
Heretic!
An Lgbtq-Affirming, Divine Violence-Denying, Christian Universalist's Responses to Some of Evangelical Christianity's Most Pressing Concerns
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sean Duregger
About this listen
Contrary to what some may say, this audiobook, rather than being the product of a demonic lie, is an open and honest set of answers to the questions wrestled with by countless Christians the world over. And while nothing in Heretic! is completely unique - that is, much of the theology contained herein goes as far back as Christianity itself - Distefano creatively puts his unique perspective and humor with care. Refreshing and liberating, this is a must listen for any who dare question their inherited doctrines.
©2018 Matthew J. Distefano (P)2019 Matthew J. DistefanoListeners also enjoyed...
-
From the Blood of Abel
- Humanity's Root Causes of Violence and the Bible's Theological-Anthropological Solution
- By: Matthew J DiStefano
- Narrated by: Chuck Shelby
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While millions of believers around the world are finding their understanding of Christianity to be outdated and untenable, Matthew Distefano has managed to paint the gospel in such a way that even an atheist could appreciate its beauty. Rather than a message of rapture, or rewards and reprisals, Distefano presents the good news of what God has done in history to stem the tide of our own violence and evil - inviting us into a whole new way of living and being in this world.
-
-
Fantastic book!
- By Mark Habluetzel on 09-02-20
-
Curveball
- When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming (or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God)
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Peter Enns
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life throws us “curve balls”—from devastating personal losses to world tragedies. These events often leave us doubting God, the Bible, and our faith. But instead of pushing away our reservations, we should embrace them, Peter Enns argues. A leading biblical scholar and Christian mentor, Enns has never been afraid to question the Bible or Christian beliefs. Such thoughtful inquisitiveness, he argues, is part of God’s plan. He wants us to question, because doing so actually leads to a stronger, lasting faith.
-
-
A personal testimony
- By Jim H. on 03-03-23
By: Peter Enns
-
Jesus and John Wayne
- How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
- By: Kristin Kobes du Mez
- Narrated by: Suzie Althens
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate's staunchest supporters? Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.
-
-
Like reading a history of my evangelical life
- By Renee on 10-15-20
-
Falling Upward
- A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Richard Rohr
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first half of life, we are naturally preoccupied with establishing ourselves; climbing, achieving, and performing. But as we grow older and encounter challenges and mistakes, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-giving way. This message of falling down - that is in fact moving upward - is the most resisted and counterintuitive of messages in the world's religions. Falling Upward offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how those who have fallen down are the only ones who understand "up".
-
-
I almost gave up on Christianity until I read this
- By J. Mark Wells on 09-03-14
By: Richard Rohr
-
Testimony
- Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: Jon Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it. In Testimony, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.
-
-
True Unbiased Journalism
- By S. Schneider on 06-03-23
By: Jon Ward
-
The Sin of Certainty
- Why God Desires Our Trust More than Our "Correct" Beliefs
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of "once for all delivered to the saints".
-
-
Title may mislead the actual content
- By Adam Shields on 05-26-16
By: Peter Enns
-
From the Blood of Abel
- Humanity's Root Causes of Violence and the Bible's Theological-Anthropological Solution
- By: Matthew J DiStefano
- Narrated by: Chuck Shelby
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While millions of believers around the world are finding their understanding of Christianity to be outdated and untenable, Matthew Distefano has managed to paint the gospel in such a way that even an atheist could appreciate its beauty. Rather than a message of rapture, or rewards and reprisals, Distefano presents the good news of what God has done in history to stem the tide of our own violence and evil - inviting us into a whole new way of living and being in this world.
-
-
Fantastic book!
- By Mark Habluetzel on 09-02-20
-
Curveball
- When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming (or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God)
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Peter Enns
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life throws us “curve balls”—from devastating personal losses to world tragedies. These events often leave us doubting God, the Bible, and our faith. But instead of pushing away our reservations, we should embrace them, Peter Enns argues. A leading biblical scholar and Christian mentor, Enns has never been afraid to question the Bible or Christian beliefs. Such thoughtful inquisitiveness, he argues, is part of God’s plan. He wants us to question, because doing so actually leads to a stronger, lasting faith.
-
-
A personal testimony
- By Jim H. on 03-03-23
By: Peter Enns
-
Jesus and John Wayne
- How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
- By: Kristin Kobes du Mez
- Narrated by: Suzie Althens
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate's staunchest supporters? Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.
-
-
Like reading a history of my evangelical life
- By Renee on 10-15-20
-
Falling Upward
- A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Richard Rohr
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first half of life, we are naturally preoccupied with establishing ourselves; climbing, achieving, and performing. But as we grow older and encounter challenges and mistakes, we need to see ourselves in a different and more life-giving way. This message of falling down - that is in fact moving upward - is the most resisted and counterintuitive of messages in the world's religions. Falling Upward offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how those who have fallen down are the only ones who understand "up".
-
-
I almost gave up on Christianity until I read this
- By J. Mark Wells on 09-03-14
By: Richard Rohr
-
Testimony
- Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: Jon Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it. In Testimony, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.
-
-
True Unbiased Journalism
- By S. Schneider on 06-03-23
By: Jon Ward
-
The Sin of Certainty
- Why God Desires Our Trust More than Our "Correct" Beliefs
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of "once for all delivered to the saints".
-
-
Title may mislead the actual content
- By Adam Shields on 05-26-16
By: Peter Enns
-
The Day the Revolution Began
- Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Day the Revolution Began, N. T. Wright once again challenges commonly held Christian beliefs, as he did in Surprised by Hope. Demonstrating the rigorous intellect and breathtaking knowledge that have long defined his work, Wright argues that Jesus' death on the cross was not only to absolve us of our sins, it was actually the beginning of a revolution commissioning the Christian faithful to a new vocation - a royal priesthood responsible for restoring and reconciling all of God's creation.
-
-
Standard Wright, both the strengths and weaknesses
- By Adam Shields on 12-12-16
By: N. T. Wright
-
The Book of Pride
- LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
- By: Mason Funk
- Narrated by: Mason Funk, Robin Miles, Eileen Stevens, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Book of Pride captures the true story of the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought battles both personal and political, often without the support of family or friends, frequently under the threat of violence and persecution.
-
-
Pure Joy for EVERYONE
- By Micah D on 06-03-19
By: Mason Funk
-
Do I Stay Christian?
- A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned
- By: Brian D. McLaren
- Narrated by: Brian D. McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do I Stay Christian? addresses in public the powerful question that surprising numbers of people—including pastors, priests, and other religious leaders—are asking in private. Picking up where Faith After Doubt leaves off, Do I Stay Christian? is not McLaren's attempt to persuade Christians to dig in their heels or run for the exit. Instead, he combines his own experience with that of thousands of people who have confided in him over the years to help readers make a responsible, honest, ethical decision about their religious identity.
-
-
Stunning
- By pslwallace on 06-30-23
By: Brian D. McLaren
-
Armageddon
- What the Bible Really Says About the End
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Armageddon, acclaimed New Testament authority Bart D. Ehrman delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, exploring the horrifying social and political consequences of expecting an imminent apocalypse and offering a fascinating tour through three millennia of Judeo-Christian thinking about how our world will end. By turns hilarious, moving, troubling, and provocative, Armageddon presents inspiring insights into how to live our lives in the face of an uncertain future.
-
-
The best explanation I have heard in my 70 years on Revelations
- By Ian Huntington on 05-19-23
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Disarming Scripture
- Cherry-Picking Liberals, Violence-Loving Conservatives, and Why We All Need to Learn to Read the Bible Like Jesus Did
- By: Derek Flood
- Narrated by: Dan McGowan
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moving beyond typical conservative and liberal approaches, which seek to either defend or whitewash over violence in the Bible, Disarming Scripture takes a surprising yet compelling approach.
-
-
Total Contridiction
- By Vinny on 10-05-15
By: Derek Flood
-
Mere Christianity
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, Mere Christianity has sold millions of copies worldwide. This audiobook brings together C. S. Lewis' legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to "explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times."
-
-
Clear Christianity
- By Andrew on 07-17-17
By: C. S. Lewis
-
The Word of Promise Audio Bible—New King James Version, NKJV: Complete Bible
- By: Thomas Nelson Inc.
- Narrated by: Jason Alexander, Joan Allen, Richard Dreyfuss, and others
- Length: 98 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With an original music score by composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater), feature-film quality sound effects, and compelling narration by Michael York and the work of over 500 actors, the The Word of Promise Audio Bible will immerse listeners in the dramatic reality of the scriptures as never before. Each beloved book of the Bible comes to life with outstanding performances by Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Jason Alexander as Joseph, Marisa Tomei as Mary Magdalene, Stacy Keach as Paul, Louis Gossett, Jr. as John...
-
-
Lovely...needs a section guide. I made one
- By A. Lee on 08-29-16
-
The Complete Audio Holy Bible - KJV
- The New Testament as Read by James Earl Jones; The Old Testament as Read by Jon Sherberg
- By: Topics Media Group
- Narrated by: Jon Sherberg, James Earl Jones
- Length: 75 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James Earl Jones (New Testament reading) and Jon Sherberg (Old Testament) combine their incredible vocal talents in one of the most critically acclaimed Holy Bible recordings ever. These two lush baritone vocals are the perfect complement to one another. Mr. Jones’ skilled and resonating reading has been hailed as one of the greatest New Testament recordings of all time. Combined with Jon Sherberg’s powerful and passionate delivery of the Old Testament, this beautiful audio rendition of The Holy Bible will leave your heart full and spirt nourished.
-
-
Navigation Nightmare
- By World Harvest Worship Center on 05-05-19
-
A More Christlike God
- A More Beautiful Gospel
- By: Bradley Jersak
- Narrated by: Tim Welch
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether our notions of "God" are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for a more Christlike God and a more beautiful Gospel. A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed - a God who Jesus "unwrathed" from dead religion, a love that is always toward us, and a grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.
-
-
Audible chose the wrong narrator!
- By Not-so-Plain Jane on 10-07-19
By: Bradley Jersak
-
Outlove
- A Queer Christian Survival Story
- By: Julie Rodgers
- Narrated by: Julie Rodgers
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Rodgers came out to her family as a junior in high school, she still believed that God would sanctify her and eventually make her straight. Wanting so intensely to be good, she spent her adolescent and early adult years with an ex-gay ministry, praying for liberation from her homosexuality. In Outlove, Rodgers details her deeply personal journey from a life of self-denial in the name of faith to her role in leading the take-down of Exodus International, the largest ex-gay organization in the world, to her marriage to a woman at the Washington National Cathedral.
-
-
Outstanding and courageous
- By Evangelino Nascimento on 10-27-24
By: Julie Rodgers
-
Returning to Eden
- A Field Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Heather Hamilton
- Narrated by: Heather Hamilton
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Returning to Eden is a field guide for the journey that every true spiritual seeker ultimately takes. The highest truths that set us free are hidden in places that most people are not looking.
-
-
So much knowledge
- By tabitha rodriguez on 07-26-24
By: Heather Hamilton
-
The Reason for God
- Belief in an Age of Skepticism
- By: Timothy Keller
- Narrated by: Timothy Keller
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The End of Faith. The God Delusion. God Is Not Great. Letter to a Christian Nation. Best seller lists are filled with doubters. But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts? Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion.
-
-
Unrivaled Apologetics
- By Daniel on 05-01-13
By: Timothy Keller
His arguments against PSA are a highlight. Many who would read this book already have their minds made up about the other topics, but PSA is one that gets less fanfare.
As usual, Matthew spends time familiarizing his audience with Rene Girard's mimetic theory, and Matthew ties this theory in where appropriate.
I was hesitant to read this book, but I'm very glad I did.
Matthew's best book yet.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listener received this title free
Brings it all to light!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listener received this title free
Way more info than I expected
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
🔥🖤🔥
Excellent book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A Complex Theological Treatise Stated Simply.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listener received this title free
I thought I wouldn’t like this book… I do!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narration was well done, the narrator captured the conversational tone of the book.
Thought provoking book, well narrated
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Otherwise good presentation of Universalist arguments for a broad public.
Decent Presentation, Bad Reading
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Likely a polarizing book, but I definitely enjoyed
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listener received this title free
Great work wrestling through hard concepts and first offering a overview and relatively unbiased look at multiple views before arguing to support one.
If you can’t stand a few cuss words or non-dominant Western Evangelical views, don’t read/listen to this book. But if you’re open to a brilliant man who loves God and loves being sarcastically crass, this is definitely the book for you!
Surprisingly Mild from Distefano
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.