Brian Recker is a former Evangelical Pastor who spent about eight years in ministry before stepping away from traditional evangelicalism. He grew up as the son of a Baptist preacher and attended the fundamentalist Bob Jones University. Instead of pastoring a local church in the traditional sense, Brian now speaks, writes, and teaches about a more inclusive, love-centered Christian spirituality. By removing pun*shment from Christianity’s center, Brian boldly reimagines the core questions of faith, such as why Jesus lived and d*ed, and what it means to be “saved.” He emphasizes following Jesus without fear of hell, and focuses on compassion, empathy, and justice in spiritual life. Brian’s Book:  “Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771172/hell-bent-by-brian-recker/ Follow Brian on social media! IG: https://www.instagram.com/berecker/ Substack: https://brianrecker.substack.com/ Brian’s link tree: https://linktr.ee/berecker Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon Chapter Marks 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:25 Brian's chiIdhood & upbringing 00:15:49 Conforming to fit in 00:24:14 "How Hot is Hell" sermon 00:29:26 Brian's social circle outside of the church 00:32:00 Was there r*cism in the church? 00:37:58 College experience 00:44:52 Why Brian chose Bob Jones College 00:51:47 Becoming a pastor at 25 00:59:11 Deconstruction 01:08:16 Deconstruction of Hell 01:21:06 Brian's view on the final chapters of the Bible 01:28:22 How Brian is doing now 01:30:33 Linda, listen **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**