Episode 72: David Farrier is a journalist, documentary maker, podcaster, and the author of online newsletter Webworm. Throughout 2022, David’s investigative work on Arise Church - one of New Zealand’s largest megachurches - brought to light a toxic culture that included numerous allegations of burn out, abuse of power, toxicity and the covering up of claims of sexual harassment and assault. David’s work also opened up a larger public conversation about megachurches (and toxic church cultures in general), and the narcissism, ego and systemic abuse of power that is often present in these spaces.
In this conversation we talk with David about his own experience of Christianity as a child and young adult, why he started Webworm, the attention to bullies and narcissists in so much of his work, and why he focused in on a New Zealand megachurch. We talk through the unfolding of this story, the perspective he brings as an outsider to megachurch culture, and how hard it seems to be to get people within the church to take these claims seriously.
You can subscribe to David’s newsletter at www.webworm.co
Email us: feedback@intheshift.com
Support In the Shift: www.patreon.com/intheshift
Celebrities for Jesus - with Katelyn Beaty
The Megachurch Conversation: When Binaries go Bad
”Is there hope for the church?” with Rev Frank Ritchie
Q&A on deconstruction, doubt and whether megachurches can change
Life after the ”man with the plan”
Mega-health: Can a megachurch be healthy?
The Megachurch Conversation: The problem with being ”the good guys”
The Megachurch Conversation: Doublespeak
The Megachurch Conversation: Trauma, Red Flags, and Recovery
The Megachurch Conversation: ”The Creep”
The Megachurch Conversation: Where to from here?
Another Level Part 4: The Megachurch Playbook
Another Level Part 3: The Megachurch Playbook
Another Level Part 2: The Megachurch Playbook
Another Level Part 1: The Megachurch Playbook
Critical Conversations: On misogyny and abuse of power - with Dr Jeff Crabtree
Christians Against Christianity - with Dr Obery Hendricks
Shift Happens
Blinded by the ”truth”
When narcissism finds religion
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Kingdom Power Fellowship Podcast
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)