Shows
The ReturnBetter Ways to Read the Bible with Zach LambertIn this episode of The Return, hosts Dustin Maddox and Jordan Mattox sit down with pastor and author Zach Lambert, founder of Restore Austin, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about faith after deconstruction.
Together, they explore one of the central questions facing modern Christianity: What comes after faith falls apart? While deconstruction has become a familiar cultural phenomenon, reconstruction often feels uncertain, personal, and difficult to name. Zach offers a pastoral and deeply practical framework for understanding faith as an ongoing process — construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction — helping listeners imagine what rebuilding belief can actually look like.
2026-02-2850 minThe ReturnWater to Wine: Brian Zahnd on Rebuilding FaithIn this episode of The Return, Jordan Mattox and Dustin Maddox welcome Brian Zahnd for a wide-ranging discussion on faith, doubt, and reconstruction. Brian shares his personal story—from a teenage conversion during the Jesus Movement to building a thriving ministry, and then reaching a turning point in midlife when the version of Christianity he knew no longer felt worthy of the Christ who first captivated him. That realization led him into years of reading church history, philosophy, and theology, reshaping his understanding of faith and changing the direction of his ministry.
The conversation digs into the me...
2026-02-1053 minThe ReturnSlowing Down to Reconstruct Faith with Dr. A.J. SwobodaIn this episode of The Return, hosts Jordan Mattox and Dustin Maddox sit down with theologian and author Dr. A.J. Swoboda for a wide-ranging conversation about slow theology, deconstruction, and what faithful reconstruction actually requires.
Using vivid metaphors—from chemotherapy and butter to the Garden of Eden and Sabbath—A.J. argues that doubt, when handled carefully, can be a form of healing rather than harm. He explores why modern churches often rush belief while failing to cultivate depth, virtue, and restraint, and how this impatience contributes to rapid deconstruction on the back end.
The...
2025-12-1540 minThe ReturnReconstruction Thrives Where Differences Are Welcome with Jonny MorrisonIn this episode of The Return, hosts Jordan Mattox and Dustin Maddox sit down with pastor, writer, and theologian Jonny Morrison for a deep conversation about deconstruction, reconstruction, and the environments that help or hinder spiritual return. Morrison reflects on his own faith journey, the pressures of evangelical performance culture, and the internal unraveling that many experience when inherited frameworks can no longer sustain real life. Together, they explore why authentic reconstruction requires hospitable communities—churches where questions, disagreement, and theological diversity are not only tolerated but welcomed. Morrison argues that environments defined by certainty, control, or conformity leave li...
2025-11-261h 03The ReturnFaith in Progress: Always Deconstructing, Always Rebuilding with Nate YoderIn this episode, Jordan and Dustin sit down with Nate Yoder, a former Mennonite pastor and bishop whose journey spans rural Ohio, Canada, and California — and travels through some of the hardest questions a person of faith can face. Nate shares how his understanding of calling, community, and belief has evolved through church politics, cross-cultural ministry, and the profound grief of losing a child.
This conversation explores deconstruction and reconstruction not as a crisis, but as an ongoing process of growth. Together, the three discuss brave honesty in spiritual life, how to stay grounded when institutions disappoint, an...
2025-11-0753 minThe ReturnChristian Hypocrisy with Dr. Shawn BeatyDr. Shawn Beaty, head pastor of Clovis Hills Community Church, joins Dustin and Jordan to discuss a commonly discussed topic for those in and outside of religion: hypocrisy. Whether the hypocrisy takes place on a stage or interpersonal relationships, it can cause people to question religion, but also more broadly questions aout what religion is here to do: if Christians do not differ in their actions from non-religious, what does that say about the claims about Christianity power to change people. Shawn, Dustin, and Jordan dig into these topics and more.
2025-07-0752 minThe ReturnTo Hell and Back with Dr. David TatumDustin and Jordan are joined by Dr. David Tatum, who completed his PhD in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and now teaches at Fresno Pacific University, to discuss the concept of hell, why it leads people to deconstruct, the history and landscape of the ideas about it, and how to think about reintegration where hell still remains a central tenet for many.
2025-06-0259 minThe ReturnReligious Abuse and Spiritual Trauma with Karen Huckaby, LMFTOn today's episode of The Return, Dustin and Jordan are joined by Karen Huckaby, LMFT, who started a therapy practice called The Reclaim geared around working with people with experiences of religious abuse and spiritual trauma.
The Reclaim: A Therapy Collective Website
2025-04-291h 02The ReturnBooks for the JourneyOn today's episode, Dustin and Jordan share some book recommendations that have found helpful and believe might help you on your religious reconstruction journey.
Jordan's Recommendations:
1. Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious Ross Douthat
2. After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond Bruce Greyson, MD
3. Septology Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls
Dustin's Recommendations
1. When Everything's on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes Brian Zahnd
2. Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community Without Judgmentalism Mark D. Baker
2025-04-1011 minThe ReturnMany Faiths, One Path?In the second in a series of episodes on the causes of people's religious deconstruction, Dustin and Jordan discuss one of biggest stumbling blocks for Jordan but many other religious people as well: the reality of a plurality of competing religious traditions in our world. In this episode, they discuss the various ways to think about and conceptualize about these other religious traditions: exclusivism, pluralism, and inclusivism.
If you have questions or are interested in sharing your story, please email us at thereturnreconstructionpodcast@gmail.com
2025-03-1741 minThe ReturnReligion and PoliticsIn the first in a series of episodes on the causes of people's religious deconstruction, Dustin and Jordan discuss one of the thorniest issues in religion: the role of politics. In this conversation, they discuss the three main issues people have with politics role in the religious space, the history of the relationship between the two realms, a theological perspective on how these spheres intersect, and potential approaches to address this at an individual level.
If you have questions or are interested in sharing your story, please email us at thereturnreconstructionpodcast@gmail.com
2025-02-2439 minThe ReturnWhat's Next After Deconstruction?In the first episode of The Return, Dustin and Jordan explore the premise of the show, what deconstruction is, and why reconstruction is challenging and complicated.
If you'd like to share thoughts, ask questions, or tell your story, please email us: thereturnreconstructionpodcast@gmail.com
2025-02-1136 min
Fresno's BestDustin Maddox, Lead Pastor of North Fresno ChurchToday, we have Dustin Maddox on the show. Dustin is the lead pastor at North Fresno Church. A gifted pastor and preacher, Dustin enjoys creating hospitable spaces for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience God’s love, to be transformed, and equipped to join God’s healing activity in our city and world. He enjoys reading broadly with a cup of coffee, meeting new people, spending time with family and friends, and, most importantly, exploring God’s creation with his incredible wife, Robin, and one-year old son, Beckett.
Dustin graduated with a Master of Divinity from Fr...
2023-02-0654 min