The Unintentional Heretic

Greg Farrand
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity

The Unintentional Heretic is a podcast for spiritual explorers, questioners, and ever-expanders who believe faith should be deep enough to survive honest inquiry. Together we’ll explore theology, spirituality, doubt, and the evolving search for truth—trusting that God is not threatened by our questions, and that sometimes heresy is just tomorrow’s orthodoxy.

  1. 3h ago

    Theosis: Do We Become Divine?

    This episode of The Unintentional Heretic explores the ancient Christian idea of theosis — the startling belief that salvation is not merely about being forgiven or going somewhere after we die, but about humanity becoming divine by grace, participation, and communion with God. Drawing from the Eastern Church, Athanasius, Irenaeus, icons, the Transfiguration, and Gregory Palamas, the episode asks what Christianity might look like if we understood salvation less as a transaction and more as healing, transformation, and becoming fully alive in the life and love of God. Would love to hear your thoughts!

    14 min

  2. 1d ago

    The Crusades: When The Church Went To War

    This episode of The Unintentional Heretic explores the Crusades as one of Christianity’s most sobering examples of what happens when faith becomes entangled with empire, violence, certainty, and political ambition. It traces the Crusades through their most consequential and tragic moments — the First Crusade’s conquest of Jerusalem, the rise of Saladin, the heartbreaking Children’s Crusade, and the catastrophic Fourth Crusade — while asking how a faith centered on the way of Jesus became capable of blessing holy war, and what that history still warns us about today. Would love to hear your thoughts!

    10 min

  3. 2d ago

    Gnosticism: Christianity's First Great Heresy?

    In this episode of The Unintentional Heretic, we explore Gnosticism—the ancient Christian movement that taught salvation comes through awakening to the divine spark within—and the profound influence of Platonic philosophy, the Demiurge, Valentinus, Marcion, and the battle for the soul of early Christianity. Along the way, we ask a question that remains surprisingly relevant today: is the goal of spirituality to escape the world, or to discover the sacredness of creation, embodiment, and ordinary human life? Would love to hear your thoughts!

    11 min

  4. 6d ago

    Why Did Christianity Become Obsessed with Sex? Desire, Embodiment, and the Sacredness of Creation

    For centuries, Christianity wrestled with a profound question: are our bodies, desires, and passions obstacles to God or places where God is revealed? In this episode of The Unintentional Heretic, we explore how Greek dualism, Augustine, monasticism, and purity culture shaped Christian attitudes toward sex—and why many Christians today are rediscovering the sacredness of creation, embodiment, and desire itself. Would love to hear your thoughts!

    12 min

  5. Jun 3

    Jesus Said “Follow Me,” Not “Worship Me”: When Christianity Became a Religion About Christ Instead of the Way of Christ

    In this episode of The Unintentional Heretic, we explore how Christianity gradually shifted from being a movement centered on following the way of Jesus to a religion increasingly focused on worshiping Jesus and defining correct belief about him. While creeds, doctrine, and institutions have great value, their purpose is ultimately to lead us into lives shaped by mercy, compassion, justice, and love—the very things Jesus emphasized when he said, “Follow me.” Would love to hear your thoughts!

    12 min

  6. May 29

    Is the Bible Inerrant? Scripture, Authority, and the Evolution of Truth

    In this episode of The Unintentional Heretic, Greg explores the history and evolution of biblical inerrancy, distinguishing it carefully from literalism while examining how modern Christianity came to equate certainty with faithfulness. Drawing on church history, biblical scholarship, theology, and personal experience, the episode argues that Scripture can remain deeply inspired, authoritative, and spiritually transformative without requiring every passage to function as a historically or factually flawless account. Would love to hear your thoughts!

    15 min

  7. May 28

    Satan, the Devil, and the Evolution of Evil: From the Divine Council to the Cosmic Devil of Modern Christianity

    This episode explores the fascinating evolution of Satan from “the accuser” within the divine council of ancient Israel to the cosmic devil of modern Christianity, revealing how ideas about evil, suffering, and spiritual conflict developed across centuries of Jewish and Christian history. Along the way, the episode examines the serpent in Eden, Persian dualism, apocalyptic literature, Revelation, Dante, Milton, psychology, and scapegoating — ultimately arguing that theology evolves as humanity wrestles with the mystery of evil and the deeper call toward love over fear.  Would love to hear your thoughts!

    17 min

  8. May 26

    When Orthodoxy Changed: The Crises That Forced Christianity to Evolve

    This episode explores the moments in Christian history when long-held “orthodox” paradigms were forced to evolve through crisis, discovery, and changing human understanding — from the fall of Rome and the Copernican Revolution to Darwin, democracy, and modern science. Rather than portraying faith as static certainty, the episode argues that Christianity has always been a living tradition wrestling to reinterpret itself in light of new realities, often resisting change at first before slowly moving toward deeper truth and greater humility.  Would love to hear your thoughts!

    13 min
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About

The Unintentional Heretic is a podcast for spiritual explorers, questioners, and ever-expanders who believe faith should be deep enough to survive honest inquiry. Together we’ll explore theology, spirituality, doubt, and the evolving search for truth—trusting that God is not threatened by our questions, and that sometimes heresy is just tomorrow’s orthodoxy.

Information

  • Creator
    Greg Farrand
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Unintentional Heretic
  • Show Website
    The Unintentional Heretic

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