In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer

Latest Episodes:

Healing Yourself Before Raising Your Children with Dr. Terence Lester, PhD Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

This conversation with Dr. Terence Lester begins with his journey from dropout to doctorate, but it quickly becomes something deeper.

We talk about growing up with fear, living through trauma, and making the choice not to pass that pain on to your children.

Terence shares what it means to sit on a refrigerator in protest of hunger, and why food is about more than survival.

We also talk about faith, the Black church, and what it means to follow a path rooted in compassion rather than power.

This is a conversation about becoming a different kind of parent, and a different kind of person.

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LINKS

From Dropout to Doctorate

https://terencelester.com

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I have had the pleasure of talking to some of the leading authors, artists, activists, and change-makers of our time on this podcast, and I want to personally thank you for subscribing, listening, and sharing 100-plus episodes over 100,000 times.

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
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Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

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In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Gaslighting For God: Becky Garrison on Spiritual Narcissists, MAGA, and What Comes Next Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

In the first hour we get into spiritual narcissism, not as an abstract idea but as something that shapes real communities and does real damage. We talk about MAGA as a kind of cult identity, Trump as a case study in personality-driven power, and how prosperity gospel culture helped prepare the ground for all of it. We also get into religious trauma and why, at least for me, institutional Christianity isn’t something that can be fixed from the inside. And we don’t let progressive spaces off the hook either. The same patterns show up there too, just with different language.

In the second hour we stop diagnosing and start asking what now. Becky talks about why she’s still hopeful in spite of everything, and we get into the limits of satire in a culture that already feels like parody. We talk about the collapse of celebrity-driven leadership, the exhaustion people feel with national politics, and why real change may be happening in smaller, local, less visible ways. It’s less about movements and more about relationships. Less about influence and more about staying human.

LINKS

https://www.beckygarrison.com

Gaslighting For God

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Where Snowbirds Play: Palm Beach, Power, and the Choices That Define Us Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with Gina Goldhammer to talk about her novel Where Snowbirds Play, which is set in 1991 at what she describes as the end of the golden age of Palm Beach, a world of wealth, influence, and powerful people living inside their own closed social orbit.

Let me just say this plainly. This is a terrific novel. I love it.

What drew me in is not just that setting, but what happens inside it, because at the center of all that money and power is a young woman, Hannah Caulfield, who makes a decision to keep her child despite pressure from everyone around her. The book takes on big themes like pregnancy, illness, caregiving, and faith, but not as theory. It is all lived experience, and that is what makes it work. It cuts through the intellectualizing and gets to something real about love, responsibility, and the choices that define a life.

LINKS

Where Snowbirds Play at Bookshop

https://www.ginagoldhammer.com

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Dr. Warren Farrell: From The Boy Crisis to Role Mate to Soulmate; Fixing Modern Relationships Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Warren Farrell: From The Boy Crisis to Role Mate to Soulmate; Fixing Modern Relationships

What Men, Women, and Modern Coupling Are Getting Wrong

In this candid conversation, I sit down with Dr. Warren Farrell to explore the cultural and psychological forces reshaping modern relationships.

Why do couples who genuinely love each other struggle to stay in love? Why does criticism from a partner hurt so deeply? And why do defensiveness and misunderstanding so often replace real communication? And how have changing expectations between men and women complicated marriage in ways our parents and grandparents never experienced?

Drawing from Warren’s groundbreaking books The Boy Crisis and Role Mate to Soulmate, we talk about the practical skills couples need to move beyond conflict and toward genuine understanding.

Part cultural reflection and part relationship wisdom, this conversation is for anyone trying to build lasting love in a rapidly changing world.

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LINKS

https://warrenfarrell.com

Role Mate to Soul Mate: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Love

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

“Scratch” by Kate Cohen | Why Making Things Is a Radical Act Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Writer Kate Cohen joins Frank Schaeffer to talk about her new Substack “Scratch,” a project devoted to the things we make that keep us human.

From cooking and sewing to carpentry and farming, Cohen explores how working with our hands connects us to the material world and to each other. In a culture dominated by algorithms, automation, and AI, these acts of making may be more important than ever.

This conversation explores capability, creativity, community, and the deep human need to build, cook, repair, and create.

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LINKS

https://scratchcolumn.substack.com

https://katecohen.net/

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Marianne Leone: Catholic Guilt, Italian Fire & Becoming Bold Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

Marianne Leone joins Frank Schaeffer to discuss her novel Christina the Astonishing, growing up Italian-American under Irish Catholic nuns, religious trauma, losing faith after her father’s death, The Sopranos, and why bold girls survive institutions built to silence them.

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LINKS

https://marianneleonecooper.com/

Christina the Astonishing

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

My Conversation with Andrew Lownie, The Author Who Brought Down The House of York Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

In this revealing Conversation, I speak with historian, publisher, and author Andrew Lownie about his investigation into Prince Andrew, the aura of untouchable royal privilege, and the culture that allowed secrecy to fester and rot. We explore the Epstein scandal’s wider implications and the monarchy’s uncertain future in a world that demands transparency.

Now that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested for his involvement, on his birthday, no less, I hope this Conversation will help give you the context of the times we are in, and that you will share it widely with your own networks.

Entitled: The Rise and Fall of The House of York

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Too Precious to Lose: Jason G. Green on Obama, His Grandmother, and the Work of Community Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Jason G. Green joins me to discuss his memoir Too Precious to Lose. We talk about his years serving President Obama, the lessons he learned from his grandmother, and why community, not chaos, must shape America’s future.

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Watch the Film Finding Fellowship

Visit Jason G. Green Online

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

America’s Best Idea: Randall Balmer on Church, State & Christian Nationalism Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Historian and ordained Episcopal priest Randall Balmer joins Frank Schaeffer to discuss his powerful new book, America’s Best Idea. Together they explore the true history of church-state separation, the myth of America as a Christian nation, the Treaty of Tripoli, the Supreme Court’s recent rulings, and why evangelical Christians may lose the most if Christian nationalism succeeds. A truth-telling conversation about democracy, faith, and the First Amendment.

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LINKS

https://bookshop.org/a/99692/9781586424145

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Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

Furious Minds: The Intellectual Engine Behind Trumpism with Laura K. Field Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

Why the MAGA movement is far smarter, and far more dangerous, than liberals want to admit.

Political theorist Laura K. Field joins me to expose the philosophical, religious, and institutional ideas driving the MAGA New Right. From elite Catholic theorists to post-liberal power strategies, this conversation reveals why Trumpism didn’t come out of nowhere, and why ignoring it is no longer an option.

Follow Laura’s Substack

Please subscribe to this Podcast, In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer, on your favorite platform, and to my Substack, It Has to Be Said.
Thanks!

Every subscription helps create, build, sustain and put voice to this movement for truth.
Subscribe to It Has to Be Said.

The Gospel of Zip will be released in print and on Amazon Kindle, and as a full video on YouTube and Substack that you can watch or listen to for free.

Support the show

_____
In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of The Gospel of Zip.

Learn more at https://www.thegospelofzip.com/
Follow Frank on Substack, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer Podcast

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