Podcast
Preacher Boys Podcast
Hosted by Eric Skwarczynski · EN
An ex-fundamentalist sheds light on the dark side of the church… from the pulpit to the pews.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis | Jared Stacy, PhD
3w ago01:01:34Tap to summarizePurchase a copy of Jared's book here: https://amzn.to/4dpX9LpWant to listen on Audible? Get a free Premium Plus trial here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/mlpAs an Amazon associate, a small portion of every purchase made through this link helps support this podcast!✖️✖️✖️Conspiracy theories are at the root of the most pressing political problems of our time, yet their influence cuts just as personal. Suspicion has fractured families, communities, churches, and our very social fabric, as one person’s fact is another’s fake news.In Reality in Ruins, Dr. Jared Stacy braves the untold history of conspiracism in American evangelicalism and the anxiety at the heart of this radioactive movement that affects us all. In a new age of what he calls “Disreality,” many are left reeling in the ruins of what was once a common world, now splintered by warring ideologies, religious and political extremism, and cults of certainty. Dr. Stacy reports from the inside as someone raised and even ordained in one of the nation’s most conservative denominations. Now, as a historian and post-evangelical theologian, Dr. Stacy traces the currents of pain, panic, and power that have thrust the evangelical church into a theological crisis with consequence for everyone.✖️✖️✖️Support the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →"My Dad Died a Con Man." | Seeking Closure After Losing Abusive Parents
3w ago01:02:01Tap to summarizeCheck out my first episode with Isami for more context to her background: https://youtu.be/qejunG6PxhAOn this episode of the Preacher Boys Podcast, Eric Skwarczynski sits down again for an in-person interview with Isami (IG: @isamiinspires).After a quick recap of our last episode, she opens up about building a new life in Utah, drinking dirty soda, meeting Mormon wives who live secret lives, and being asked about her faith constantly. She also discusses her brief time working for CPS in Utah and the darker situations she has had to deal with.Isami talks candidly about her dad’s recent death, the strange circumstances around it, and the complicated grief of trying to find closure with an abusive parent who never really made things right.Throughout the conversation, she and Eric wrestle with how to hold empathy while speaking the truth, what healing looks like in real time, and so much more.✖️✖️✖️Support the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Her Dad Convinced Christians Their Toys Were Evil
Apr 2601:11:32Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️Lindsey Williams returns to the podcast to join me in interviewing Taylor Burge, stepdaughter of Phil Phillips.She shares what it was like growing up in the home behind Turmoil in the Toybox, the infamous book that warned Christian parents about the supposed demonic dangers of He-Man, Care Bears, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and other pieces of 80s and 90s childhood.In this conversation, Taylor reflects on being raised as one of the “poster children” for her father’s ministry, the pressure of growing up inside fear-based Christianity, the complicated legacy of satanic panic, and how she now thinks about parenting, faith, community, accountability, and breaking cycles as an adult.✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Pastor Scott Gray Investigation Allegedly Reveals False Documents, Secret Accounts & Luxury Items
Apr 1901:39:33Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️In this episode of the Preacher Boys Podcast, Travis Chappell (host of the Travis Makes Money Podcast) joins to break down the latest developments in the Liberty Baptist Church financial scandal involving former senior pastor Scott Gray and deceased associate pastor and financial director Tim Forgy.We cover the leaked audio recordings from the March 22nd, 2026 church meeting led by attorney David Gibbs III of the National Center for Life and Liberty, where the congregation learned the full extent of the church's financial mismanagement — including secret bank accounts, forged board minutes, and unauthorized loans taken out without board knowledge or approval.The outside CPA firm hired to investigate called it "one of the worst cases" of church financial fraud they had ever seen.✖️✖️✖️CHAPTERS:00:00 Intro01:59 How this came to light06:42 Pastor Scott Gray's Public Statement09:12 Did Scott Gray Lie About Stepping Away from Ministry?12:03 Church Business Meeting12:46 How church finances improved after Scott Gray Left15:16 Maybe "the worst case" the CPA had ever seen18:21 Scope of the investigation21:17 Forged documents to obtain loans27:05 Did Tim Forgy act without Scott Gray's knowledge?28:27 Maxed out church credit cards32:56 Staff were asked not to take paychecks43:12 Double payments made to Pastor Scott Gray47:13 Excessive and undocumented spending51:29 Nearly $400k cost to church57:33 Luxury purchases01:04:37 Churches need strong systems to prevent this01:10:24 Poorly planned building projects01:14:46 Gibbs says Scott Gray has been "combative"01:16:19 Executive Summary01:18:32 Civil/Criminal Charges aren't being pursued01:22:43 LBC's financial strategy moving forward✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →His Dad Went to Prison for Child Sexual Abuse | Interview with Joshua Hirner
Apr 1201:09:08Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️Sources Mentioned in the Article:https://www.kltv.com/story/1676756/former-christian-school-principal-jailed/https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Principal-accused-of-molesting-students-sentenced-7621696.phphttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-texas-baptist-crucible/id1821356937✖️✖️✖️In this episode, I look back at a Baptist abuse scandal that made headlines in the early 00’s.Russel Hirner was the principal of a school affiliated with Longview Baptist Temple (now named Emmanuel Baptist Church) in Longview, Texas. He is currently serving time in prison for sexual abuse of minors.His son, Joshua Hirner, sat down with me to talk about the environment at Longview, his dad’s double life, and the facts he slowly pieced together while his dad was behind bars.✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Purity Culture, Predators, and End-Times Hysteria | Melissa Duge Spiers on Life Inside Adventism
Mar 3101:12:21Tap to summarizeGrab a copy of Holy Disobedience: Sex, Sin, and Secrets in the Biggest Church No One Knows: https://amzn.to/4s0pygnAs an Amazon associate, a small portion of every purchase made through this link helps support this podcast!✖️✖️✖️Melissa Duge Spiers is an award-winning essayist, screenwriter, and advocate for topics of religious and narcissistic abuse, utilizing her online platforms (TikTok and Instagram: “The Glory Whole”). Her memoir Holy Disobedience won the 2021 Book Pipeline Unpublished Nonfiction Manuscript prize, with excerpts featured in The Huffington Post. Melissa’s writing appears in magazines nationwide, and she’s a contributor to Take the Fruit: An Anthology of Religious Trauma. Also a runner, cheese lover, and life-long vintage collector, Melissa holds a B.A. in English Literature from Barnard College at Columbia University and is based in California.✖️✖️✖️About Holy Disobedience:“Spiers’s writing is propulsive and intelligent.” —Tia Levings, author of the New York Times bestselling A Well-Trained WifeHoly Disobedience is a gripping, unflinching story by Melissa Duge Spiers about growing up in the shadow of control, silence, and secrets within the strict, fundamentalist Seventh-day Adventist Church. When Melissa learns that her father, a respected pastor, was a serial child predator shielded by the church, her world implodes. But this revelation is only the beginning.From being beaten for resisting a childhood home perm to seducing a forbidden public-school athlete to reclaim her autonomy, Melissa’s early years were shaped by repression, shame, and indoctrination. Her escape from high-control religion launched her into a life of risk: Wall Street jobs, New York nightclubs, Hollywood hookups, and a series of abusive relationships. And yet, in these extremes, she was searching. Through self-reflection and finding her voice, and through an unexpected friendship with her father's first victim, Melissa slowly reconstructs the self she was never allowed to know.Holy Disobedience is not just a survivor’s tale. It’s a story of fierce honesty, radical freedom, and the beautiful mess of becoming whole.✖️✖️✖️Support the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Teacher Made CSAM of Students, SBC Rapist Exposed, $1M Ministry Funds Stolen + More March Headlines
Mar 2900:23:55Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️Full article with citations: https://preacherboys.substack.com/p/sbc-rapist-exposed-1m-ministry-funds✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Sex Educator Breaks Down Purity Culture Myths | Erica Smith
Mar 2201:08:45Tap to summarizeGrab a copy of Erica's book here: https://amzn.to/47cN56uPrefer to listen on Audible? Get a free Premium Plus trial here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/mlp(As an Amazon associate, I receive a small commission on purchases made through the links on this channel. Thanks for making this show possible!)✖️✖️✖️Support the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.✖️✖️✖️As an Amazon associate I receive a small commission from purchases made on this site.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Jill, Jessa, and Amy Speak Out About Joseph Duggar; Kendra Duggar Arrested on New Charges, and More
Mar 2100:42:17Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →Joseph Duggar (19 Kids and Counting) Arrested for Sexually Abusing 9-Year-Old Girl
Mar 1900:08:54Tap to summarizeSupport the Show: Patreon.com/PreacherBoys✖️✖️✖️Full article with sources: https://preacherboys.substack.com/p/joseph-duggar-19-kids-and-countingarrested/comments✖️✖️✖️Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, former star of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, faces felony charges of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a child under 12, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.1The arrest, made on March 18, 2026, marks yet another scandal for the Duggar family, whose reality TV fame crumbled amid repeated sexual misconduct allegations involving the oldest brother, Josh Duggar.Josh was imprisoned in 2022 for possessing child sexual abuse material.✖️✖️✖️If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, visit courage365.org/need-help✖️✖️✖️CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:preacherboyspodcast.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@PreacherBoyshttps://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/https://twitter.com/preacherboysdochttps://www.instagram.com/preacherboyspodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@preacherboyspodTo connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188/✖️✖️✖️The content presented in this video is for informational and educational purposes only. All individuals and entities discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due legal process. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers.✖️✖️✖️Music by Lou Ridley — “Bible Belt” | Used with permission under license.This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcribe →