God, TikTok, and the Age of Religious Misinformation with Dr. Kevin Carnahan (Part 1)
Fri Feb 06 2026
What happens when a professor of religion wades into TikTok and starts saying, “Jesus is disappointed. Do better”?
In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Chalin sits down with Dr. Kevin Carnahan—Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University and co-editor emeritus of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics—to talk about what he does all day: untangling bad theology, half-remembered Bible verses, and full-blown religious conspiracy theories.
They get into how religion is being weaponized online, why certain misreadings spread so fast, and what’s really going on when people use faith to push political or cultural agendas. Kevin explains how he thinks about “debunking” as a person of faith, the difference between honest questions and manipulative claims, and why calling out misinformation can actually be an act of care.
If you’ve ever heard a wild religious take on social media and thought, there’s no way that’s right… right? — this episode is for you.
(This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 dives deeper into ancient texts, plural “gods,” and what happens to faith when you admit the Bible has a history.)
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What happens when a professor of religion wades into TikTok and starts saying, “Jesus is disappointed. Do better”? In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Chalin sits down with Dr. Kevin Carnahan—Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University and co-editor emeritus of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics—to talk about what he does all day: untangling bad theology, half-remembered Bible verses, and full-blown religious conspiracy theories. They get into how religion is being weaponized online, why certain misreadings spread so fast, and what’s really going on when people use faith to push political or cultural agendas. Kevin explains how he thinks about “debunking” as a person of faith, the difference between honest questions and manipulative claims, and why calling out misinformation can actually be an act of care. If you’ve ever heard a wild religious take on social media and thought, there’s no way that’s right… right? — this episode is for you. (This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 dives deeper into ancient texts, plural “gods,” and what happens to faith when you admit the Bible has a history.)