Flipping Tables

• 21. Hell Bent - with Brian Recker

  If you're familiar with the online deconstruction space, you've probably encountered Brian Recker or @brecker on Instagram. As a former evangelical pastor, he's been very vocal about his deconstruction and transformation.In this episode, Brian and I talk about our growing up years, our faith and how thats evolved from narrow and rigid mindsets into who we became today.I wasn't going to release this podcast for a few more weeks but I felt that some people needed reminded today that people can change. I was an open and passionate Christian Nationalist. Brian was raised in the IFB (think EXTRA fundamentalist). We were able to find our way and if people like us can change, anyone can.Even on a dark day the sun is sitting behind the clouds.Subscribe Ground News at groundnews.com/tablesSpecial thanks to patreon subscribers. If you'd like to support my work or receive bonus content please visit www.patreon.com/montemader

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• 19. Make America Healthy Again? With Dr. Jessica Knurick

  As RFK Jr. removes all members of the CDC panel advising on vaccines we are faced with the question, is all this making America healthy again?Dr. Knurick has a PHD in Nutrition Science, is a registered dietitian and a mom of 2. And in this episode we break down the facts and fictions of the MAHA movement and what the real concerns for America's health are.The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement is merely a loosely connected health and wellness movement that gained traction specifically after covid. It merges anti-vaccine, anti-mask, and natural health rhetoric with far-right political ideologies and is deeply aligned with Christian nationalism. Despite its name, the movement often spreads misinformation under the guise of “freedom” and “bodily autonomy.”Core Beliefs: Promotes “natural immunity,” distrusts vaccines and pharmaceutical science, and often embraces conspiracy theories about government control, the CDC, and the World Health Organization.Pseudoscience: Opposes public health measures like vaccines, fluoride, mask mandates, and school-based health education. Spreads debunked claims about detoxes, supplements, and “Big Pharma.”White Supremacist Roots: Echoes long-standing themes in white nationalist circles, including “purity of the body,” distrust of multicultural institutions, and framing public health as globalist overreach.Overlap with Christian Nationalism and MAGA: Often intertwined with right-wing evangelical and MAGA politics, promoting the idea that “real” (white, Christian) Americans are under attack by progressive, science-driven agendas.Undermines public health with disinformation.Targets marginalized communities by resisting inclusive care (e.g., trans health, reproductive health).Wraps racial and political extremism in the language of wellness, liberty, and holistic health.The MAHA movement exploits the language of health and freedom to push anti-science, far-right ideology. Beneath its surface lies a deeper current of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and resistance to modern medicine rooted in fear, control, and exclusion.Make news manageable, for 40% off Ground News Vantage plan, subscribe at groundnews.com/tables

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• 20. Escaping a Cult w/ Dr. Steven Hassan

  How can someone so intelligent end up with a cult like mindset? Someone who otherwise seems to have their life together? Seems to be so grounded?Anyone can fall into a cult, and even those who are deeply indoctrinated can get back out.Dr. Steven Hassan is a leading expert in cults, mind control, and undue influence, best known for transforming his own traumatic experience in a high-control group into a lifelong mission to help others recover from coercive persuasion. Born in Queens, New York, Hassan was raised in a Jewish family and, at age 19, was recruited into the Unification Church (commonly known as the “Moonies”). He quickly became a zealous member, working long hours and cutting ties with family and friends. After a serious car accident in 1976, his family organized a deprogramming intervention, which helped him leave the group and sparked his determination to understand how such manipulation occurs.Hassan earned a Master’s in counseling psychology from Cambridge College and later completed a Ph.D. from Fielding Graduate University. Over the following decades, he dedicated himself to developing non-coercive methods of intervention, eventually creating what he calls the Strategic Interactive Approach. He also founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, which provides education, counseling, and expert support for individuals and families affected by cults, extremist groups, human trafficking, and political radicalization.Hassan is widely recognized for his development of the BITE Model (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control), which helps identify the key mechanisms by which authoritarian groups manipulate people. He also created the Influence Continuum, a framework for understanding the difference between healthy and destructive influence. His published works—including Combating Cult Mind Control, Releasing the Bonds, Freedom of Mind, and The Cult of Trump—have become foundational texts for understanding psychological manipulation and authoritarian control, not just in religious cults but in political movements and abusive relationships as well.He has helped thousands reclaim their autonomy and continues to shape the conversation on cult dynamics, political extremism, and mental freedom in the digital age. There's always hope that even someone who was raised in a cult or lost their way in one can find their way back out.

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• 18. The Founding Myth with Andrew Seidel

  Andrew Seidel is a constitutional lawyer, author of books "The Founding Myth" and "American Crusade", and works full time defending the 1st amendment and every Americans right to true religious liberty. On Flipping Tables we have a discussion about the Christian Nationalist myth that America is a "Christian" nation and the dangers it poses to true individual freedom.

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• 17. Queer & Christian with Brandan Robertson

  Across platforms the most common question I get is "What does the Bible say about homosexuality and trans people?" Christian nationalists main talking point is a direct opposition to gay rights. But does the Bible really say that? Today we meet with pastor and theologian Brandan Robertson to talk about that, break down the "gotcha" passages of the Bible and see what it really says. It turns out, there's space at the table for everyone. Subscribe to Ground News for 40% off their Vantage plan at groundnews.com/monteBuy Brandans new book Queer and Christian!: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/queer-christian-9781250321343/If you'd like to have ad free episodes or support my work for $1 a week please subscribe at www.patreon.com/montemader.

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