The Unlearning Curve
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Deloney & Karl Forehand While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including: * Toxic Leaders * Toxic/Dangerous Organizations * Our Mental Well-Being * The Things We Learn on the Journey Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward! JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Deloney is a former pastor who is currently a podcaster and blogger at the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura. Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to transparently share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them. Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). Additionally, visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.
Episodes

30 minutes ago
30 minutes ago
34 min
84 - Tebow's Upsold Gospel
Tim Tebow has gone from evangelical football hero to the stage at Life Surge, where worship, motivational speaking, and financial education all share the same billing. And apparently, the same checkout line.
This week on The Unlearning Curve, Stuart, Karl, and Jordan examine the business behind Life Surge and the Christian celebrity machine that helps sell it.
From expensive financial courses and high-pressure sales tactics to prosperity-gospel thinking and the promise of wealth through faith, the conversation explores how easily religious trust becomes a marketing tool.
Along the way, we delve into Tebow’s larger-than-life reputation, evangelicalism’s love affair with celebrity, and the tendency to mistake financial success for divine approval.
When Christianity becomes the sales pitch, who’s actually getting blessed?
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns.
We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and any necessary corrections with Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Oct 22, 2026
Oct 22, 2026
32 min
83 - You Don’t Owe Everyone a Relationship
Some relationships are chosen. Others arrive preloaded with expectations, roles, and a quiet assumption that you’re supposed to keep showing up forever.
In this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart Delony, Karl Forehand, and JD talk about relationships, autonomy, and what happens when connection starts feeling more like obligation than choice.
The conversation begins with Fritz Perls’ reminder that none of us are here to live up to someone else’s expectations. From there, we dig into the roles we inherit through family, church, community, friendship, and social convention—and how easily those roles can masquerade as genuine connection.
Karl shares a story about realizing he didn’t actually have to maintain a relationship simply because circumstances had put someone in his orbit. That opens up a broader question: if a relationship only survives because someone feels obligated to stay in it, what exactly are we preserving?
We also talk about belonging and the price people often pay for it. Communities can offer connection, but they can also demand conformity. And if staying connected requires constantly editing yourself into a version other people find acceptable, the relationship may already be costing more than it gives.
Because connection means something precisely because it can be chosen.
In this episode:
The difference between connection and obligation
Why assigned roles can create resentment
Family, friendship, and relationships we inherit rather than choose
The pressure to maintain connections simply because they already exist
Setting boundaries without turning them into punishment
Why you don’t have to be friends with everyone
Belonging, conformity, and the cost of acceptance
What happens when authenticity threatens a relationship
Why freely chosen connection is more meaningful than enforced loyalty
Learning that walking away can sometimes be an honest response
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns.
We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and any necessary corrections with Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Oct 20, 2026
Oct 20, 2026
45 min
82 - If God Wrote the Bible, It Should Be Better
If the Bible is supposed to be the perfect word of God, why does it look so much like something written by people?
In this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart Delony, Karl Forehand, and JD take on biblical authority, inspiration, and the assumptions many Christians inherit about scripture without ever being encouraged to examine them.
The conversation starts with a simple challenge: if God wrote the Bible, shouldn’t it be better?
From there, we dig into contradictions, historical context, patriarchal interpretations, and the problem with treating a collection of ancient writings as though it were a single, seamless instruction manual for every person in every century.
We also talk about what gets lost when letters written to specific communities are turned into universal commands. Pulling one passage out of context and declaring it eternally binding can look a lot like grabbing one email from the middle of a long thread and insisting you now understand the whole conversation.
And beneath all of it is a larger question: when Christians say “the Bible says,” who actually gets to decide what the Bible means?
Because interpretation never disappears. Someone is always choosing which passages matter, which context gets ignored, which contradictions need explaining, and which ancient instructions somehow still apply.
In this episode:
Why biblical authority deserves scrutiny
Inspiration, inerrancy, and divine authorship
Reading the Bible as a library rather than a single book
Why historical and cultural context matters
Paul’s letters and the problem of universalizing correspondence
How scripture has been used to reinforce patriarchy
Contradictions and competing voices within the biblical text
The difference between valuing scripture and surrendering authority to it
Who actually gets to decide what “the Bible says”
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns.
We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and any necessary corrections with Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Oct 13, 2026
Oct 13, 2026
36 min
Dolly Parton: Faith, Generosity, and a Life Bigger Than Dogma
Dolly Parton spent her life talking openly about faith. Somehow, she also avoided turning it into a weapon.
In this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart Delony, Karl Forehand, and JD reflect on Dolly Parton’s life, legacy, and the version of Christianity she embodied—one built less around policing other people and more around actually loving them.
We talk about Dolly’s journey from poverty in East Tennessee to global fame, her remarkable generosity, the Imagination Library, and her willingness to remain inclusive even when parts of her Christian audience pushed back.
There’s also the business side of Dolly: an artist who could be generous without pretending her work had no value. From retaining control of her music to refusing deals that required giving away ownership, she showed that kindness and boundaries aren't mutually exclusive.
And beneath it all is a larger question: Why did Dolly’s faith seem so different from the Christianity that dominates so much of American public life?
Maybe because she spent considerably less time deciding who deserved love and considerably more time giving it.
In this episode:
Remembering Dolly Parton and her cultural legacy
Growing up poor without romanticizing poverty
The faith that shaped Dolly—and the dogma she refused to inherit wholesale
Her support for LGBTQ+ people despite religious criticism
The Imagination Library and generosity as something you actually do
Why generosity doesn’t require surrendering ownership or boundaries
Dolly, Elvis, and I Will Always Love You
The difference between professing Christian values and practicing them
What Dolly’s life says about faith, humanity, and leaving the world better than you found it
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and any necessary corrections with Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.
The Unlearning Curve is a conversation about dismantling what we inherited, keeping what matters, and figuring out what comes next.

Oct 6, 2026
Oct 6, 2026
44 min
What happens when the faith meant to save you becomes the thing you need to escape?
In this episode of The Unlearning Curve, we sit down with Rev. Heather Foy—writer, podcast host, and advocate for people navigating life beyond high-control religion.
Heather grew up in her father’s church, surrounded by rigid theology, authoritarian structures, and religious abuse. Her eventual path through deconstruction and seminary forced her to confront the distance between what churches claim to believe and how they often treat people who don’t fit neatly inside the system.
We talk about religious trauma, shame, gender roles, cult-like dynamics in high-control churches, and the connection Heather sees between Christian nationalism and authoritarian religion. We also dig into something deceptively difficult: learning to listen to people whose experiences challenge the theology you inherited.
Because sometimes unlearning isn’t about abandoning everything you believed.
It’s about figuring out what was actually worth keeping.
Topics include:
Growing up inside an authoritarian church
Religious trauma and deconstruction
What seminary changed—and didn’t
Shame as a tool of religious control
Cult-like dynamics in high-control Christianity
Christian nationalism and authoritarianism
Listening to women and marginalized voices
Building a spiritual life beyond rigid dogma
Join Stuart, Karl, and JD for a conversation about faith, freedom, and what happens when you finally give yourself permission to question the system.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and any necessary corrections with Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Sep 22, 2026
Sep 22, 2026
41 min
79 - VBS Is Grooming? The Double Standard of IndoctrinationWhen does outreach become indoctrination—and who decides?
On this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart, Karl, and JD dig into the argument behind Stuart’s article, VBS Is Grooming, and the uncomfortable similarities between religious outreach, indoctrination, and the broader process of shaping children’s beliefs before they’re equipped to question them.
The conversation starts with an important distinction: indoctrination isn’t simply teaching someone what you believe, and grooming isn’t limited to sexual abuse. Both can involve creating trust, controlling alternatives, normalizing expectations, and making certain beliefs or behaviors feel inevitable.
From Vacation Bible School and church camps to public education, the guys examine a striking cultural double standard. Churches openly design programs to bring children into a particular worldview and call it outreach. Meanwhile, many of the same religious communities accuse teachers of “indoctrinating” kids simply for acknowledging diversity, inclusion, or viewpoints they don’t approve of.
So what makes one influence acceptable and the other dangerous?
Maybe the answer has less to do with whether children are being influenced—and more to do with who gets to do the influencing.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Sep 15, 2026
Sep 15, 2026
30 min
78 - Your Faith Is Not My LawWhat happens when religious freedom turns into religious rule?
On this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart, Karl, and Jordan start with Jordan’s recent trip to Malaysia and its dual legal system, where civil law exists alongside Sharia law for Muslims. That leads to a larger question: if Christians in America want laws based on their religious beliefs, why should everyone else have to live under them?
The conversation moves through Christian nationalism, the separation of church and state, the mythology of Christian persecution, and the gap between claiming religious freedom and demanding political control.
They also look at the real-world consequences of policies shaped by conservative religious ideology, particularly around sex education, healthcare, poverty, and personal autonomy.
At the center of it all is a simple distinction: you are free to practice your religion. You are not entitled to make everyone else practice it too.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Sep 8, 2026
Sep 8, 2026
36 min
77 - When Churches Handle Crimes Like SinSexual assault is a crime. Somehow, inside many churches, it gets turned into a discipleship issue.
On this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Stuart, Karl, and Jordan dig into how churches—particularly high-control evangelical environments—have handled allegations of sexual abuse, and why the process so often protects institutions and people with power rather than victims.
The conversation looks at the biblical and cultural assumptions underneath those systems: confronting your offender, taking the matter to male church leadership, pressure to forgive, fear of damaging the church’s reputation, and the tendency to treat criminal behavior as “sexual sin” that can be handled internally.
They also examine the deeper problem: when scripture, authority, and institutional self-preservation all occupy the same room, accountability can disappear remarkably fast.
Sexual assault does not become less criminal because it happened inside a church. And forgiveness is not an investigative procedure.
Content note: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, rape, and abuse within religious communities.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). You can also visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Sep 1, 2026
Sep 1, 2026
43 min
76 - Caleb Mayfield - What Outlasts the ChurchSome friendships survive distance, changing beliefs, adulthood, and all the strange machinery of life. Sometimes loss reminds us they’re still there.
On this episode of The Unlearning Curve, Caleb Mayfield joins the conversation to talk about old friendships, sudden loss, and what pushed him to start reconnecting with people he’d let drift away. Along the way, the conversation wanders back through childhood, youth group, and the realization that sometimes what mattered most about church wasn’t the theology — it was having somewhere to go and people who knew your name.
It’s a conversation about grief, connection, growing up, and the relationships that can outlast the systems where we first found them.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). Additionally, visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.

Aug 25, 2026
Aug 25, 2026
46 min
75 - Naming the ChaosThanks for joining us again on the Unlearning Curve podcast. Today, we dive deep into the complexities of understanding chaos and how our perceptions shape our reality. With me are Carl the Great and Jordan, and together, we explore the intricate relationship between naming concepts and our ability to understand them. This conversation is particularly vital given the current climate of misinformation and the oversimplification of complex issues in society.
Understanding Chaos: Is Naming It Helpful or Hindering?
In this session, we tackle the age-old question: does naming something help us understand it, or does it limit our comprehension? The discussion begins with an acknowledgment of the chaos in the universe and our innate desire to impose order through language. As Stuart Delony points out, using the term "God" to explain chaos can warp our understanding of both God and the chaos itself. When we label everything as divine, we risk losing sight of reality and the nuances of our experiences.
The Human Need for Patterns
As humans, we are hardwired to create patterns and stories. This need stems from our evolutionary past where recognizing patterns could mean the difference between life and death. However, when we start imposing rigid definitions and narratives, we may find ourselves trapped in a box that limits our understanding. Jordan shares insights on how the internet creates a dangerous landscape where people seek definitive answers without context, leading to misunderstandings and mislabeling.
The Comfort of Certainty vs. The Challenge of Chaos
Carl the Great emphasizes the comfort that comes with certainty, especially in faith and politics. He illustrates how people cling to narratives that fit their worldview, often ignoring contradictions that might challenge their beliefs. This tendency can create a false sense of security, as he explains, leading to oversimplified views of complex issues.
Embracing Complexity in Relationships
In discussing personal relationships, Carl reflects on his 38-year marriage, highlighting that while growth is apparent, chaos and confusion often linger. He argues that it’s essential to embrace this chaos rather than seek to explain it away. Accepting that life is not always logical can lead to deeper connections and understanding, both with ourselves and others.
The Spiritual Dimension: Finding Meaning in Chaos
Stuart shares a personal anecdote from his time as a river guide, where he learned to embrace the unpredictable nature of the water. This metaphor highlights the spiritual journey we all undertake, facing chaos without the need to control it. Recognizing our smallness in the vastness of the universe can be both humbling and liberating.
The Dangers of Oversimplification
The conversation shifts to the dangers of oversimplifying complex issues, particularly in the context of significant events like 9/11. Stuart argues that searching for divine meaning in tragedies can prevent us from confronting uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our societies. Instead of seeking scapegoats or easy explanations, we must engage with the complexities of reality to foster genuine understanding and growth.
Conclusion: The Path Forward
As we wrap up this thought-provoking discussion, it becomes clear that embracing chaos, rather than fearing it, is crucial for personal and collective growth. By allowing ourselves to experience uncertainty and engage with complex realities, we open the door to deeper understanding and connection.
The Unlearning Curve Podcast
Copyright 2025 - Stuart Delony & Karl Forehand
theunlearningcurvepodcast@gmail.com
While many of us yearn for truth and understanding, the systems we participate in often prevent us from attaining genuine freedom in our everyday lives. As we move away from organized religion, we begin to recognize patterns. We believe that addressing many of these challenges requires us to examine all aspects of our lives, including:
* Toxic Leaders
* Toxic/Dangerous Organizations
* Our Mental Well-Being
* The Things We Learn on the Journey
Regardless of your belief system, we encourage you to unlearn anything that doesn’t benefit you. This will lead to healing and uncover a new way forward!
JD Forehand is the son of a preacher and an overseas educator. Stuart Delony is a former pastor, podcaster, and blogger for the Snarky Faith community. Karl Forehand is a former pastor who runs The Desert Sanctuary, a home for spiritual nomads, with his wife, Laura.
Disclaimer: We view ourselves as practitioners on a journey of discovery rather than as experts. While we strive to share our experiences and the lessons we’re unlearning transparently, we will also refer you to professionals when necessary. Trusted guides will arrive when you need them.
Feel free to convey your thoughts, concerns, and necessary corrections to Karl (karl4hand@gmail.com) or Stuart (stuartdelony@gmail.com). Additionally, visit our Facebook page, The Unlearning Curve.








