The Mighty Philbert Podcast

Phil Barksdale
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Welcome to the all new Mighty Philbert Podcast. I have went through a complete rebrand and hope you like what I'm doing now. Here, we'll talk about the trucking industry, life on the road, and life in general with a broad range of topics that I hope will keep you entertained and informed.

  1. S02E19 The Rapture that Never Came

    3D AGO

    S02E19 The Rapture that Never Came

    Send a text For nearly 200 years, Christian leaders have predicted the exact date of the Rapture — and every single one has failed. From the Millerites and The Great Disappointment in 1844, to Hal Lindsey’s Cold War prophecy charts, to the Left Behind empire, to Harold Camping’s 2011 billboards — the end of the world has been confidently scheduled again and again. And every time it didn’t happen? The dates were revised. The meaning was reinterpreted. The accountability was… optional. In this livestream, we examine: • The historical pattern of failed rapture predictions • How fear became marketable in modern evangelical culture • Why prophecy hype thrives in times of global anxiety • And what repeated failure does to institutional trust For many in Gen X, this wasn’t abstract theology. It was atmosphere. This episode isn’t about mocking belief — it’s about examining patterns. Because if the apocalypse keeps getting rescheduled… Eventually the only thing that disappears is credibility. Let’s talk about it. Ex History "The Great Disappointment" Full Video    • The Great Disappointment - US History - Ex...  — If you enjoy thoughtful cultural analysis, Gen X reflections, and calm skepticism without partisan drama, subscribe and join the conversation. #GenX #Rapture #EndTimes #Exvangelical #FaithDeconstruction #MoralPanic #TheMightyPhilbert #deconstruction

    1h 32m
  2. S02E18 The Books that Made Gen X Aware

    3D AGO

    S02E18 The Books that Made Gen X Aware

    Send a text In Part 2 of this Gen X Cultural Autopsy, we explore the novels that didn’t just make us skeptical — they made us aware. From The Handmaid’s Tale to It to Judy Blume’s honest portrayals of doubt, these books shaped how Gen X processed authority, trauma, religion, and fear long before many of us walked away from institutional faith. Part of the “Why Gen X Walked Away” series. #themightyphilbert #genx #deconstruction #exvangelical

    10 min
  3. S02E17 The Shift No One Can Spin

    FEB 18

    S02E17 The Shift No One Can Spin

    Send a text Why are so many Americans leaving the church — and where does Gen X fit into the story? In this episode of The Mighty Philbert, we examine the data behind America’s religious shift. Drawing from research by Pew Research Center, Gallup, and PRRI, we look at the dramatic decline in church affiliation, the rise of the “religiously unaffiliated,” and the reasons people say they walked away. But this isn’t just about statistics. It’s about integrity. Institutional trust. Hypocrisy. Cultural shifts. And why Gen X may be the quiet hinge generation in one of the largest religious realignments in American history. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re alone in stepping away — you’re not. #themightyphilbert #deconstruction #genx #exvangelical

    10 min
  4. S02E16 The Books that Taught Gen X to Question Authority

    FEB 16

    S02E16 The Books that Taught Gen X to Question Authority

    Send a text Before Gen X ever questioned sermons, we were assigned novels about hypocrisy, authoritarianism, absurdity, and institutional failure. In this episode of The Mighty Philbert, we explore how required reading in junior high and high school quietly shaped the skeptical lens that many of us carried into adulthood—and into our eventual departure from organized religion. Books covered: The Catcher in the Rye 1984 The Outsiders Slaughterhouse-Five Generation X Part 1 of a two-part series in the “Why Gen X Walked Away” arc. #themightyphilbert #deconstruction #exvangelical #genx

    8 min
  5. S02E15 Deconstructing Without Becoming an Atheist - with John from Desert Spring

    FEB 15

    S02E15 Deconstructing Without Becoming an Atheist - with John from Desert Spring

    Send a text This week on, "Saturdays with Philbert", I’m sitting down with John from the YouTube channel Desert Spring — a recently deconstructed ex-Christian who didn’t land in atheism. John still believes in God and Jesus, but now describes himself as spiritual, and he’s trying to separate “God” from “the system that sold God to him.” In one of his recent videos, John talks about the online “splitting” he sees — Christianity digging back into dogma on one side, and people sprinting into atheism on the other — and why he’s trying to carve out a third lane. He uses a powerful metaphor: God as “a divine…spring out in the desert” — something available to anyone, not guarded behind one religious gate. He also speaks openly about church harm, the fear that comes with walking away, and why he believes the Bible shouldn’t be taken literally. We’ll talk about his deconstruction story, why he says “Christianity is very much a religion about Paul”, what “forgiving Jesus” meant for him, and why he thinks leaving Christianity doesn’t automatically mean giving up on God. Expect an honest conversation — with empathy, pushback where it’s warranted, and a whole lot of “okay but let’s define that.” #mightyphilbert #deconstruction #exvangelical Link to The Desert Spring:    / @thedesertspring

    1h 45m
  6. S02E14 Freddy was Fake - Church was Not

    FEB 8

    S02E14 Freddy was Fake - Church was Not

    Send a text Growing up Gen X meant two things were always lurking in the background: horror movies… and moral panic. We watched Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers slice their way through VHS tapes and late-night cable — and somehow, we understood the rules. It was scary. It was fun. And we knew it was fiction. Meanwhile, adults were losing their minds. Churches warned us that horror movies opened demonic portals, Dungeons & Dragons summoned Satan, and heavy metal music was basically a fast pass to hell. Welcome to the Satanic Panic — an era where grown adults couldn’t tell the difference between a movie monster and an invisible threat they insisted was real. In this livestream, I'm joined by: Robert from Skeptic Philosophy https://www.youtube.com/@UCnSO-OqK5dxeh6PoVMnuaog  and Ed from The Rabyd Atheist https://www.youtube.com/@TheRabydAtheist We’re taking a nostalgic (and occasionally sarcastic) trip back to the golden age of horror — and contrasting it with the fear tactics used by the church that followed so many of us long after the credits rolled. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: We grew out of horror movies. A lot of us are still unpacking church-based fear. We’ll laugh, we’ll reminisce, we’ll talk moral panics — and by the end, we’ll ask the question Gen X eventually had to face: What if the real horror wasn’t the movies… but the fear we were taught to believe was real? #mightyphilbert #deconstruction #exvangelical #genx  Video we reviewed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVs80KsiFYw&t=132s

    1h 22m
  7. S02E13 The Movie that Validated a Generation

    FEB 8

    S02E13 The Movie that Validated a Generation

    Send a text The Breakfast Club wasn’t just a teen movie—it was a mirror. For many Gen X kids, it was the first time a movie admitted that adults didn’t always understand us, institutions didn’t always protect us, and labels didn’t tell the whole story. In this livestream, I look back at The Breakfast Club and explore: Why it resonated so deeply with Gen XHow it quietly challenged authority without being rebelliousWhy its message still matters decades laterThis isn’t a movie review—it’s a cultural autopsy. Because sometimes the stories that raised us told the truth before anyone else did. #GenX #TheBreakfastClub #GenXCulture  #WhyGenXWalkedAway #80sMovies  #GrowingUpGenX #MightyPhilbert

    9 min
  8. S02E12 The Song that Taught Gen X to Stay Quiet

    FEB 3

    S02E12 The Song that Taught Gen X to Stay Quiet

    Send a text In 1987, a quiet song slipped onto the radio and into our childhoods. “Luka” by Suzanne Vega wasn’t loud, angry, or shocking—but for many Gen X kids, it told a truth no one else would. In this episode of The Mighty Philbert, we explore how “Luka” reflected a generation taught to stay silent about abuse, pain, and trauma—and why that silence often lasted well into adulthood. This is a thoughtful, compassionate look at Gen X childhood, cultural conditioning, and the power of music to speak when we couldn’t. #themightyphilbert #exvangelical #genx #deconstruction

    8 min
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About

Welcome to the all new Mighty Philbert Podcast. I have went through a complete rebrand and hope you like what I'm doing now. Here, we'll talk about the trucking industry, life on the road, and life in general with a broad range of topics that I hope will keep you entertained and informed.

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