The Alisa Childers Podcast27 Okt 2025

#338 The Discreditation Machine: 6 Manipulative Tactics to Silence Truth, with Megan Basham

When journalist and author Megan Basham released her book Shepherds for Sale, the evidence she uncovered should have sparked healthy reform and accountability within evangelical institutions. Instead, she watched the entire “Big Evangelical” infrastructure mobilize—using back-room tactics, social pressure, and selective outrage—to discredit her and convince pastors not to read her work.

In this deeply revealing conversation, Alisa Childers and Megan expose the six manipulative tactics that often appear when someone dares to speak truth that challenges powerful networks within the church:

1. Prediscreditation – discrediting before you speak.

2. Moralizing dismissal ("Not our thing, Dear!")

3. Shunning and platform pressure.

4. Seizing on minor errors to discredit the whole.

5. Emotional outrage and tone policing.

6. Misusing Matthew 18 to silence public critique.

Megan also shares a personal update on her battle with stage 3 colon cancer, how God sustained her through the storm, and why she continues to stand firm for truth despite enormous backlash.

Whether you’ve faced rejection for speaking biblical truth in your own church or just want to understand how the “discreditation machine” operates, this episode will equip you to stand firm with courage and biblical clarity.

------------------------------------------------------------------

This video is sponsored by:

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good.

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to www.goodranchers.com/alisa for more information.

Back to the Table: https://pitch.com/v/back-to-the-table-for-partners-t346uj

Use my code: ALISA

SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Go to www.sevenweekscoffee.com for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

For Alisa's Merch: https://alisachilders.creator-spring.com

To see what gear Alisa uses to record her podcast, go to:

https://kit.co/alisachilders

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(300)

#406 Responding to the Backlash: Grifting, Manipulation & Biblical Forgiveness

After my recent appearance on Alex Clark’s Culture Apothecary, the backlash came fast. Candace Owens featured clips from our conversation on her show, accusations of “Christian grifting” started flyin...

16 Sep 49min

#405 Why They Left Christianity: Analyzing Real Deconstruction Stories | Matt Schmidt

In Part 1 of my conversation with Matt Schmidt, we explored his argument that many deconstruction stories reveal a deeper problem: faith that was ultimately built on something other than the person an...

13 Sep 1h 11min

#404 The REAL Reason Christians Deconstruct | Matt Schmidt

Why do people really deconstruct their Christian faith? Church hurt, hypocrisy, doubts about the Bible, science, sexuality, and politics may trigger a crisis—but what if they aren’t the root cause?Aft...

10 Sep 1h 12min

#403 Evidence Against Point Loma Nazarene University (Part 2) | Noah and Ashley Shaw

In Part 1, former Point Loma Nazarene University students Noah and Ashley Shaw shared their firsthand experiences with progressive Christianity on campus. In Part 2, we bring the receipts. We examine ...

6 Sep 1h 31min

#402 Skillet’s John and Korey Cooper Break Their Silence About NAR & Church Abuse

For the first time, John and Korey Cooper of the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rock band Skillet are breaking their silence about the church abuse that devastated their family and turned their comm...

3 Sep 2h 31min

#401 Is Point Loma Nazarene Becoming Progressive? Former Students Speak Out (Part 1) | Noah & Ashley Shaw

What happens when students attend a Christian university expecting their faith to be strengthened—but instead encounter professors who question Scripture, reject the atonement, and blur biblical teach...

30 Aug 1h 19min

#400 Radical Islam, LGBTQ Ideology, Marxism & The Agenda That Unites Them | Frank Turek & Phoenix Hayes

What do radical Islam, LGBTQ ideology, cultural Marxism, socialism, and the Democratic Party have in common? On the surface, their beliefs—and even their ultimate goals—can radically contradict one an...

27 Aug 1h 3min

#399 Radical Muslims Threatened His Family—A Crash Course in Radical Islam | Michael Jones

Michael Jones and his family were doxxed and threatened for publicly challenging Islam. Their personal information was exposed, the threats became serious enough that they had to move—and Michael refu...

23 Aug 1h 1min