The Melissa Dougherty Podcast
A podcast blending Jesus, theology, Christian apologetics, and cultural topics from a Christian perspective. The host, Melissa Dougherty, draws on her background as a former New Thoughter and New Ager, often addressing related topics. The goal is to help Christians thoughtfully understand what they believe and why.
Episodes
Can God Change? This Argument Says No... And It’s Powerful
I talked with seminary professor Dr. Brian Huffling about the nature of God. This is the best argument I've heard for why God cannot change or progress, and I hope it convinces you, too. This is the attribute of God called "Immutability." We also discuss what it means that God is separate from us, combating the New Age/New Thought belief of Oneness or Non-Duality. Not only does your
Confronting Some of the Best Arguments FOR the Enneagram
A while ago, I put out a post asking Christians for their arguments FOR the enneagram. I was grateful that so many were comfortable sharing their perspective, even though many would disagree. I asked my friend Alexa Cramer, who is with Mama Bear Apologetics, to come on and help address these arguments. Timestamps:03:08: What is the Enneagram, the “True Self” vs. the “False Self,” why Richard Rohr
Christian Review of the #1 Best-Selling Self-Help Book of 2025
I wanted to read The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and offer a Christian perspective on it. In this video, I’ll share what I agree with, what I disagree with, and how it all aligns (or doesn’t) with a biblical worldview. But as I’m learning, it’s never quite that simple. Much like my deep dive into Napoleon Hill, I ended up stumbling into some unexpected controversy with this book, even though th
The Controversial Origins of the Word of Faith Movement
Where did the Word of Faith movement (and its teachings) come from? I sit down with Dr. Robert Bowman Jr., whose book on the Word of Faith movement helped shape my own research for my chapter on the New Thought teachings infused in the Word of Faith movement. We discuss the tangled origins, its early teachers, and the controversial connection between E.W. Kenyon and Kenneth Hagin. I ask him about
She Thought Christianity Was a Joke—Until This Happened.
Laura was deep into the New Age for years—crystals, tarot, and talking to spirits. She genuinely thought she was on a path of light and love. She saw Christianity as outdated, something for people who just hadn’t “evolved” spiritually yet. But then everything changed one night when she had a terrifying dream that flipped her entire worldview upside down. She realized she was caught up in something
The 10 Most Illogical Arguments in Politics, Culture, and Religion
In a world where emotion often wins over reason, we want to know how to think well. I invited the smartest person I know when it comes to critical thinking, Kathy Gibbens, to join me on my channel and unpack 10 of the most common logical fallacies influencing everything from faith and relationships to politics.Kathy’s website: https://www.filteritthroughabraincell.com/Critical Thinking Quiz: https
They Called Him a Fascist. But Do They Even Know What It Means?|With Dr. Bernard Mauser
I don’t think most people have the slightest idea what they mean when they accuse someone of being a fascist. There's only one man I could think of in the midst of all of this who I thought would be able to speak into this with clarity and wisdom. And that is my professor from Southern Evangelical Seminary, Dr. Bernard Mauser. What actually *is* fascism? What are some of the ironies with this
The Conspiracy Mind Virus That Explains Everything:The Woke Right
Have you ever seen an ideology that is so out there, so evil, dangerous, and just absolutely wild, and think… there's NO way that people are going to believe this, because it's just so insane and untethered from reality? No, I’m not talking about the Woke Left. I’m talking about the Woke Right. Or as some have appropriately put it: The Woke “Reich.”In my longest interview yet, I brought
What Made Her Leave the Prosperity Gospel Behind
There always seem to be two common enemies of the prosperity gospel: Scripture and critical thinking. False teachers want to keep you away from both of them. Tytus Jones shares her story of how she used both critical thinking and scripture to see through the deception of the prosperity gospel... and more. 👉My Website: https://www.melissadougherty.co/💡Order Happy Lies: ● Barnes and Noble: https://t
Re-Examining my Conversation with a Muslim|With David Wood
I recently released a video of a conversation I had on the street with Abdullah, a very kind Muslim. There were some things I did okay, but I think there was a lot I could've done better. So I invited my buddy David Wood on to analyze the conversation. It was fun, fascinating, and informative. Anytime I can learn how to go from mediocre to very okay, I'm here for it. If you don't kn
Bizarre Channeled Spirits, Jesus, & Truth: A Biblical Perspective on Aaron Abke's Teachings.
Aaron Abke. If you don't know the name (or how to pronounce it), I assure you that you've heard the concepts: manifestation, I AM affirmations, Christ consciousness, nonduality, the false and true self, reincarnation, channeled teachings, and much more. He has a growing platform and speaks with great confidence about the Bible, Christianity, and Jesus, but in a way that historic Christia
Napoleon Hill Unmasked: Lies, Scams, Cults, and Occult Beliefs
Few books have the potential to put Christians in a theological chokehold, quite like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This book is more than just a best-seller. It's the entrepreneur's gospel, the self-help holy grail, the self-improvement manifesto, and, believe it or not, the sacred scripture of a 1930s secret cult. It has influenced millions of people and celebrities all around
Scientology: The Most Bizarre Cult in America
Scientology is an odd religion (If it is even a religion). My friend Lindsey Medenwaldt knows a ridiculously random amount of information about this religion. So, naturally, I couldn't resist luring her onto my channel to spill the tea on all things Scientology. Where did this "religion" come from? What do they believe? And why are so many celebrities a part of the most bizarre cult
Oprah is NOT a New Ager: A Deep Dive.
What do you do with a mega-famous influential billionaire who says she's a Christian... but denies the core beliefs of Christianity? Instead, she believes in the divinity of humanity, the power of affirmations, the ability to speak and think things into existence, and that all religions lead to God and much more. Isn't she a New Ager, then? No. In this video, my goal is to explain why. W
Christian Vs. Oprah: What You Didn’t See in This Controversial Clip.
In this video, I’m taking a deep dive into the episode behind a well-known clip of Oprah that’s been widely shared in Christian circles. It’s sparked a lot of discussion about her beliefs and where they stand in relation to Christianity. But I believe there’s more to this clip than what’s on the surface.I go over the majority of the episode, show what you didn’t see, analyze Oprah and the panel’s
Exposing Genuine and Fake Spiritual Encounters with Dr. Chris Berg
Some Christians will say that for every counterfeit spiritual experience out there, there's an authentic version of it. This is how some odd and bizarre behaviors are explained to be not only biblical but also a display of spiritual power and favor from God. But what if that's not the case and there is more to this? I asked Dr. Berg, an expert on this topic, to come on my channel and tal
Five Myths About The Bible (And How We Got it.)
There's a lot of strange stuff out there about the Bible. So I interviewed Bible scholar and historian Wesley Huff to give some clarity on this topic. Timestamps:03:59- Myth #1: The Bible was put together at the Council of Nicaea, where books were taken out.09:39- Myth #2: The Bible has changed over time, especially with books being taken out, texts changing, and the Catholic Church having a
Former MLM Leaders Share Why They Left it All.
We're digging deeper into the world of MLMs (Multi-Level Marketing). In this interview, I talk with two former MLM leaders, Kathy and Noble Gibbens, who are absolutely delightful. They were in a well-known MLM for over 20 years and were very successful. So why'd they leave it all?This is a follow-up to my initial MLM video. With as long as this interview was, there was till a LOT more to
The Controversial World of MLM's... And What Nobody is Talking About.
We're delving into the world of MLMs (Multi-Level Marketing Companies) and exploring their allure and controversy. And let me tell you... MLMs can be one of the strangest and most intriguing phenomena in the business world. I never intended this video to be as long as it did. But the more research I did, the more I decided that I needed to cover. It took me many, many hours and almost 2 mont
Unraveling the Connections between Aliens, Demons, and Christianity|With Dr. Brian Huffling
UFOs and aliens can be a fringe topic that many Christians don't know how to navigate. Surprisingly, there are many academics and theologians that have seriously looked into this from a Christian worldview. In this fascinating interview, I talk to Dr. Brian Huffling about this topic and his surprising conclusions. 👀WATCH👀:● Subscribe to Dr. Huffling's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube
One of the Most Convincing Arguments for God's Existence with Dr. Neil Shenvi
Why believe in God? Why believe in the Gospel? Why believe in Truth? I interviewed Dr. Neil Shenvi about one of the most fascinating arguments for God that we as Christians should become very familiar with. Get Neil's book here:https://shenviapologetics.com/FOLLOW:Neil's Social Media-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064262516458Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeilShenvi
Suicide Through a Biblical Lens: What You Need to Know|With Jon Noyes
I invited my good friend Jon Noyes on to talk about a tough topic: Suicide. I was stunned to discover how serious this is when I saw a recent statistic showing the growing suicide rates. Why is this happening? How can we biblically look at this? What can be done? There is hope. 👀WATCH👀:●Teen Suicide Epidemic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xox-z2g-CU●Stand to Reason Channel: https://www.youtube.
Bill Gothard's Surprising Connections to the New Age and Prosperity Teachings.
Alisa Childers and I had the honor of interviewing Jinger Duggar Vuolo, author of "Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear." You might remember her from TLC's popular shows, "19 Kids and Counting" and "Counting On." We discuss some of the legalistic teachings of Bill Gothard and how there was an ironic prosperity twist on his Life Principl
Healing Frequencies? Is the Bible About Us? Conspiracy Theories? Men in Leadership? | Q&A Part 3
It's Q&A time! A few weeks ago, I asked you all to email me some questions you'd like me to answer. The questions were compiled, and this is part 3. I did my best to answer them, and I hope it helps!Topics:-How can we encourage our children to continue studying God’s Word without making it feel like a chore? -A cultural question about how we should Biblically go about ordaining men?
Archaeological Evidence for Jesus and the Gospels:Shroud of Turin, Jesus' "Wife", Miracles and More.
What does historical and archaeological evidence say about Jesus? Archaeologist Dr. Titus Kennedy has firsthand seen and excavated discoveries connected to Jesus's birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. I ask him about the shroud of Turin, the Talpiot Tomb (or supposed "Family Tomb" of Jesus) that talks about his supposed wife "Mary," the fascinating Nazareth Insc
Deconstructing Faith? Mormons? Telling Someone They're Wrong?! My Favorite Teachers? | Q&A Part 2
It's Q&A time! A few weeks ago, I asked you all to email me some questions you'd like me to answer. The questions were compiled and this is part 2. I did my best to answer them and I hope it helps!📚RESOURCES📚:All books mentioned in the video can be found here:●https://www.amazon.com/shop/melissadougherty📲FOLLOW📲:●Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewAgeToChristianity/●Instagram: @me
Uncovering the Evidence for the Soul: The Logical and Biblical Arguments That May Change Everything
You think you might know about the soul, especially if you're a Christian. But I promise you, there's more to this doctrine than you think. I invited my friend Eric Hernandez on to talk about the soul. He gives philosophical and biblical reasons why a soul must exist. Heads up, this is a very nerdy but fascinating interview. I learned a lot and I know you will too. Eric Hernandez is a dy
My First Q&A in a Long Time! Part 1- The Rapture? Disney? Testing Fruit? Marriage Advice?
It's Q&A time! A few weeks ago, I asked you all to email me some questions you'd like me to answer. The questions were compiled, and this is part 1. I did my best to answer them and I hope it helps!01:04- If God knew that Satan and the other angels would do what they did, why did He create them?07:16- Testing Fruit- How do these several scriptures actually apply in the New Testament
The Warning Christians Critically Need: Bethel, New Age, and the New Apostolic Reformation.
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders and teach that God is giving a new revelation through new apostles and prophets. But is this biblical Christianity? This stuff used to be fringe. Now it's probably in your church in some way. Why is this dangerous, and how can you spot it? I talk with Holly Pivec and Do
A Change in Identity: Lost in LGBTQ... Found in Christ.
This is the story of Becket Cook. He was a gay man in Hollywood who had quite a successful career. He gave up everything to follow Jesus. It all started with a fateful event in a coffee shop... In this video, we discuss how this happened and how he overcame common objections to what the Bible says about homosexuality. We also discuss Christians going to gay weddings, Progressive Christianity'
Critical Race Theory, BLM, Equity, Inclusion, Whiteness, and Beyoncé With Monique Duson.
Monique Duson, who spent two decades advocating for Critical Race Theory and is the founder of the Center for Biblical Unity, joins me to discuss BLM, microaggressions, marxism, equity, inclusion, and MUCH more. Monique breaks down the movements we're seeing in social justice, and she explains how it differs from the Gospel. We both see that racism is a serious issue. But CRT is *not* the ans
A Genius Strategy to Witness to a Jehovah's Witness.
The New World Translation made by the Jehovah's Witness religion is one of the most distorted translations I've ever seen. It's made by Jehovah's Witnesses for Jehovah's Witness theology. This means there have been a LOT of changes made to it to fit their beliefs. But even then, is it possible to use it to show them the Gospel and even show them that Jesus is Jehovah God,
Help Your Kids to Think Critically
I got the great privilege to interview Elizabeth Urbanowicz, the founder of Foundation Worldview, about the tools she and her team have created to teach our kids critical thinking and life skills. I LOVE this stuff! Foundation Worldview is a Comparative Worldview Curriculum for kids and teens. Several years into Elizabeth's teaching experience, she realized that despite being raised in Christ
My Female Thoughts About Modern "Feminism."
The type of feminism I see today is toxic, loud, and entitled. There's a way to right wrongs, and this is not it. I share my straightforward thoughts about how modern-day woke feminism has overcorrected its cause and now has become a cesspool of hatred, bitterness, and anger that has caused immeasurable damage to all future generations of women. Yes, I'm aware of our cultural climate rig
Untamed: Becoming a Slave to Your Own Passions
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from March 2022 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*..I invited my friend Alisa Childers on my channel to have a conversation about the book "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle. This is a very popular (and trendy) book that has enchanted millions of people. Published in 2020, it's a memoir of Glennon Doyle. One reviewer d
How Christians can Faithfully Fight the Aggressive Seduction of Secularism
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from January 2022 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*..What in the crazy is happening in the world? The pressure Christians are under to buckle and give in to this ever-growing secular culture is unlike what we've seen in most of our lifetimes. How can we navigate through the cultural mess when there are so many loud voic
Did Jesus REALLY Claim to be God, Perform Miracles and was Resurrected? How Can we know for Sure?
Did Jesus actually perform miracles and did the Bible record it correctly? Was He just a magician? What about Jesus' claims to be God? Who was He praying to in the garden? What about the resurrection? Did Jesus actually rise again or are there other explanations for what happened? How Can we know for sure? I interviewed my friend Dr. Mikel Del Rosario, about these topics... who's much sm
How We Can Approach Unbelievers, LGBTQ+, and Others in Christlike Love with Dr. Sean McDowell
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from June 2021 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*..Is there a better way to talk to and treat those you disagree with? Does loving others with who we vastly disagree mean we have to sacrifice our theology (and humanity) to do it? Where do we draw the line? Does the topic of Calvinism, atheism, politics, LGBTQ+, or other conte
Counterfeit Vs. Authentic: Can Christians Redeem New Age Practices?
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from June 2021 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*..Is it true that for every counterfeit spiritual experience or practice out there, that there's an authentic one? These are teachings such as clairaudience (speaking to angels), channeling spirits, spirit guides, spell casting, trances, astrology, auras, psychic powers, o
The Pendulum Problem: The Issue with Fanaticism
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from December of 2020 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*I define the Pendulum Problem as follows: when someone takes an unhealthy extreme stance in their beliefs for the purpose of distancing themselves as much as possible from their previous beliefs that were steeped in trauma or deception. This is something I'm sure we
What the Bible REALLY Says About True Love.
**This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from September of 2021 converted here in podcast land for your listening pleasure.*I’m going to give you some core differences between the type of love we see expressed in society, the culture, and the world compared to the love that is taught in the Bible… and yes, there’s a big difference. When I was in the New Age, I had a complete distortion of w
Why the Law of Attraction, Oneness, Universalism, Mysticism, and Religious Pluralism aren't Christian
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from November of 2020 converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*Want to know why Universalism, the Law of Attraction, Mysticism, Religious Pluralism, and Oneness isn't Biblical? Well, here you have it. In a previous video linked below, I went over Five New Age teachings that I have seen enter into the church. Though there were a l
Over the Rainbow: From "Born This Way" to "Born Again"
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from November of 2020 converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*Our culture is upside down. There are now hundreds of genders, truth is whatever you want it to be (as long as it's culturally acceptable), and tolerance is more than just a bumper sticker, but a redefined term that implies we 'conform' or we're cancele
What REALLY Happened at the Council of Nicaea?
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from November of 2020 converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*I got the great privilege to sit with my friend and brother in Christ, Wesley Huff, and ask him to talk about this. I would consider Wesley to be an expert on this sort of topic, so I find what he has to say on this topic to be very compelling and hopefully will be to you
Being Politically Incorrect to be Correct: Men Are Awesome and Demi Lovato is Still a Woman.
Men are amazing, useful, necessary, and contribute immeasurably to society. Demi Lovato is a woman.A few years ago both of these statements would have been obviously true and acceptable. Now, they conjure up wrath, division, and bitterness. Sometimes I just gotta stir the pot. So stir I shall. *swish.*My website: melissadougherty.co●Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewAgeToChristianity/●Instagra
Sharing Truth in Love: Encouragement and a Plea to Christians
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video from May 2020 converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*Let me get mushy for a second.This is made in hopes that we can have some insight into how we look, sound, and act as the Body of Christ. I have found myself visiting the same set of Scriptures over the last few months, and I thought it would be an encouragement to all of us durin
When Lies Become "Truth" and the Monsters it Makes Us.
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*Heads up... Dense conversation ahead.You've been warned. What do you do when suddenly everything in your culture gets turned around? We're finding more and more people embracing blatant lies thinking it's the high moral ground. As language becomes less expressive, minds are more
The MegaChurch Mega-Mess
*This is audio extracted from my YouTube video converted here in podcast land for your hearing pleasure.*I mean... someone needs to say it, right? The Megachurch world can be a mess. I know I’m going to make a lot of people uncomfortable with what I’m saying in this video, but someone needs to say this. This is not me being nitpicky, being a guns blazin’ heresy hunter, or trying to point out minor
My First Actual Bona Fide Podcast and Why I Started One
This is my first actual podcast outside of uploading previous content from my YouTube channel. This was actually really fun and I'm looking forward to making another. I intro the podcast, give some background on the name, offer some encouragement, and what to expect from my talking face in the future. ●Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewAgeToChristianity/●Instagram: @melissaldougherty ●Twi
Five Reasons Why You Should Listen to Perspectives You Don't Agree With
This video was originally on YouTube. The audio is extracted for this podcast.Today I break down one of the best posts and advice I've seen in 2020, and in general. Why is it wise to listen to perspectives and beliefs that are different than yours?I hope to elaborate on that.My friend Rob Bowman made this post, and he's one of the most respected men in his field. He's a biblical sch
Top 5 New Age Teachings in the Church
On my YouTube channel, this has been by far my most popular video, with almost 700,000 views. It's now in podcast form!New Age in the Church?! Yep. It's been going on for quite a while now. In fact, you'd be shocked to know that a lot of Christians believe in many New Age beliefs and don't even know it. I might make a part 2 to this at some point because I realize that there&ap
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