Episode Details

🎙️ 20. Jeremy Jernigan (Former Non-Denominational Megachurch Pastor) - The Edge of the Inside

What happens when the church that formed you becomes the place that wounds you?

Alexis sits down with Jeremy Jernigan @jeremyjernigan, former megachurch pastor, now part of a Mennonite community, host of Cabernet and Pray and Rebuilding Faith, and author of The Edge of the Inside, to explore what it means to deconstruct faith without losing Jesus.

Jeremy shares his journey out of evangelical megachurch leadership, including the breaking point many experienced as white evangelical support for Trump exposed a disconnect between the teachings of Jesus and what was being lived out.

They unpack deconstruction, post-evangelical faith, church hurt, and the cost of using your voice when your community would rather you stay silent. Jeremy shares what it was like to lose his job, relationships, and community—and how that loss led to a more honest, compassionate faith.

They explore why many are not leaving Jesus, but leaving systems rooted in certainty, control, and power. Jeremy introduces “the edge of the inside”—a space for those who still love Jesus but no longer fit in the center—and how Mennonite theology is helping him heal.

This episode includes a powerful prayer for anyone who feels alone, displaced, or hasn’t been prayed over in a long time.

This episode is for anyone navigating deconstruction, progressive Christianity, LGBTQ Christianity, church hurt, Christian nationalism, or faith after evangelicalism.

💡 Key Takeaways
 • Deconstruction can be the fruit of faith
 • Many left church because it no longer looked like Jesus
 • Certainty and control often replace compassion
 • There is space to follow Jesus outside the center
 • Healing can happen in new spiritual communities

About Our Guest
Jeremy Jernigan @jeremyjernigan is a former megachurch pastor, now connected with a Mennonite community. He hosts Cabernet and Pray and Rebuilding Faith and is the author of The Edge of the Inside.

🎧 Podcasts
 Cabernet and Pray @cabernetandpray
 Rebuilding Faith

📖 Book
 The Edge of the Inside: https://www.jeremyjernigan.com/edge-of-the-inside

👤 Voices Mentioned
 Richard Rohr
 Tim Whitaker @timwhitakerspeaks

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About The Sacred Slope
Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender—raised in or rooted in Christianity.
Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.

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🎙 Hosted by Alexis Rice
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