When Science Points to God – Olivier Bonnassies’s Story
8mo ago · 58:48
What if belief in God isn’t opposed to reason, but demanded by it? Olivier Bonnassies, co-author of God, the Science, the Evidence: The Dawn of a Revolution, was once convinced that Christianity was irrational and that science explained everything, but he began to question his assumptions about reality, truth, and the origins of the universe. Through years of study in both science and theology, Olivier discovered that the evidence, from cosmology, philosophy, morality, and even history, points unmistakably toward a transcendent Creator. Together, Jana and Olivier explore: How growing up in sec
Finding Real Love – Heather Tomlinson’s Story
9mo ago · 1:05:45
Where do we find real love, the kind that fills our souls and heals our brokenness? Is it through politics, psychology, or self-help? Or is it found in a Person? British journalist Heather Tomlinson shares her remarkable journey from a secular liberal worldview to a life transformed by Jesus Christ. Once convinced that human progress and political reform could heal the world, Heather found those paths empty. Her search for meaning led her through science, psychology, and even spirituality in Buddhism and Wicca—until she encountered the love of Christ through the Gospels. Heather’s story reveal
Finding Life Through Death – Dr. Stephen Iacoboni’s Story
9mo ago · 52:08
Few questions weigh heavier on the human heart than death. Is there anything beyond this life? How do we face death without fear? Dr. Stephen Iacoboni has wrestled with these questions every day for more than forty years as a medical oncologist. Once a committed scientific atheist, he sought answers in medicine, science, and humanism—only to find them insufficient in the face of mortality. Through the witness of his patients and the growing cracks in naturalistic explanations, Dr. Iacoboni came to embrace faith in God, discovering a hope that transforms both life and death. In this conversatio
Celebrating eX-skeptic’s 5 Year Anniversary!
10mo ago · 3:49
Over more than 130 episodes, we’ve listened to former atheists and skeptics share how they came to believe in Jesus Christ. This week marks a milestone: five years since eX-skeptic first launched (originally as Side B Stories). Scientists, philosophers, artists, and everyday people from around the world have opened their lives to show how the search for truth and meaning led them home to God. Host Jana Harmon reflects on the journey so far — the stories that shaped us, the community that’s grown around this podcast, and the faithfulness of God behind it all. Whether you’ve been listening since
Seeing Through Atheism – Caleb Ball’s (aka Aspiring Christian) Story
10mo ago · 54:01
What happens when the “certainty” of atheism collides with evidence pointing to something more? Caleb Ball’s (YouTube’s Aspiring Christian Channel) story begins in small-town Pennsylvania, where childhood faith gave way to mocking Christianity and embracing naturalism. For six years, he lived as a convinced atheist, creating YouTube content ridiculing God, convinced that science had all the answers. But one book, on quantum physics and consciousness, began to dismantle his worldview, forcing him to ask deeper questions about truth, meaning, and the existence of God. Guest Bio: Caleb Ball is a
The Long Way Back to God – Jason Holloway’s story
10mo ago · 56:17
Jason Holloway grew up in a small, conservative church where faith seemed simple—until his honest questions about suffering, contradictions, and the Bible met unsatisfying answers. At 18, a conversation with a trusted professor left him believing he lacked “enough faith,” prompting him to walk away from Christianity for the next 25 years. In that time, Jason explored atheism, agnosticism, Buddhism, and nearly every “ism” he could find, searching for meaning and truth. Eventually, he returned to the Bible—not just as literal text, but as boundless truth, rich with meaning, depth, and beauty. Gu

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eX-skeptic

Episodes 157

From Darkness to Light – Mark Schneider’s Story | Ep. 152

A Skeptical Christian – Shayla Perez’s Story | Ep. 151

Taking Religion Seriously – Dr. Charles Murray’s Story | Ep. 150

Looking for a Better Life – Ellie Long’s Story | Ep. 149

Breaking the Cycle of Disbelief – Rich Robison’s Story | Ep. 148

Rejecting God – Mark Haville’s Story | Ep. 147

Life without God – Anh Le’s Story | Ep. 146

Life and Death – Jeremy Gronau’s Story

Finding Freedom from Fear and Destruction – Dr. Lisa Stanton’s Story | Ep. 144

An Atheist Finds Truth – Luke Thornton’s Story | Ep. 143

A Skeptic Reconsiders God – Chris Wright’s Story (a/k/a Courageous Chris) | Ep. 142

Not Interested in God – Dr. Grenville Kent’s Story | Ep. 141

A Curious Mind – Matt Schmidt’s Story

Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcey’s Story

Avoiding God – Erika Diaz-Castro’s story

Leave Me Alone – Heather Sewell’s story

Curious about God – Dr. Jim Small’s Story

Researching God – Dr. Lee Holcombe’s Story

Not Looking for God – Megan Carroll’s Story

When Science Points to God – Olivier Bonnassies’s Story

Finding Real Love – Heather Tomlinson’s Story

Finding Life Through Death – Dr. Stephen Iacoboni’s Story

Celebrating eX-skeptic’s 5 Year Anniversary!

Seeing Through Atheism – Caleb Ball’s (aka Aspiring Christian) Story

The Long Way Back to God – Jason Holloway’s story

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Episodes 157

From Darkness to Light – Mark Schneider’s Story | Ep. 152

A Skeptical Christian – Shayla Perez’s Story | Ep. 151

Taking Religion Seriously – Dr. Charles Murray’s Story | Ep. 150

Looking for a Better Life – Ellie Long’s Story | Ep. 149

Breaking the Cycle of Disbelief – Rich Robison’s Story | Ep. 148

Rejecting God – Mark Haville’s Story | Ep. 147

Life without God – Anh Le’s Story | Ep. 146

Life and Death – Jeremy Gronau’s Story

Finding Freedom from Fear and Destruction – Dr. Lisa Stanton’s Story | Ep. 144

An Atheist Finds Truth – Luke Thornton’s Story | Ep. 143

A Skeptic Reconsiders God – Chris Wright’s Story (a/k/a Courageous Chris) | Ep. 142

Not Interested in God – Dr. Grenville Kent’s Story | Ep. 141

A Curious Mind – Matt Schmidt’s Story

Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcey’s Story

Avoiding God – Erika Diaz-Castro’s story

Leave Me Alone – Heather Sewell’s story

Curious about God – Dr. Jim Small’s Story

Researching God – Dr. Lee Holcombe’s Story

Not Looking for God – Megan Carroll’s Story

When Science Points to God – Olivier Bonnassies’s Story

Finding Real Love – Heather Tomlinson’s Story

Finding Life Through Death – Dr. Stephen Iacoboni’s Story

Celebrating eX-skeptic’s 5 Year Anniversary!

Seeing Through Atheism – Caleb Ball’s (aka Aspiring Christian) Story

The Long Way Back to God – Jason Holloway’s story