An “Atheist Church” Schism

I’ve started my bloggingheads.tv new year right, with a fascinating discussion with journalist Katie Engelhart about her piece on the recent schism in Sunday Assembly, or “atheist megachurch.” In the split, a New York branch of the group lambasted the Sunday Assembly’s marginalization (ironically) of atheists, calling the group a “humanistic cult.” (Becky Garrison interviewed the Sunday Assembly’s founders, Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones, for RD last October.)

Below is the segment in which Engelhart and I discuss the schism, but watch the whole episode if you’re interested in more background on the Sunday Assembly, why atheists want church (or not), whether atheist churches need charismatic leaders, and what the future holds for these congregations.